Izuku stepped into the frosty morning air with his luggage. It was two days after Christmas. The morning sun was waking from its sleep as steaks of yellow painted the once-dark sky.

It was cold enough to see his breath leave a streak of vapor flail across the air before it disappeared. Izuku wheeled his suitcase on the pathway, occasionally halting to rub his gloved hands together to spark warmth as he made his way to the Class 3-A dorm.

An early morning text had alerted Izuku to Nejire's plan on how they would depart from U.A. High School. Nejire had received a car for Christmas from her parents to celebrate her third year at U.A. High School; it was their means of transportation.

Though, he had to add; it was quite an expensive gift.

Izuku poked his head over the bushes outside the dorm of Class 3-A. He followed espionage tactics and flattened his cat ears as much as possible, though the winter hat Nejire knitted for him hindered his ability.

Scanning the entrance, it was devoid of human life.

Izuku shifted to the sound of tires crackling and an engine muttering. He turned and watched as a car arrived next to the dorm. Nejire waved her hand at him with glee. However, her fatigue was unmistakable from the drowsy expression she wore.

Nejire parked the car and hopped out, her excitement ramping up at the same pace as the rising sun.

"Izuku! It's so nice to see you again! It's been a while, hasn't it?" Nejire asked, skipping in his direction before she embraced him.

Izuku squeaked in surprise. He didn't expect something like this first thing in the morning. "But... Didn't we meet yesterday to list what we need to pack for the trip haphazardly?"

Nejire giggled, releasing him from the embrace. "It's a joke, silly~."

"Oh… Sorry, heh."

"Hey, hey! Is that all you're bringing? Just one suitcase?"

Izuku nodded, glancing at the windows of the Class 3-A dorm to see if anyone was staring at them. Luckily, there wasn't a single soul. "Why? How much are you bringing?"

Nejire took one look inside her car. A frown crossed her features.

"Huh, I feel like I'm packing my entire house..."

Izuku peeked over Nejire's shoulder to discern her statement. Nejire wasn't lying. The backseat of the car was bursting with her possessions.

"Is… Is there room for my suitcase?"

"Yup, there should be!"

Nejire walked to her car and opened the door. At that moment, a couple of her belongings fell and tumbled to the floor. "There, now there's some room."

Izuku laughed, lending a hand to configure their baggage in her car through the use of geometry. Once it all fit, Izuku closed the trunk while Nejire closed the backseat door. Izuku made his way to the passenger seat while Nejire waited for him. When he put his seatbelt on, Nejire adjusted the temperature of the car and drove.

On the way, Izuku glanced at Nejire several times. The thought of Nejire's proposal joke was fresh in his mind, even though it was a while ago. And how could he liberate it from his mind when it was a possibility?

He could ask her out now and get the stressful situation out of the way. If a rejection occurred, at least he knew what he meant to Nejire. If not, then… Then how would things proceed?

The fear of ruining the vacation between the two of them forced him into a difficult position. Either they enjoyed each other's presence for the week, or tension suffocated them with each activity they did.

Izuku let out a silent sigh, troubled by his thoughts. He closed his eyes, hoping an answer would provide itself to him. When emptiness crossed his mind, Izuku reopened his eyes and stared at the repetitive roads. Figuring slumber would ease his mind, Izuku closed his eyes again and fell asleep to the humming tires on the road.

Izuku didn't know how long he slept, but when he woke up, the uneven road greeted him. Izuku stretched his arms out and crossed them, earning movement in the cramped space of the car. When he opened his eyes, he found the dreaded streets filling his vision again.

The other thing he noticed was the plushie he held in his arms. Izuku looked at it. The penguin looked back at him.

It was cute. Izuku glanced at her, but her focus was on the roads. He lifted his hand and patted the plushie on the head with slight movements. However, Nejire's voice rang in the air, making Izuku jolt in surprise.

"Morning, sleepyhead!" Nejire exclaimed.

"M-Morning? What do you mean by that? How long did I sleep for?" Izuku asked.

He adjusted himself to a comfortable position in the car seat; the penguin plushie staying put in his arms.

"Well, it's nearing afternoon, so I'd say a couple of hours? Unless it's already twelve since I last checked, but while you were sleeping, I grabbed some coffee from a nearby convenience store... And I see you got acquainted with my good childhood friend, Mr. Pengy!"

"Uh, I can see that too…" Izuku said, feeling his temperature rise from embarrassment. "How did it end up in my arms?"

"Well, let's just say Mr. Pengy likes to hang out with other cute people. Let's say someone like you," Nejire commented as she handed him her phone. "Besides, look at my wallpaper! Double the cuteness!"

Izuku stared at her phone and gulped. He pressed the button to turn her phone on. It was as she said. Illustrated on her lock screen was a picture of him, embracing the plushie and sleeping.

"Isn't it adorable?" Nejire asked.

"Hm…? Uh, yeah. Very adorable…"

The concerning question was how she took the picture while she was driving. Wasn't that dangerous? Or did she do it while she stopped for coffee? That seemed to be the most probable answer.

"Anyway, you woke up just in time! We're pretty much here!"

Izuku tightened his grasp around the penguin plushie as he gazed out the window. The landscape transformed to fit the imagination he had drawn in his head. It was a ski resort, that was for sure. Little obscure dots descended the mountainside and weaved in various directions, guided by the desires of their hearts.

Soon, that would be him. It made his heart flutter with the fear of trying a new thing.

Nejire found a parking spot near the entrance to the hotel where they were staying and parked the car. Izuku continued to stare off into the distance, oblivious to Nejire's eyes locked on him. When he turned, Izuku found Nejire staring at him with her chin resting on her hand. A playful smile danced on her lips.

"Are you having fun, Izuku~?" Nejire sang.

"Hmm? Oh, s-sorry... We needed to unpack, right?" Izuku asked.

Nejire hummed to herself. "You guessed right. After that, we can practice tomorrow since the sun is going to be going down soon. The days are short, but there's going to be no shortage of how much fun we're going to experience!"

Izuku smiled, sensing the joyful sentiment emanating from Nejire. "But we still have time to practice today, right?"

"Phooey… No thanks. I'm not trying to be a party pooper, but staying stuck inside a car driving for hours at a time made me tired. I want to sleep early and rise with the sun to hit the slopes tomorrow. And a certain someone doesn't have a driver's license, so…"

"Well, I'm not eighteen yet…"

"I'm just teasing you~! Obviously, you can't drive yet! I'm your guardian on this trip, technically speaking! Anyway, let's go unpack! I want to explore this place a little, even if we don't go skiing today."

"Right, let's do that."

"But before we do that, let me get the key card so we can access our room," Nejire said, pointing to the establishment.

"Ah, okay…"

Izuku watched her leave the car and disappear through the doors. Left alone to his own devices, Izuku stepped out of the vehicle and surveyed his surroundings. When boredom entered his mind, Izuku stared at the entrance to the hotel.

Nothing.

Nejire's absence made his heart grow fonder. He fiddled with his fingers and stared at the luggage, illustrating descriptions in his brain of how he was going to carry the most amount of luggage with ease. To say she had multiple times the number of stuff he brought was an understatement.

"Got the goodies!"

Izuku squeaked in fear at Nejire's sudden outburst. They both stared at each other until Nejire laughed.

"Did you just squeak?" Nejire asked.

"Um, no…"

Nejire laughed again as she playfully slapped him on the shoulder. "Look, I know I've heard you squeak before, but you don't have to be this embarrassed about it."

"R-Right… I just didn't hear you behind me." Izuku said.

"Hmm…? But aren't you a cat? You should have heightened hearing, right?"

"Not if I'm focused on something else! Though I don't think we tested my hearing yet…"

Nejire's eyes twinkled. "Is that an invitation?"

"Wait, no! That's not what I meant!"

"Also, can I call you a scaredy-cat now? That fits, right?" Nejire asked, inching closer to him.

"W-Wait, Nejire! Calm down!" Izuku exclaimed, waving his hands in the air to prevent Nejire from coming any closer.

Perhaps too little, too late with how close Nejire already was.

Izuku placed the last luggage on the floor, which ended up being his, and let out a sigh of relief. Nejire was busy locking the car and ensuring the safety of her first vehicle while looking for anything left behind.

He peered through the open door in case Nejire was sneaking up on him again. Once the coast was clear, Izuku refocused on the interior of the condo. It was a bit too lavish. And even that was an understatement. Especially when he took one look inside the bathroom. It was sparkling clean and extravagant.

Could a bathroom be extravagant? Izuku didn't think so, but this condo was proving him wrong.

Izuku stepped out of the bathroom and looked around. The elegance of the condo led him to investigate the rest of it.

The first half of the condo boasted a floor-to-ceiling window wall, offering a view of the snowy mountain. A storage bench stretched the entire length of the window wall at the bottom, providing convenient seating with cushions. Positioned between the twin beds and window wall, a dedicated workplace was set up, awaiting productivity. Across the twin beds, a TV sat patiently, its screen reflecting the light of the room.

He poked his head through the other side of the condo. Adjacent to the entrance, there was a master bedroom, enclosed in its dedicated room. Further along the room, there was a fully equipped kitchen, and across from it, a dining table was located. In between the kitchen and window wall with the same storage bench, a lounge was decorated with a sumptuous L-shaped sofa facing a larger TV.

Izuku let out a heavy sigh. Each thing he looked at boosted the amount of money he imagined Nejire spent for the entire package. How did she afford this? Maybe her parents pitched a hand?

"Izuku? Where are you? Did you get lost in this big condo?"

Izuku perked up when he heard Nejire's voice echo throughout the condo. Izuku walked to the doorway that connected both halves of the condo, but as he stepped through, Nejire had the same idea.

Their bodies collided with a soft thud. Izuku let out a small grunt, the impact catching him off guard. With a smile, Nejire tapped Izuku on the nose.

"Got you," Nejire said, giggling at Izuku's surprised reaction. "So, how are you liking so far? Is it far better than you imagined it would be? Isn't it awesome?"

"Y-Yeah… A little too awesome…" Izuku said, staring at her by accident.

"Did someone beautiful catch your eye~?"

Izuku averted her gaze as he blushed. "V-Very beautiful..."

"Aww, thanks, Izuku! It's nice to hear you say it! You know, now that I think about it carefully, I can't wait for this trip to start! There are so many fun things to do that it's endless! We can be stuck here for weeks and it won't cover everything, so let's do our best to explore it all promptly, alright?"

"Yup, no problem there."

Izuku watched as Nejire turned and walked to one of her luggage. She rummaged through it, attempting to find something. Izuku walked to his suitcase and opened it, focused on searching for his phone charger.

It didn't take long before Nejire attracted his attention, as always.

"Hey, hey, Izuku~! Look over here!" Nejire exclaimed.

Izuku stared at her. But something held a death grip on his attention as a small dot of red raced across the room. The cat instincts implanted within him took control and forced his body to move without thinking as Izuku scrambled after the red dot. When the red dot came to a stop on the ground, Izuku pounced on it. As Izuku opened his cupped hands, his heart sank when he discovered nothing.

When he looked at Nejire, Izuku found her standing above him, trying her best to hide her mirth, but failing miserably. Nejire giggled and patted him on the head, scratching him behind the ears as a reward.

"Hehe, maybe I'm the one who's going to enjoy this vacation more than I thought I would. I can't wait to show you what I have planned for this entire week!"

"H-Hey, I didn't say you could scratch my ears..." Izuku complained but trailed off.

Izuku could feel her excitement. It was palpable, and in turn, compelled him to feel her sentiment. Sure, he knew skiing was always going to be a part of the plan, but he had somehow forgotten head pats and ear scratches were on the list, too.

But it didn't matter. For now, he was going to relish Nejire's touch on his head.

It was warm, nice, and soft. There was no other way to put it.

Author's Note: It is the start of my favorite chapters! Get ready because this vacation arc is going to be a blast, and yet a great lens into Izuku's mind!

Also, if you're having trouble trying to map out what the condo looks like, I have a link. You can message me personally (for my FanFiction people) or leave a comment and I'll send you the link so it can make more sense!

With joyful love from your favorite writer, Out4Lunch!