Despite Saturday ending up as a good day, it doesn't mean I'm not still upset. And so Sunday, when it repeats…

I sigh noisily and cross my arms, glaring at the note in front of me with thin lips.

Gone. Again.

I decidedly don't like these new work hours, and I especially don't like the missing pairs of shoes at the front door, meaning my classmates are gone again.

Sero eyes me warily.

I wrinkle my nose and eat breakfast beside him.

"I'm going to get behind," I scowl.

Licking his spoon, he raises an eyebrow.

"You?" he scoffs. "Behind in what? Bakugou and Todoroki aren't even licensed and there up there with you as some of our heaviest hitters. Yeah, the others are probably learning some cool stuff, but it's not like you have to wait forever."

That is entirely unhelpful.

Momo isn't really much better. After I spend several hours outside training, if only to do something productive, she finds me slumped across the couch with ice on my rolled ankle.

"Rin-chan!"

Making a face, I turn to look at her, my braid spilling across the chair and my foot elevated.

"What?"

"What happened?" she squeaks, skin morphing as bandages plop out of nowhere. She really does have a cool quirk. I wonder how much things would have been different if I could create. Would we still be a family? Would Kaito still be- "Did you trip?"

"I rolled it on the obstacle course," I sigh, sitting up and taking the bandages. "It's fine but thank you."

"Fine?" she repeats, eyes wide and lips slightly parted. "Rin-chan, it's swollen!"

Which is why I iced it.

I don't say that. Instead, I wrap my ankle to compress it, not too tight in case it swells even more, and press the ice back on it. Raising the foot, I lay back down.

"There, all better," I grunt sarcastically as I stare up at the ceiling.

I expect her to walk off, to go back to whatever she was doing, but she doesn't. Instead, strangely, she just kind of stays there. Quiet and clearly worrying over something.

I sigh again, wondering why I'm even out here.

Because your apartment is too quiet?

"Yes, Momo-chan?"

"Are you okay?" she asks quietly, pulling at her fingers in front of her. "You… It's just you never sit out here unless Aizawa-sensei makes you, and this is the second day in a row that it seems, er, voluntary and…"

I blow out my cheeks, before realizing that's probably rude, and then just letting it all out in one long, hissing breath.

"I'm fine," I tell her when she finally stops her rambling. Sinking down, I scowl up at the ceiling and wonder how long it'll take before I eventually drive her away. Living together and just being classmates is entirely different and part of me feels like I'm just waiting for the other shoe to fall. For the pranks or the mean comments or just… just anything. "I'm just… I'm just bored and annoyed and- and this is stupid. I need to get stronger; I need to train or study something or do something, and instead I'm- I'm just stuck here."

She makes a noise, and I glance over to see her smiling slightly.

I have no idea why.

"What?" I growl, narrowing my eyes.

"Ah, nothing! Do… Do you want some tea?" she asks instead, waving her arms and smiling warmly.

I flush, my entire skin lighting up red, which is annoying.

And I don't even know why she's smiling at me. I haven't… I haven't even been particularly kind.

My classmates are so weird.

Feeling guilty, I sit up, adjust my foot so it's stretched out beside me, and let the red in my skin die down. I try for a more polite tone. It… It isn't really fair to take it out on her anyways. Stupid Sensei and his stupid ideas.

Stupid Kaito.

"Yes please," I mumble, pulling the weird, weighted blanket from yesterday down against my shoulders. It's soft and heavy and feels like a hug. I snuggle inside of it. "You don't have to."

"Oh no, I want to! You can try some of the new blend father sent me!" she cheers, rising quickly and visibly brightening. "Would you like some scones? I have some pre-made ones! There not as good as Satou-kun's homemade ones, but they're still really quite decent! And you said you wanted study, so if you'd like, I'm working on a few extracurricular languages that mother and the tutors suggested, so if you'd like to quiz me on German, I could maybe teach you a few words!"

I blink at her dizzying excitement.

"Uh… sure…"

She beams. It's… It's kinda cute.

German, however, is not. I manage about thirty minutes of the horrid lesson before beating a quick retreat to my room.

.

.

.

My room isn't any better than any of the other places in this damned dormitory. My ankle throbs, my mind wanders, and despite being somewhere different, in the end I just end up doing the same thing—staring up at my own ceiling thinking.

I hate it.

I hate this stagnant feeling of doing nothing, the terrifying undercurrent that Kaito is out there somewhere waiting, the angry realization that on my own, I have no idea what I'm even doing.

It's made only worse because none of them understand.

Sero laughs and Momo makes tea, but neither get this itch. Neither of them understand that he's coming and I need to be ready and there isn't time to sit and relax and- and-

I stare as a white fog spills from my skin.

Shapeless, odorless. I watch, half-entranced, as it covers the room.

Fog.

Groaning, I reach for a pillow and cover my face.

"Ughhhhhh…"

What even was this?

I wasn't angry or happy or- or anything! I was just-

Thinking? Really? I'm going to smoke up now even when I'm thinking?

Why?

Uncovering my face, I scowl at the hazy room, glaring at the cloud of white that hadn't immediately evaporated.

I need a distraction.

Reaching for my phone, I bother with a game for about five minutes, before closing it out bored. Switching to my contacts, I stare at the different faces smiling back. Aunt Nemuri, Shinsou, Guardian, Ochako…

I scroll past them with my thumb and stop at Kagura's name.

Oh? Someone else did that? Well, then never mind. Yeah, tell them no next time. Also don't let them put dark colors next to your eyebrows, it makes them look like caterpillars.

I hesitate, wanting the interaction but not really sure what to say.

"Sometimes," Tulutho's voice, reminds me distantly, "it's enough to try, Rin-chan. Sometimes you just need to express yourself to connect."

Pulling up her messages, I consider my words.

Do you ever feel like no one understands? Like they all mean well, but they don't get it?

I send it before I can reconsider, staring up at my hazy bedroom ceiling. I wonder belatedly if this was a good idea.

My phone vibrates and I glance down.

Yeah sometimes.

I imagine it's pretty obvious there. Being at that hero school, what would any of them understand? They've never run from the police or fought in the streets besides to put one of us down.

I swallow and slump forward.

That… That wasn't really what I meant.

They're not like that, I respond back immediately. They're weird and constantly doing strange things, but they're also really nice.

Until they know about your past, you mean.

I frown.

Remembering the sports festival, I remember Iida, expression drawn in concern. Tears slipping past his glasses. Tell me you care!

"I care."

They're not like the other heroes. I write back, because even if they aren't, I understand what she means. The tall man with bright blue hair and a silver outfit. The sound of Daddy's cries as they take him to jail. But I can't just sit around and do nothing while Asp is out there!

Pressing send, I suck in a deep breath.

My skin itches and tingles as I wait, feeling like sparks of energy are running just under the surface.

It only calms when she responds, a short message of, I get that.

I sigh moodily, blinking up at the ceiling. When the phone dings again, I'm surprised, having expected that to be the end of it.

Do you need help?

Yes. No.

The idea of mixing Kagura up with him sounds terrible.

But what other choice do I have? My mind whispers traitorously. With Sensei putting me on glorified house arrest and my classmates not taking things seriously, what other options do I really have?

I've got a friend in the police agency, if you want I can see what I can get out of him?

My chest lightens.

You would do that? I type back quickly, biting my lip as my eyes water.

Of course Hellspawn! Besides, if it'll get that bastard off the streets, I'd do a hell of a lot more than sleep with some officer.

I flush.

Oh.

Just remember to always use a condom! Protection matters!

Flustered, I shove away the phone.

.

.

.

About twenty minutes later, I reluctantly open a search.

What is a condom?

Condoms work by keeping semen (the fluid that contains sperm) from entering the vagina. The male condom is placed on the penis when it becomes erect-

I shut down the search, red-skinned, and glower at the phone.

.

.

.

Despite my best efforts, Sensei comes home to a foggy apartment.

"Rin!"

Stretched across the couch, I redden.

"Uh… sir?"

"What is this?"

I really have no idea how to answer that.

"Thinking?" I squeak, burrowing beneath his rather twitchy gaze. He does not look amused. Instead, he enters, heads towards the kitchen, and turns on a fan. It does little to suck away all the fog. Glowering, he makes a face.

"Thinking isn't an emotion," he says flatly. "Contemplative? Have you been in here worrying for hours?"

I sink guiltily.

He scowls, pinches his nose, and passes me by to his own room.

"We'll discuss it later."

I groan.

When he returns, dressed in simple sweats and a large gray shirt, he doesn't bother with greetings. Instead he almost seems to zero in on my ankle and narrows his eyes.

"What happened?"

"I rolled it on the obstacle course," I mumble, looking away as he kneels beside me. With a gentle hand, he moves my leg towards him and examines my sloppy bandaging. He scowls, undoes it, and frowns at the skin underneath.

It's not red or anything, and the swelling has clearly diminished.

"I'm going to bend it, tell me if there's any pain."

I blink and quickly nod under his narrowed gaze as calloused fingers slowly begin flexing my foot. It's not the worse, but a couple of times it's definitely uncomfortable.

Sensei sighs, reaches for the bandage, and properly wraps it back.

"You should be fine by tomorrow."

I could have told him that. He gives me a look. The one that almost makes me wonder if he actually can read my mind, and flustered, I quickly look away.

"T-Thanks."

"Good job staying off it. Now, while your there, you can explain to me why you're looking up condoms on your phone?"

I choke.

Head snapping towards him, I stare wide-eyed.

He meets my gaze evenly, eyes half-lidded and lip twisted down. Releasing my ankle, he folds his arms.

"Ah…"

He waits, one brow rising.

"I… I didn't know what it was!"

Sensei frowns.

"What were you doing that it even came up?"

There is no way I'm telling him that. None. Not in a million years. I don't even want to imagine his reaction to Kagura's note. Considering how he reacted with Mineta, I'm almost positive he'll just block her outright.

One hand reaches up and Sensei scratches his jaw.

Stubbornly, I lock my jaw.

"Alright," he sighs, clearly reaching the same conclusion. Leaning backwards, he switches from a squat to a sitting position and rummages in his pocket. A moment later he pulls out something that he tosses at me.

I stare at the little square of metallic paper, brows furrowing.

"What… What's this?" I ask. It kinda looks likes a hairbow trapped under tin foil.

"A condom," he deadpans.

I nearly throw it back.

"Sensei!" I screech. Shoving the little square away, I bury my face in my hands. I burn in humiliation as he picks it up and tosses it back, smacking into my hands. I catch it on reflex and wish furiously I hadn't.

"Don't be so dramatic," he huffs, lips twitching up into a smirk. "It's a condom, and it's used in sex. Now, do you know what sex is?"

I sink lower into the couch before reaching back and grabbing the blanket above me. It's not nearly as cool as the weighted one in the hall, but I hide under it all the same.

"We- We really don't have to do this," I stutter, eyes squeezing shut. "I- I know what sex is."

Sensei sighs, slumps forward with his chin in hand and elbow resting on his knee, and raises an eyebrow.

"Alright," he says flatly. "What is it?"

I rub my face with the blanket and groan.

"It's- it's where people touch their- their privates," I manage to get out. I look anywhere but at my guardian. Why were we even having this conversation?

He runs a hand down his face and sighs.

"No."

I pause. Frowning, I pull the blanket back to look over at him, noticing the tired expression on his face.

"Yes, it is," I argue, brows furrowing. "I know what sex is. You have to have two people and they touch and it hits each other and they make noise."

I clasp my hands together and slap the palms to make a strangely muted clap.

Sensei's head snaps up, face twisting in revulsion.

I immediately pull my hands apart, shuffling back under the blanket.

"Where-"

"My- My parents," I answer only too aware of the question. "I heard them sometimes. Ryu said it was sex and that kids couldn't do it because it was for grownups only. He- he said that they rubbed privates. And- And that if I showed them mine, the monster inside me would eat them up."

I glance out of the blanket to find Sensei's eye twitching as he stares back.

"There's not a monster inside you," Sensei says sourly.

I flush.

There was, but I was pretty sure it didn't live down there.

"I… I know."

"Sex isn't about rubbing privates either," he says, sounding just as annoyed. "It's an adult activity that varies from person to person. Having sex as a minor is illegal. Looking at sexual content while under 18 is illegal. Anyone attempting to watch or videotape you as a minor, even if they don't touch you themselves, is illegal. As your guardian, I would have both the right and responsibility to press charges. Do you understand that?"

I nod slowly.

"Do you want me to go over the different types of sex?"

Surprised, I let the blanket fall off my head.

"N-No!"

"Do you want me to explain the condom?"

I shake my head furiously.

Sensei's lip twitches up and he leans forward, clearly amused.

"Is there anything you do want me to explain?"

Absolutely not!

I open my mouth to say it, but then pause.

Hesitant, I tug at my blanket.

"Have… Have you ever had- had it?" I ask abruptly.

"It?" he teases, before shrugging loosely. "Yes."

Oh.

I swallow.

"With… ah, with who?" I decide to venture.

His face wrinkles in disbelief as he glances over.

"Seriously?" he says flatly.

I blush hotly.

"N-Never mind."