Oh the pictures have
All been washed in black
Tattooed everything - Black by Pearl Jam

I couldn't really see where I was going, just that I was running full tilt back to my room. In some ways that was worse than the date I'd gone on with Bakugo. I should have expected Bakugo to do something underhanded. I hadn't expected Midoriya to brush me off in the name of being true to myself.

I forewent the elevator, and activated my quirk in the fire escape. I just needed to not feel for a few minutes. Though this was not the way to achieve that, there was always the happy feeling I got from using my quirk even if I had a touch of nausea. I floated until I reached the top of Alliance Heights, and saw the door to the roof was wedged open.

I hadn't even known the door to the roof could be opened. I dropped myself and opened the door fully, making sure that the stop that had held it previously was still there. If the worst came, I could rescue anyone I had stranded, but I didn't want to. Talk about embarrassment. I sure didn't need any more of that.

"Uraraka?"

I blinked at the darkness, which resolved into, "Tokoyami! You scared me!"

"It's against school rules to be up here." He shrugged, "But Dark Shadow likes solitude."

"O-Oh." I nodded. "Okay, I'm sorry I bothered you." I turned, and prepared to leap right back down the fire stairs but a gentle hand landed on my shoulder. I swung back to face him.

He cleared his throat nervously, "We can be accomplices, if you wish. Or I can leave. You seem distressed."

I chuckled softly, "Distressed. Yes, I suppose you could say that. Is there any place to sit?"

He nodded, and gestured at a tartan blanket that wouldn't look out of place at my grandmother's house. I walked to it and sat, drawing my knees close and resting my head as I waited for Tokoyami to seat himself.

"Your date didn't go well."

Unexpected giggles erupted, "You are good at this."

He shrugged, his black band tee almost made him impossible to see. "I don't have a lot of distractions, so I tend to be observant." He ran fingers through his long feathers, it reminded me of watching gulls preen on the beach. "Did you want to talk about it?"

I took a breath, "You know how some people seem to feel the need to tell you something? Maybe you knew, maybe not, but why do people feel that way?"

"They may feel like you're worth teaching. Everyone has lessons they feel like they're qualified to teach." He sighed, "For some it's a way to feel important. Others just care about you."

I nodded. Bakugo probably wanted to be important, Midoriya just cares. "You make sense." I nudged his shoulder with mine, "Any more words of wisdom for me?"

"Hardly. I admire you." I leaned away to frown at him. "I do. Whatever lessons I've been taught or feel like an expert in are not for you."

"Do you think I couldn't handle them?"

He shook his head, "I would not want you to."

"An American author wrote that 'there is no light without dark'. When I read that, I automatically felt the truth of it." I snorted softly, "Here's my lesson: Everything you are is good. Someone needs you to provide the dark so that the light doesn't get overwhelming."

His features were made for fierceness, but I could almost feel the smile lacing his words, "Thank you, Ochaco-chan."

AN/ I loved those books, well, they've gone a bit 'round the corner with the plots, but yeah. Very steamy. The quote is googleable if you want to read them. As always, thank you, Mosevic, for reading these.