Chapter 90 - Imperfect Bonds

"So your verdict?" Yuki spoke up while sitting on the steps outside the dorm building with Mr Aizawa leaning against the right pillar with his expression covered up. Jokingly, Yuki smirked up at him with her arms up, hands dangling in invisible cuffs. "Here to lock me up and throw away the key - Ack!" The scarf slapped her head. "Okay, deserved that."

"As we've said, yourself and Siva can't be held accountable given the circumstances that you both were used without any knowledge," Aizawa then stared at the trees ahead. "However, now the situation's changed, the Principle is going to have the whole security system reworked, he suggested you also refrain from participating in any practical lessons until the start of January, aside from your Work Study, of course,"

He saw her eye him directly, "Not only for Siva to completely double down on any other backdoors into your quirk but to give you time to recover mentally,"

"I..." Did he figure her out? Rubbing her biceps, Yuki looked to her knees. "...you don't need to do that,"

"You're right, I don't but I will, that's an order from me," He moved to squat down to her level, staring at her with those sharp yet tired eyes. "I don't need to tell you Akame will have my head if I didn't,"

What surprised Aizawa next was the girl openly hugging him tightly with gratitude, mirroring the very first incident before the USJ. He knew about Yuki long before UA but never met her directly either because of hero work, the girl training, or staying in her room whenever he visited Akame. But he felt it was his responsibility to keep the young girl safe for Akame, it's been tricky but the problem child of UA helped lift some of that burden.

"Now get to work," He patted her shoulder, pushing her back to point at her. "Pick yourself up and let the teachers handle the rest, it's what we're here for,"

She rubbed something in her eye, sniffing slightly, "I'll do that, Mr Aizawa,"

He nodded, "Good."

"-quit daydreaming!" Yuki was thrown from her thoughts, literally, as Katsuki tossed her across Training Ground Gamma into Izuku before Kyoka's sonic blast could tear the girl's chest apart.

"Sorry 'bout that!" Kyoka waved, rushing over with Akio warping from her shadow. "These Amp Gauntlets are a little tricky to adjust,"

"My mistake, since I'm the one that asked Yaomomo to make 'em," Akio bowed his head apologetically. Izuku held Yuki by her arms, the girl leaning her back against his chest.

"All good, nice save, Dumb-Dumb," Yuki saluted as she stood up again. Then she poked his chest. "And you heard what I said, no Siva usage for the whole month, I'm on a break."

I am very much enjoying it | Time to reflect and rework systems | A pleasant and rare commodity

He glowered at her, "Next time if you aren't going to train then buzz off!" He huffed, looking around the room, it was just them, the ones that knew the truth of One For All. "Bad enough that edgy boss up and spouted that crap about Deku's stupid secret..."

"Yeah, but no one's asked yet, so what do we do if that happens?" Kyoka raised a valid point, one Izuku hadn't found an answer for. All Might overheard the commotion, walking over to the group. "We know everyone's keeping their silence 'cause of what happened to Yuki but you know they're gonna start asking sooner or later,"

"I know," Izuku sighed, holding his right arm with his left, extending his fingers at remembering Blackwhip and how it felt like hot strips of tape across his skin. "Now that Blackwhip manifested, plus Float on the horizon I'm not sure how much longer we can tie it together as 'just my quirk', I honestly don't have an answer,"

"Don't stress too much over this, Young Midoriya," All Might reassured, patting the boy's head. "I was fortunate to have a closely knitted circle that knew the truth, I avoided the topic with the media for years but events today have changed that perspective greatly,"

"If Kovik never escaped to this world, none of it would be this difficult," Yuki added, rubbing her head with a timid smile. "I'm not upset about what good's come of it, just my thoughts on what ifs, hehe,"

"What's the plan then, boss? If they start asking, should we play dumb or tell them?" Akio asked the former hero who looked at his students honestly.

"If I'm completely transparent, I rather you never told them, the risk to their lives, and their families would be too great, but..." He considered all that's transpired, and with a heavy heart, he added. "Kovik has seen it all, if he wanted, all he needs is to broadcast all our secrets, then everyone would know the truth of the power I passed on,"

"So we're screwed, perfect," Katsuki huffed, looking to the hero fanboy. "Hear that, Chosen One?" He perked up to meet the blonde's gaze. "You better get a hold of those quirks of yours or none of this will matter, that freak will come for us or the world will to know more of that power,"

In his strange way, Katsuki motivated Izuku to do better. He knew Blackwhip wasn't something to fear but to learn from and understand. The other Visages of One For All were there briefly times before to guide him, be it his Danger Sense or Float, he had experience with these power fluctuations but never realized that until now.

"Right, I'll get stronger and master these powers!" He assured, agitating Katsuki.

"If you think you can beat me again I doubt it, even with your new powers which are just skills I've already mastered!" He boasted, then realized what he said.

"Wait, Bakugo lost to Izuku again, when?" Kyoka blinked, mirroring Akio's slanted stance of shock.

"I know that he got his ass handed to him long before I came to UA but this is a first for me," Akio concurred, the red ticks bulging from the blonde's temples.

"WHAT THE HELL YOU SAY TO ME!?"

"Nothing~" They sang as one. "Woah, that's - wah again, seriously!?"

"Hey, before we leave-" Yuki tugged Izuku away from the chaos, All Might following the pair slowly with a confident smile in entrusting the truth with his students when the time came. "-Izuku, try using Blackwhip on me."

That surprised him, his arm held back. "A-are you sure? I don't want to hurt you."

"It's meant to capture, and I trust you," Yuki kept it simple, stretching her arms wide. "Now, picture a ball falling from a high height, see it closing in on the ground inch by inch," She stepped closer, grabbing his arm with silky fingers, tracing her fingers up to his, their body's flush. "Once you see it, think of your fingers like grappling hooks, send them forward to catch it beyond your reach, okay?"

"S-s-sure," He squeaked at her public display of closeness as she pecked his cheek.

"I'll make it worth your while later~" She made sure not even Kyoka could hear that, giggling at the beetroot tint flooding Izuku's face, once more standing with her arms wide. "Now come catch me, Deku!"

Raising his hand forward, he kept his body very still, feeling One For All swelling inside his arm. "Imagine my fingers extending like grapple hooks to catch a ball, they aren't a weapon but a tool, just a tool, keep the image clear," Static erupted from his body, increasing his output to just fifteen percent as a tingling sensation stretched toward his fingers. "I did it before during the mock interviews, it was faint but I've pulled the door open; Control your heart."

In a brief aura of darkness, two large hands grabbed Izuku's shoulders roughly, grinning with a fire under his feet, "That's it, kid, now," His eyes opened, flashing scarlet. "Spring forward!"

All Might's smile grew wide, seeing two black tendrils lined with turquoise light wrap and ensnare Yuki's still form instantly in their vice-like grip. "Woah!" Suddenly, those same threads yanked her toward Izuku, and panic flashed in their eyes, afraid they may merge again only for their bodies to collide, toppling over one another with Izuku's face buried against Yuki's chest. "Okay, that got my heart ticking, hehehe..."

"Bet his is ticking..." Akio snickered behind his hand, Kyoka trying to remain aloof.

"Definitely, I can hear it."

"These two..." All Might just enjoyed the sight of Yuki laughing now that they were out of that embarrassment predicament, Izuku laughing alongside her joyfully.

A few days later...

"Think Zuzu will like this? I'm getting cold feet," Yuki kept checking herself out in the mirror with Nana groaning behind her on their shared bed, texting on her phone.

"Why am I looped into you trying to arouse your boyfriend again?" That earned her a dead cluster to the forehead. "Ow! You know I'm right!"

"I'm not - oh please like your love life is any simpler," She saw her sister's tail sit up straight alongside her body. Yuki gave a knowing grin. "You keep texting and calling that girl we met at the Festival, Kairi, was it?" Now, Nana's face slowly dipped a shade of pink. "Have you two even kissed yet?"

"We-we have... sorta?" Yuki's brow rose at the vague reply as Nana frantically waved her arms with a stubborn pout. "So she kissed my cheek, that counts!"

"No, it really doesn't," Yuki then pointed to her lips. "See these? You need to press yours to hers, very delicately... or not, I'm not judging how wild you two get,"

"Oh My Gooood, stooop!" She threw a pillow that missed entirely as she hid her steaming face behind her hands. "Who died and made you so sassy, ever since the Festival you've been bolder, what gives?"

Yuki thought back to 'that' afternoon, rubbing her cheek. "Let's... just say I've grown to accept a lot of how my head works now thanks to the merge with Siva."

Nana wasn't stupid, her jaw unhinged. "...holy shit you actually did it..." Nana blinked then threw her hands up. "You know what, screw it, homework sounds like a dream come true, peace!"

As she walked away, she paused, tapping her knuckle to the door. "Yuki?" The sisters met eye to eye. Softly, Nana displayed a fanged smile. "He'll love it," With that, she left her elder sister to her devices. "And I am NOT discussing 'That' ever again about you!"

"Too bad, we share a room!" Yuki yelled back as the door slammed shut, leaving her to giggle as she adjusted her hat. "There, perfect."

I shall leave you be then | Do enjoy yourselves | I shall be here if needed

"Thanks for designing this, Siva, it looks just as I sketched it," Yuki praised, hearing the old Archon huff a laugh.

Your praise is appreciated | I simply put your designs together | Human culture continues to fascinate me

With the stealth to rival Hagakure, Yuki slipped through the hall unseen and quickly made her way inside Izuku's room, thankfully unlocked. He didn't seem to be in which gave her the time to plan ahead. With a wave of her hand, blue nanites constructed a wrapped present in blue and green wrapping paper, topped with a red bow.

Setting it on the desk she noticed his phone was still here, rather, that it was buzzing. Thinking it was Inko or maybe All Might, she stepped closer only for the call to go to voicemail. So far, this person had tried to call four times. "Must be important," Picking up his phone, she noticed the lock screen with a picture of her and Izuku at that cafe bar they shared their first date in had smudges where you'd hit to cancel the call. "Okay...?" It was probably just her imagination.

She didn't need to inspect further as the phone buzzed again.

The name on the phone was what stopped Yuki from simply allowing it to go to voicemail. She found her lips mouthing the name, 'Hisashi'. That name was somewhat familiar, Yuki could recall the name thrown around here-and-there, but nothing concrete. Shrugging, she answered the phone, sitting on Izuku's chair. What came through the other end was a mixture of relief and shock in a deep yet modest voice. ~I-Izuku, you picked up? I -~

"Sorry, he's not here, who's this?" Yuki quickly interjected as she could faintly make out a long-winded sigh on the speaker's end, enhanced hearing was pretty useful.

~Ah, I see, and who might you be, Miss? One of Izuku's friends?~ Okay, so he didn't know about her, now Yuki was invested in who this man was, and why he knew Izuku so much to sound almost elated he picked up the phone.

"I'm Yuki Azuru, his girlfriend," She felt really good saying that, she shrugged that aside for now. "And how do you know Izuku?"

~Oh! Sorry, I've heard of you from Inko, my manners slipped me, I'm Izuku's father, Hisashi Midoriya-~ If Shoto froze the room over, that couldn't compare to how Yuki felt right now. Not only was she actually speaking to Izuku's father of all people, she pretty much sounded like an ass thinking he was something malicious. Good thing this was over the phone or he'd have seen the embarrassment written on her face. ~I must say, it is a pleasure to be hearing you, after all, I've heard from Inko~

"T-thanks, Mr. Midoriya, I-Inko is really nice," Yuki answered bashfully, then the man chuckled.

~No need for formalities, given your relationship with my son and wife you can just call me Hisashi~ Okay, she cleared the first hurdle, awesome. But now she wanted answers but got a slow and almost wary response first. ~I can assume you don't know?~

"Huh?" The man on the other end nodded to himself, he suspected this much from his own son, he was a kind-hearted boy but deep down he knew the resentment was there.

~...I work overseas, that is probably all you'll get out of him I'm afraid - no surprise really - I... haven't been there for him, as a father should, and so... I've tried speaking with him over the phone instead of letters~ Hearing the solemn pitch in the man's tone, Yuki sat up straight, keeping her grip firm. ~Soon he stopped answering them too, I never told Inko this, lord knows she'd go to hell and back for Izuku, I would, I really would...~

Looking down slightly, Yuki wanted to just listen but... Steeling her resolve she smiled although he couldn't see. "Izuku's... complicated, I've learned that much over the time I knew him as just my friend, then when we grew closer I learned of his insecurities, what he fears and wishes more for when we... grew closer than that, I... I could see that there was something more he hadn't told me, maybe it was for my own protection or maybe to bury it for himself, now... I get it," Sighing, Yuki didn't want to pry, she never did but this was different, this felt personal. "I'm not perfect... Izuku isn't either... neither are you, so... just try, even if it takes forever, never stop trying, Hisashi."

~...you speak from experience, I can tell~ He replied with a lighter tone. ~Well, I'll give you my word; I honestly wish there wasn't this distance but if it meant their lives were easier then I'm willing to be called anything other than a father~ That made Yuki's stomach turn, but her smile persisted.

"Heh, you two are so alike in regards to being selfless it's almost scary," Yuki got a laugh out of him. "Right, I'll do my part then, I just hope things work out, Sir,"

~I do hope we'll meet someday, Azuru, I want to meet the girl Inko's talked so much about~ That made Yuki's face even redder. ~I'll not keep you then, Merry Christmas, by the way~

"Hm, Merry Christmas to you too," With that, she ended the call and flopped in the chair with a heavy sigh. "Okay... that's a wall and a half."

|It appears we are not the only ones with demons|

"Guess we're about to find out," Sitting upright, Yuki tucked the gift she had behind her back as the door swung open to reveal its owner. "Heeey, Zuzu, got a surprise for you~"

"Oh, Yu...ki...?" His brain must've turned itself off or something, being mentally exhausted it was like those batteries became supercharged. Yuki was sitting patiently in a new outfit for the holidays. "Am I dead or dying? What happened? Am I dreaming again?" Questions fell and dissolved as he figuratively drooled over her appearance.

Yuki wore a red Santa outfit with white, puffy trim, and a hat. A short cape too with a white bobble attached by her collar. Her mask was tucked under the hat, she had matching gloves and socks too. Her skirt revealed much of her legs and the crop top leaving her toned stomach exposed with the two distinct scars, and most of her collarbone bare.

Placing one arm over her shoulder she gave a teasing smirk. "Like my outfit? Had a few good reviews before I showed up, fufufu,"

"Uh i-i-its ah, um," His words were a jumbled mess but Yuki got what she wanted from his reactions. "Wow..." He muttered, much to her infectious laughter.

"Now, before you get any crazy ideas, we'll save stuff like that 'till later," Yuki winked before holding out a present to him. "I know it's a day early but since we're all doing that crazy swap tomorrow I wanted to give you my gift first, so here, Merry Christmas,"

"Th-thank you, Yuki," Managing to move again, Izuku quickly sat down on the edge of his bed, not seeing his phone in Yuki's hand as he peeled away the paper carefully, it was soft so it must've been clothing. His own gift to her is still hidden until tomorrow. Then, his eyes glowed brightly upon unrolling the item before the anxious girl.

It was a sizable cape, cut to sit at the middle of a person's back by the looks of things. It was a deep shade of blue with a distinct white marking sewn to the front, the SIVA insignia. His intrigue grew as he ran his fingers down the fabric, the hem shimmering slightly. "Yuki did you...?"

"I wanted it to be more useful than just fancy design so I had Siva code a bunch of nanomachines into the fabric, simply say, 'Enhance, Repair', and it'll patch up any damage to your equipment or 'Enhance, Augment' to bolster Hatsume's air force gloves or your boots," Yuki twirled a strand of air. "Plus, once you run out I can just top off the nanites used, easy,"

Taking great care of the cloak, Izuku folded it beside him with a bright smile as Yuki rubbed her blemish. "I know the color kinda clashes with your green, black, and white aesthetic but the color would've looked strange with blue nanomachines-" Her body leaned forward into Izuku's tight hug, immediately dissolving her argument. "I... guess you like it?"

"Yes, of course I do!" He pulled back with a grin that Yuki loved. "Thank you, Yuki, I'll treasure it!"

With pink cheeks, Yuki grinned ear to ear, "You and your sweet compliments never fail, Zuzu," Now came the hard part. Taking a breath, Yuki held out his phone. "Here, I heard it ring when I got here to pull off my master plan,"

"Oh... really?" He sounded surprised, rather forced in his tone when he read the history on the screen. "Right, yeah... it's not important," Yuki twigged on to that, exhaling slowly.

"He sounded like he was worried about you," That got a reaction she expected, Izuku flinching before covering it up with a slight smile to ward off her worries. Deep inside, Izuku was starting to struggle with his thoughts on how to defuse the question. He knew Yuki was curious now, she had baited him into it. "Though me answering with a threatening tone probably ranks high on worst impressions by far..."

"It's fine," Izuku dismissed, putting his phone down. "It doesn't matter what he thinks," The rare time Izuku's tone was flat about someone, even Katsuki got more emotion from the freckled boy considering their odd friendship. "Sorry, I just don't want to sour the mood about my father,"

Yuki pursed her lips a moment, then stood up to sit beside Izuku, he watched her hand as it petted her lap, eyes glancing to him then to her legs. Nervously, he let his body fall until he sat his head on her warm lap, the faintest red on his cheeks at the new seating arrangement as two caring eyes stared down at his, her hand stroking his hair. It was oddly soothing.

"Remember what you told me? That I'm still me regardless of how much of myself changed, that no matter what I was still Yuki to you?" She felt his head nod. "I'm not mad at you, I'm not going to force you to do something you are never comfortable with. Everything we've done we did so at each other's pace," Her smile eased warmly. "It's what I love most about you, you're accepting of anyone imperfections,"

Izuku closed his eyes, raising his hand to cover his eyes with a pained smile. "...I don't really hate him," That made her blink but silently listen to her boyfriend's voice strain to find the right words. "I understand why he works away from us, why... why he can't be here right now, but... but he was never around, it was always me and Mom, and... and I felt so lost when my Quirk never came, I never got his or Mom's and I was scared..."

Yuki continued to stroke his head, using her right to hold his own, rubbing the back of his palm in circles with her thumb. "When I got older I stopped caring, missing letters, calls, I just... felt no energy to care anymore," He ground his teeth. "Now I don't know what I should feel; on top of One For All, you, everything is so crazy my head's spinning trying to catch up, I don't want people to worry about me."

"You dummy," Yuki pulled his hand from his misty eyes to see her considerate smile. "We're partners, your demons are mine, my flaws are yours, that's part of the deal," Part of her knew how hypocritical that was, but this wasn't about her feelings. "Whatever you choose to do, I'll accept that, but, if I can say one thing?"

"Don't take family for granted, the good and bad, treasure it, learn from it, because life is cruel if you let it," His eyes widened a bit, and Yuki shrugged, rolling her eyes. "You're a big softy anyway, so just talk to him, take every moment in stride, no one's forcing you to do anything outside of your comfort, 'kay?"

"Okay... I'll try, since you're asking" He whispered, memorized by her face. "Yuki lost almost everyone, she probably feels as though she missed out on so much, taking those years for granted before Miss Akame took her in," In a way, he understood why she felt the need to say those things, to keep him from outright ignoring his family. He already did so to his Mom's worries before.

Rubbing his eyes a little, Izuku didn't feel the need to force a smile as her sweet lips caught his for a few precious seconds. "Take your time, my Hero," Yuki cooed.

Once the two sat up again, Yuki went to take her leave as Izuku picked up his phone, staring at the redial option as Yuki gave a wave, closing the door softly behind her. Alone, Izuku stared for the longest time, the many letters he had were back at his home, still sealed. Maybe he should ask his Mom to get them for him to pick up?

Holding his new cape tightly in his left, he hit the redial button and raised his phone to his ear with clammy hands. "Take it in stride..." Calming himself down, he heard the line pick up, and with a timid smile on his end, Izuku managed to speak. "...hi, Dad."

The next day...

"Ready... set-!" Iida flung his arm high.

"MERRY CHRISTMAS!" "Happy Dawning - ah crap, wrong holiday!" Rayla hit her own head on that one.

The snow tumbled down outside, but within the common area, everyone gathered, dressed in festive clothing thanks to Yaoyorozu, Yuki sporting a less revealing red and white Santa suit this time. Iida looked like Santa, glasses and all with a sack over his back. Katsuki was the sour one, staying in his casual clothes despite Yuki's prodding.

The large tree was lined with presents and colorful streamers, lights, and tinsel decorated the room. The large coffee table was covered with sweets and mouth-watering food thanks in part to Yuki who worked tirelessly behind the kitchen counter with Sato.

"I've got the times up on my HUD, feel free to relax now," She offered Sato as she sipped her own hot chocolate, tapping her mug to his.

"Sure thing, let me know when to jump back behind the station!" He grinned, bringing a large cake over for the girls to fawn over with starry eyes.

"Okay, turkey's still cooking and should be done before our guests arrive," She paced toward one of the ovens. "Desserts too, okay, nice."

Our objectives have been achieved | I believe we can rest easy now | I will alert you when needed

"You're the best, Siva," She giggled.

Over by Kirishima, the redhead nearly doubled over in laughter with Sero, and Ashido, "What the heck is that, Rayla!?" Sero snorted as the girl turned to them proudly with her fists to her hips. Atop her whole head was a transparent hexagonal circle prism.

"My festive engram, duh!" She swayed as it bobbed with her. "Am I a rare, maybe a legendary, or perhaps an exotic?" She batted her eyelids, causing the trio to nearly collapse in laughter as Solaire's shell shook, his own frame decorated with stickers of candy canes, trees, and bobbles with the top half red, and lower half green.

"I still say your taste of fashion is... exotic in its own unique way?" Even the modest ghost struggled to find the words.

"They're telling us to do work studies," Kaminari commented, leaning back on the sofa. "We must be the busiest First Years in UA history."

"And if we're to count time manipulation, we've even traveled through Realms, talk about a crazy year," Yuki whistled, leaving the others to recover from their laughing fit over Rayla's engram head.

"You two are going back to Ryukyu, right?" Kyoka asked Ochaco and Tsu.

"Yeah, what about you, Jiro?" Ochaco replied.

"You could try Valstrax's," Akio perked up behind the girls, leaning against the spine of the sofa. "I never got the chance to ask her but I think it'll be pretty good for your skillset,"

"You think so?" Kyoka quirked a brow as he flashed her his toothy smile.

"Never a doubt, Ky - eh, Jiro!" He sighed in defeat. "Sorry, getting used to saying your surname is still tricky, remind me never to tamper with time again..."

"Considering what I've seen and heard thus far, this is just par for the course with your antics," The rocker smirked, prodding his cheek with her jack. "But seriously, screw with our memories again and I'll hang you out in a snow storm."

"Aye, Sir," He froze up immediately, saluting her.

"Say, what about you, Yuyu? Will you head back to your Mom's?" Hagakure perked up, leaning forward as Yuki finished eating the last skewer on the platter.

"Nah," She bluntly declined. "Love my Mom but I've got someone else in mind..." Her eyes slowly traced toward Shoto with a cunning grin. "There's a Pro I want to get even with, hehehe."

"Why does that sound more threatening than it is...?" The group grimaced at the old-timey villain laugh from the bubbly girl.

Over by himself, Katsuki just tuned out as Ashido snuck over with a Santa jacket but the blonde caught on quick. "What're you sneaking around for!?"

She played it cute, one leg behind the other with the jacket hidden. "Huh? What are you talking about?"

"Bakugo, won't you go back to Best Jeanist?" Kirishima suggested.

"Huh!?" His lapse of focus left him wide open for Kaminari to toss a hat onto the explosive boy's head. Slowly though, his irked expression fell to a frown, "I haven't decided yet," Tugging the hat off. Yuki gave him a sad look, she heard the reports that he was missing. Kovik might have something to do with it.

"But you had a ton of people asking for you, right!? After the Sports Festival!" Kirishima mentioned. "You can go wherever you want!"

"I'm not interested in learning from riffraff after all this time," He declined until Ashido swept in with the jacket again. "Don't put that on me!"

"Come oooon, give in to peer pressure~!" She egged on.

"You got to make him wear something he likes!" Yuki grinned slyly. "Get him a skirt,"

"What!?" He thundered, eyes twitching as Yuki cackled, playing with the SIVA logo hanging from her hat. A few explosions set off from his hands. "Say that again to my face, Mute!"

She warped over, nose to nose with a glare and shit-eating grin. "Wear. A. Skirt. Kac-chan." She evaded his small blast. "Woop!" Again his hands missed her. "Too slow~!"

"You two, stop fighting this instant!" Iida waved his arm up and down frantically.

His fist was connected to Yuki's jaw while she pulled at his hair. "Fine."

The front entrance creaked open once the main food was ready, revealing Mr Aizawa. "Sorry we're late... have you started already?"

"Merry Christmas~!" Akame swung through the other door with a sack held by one of her shrunken wings. "I've brought sweets!"

"Hello again, thank you for inviting me," Peeking in from behind Akame was Kairi in a black winter coat with blue earmuffs, herself bowing politely.

Then, standing with the two adults was the most heart-melting sight in history. Eri wore a red Santa dress with big brown gloves and a hat, staring up at familiar faces with big red eyes. "Trick-or... treat...?" She turned to Aizawa for the correction.

He knelt down beside her. "No, you mixed up the holidays,"

"She's so precious~" Akame and Kairi shared the same thoughts.

"Santa Eri!" A small group cheered, Yuki and Ocha sliding over across the floor, fawning over her outfit.

"So-so cute~!" "She's too precious to exist~!"

"It looks good on you!" Izuku praised.

Then Eri threw something from her hands, incorrectly saying another holiday. "Demons in, demons out."

Aizawa put his hand out behind her. "No, that's not for another two months,"

"Is Togata with you?" Kirishima asked.

"No offense, please say no," Yuki joked.

"Togata's with his class, go on, have fun," Aizawa... smiled?

Yuki shot up next to her Mom. "What the hell did you do to him? He never smiles!" Her face was stone cold serious as the silverette winked, tapping her lips vaguely.

"That's a secret~" Yuki deadpanned at her Mom's close-lipped smirk.

"I hate you," Shaking her head, she looked to the shark girl meeting her eye nervously. "It's been a while, Takumi, you been well?"

"Y-yes, thank y-you for asking," She blurted out, covering her mouth as Yuki giggled, patting her head.

"Nana's sitting with the others, relax and have fun, okay?" The honest welcome helped her nerves relax, her tail no longer curled stiffly by her legs.

"I-I will, thank you," Once she left, Yuki spun to her Mom chatting with Kirishima and Tsu as she offered them her gifts to the class.

"Hey, Mom, Mr Aizawa?" The pair turned to see Yuki pulling out from beside a plant pot a large gift basket wrapped up. "Could you take this with you, for the staff... for everything they've done for me and Siva..." She appreciated all they've done for them, it was the very least they could think of doing.

Aizawa took it with a grateful nod. "I told you, it's our job, but I'll pass on your thanks,"

"You all have fun now!" Akame waved, hugging Yuki tightly. "Here," She handed two gifts for Yuki and Nana. "Merry Christmas, sweety."

"Thanks, Mom,"

"Thank yooou~!" Nana waved from afar.

Again, Yuki was strangled into another hug by the overly affectionate drake. "You two are the best daughters in the world! Buuut I have my own party to get to, and several to drink under the table."

"Ugh..." Aizawa pinched his nose after speaking with Izuku.

"Yikes, good luck..." Yuki passed on her prayers to the unfortunate ones.

Once the heroes left Eri and Kairi in their care, the festivities continued. The class enjoyed the food prepped beforehand while Kyoka played her guitar, Akio listening against her back while playing with a tiny purple ember atop his finger, smiling fondly.

Nana embraced Kairi affectionately after receiving her gift from her, that being a pair of black headphones that were designed to look like bat ears, fitting the music-obsessed girl's vibe perfectly. Beside Kairi, she had a new silver necklace courtesy of Nana.

Over by Katsuki, the teen had nowhere to run as Tekres held him steady for Yuki and Ashido to wrap up in a Christmas hat and jacket against his will. The two girls high-fiving the Wolf Splicer who even wore a small hat himself thanks to Hagakure.

Once everyone had eaten and messed around for a white, they gathered all their gifts into a single pile, a very distinct greatsword placed in the middle by Tokoyami to no one's surprise. "On 'Three' - One-" Rayla held her white tape, Katsuki's already wrapped around his ankle. "Two..." Even Solaire and Tekres held onto one each, the ghost's wrapped around his shell. "Three!"

The gifts went flying, all receiving some odd but accepted presents, some more obvious than others who they came from. "Gotcha!" Eri blinked as Yuki caught the massive sword for her, placing it down gently. "I'll make sure someone keeps this safe until you're old enough to use it, but good catch, Eri."

"Thank you, Aksis!" She beamed, Ojiro paling at the sight.

"Are you sure her having that is a good thing...?" He gulped.

"It's just a big sword, it'll be fine," Yuki dismissed with a wave, holding up her own gift that was a glowing purple engram. "Rayla? Is this safe?"

"Less you know a Cryptarch, it's basically a fancy lamp, enjoy!" She grinned from afar, enjoying her new black jacket with roaring red flames. "Lookin' good..."

"Woah, check me out!" From seemingly nowhere, Nana appeared, throwing the blue cloak's hood back as her body became visible, a giddy look stuck to her face. "I'm a ninja!"

"Cloak technology, from what I know of old Eliksni days, it was a fun children's toy," The culprit, Tekres, clicked, rubbing his chin. "Is it... to your liking?"

"Love. It!" The Bluette yelled, Kairi facepalming.

"Great, now she can appear like a phantom.." Yuki shared the girl's woes.

"So, you essentially gave her Silent Fang cloak tech?" Yuki surmised as the Splicer rolled his shoulders.

"I have no use for it, I can make more," He added.

"That doesn't make it - wait, hold on, what?"

|No|

"Oh, come on, even we don't have stealth-"

|Not happening|

"Bah, Siva won't let me have stealth tech," Yuki pouted.

|You are trouble enough|

"Like you're on to talk! Hijacking my body like a parasite!" She argued with herself.

Izuku was suffering a crisis, but he was not alone.

"Just man up and do it, Midoriya!" Ashido shook his shoulders wildly, his red face and spirally eyes losing focus.

"That's~easy~to~say~but~I'm~freaking~out~" He wobbled out as Yaoyorozu pried the pink girl off his shoulders.

"You shouldn't need to feel so worried, I'm certain Yuki will love it," The ravenette tried to assure him but his hands cupped the gift tightly, brow furrowed. "She wouldn't ever reject it,"

"I know, it's not that..." He admitted, second-guessing himself. "Am I worrying too much over her? I can't tell anymore where the line is; if I'm being a nuisance or-"

"You want me to burst your eardrums?" Kyoka's jacks were brandished to his eyes, freezing him in place.

"Please don't!" He squeaked as the killer spying needles left his sight.

Playing with the right one, Kyoka stomached a huff. "Take a look over there, see that idiot with my guitar?" Kyoka meant Akio playing on the instrument. "Ever since we went to that market I've been wondering who he is, what he is; our friend, a spy, more than that, I dunno - I honestly think I'm was going insane sometimes when he talks about us so perfectly,"

Her face softened, "Point is, doubting what Yuki's going to say won't make you feel better, and it'll make her worry more if you let it,"

"She's right, Deku," Ochaco concealed the gift in his hands by placing her own around his. "You worrying makes you really kind, everyone knows that you're considerate to a fault,"

"Even friends with Mr Grumpy in the corner over there," Ashido snickered at Katsuki glowering on his own.

"What have you got to lose?" Tsu kept it short. "Yuki's very understanding, almost nothing phases her."

"Sooo?" Hagakure pushed him out of his seat, pumping a sleeve high. "Go get her, loverboy!"

"Sweep her off her feet and all that, Freckles," Rayla clicked her tongue.

Yaoyorozu cleared her throat, trying to appear modest, "Well, yes, no use putting it off any longer, Midoriya."

"Rude to keep a girl waiting," Tsu tacked on as he laughed, rubbing his already shaken body.

"R-right, I-I can do that," He looked at the girls all giving him encouraging expressions. "Thank you, guys,"

"Girl power!" Rayla threw a peace sign forward.

What felt like a mile hike led Izuku straight to Yuki chatting away with Eri in her lap. "-I swear, I've never seen a place like it, the world was something straight out of Tron!"

"'Tron'?" Eri blinked.

"Ah, it's a movie that looks like that world you, me, and Deku ended up, remember? With all the colorful lights?" Eri nodded, recalling that faintly.

"Y-Yuki, can I s-show you so-something?" Izuku rigidly asked.

"Sureeee... woah, you good?" She asked with a brow rising, noticing he looked like he mimicked Kirishima's hardening again. "Did someone slap you with a 2-D printer?"

"I'm fine, thank you," Even his voice was barely above a squeak.

Placing Eri down beside Nana, she followed Izuku down the ground floor's hallway toward the staircase, once on the first floor, alone, Yuki then twigged on with a knowing smile. "Finally ready to reveal the grand gift of the day, are we?"

"Ye-yes," He gulped, holding it behind his hands. He quickly checked to ensure the girls kept their word about not saying anything until they returned, his Danger Sense wouldn't trigger anyway, his nerves were on fire as is.

Burning with excitement, Yuki steadied her fidgeting, "So, what's your gift then, hm?" Yuki teased, leaning forward curiously as Izuku gulped, scratching his head.

"C-close your eyes," That wasn't what she expected but did as she was told. "H-hold our your r-right hand just,"

"Interesting..." She chimed, making him chuckle softly.

"I-i-it's hard to say without g-giving it away," He took her hand, Yuki feeling taut as his hands moved something around on her hand, something small but before she could delve further, he let go. "Y-you can l-look," When she met his scarlet face, he almost looked rigid like a plank of wood.

Yuki held up her hand to find nothing there, then she flexed her hand forward, staring for the longest second as her eyes expanded with a sharp gasp caught in her throat. Wrapped around her ring finger was a shiny silver ring, upon closer inspection, the surface was etched with vines and thorns attaching to the image of a flower.

Izuku's throat was tight and dry, he couldn't read her face, shock was prevalent as she studied the promise ring. As much as he wanted to collapse from the embarrassment he had to root his feet. "E-everytime something big happens, w-we always seem to be separated, a-and that worried me so many times that I hated myself for never being there, a-and I know it's sometimes out of my control but it still frustrates me,"

Attached to his own finger was a ring too, matching hers but the added details were more like stars. Playing with it on his finger he rambled on out of nerves collapsing around him, his heartbeat pounding, making his body hotter. "So I-I-I got these s-so that even w-when we're apart w-we can still be there f-for each other i-in a sense and-"

"Hehehhahahaha!" Yuki's laughter erupted as she dried her eyes with her thumb, snickering behind her hand. "You dummy! You did all this just to say that?" That made him laugh a little, easing the tension as her hands wrapped around his in the empty hall, not a prying eye to be seen. "I'm glad that you'll be there when I need you, you always are when I'm at my lowest, so thank you for being you,"

Seeing a few watching out the corner of her eye, Yuki grabbed Izuku's chin softly, tilting him toward her as his right hand cupped her cheek as she used her mask to block anyone's view of them as their lips met quietly, sparing no time to display their affection in private, Yuki feeling her mind turn to mush, ensnared by the minty taste and her own feelings.

Izuku put his other hand around her waist, bringing Yuki closer as their burning face moved in sync, if anyone was watching, he certainly didn't care, absorbed by the amazing girl in his arms that accepted him time and again. When they parted, his right hand played with one strand of her hair, the two nose to nose as they laughed quietly between themselves, eyes closed to enjoy the tender moment.

At the time, not knowing anything... I thought, 'I hope we can have such a fun Christmas party next year too', from the bottom of my heart.

To Be Continued...

These holidays are so poorly timed, no matter, drama, and fluff abound, plus I actually bring up Izuku's father which like... never happens in the official story, not yet anyway. The Work Studies are back next, and we've got quite the story to unfold. I hope you enjoyed, I appreciate the support as always; seeya in the next chapter, Heroes!

Next Chapter Intermission: Perfect Your Styles, Heroes!

Izuku slid into view with a grateful smile, "Thank you for suggesting us, Todoroki!"

The heterochromia teen nodded once, "It's no issue."

"I'm here under my own choice, got that!?" Katsuki glowered off to the side with Yuki sweatdropping.

"Don't think he cares, Dumb-Dumb." Then Katsuki got in her face, the girl leaning back with a smile.

"Huh!? Who invited you!?" The blond demanded as Izuku tried to push space between them as sparks flew.

"Guys, please don't fight now..."

Shoto blinked once before addressing the camera, "...next week, Perfect Your Styles, Heroes."

With her hand propped against Katsuki's face, Yuki hummed, "That's a familiar title - ahem, Go Beyond-!"

Izuku, and an irritated Katsuki chimed in, "Plus Ultra!"