Izuku stood to the side at the base of one of the bunny hills, watching Nejire glide across the icy terrain they were on. She dug her ski poles into the ground and pushed further down the designated path.

Despite the minimal movements, Nejire looked like she was having fun, relearning what she knew from the past. However, the ski goggles made her look silly. And he was confident he shared the same silliness since he wore them, too.

Nejire turned and lifted the goggles from her eyes to strap them around her head. "There, you see! Pretty easy! Though I can't blame you for being scared since this is your first time."

"Yeah... You told me you went skiing when you were younger, right?"

"Yup! But that was like three years ago! I'm rusty right now, but I think I'm getting the hang of it. Now it's your turn!" Nejire exclaimed.

"But it feels so awkward... Like wearing flippers and trying to walk."

"Well, you're not supposed to walk in skis, silly! Nor are you supposed to walk with flippers, you're supposed to swim in them! So same thing with the skis, you ski on them! I mean, you can walk with them, but their primary use is to perform their designated function." Nejire giggled and slid next to him. "Here, do you want me to help you? I could be your support."

"Yes, please," Izuku said.

Nejire smiled. "Well, I would have to take my skis off to truly support you, but I can accompany you."

"That works... I just need some person-to-person guidance."

"Alright, now remember what I told you. Have a slight lean and push forward with the ski poles. Make sure the ski poles don't dig into the ground while you're gliding across the snow. And last of all, take your time and have fun!"

"R-Right..."

Izuku got into position and dug his ski poles into the snow to get a feel for his slow momentum. Once he acclimated to the speed, Izuku propelled himself. He drifted across the snow and down the bunny hill. As for Nejire, she followed him, monitoring every movement. It was comforting to know she was there every step of the way.

As Izuku slowed to a stop at the bottom of the bunny hill, Nejire came sailing into view. Right next to him.

"Hey, hey! You're better than I thought you would be, Izuku! Don't tell me you've been practicing in secret before we came here! Have you?" Nejire asked.

"N-No... If I add speed, I have a feeling I'm going to fall."

"Oh, come on, Izuku! I'm just trying to encourage you~! Obviously, we're not trying to make you a pro in just one week, but we'll make this an experience that you'll never forget in your life! So if you go skiing again, you can overcome the challenge quicker! And maybe you can come with me again one day!"

Izuku's heartbeat quickened. "I... I look forward to another time."

Nejire studied him, her blue eyes tracing his expression before she smiled as if she knew what he meant by that.

"I'm sure you would," Nejire commented. "But let's take this one step at a time and teach you how to stop after you propel yourself. It's a given that higher speeds will have different methods, but for now, I'll explain it before I demonstrate the action part of it."

Izuku stared at Nejire as she explained the process of stopping with hand movements. For a moment, time slowed as the only thing he saw was Nejire. In the background, people were dealing with their inexperience, but none of it mattered.

She was the only person he had eyes for.

Because her goggles were strapped on her head, he studied every expression Nejire made. He didn't know what came over him, but everything felt perfect. His mind, usually rampant with an ocean of a million thoughts, was quiet and unwilling to budge from this moment.

Here he was, at a random luxurious ski resort, with the most beautiful girl in U.A. High School, and she was teaching him how to ski. And they were cherishing each other's company with no interruptions. It was surreal, but the atmosphere of it was serene and pleasant.

And he was aware of it.

Izuku might experience doubts after all was said and done, but for now, he was probably the happiest person alive. And there was nothing more he wanted than to extend this instant for what it was worth.

After Nejire finished talking, she gazed into Izuku's eyes. He could see the question marks appearing in the air beside her head.

"Hey, hey. Did you catch all that before I demonstrate it?" Nejire asked.

"Uh, sorry... Could you repeat that?"

Despite Izuku's best efforts, time slipped away from him, leaving a few brief hours before the sun disappeared below the horizon. The best he could muster was skiing across the bunny hill with ease. They didn't get to touch the towering mountain that loomed over them. And he couldn't extend the heavenly moments he spent with her because of the shortened period of daylight.

With a crestfallen emotion orchestrated by his mind, they walked to their condo.

Izuku let out a sigh as the door opened. He glanced at Nejire to see her expression, but the way she hummed a jovial tune was enough to return some serenity in his heart.

She didn't seem to be bothered by his inability to ski.

During her teaching session, Izuku was sure Nejire was going to lose patience over his incompetence, but nothing happened. It wasn't like the times Bakugo snapped at him. Although they missed the genuine experience on the mountain, he still felt Nejire's unwavering happiness emanating from her.

Like he always felt.

She never changed, no matter what situation they were in.

When Nejire let out a sigh, Izuku panicked. Was this where she was going to tell him how upset she was at him?

"I just noticed something... I'm starving. What do you say we grab some food from a nearby restaurant?" Nejire asked.

She sat on the storage bench near the window in the room with the twin beds to take off her thick jacket. Izuku let out a sigh of relief on the inside. Hunger was her primary concern.

"I think I noticed it too." Izuku agreed, taking off his layers of warm clothing.

"First, we have to shower and pick it up by car, but we can order now," Nejire commented. She gazed at him and patted the space next to her. "Join me."

Izuku nodded his head and took his position next to her as she browsed the menu of a nearby restaurant through her phone. It didn't take long for them to choose something they liked. But while they did so, Izuku couldn't help but feel conscious about his proximity to Nejire.

His eyes flickered to her, studying her every movement.

He had been close to her several times since they first met, but this time, it felt different. His heart was beating out of his chest with a cacophony of noise. He was afraid she could hear him. What was coming over him?

"Ahh... I'm so tired." Nejire groaned as she swayed side-to-side before she rested her head on his shoulder. "I thought just because I trained a lot on my stamina would mean I wouldn't tire of driving or skiing all day long, but I thought wrong."

Izuku stiffened, feeling a massive surge of nervousness course through his body. "Y-Yeah, I guess so. I'm also exhausted."

Nejire glanced at him and smiled. "Are you sure? You still seem like you have a lot of energy."

"W-What do you mean by that?"

"You forget your cat ears are very telling," Nejire said, pointing at his twitching cat ears.

Izuku felt the temperature increase, his face displaying a shade of red. He was sure his cat ears were exhibiting the same symptoms of his embarrassment. "Ah, w-wait! Please don't look! This is inconvenient..."

Nejire giggled and brought her knees close to her chest before she snuggled with him. "Izuku, I have one thing to say. You're just too cute. Never change, you hear me?"

Izuku stayed still. He didn't know how to respond. He wasn't intentionally trying to be cute all the time. His cat ears flitted several times as if they were waiting for him to answer Nejire's question, so he thought of something to appease her. "I-I'll try."

Nejire let out a content sigh and cuddled with him one more time before she departed from him to grab a change of clothes from her luggage. "Anyway, I think I'm going to take a shower first... Unless you want to?"

"N-No, I'm fine! You can go ahead!" Izuku blurted out, his nerves fried from Nejire's cuddles.

"Alright! I'm going to keep my phone on, so you can track the readiness of the order. If they finish quicker than I shower, could you let me know?"

"Sure. I'll do that..."

"Thanks, Izuku! You're the best~!" Nejire exclaimed.

Izuku watched her disappear behind the corner. When he heard the bathroom door close, Izuku let out a sigh and buried his face in his hands. A groan escaped his lips. If this was going to happen the entire week of the vacation, how was he going to survive?

Izuku peeked through his fingers before he glanced at Nejire's open phone. Something clicked inside of him. Why did she leave her phone with him? Izuku waited several seconds until he felt his hand reach for Nejire's phone. He lifted it and brought it closer to his face.

He glanced at the corner where she vanished. The sound of water could be heard. Izuku returned his gaze to the phone and stared at it.

He couldn't lie. His curiosity was getting the best of him. Like a cat.

Half of Izuku wanted to inspect the contents of her phone, especially the pictures she had taken of him. But the other half told him it was a breach of privacy.

Izuku debated with himself, his eyes flickering back and forth from the screen to the corner until his head hurt.

In the end, he searched through the images of her gallery.

With each scroll, pictures of the Big Three constantly appeared. And Yuyu, but that was obvious considering she was Nejire's best friend. It didn't take long until he discovered pictures of himself scattered throughout the camera album. Most of them were from moments he wasn't paying attention.

They weren't bad. Until he saw the picture of him in the first winter hat Nejire made for him. His cheeks burned as he scrolled away from it as quickly as possible.

It was an embarrassment. Particularly with the way he looked shocked in the picture.

However, his curiosity got the best of him again. Izuku lay on the cushions of the storage bench and scrolled to the first picture she had taken of him. He checked the date of the picture, prompting his eyes to widen.

Realization hit him like a truck.

Had it been that long since they've known each other? It's been three months. Where did time go? When did it ignite their relationship to the point it is today? And how had their relationship not developed to the point they were dating?

Maybe because he didn't ask her out?

Though he felt the pressure was more on him. Were males the one supposed to be the one asking the other out? Izuku didn't know. Still, it was a wonder to see how much had transpired since they met.

As the questions circled and bounced in the cage of his mind, Izuku yawned and closed his eyes. He opened them, but with each blink, his eyelids got heavier and heavier.

Suddenly, a gentle shake woke him from his slumber.

"Hey, hey. Wake up, sleepyhead~. We have dinner to eat and you still have to shower." Nejire said.

Her voice floated through the air in a singsong manner. Izuku let out a soft grunt before he stuck his limbs out to stretch. A yawn accompanied it. Then he returned his hands to where they felt comfortable, which ended up being close to his chest and closed his eyes.

He was still holding Nejire's phone because he felt the object in his hand escape his grasp. Just as he was about to return to his dreams, he felt a warm hand rub over his stomach. Izuku yelped and stared at her, wide awake from the unsolicited touch.

"Good kitten!" Nejire teased.

For a second, Izuku relished her touch. It catered to his cat instincts of trust, but when his analytical mind prevailed, he pulled himself together.

"Eh? N-Nejire, what are you doing?" Izuku asked.

"I'm treating you to a belly rub," Nejire said with a smirk.

"Um, no thank you."

Nejire laughed and retracted her hand to her side. "Yeah, I guess that was a little uncalled for. Well, it's your turn to shower. The food is ready to be picked up, so I'll get the food and come back. What do you say?"

Izuku nodded his head and sleepily sat up on the storage bench. Nejire extended a hand to him, making Izuku stare at it in confusion. She shook it, beckoning for him to grab it.

"Oh, sorry... I didn't realize you wanted me to grab your hand," Izuku said, accepting her help before she placed both her hands on his. "Eh? N-Nejire?"

"Caught you now," Nejire said.

Izuku stared at her and then at her hands. She had soft hands. Much softer than he realized. They were extremely soft and comforting. Why was he so focused on how soft her hands were when she had touched him all those times before?

Maybe it was his sleep-deprived brain noticing the minor details.

Something inexplicable compelled Izuku to place his other hand on top of hers. Watching her, Izuku noticed a gentle smile form on her lips.

"I guess we both caught each other, huh?" Nejire asked.

"Yeah, I guess we did..." Izuku agreed, his cat ears fluttering without his awareness.

She really had some soft hands.

Author's Note: I hope you enjoyed this week's chapter! I am slowly acclimating to the new environment of my new job, so things are looking up! And it's way way way better than my last job in terms of pay, benefits, culture, and proximity, so yippy!

Anyway, if you liked the chapter, don't be afraid to leave any interaction!

With love from your favorite writer, Out4Lunch!