Daisuke stood outside of the gym on the bottom floor of the dormitory tower. Despite his nonchalance around Juzo and insistence that everything would be fine, he really didn't have a plan for broaching the subject of the security cameras to Kyoka. The boy's mantra of 'everything will work out one way or another' did generally hold true… but that philosophy didn't prevent him from having doubts in private. He did try to prepare for things behind the scenes and set himself and his friends up for success… but letting others see him sweat just wasn't Daisuke's style. Making others worry or feel as though he was a burden was Daisuke's least favorite thing in the world.

He was supposed to do the worrying and heavy lifting for them… without ever letting them catch on.

All the same, Daisuke knew well that some things simply couldn't be prepared for, and he had a distinct feeling that the ensuing conversation with Kyoka was one of them. She seemed reasonable and amicable enough from their limited encounters, and he was banking on her hearing him out and understanding his intent to serve the larger group as a whole. Even if Kyoka did come away thinking he was spying on her and it led to something awkward between them… at least her opinion of Katsuki wouldn't be any different. That was what mattered more than anything. Daisuke had taken note of the way Kyoka looked at his friend, even if he was oblivious to it. He had also noticed how Katsuki looked at her, whether it was intentional or not.

There was something there. Something that needed to be protected, and if possible, reinforced subtly and slowly. After all- Katsuki could use a win, and he deserved to be happy… even if that meant jumping in front of a metaphorical bullet for him.

With one final sigh and muted grumble of discontent, Daisuke pushed open the door to the gym and strode inside. The boy's expression shifted from uncomfortable to neutral in an instant, though quickly putting on the façade was mostly unnecessary upon entry. Kyoka Jiro was facing away from him, wearing a pair of black yoga pants and sports bra as she utilized the shoulder press machine.

The girl's back muscles were much more defined than Daisuke expected and going by the light sheen of sweat upon her skin, she had been at it for quite some time. A quick glance at the number of weighted plates being held off the floor told him that Kyoka was strong, even if she didn't make it immediately obvious under her worn-out band shirts and baggy jackets. Seeing her in such tight clothing gave Daisuke an entirely new perspective on the girl as a potential hero- she was more physically prepared for the role than he had anticipated. She was also hotter than he had thought, given the way that she usually dressed… and that fact did absolutely nothing for him. The two locked eyes in the mirror on the wall before Kyoka, though his reflection was somewhat distorted in the glass panel.

"Hey… Aki…" Kyoka offered between grunts of effort, not stopping her workout. "You plan on lifting… in jeans? That's… a choice…"

Daisuke let out a small chuckle and leaned up against another one of the machines, folding his arms across his chest as he shook his head.

"Not quite. Sorry to interrupt, but Amaya pointed me in your direction. I actually need to talk to you about something potentially important. It shouldn't take long."

Kyoka let the plates of the shoulder press settle back down with a loud, metallic clang and then heaved a sigh.

"I don't suppose it's good news? Got a lot on my mind right now…"

"No such luck," Daisuke admitted, his tail dragging along the floor mat to rest at his other side. "I wouldn't bother you if I didn't need to, though. It's about the safety of 1-A."

Kyoka picked up a dark blue plastic water bottle from beside the machine and rotated herself on the leather seat to face her classmate. The girl took a quick pull from the container as she eyed him up, looking rather uneasy.

"Safety?"

"I won't dance around the issue or waste your time, and I'm sorry for how awkward this going to get," Daisuke warned. "But… long story short, there's been some weirdness in a few dorms lately, including mine. Objects being moved around when no one was home, belongings being rifled through… that sort of thing. I talked to Professor Aizawa and got hold of the security cam footage from the halls, and I couldn't find any leads… except potentially something that happened to you that I need to ask about."

Kyoka stiffened, setting down the water bottle as she gave Daisuke her full attention.

"…this is about the bathroom, isn't it?"

Daisuke nodded, feeling somewhat relieved that Kyoka knew exactly what he was talking about without him having to bring it up directly.

"Yeah. Just to be clear, I wasn't sitting there watching the girls' bathroom door specifically or anything."

"I don't think you would," Kyoka said with a shrug. "You're not Mineta."

Daisuke let out a breath through his nose and looked down at the floor mat with a conflicted expression.

"…I'm not, but… that's a discussion for another time. It looked like you were trying to get away from something when you left the bathroom. You looked back like you had seen a ghost, and then did something weird with your foot? Saying it aloud makes this sound really weird to even mention…"

"And that's exactly why I didn't mention it to anyone," Kyoka agreed as she stood up from the machine. "I didn't know what to say or who to talk to about it, because it was weird. I'm also never going into the bathroom barefoot again. I was half asleep and not thinking straight, alright? Please don't tell anyone."

"Secret's safe with me," Daisuke reassured. "There's probably a lot of stuff we just naturally do at home that we need to break out of."

"Yeah," Kyoka agreed as she retrieved her sweat towel from a nearby rack and pressed her face into it. "I swear I'm not gross like that."

"We're all a little gross sometimes, it's cool," Daisuke said with a shrug. "Not judging. What did happen in there, though?"

"That's the thing… I honestly don't know," Kyoka admitted. "I was alone in the bathroom, half asleep, and stepped in… something. It was like dunking my foot into a pool of ice, but also like… gelatin? I lifted my foot immediately and tried to see what I stepped in, but there was nothing there. No puddle, no streaks, just… nothing."

"And there was definitely no one else there?" Daisuke repeated. "No one in the stalls?"

"They were all empty with the doors open," Kyoka answered. "And even if someone was there, that wouldn't explain whatever happened. When I went to wipe off my foot, I couldn't feel anything there. Maybe I just… maybe I was tired, and mistaken. I don't know. It was really weird and nothing like that has happened since."

Daisuke pulled a face, trying to decide what information to disclose. Kyoka's anxious expression told him everything he needed to know about what his approach had to be. He couldn't just leave her hanging.

"I… don't think you were mistaken," Daisuke said carefully. "Something is going on, and while I don't want to point fingers or stir shit… maybe it was Hagakure? I mean, she's got the best shot at moving around unseen, and she could've been in there with you. I did see some floating clothing on the cameras at one point, but lost track of her afterward."

"She does have the ability to move about wherever and whenever, yeah, but she's not a liquid," Kyoka pointed out. "At least, as far as I know. I'm not thrilled with the way she's been standing Tsu up either, but unless we've got proof that she's involved in this… I mean, do you think I stepped in her? How would something like that even happen? And why would she be on the bathroom floor while naked… or at all? That seems a little unlikely."

"Yeah, I… don't have an answer for either of those. Maybe I'm just grasping at straws, I just… don't want this to become a thing and have people feeling like they're not safe in their own dorms," Daisuke explained. "I also really, really don't want to keep monitoring cameras. Spying on people isn't my thing. I just want 1-A to have a friendly vibe and to get along with everyone here. Things are going to be hard enough in the Hero Course without interpersonal conflicts."

"Hey, I get it," Kyoka replied as she approached Daisuke and slung her towel up and around her neck. "From what I've seen, you're doing well getting along with everyone and helping hold us together. It's appreciated, even if people don't say so directly. No harm done, Aki."

"Dai's fine," Daisuke insisted.

"So is Kyoka, or just Kyo," the girl returned. "That being said… can I ask you a question?"

"Anything," Daisuke nodded. "It's the least I can do after bothering you with this."

Kyoka shifted her stance a bit, mirroring Daisuke's posture and crossing her arms as well.

"Is… Bakugo okay?" Kyoka asked, her tone shifting from cordial to something more serious. "You two seem pretty close, and he just seems so… I don't know. I get the feeling of constant stress, especially with a transition like moving into U.A. and starting classes, but it seems like something else is weighing on him, too. Maybe I'm misreading the situation, but I'm a little worried about him."

For a moment, Daisuke's calm expression faltered and gave way to a weary frown. It happened too quickly for him to stave off the sudden shift… and he knew that Kyoka had picked up on it. Somehow, despite the more personal and small-scale nature of the question, protecting Katsuki's integrity and privacy mattered so much more than the issue with the dorms. It took Daisuke a while a figure out just what he wanted to say- long enough that Kyoka looked away and muttered a quick apology.

"Sorry, I shouldn't put you on the spot like th-"

"No, no, it's fine," Daisuke interrupted as he brought a hand up to run it through his hair. "I just… I'm still trying to figure that out, too. I consider him a close friend, even if we haven't known each other that long, and… we've talked about a few things that I was surprised he was willing to share. There's definitely more going on beneath the surface, and even if I don't have all the details, I know that he's struggling. I've been helping him through some things, but… you know how it is. Certain things you can only go to certain friends with. I'm sure there's more that he doesn't want to talk about with me."

"I don't know about that, you're pretty easy to talk to," Kyoka praised. "But I see your point. I'd like to offer to just… be there for him, but I don't want to make it weird. He seems like a really private person."

"You'd be surprised," Daisuke said. "We've hit a topic or two that was beyond what I expected him to be comfortable with, but what I'm trying to say is that I think he could use another close friend. I also think he'd be more open to it than you're expecting, if you approached him. He's mentioned you a few times, and seems to like you already."

"…you really think so?" Kyoka asked with a small blush. "I mean… we did hang out a bit over the summer, I just haven't really spent much time with him since we got to U.A. without it being a group. Think I should ask if he wants to go somewhere this coming weekend?"

"Are you asking me if you should ask him out?" Daisuke probed with a smirk. "I did see you two hug, which is something I didn't know Katsuki was capable of doing."

Kyoka took another long drink from her water bottle, drawing out the motion to try to hide her face from her classmate. When it got to the point of no longer being a reasonable amount of time to drink, she traded the bottle for her towel, working to wipe her face once again as she talked through it.

"…that… may in fact be what I'm asking you, yeah…"

"Hm…" Daisuke considered, his tail flicking back around to the other side. "I think it's a great idea."

Author's note:

Will something finally go right for Bakugo? Who knows…

-RD