The morning passed slowly for Midoriya. While he tried his best to pay attention towards the lectures provided by the teachers, he would occasionally steal a glance at Jirou, but he mentally berate himself for losing focus.

Soon, the morning classes were over, and it was time for lunch. As the class walked out together, Uraraka and Ilda caught up with Midoriya.

"Midoriya! Are you prepared for afternoon classes?" Ilda said while he made many motions with his hands.

"Of course I am, Ilda, thanks," Midoriya said.

"We need to have lunch first, so let's go together, Deku!" Uraraka said.

"I wish I could, but I have an obligation already. Sorry," Midoriya said with a bow.

While Ilda was already walking to the cafeteria, eager to hurry so he could get back to studying in the classroom, Uraraka still stood in the hallway as Midoriya left her. She sighed.

"Why is Deku acting different recently…" she whispered under her breath.

Jirou was the last of the class to exit the room, and she caught a glance of what had occurred. Without realizing at first, she made eye contact with Uraraka, causing them both to cringe thinking about what had occurred between them a few days ago.

"Where's Izuku going?" Jirou said.

"I don't know, sorry," Uraraka mumbled.

Before Uraraka could say anything else, Jirou left her as she went to the cafeteria. Uraraka bit her lip when she considered that they would be spending the night together at Yaoyorozu's a few days from now, and things were still awkward between them. Not to mention Ashido's plan that she was now in on.

"Wait, did she just call him Izuku?" Uraraka said, surprised that they were already close enough to be on a first name basis. They had been hanging out together a lot recently, sure, but Midoriya had never called Uraraka by her first name yet.

With lunch now underway, Midoriya and All Might sat together in the latter's office, ready for their next meeting. Midoriya poked at his rice for a few moments, while All Might chowed away as he had skipped breakfast. However, once he noticed his student's quiet stance, he put his utensils down and cleared his throat.

"Young Midoriya, anything in particular you wanted us to go over for this meeting?" All Might said.

"Meh, I've been working on One For All, I think I might be approaching a new threshold soon. Otherwise, meh," Midoriya said, finally taking a bite of his food.

Another few moments passed, and neither of them had said another word. All Might had never seen him like this. Usually, Midoriya was the one to talk nonstop, excited to have the chance to be with his idol. All Might wondered if his novelty had worn off on him, but through his elder intuitions, he figured it was something deeper.

"Something is bothering you, isn't it?" All Might said.

"I, well, guess you could say that," Midoriya said, breaking eye contact.

"Okay, I can tell something is really, really bothering you. Midoriya, if it's something personal, I don't want to pressure you - "

"I can't stop thinking about someone! Since yesterday after school they've been all I've thought about. And I've never felt this way before, and I couldn't sleep, I'm just so lost," Midoriya almost yelled, letting all of his pent up frustration out to his mentor.

"I see. You're thinking about a hero besides me? I thought I was the one you decorated your room with!" All Might said with a hearty laugh, prompting Midoriya to blush. He always found Midoriya's fandom to be flattering.

"N-no, no, not like that! They're not a hero, actually - well, technically they could be, but they're not a pro yet, so it would depend on your classification," Midoriya muttered.

"In other words, a fellow classmate?" All Might said. He felt bad for cracking a joke when clearly it was something deeper than hero idolization, but he could not help himself.

"Yeah… I just can't stop thinking about her no matter what I do!"

"Her? Oh, so this is regarding a very personal situation, I see. Are you sure you want me of all people to be involved?" All Might said.

"I do, plus I don't know who else to tell either. Ugh, I don't want to say who, but, All Might, we've been hanging out so much recently out of class. And we just get along so well. It's so much fun being around her, my day is always better when she's there, but I'm worried I'm getting obsessed. I've never felt like this before," Midoriya said.

"Sounds like a crush to me," All Might grinned.

"A c-crush?" Midoriya said with a blush.

All Might nearly choked on his tea. For as analytical as his mentee was when it came to quirks, he was shocked that Midoriya was caught off guard by his statement.

"Please tell me you know what I meant by that, kid," All Might said while he frowned.

"Oh, of course, it's just - I've never been great with girls, so I've never had a crush before. Why am I even telling you about that…" Midoriya trailed off, looking down at his shoes, and then at a plant on the table between them. Random objects around the room certainly became more interesting in times of pressure.

"Don't worry, kid. Love is a very confusing emotion. Although romance has never been my strength outside of my youth, what I do know is this - you need to be yourself. It's okay to think about her, but don't let that change your current relationship," All Might said.

"I appreciate that, but I feel like… how do I put this? That's not really the problem. I actually feel like I can be myself around her, but it's more about the thinking. I want to be able to think about other things besides her every single second. It's only started recently, but I can't keep going like that," Midoriya said.

All Might nodded and took a sip of tea. Midoriya's adamance was very inspiring for him, as he knew despite Midoriya's exceptional critical thinking skills, some situations called for experience first and foremost.

"Very well then. You saying that brings me back to my days as a hero. Often times when I went to bed, I would lay there for hours and think about a villain I fought, or a civilian I saved, or how I could improve in a moment of combat," All Might said.

"But those are important situations to think about, All Might! Thinking through stuff like that allowed you to be number one, after all!" Midoriya said, with his eyes now glowing.

"That's true, but there's a valuable lesson I learned from that. Eventually, I stressed myself out to the point where I was sleep deprived. So, through the hard way, I learned that there is a time and place for everything. A time to focus on fighting. A time to focus on studying. A time to focus on 'her,'" All Might said with a smile.

Midoriya grinned as well. All Might could tell that despite his youth, he had picked up on his point right away, and that it seemed to be the key that he needed in that moment.

"That's perfect. So I can gush about her when I have free time, but when I am in school, I need to focus on studying. Having my thoughts organized in time sessions can make a huge difference. Thank you so much!" Midoriya said, now hurling down clumps of rice as his appetite returned.

"Sure thing, young Midoriya. I know we generally talk about One For All, but I'll always be here if you ever need advice, too," All Might said, giving Midoriya a thumbs up.

"Looks like it's almost time to go back to class," Midoriya said as he checked the time on his phone. "I'll see you later, All Might!"

"Have a good afternoon, kid."

With a quick wave goodbye, Midoriya left the room and headed to Class 1A's room for the heroics course that afternoon. All Might cleaned up their garbage from the meal, and afterwards, sat at his desk and typed on his computer. There were several emails that were yet to be read, including one from Nezu about something administrative, a short reply from Aizawa, and several shopping discount emails from Midnight.

"As long as he doesn't tell them about One For All, I'll be happy for him if it works out," All Might said with a chuckle.

Tuesday passed quickly for Class 1A, as the battle facility was unfortunately undergoing maintenance that day. That called for an in-class discussion on how to improve super moves. Midoriya and Jirou had obligations and were unable to be together that afternoon, and before they knew it, the school day on Wednesday had concluded as well.

Jirou was back in her room now after class, packing not only her bass and music for the lesson back at home that afternoon, but also an extra bass for Midoriya. Puddles of sweat formed on her hands as she prepared the materials.

"They won't care. They won't care. He's just another person. It'd be no different than if Kaminari or someone else came over. My parents will not care," Jirou said, putting the final items in her suitcase for the night.

A ringtone from her phone then played, and her heart instantly raced faster than before.

Izuku Midoriya: I'm in the lobby, so I'm ready when you are!

Kyouka Jirou: Ok

"I'm so screwed, shit, why can't I just act normal?" Jirou said, but as she said this, she remembered a phrase.

Honestly. Focus. Instinct.

"Right. I can't give up before it's even started. I gotta be rational," Jirou said as she remembered Aizawa's advice.

As she exited the room, carrying both bass cases, along with her suitcase, she noticed someone walking towards her room.

"Jirou? Oh, you leaving?" Kaminari said.

"Oh, yeah. Sorry, just going home like usual," Jirou said.

"Ah, ok then. See you tomorrow," Kaminari said, walking back the other way.

Jirou felt bad for having to turn down Kaminari yet again, but she had no other option. Between her school work, hero training, music sessions, and Midoriya, she was very busy recently. There was barely even time to be with Yaoyorozu as well, aside from meals and school, but that was also because Yaoyorozu did double the time studying than anyone else.

After trudging to the elevator, she went down to the bottom floor and exited moments later. She saw Midoriya sitting on a couch near the front entrance of their dormitory, although he did not notice her right away.

"Ready, Izuku? I know learning bass can be difficult, but if you just put in the effort you'll do great," Jirou said.

Midoriya turned his head, gazing right into Jirou's eyes, with the widest smile she had ever seen in her life. Sweat had built up around his hairline, and his face lit up with the lightest shade of red. Air then came to his nose, as he took a deep breath.

"I am. I'll carry the bass you're lending me," Midoriya almost whispered.

As they exited the building together, someone peeped their head out from behind a column. They scrunched their eyebrows and scratched their head reminiscing on what had just taken place.

"What the fuck? They're going out again? That Raccoon Eyes owes me big for all the shit she puts me through, I thought for sure that green haired nerd would have noticed me," Bakugou said, retreating from the common area once no one was around.

The walk from UA to Jirou's house was akin to their first trek together one week ago - quiet. Unlike last time, however, it was not due to hardly knowing one another. They both felt squeamish as they looked for some opportunity to open up a conversation, unsure of where to begin at that time. After they were halfway to their destination, Jirou finally spoke up.

"Izuku."

"Y-yeah?" Midoriya replied.

"No need to feel jumpy. I know it's a lot to think about, but I promise you, you will do great. Based on our playing session a couple nights ago, you have a lot of talent already," Jirou said while twirling her left jack.

If it were any other situation, Midoriya would have laughed harder than Mrs. Joke could ever dream of achieving. However, he was not so concerned about the bass itself, but rather everything else that would go along with it. Her parents, presumably, would be present. He would be in her house. And, most importantly, being with Jirou herself for a whole night. Away from UA.

Maybe the claim he made to All Might of being himself around Jirou was a farce all along.

"Uh, Izuku? You good?" Jirou asked.

"Oh, of course! Sorry, I was just thinking - thinking about stuff," Midoriya said.

"I see," Jirou said while raising a brow.

Moments later, the two saw the Jirou residence, making Jirou relieved and Midoriya jittery. Once they arrived, they walked through the gateway and up to the doorway. Jirou opened the door, already unlocked, and upon entering, Midoriya was in awe. The house was way larger than his own apartment, with plenty of open space and several rooms throughout the first floor. No one was there to greet them, though, allowing him to settle.

"This house is really nice, Kyouka!" Midoriya said.

"My p-parents are both in the music industry, so that's why there's musical stuff everywhere. You can't say 'Jirou' without 'music,' ha," Jirou said.

"And speaking of, um, your parents, are they here?" Midoriya asked.

"Huh, I thought they were going to be here right about now…" Jirou said.

The two stood in silence together for a few moments once more. She needed an out, somehow, even if it was early. And then the idea came to her.

"Hey dude, I'll be right back. Just sit down wherever you'd like," Jirou said.

Jirou went upstairs, confusing Midoriya, but he went over to a living room area and sat down on a couch. She went into her bedroom and changed into more casual clothes - a pale yellow tank top which had a 'Deep Dope' logo, along with black shorts. It was her normal attire for music lessons with her parents. As she walked back into the hallway, she stopped in her tracks. Dread filled her.

"I didn't even tell my parents that Midoriya is staying here tonight after the lesson!"

Meanwhile, downstairs in the living room space, Midoriya was surrounded by cases and cases of CDs and trophies on the wall, with each one saying "best of" something in regards to music. The accolades outnumbered the number of heroes he could name off the top of his head.

"Woah, so her parents are really talented, huh…" Midoriya muttered.

"I guess that's one way you could put it, but really, it's just living out our passions every day!"

Hearing the somewhat familiar voice made Midoriya jump around, and he saw a middle-aged woman looking at him with a smile. She had purple hair, just like Kyouka's shade, and also had earphone jacks. There was no mistaking who she was.

"Y-You're K-Kyouka's mother!" Midoriya said, pointing at her while standing up, remembering their encounter a week ago.

"Why yes, I am. And you must be Izuku Midoriya?" Mika Jirou said.

"Yes, I am - oh, earphone jacks, you must have the same quirk as Kyouka!" Midoriya said, ignoring the rushing thoughts to his head as he pulled out his notebook and scribbled onto a new page.

"We share the same quirk, indeed. Kyouka said you love to study heroes and quirks," Mika said, now sitting down on the couch across from Midoriya.

"Oh, she did. Oh, well, uh, it's kinda my own passion, I guess," Midoriya said.

"How wonderful! But she also mentioned how much of a natural talent you are when it comes to the bass," Mika said.

"W-Well that might be exaggerating it…" Midoriya said, looking down at the bass case on the floor that Kyouka had lended him.

"Mom?"

They both looked up to see Kyouka enter the room, closing the door behind her with an earphone jack.

"Kyouka! I'm so glad you're home. Are you ready for your lesson with Izuku?" Mika said.

"Of course, but um, I forgot to tell you something," Jirou said, standing next to Midoriya's couch as she brushed her bangs with her hand.

"Forgot to tell us what, kiddo?!"

They looked over once more to see a tall, blond haired man enter the room, holding several sheets of paper. He had a hearty smile as he sat down next to Mika.

"Oh, Dad… it's nothing, actually. Izuku, this is my father, Kyotoku Jirou. Dad, this is Izuku from UA," Jirou mumbled, fearing what happened next.

"HEY, Izuku! What's up, man? Ready to rock out?" Kyotoku said.

Somehow, Kyoutoku made Midoriya tense up even more. He gripped his hand on the arm of the couch as he looked at all three of them, one-by-one. They were a family. And he was an outsider that they all just accepted without any questions.

"Hey now, you don't have stage fright, do ya? It's alright, happens to the best of us, right Mika?" Kyotoku said.

"That's enough, Kyotoku. He is our guest, after all. Let's go play some bass, you two," Mika said.

The four of them left the living room together as they approached the studio near the front of the house. Midoriya still had not said a word to her father, and that fact was certainly not lost on him.

Uraraka sat at her desk, scribbling some notes down from a textbook. After not seeing Midoriya much throughout the school day, she was hoping he would be around after she finished her assignments. A knock then came from her door.

"Coming!" Uraraka said, hoping it was Midoriya that had come to see her.

One glance was all it took for her to know her hope was not reciprocated.

"Hey Uraraka. I've been a little concerned lately… can we like, talk about something, if you don't mind?" Kaminari said.

A/N: There are only two minutes of source material for the Jirou parents, but that's more than enough to know about their personalities! This was the longest chapter yet and honestly I could have made it even longer, but that will be saved for next week.

Earlier this week I posted a one-shot called "That Time at Hatsume's Lab," which was a cut storyline that I decided to turn into a small one-shot. Feel free to check it out if you want!

See you next Wednesday for Chapter 13! Thank you for reading, and thank you for commenting, following and favoriting!