She had to lead the way, pointing out the places on campus and telling me about what the class had done since I'd been gone.

'"Wait, so Bakugou and Todoroki both failed the hero exam? Man, that's gotta be rough for them. Congratulations on getting yours, though. That had to be tough." I told her, making a mental note that this was probably the exam I'd missed.

"Thank you, but those of us that passed only made it through because we all worked together." She told me, and I wondered how I could just fit into their world. I was there, but it felt more like they were art, and I was the booger some asshole wiped on the frame. Sure, the art was amazing, but people would spend time pointing out the booger instead.

Her voice drew me out of my head, and I noticed that we weren't walking anymore. Did I stop? Did she?

"Hey, you okay? You just went quiet all of a sudden." She asked me, and I just smiled. I could play off my worries like no tomorrow, so I might as well do it today.

"Hah, yeah. I was listening to you, and I know this sounds bad, but I got lost in the melody of your voice." I told her, becoming gas and flying around her, watching her laugh and reach her hand out to touch me, letting her grab my hand and pull me back down to earth as I solidified again.

"You're so corny, but if anyone else said it, I wouldn't believe them."

Her laugh was infectious, and I realized that I hadn't laughed like this since I was a villain, but she made me feel good without me being bad.

It felt like we could have stayed there for hours if I didn't hear her stomach growling, a blush growing on her cheeks.

Taking her hand in mine, I grinned up at her.

"Don't sweat it. It happens. Come on, let's get some food, and then you can keep telling me about all the cool stuff you've done in the last couple of weeks."

Whether or not she was relieved, I wasn't sure, but it didn't really matter as we chilled in the mess hall, eyes of people I didn't even know on us.

"What's that?" I questioned, some weird bean thing that looked sickeningly sticky on her tray.

"Hmm? Oh, that's natto, fermented soy bean and tare sauce. Would you like to try it?" She offered, holding out her chopsticks, her hand ready to catch anything that might fall.

A cute girl was offering to feed me, and I'd have to be stupid to not take her up on it.

I'd grown up in Jersey, eaten jellyfish head and pork blood curd, and the malty, bitter taste of natto was just another food notch in my belt.

"Mmm, definitely something that's an acquired taste, but that is really good. Soy isn't very popular in America as a whole, so it makes sense that we haven't gotten this culinary treat yet."

She beamed, offering me another bite, this one I had to turn down.

"Nah, you deserve to enjoy your own meal. Besides, I'm excited to try this katsudon. I wanna know if Alfred is nearly as good of a cook as a pro with a cooking quirk."

Using chopsticks was still a bit weird, but I had gotten the hang of it pretty well. Nothing could stand between me and food.

Momo patted her lips with a napkin, very sophisticated-like, looking at me curiously.

"Who's Alfred?"

Shit, now I had to explain that Bruce had a personal butler who was crazy talented.

"When Bruce was orphaned, Alfred was the family butler and was given custody. They way he acts, you'd think he was actually Bruce's father."

Reaching into my pocket, I pulled out the watch he gave me. It was a reminder of how far I'd come.

"He got me this when I left the first time, even set it to the right time. He's also one of the best people I've ever met."

I figured she'd judged me, but she just kept eating, like she expected me to keep going.

"Anyway, part of his job is cooking, and when I first arrived, he made katsudon that tasted amazing."

Taking her chopsticks and grabbing a bite of my dinner, she chewed slowly, taking in the taste while I looked at her, my cheeks burning.

Words didn't do justice to how I felt, but I found a sentence that could get as close as humanly possible.

"I've never been more attracted to another person than I am now."

Dinner went well, and I learned that Alfred was the superior cook, but I didn't want this to end, I was having fun with her.

"Dinner was fun, and I think that you're really cool." I paused, and I was nervous to ask her. I'd never been in this position with someone else before.

"Can we do this again sometime?"

Hearing her giggle at me wasn't what I expected, but when she put her hand over mine, I didn't mind being unprepared to deal with this.

"We don't have classes on Sunday, so perhaps we can arrange a trip to the nearby town." She proposed thoughtfully, tapping a finger to her chin.

"Sure, but..." and I didn't know how to word this. I'd been the one to make the first move.

"Maybe we should slow down a little? I mean, I rushed into my last relationship, and I don't wanna rush this. You're a real catch, and I'm lucky to have this chance, so I don't wanna squander it."

God, I was lame, and now she was gonna bounce. Who wouldn't? I mean, I'd come on strong just to act like a wuss.

"That sounds lovely. I'd really like to get to know more about who you are, Midoriya."

Wait? Really? I didn't screw this up? Gosh, she was just swell.

Wait? Swell? What the hell kinda talk was that? If my old gang friends could hear me, they'd think I'd gone soft.

I had become soft, hadn't I? Did it matter? I wasn't as bad as I used to be, but I wasn't a good person yet. If the way I felt now meant anything, I'd never be a good person.

"Listen, this has been fun, and I can't wait until Sunday, but I've got homework. Here." She took my left hand, writing a number on my palm in the nicest handwriting I'd ever seen.

"Text me later, okay, Midoriya?" She asked as she stood up and moved over to me, kissing my cheek and leaving me speechless as she walked away.

"Dude, what is it about you?" Kaminari popped up from behind me, and I wondered how close he'd been, what he'd heard, but I hadn't said anything I regretted.

"Be more specific. I've done a lot of things lately."

Turning to face him, I could Kirishima and Hanta waiting just behind the electric teen.

"You've been back a day, and you're dating the hottest girl in class. It just doesn't make sense."

Oh, jeez, they were here for information about my personal life. How did I respond to stupid questions nicely?

"Are you afraid to die, Kaminari? What about you two? Are you guys afraid of death?"

Not one of them seemed to understand, Kaminari thinking about it so hard I thought his brain would fry.

"I mean, I don't want to die, but I'm not afraid." Kirishima answered, getting my hand offered to him.

"Congratulations then, you're not afraid to live. That's it. My big secret is that I want to live unabashedly."

That, and I was a terrible person, but they didn't need to know that. No one did.

When he didn't shake my hand, I picked up my tray and wiped down the table, making sure the area was clean before walking away, turning back with a smile. I needed help. I wasn't alone.

"Hey, Kirishima? You're ripped. Could you help me get into better shape?"

I seemed to have caught him off guard for a second, but he bounced back just as quickly and smiled back.

"Sure, I'm heading to the gym now, actually. You're welcome to join me." He offered me, and I took him up on the offer. The sooner I got into shape, the sooner I got my new power, and I could save more people.

Halfway through our first set, I began to regret my decision. This sucked. Working out sucked. Why people would do this for fun was beyond me.

"Come on! You got this, bro!" He yelled, trying to encourage one more rep, but my arms were burning, and I couldn't handle anymore, dropping the weights to the padded floor.

"Good work. You're already stronger than I am when I started." He told me, giving more encouragement.

"Then I'm not anywhere close to where I can be yet." I managed to get out through gasping breaths. I was built for flips and smacking shit. It was what I trained for.

"That's the spirit. You've got to have a clear goal to push you to better. You'll also want to add more protein and make sure to rest. The most important part of a workout is proper form. Otherwise, you'll end up hurting yourself." He told me, and I assumed my form was alright if he hadn't corrected it yet.

My goal? My goal is to be stronger so I can save every life I can and depend on more than just my meta-abilities.

After a long and grueling workout, Kirishima finally said we were done. My body felt like I'd gotten beaten by Bane, but after a cold shower and remembering that Koda had my pig, I went to go see the quiet boy, offering money for watching Beatrix, but he turned it down.

Picking her up, I'd noticed she'd grown a good bit, watching her nudge my side over and over and squealing softly.

"She says she missed you." Koda told me, watching the interaction for a moment until his rabbit pooped on the carpet, and he had to excuse himself to clean it up.

Once we got back to the room, I showed her the squat toilet, and she grunted before walking off, going to see what her new room looked like.

"Okay, Baconator, I'm setting some ground rules down now. You use the bathroom there, and I'll flush for you. You'll get snacks and plenty of water if you just be a good girl." I told her, watching her plop and start snoring. I forgot that even as smart and brave as she was, she was still a pig.

"Okay... what to do, what to do... Yep, I'm texting her."

Three hours or three days, I didn't care, I wanted to talk to her, sending a simple "Hey" and a picture of Beatrix.

It took her a few minutes to text back, gushing over how cute Beatrix was and showing me her math homework. Jeez, that was math. Why did we have to have math?

After a few minutes of figuring out how to do the problems for myself, I got bored and gave her my condolences and regret in knowing that I'd have to do this at some point.

While I was on the phone, i figured I might as well text Harley, explaining my worries to her over breaking up with Tim and how I was already talking with another person and the worry that it meant I was a bad person.

Two minutes later, I got a call, Ivy surprising me and clearly trying to remain calm.

"Hey, kiddo, I need you to do me a favor and have that girl go to the hospital or nurse or whatever you have on campus."

Okay, that was weird. What the hell was going on?

"Ma, you gotta tell me what's up."

Silence fell over the line before I could hear her sigh.

"Okay, so you know how my pheromones can attract the opposite sex, and you know, poison them?"

I didn't listen to the rest of what she was saying running to the elevator and heading up to the girls' floor, calling for Momo and watching her stick her head out of the door in confusion.

"Midoriya? What are you doing?" She asked as Uraraka and Hagakure stepped out of their rooms to witness the weirdness.

"Hey, uh, are you feeling okay? Not sick or anything? Because I just got a call, and since my plant powers come from Poison Ivy, I may have accidentally poisoned you when we, uh, kissed..."

I'd never seen anyone go through all five stages of grief at once before she stepped out of her room, pulling me along by my shirt, silent, and what I assume was fuming.

"What brings the two of you to my office?" The old lady who'd help heal me in the hospital asked, and Momo looked at me expectantly.

"Uh, so you probably know, but my plant based powers come from Poison Ivy, and we, um, kissed, so I might have poisoned her..."

She raised her eyebrows, motioning for Momo to lay on the bed while making me sit in a chair and taking a blood sample.

"Fortunately for us, the bat guy already assumed this may happen. Don't you worry, I can whip up an antidote, just sit there while I inoculate her to your poison. Luckily, your blood can be given to anyone. It's just a shame you can't donate since it's partially chlorophyll." She told us, and I felt too much shame to even look at Momo.

"Oh please, do you think this is the first time an incident like this has happened? Boy, I work at a high school. This is just par for the course." She told me, and once she was done with whatever she'd been doing, she gave Momo a shot.

"I'll be sending the rest of this off to your bat-fella so he can make us more. If you plan on kissing anyone else, send them here first." She told me, and I felt even more shame.

"Yes ma'am..." I mumbled while Momo finally said something, or at least, she was giggling. Jeez, why did she have to laugh at me? Why did I feel so ashamed? It's not like I even knew this would happen.

As my face burned, she got out of bed and walked over to me, using two fingers to make me look at her.

"If you want to poison me again, I don't mind."

"Are you an angel?"

I wanted to smack myself for asking something so corny, but my jaw was hanging partially open, looking at her like she was divine.

"Get out." The nurse told us, and we walked out while laughing like idiots.