- A half hour later -

We had been gathered around the coffee table chatting for a while, munching on popcorn when the doorbell rang.

"Who the...?" I started, but Mina ran for the door.

"Ugh, don't let any..." I tried to shout, but was cut off again.

"Hey! Welcome to Casa Decklin!" She announced to whoever was at the door.

"Who? What? Why?" I stammered.

Kaminari gave me a puzzled look before answering "The people you said we could invite?"

"I did?" I tried to remember the conversation.

He just gave me a thumbs up and pointed to it. "Unless the meaning of this has changed."

Fuck! I really need to get better at listening… Well, too late now. I leaned back to get a view of the entryway. Standing there were Momo and Jiro (who seemed to have become quite close), Kirishima (all good there), Sato (a surprise), and Jenna (the illusionist I hadn't really gotten to know).

That left out Aoyama and Tsuyu (thank god), Iida, Uraraka, and Deku (no shocker given earlier), Ojiro, Koda, Todoroki, and Shoji (the quiet ones), Tokoyami (who I didn't know too well), and Bakugo (doesn't seem like his scene). Meaning almost half the class was now in my apartment. Fantastic...

As they came closer I could see that they all had snack foods in their arms, and some of them had brought blankets. That was probably (I guess) for the best, since I don't really have any here other than on my bed and they might get cold with the AC.

It took a while to get anything going since we all had to rehash the events of the day. The four of us from the mountain area were able to make a pretty complete picture, even though people were cheering and such as we got towards the wild ending.

Sato had been in a zone that was on fire with Jenna and Ojiro. They made a good team, since Jenna could make them essentially hidden with illusions until the melee fighters could jump the villains. Her quirk seems like it could affect any of the five senses on her or a small group of targets. So, she made it look and feel like a street lined in fire to the villains; but really the streets were pretty clear to everyone else.

That made her quirk very applicable to fighting and recon, though she was pretty unlikely to do any real damage by herself as the images can only affect pain sensations psychologically. If someone could see through the farce, it would no longer affect them and prior pain would vanish.

My attention came back around towards the end of Kirishima's story. After leaving me they ran straight in and pushed back the villain's assault, pulling Teach back as All Might arrived. The battle was pretty intense and I guess Deku got involved too, which is where some of his injuries came from.

I probably would have been useful in "the big fight" as we called it, but my injury also would have just slowed the whole team. What I did was likely the best option I had, I just hate feeling like I left things undone. Even the thought was exhausting. Recovery girl had really left me sapped for energy.

Eventually, as the sun was setting, we skimmed the movies available and chose a suspense/thriller. It wasn't something I had ever heard of, but I also rarely cared much for these anyway.

We all packed onto the couches as best we could. I only had three after all and they weren't all that large. Sato and Momo sat on the leftmost, though Sato took up most of it and was leaning in intently, even as the movie began. Kirishima and Mina sat on the rightmost with Mina laying down and smiling at Kirishima, rubbing her feet absently after she shoved them into his lap. On the middle couch was Jiro, Jenna, and I, with me sandwiched in the middle. And electing to lay on the floor, under the coffee table like children in a blanket fort were Kaminari and Hagakure.

I wasn't entirely opposed to my seating arrangement, but having two warm bodies next to me on a comfy couch was already putting me to sleep, before they both decided we needed to cover ourselves in a blanket. Now I felt like I was fighting for consciousness.

I think I quietly dozed off for a while between character backstory and killer intro, because I couldn't recall anything. Nobody had noticed though and the plot was advancing towards interesting where the vehicle the teens were in "surprisingly" quit working.

On my right Jenna had twisted a bit to lean on me and stretch her legs out around the armrest. On my left Jiro had done nearly the opposite. She had pulled her knees up to her chest as if to become a ball and had her mouth covered by the covers.

I was just about to slip back out when there was a sudden action shot of something running through the trees. Most everyone jumped, including Sato who almost came off the couch. My attention was only briefly on him as I felt a pull on my left arm. Jiro had wrapped her arms around it and pulled it into her for support.

My heart was pounding again, and not from the movie. I stole a glance at Jiro, she was so focused I don't think she even realized. It was a reflex after all. However, I was also now aware that my hand was touching something remarkably soft and smooth. It reminded me of holding her hand before, but I knew it couldn't be that. I thought back, searching for an answer.

It came fairly quickly. When Jiro walked in, she had been in leisure style short shorts and a tank top. What I was feeling was her exposed thigh. My body began to feel hot, starting with my face. I had never really had much of an experience with dating back home. I was far too busy keeping the family image pristine to worry about girls.

This is beyond what I prepared for mentally back when I first thought of dating. My head was spinning out and it wasn't even intentional. Right? Why am I so nervous? Is it this bad because my body hasn't recovered yet?

Another dramatic jump from the screen just about sent the room reeling. There was a thud from beneath the coffee table as it scared one of them into hitting their head on the underside, and Sato just about crawled over Momo to get further from the screen.

Meanwhile, Jiro was nearly curled around my arm now, her body shifted towards me and her feet hanging just over my thigh. She's basically sitting in my lap! I think I might actually pass out…

Gradually the movie took a different direction and people weren't quite so tense. As Jiro eased up she realized, with a start, that she had wrapped up my arm. I was already looking at her when she looked up at me, violet eyes wide open. Hopefully I don't have a crazy, panicked look on my face, because this would definitely cause a scene.

Her mouth fell open slightly and I could feel her gentle hands tracing the shape of my arm, as if expecting there to be some mistake. I wasn't sure what to do here, so I went with my instinct and gave her inner thigh a soft squeeze.

She let out a quiet squeak, which made a couple people look around briefly. I was already starting to withdraw my hand when her hand began moving towards mine. They met at the halfway point and she interlocked her fingers in mine. It was at this point that my heart threatened to shoot out of my chest entirely.

The space under the blanket was getting hotter by the second, but she made another move after a short pause, grasping our conjoined hands with her free one and putting them back against her bare legs. She timidly looked back up at me, face as red as mine must be, with a silent question in her eyes: "Is this okay?"

I could tell I was shaking, but hopefully she didn't notice. I knew I couldn't (and shouldn't) speak, so instead I slowly moved my thumb up and down the back of her hand without letting go.

Her body relaxed and she lowered her legs more over my own, using my weight to pull herself in closer. I tucked my shoulder in over hers, silently saying that she could lay her head on me. She did so and slid her free hand up, to rest it on my forearm.

My heart certainly wasn't settled down, but it was getting better until I realized that I could feel her breath and smell the vanilla and coconut from her hair right up against my face. Immediately my heart rate went back through the roof. Hopefully Jiro couldn't hear it from where her head was sitting, although it seemed like the whole room should be able to hear it.

The rest of the movie was a bit of a blur. I could feel her holding me tighter during the scary parts, and then relax after they had passed.

At one point I checked out the rest of the room to see the situation. Kirishima was somehow still absently massaging, though he had progressively moved from feet to calf and now into thighs. Mina looked happy with the free treatment, though I had to hide a laugh as I thought about what would happen if he just kept going without thinking.

Sato was the most enthralled with the movie and inhaling popcorn as if his life was on the line. Momo had put about as much distance as possible between them and was intermittently scrolling through apps on her phone. Clearly these movies didn't appeal to her tastes.

I couldn't see under the table fort (not that it would help much), but the occupants were still moving off and on. Finally Jenna was next to me. I think she passed out in the first half hour or so, soon after the first jump scares. I couldn't determine if it was disinterest or exhaustion.

The movie ended with perhaps the cheesiest closing scene of all time, but the room still cheered all the same. Jiro and I had separated in the dark of the credits, before anyone could get the lights on.

Immediately Mina began a campaign for a second movie, something more aligned with romance it seemed. There wasn't any reason to go to bed early, but some of them still wanted to head for home while trains were still running.

Sato and Kirishima ultimately decided to head out, despite Mina's pleading (for obvious, selfish reasons). But they insisted they had a really good time and we exchanged numbers in case we ever did this again.

Suddenly the room took a turn. Mina had a devious smile and called for a vote on the next movie. She proposed an over the top girly chick flick/romance film. I attempted to vote against it, but was outvoted five to one. Even Jenna was awake to vote for it. The math took me a second, but then I caught it.

"Five to one? But there's seven of us here!"

Hagakure laughed quietly. "Yeah, but Kaminari is out like a light."

Damn. Not that it mattered, I was hopelessly outnumbered. He was probably shot from the fighting today. It wasn't exactly easy for him after all.

I gave a weak sigh and smiled, "Guess you win." I said, gesturing to the remote.

There was a series of laughing, giggling, and cheering. Once it settled down the lights went back out. Mina and Momo now had couches all to themselves, stretching out across them, and Hagakure was basically alone on the floor with an unconscious Kaminari pushed off to the side.

For some reason Jenna never made any attempt to move couches for more room. I felt an intrigued look come from Jiro before we both realized she was back out. We both let out a sigh and shook our heads. No big deal.

The opening credits started rolling as Jiro and I got back into our lightly cuddling position. There isn't much I remember after that, since I was made comfortable and succumbed to my exhaustion fairly quickly. I wasn't the only one though. I'm not sure anyone made it through that movie...

- The next morning -

I don't know what brought me out of my deep slumber, but I was first aware of a pleasant smell. Coconut. It reminded me of a vacation I had once been on in the tropics. I hadn't yet opened my eyes thinking this might just be a pleasant dream, ignoring the mild pain in my right shoulder.

The air around my body felt very warm, albeit slightly humid, just as it would be. My usual morning anxiety is nowhere to be found. I relaxed, hoping I could convince myself to stay in this dream a while longer.

I realized I was holding onto something only a moment after it had pulled me to the left abruptly. Whatever it was, it was tangled around my hand. Memories of the night came flooding back to me. Everything in me knew this wasn't a dream anymore.

My eyes opened just the slightest, looking forward. I didn't need them open to tell me this was definitely my apartment, but I could see the TV just rotating through the movie menu. Next, looking to my right, seeing Jenna still lying there on my shoulder. Somehow in the night my right arm got wrapped around her torso, just over her chest. She was still asleep, clutching the blanket and my arm simultaneously. My nose suddenly picked up on a mint scent coming from her hair, it was nice without being overpowering.

I slowly started to withdraw my arm from around her, but she grabbed my hand as it came by her midline and held tight.

"Please don't go." She shuttered.

I didn't know what to do or say, and I couldn't see her face, but it sounded as if she were going to cry.

"Jenna?" I whispered down to her. There wasn't any response, so I waited just a minute longer.

Her grip loosened without further protest, most likely just a bad dream. Something I am intimately familiar with. I brought my arm out the rest of the distance and felt sharp pain in my shoulder. Out of reflex I pulled it across my chest to stretch it out. I kept slowly moving it to get a full distance stretch, Jenna rolled off of me and onto the couch back.

Without thinking to look back the direction I was moving, my hand touched something smooth, but somehow firm. I extended my fingers briefly before turning to see. It was just Jiro's jaw, slightly back from her chin, towards her neck.

I was relieved at first that I wasn't doing anything accidentally perverted. That was until I noticed her eyes were open, not wide like last night, but enough I knew she was seeing me. Fuck. From the outside this looks like us snuggled up on a couch, her essentially in my lap, my hand delicately placed under her chin, pointing her eyes up to me, our faces mere inches apart.

I was frozen. "What do I do here? Drop everything, scream, and run?" Internal monologue joking aside... "Do I... Go for it... And kiss her?" I was saying to myself, all the while slowly leaning in.

She hesitated a moment, but then ever so slowly began to lean in too. My chest finally knows what butterflies feel like, but my heart might not hold up long enough to see this through.

I gulped, committing to it and closing my eyes. This is really happening? I felt her squeezing my hand, clearly nervous too. I could feel her breath on mine, maybe centimeters away...

A sudden bang came from under the table. Everyone in the room jolted awake and sat straight up. I had entirely forgotten that anyone else was here. Another bang under the table.

"Owww" came the voices of Kaminari and Hagakure.

"Don't scare me like that, jerk!" The invisible girl yelled, slapping poor Denki who then hit a table leg.

The rest of us began to loosen up and wake up more. I peeked to Jiro's side, she was tomato red and holding the blanket nearly over her full face. I couldn't blame her. Seems like Mina and Momo had passed out as well.

A deep sigh of relief found its way out of me. Just then Kaminari popped out from under the table fort.

"Jeez! Morning everyone!" He beamed. "Wooh! Decklin! A girl on each arm! Nice!" He finished, giving a thumbs up.

We all started to throw popcorn, chips, and other leftover snacks at him and he was forced to retreat. We shared a laugh and everyone began standing up. This was the sign that they needed to head home. I'm not sure how many of them intended to stay the night after all.

"Come on, Kyoka. I'll give you a lift home." Called Momo, waving a hand. Jiro turned to leave without another word.

My attention was drawn back with Kaminari speaking to me, "You want us to hang around and help clean up?"

"Nah, I got it. Thanks for hanging out though." I replied, mostly just trying to clear people out. It had been a while since I was around this many people for this long.

"You sure?" Mina inserted.

"Really guys, this is nothing. I'll get the big stuff and the maid will get the rest." I said nonchalantly.

"Dude. Who do you know that got you this setup?" Denki gawked.

Great, we are back on this, an aspect of my life I'd rather forget. Don't pry, leave it be, for fucks sake.

"It was great hanging out, we'll have to do it again sometime." I dodged.

"Hell yeah! We'll plan on it!" Cheered Mina, taking the bait that immediately backfired on me.

With that everyone left, I was back to my peace and quiet...

(First all original chapter complete! I hope you all enjoyed this breakaway from normal events for a while. Next chapter is looking to be pretty long by comparison.)