Izuku wasn't sure what to make of his chat with Kacchan, but he hoped he'd said the right things. Sometimes a bit of snark would give that old friend of his the push needed to go beyond (plus ultra!) his preconceived limits. Izuku sat on one of the couches in the common area, flipping idly through the pages of his current hero notebook. As he flipped farther back in time, he eventually found the page he'd first made for Kuri. Izuku really hoped that Katsuki's unexplained idea had panned out as intended. Otherwise, he'd still have two upset friends to comfort.

The elevator chimed, signaling an arrival to the first floor. Izuku glanced up a moment later, and he was surprised to see Kuri and Kacchan heading past him. Kuri grinned widely, and upon seeing Izuku, she waved excitedly. He waved back with a smile and asked where they were going, and Kuri cheerily told him they were getting ice cream. As they walked off, Kacchan made eye contact with him and looked at Izuku with an indecipherable expression. The door shut behind them with a soft woosh of air, and Izuku was left to question what happened upstairs.

Barely a minute later, as Izuku had just returned to studying his notebook, he heard the elevator chime again. He looked up, this time his eyes landing on two different friends: Mina and Ochako. They approached him intently.

"Hey, did you hear yelling outside a while back?" Ochako asked him.

"It sounded like Kuri and Bakugo," Mina said. "I thought I heard them talking in the hall like a minute ago, but when I went to check, no one was there. Did you hear them?"

"Yes," Izuku replied. "In fact, I saw them." The other two settled down on the couch as he explained what he'd overheard from the kitchen area and his short interaction with Kuri when she suddenly approached him. "Kacchan gave me a death glare. Then, Kuri bolted out the door, and he ran after her. I probably heard about as much as you did after that. Their conversation was pretty muffled from inside."

"But they must've gone upstairs after that, since Mina and I heard them in the hallway later," Ochako said.

"Oh, yeah, Kuri went upstairs alone. I think she was crying, poor thing," Izuku said.

"Did you go check on her?" Mina asked.

"No, I went outside to ask Kacchan what happened," Izuku said. Ochako snorted. "Hey, I didn't want to bother Kuri if she was upset! Anyway, Kacchan said he messed up big time but didn't say how. Then he said he figured something out and went upstairs. Next thing I knew, he and Kuri were back down."

"To like… fight? Or what?" Ochako asked.

"Kuri said they were getting ice cream."

"Oh my god! Do you think they're dating now?!" Mina asked, starry-eyed. Izuku shrugged sheepishly.

"I wouldn't count on it. When I asked Kacchan, he said he wouldn't confess today."

"So, he does like her!" Ochako exclaimed. "What a reveal!"

"I'm sure Kacchan doesn't want me butting into his love life, so let's not tell Kuri about it," Izuku whispered.

"I'm sure those two are quite capable of finding happiness on their own," Ochako said. She paused for a second, touching her chin. "Actually, wait…" Mina struck a similar pose.

"What is it?" Izuku asked.

"Those two have a track record for awkwardness," Mina said. "Even if they both like each other, who's to say they're gonna confess?"

"True, but I'd feel bad forcing them to get together," Ochako said.

"We won't make them date if they don't want to. Maybe just get those two to spend more time together," Izuku said. "Then they'll figure things out on their own."

"That was my exact plan during our first year," Mina laughed.

"So when would this be?" Ochako asked. "We can't easily get them to hang out alone."

"What about the play?" Izuku mentioned. "If we cast them as the leads…"

Izuku, Ochako, and Mina discussed how they would pull that off. Izuku asked if it would be considered nepotism, and Tenya randomly popped by to say they were actually referring to cronyism. He asked for the context of their conversation, and Ochako told him about their idea of doing a play for the school festival (she withheld the bit about setting up Kuri and Kacchan). Tenya said it was a splendid idea and left them shortly after to complete an errand. Mina breathed a sigh of relief.

"I was worried he heard us talking about matchmaking," she whispered. "Anyways, you think we should get more people on board for the play idea? Otherwise, all this talking will be a waste."

"Sure! It'll be easier to decide what to do about Kuri and Bakugo if we're already set on the play," Ochako said.

Out of the corner of his eye, Izuku noticed the front doors opening. The three turned their heads to watch Kuri and Kacchan returning from their date (Izuku assumed it was, at least). Kuri giggled about something as she entered the building. Kacchan smiled in a way that Izuku had yet to see before. The endearment in his sharp eyes was distinct.

Kuri caught Izuku's stare (Mina and Ochako had already cleverly looked away to avoid suspicion) and smiled. She led Kacchan over to the three of them, and Mina greeted them as they approached.

"Hey, you two!" Mina said cheerily. "Kuri, we've been chatting about the play and if we should pitch it to some more people before we propose it in class."

"Oh, that's a great idea!" Kuri beamed. "If everyone else is interested in the idea, we'll wrap up the script. There's still a half-written scene we gotta finish."

"What are you talking about?" Kacchan asked, looking at Kuri. Izuku silently observed the pair as Kacchan longingly listened to Kuri rambling about their concept for a play to perform during the upcoming school festival. Kuri's influence had softened Kacchan, Izuku thought. He hadn't expected the two to hit it off, considering Kuri's less-than-warm welcome by Kacchan into UA a year before. But that didn't mean he wasn't rooting for his friends now!

Izuku wondered if he could do anything to assist them, like what he, Mina, and Ochako discussed earlier. At the very least, he wanted to give Kacchan another nudge to be confident and honest about his feelings. If he had nothing to lose, why wouldn't the boy who's the best at everything try to win?


In the week following her birthday, Kuri and her friends scrambled to finish the script and polish it as best they could. While doing so, they managed to spread the word about their idea and garner support from nearly a dozen classmates. So when the day came to choose their event for the school festival, the four of them were certain their idea would be picked.

Mr. Aizawa stepped away from the podium and tucked himself into a corner, already snoring. Tenya and Momo stepped up to lead a discussion, only to be interrupted by Mina bolting to her feet. She stood at her desk and faced the class.

"We've been talking about this for a week, but I want confirmation," Mina said. "Everyone who wants to do the play, raise your hand."

Kuri raised her hand high, along with most of her classmates. From the corner of her eye, she noticed Katsuki idly lifting his hand. Kuri counted internally each of the hands raised. Two, four, six, eight…

"Seventeen," Momo muttered from the front. "It seems the majority has ruled for the play."

"Are there any other suitable suggestions for our event?" Tenya asked the class. A few offered some ideas that failed to gain traction among the class. After a couple minutes of conversation, the two finalized the decision. "We shall do the play written by Ashido, Midoriya, Nakano, and Uraraka."

"Nice!" Ochako exclaimed. Mina, still standing, suddenly strutted toward the front of the classroom. She called Kuri, Ochako, and Izuku up as well. Kuri stood up and followed her, unfazed. Mina discussed with them that morning about taking over the class discussion if the play idea went off without a hitch. Now that it had, the four of them walked up to the podium. After a quick consultation with Izuku and Ochako, Tenya and Momo reluctantly returned to their seats.

"Let's get started, y'all!" Mina exclaimed. Their classmates whooped in response. Before getting into the details, Ochako asked if anyone did not want to do the play because if so, they could participate in the school-wide pageant. No one volunteered, so Ochako announced they would opt out.

"Kuri, would you do the honors of explaining the plot of our story?" Ochako asked. Kuri unrolled a document of the first few pages of the script.

"Sure. I'll read from the play's description," Kuri said, speaking to the class. She cleared her throat, then began. "When Yutori, a marquess' son with an artistic soul, is turned into an animal by mischievous mages, he takes this opportunity to run away from home. Meanwhile, Kaede, a maid of the Miyamoto estate who wishes to travel the world and Yutori's secret admirer, finds herself in a nearly identical predicament. With the help of Yutori and Kaede's respective siblings, Anri and Hinako, the four find a cure to the spells cast upon them and perhaps a little more along the way."

Kuri looked at the crowd expectantly, hoping for some kind of visual cue that their idea was sufficient. Though they had told nearly everyone about their aspiration to perform their play, they hadn't told everyone what it was about. Kuri had helped write a substantial portion of the script, with Izuku as the other primary co-writer. She felt that her classmates' acceptance of this play would reflect their commendation of her skills. To Kuri's satisfaction, she saw some intrigued expressions and even a few smiles.

"By the way, we're open to suggestions for the script once you all have a chance to look at it," Izuku mentioned. Kuri nodded her head.

"We haven't even fully decided what animals the main characters should turn into," Mina said. "It's not super important right now, but if anyone has ideas later, we're thinking of picking small creatures. No giraffes or tigers or anything like that."

"Next, we'll start choosing the cast," Ochako said. Kuri handed her the copy of the script. "I'll give a quick rundown of each character."

As Ochako introduced each member of the story, Kuri's gaze drifted around the room. She and Izuku hadn't written the characters with any of their particular classmates in mind, so the casting would be decided by whoever volunteered first—not assessment of their acting skills—because the directors themselves were amateurs. Ochako relayed this information to them as well.

"So, is anyone up to act?" Mina asked, pointing finger guns at the class.

Tenya's hand shot up first, so Ochako called on him.

"It is my duty as class representative to put my all into our school festival event! So I shall take a role!"

"Do you wanna be any character in particular?" Ochako asked.

"I am ready for any role! Please, cast me in whichever role our dear classmates do not want to play."

Ochako nodded and moved on to call on Momo.

"Likewise, I believe it is only appropriate that I partake in acting for the play. I understand that some of my fellow classmates may not feel comfortable with such a task, so I volunteer myself for any available role."

Momo sure had a point. Kuri, for one, was glad she was a director so she wouldn't have to be on stage. Performance wasn't really her thing. While Momo was talking, three more people raised their hands, waving them excitedly.

Yuuga, Denki, and Tooru spoke in unison, exclaiming that they wanted to act. Yuuga wanted to so he could wow the crowd as he glittered under the stage lights—because Yuuga Aoyama was destined to be a shining star (his words, not Kuri's)! Denki and Tooru volunteered because they thought it'd be fun, that's all. Like Tenya and Momo, the three said they were fine playing any character.

Kuri was glad they were getting so many enthusiastic volunteers for the cast. While formulating their campaign to draw others to their idea, they decided to focus all their efforts on obtaining cast members. They assumed it would be much easier to find willing participants for the stage crew and such, so everything rode on their ability to get a complete cast. Thankfully, things were going smoothly so far. They only needed four more people to volunteer.

From the corner of her eye, Kuri noticed that Tsu had turned to face Fumikage. She stared at him, nodding her head repeatedly while Fumikage vigorously shook his own, looking nervous. Kuri chuckled internally and whispered to Ochako to call on Tsu.

"Tsu, are you and Fumikage interested in acting?" Ochako asked, giggling. Tsu turned to look at Ochako with a smug grin.

"Why, yes, we're very excited to volunteer," she replied.

"No, I'm not," Fumikage uttered, still shaking his head.

"But it'll be funny," Tsu said, chuckling. "After all, these four wrote it. Let's just try it out."

Fumikage looked from Tsu to the four at the front. He sighed and reluctantly agreed. Fumikage sure had a weak spot for Tsu.

"Don't worry," Kuri said, smiling. "We'll guide you through the entire rehearsal process."

"Oh, I have another idea," Tsu said, raising her hand. "Can we be the leads?"

Ochako's eyes widened slightly, and Kuri noticed her share a concerned look with Mina. When Kuri glanced back at Izuku to ask if he caught their expressions, he had the same face, but masked it as soon as Kuri turned to look at him. She faced the front again and leaned in toward Ochako.

"What's wrong?" Kuri whispered. Ochako brushed off Kuri's question and asserted that it was nothing, but Kuri didn't believe her.

"I don't see why not," Ochako said slowly. She paused for a moment, plastering a cheery smile on her face. "That'll make picking the animals for the main characters a lot easier, too. Does anyone object to Tsu and Fumikage being the leads of the play?"

Fumikage looked horrified by this notion but did not reject the idea. Everyone else seemed fine with the idea, and the two were officially designated as the leads.

Though they had several volunteers, Kuri noticed that there still weren't enough people to fill every role. They needed two more—plus the narrator, but the four had decided one of them would take the job.

"We still need two more people for our cast," Izuku said. "Is there anyone else who'd like to volunteer?" No one else offered, but a few joked about doing it. "Then, we'll move on to nominations."

Kuri caught Izuku and Mina sharing a glance and smiling mischievously. Kuri furrowed her brow in confusion.

Her questions were answered when Mina suddenly proclaimed: "I nominate Kuri to play the role of Hinako."

Kuri flinched and blurted a loud "HUH?!" that made some of her classmates laugh.

"And I'd like to nominate Kacchan for the role of Anri," Izuku declared. Katsuki froze, eyes wide and unblinking. His expression slowly contorted into a rage-filled glare at Izuku. Kuri would've laughed if she weren't freaking out about the surprise nominations.

"Why am I going to be Hinako?" Kuri turned to Mina, deeply confused. Mina smiled at her and spoke loudly enough for the class to hear her reasoning.

"You and Bakugo are already good friends, so it'll be more believable as you play two characters who become friends over the course of the story."

Kuri's head was spinning. There was no way she was up to the task! She heard someone in class slowly exclaim "Oh!" in realization, only to be quickly shut up by another person. Kuri had no idea what that was about. She could barely register the world around her but managed to speak again.

"Are you sure about this?" Kuri whispered to Mina. "I don't think I can act!"

"Don't worry, we'll help you through the whole thing," Mina assured her.

"But I'm supposed to be a director!" Kuri was grasping for any way out. She did not trust she could put on a good show. Kuri would enter stage left only to humiliate herself.

"The three of us are here too! Plus, you're sure to do fine playing a character you wrote. It should be second nature!"

Kuri opened her mouth to protest again, but the bell rang.

"Well, that's it for now," Ochako said, addressing the class, who had been listening to their conversation. "Rehearsals start tonight, so get excited, everyone! Let's totally outdo Class B!"

Kuri clenched her fists, annoyance building in her, and scanned the room. Everyone was leaving, even Ochako and Izuku, but she noticed Katsuki was as still as stone. As her eyes met his, Katsuki's head seemed to clear, and he made a concerned expression. She returned his look with an empathetic smile and gave him a thumbs up, though she wasn't really feeling it. He frowned and gave her a thumbs down, making Kuri giggle, then waved at her and left.

Kuri turned back to Mina, who mimicked Katsuki's little wave to her. Kuri rolled her eyes; Mina had seen everything.

"Are you plotting something that I should know about?" Kuri asked.

"Not really. Just small schemes," Mina said, smiling lightheartedly with a sly glint in her eye.

"Is this because I told you about the letter he wrote?" Kuri questioned. "Katsuki and I are just friends, you know."

"Ooh, calling him Katsuki now?" Mina wiggled her eyebrows. Kuri blinked at her with an impatient frown.

"Fine, so you're friends for now. But is that what you really want?"

Kuri huffed and averted her gaze.

"No…" she confessed quietly. She and Katsuki managed to repair things a few days ago and even go out (she wasn't sure if she could call it a date—whether platonic or romantic). Since then, things were typical; they'd returned to that semi-comfortable friendship with daily walks home together, but Kuri couldn't shake the feeling that she wanted more. However, she knew Katsuki had his limits, and if he wanted her to wait until he confessed, she would. Katsuki didn't owe her a relationship just because she disliked floating in this strange limbo between friends and lovers.

"Then, don't worry about it too much," Mina replied, snapping Kuri out of her trance. She patted Kuri's shoulder reassuringly. "I'm not going to do anything unreasonable. I'm sure Deku has more planned than me."

Kuri sighed. There was no negotiating with Mina when she got into "shipping mode." Kuri wasn't all too worried, though. Mina had never done anything to harm her relations in the past, and she trusted her not to do something outlandish.

"Alright, I'll let it go. Let's get something to eat."


Autumn leaves tumbled to the floor and crunched underfoot as Katsuki and Kuri walked home. He was excited to do it again, even if it was their fifth walk home since Kuri's birthday. The novelty didn't seem to fade for him; his heart swelled from just standing beside her. Katsuki wondered how he'd function for the next month, spending time with Kuri every day to prepare for the play.

"What're we doing at rehearsal tonight?" Katsuki asked. Kuri led the meeting the night before, so Katsuki barely got to speak with her. Deku, that fucking nerd, barely did anything the whole time. He should've led so Katsuki and Kuri could sit next to each other.

"Well, instead of another big meeting like yesterday, we'll split into three groups," Kuri said. The meeting last night hadn't been particularly eventful. Mostly, Kuri led them through the script and prompted their classmates to share ideas for line changes, set design, costumes, you name it. Plus, they had a more serious discussion about budget, which Katsuki assumed the directors negotiated with the class reps after the meeting adjourned. "Mina will lead the acting team, Izuku will manage set design, and Ochako will handle costumes and props."

"So what's the acting team up to today?" Katsuki asked. Kuri hummed, probably taking a moment to recall the schedule.

"We're gonna learn more about each character and how to immerse ourselves in our roles. Then we're gonna start reading through the script."

"Sounds like a lotta work," Katsuki muttered.

"Yeah, that's why there are four directors," Kuri said with a dry laugh. "Well, I guess I'm less of a director now and just an actor." Kuri seemed pretty disappointed about having a role assigned to her.

"You still have creative authority," he said, hoping to cheer her up.

"True," Kuri said. "I can boss you around and make sure you're embodying Anri properly." Kuri wagged a nagging finger at him as a joke.

"Hey, I promise I'll be the best actor onstage."

Kuri laughed for a single lighthearted moment, then sighed, bringing that furrowed brow back.

"I'm worried about performing in such a big role," Kuri said. "Mina and the others believe I can do it, but I don't," Kuri shrugged. "I'm just carrying around this secret feeling that I can't play Hinako, even if I wrote so much of the script."

Kuri looked at the ground sorrowfully and kicked a pebble as her foot left the ground for another stride. Katsuki's fists clenched in frustration.

"You always say that," Katsuki muttered.

"Say what?" she asked, glancing at him.

"That you secretly don't wanna do something or you aren't good enough. You shouldn't hide these things if it's concerning you," Katsuki said seriously. "Maybe tell the others that you want a different role. Trade with Hagakure or something."

Kuri was quiet for a second, and she glanced away. Katsuki noticed her face brighten for a nearly unnoticeable moment as if she found his words touching but didn't want to tell him.

"You're right," Kuri said. "I do need to stop hiding my feelings." Katsuki noticed a deeper meaning behind her words, and his heart quickened. She couldn't be trying to confess again, right? Kuri continued speaking as if she hadn't suggested anything. "But I'm not giving up the role. As much as I fear I won't do well, I still want to try. Plus, it'll be fun to act alongside you."

"What if I give up my role?" he teased.

"What? You will?!"

"I'm kidding." Kuri sighed in relief. "But I'm worried about it too," Katsuki confided.

"I guess we've both got our secrets."

They continued along the path toward the dorms. The same one they'd followed every day, countless times. Kuri seemed lost in her thoughts, gazing into the distance at the trees with most of their leaves fallen. Katsuki wondered how cold it would be that winter. Would he have made his feelings clear to Kuri by the first snow of the year? Maybe they could stay warm together. He imagined them walking that same path in December, hand in hand inside Katsuki's coat pocket so their fingers wouldn't freeze. The thought of holding hands with Kuri flustered Katsuki, and he shooed the daydream away.

"You wanna hear another?" Kuri suddenly asked. Katsuki blinked at her confusedly before realizing she was referring to secrets.

"Is it something you want to tell me?"

"I guess. I just feel like saying something," Kuri shrugged. "Whenever I talk to you, it's hard to resist telling you everything on my mind."

"Then what're you thinking of, Bunny?"

"I'm sure you recall the kiss we shared in the dreamscape."

Katsuki's eyes widened. He hadn't expected her secret to be in this direction.

"Yeah, we've talked about it multiple times."

"And I said I had amnesia from when I was stabbed until the kiss?"

"Where are you going with this?" Katsuki asked, eyeing her cautiously. Kuri took a deep breath.

"I lied. I remembered everything. I regained consciousness right before the kiss, then followed through with it anyway."

Katsuki nearly tripped over his own feet. He and Kuri paused their walking.

"Wha… Huh? Wait, really?" he stammered out. Kuri nodded, blush spreading along her cheeks. Katsuki looked away, head spinning. The kiss was real. The kiss was real. He couldn't believe it. Katsuki was so dazed he wanted another kiss to clear his mind. He shook his head, rejecting the thought. A kiss would just make him more delirious. He managed to formulate a lengthier response. "That's so… embarrassing…"

"Yeah, my face is on fire," Kuri said with an awkward laugh. "Hey, yours is too!"

"Why tell me this?" Katsuki asked, pressing a palm against his cheek to hide his blush.

"I wanted to be transparent about what really happened and apologize for doing it then getting mad at you for kissing me back… That was kinda stupid. I get confused when I'm in love, I guess," Kuri shrugged. Katsuki felt like his head would explode. Was Kuri intentionally throwing fastballs at him? Or was she flirting without realizing it? He took a quick glance at Kuri and caught her watching him. She smiled gently. "But it was worth it since we managed to stay friends."

Katsuki nodded and let the hand touching his face fall down to his side. They resumed walking, and Katsuki wondered if he should tell Kuri a secret in return. He wasn't sure he had one appropriate for the situation, though.

The first thought that came to mind was to confess he wanted to be more than friends. He could take Kuri's hand and tell her his hidden truth: he wanted to date her. This idea was out of the question, which Katsuki already knew. Only when he was truly prepared and sure in his abilities could he ask Kuri to be with him—and he was neither prepared nor sure. Feeling like a fuck-up for the past four months had shattered his self-confidence. If he asked Kuri to date him now, Katsuki would undoubtedly fuck up and hurt her feelings again. At least, that's what he assumed. Whatever. He wasn't going to tell her yet, anyway. He'd worry about that when he was ready. Katsuki racked his brain for other secrets relevant to Kuri.

Oh.

I could tell her I knew all along.

Valentine's Day felt so long ago. When Kirishima dropped the ball and mentioned Kuri's crush on Katsuki, he never thought that knowing would amount to much. And yet, here he was, walking beside the very girl he'd hated while imagining they were on a date. The two of them walked home together that day too.

Katsuki let the thought pass him by. He couldn't tell Kuri this either. It was equally as embarrassing and potentially disastrous to admit.

Katsuki glanced at Kuri's content expression as they finally neared the dorm building. Their walk lasted pretty long that day. Maybe it was because neither wanted it to end. That was why he couldn't tell her that he knew for so long. She might be upset at him for hiding it, so Katsuki continued to keep the knowledge from her. Katsuki felt guilty concealing anything from her but vowed then and there to tell her someday. Until then, he needed another idea to tell her, and he was running out of time.

"I have a secret, too," Katsuki mumbled, stopping in his tracks, mind searching for something to mention as the words left his lips. Kuri paused at the top of the stairs to the entrance and glanced at him curiously. Katsuki reached a memory, and it was about as embarrassing as he could handle. God, it was nearly as bad as telling her he knew since Valentine's Day. "When you visited California this summer, I wished I had your number so I could talk to you."

Katsuki cringed internally. This statement was practically a confession that he'd been hopelessly into her for months—even if he hadn't known yet. Kuri took this information by surprise. She put a hand up to her chin.

"Wait… We don't have each other's contact info, do we?" Kuri muttered in disbelief. Katsuki shook his head. "You could've asked someone for my number while I was gone," Kuri suggested, chuckling. "Like, Izu—"

"No." Kuri laughed at his adamant rejection and claimed that Deku wasn't as bad as Katsuki made him out to be. He dismissed her statement with a skeptical scoff, to Kuri's amusement.

"Okay, fine, just give me your number already," Kuri laughed, pulling out her phone. They stopped beside the double doors and exchanged phones to input their contact information. When Kuri returned his phone, he noticed that she'd put a rabbit emoji next to her name. She'd even set the contact photo as a slightly blurry selfie she took while he wasn't paying attention. After he returned her phone, Kuri looked at the screen and frowned. "No picture?"

"I didn't think to take one," Katsuki admitted. Kuri grinned and whipped her phone up.

"Boom!" she said, taking a quick photo of him off-guard. Kuri looked at the photo and laughed. Katsuki, flustered, moved her hand to look at it too. It was a completely blurry picture of him standing there by the door.

"This picture sucks," Katsuki complained. Kuri shrugged with a smile.

"I like it. It really captures your…" She glanced at it again and laughed. His features were indistinguishable in that grainy mess of pixels. "Well, at least it captures your existence."

Katsuki sighed and opened the door for them to finally go inside. Even if it bugged him that his visual representation in Kuri's contacts was that stupid photo, he was giddy to finally have her number. Katsuki fondly glanced at that picture Kuri had taken of herself. She smiled from ear to ear, holding a peace sign up against her cheek. It didn't change the status quo to have a direct line to her, considering they lived in the same building, but the premise still excited him. Katsuki couldn't believe how childish he was these days. Love certainly changed him.