Hey guys, I'm here on time, despite life doing it's damnedest to stop me! My family had a sudden outbreak of the coof, making my life pretty hectic for the last week. Thankfully, no one was close to needing the hospital and I've managed to escape unscathed. Hope you enjoy!

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"This means someone is talking."

'This means someone is thinking to themselves.'

This means it's a flashback.

*This means it's a sound effect!*

{This means I'm speaking in a different language!}

Angel in a Gilded Cage

Ochako had never been the type of person to feel guilt. She wasn't faultless by any means, but she rarely found herself in the situation where she felt terrible from something she was well aware was her fault. The last time she could recall was when she had scribbled all over the living room walls with markers when she was five. Even then she had been too young to know any better.

But this time? Acting so repulsive to her (likely former) friend Angel and probably costing them the training camp trip? Yeah, there was no doubt in her mind that she deserved the yawning pit that had opened in her abdomen. And the aches in her joints, bruises on her arm, leg and backside and the many sharp pains jabbing at her from nearly every conceivable angle-

Oh wait, that was just the pain from their sudden crash into a tree after Angel's quirk got canceled out. As much as it hurt though, it was certainly more forgiving than the pavement would have been.

"Ow. Ow, ow… owwww…" Angel moaned from the thick branch she was slung over like a carpet on a clothesline. She lifted her head and grimaced. "You… you okay Ura-chan?"

God, seeing her friend like this just made Ochako feel worse.

"I-I've been better…" She grunted back.

"Anything, ugh, broken?"

"I don't think so."

"Good. Let me just…" Angel grunted, puffing out her cheeks as she flopped down, hanging off the branch from her hands for a few seconds. She let go and landed on her feet, just barely for she stumbled a little before righting herself.

"Oof… going to feel that one tomorrow." She muttered, rubbing her stomach and looking up. "Need a hand getting down?"

Ochako shook her head, merely tapping her wrist and floating herself down, relishing in feeling her quirk again. She had never gotten it negated by Aizawa before, making their confrontation quite the surreal experience.

As soon as she pressed her finger pads together, Angel grabbed her by the arm.

"Come on! We've got to move fast! It won't be long until Sensei catches up to us!" She said, urgently pulling Ochako along.

'Why? Why did she come back for me, after what I did? Why is she acting like nothing's happened?' She questioned in disbelief, so befuddled at this point that she just let herself be led down a shaded street.

She did manage to gather her wits enough to ask; "W-Where are we going?!"

"We need a place to hide, somewhere we can catch our breath!" Angel replied, coming to a halt to fearfully glance about, then they took off again.

"I-I guess that makes sense." She muttered, though she honestly didn't know why she bothered to come along. Aizawa said it himself; she had acted completely foolish by challenging him on her own and thus, failed the exam. Why should she even bother humoring this pointless attempt to continue to put up a fight?

Before she could do anything though. Angel's face lit up. "Oh! There! Let's go!" She said, pointing up the driveway to one of the many fake houses populating the zone, specifically to a small shed in the yard.

Angel ran up and yanked the door open. "Get in, quick!" She whispered, pushing Ochako inside. She stumbled about, the interior was dark, the only light coming from a small window on the wall. Once her eyes adjusted, she couldn't pick anything else out and really, why would there be? This shed was just as real as the house nearby or the neighborhood it inhabited. Why would Yūei bother with filling them with things like furniture or tools?

Looking back, she spotted Angel carefully easing the door closed, but just leaving it open enough for there to be a slight crack, which she proceeded to peer through.

"Okay… I think we're safe. Well, for now at least."

"So what now?" Ochako asked. In response, Angel turned around and her expression made her swallow a big lump of dread. It wasn't anger, but something much worse.

Worry.

"Now, we need to talk." Angel declared, taking a step forward.

"D-Do we?" Ochako stuttered, moving one step back as she realized her partner's true intentions for seeking refuge in the tight confines of this small shack. She had nowhere to run.

Angel crossed her arms. "Yes! We are not leaving this shed until you tell me what the heck is going on with you!"

Ochako's gaze fell in shame. She couldn't bear to look into Angel's imploring eyes, lest she felt so much guilt that some god would strike her down where she stood.

"Why?" She asked, though she already knew the answer.

"Are you really asking that?" She heard her sputter incredulously and she felt a hand on her shoulder. "Because you're my friend. Do I need another reason to help you?."

Ochako stiffened. Any anger that had been left over from before died out, leaving only the cold sensation of regret. She couldn't stay mad with her best friend it seemed, especially when she hadn't knowingly done anything wrong.

She bit her lip, her face scrunched up as she did everything she could to not cry.

"Stop it." She spat.

"Huh? Stop what?"

"That." Ochako snapped, slapping Angel's hand away, looking at her with a pained grimace, her cheeks hurting. "Stop being so nice to me! I don't deserve it!"

Angel looked at her, utterly baffled. "I dont- I don't get it. What do you mean by that?! Why are you pushing me away like this?! Tell me!"

"No!" Heated tears running down her face, internally begging her not to keep digging.

But she did anyway.

"Why not?!" She yelled, throwing her arms up, exasperated.

"Because I'm jealous of you alright?!" Ochako screamed. Her words bounced off the walls of their little sanctuary, then all was silent. Her eyes widened as she realized what she had just said, clapping her hands over her mouth in horror, as if she could take it back.

But it was too late.

Angel stilled, her eyes the size of plates to match her own. "You… You're… jealous of me?" She said, as if the concept had never occurred to her.

The truth was out and with any pretense of keeping it secret out the tiny window, Ochako just sagged, defeated for the second time today.

"But…but why?" Angel said, sounding and looking nothing but lost, reminding Ochako of their study group session when she got stuck on her literature work. "Why would you be jealous of… of me?"

Ochako let out a heavy breath, suddenly feeling a lot more tired than she had anticipated. She stepped away and set herself against the wall, sliding down its surface as her quaking legs gave out from under her.

"Because you're just so incredible." She answered, her voice low and empty of emotion, not even the anger that she possessed earlier was present. "Like seriously, where do I even begin? The fact that you were the top scorer in the entrance exam? Came second in the obstacle race? Heck, you even fought Todoroki to a standstill." She weakly thumped her fist on her leg and shook her head. "And God, what about school? You have some of the best grades in the entire class. Then there's the hero exercises, you always excel at them, like the race a week ago when you beat Bakugo of all people!"

She eyed the markings on her friend's arm. "And your quirk, your quirk is just so much better than can do so many amazing things and you just always… know what to do, how to use it in the best way!"

She held her palm out, then closed it, letting it drop to her side. "Then there's me, who can't go a minute of floating myself without puking my guts out."

She shuddered, her heart clenched as the next words left her.

"You are better than me in every single way."

The realization had hurt so much when she first had it, but it was one hundred times worse to admit it.

"And you know what the worst part is?" She asked, raising her head and fixing Angel with a remorseful gaze. "You don't act like you are. I know a lot of kids from middle school that if they had a fraction of what you had, they'd hold it over everyone's heads. But not you. You've never said you are better than anyone, or that you are even good at anything. You just… smile."

She looked away. "A small part of me kind of wishes you were somewhat full of yourself. Because then… I wouldn't feel so bad about being so horrible to you." She shook her head, brushing one of her bangs aside and propped her face on her wrist. "But no. You're nothing but kind to everyone you meet, even me, even after all I did."

Ochako sniffled. "You're a much better hero than I'll ever be."

'And the person that Deku admires the most.' Her brain pointed out, adding just a little more emotional baggage to the proverbial suitcase, not that she understood why still. But that was it. The truth had been told, the cards finally spread out on the table. Her guilt felt alleviated if only a little from finally letting it all out before it swelled back up again.

What would her friend think of her now? She had jeopardized their grade and the training camp on her need to prove herself, borne out of a juvenile sense of resentment towards her closest friend. She wouldn't be surprised if Angel started berating her, chewing her out for what she did. It'd be the least she deserved. Or maybe she will just walk out the door without saying a word, leave her to wallow in self loathing. That would be the best case scenario in her mind.

The seconds crawled by and neither of them made a sound, let alone speak. Ochako was beginning to wonder what Angel was doing until the silence was finally broken by a singular noise.

"Hm. Hm-hm. Ahhm-hm!"

Ochako twitched and raised her head.

'Did she just..?'

She turned and stared in shock. Angel had a fist covering her mouth, which was curled into a tiny smile. Her body shook a couple times as she seemed to be trying to keep something from escaping her mouth. But Ochako knew exactly what she was doing, she just couldn't believe it.

"Are-?! Are you seriously laughing right now?!" She questioned, the fury she felt back at the start gate surging back at the thought that her friend found something so amusing about her emotional turmoil.

"N-No, no!" Angel shook her head and waved her hand in a placating manner. "It's nothing like that, honest!" She lowered her arm and stared off into space, a sad look in her eyes despite her expression. "It's just… a sort of comedic irony I guess. That you would be jealous of me."

Ochako started, her brows moving from their furious angle to a confused bunch. "Why would you say that?"

Angel looked at her, her smile looking like it was about to fall at any given moment.

"Because I envy you."

Ochako blinked, the whole world collapsing in on itself. "Huh?! But-what?! What?! Wha-why?! How?! You have everything!"

Her friend sighed and quietly stepped over, setting herself on Ochako's left. "I guess from the outside it would look like that. But to tell the truth, that's what I thought about you. Guess I was being naive, thinking that you didn't also have things that you wish were different."

Angel turned to her. "You want to know what you have that I don't?"

Ochako slowly nodded.

"I guess the first thing would be something you've never worried about, something that most people just have from the get go."

"What?"

"The ability to talk to people, well, normally in any case."

"Talking to people?" She repeated while raising a brow, getting a small nod.

"You remember how we first met, right?"

"The entrance exam? When I knocked you off that robot?"

"Yep. You were apologizing for destroying my ride, bowing your head up and down." Angel laughed fondly before her smile shrank. "In that moment, I wanted to tell you "I forgive you.", it was an accident after all. But… the words got stuck in my throat. You were the first girl my age that I had spoken to in a long time. I was scared, petrified even. No matter what I did, I couldn't say a word. I never got the chance to say it, thanks to the zero pointer. In the time months I've spent here I've gradually gotten better at talking to people, socializing and all that. But… I-I'm still so scared all the time. I'm always second guessing myself, fearful that something I did or said might have been a mistake and that I wouldn't even know it. That's why in class, I would always watch you, trying to pick up anything that can help me act… normal. You may not think it's that special, but at least you are able to talk to others and move in a crowd instead of curling up into a ball."

Ochako was baffled, a numbness spreading over her body. How could she have forgotten about Angel's social anxiety? She knew that it was somewhat of a problem, but she hadn't imagined the mere act of speaking to someone could cause her friend that much stress. She, Midoriya and Iida had promised to help her, but it seemed she hadn't really considered what that meant. It just made her feel that much more of a bad friend.

"I… I never knew."

Angel waved her off. "Don't feel too bad. It's not something most people think about, I get that. Same as the other thing I wish I had, at least from what you've said of them."

Ochako stiffened.

Oh no. That was right. Angel had lost one at a young age hadn't she?

"My parents?" She asked shakily, getting another nod in confirmation.

"It's been so long since the… accident." Angel mumbled, pulling her legs in and hugging them against her chest. "I can't even remember what my mom looks like anymore. My dad got rid of all the pictures we had of her. And I've never told anyone this, but… my dad, he… he didn't want me to come to Yūei. All because I couldn't control my power."

Angel's eyes fluttered. "H-Hold on." She said, lifting her visor to wipe away at a couple tears that had welled up. "There. And that brings me along to the whole… crux? Center, yeah, center of this whole thing. You think that my quirk is really great and cool… but I've never seen it that way. All my life, I've been kept away from others, all because I don't want to lose control and hurt someone again. I've called it a curse more times than I can count. And if I could… I'd give it away in a heartbeat, just to set things back the way they were. When everyone was happy."

With that last reveal, tears started pouring from Ochako's eyes in earnest as she stared on, stunned into silence. She was a horrible person, wasn't she? She had been so wrapped up in her own insecurities, her bitterness to consider her partner's own problems and to be thankful for what she had. Friends, a home with loving parents. Even if her family struggled to make ends meet at times, they still had each other.

Angel didn't have any of that, burdened with a whole slew of issues that she claimed was a result of her quirk, a power that any average person would kill for. If Ochako had been in her position, she probably would have buckled a long time ago. And yet here she was, trying to be the best person she could be. It was not some charade put up to maintain some image, but a genuine desire to help people, as proven time and time again, such as her showing concern leading up to this moment.

And she had treated her like garbage, just because of some people's words.

"Bwaaah!" She buried her head in her arms and wailed, tears staining her costume's sleeves. "Ib sobby! I'b sucha bad fwend!"

Immediately, Angel pulled her into a sideways hug. "Ssh… it's alright. I'm not mad at you."

Ochako lifted her head and looked at her, tears and snot running down her face. "Buh-Buh I was howible to you! I yelled at you and-and floated you! Why did you come back for me?! Why awe you being so nice?!"

"You're my best friend and you've already done so much for me. You and the boys said that you'd be there for me. As far as I can tell, that deal goes both ways. Besides…" Angel gave her another smile. "...we all make mistakes. I know that too well."

Ochako choked, but slowly, she grew a smile of her own. "I-I don't know what to say."

"You don't have to."

"But I want to!" She pulled herself onto her knees. "I'm so sorry that I acted like that! You're my best friend too!"

Angel's eyes widened and her calm demeanor crumbled a bit, more tears leaking from under her visor.

"Aw, why'd you say that? Now we're both crying."

They both laughed, pulling themselves into another hug. They held each other gladly and Ochako felt the waves of regret abate. She may have failed the exam, but at least she still had her friend.

They collectively jolted when the PA rang out. "Ten minutes remaining in the trial. Ten minutes." The electronic voice echoed.

Their eyes shot open.

"Oh crap! The exam!" Ochako gasped, she and her partner separating and leaping to their feet.

"What are we going to do?!" Angel grunted, nibbling her thumbnail in thought. "There's no way we can make it to the exit without getting caught at this point and Sensei will just knock us out of the air if we try to fly!"

Ochako pondered for a moment, wiping her face. "I… I think I could distract him long enough for you to escape."

Angel promptly shook her head. "No! Absolutely not! Out of the question!"

"Sensei already failed me for that stunt I pulled earlier, there's no way I'm passing at this point. The least I can do is slow him down so you can!" She argued.

"No! I said it before and I'll say it again, you're my friend, I'm not leaving you!"

"But I've already lost! Why risk losing your chance to go to the training camp for me?!"

Angel grabbed her hand and squeezed it tight. "Because you're my friend darnit! And what kind of hero would I be if I left you behind?!"

Ochako's jaw dropped. It was really that simple for her, wasn't it? She'd like to think she would do the same if their positions were reversed.

"We've been hanging out with Deku-kun a lot, haven't we? This all feels like something he'd say." She snorted softly.

"Yeah, he's a real bad influence isn't he?" Angel chuckled before her expression turned serious. "Now, let's finally come up with a plan, okay? We don't have enough time to run with him chasing us, so we need a way to take Sensei down." She let go of her hand and peered out the door crack.

"If only we could drive one of those cars out of here. But they aren't real… I don't know how to drive, heh." She joked.

Ochako laughed a little at the jest, then stilled. "Angel-chan, you've been practicing your kicks lately, right?"

Shota's boots thumped off the ceramic tiles of the roof, his eyes scanning the horizon as he did so. Throwing out his arm, he threw a loop of his scarf on the top of an electrical pole, a quick, practiced flick making the fabric stiffen and become solid.

A quick yank launched him over the street towards the next house over, his hair trailing behind him while he soared across. He deftly landed on his feet, more tiles clattering under his feet as he slid to a stop.

It had been about ten minutes since he lost his quarry, Hodunk proving her resourcefulness once again in how she single handedly freed her partner and covered their escape by blowing out the streetlamp. He was still shaking shards out of his hair and scarf. Thankfully he had been spared any serious cuts, only a few knicks here and there that will be healed with hardly any effort on Recovery Girl's part.

It was due to Hodunk's ingenuity that he trusted that she found a way to land safely after he had grounded her, considering she and her partner had vacated the area they had touched down in. They hadn't left any clues as to where they went unfortunately, but it was of little consequence. All he had to do was patrol the last block before the exit gate and capture them.

Though he only really needed to go after Hodunk and not Uraraka at this point. He had made it quite clear to the brunette on his stance on the type of reckless, self serving behavior she had displayed and that for her the test was already over. It was for that same reason he would had deducted points from Hodunk if she hadn't come to her rescue.

Still, he would probably need to do some investigating later before he made a final verdict for the remaining student. Uraraka was obviously acting much unlike herself when she squared off against him earlier, hinting at a recent development. If Hodunk had no part in it, he would likely hold her blameless if he did catch her.

You can't account for your teammates acting antagonistic for no reason. She'll probably need to take a makeup test. Uraraka on the other hand might be facing a more severe punishment depending on how damning the evidence will turn out to be. He hadn't been planning on expelling anyone in this class, least of all Uraraka of all people.

'Such disregard for hero ethics and your comrades have no place in the real world, therefore she has no place at Yūei.' He thought grimly, continuing to scour his surroundings.

There was a flash of white to the right. He turned and narrowed his eyes. Hodunk was four houses down, flapping her wings to try and fly down the mainstreet as fast as she could, making a beeline to the exit gate. It was clear that it wasn't her plan, or at least her whole one, if it was he was definitely giving her too much credit. He didn't see Uraraka along for the ride, either she was hiding somewhere or had given up from his verdict.

Regardless, he didn't have a choice. It was a trap for sure, but if he didn't run over and spring it, Hodunk would simply escape. He couldn't afford to not call her bluff, even if it wasn't one. Mic would never let him hear the end of it.

He sprung into action, vaulting off the roof and landing on the next house over, then repeating the process while keeping his gaze locked on target. It was by the third house that he activated his quirk, eyes flashing red. Hodunk's wings instantly vanished, their owner floundering in midair for a second before plummeting down into the street and out of sight.

Not wanting to let her get a chance to hide or use her quirk, he leapt down, landing just in time to glimpse her form slip around the corner. He dashed right after her and rounded the bend-

'Shit!' He cursed as a dummy car came flying towards him! He dove to the side, the fake automobile shooting past, floating over the ground for a moment, then slammed down.

Looking back, he saw the glimmer of his prey's wings glowing from behind a levitating belt of cars.

'Looks like Uraraka is still fighting then.' He deduced. The fact that she hadn't given up and was now actively supporting her teammate wouldn't change her failing grade, but it might save her school career.

'One thing at a time.' He told himself, breaking into a sprint.

"Here he comes! Yah!" Hodunk yelled, followed by one of the cars getting launched down the path towards him as an improvised missile, being unrestrained by gravity.

It was a clever strategy he admitted. They purposefully used the narrow passage of the alleyway to funnel him in without much room to maneuver and the cars served as a vision barrier so he couldn't cancel her quirk from a distance. She was probably using her wings to generate enough force for her to launch her projectiles with her legs, then Uraraka would return their mass when they got close to him.

'Points for creativity.' He decided. He sidestepped the second car which flipped over and smashed against the concrete wall.

He heard Hodunk grunt twice and two more cars came towards him, one after the other. He hopped up, mantling over the first and quickly followed up by sliding on his knees under the second.

There was only one left between him and Hodunk, angled sideways so it took up the entire width of the alley.

"Unf!" She huffed from behind the last car. The girl must have used both legs this time, because it flew towards him faster than the rest.

'Good plan girls, but I'm afraid this is the end.' He thought, making a small hop and running over the top. There he spotted the resident technomancer, a look of fearful determination on her face. As soon as she entered his vision, her wings and markings extinguished, leaving her powerless.

No Uraraka in sight though. She had to be close by to be floating all of the cars.

Hodunk spun around to attempt to flee, but a quick snap of the wrist sent a strand of capture cloth curling around her arm and she halted in place.

"Nice try Hodunk-san, but it's the end of the line." He said, stepping down off the car.

"Not-nngh-yet it isn't!" She shot back, trying to pull the capture cloth off.

"Debatable." He yanked on the bind, making her yelp as she fell flat on the ground. "I admire your resistance, but it's time we wrapped this up. Now, where's your partner?"

The girl looked up, grimacing, only for it to turn into a triumphant smile.

"Closer than you think!"

Shota jolted and whirled around just in time to see his missing student leap off from where she had been hiding, hanging by the car's door handle and side view mirror. With an arm and his capture scarf occupied, he was helpless as Uraraka grabbed his waist!

"Gunhead martial arts; German Suplex!" She cried as she lifted him off the ground, bending backwards and slamming him headfirst into the ground!

Shota coughed from the pain arcing from his head to his back, but despite that, he smiled.

"Not bad. Not bad at all. The exam is over"

The buzzer blew, sending Ochako's spirits soaring.

"We did it?! We did it!" She cheered, releasing her teacher and running over to Angel who had finally gotten herself free of Aizawa's scarf and was ready to meet her with open arms and a bright smile. They collided in a joyous hug as they jumped up and down.

"That was amazing!" Angel said, repeatedly patting her on the back.

"No, YOU were amazing! The plan went off without a hitch!" Ochako argued vehemently.

"Yeah, but only because you managed to tackle him at the end there!"

"And that only worked because you lured him in!"

"How about we're both awesome?"

"Yeah! I'll go with that!"

"Ahem." Their adulations halted, both of them turning to Aizawa as he got to his feet, rubbing his head. "I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but this doesn't make up for your earlier blunder Uraraka-san."

Ochako slumped, her smile dropping as she and Angel separated. "Y-Yeah. I knew that."

"Then you know you've still failed, not to mention there will be consequences for what happened."

She flinched at the capital C-word, but nodded ruefully. She knew that she wouldn't be getting away from what she did scot-free. She could only hope that he wouldn't tell her to pack her bags and head home.

"U-Um, actually sir, that first confrontation was my idea."

Ochako whirled around in shock. Angel swallowed nervously as she stared down their teacher, sides trembling and beads of sweat running down her neck.

Aizawa raised a brow. "Is that so?"

"Y-Y-Yes!" Angel stammered and stiffly nodded. "I-It was my idea from the beginning! Ura-chan was going to distract you long enough for me to get around and attack you from behind, b-but i-it didn't work out! This second plan with the cars, that was all her!"

Ochako watched on, touched, but filled with horror. Her friend wasn't going to go so far as to put herself in serious trouble just to save her was she?

"I see. Do understand that if this is true, it will reflect poorly on your evaluation and record Hodunk-san."

Angel swallowed again, definitely frightened but she still nodded.

Aizawa turned to Ochako, scrutinizing her. "Is this true Uraraka-san?"

Ochako shivered under his gaze. Angel was such a horrible liar, even she didn't believe, let alone their teacher. He certainly knew that her partner was trying to cover for her, now he wanted to find out what she was going to do next.

Her eyes fell to the pavement.

No. Even if he did believe Angel, Ochako couldn't let her friend take the fall. She would not betray her, not a second time.

"No." She answered and she heard Angel's sharp intake of breath. "While it is true that the second plan was mine, Angel-chan was unaware of my intentions at the beginning and had no part in what happened then." She met her teacher's gaze. "I accept full responsibility for my actions, e-even if that means suspension or w-worse."

Aizawa continued to study her, his authoritative look sending fear rippling down her spine. After what felt like an eternity, he closed his eyes and sighed.

"Alright then. Usually I punish such behavior with expulsion."

Ochako tensed up. 'Here it comes!'

"But… you've owned up to your mistake, even when you were presented with an out. You've still failed the exam, but it seems you've learned your lesson."

"R-Really?!" She blurted out.

"Mmhmm." Aizawa hummed, turning away. "Just make sure never to do that again, or I'll throw you out myself. That'll be all."

With that, he started to walk away.

Relief billowed from Ochako's every pore, an anxious breath escaping her throat. She fell to her knees and called out: "T-Thank you Sensei! I will!"

He waved her off without turning back.

"Why..?"

She glanced up. Angel stood over her, a confused look on her face. "I gave you a chance. Why didn't you take it?"

Ochako sighed and smiled at her. "Same reason you offered it. You're my best friend."

Angel blinked, but didn't appear too surprised by the answer, choosing to beam at her instead. She offered Ochako a hand up, which she took.

"Come on. Let's get something to drink." She suggested, getting a nod.

"Maybe something with chocolate? I could really use some right now."

"Amen to that."

The two girls walked towards the exit, hand in hand. And despite her failure, Ochako couldn't help but enjoy the sense of peace that fell over her. The angry burning was still there, but now it was reduced to a microscopic speck. She knew she may never get over her jealousy completely (and whatever plagued her when thoughts of Angel and Midoriya being near each crossed her mind, whatever that meant), but she'll never let it grow to such proportions again.

For they were heroes to be, rivals meant to push each other past their limits, but most importantly, they were friends.