My Hero Academia: Dynamite And A Laserbeam (Definitive Edition)

by DeathlyJazzHands55

Musutafu. The place where it all began. The place where Japan's greatest hero was born, and where his backstory took place. This was the place where the future number-one pro hero was born. But this isn't about him. This is about someone who just wanted to live a normal life and got dragged into this mess. That is Yoshihara Kira's story. (Definitive Edition of MHA: DLB)

38. Ch 37: Date Night

Yoshihara sat in her bedroom, sitting on the edge of her bed as she pulled up a black fabric stocking, stopping it just at the end of her knee. The result of The Sports Festival was one that, at the end of the day, hardly mattered to her. While she was slightly upset that she had lost, the fact that Izuku won hadn't bothered her in the slightest.

Did that mean she wouldn't have minded if she had lost to anyone else? No, actually. She would've cared a lot. Izuku was simply the exception to the rule. Was it because he was her boyfriend? Maybe, but that was beside the point.

Besides, second place wasn't exactly the worst thing in the world. Not to mention, now, with hindsight, even if she got first place, it wouldn't have done anything to have changed her reputation. To think that it would was a misguided belief and hope in the public.

Oh well, not that it mattered. There was most likely nothing that she could've done to fix her reputation. Even if she did, the last thing she wanted was faux support from a bunch of people who switched up their opinion of her simply because she won something. She hated disingenuous people. They were the worst kind of hypocrites.

Yoshihara sighed, feeling a sense of annoyance wash over her before she promptly pushed it deep within the recesses of her mind. She didn't have the want nor need to be annoyed right now. Right now, she was more focused on the fact that she was really about to go through with this. That she was actually about to go on a date.

The mere notion that she was going on a date had elicited a familiar yet foreign feeling in her chest—one that had fluttered around in her body for the last twenty-four hours. It was familiar because everyone intrinsically felt this kind of feeling in some capacity and foreign because it was the first time that she had felt that way for someone else.

The idea of loving someone was… completely foreign to her. Not loving someone as in a mutual understanding and respect toward them for aiding you, but loving in the traditional sense—the kind of love that made you want to kiss them, feel them, and be with them for the rest of your life. That was the kind of love that she was feeling.

She didn't know whether it was a good thing or a bad thing. Throughout her life, she had been made to believe that she didn't deserve that kind of love—that she wasn't worth that kind of love. She was already parentally loved by Kayama-san, and Yoshihara had already thought that had been way too much.

Now, however, she was dealing with a romantic kind of love. A type of love she knew she didn't deserve. She was a whore, and had her body used by so many other people that she felt as if she was a waste of a person in that regard. So many people had used her, some many people had taken advantage of her….

What was there left to love? That was what she had always thought to herself. Her answer for so long was "nothing." There was nothing left of her to love. Not even the tiniest part of her had been untainted by someone else.

Yet, Izuku still chose to love her. Despite knowing that worked at a strip club before meeting him, and despite knowing that meant, Izuku didn't seem to care. If he did, it wasn't for the reasons that she had believed someone would. Izuku still let her tainted lips kiss him. While they had only been together for a day, that didn't change the fact that Izuku willingly let someone as tainted as her be near him in a romantic kind of situation….

She had harboured doubts about herself. She had never made them known and had always done her best to bury them deep within herself. But after The Sports Festival, and after she got back home to get ready for their date, they all came back, all at once.

All of her worst fears… all of her worst thoughts… everything all came clawing back all at once. That she wasn't deserving of anything. That once Izuku saw her for who she really was, he would be disgusted and never talk to her every again.

The simple truth was that she was a Sociopath. She shouldn't be able to feel any emotion at all, whatsoever. Yet, here she was, feeling the emotion of love. She could feel sadness, and she could feel anger. She shouldn't be able to—it should've been impossible for her to, but she could.

It was thanks to Izuku that she could. If it wasn't for him, she wouldn't have been able to feel even a hint of those emotions. At least, love, anyway. Sadness was because of what happened to Sayaka, and anger… well, she had always felt anger.

Maybe… maybe she wasn't actually a Sociopath? Maybe her doctors had been wrong, and maybe she was simply emotionally repressed. It was common for those who repressed their emotions to be misdiagnosed as having Sociopathy. Sure, it was possible for a Sociopath to relearn their emotions, but….

She shook her head. "No… now's not the time to think about this kind of thing. You have a date to attend… I… I need to be ready," Yoshihara thought as she looked down at herself, staring at her outfit as she tried to keep herself calm.

She was dressed in a dark pink crop top that exposed her stomach and a bit of her waist, accompanied by a pair of form-fitting shorts that brought out the curve of her hips. Finally, she wore knee-high black, semi-seethrough leggings. The crop top was a little bit on the tight side of things, bringing out the shape of her chest and hugged the sides of her upper torso like glue.

Maybe… maybe it was a bit too much. She didn't want to fluster Izuku too badly. But, in the same vein, she also wanted to test him. Just a little bit. Maybe it was insecurities talking, but she was worried. Worried that the only reason that Izuku wanted to be with her was because of her body.

The more she thought about it, the more that working at The Love Palace might have fucked up her mental state more than it already had been before she had started working there. No wonder Akira didn't want her working there… "I really should've listened to him," Yoshihara thought, sighing.

It was too late now. What was done was done. She didn't blame Akira, just her own bad decisions. It was her fault for being stubborn, not his. She knew how she got when she was stubborn, and she chose that out of all the things she chose to be stubborn about.

She inhaled before exhaling.

She wanted to make things special for tonight. She didn't want tonight to be one-note or generic. This was both her and Izuku's night, not only because it was riding the high that was The Sports Festival but also as the start of something that she hoped would continue on for the rest of their lives.

She wanted this night to be one to remember—not just for a moment but as a founding memory—the kind that stayed with someone for the rest of their lives and carried into the afterlife.

Maybe it was selfish, but she had already made up her mind.

A series of knocks rattled against her bedroom door, and she knew who it was. "You can come in, Kayama-san," Yoshihara said as the door opened. Kayama-san stepped into the room, dressed in a casual outfit. She was wearing a black long-sleeve sweater with dark grey sweatpants. Kayama-san was going out with Inko to the bar to discuss what happened at The Sports Festival.

It was funny. Both Kayama-san and Yoshihara were going out but for two very different reasons. Kayama-san and Inko had been growing friendly over the last few weeks. That, and with how busy they both more than likely had been, a night to relax was probably a good idea.

"Well, aren't you dressing to impress?" Kayama-san pointed out Yoshihara's face flushed red. Kayama-san giggled, leaning against the doorway, smirking all the while. "I don't even know why you're trying so hard. You know Midoriya-kun is basically smitten with you. Don't think I wasn't unaware of the little activity you had at Knock Out Lane. I wasn't unconscious, you know?"

"Y-You saw that!?" Yoshihara exclaimed as Kayama-san snickered.

"Not on purpose. But my point still stands," she said as she stood up straight. "I'm not going to criticize you on what you wear, but seriously, you really don't need to dress up like that. It's obvious that he loves you."

"Maybe to you… but you don't know what goes on in my head," Yoshihara thought as she flashed a faux smile. "I know, but… well, you know…"

"You're testing him," Kayama-san said slyly as Yoshihara once again blushed, embarrassment coating her face as Kayama-san sighed. "It's unnecessary, but if it helps you sleep at night, then you do you. I'll wait for you in the car, but try not to be late. You have that money I gave you for the movie you two are watching?"

"Y-Yeah… Um, The Phantom Menace, right?" Yoshihara said, pulling out the couple of 10,000 yen notes that Kayama-san had given her. It was 30,000 in total. It would be enough to get the tickets, medium popcorn, snacks with drinks, and enough for a cab back since both Inko and Kayama-san were likely to be drunk before their movie was over.

"Alright, let's get going. We're going to be late," Kayama-san said, turning her back to Yoshihara and gesturing for her to follow. Grabbing her things and straightening out her clothes a little bit just to make sure nothing was riding up on her due to having been sitting for so long, the two made their way down to the elevator.

As the two entered the elevator, Kayama-san pressed the button that would take them to the foyer. As the doors closed, Yoshihara started fidgetting, twirling a lock of her hair around her ring finger. Kayama-san took notice of it, smirking as she ruffled her hair. "Nervous?"

"Maybe…" Yoshihara grumbled, shifting to trying to fix her hair in the reflection of the metal elevator doors. "Don't do that again, please…"

"Oh please, you'll be fine," Kayama-san said as the doors finally opened. As they did, Yoshihara let out a shaky breath. Why was she so damn nervous? It was just like any other meeting, wasn't it? That's all this was. A meeting between two people…

Or, maybe it wasn't that that she was worried about.

Maybe it was something else.

Maybe it was how she thought that Izuku might act when she saw her—saw what she was wearing. Nervous about the expression he would make. Nervous about if she would offend him. Nervous that seeing her like this would disgust him….

"Izuku's not like that. I know he isn't. I know he isn't judgmental… if he was, we wouldn't have been friends after what happened with my mother," Yoshihara told herself, but this was different. It had to be. There was no way that someone as pure as Izuku would like her like this. Right?

"You're stressing yourself out, Yoshihara," Kayama-san said, putting a hand on her shoulder. Yoshihara looked over at her as Kayama-san smiled reassuringly. "I get it. Dates can be hard. Trust me, I've been on a few myself in the past. They can be nerve-wracking and intense. Just be yourself. Don't hold anything back. You already do that around him, just because this is a date doesn't mean you have to change anything."

A swell of confidence filled her body as she nodded. Kayama-san was right, but she was also wrong. There was a difference. They weren't meeting as friends would; they were meeting as romantic partners.

Kayama-san's words helped. It didn't change her mental perception of herself at the moment, but it helped. With that, the two stepped out of the elevator and made their way out of Love Love Deluxe. Kayama-san's pink and black striped 2024 Camaro was parked in front of the building, and Kayama-san unlocked the car.

The two got into the vehicle and took off to the movie theatre in downtown Musutafu. All the while, Yoshihara sat in the back, looking out the window with a blank expression, her mind racing with several thoughts all around the one boy who had captured her attention nearly a year ago.

It was strange. Had she not scrolled on her phone that day, she would've never even thought of Izuku. And with what she had planned to do on that day, why would she have? After that shift she had, and when she went home… well, that hardly mattered, now did it? She hadn't felt like that in a very, very long time. Not since she met Kayama-san had she felt suicidal.

Actually, now that she thought about it… If it wasn't for Kayama-san showing up when she did, then she would've never gotten to this point in her life, now, would she? And if it wasn't for Akira calling Kayama-san and that entire part of her life spiralling into what it was now, she would've never had the chance to actually meet Izuku.

She would have been dead. On the other end of a rope, more than likely discovered by Sasaki-san. She would've cut her life short all because she couldn't handle her demons.

She was glad that Otoshi had read her mind.

Otherwise, she wouldn't have met Izuku.

It only took twenty minutes for the car ride to end, so in retrospect, she probably could've just walked. But it was on the way to the bar, so Kayama-san saw no reason not to drive her. It would've been shorter had it not been for a traffic accident on the way to the theatre.

Some bozo tried to speed ahead of someone else, ending up in that car slamming into someone else's car who had the right of way. Thankfully, no one was harmed too badly, but it was definitely annoying. At least she was at the theatre, though. That was all that mattered.

When Yoshihara opened the door to the back seat of the car, she was greeted by a smiling Izuku, who had been patiently waiting for her. His smile was infectious, and it caused a smile of her own to spread across her lips alongside a faint pink blush.

Izuku was wearing a green two-piece suit, a black tie, and a white dress shirt underneath. His hair was still the same, though, and she liked it like that. He had a nervous expression on his face and a bouquet of pink roses in his right hand, as well as a balled-up fist with two tickets barely poking out between his fingers.

When she stepped out of the car, Yoshihara waved goodbye to Kayama-san. Once she was gone, she turned to face Izuku fully as she approached him. When she walked up to him, she kissed his cheek, which flushed his cheeks red, among other reasons.

When Izuku saw her, his cheeks flushed red. He hadn't expected Yoshihara to dress up in something as revealing as that, especially given how it framed her appearance. It was… a little out of character for Yoshihara to do that, but it wasn't exactly offensive to him. Nothing about her was.

It took a long time for him to realize that he might have had feelings for Yoshihara. He liked her—that much was apparent—but he didn't put two and two together that his feelings for her were more than friendly when they actually kissed at Knock Out Lane.

That…. He had no idea how to describe his feelings after that. He felt flustered, and he felt good. He had done the one thing that he thought that he would never get to experience. It made his heart beat something fierce, and it excited him.

He just hoped that Yoshihara hadn't noticed when they had kissed. He was extremely embarrassed that had happened. He was still beating himself up over it, and how bad it made him feel. It wasn't like he had actually done anything. It wasn't like he could've controlled it. But still….

Looking back on it…. The way she had laid across him, and the way her lips felt against his…. Kami above had no idea he could feel any kind of high that didn't revolve around illicit drugs. At that moment, he felt like he had been above the world.

Then, it ended.

He wanted to chase that feeling again.

Another part of his mind wanted to explore more than that, but he shut it down. This was the first date. He didn't expect anything to come from it.

And now, standing in front of Yoshihara after she had just kissed his cheek, his face beat red, and his confidence slightly shaken, he spoke.

"U-Uh… H-Hey, Yoshihara, how are you doing?" Izuku asked as Yoshihara took the flowers from his hands, put them behind her back, and kissed him again. She leaned into the kiss, and he guided himself into it.

Public affection was a social taboo in Japanese culture. A few older people looked at them, and some of them had a hint of disgust on their faces. Izuku didn't care. He was in his seventh heaven, and Yoshihara didn't seem to care either. When she pulled away, she smiled.

"I think that supplements the understanding as to how I'm doing. Thank you for the flowers. They're pretty," Yoshihara said, taking a whiff of them. They smelt like a gentle summer breeze, or whatever someone would classify that as. For Yoshihara, she thought of freshly baked cookies, the smell of honey wafting through windows, and scented candles. In other words, positive things, all of which she liked. "Seriously though, Izuku. Thank you."

"Y-Your welcome," Izuku said, tugging at his collar as he cleared his throat. "Uh… I just remembered… how are you going to take them back with you?"

"Probably with my hands," Yoshihara quipped, as once again, Izuku blushed, though this time it was out of embarrassment more than anything else. Izuku chuckled quietly to himself before putting his hands in his pockets.

"Um… so, what now?" Izuku asked as Yoshihara gestured to the theatre.

"Well, we should probably go inside. We don't want to be late for our movie, right?" Yoshihara said, taking her left hand into his right, Izuku accepting the gesture. A sense of warmth flowed throughout her body, the kind someone would get if one were to hold their hand against a warm cup of hot chocolate on a cold winter morning.

"So far, so good…" Yoshihara thought as they entered the movie theatre. She had heard good things about Star Wars, but she wasn't a big fan of the series personally. She never understood the appeal. But, at the very least, she would give it a chance. It was one of Izuku's favourite series. He tried Soul Eater for her, so she was going to try Star Wars for him. "Who knows… maybe it'll be good?"

[XXXX]

Inko Midoriya and Nemuri Kayama were sitting at Dakimo's Pub and Grill—a place that Nemuri frequented. That in itself was something that seemed outlandish, seeing as Inko wasn't that much of a drinker. But considering what had happened, Nemuri wasn't about to allow Inko to go the whole evening without some form of celebration over her son's victory at the Sports Festival.

That was also not to mention that it was the day that Yoshihara and Izuku were going on their movie date, which also added credence to the idea of getting a few drinks at the bar. The two adults were sitting at a booth. Nemuri was holding a glass of white wine, while Inko had a glass of hard lemon ice tea, something with a low alcohol level, seeing as she wasn't planning on getting drunk.

The night at Knock Out Lane was already a bit too much for her, but it wasn't as if she hadn't had fun. It had been a long time since she had gotten that sloshed nor had it been such a long time since she had that much fun.

The last time that happened was…

Was when Hisashi was still in her life.

"So," Nemuri began, cutting Inko out of her thoughts as she continued. "It hasn't even been two months into their time at U.A., and they're already going on their first date," Nemuri commented, earning a roll of the eyes from Inko as she took a sip from her drink.

"Well, to be fair, they've been through a lot in the past month and a half. They've also been close to one another ever since they were attacked at my apartment, so I really should've seen this coming…" Inko said, sighing. "Although I will say, their relationship is progressing quickly. Speaking from experience, my ex-husband and I took months before we even so much as considered dating."

"Ex-husband?" Nemuri poked as Inko frowned.

"Workplace conflicts that required us to separate. It wasn't because we stopped loving one another. I… I miss him, and I'm sure he feels the same way," Inko said as Nemuri nodded.

"Ah, that sucks. I take it you didn't move on?" Nemuri asked as Inko shook her head.

"No. I could never move on from Hisashi. He was the one meant for me. Besides, look at me," Inko said, gesturing to herself, frowning. "No one would want some overweight middle-aged lady. Hisashi was the only one who loved me for who I was. It was ironic, given just what kind of person he was…"

"Oh, please, Inko. That's no way to talk about yourself. Have some confidence in yourself," Nemuri said as Inko smiled.

"Thank you, Kayama-san."

"I just don't want to see my friend all down in the dumps," Nemuri said as she took a sip from her wine before raising it for a toast. "To our children's hopeful future?"

"To our children's hopeful future."

The two clinked their glasses together, laughing with one another before taking another sip from their drinks. Finally, after it was all said and done, Nemuri leaned forward, smirking. "Now, that little bet of ours," Nemuri said as Inko sighed.

"Right. I almost forgot," Inko replied as she rolled her shoulder. "So, you want to know my deepest, darkest, most closely held secret, right?"

"Yup! So, what is it? Had a date gone bad? Accidentally run over a cat one dark and stormy night? Oh! I know you accidentally slept with your cousin, unaware that they were your cousin. I—"

"I'm an assassin for hire," Inko said, catching Nemuri off guard. She took another sip from her hard lemon iced tea, leaning back into the seat that she was in. "Granted, I haven't actually been hired in years. I decided to take a temporary leave till I knew my son was old enough to take care of himself. When he went to U.A., I was planning on starting up again. But with my former employer going out of his way to target my son, I can't exactly do that right now. The only reason I'm telling you is that I'm a woman of my word. So there, that's my deepest, darkest secret."

Nemuri was without words. Out of everything that she could've expected, Inko being a former assassin was something that she had not seen coming. Especially because of how she appeared. For someone like Inko Midoriya…. For someone who seemed like a cheery, caring, and even motherly figure to secretly be a cold-hearted assassin. That just seemed unbelievable.

And it was in that former description that suddenly made her ten times more terrifying than before. Because now, she could see it. The eyes that Inko had weren't ones of a jaded parent who had raised a Quirkless Kid for the majority of her life. They weren't the eyes of a parent who did everything in their power to make sure that her son had a successful life through legal means. They weren't the eyes of someone who had listened to countless other parents telling her that her son would never amount to anything due to his lack of a Quirk.

No. They were the eyes of a cold, emotionless, blood-soaked killer who killed whomever her employer wanted based on who paid her the most and did so to protect her one and only child by any means necessary.

It was both inspiring and also terrifying. Although, with that kind of information, Nemuri knew what her job was now. She was supposed to arrest her now. That was what she was supposed to do. Friend or not, to admit to being a villain like that…. She should've dropped everything and arrested Inko.

But she didn't.

She wasn't going to.

Inko was her friend. She wasn't a two-bit snitch. That, and for Midoriya's sake, she wasn't going to take a mother away from a son. That was heartless, and that was the last thing that Nemuri was.

A tense silence filled the booth that Nemuri and Inko shared. Inko's eyes didn't lose their friendly gleam, but deep within, there was an almost predatory glance scanning the room they were in. Always on guard, always ready to attack if provoked, she was like a predator in a field full of potential prey—something that Nemuri found chilling.

The tense silence only lasted for a few more seconds, as Inko broke it by giggling silently to herself. Nemuri raised an eyebrow, her shoulders still stiff from the information drop, though she did relax a little bit at seeing Inko laugh.

"Seriously, though. Kayama-san, you don't have to worry about me. I'm still technically retired. That, and I only ever went after bad guys. I never targeted heroes unless they were revealed to be awful people. Even if I do take up my weapons again, I still have to get back into shape to do my job efficiently. Right now, I'm riding the waves of my former infamy. Not many people know about Terrible Tornado the Villain Killer anymore."

Inko shot back the rest of the hard iced tea, and considering there wasn't much left in the cup, it didn't take long for it to be all gone. She looked at Nemuri, eyeing her white wine with a smirk. "You gonna finish that, or what?"

Nemuri blinked rapidly a couple of times, looking back at her drink, then at Inko. "huh? O-oh, I… um… yeah, I'm probably going to finish it. It's already 6:30 PM, their movie starts at what, 5:15, and ends at around 7:00 PM. I don't want to get drunk. I just wanted to share a drink or two with you, Midoriya-san," Nemuri replied as Inko nodded.

"Fair enough. Although, are you sure you don't want to try and get those bonus points?" Inko said as she tapped the side of her glass. Nemuri blinked, confusion covering her face.

"Didn't you say that was too extreme?" Nemuri said as Inko rolled her eyes.

"I saw how Kira was dressed. If that wasn't her end goal, then I don't know what is. Besides, I like being in your company. That, and after watching my boy win The Sports Festival, I want to celebrate. What better way to celebrate than to get wasted with someone who I'd call a friend?" Inko said as Nemuri smiled.

"Now that is my kind of talk. Bartender! Get everyone in here unlimited drinks on me!"

Cheers filled Dakimo's Bar and Grill as the bartender nodded. Nemuri was a pro-hero, after all, and a rather rich one at that. Besides, she had an unlimited tab at most places, this one included. It was celebration night, so why not spread the cheer and the beer? She just hoped the bar was prepared for such a thing, and with the look in the bartender's eyes, she had no doubts that they were.

Tonight was going to be a good night.

[XXXX]

When Yoshihara and Izuku exited the showing room, they had mixed feelings during and after the movie. It wasn't bad per se, but it was dated—like, extremely dated. The acting, as far as Yoshihara was concerned, was painfully cliché. Izuku seemed to have been enjoying himself, but even he cringed at some of the action scenes. However, if there was one thing that Yoshihara did find herself enjoying, it was the lightsaber duel with Darth Maul. Now that was cool.

Other than that, she thought Obi-wan was a bit of a bitch, but Qui-gon was a cool character, even if he seemed pretentious during some parts of the movie. She'd probably give it a six or something if she had to rate it out of ten.

"So… what do you want to do now?" Izuku asked, taking Yoshihara's mind off of the movie and earning her attention.

"We go to my place," Yoshihara said as Izuku's eyes widened.

"H-Huh? I-I thought we were just going to watch a movie," Izuku said as Yoshihara scoffed, smiling as she looked at Izuku.

"Oh, please. That's too cliché. I didn't get all dressed up for a movie, Izuku. Besides, popcorn and snacks aren't a proper dinner, is it?" Yoshihara said, giggling to herself as Izuku blushed. "Besides, I can guarantee you that your mother and Kayama-san are piss drunk right now. Especially because they went to Dakimo's."

"Huh? B-But my Mom isn't a party animal…"

"Knock Out Lane tells me otherwise. I don't think she's simply had the time to go out and party. Kayama-san's been giving her that chance, and I'm sure she needs it," Yoshihara said as she pulled out some money from her shorts pocket. "Besides, I have cab money left over from our movie, and it's only enough for one trip. Unless you want to take the train home…"

"O-Okay! I get it," Izuku said, a hint of a nervous laugh trickling into his voice as he sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. "I-I'm just a little, um… nervous. That's all…"

"You've been to my place before. It's not that much different since we last spent time together. Though I guess the occasion is a little different, isn't it?" Yoshihara said as she took out her phone and dialed the taxi service local to them.

It didn't take long for the taxi to show up, though he did give the couple a questionable glance. Ultimately, he shrugged, took the upfront money, then drove them to their destination. Izuku looked a little nervous about the whole ordeal, though

She found it a little cute that he was nervous about going to her place, despite having already been there. However, she supposed it would be the same thing in reverse if she went to Izuku's house after a date. She might not've been a stuttering mess, but she would've felt a little unnerved.

The ride from the theatre back to her suite was silent. Izuku kept fidgeting while Yoshihara simply scrolled through her notifications, namely to see if she got a text from Kayama-san. Lo-and-behold, she had been correct to assume that they should've gotten a taxi. According to the text, she bought everyone at the bar an unlimited tab. That was usually not a good sign.

"Yeah, I was right to make this call," Yoshihara muttered as Izuku looked over at her with a raised eyebrow. "Kayama-san bought out an unlimited tab at Dakimo's. Safe to say that your mom and Kayama-san aren't going to be home until really early in the morning tomorrow."

"O-Oh…." Izuku murmured, looking at the floor of the taxi, shifting slightly.

"Is there something wrong, Izuku?" Yoshihara asked, putting her phone back into her shorts pocket. Izuku jolted, looking back at her, nervousness still all over his face.

'U-Uh? Oh… uh… no, not really. I-I'm just wondering… did you… like the movie?"

Yoshihara's expression became contemplative as she crossed her arms, her eyes gaining a thoughtful shine to them. "I mean, the movie was good. If it hadn't been a date, though, I probably would've walked out. Just being honest, Izuku. It wasn't your fault, though; neither knew if it would be good. No offence, of course. I'm sure the subsequent movies are better, but the first one wasn't great," Yoshihara said as Izuku chuckled.

"Yeah… Phantom Menace is kind of iffy. But the others are good! Well, except for Rise of Skywalker. We don't talk about that one…" Izuku said, shuttering slightly as Yoshihara raised an eyebrow.

"Why? Is it really that bad?" Yoshihara asked as Izuku shrugged.

"It's one big confusing mess. It brings back a character that really should've stayed dead and shoe-horned him into being the villain when they had a perfectly good climax between the two leads. It would've been way better if the character in question hadn't been retconned into being alive again. I think that alone would've made the movie better," Izuku explained as Yoshihara hummed.

"Well, maybe when we get to that one, we can both laugh at how stupid the decision was?" Yoshihara said, taking his right hand into her left hand, fingers intertwining as Izuku's eyes widened.

"B-But I thought you said that you didn't like Star Wars?" Izuku said as Yoshihara smirked.

"I didn't like The Phantom Menace. I didn't say I was going to throw away the whole series based on my first impression of it. I have to goad you into reading the rest of Soul Eater, and you liked it at the end of the day, didn't you?" Yoshihara said as Izuku smiled, a happy look in his eyes.

They came up to the entrance of Love Love Deluxe, and when they exited the taxi, Yoshihara paid the driver the rest of the money she owed him. He tipped his hat off to her, and just before he pulled away, he smirked. "You two kids, stay safe now. Don't get into too much trouble," the taxi driver remarked as Izuku blushed heavily. Yoshihara simply snickered at the driver's remark before he drove off.

The couple entered the building, Yoshihara waving to the new receptionist, who waved back. When the two entered the elevator, Yoshihara pulled out the key and inserted it into the keyhole. Once she did, the elevator doors closed, and they began their ascent to the top floor.

Once they reached the suite, the two stepped out. They were greeted with a pitch-black house, but the moment they entered the room, though, the lights turned on. "Motion sensor lights. You gotta love them," Yoshihara quipped, turning towards Izuku with a smile. "Go take a shower. We have some guest clothes that I think will fit you. If not, you can borrow some of mine. I think we're the same size, anyway."

Izuku recoiled at that, though not out of offence, more along the lines of confusion. "Uh… but, isn't that… weird? I mean, I'm a boy, would wearing girl's clothing make me weird?"

Yoshihara sighed, shaking her head. "Izuku, have you ever seen me wear traditionally feminine clothing? No, this doesn't count. This is skimpy and way too sexual to be traditional," Yoshihara said, Izuku rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. "That's what I thought. I'll bring you some clothes, then you can take a shower. After that, well…. I don't mind helping you make dinner. I'm kind of flat broke at the moment, and I don't want to spend any of Kayama-san's money without her permission. I think she's saving up for something. Besides, I think your mom said you like Katsudon, right?"

At the mention of Katsudon, Izuku perked up, smiling, his eyes lighting up like a Christmas tree. "Y-Yeah… It's my favourite. It's something my mom used to make for me every day as a child," Izuku replied, earning a nod from Yoshihara.

"Well, I'm no chef, but I'll see what I can do. I'll get your clothes while you go have a shower. Sound good?" Yoshihara said as Izuku nodded. The two walked up to the second floor of the suite, Izuku going to the bathroom and Yoshihara going to the guest bedroom.

The guest bedroom wasn't anything special. It had a king-sized mattress, a black wooden bedframe, and a soft, plush mattress. To the left of the bed, there was a dresser where the clothes were kept, and to the right of the bed was a bedside table. On that bedside table was a box of rubber condoms.

Yoshihara's throat hitched as she turned her gaze from the box. Just looking at it made her body prickle with bad memories, but she pushed those feelings down. Calming herself, she kept her attention to picking out clothes for Izuku, which included a black shirt and some baggy grey sweats. The black shirt had a skull in the center of it, and it was about his size.

She looked for a better shirt just in case, but they were all a size smaller than what Izuku would've needed. So, without much other choice, she took what she could get. She also gathered some men's underwear and some socks for him

Exiting the guest bedroom, she walked over to the bathroom door. She hadn't heard the water running, so he probably had just gotten out of his clothes. Knocking on the door, she heard shuffling coming from within, and the door creaked open a little bit, revealing a pair of emerald green eyes.

The door cracked open a little bit more, and from there, she could see the top part of his chest. She should've seen it coming, what with how rock-hard his body had felt when they shared that kiss, but he was extremely muscular for his age. It looked like he was handcrafted out of stone, as if a master statue maker and made him specifically for her.

She felt something stir within her, a warmness that she hadn't felt before. The kind of warmness that made your face burn red and made your heart beat faster than usual. To think that someone so nerdy had the body of a Greek God.

From his chest to the peek she got to see off his abs and to his toned arms, he was utterly perfect. He was the peak of what someone who wanted to have the superhero build should look like. Not overly muscular, but not too lean where it looked sickly. He was the perfect mix of the best of both worlds, and it made that fire in her chest burn brighter.

She wanted to see more.

She wanted to take a peek behind the curtain.

"Calm down… Calm yourself… you're just trying to give him clothes. At the very least let him have a shower and eat. Damn you, hormones…" Yoshihara thought as she tried to speak, but she was unable to. Instead, she just passed him the clothes and turned away, trying to keep her embarrassment from becoming too apparent. Izuku raised an eyebrow but shrugged.

"Thanks! I'll be out in a minute. Wait for me before you make dinner, I want to help!" Izuku said, closing the door. When he did, Yoshihara walked downstairs before sitting on the couch. When she sat down, it took everything in her power to repress herself.

She wanted him—she needed him. She hated how her mind functioned when it came to intimacy. It had been so unbelievably twisted and morphed into something that was abnormal. She didn't want to wait. She didn't want to go through the usual throws of a relationship. She needed him now.

Images flashed through her mind of all the possible things that he could do to her, and she tried so hard to ignore them. Her cheeks were stained a brilliant crimson as she had to sit on her hands so she didn't do something embarrassing.

How could just seeing him make her so worked up? It was like he had some kind of spell that magically made her want to get on her knees and— "Gah! Damnit!" Yoshihara screamed mentally, changing from sitting to lying down, covering her face with both of her hands. "Calm down, just calm down…. Don't get yourself too worked up," Yoshihara tried to tell herself, but it was becoming increasingly difficult to ignore her baser instincts.

Thankfully, Izuku was true to his word. He had come out of the shower after a little over a minute, which saved Yoshihara the embarrassment of doing something unbelievably stupid with a guest over—especially on the couch. The heat in her face died down a little bit, but it didn't go away entirely. Not after what she saw.

Izuku looked a little conflicted about his outfit. Unfortunately, it was the only thing that they had that would actually fit him.

"Not your style?" Yoshihara asked, gaining Izuku's attention.

"Huh? O-Oh, well… I wouldn't pick this out on purpose, but yeah… I guess. This seems more like a Kacchan thing to wear," Izuku said as Yoshihara rolled her eyes.

"You still call him that?"

Izuku shrugged. "Force of habit, I guess…" Izuku said, stopping himself mid-sentence and earning a raised eyebrow from Yoshihara, who smirked.

"You're trying not to say sorry, aren't you?" Yoshihara replied as Izuku startled himself and, as a result, jumped. It almost sent him falling down the stairs. His right foot fell forward, and so did the rest of his body. Killer Queen summoned itself, catching Izuku before he could fall and correcting him in mid-air, then put him down gently on the floor of the main living space of the suite.

Izuku breathed out a sigh of relief before sheepishly looking at Yoshihara, rubbing the side of his arm as he spoke. "Thank you, Yoshihara," Izuku said as he made his way over to the kitchen. Yoshihara got up from the couch, following Izuku. She noticed that there had been some pork chops in a bag already unthawing in hot water, and on the kitchen island, there was a note that read:

Inko told me that Izuku liked Katsudon. I assumed that you would take him back to the suite, mainly because neither have had anything that would be considered "supper" yet. No, snacks and popcorn don't count. So, with some forethought, I got out the pork I bought two days ago from the freezer and started to unthaw it before we left for the theatre. Izuku knows the recipe off by heart, so if you don't know what you're doing, ask him. Have a good rest of your date, Yoshi-chan!

P.S.: Stay safe, and use protection if you need to ;)

Yoshihara frowned at the last part of the note, crumpling the note and putting it in the garbage under the sink before Izuku could read it. "Uh…? What was on the note?"

"Just Kayama-san being Kayama-san and saying that she already unthawed the pork. She predicted me, which is something that I don't appreciate. But it does make things a little easier," Yoshihara said as she pulled the unthawed pork out of the water and drained the sink. "Izuku, what do we need for Katsudon?"

"You don't know?"

"I've literally never had it before. I've only really had miso soup, ramen, udon, takoyaki, yakitori, tonkatsu, and various kinds of American food. Kayama-san doesn't like Katsudon, so we never have it, and I've never bothered to make it," Yoshihara said as Izuku stared at her, disbelief in his eyes.

"You haven't tried Kami's gift to us mortals? How?!" Izuku said as Yoshihara snickered at his remark.

"Well, hopefully, it's as good as you're making it out to be. Now chop-chop Katsudon boy, I need a recipe. Write it down, and I'll look through the cupboards," Yoshihara said as Izuku scrambled to find something to write down on and with before getting to work. Once he was done, Yoshihara took the piece of paper, and started to look around in the fridge and cupboards for what she needed.

"Let's see here…. Two thawed boneless pork chops, salt, pepper, flour, and three eggs. We don't have any panko, but we do have some cornflakes that I can crush. Vegetable oil for frying the pork, chicken stock, sugar, and soy sauce. I'm surprised we even have Mirin, that stuff is expensive. An onion, rice, and one scallion."

Yoshihara looked at the ingredients in front of her and blinked. "I wasn't expecting for all of this to be used in making just two servings of Katsudon," Yoshihara said as Izuku chuckled.

"Well… it's why my mom doesn't make it as often as she used to. We kinda don't have the money for that stuff every day…." Izuku said as Yoshihara shrugged.

"Well, let's get to it. Can you grab the rice cooker? It's in the bottom cupboard to the right of the stove," Yoshihara said as Izuku did as he was asked. Seemingly on autopilot, Izuku grabbed the rice and a metal measuring cup. He put about six cups of rice into a bowl and began… washing his rice. It took a few minutes to do so, but once he had one, he put the rice into the machine and then filled the removable basket with water. He put the basket back in and closed the machine. He set it for thirty minutes, then plugged it in before turning it on.

Not wanting to be left in the dust by Izuku, Yoshihara took out a butcher's knife and began to remove the pork chops from the bag they had been in. She then grabbed a cutting board from the drawer underneath her, placed it on the counter, and then put the pork chops on top of them before cutting them into strips; all the while, she had Killer Queen crush the cornflakes.

Yoshihara looked over to Izuku, her eyes nearly widening at just how proficient he was in the kitchen. He already had one of the eggs cracked in a bowl for her to dip the pork chops in. When Killer Queen was done crushing the cornflakes, Izuku took the bag and put the crushed remains onto a plate next to the cracked and stirred egg. Meanwhile, he was already cutting up the scallion and had already cut the onion.

The look on Izuku's face was almost to die for. He looked happy, and the way he moved around the kitchen made him look like an expert in the field. He never once stopped, even for a moment, preparing everything; all the while, Yoshihara was still cutting the meat. It kind of made her seem useless.

Out of nowhere, a hand clasped her wrist. Looking over her shoulder, she saw Izuku, all smiles as his eyes met hers. "You were holding the knife wrong. Here," Izuku said, fixing her hand to lower on the handle and adjusting her fingers so that only three of them remained on the handle while her thumb was pressed up against the side of the blade. "This allows you more control while cutting meats and vegetables."

Yoshihara was a bit awestruck by that. She hadn't even known that yet Izuku did. It slightly amused Yoshihara, making her giggle, something she noticed she only ever did around Izuku or when he was around. "Are you sure you planned on becoming a hero? You would've made a killer chef, Izuku," Yoshihara complimented as the green-haired teen looked away abashedly, letting go of Yoshihara's wrist.

"Ah… it's only because there have been days when my mom's gotten sick, so I had to learn how to cook. Guess I'm just a natural, hehe…" Izuku replied, clearing his throat as he went back to do something else revolving around making the meal.

After Yoshihara finished cutting the pork into strips, she proceeded to coat the meat in the egg yolk as per the instructions and then in the crushed-up cornflakes before putting it into the frying pan. Izuku would then cook them for around four and a half minutes before putting them on the plate. They could do one pork chop, aka five strips, in one sitting, meaning that it took them eight minutes in total.

Using the same pan, Izuku threw in the cut-up onions, cooking them in the same oil along with the fatty juices that the pork left behind for extra flavour. After around four to five minutes of the onions cooking, Izuku brought out another bowl from one of the cupboards, poured the onions into the bowl, put the pan down and turned off the element. He gathered the sliced scallion, grabbed a smaller plastic bowl and put them in that one.

The next thing Izuku did was pull out a separate, smaller pan. Cracking one of the remaining two eggs into the pan, he let the egg sit for a little while, and then he began to scramble it. Once he finished scrambling the egg, he formed it into a flat, thin disc like that of a pancake, using the salt and pepper shaker to add flavour to the now scrambled egg disc. After that, he grabbed a plate from another cupboard, placed the egg on it, and then repeated what he did with the second egg. In total, it took him 3 minutes for each egg, reaching six minutes at the end.

Izuku turned around, wiping the small amount of sweat on his forehead from being near a hot element, and then smiled. "Well, now we just have to wait for the rice to be done, and then it'll be time to serve," Izuku said as Yoshihara nodded.

"I'm sorry I didn't help that much… you just seemed to be in your element, and I kinda didn't want to interrupt that," Yoshihara said, looking away from Izuku, who shrugged.

"It's all right. I guess I just got happy that we were making Katsudon that my brain kinda switched off, and I let myself go into autopilot," Izuku replied, his smile still plastered on his face as Yoshihara mulled over the idea of asking him the question that had been on her mind since she deduced the whole thing back on the bus during the USJ.

The mood was cheerful, and she did not doubt that bringing that up would dampen it severely. That was the last thing Yoshihara wanted to do, seeing as Izuku looked happier than she had ever seen him. She didn't want to strip that away from him, and neither did she want to kill the mood.

There was a long stretch of awkward silence between the two, neither of them wanting to talk. So, instead, they got to clean up the mess that they made while cooking. It didn't take them very long, as most of the stuff, like the cutting board, the knife, and the spatula for flipping the onions, went into the dishwasher. It was only the pan that needed to be cleaned manually, and once that was done, the timer on the rice cooker said that there were five minutes left.

Another bout of awkward silence filled the kitchen, Izuku standing, leaning against the warm stove, while Yoshihara was leaning against the fridge. The two stared off into space, occasionally glancing at one another. However, it was Izuku who broke the silence.

"So, um… I couldn't help but notice earlier when you handed me my clothes for my shower you, how do I put this…. You looked like you had seen a ghost. Is something going on or…" Izuku asked as Yoshihara stiffened slightly.

"That… I was just…." Yoshihara stopped herself, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment. Why did he have to bring that up? She had just forgotten about it, and now it was thrust back into the forefront of her mind.

Kami above, why was her boyfriend so fucking hot? Seriously, that type of body did not match that face, but all the same, it didn't matter. To make matters worse, her hormones were all over the place at the moment.

What she would give to just peel away that layer of cloth, to feel up his body, to see what he had in store for her below the belt. She was starting to feel all warm and fuzzy again, she could feel the heat in her face explode as her face turned a brilliant shade of red, her eyes unfocusing as she imagined—

"Is everything all right, Yoshihara? Your face looks a little red," Izuku said, his eyes focused on her, snapping her out of her thoughts as she gasped. She covered her mouth, looking away from Izuku as she tried to brush the thought away. She wanted him so badly it was starting to turn comical.

"It's nothing… really…."

That had been a lie. She knew it; Izuku seemingly caught on to the fact that it was, and her mind was screaming at her to act upon those previous urges. This was embarrassing on a whole other level for her. She never acted like this. Again, it was like there was something about Izuku that just… made her crazy for him.

She felt like an immature schoolgirl fawning over a school jock, not the stone-cold, emotionless, cold-hearted Kira Yoshihara who was hell-bent on beating him into a bloody pulp, not just a handful of hours ago to win a stupid school festival.

Another bout of silence occurred, this time longer than the previous. She was contemplating what she was going to do after supper, ideas flowing from one to the next, all with the expressed purpose of distracting herself long enough to get those strange, bizarre thoughts from leaving her mind. And yet, it didn't work. With every passing second, her thoughts kept changing from boring, basic things like what was going to be their school assignment to Izuku and his toned, muscular body.

It was kind of hypocritical now that she was thinking about it. She wore the specific outfit that she had on right now to attract his attention, to test him to see if all he was after was her body. Now, the tables had been turned on her. Now she was the one that wanted his body, whereas Izuku didn't seem interested, or at the very least, it wasn't the pressing issue on his mind. More than anything, it annoyed her.

Two months ago, she wouldn't have thought that way. Two months ago, she probably wouldn't have even batted an eye. Hell! At the beginning of her friendship with Izuku, she would've been revolted by the idea of seeing him naked. Yet right now, as they stood in the kitchen on opposite ends of each other, she felt her mind screaming at her to take her chance, to see what he looked like underneath all that clothing—to feel him for who he was, to become part of him, to fill that void in her heart that had yet to be filled. That missing part of her that she yearned for.

It wasn't as if she only wanted him for his body and for those muscles of his, although that was a nice consolation prize. It wasn't as if she only wanted to be with him to feel their bodies press up against one another only for the sole, selfish purpose of feeling like a new, better person. No.

While that was certainly a part of it, she wanted another part, a more intimate, a more personal reason outside of whatever this newfound lust was.

She wanted to feel his love.

For all of her life, Yoshihara never felt love—never got to experience it. Even when she caught glimpses of it hanging out and being with Izuku, she never truly felt that connection. That deep, burning desire to know that that person who you love loves you back.

Yoshikawa never gave that to her as a mother and instead dampened her soul with hate and vitriol, turning her into the person she was now.

Her father was never in her life because he worked in another country with stricter working laws. She never knew who he was as a person and only learned from him, thanks to the stories Yoshikawa would tell her before things went south.

She had only recently learned about her extended family, and her cousin, Josefumi, was still awkward about that fact. She hadn't even met her uncle like she had wanted to, and apparently, he had been there, but she digressed.

But with Izuku? It was different. There was something there. That spark that had just barely missed the candle wick, mere inches away from lighting that candle ablaze. She was close, she could sense it. Her body yearned for it, and it was just within arm's reach.

And with the sound of a chime coming from the rice cooker, telling the couple that the rice was ready to be served, Yoshihara made up her mind. She had already planned to try and seduce him after dinner, but now, her body craved him. She couldn't calm herself down anymore. It was starting to get too much. "After dinner… I don't think I can take much more of this… I need to feel it… I need to."

Izuku prepared three bowls: one to put all the rice in and two for their serving. Yoshihara watched from a distance as Izuku dumped all the rice into the bigger bowl, grabbed the soy sauce and Mirin, lightly drizzled the rice with both sauces and then began to mix the rice with a wooden spoon he fished out from one of the drawers by the sink.

Once the rice was properly mixed, Izuku began to set up the bowls of food, waving Yoshihara over to him. Yoshihara did as she was motioned to do, coming over to Izuku and standing beside him, arms folded across her chest as she stared at the bowls. He passed her a spoon as the two filled the bowls with the meal they, but mostly Izuku, helped make.

Yoshihara put a little more rice into her bowl over Izuku. Both got one egg patty, five pieces of pork, a healthy helping of sliced onions, and a handful of well-sprinkled and chopped scallion. Grabbing some chopsticks from the cutlery drawer, the two sat down at the bar table and took a bite of the food they made.

Izuku was impressed, smiling as he ate. Yoshihara felt the same, and seeing as this was the first time she had Katsudon, she was shocked that it tasted so good. The rice mixed with the egg and onions was okay on its own, but adding the pork balanced things out, giving it an overall warm feeling in her mouth.

The mix of soy and Mirin sauces in the rice made it taste less like nothing and more like something—as if the sauces breathed new life into the rice. Combining that with a chunk of the egg patty lightly seasoned with salt and pepper made the rice pop out more, the egg balancing out the overly savoury taste the combined sauces gave the rice. But to top it off, the onion and the pork made the dish what it was. Pork, onions, eggs, and rice, all in one neat little package, exploding with flavour.

"Not to knock Kayama-san's cooking, but this is a million times better!" Yoshihara thought, swallowing the food and greedily going for more. Izuku glanced over at Yoshihara, smiling at the fact that she enjoyed their cooking.

Sure, she didn't do much, but Yoshihara still helped when it came to the meat and making sure it got battered in time for frying. It would've taken longer had she not done that, and with Killer Queen making the breading as fast as it did, they would've been behind by a few minutes. It was already 8:00 PM, and he was starting to feel a little tired after The Sports Festival.

Granted, his cooking wasn't nearly as good as his mother's. Usually, he had wagyu beef with his Katsudon, but pork still made it taste good. "I'm glad she likes it, though. I was a bit worried she wouldn't…"Izuku thought, taking another bite of his Katsudon.

Today had been a stressful day for him. The Sports Festival had been exciting, got his blood pumping, and made him go beyond Plus Ultra in a wide variety of ways. He had taken down three Stand Users, one of which being the person beside him, all the while not being able to see the Stands in the first place. If it hadn't been for his mother training him to feel Stands and the imprint they left behind while moving, he would've probably not made it past the second round.

Added to the fact that Todoroki gave him a run for his money during the one-on-one fights and the fact that Yoshihara almost beat him in the finals, the day couldn't have gotten any more stressful. Only it did, and that was in the form of going on a date with Yoshihara. The same person he punched a collective total of 23 times throughout the fight and left some significant bruising that, thanks to Recovery Girl and Medi-lady, was nowhere to be seen.

His mother had bought him a suit for the date, spending nearly half their monthly budget on it. He was a bit apprehensive about wearing it, seeing as if he did he couldn't take it back and get a refund. He didn't know why his mom would do something so reckless, especially seeing that it was only one date and at the movies, no less.

But Izuku knew that if he didn't wear the suit, he'd disappoint his mom. He didn't want to do that, namely because seeing her upset was the last thing he wanted on his conscience. Now, had that been the only thing on his mind, he probably would've been fine.

But then, Yoshihara showed up wearing revealing clothing. Her midriff was exposed, her arms were bare, her shorts were short and exposed most of her thighs, and she wore those see-through stockings—which, in his opinion, looked pretty uncomfortable. He would be lying if he didn't say that caught his attention immediately.

Most of the time, she wore baggy outfits, so he never really got to see much of what her body looked like. Even the school's uniform didn't pronounce her figure as much as that clothing selection did. The shirt she wore pronounced her waist and midriff more than what he had ever seen of her. The shorts Yoshihara wore pronounced her hips and thighs, her curves being brought to light. Her arms were bare, which, granted, wasn't saying much, but that still didn't change the fact that it seemed all too unreal.

The Yoshihara Izuku knew would never, ever wear something so revealing. Yet, there she had been, wearing something like that to a movie date. If he hadn't known any better, he would've thought it was a completely different person. But it was her, and that alone was jarring.

He would admit, though, that she looked good in that outfit. Whether or not it was normal for her to wear that kind of clothing was irrelevant. She rocked the look, regardless of the intent behind it.

Aside from that, there was another reason why it caught his attention as much as it did. He was a teenager, simply put, and teenagers would be teenagers. There was nothing else to say. It was weird, though, especially because prior to Yoshihara, he had never felt that way toward anyone before.

But that didn't mean he wasn't totally innocent.

Izuku, much to some people's shock, wasn't exactly the cleanest or purest of souls as most people would like to believe. Izuku knew what sex appeal was, he knew what kinks were, and he knew what masturbation was—he was a teenager, so of course, he knew what all that stuff was about. Granted, he didn't partake in the act of self-pleasure regularly. He only did it once to see what it was like, and immediately felt dirty for doing it.

When he saw Yoshihara dressed in the clothing that she showed up in, he wasn't going to lie when he felt his little "mini-me" rise in his pants. It never happened around the other girls because he wasn't attracted to them. Oh, sure, objectively speaking, they were beautiful. But they did nothing for him, which he viewed as a blessing.

Heck, even when he first met Yoshihara, he didn't feel any kind of way about her aside from the shock that she wanted to be his friend. Then, he woke up next to her, and things started to change. Slowly, he found himself admiring her more and more, and it all came to a point at Knock Out Lane.

There, it was in the heat of the moment. When they kissed, a spark ignited in his mind that confirmed to him that his admiration was more than admiration. Throughout the day, when she kissed him, he knew it was her simply testing the waters, trying to figure things out. But as the day progressed, she got more confident in her actions, and he got more confident that his feelings for her were real and not just spur of the moment.

He really, truly, honestly, was in love with Yoshihara.

Looking over to the coffee table, the flowers that he had bought her had been sitting there. He wondered what it was she was going to do with them? If he had to guess, she was probably going to put them in her room. Kayama-san had told him that pink roses were her favourite. It was why he had bought them.

Izuku finished eating his Katsudon just as Yoshihara finished hers. She pushed the bowl away from her, looking over to Izuku with a faint smile on her face. "Thank you for dinner, Izuku. It was good," Yoshihara said as Izuku scratched the back of his neck.

"No problem… say, I uh… wanted to ask you something," Izuku began, earning a raised eyebrow from Yoshihara.

"Yeah, sure, what's up?"

Izuku hesitated, clearing his throat. There were a lot of things he wanted to ask, but there was one thing that was most prevalent on his mind more than anything else. "I know you said you were fine earlier, but… seriously, is everything okay? I mean, after the last few days and with everything that's happened and the backlash…. As Uraraka-san said, if there's anything you want to talk about, I'm all ears."

As Izuku's question processed through Yoshihara's mind, she paused for a moment. She knew that Izuku was just concerned about her, but still. Although, if there was one thing that she did need to get off her chest, it was something she had been hiding from him for a while now.

If she wanted to keep this relationship going in this direction, then it was about time that she finally told Izuku about her sociopathy. She wanted him to trust her, and it was hard to trust someone who kept secrets from you. Of course, they all had their reasons to keep secrets, but this was even more prudent.

This was something that couldn't be avoided. It was either now or never. Closing her eyes and exhaling, Yoshihara steadied herself as she looked up at Izuku. "This doesn't have to do with what happened two weeks ago. But… this is important."

"Oh?"

"I…" Yoshihara stopped herself, trying to find a way to word it. Once she did, she spoke. "Okay… This question might seem weird, but…. If I told you I was a sociopath, would you still find it in your heart to love me?"

Izuku faltered for a split second, completely caught off guard by the question. "A sociopath? Uh… if I remember correctly, that means someone who can't properly process or convey emotions, to sometimes not being able to feel them at all, right?" Izuku asked, earning a nod from Yoshihara.

"Yes, that would be exactly what a Sociopath is. But that doesn't answer my question. If I was, would you still love me? Or would you walk out of this suite and never talk to me again?" Yoshihara responded, earning a confused look from Izuku, who took in a deep breath, his eyes calculating as he tried to measure a response.

"Well…." His heart fluttered for a second as he built up his courage. He got off of the stool and grabbed Yoshihara by the hands, helping her down from the seat as he did so. Their eyes met a hint of hesitation in Izuku's. He was about to take a risk, a calculated one, but a risk nonetheless. "After giving it some thought, here's my answer…."

It happened faster than Yoshihara could've reacted. Izuku's lips met hers, and when they did, she felt her shoulders lose the tension from the suspense her question laid on both herself and Izuku. The kiss wasn't forced, nor was it haphazard. It was purposeful and left a message, one that Yoshihara felt something about.

It meant that to Izuku, it didn't matter what she was, what her mental condition had been, or if she could properly process her feelings; he loved her either way. That was all that mattered to her. That he loved her regardless. Deep within her broken soul, she felt the same way, even if it was a small, tiny flicker of that reciprocation because it was all that she could muster for the time being.

Yoshihara melted into the kiss, reciprocating it in full. She let go of his hands and pulled him in closer by the waist, feeling his body up against her own. The warmth she felt in that moment was truer beyond words, and as she sunk deeper into that kiss, she could feel her heart quicken in its pace, blood rushing to her cheeks to cause a small blush. After what felt like a full minute, the two pulled away, where she could see a faint yet prominent blush on Izuku's face and where he could see one of hers.

Yoshihara looked away, glancing back at Izuku every now and again as she partially licked her lips. Izuku looked shocked, almost as if he had expected it to go in some other direction and not the accepting kind. In truth, that was how he was expecting it to go, that perhaps he was moving along too quickly or perhaps doing something out of place.

And yet, the way Yoshihara was looking at him and the way she reacted to the kiss in the first place told him otherwise. It told him that she was wanting something like that. Some form of affirmation. Some form of confirmation that what she was thinking, that her feelings, or at least whatever she could muster up into feelings, weren't just something she was tricking herself into believing.

"I… Wow… Uh… I wasn't expecting that. Um… but yeah, that's my answer. I don't care if you're a sociopath or if you can't properly convey emotion. I love you for you. For who you are, Yoshihara. Plus, I kind of figured out that there was something up with you when it came to that in the first place. Besides, if I felt it would hinder things, then I probably wouldn't have accepted your party invite or gone on that date with you. I love you, for you, and nothing more."

Yoshihara was caught a little bit off guard by that, but even so, it didn't change her opinion. It didn't change what her heart said, either. That she truly did make the right choice. That accepting Kayama-san's offer all those months ago wasn't a mistake. That meeting Izuku back in Aldera wasn't a poorly planned calculation on her part.

That perhaps…fate was on her side. Maybe just for this once in her life, fate gave her this chance to live a happy life, and that it wasn't all just happenstance. Perhaps she could finally turn things around. She thought that killing her mother would allow that, but all it gave her was grief, agony, and pain.

But… this? This was completely different. Now, she wanted more. She wanted to feel more of it, more of his love, more of his affection. Was it greedy? Yes, it was, but she didn't care. Her heart raced, and her mind pleaded for her to take more, to feel it again. The feeling was foreign, new, something she never experienced, and therefore she needed more of it.

"Well…" Yoshihara began as she took one of Izuku's hands into her own, grasping it as if it would be the last time she'd ever get to feel it, squeezing it with a tense yet firm grip that caught his attention. "I've got an idea. It's getting late, but I don't want to end the night off like this. I want this to end off with a bit of a bang, come with me," Yoshihara said, walking toward the staircase with a confused Izuku in tow.

With each step up the staircase, her heart pumped just that much more, her mind honing in on one thing and one thing alone—the same thing that had been bothering her ever since she saw him in the bathroom. To see what he was hiding underneath all of that fabric. It was kind of scandalous the more she thought about it. But then again, this was normal, wasn't it? What she was about to do—what they were about to do, hopefully anyway. She wouldn't know, considering she had never been in an actual relationship before.

Once they got in front of the guest room, she opened the door and led him to the bed, closing the door behind her and turning on the small lamp on the dresser. The lamp illuminated just the bed and parts of the room. The room gave off a romantic vibe, which had been the point of having it installed into the suite in the first place.

It was a lot of work. But it was worth it. As such, no matter what was done in this room, the aftermath would cease to be. That way, it never ruined the bed. Though it had been replaced a few times, and this was a newer mattress. She guessed it spoke volumes about how much money Kayama-san had made over the years to be able to afford King-Sized beds like this one bi-monthly.

Staring at the bed, she still had second doubts about what she was about to do, but with the confirmation, she needed to even attempt this under lock and key. She couldn't hold back any longer. She couldn't deprive herself of this because otherwise, it would drive her insane

Izuku had no idea what was going on. Though he had his suspicions, he couldn't have confirmed them for sure, at least, not yet anyway. As he walked into the bedroom with Yoshihara, he looked around. It was a pretty standard bedroom. There was nothing really special about it. Though, he supposed it was a guest bedroom.

The sound of the door closing behind them echoed throughout the room as Izuku looked over at Yoshihara. Her face was a little bit on the red side, but her eyes carried a determined gleam to them.

"Um… Yoshihara?" Izuku asked, confusion dancing in his eyes as she approached him. She grabbed his hands, interlocking her fingers with his. He was pressed up against the edge of Yoshihara's lips brushed against his. Izuku felt the weight of her body press up against his as her hands slowly left his, allowing them to remain by his sides.

There was a rush of emotion that coursed through his body as Yoshihara slowly pulled away, cupping the left side of his face with her left hand, her breathing slow and paced, leaving Izuku stunned. "Yoshihara, I—"

"I love you," Yoshihara purred, her touch gentle as she brushed her hand down the left side of his face, "and I need you, Izuku. Tonight's been amazing, but I need this. I want to make tonight the most memorable night of your life," Yoshihara said, her lips brushing against his ear as she whispered something that made his face turn beat red. "Tonight, I'm yours, and you're mine. We have all the time in the world, so show me what makes you tick~"

Yoshihara pulled away from his ear and draped her arms around his shoulders, a sultry look in her eyes—a look he had never seen in her before. He should have known she was capable of such a look, given her previous occupation, but that didn't mean he expected to see it for himself. "That is, of course, if you think you're ready for it. I won't do anything unless you want it."

A part of him wanted to say no, telling him he didn't deserve such a thing. That he wasn't worth anything more than what he already had and that if he asked for more, he'd be too greedy.

But there was a louder part of him that said he deserved this. That he had been through far too much and treated like dogshit for so long that this was his reward. That finally, the world had descended upon him an angel, and now that it was offering him a sweet form of release, that he should take it.

And he gave in to that louder voice.

[XXXX]

Shota Aizawa let out a long, drawn-out sigh. There were some days when he tolerated Nemuri, and there were others when he didn't. Today was one of the former, and it was only because she was celebrating Yoshihara and Izuku's victories with Midoriya's mother, both of whom were drunk beyond a reasonable capacity.

What made things worse was that tomorrow was going to be a normal day at school, and the last thing he wanted to deal with was a hungover Nemuri complaining about her headache. If she had been a responsible adult, then maybe that wouldn't be a problem. But this was Nemuri he was talking about, so there was a good chance that whining would involve a whole lot of other things that, quite frankly, he knew a lot of people wouldn't want to put up with.

He had only just gotten out of those stupid bandages, and the first thing he was asked to do was pick up Nemuri from Dakimo's bar and grill. The owner, a man by the name of Yoroi Tsundae, had said that he expected Nemuri to pay her tab tomorrow. Apparently, she owed him well over 700,000 Yen over the last six months.

That would be a fun conversation, to say the very least.

It was 12:05 a.m. right now, and he would much rather be sleeping. The only thing that made this slightly better was that Hizashi decided to tag along. It definitely made taking Ms. Midoriya home easier because if he had done it by himself, he'd still be struggling to get her up the stairs.

It wasn't because of her weight—although that did play a factor in it—it was because she kept slipping up the stairs. That was how drunk both Nemuri and Ms. Midoriya had been. Neither of them could walk straight, and with Ms. Midoriya's only way of getting up to her apartment being a set of stairs… Well, to say it could've gone bad for her if she had tried to do it alone was an understatement.

Now that he thought about it, that was probably why Tsundae-san had asked him to take both of them home. He probably foresaw something horrible happening if they tried to make it home on their own and called a Pro Hero. The irony that it wound up being him of all things, though, was not lost on him.

Both Shota and Hizashi were in casual attire, not bothering to put on their costumes for something so trivial. Shota was wearing a white sleeveless tank top and black pants, whereas Hizashi was wearing a yellow T-shirt with a thunder decal on the front, alongside a pair of red shorts that stopped just below the knees.

As Shota and Hizashi re-entered Shota's new black Toyota hatchback, Shota let out a small, annoyed groan, resting his head on the steering wheel. "Why did I agree to this?" Shota muttered as Hizashi chuckled.

"Because you're a good friend, Sho, that's why," Hizashi said as Shota groaned again. As he continued to complain, Hizashi scratched his chin in thought, a contemplative look on his face. "Although, it's odd… Where was Midoriya-kun? We knocked several times before Jirou, of all people, walked out from next door! Did you know Jirou lived next to the Midoriya's?"

"No, I didn't, because she doesn't, at least, not on paper," Shota said, sitting up straight as he grabbed the steering wheel. "I asked her why she was next door to them, and she wouldn't give me a concrete answer. The only thing that she would say was that she had a family dispute and moved out."

"Damnit," Hizashi cursed under his breath, "You think it's bad?"

"It could be, but until we have any kind of proof to say that it is, we can't intervene. Otherwise, we'd be committing an act of vigilantism," Shota replied, his expression twisting into one of annoyance. "That doesn't change the fact that it's suspicious."

"Well, regardless, we're lucky she woke up. She has a spare key for Ms. Midoriya's apartment. I wonder why?" Hizashi asked as Shota shrugged.

"Probably in cases like these. Midoriya and Jirou are barely even friends, so it can't be because of any kind of relationship they could have going on. Besides, Kira and Midoriya are together according to what Nemuri said this morning," Shota said as he began to pull out and away from the apartment building where the Midoriya's and Jirou lived.

"Thinking back, that probably made the final round of The Sports Festival a little bit awkward, don't you think?" Hizashi said as, once again, Shota shrugged and grunted, now with attention solely on the near-empty streets of Musutafu.

The rest of the car ride from their last stop to Love Love Deluxe was a quiet and short one. Mainly because Shota knew a shortcut to get there. As they drove, Nemuri stirred in the back, muttering something under her breath about how elephants were dancing all around her before she promptly fell back asleep.

Nemuri was, thankfully, the kind of drunk that fell asleep if she was too far gone. It definitely made things easier when taking her back home from her drinking escapades. He knew why she drank often—dealing with that god-awful mental defect probably made living a hell of a lot harder than it needed to be.

The only reason why he was still friends with her was because she had made a vow to never so much as look at a child the way that her brain wanted her to. That, and she was heavily medicated. He knew it was because of her Quirk and years of sexual abuse and trauma, which was the only thing that made it even remotely worth brushing under the rug.

Although, it was evident that she was drinking more than she used to. The way she described it was that it soothed the uglier voices in her head. It allowed her a moment of peace. There didn't go a day where Nemuri wasn't at least somewhat tipsy. She was an alcoholic but a functioning one.

That didn't mean it was good for her.

"We need to get Nemuri into some kind of therapist for her mental problems; otherwise, she's going to drink herself to an early grave," Shota said, earning a bemused hum from Hizashi.

"What? Okay, that was random. What brought this on?" Hizashi asked as Shota shot a glance in Hizashi's direction as he parked the car just outside of Love Love Deluxe.

"Aside from the fact that Nemuri is piss drunk for the second time in a week and owes a lot of money to one of the many bars in Musutafu? I think it's about time that we had some kind of intervention. This can't keep going on, and it's clearly affecting her," Shota replied as Hizashi hummed quietly to himself.

"Yeah… this is starting to get ridiculous. But what else is she supposed to do? You know her medication hardly works for her now without it almost entirely shutting down her Quirk. Honestly, I'm surprised she was able to keep it together for the whole of The Sports Festival," Hizashi said as Shota frowned.

In order to use her Quirk at its fullest capacity in case of emergencies, Nemuri neglected to take her medication. It was a stupid thing for her to do, but she was able to keep herself together for long enough until after The Sports Festival, and as soon as it was over, she immediately medicated herself.

"There has to be a way to help her… Nemuri's a good person, and I hate seeing her like this," Shota thought as he looked over at Nemuri. "Regardless, we need to bring her inside now. C'mon, help me out here," Shota said as he stepped out of the car. They took Nemuri into the building and were both greeted by the receptionist.

The receptionist asked for Hizashi's autograph, having recognized him from his voice as he hummed a tune to himself. He signed one of his old albums back when he wanted to be a musical hero before it quickly crashed and burned.

Oh well, Shota had liked his music, so it didn't matter. Apparently, the receptionist was a fan, too. Regardless, after getting the all-clear from the receptionist, the floor of the suite was one was unlocked for them as Shota and Hizashi took Nemuri's prone self up to the suite. Once they got there, the lights all came on at once.

Around the suite, two bowls were on the kitchen island, signifying that two people had eaten earlier, and a rice cooker was in the corner. Alongside that, there was the distinct scent of cooked pork, and given that there was a rice cooker, along with the smell of cooked onions….

"Whelp, we know where Izuku's been. He came here instead of going after The Sports Festival," Hizashi deduced as Shota looked at the couches, not finding him there. Shota's eyes shot up to the second floor, but both Yoshihara's bedroom and the guest bedroom's doors were closed.

"He's probably in the guest bedroom," Shota said as Hizashi nodded. Shota groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. God, he didn't want to drive home. He just wanted to sleep. "You know what, I'm probably going to crash here. After I take Nemuri up to her bedroom, I'm gonna stop back at our place and grab my sleeping bag and you an extra pillow and blanket."

"Awe, and I was looking forward to sleeping on the bed. You know how hard and uncomfortable our couch had been, Sho?" Hizashi complained as Shota shrugged.

"Then maybe you shouldn't have snored so loud it shook the house and woke me up from the best sleep I had had in weeks," Shota replied absently as he began to drag Nemuri up the stairs. Hizashi frowned before sitting down on one of the couches. Once Shota was done putting Nemuri to bed, he walked down the stairs, passed by Hizashi and then went to the elevator.

"I'll be back. Don't set up the coffee pot. I'm bringing the coffee I like from home first," Shota said as Hizashi nodded. With that, Shota left, and when he did, Hizashi let out a tired sigh. Today was so high-octane and filled with excitement that it really drained him.

To admit that something drained him was insane. He was Present Mic, the loud, brash, and upbeat Pro Hero who everyone could tune into on the radio and have their day improved! Yet, here he was, tired and drained—exhausted, some might say. Hizashi groaned, looking up to the second floor.

He should probably tell Kira that they were here.

Getting up from his seat on the couch, Hizashi climbed the stairs up to the second floor before knocking on Kira's bedroom door. He waited for a second, but he didn't get a response. "Huh, that's not normal," Hizashi muttered. He supposed it was midnight, and Nemuri did say that Kira was a heavy sleeper. He knocked again, this time a little harder than the last time.

He still didn't get a response, and that was starting to worry him. Slowly, he turned the door handle and pushed the door open enough to take a peek into the bedroom, only to find that the light was on and no one was in the bedroom.

Hizashi was about to panic until the pieces began to fall into place. "Midoriya is here, but he's not on the couch. Kira wasn't in her bedroom, and both Shota and I assumed that Midoriya was in the guest bedroom. Are they… both in the guest bedroom?" Hizashi thought as he took a step back, staring at the doorway to Kira's bedroom.

It was only when the door to the guest bedroom creaked open, and outwalked a messy-haired Midoriya dressed in only underwear that Hizashi put the final puzzle piece in where it belonged. He looked drowsy, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes as he blankly stared down the hallway, only for him to jolt in shock at seeing Hizashi.

"Y-yamada-Sensei!? What are you—"

"Save it, kiddo, where's Kira?" Hizashi asked as Midoriya blinked, drowsiness still in his face and eyes, though he was coherent enough to string together a sentence.

"Um, she's… she's in the guest bedroom. She was with me… why?" Midoriya answered as Hizashi nodded, crossing his arms.

"What were you two doing in there?" Hizashi asked as Midoriya's face went beat red, realization dawning on his face. He went to say something, but not before Hizashi raised his hand to stop him. "No, don't say anything. I already know, I just wanted to confirm. I came up here to tell Kira that Shota and I were crashing on the couches downstairs."

Hizashi sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Look, be honest with me, Midoriya. Did you use protection?"

"I—"

"Yes or no, it's a simple question," Hizashi interrupted as Midoriya stiffened, embarrassment colouring his face. He couldn't blame him. Being caught red-handed was embarrassing. He had it happen to him a few times when he was younger and before he had finally decided to settle down and admit his true self to Shota.

"Look, Midoriya, I know it's embarrassing having an adult catch you, but seriously, this is important. Either way, Shota's going to find out. He's way too observant to not. He's going to want to talk to both of you regardless when he finds out you were both in the same room," Hizashi said as Midoriya sighed.

"I… um… No. We didn't."

Hizashi facepalmed. "Oh fuck… Okay, look, um… we'll talk about this tomorrow. You go back to bed. I'm sorry if my knocking woke you up," Hizashi said as he turned to walk away. An embarrassed Midoriya walked back into the guest bedroom as Hizashi did his best to quell the headache that was going to be tomorrow.

He knew the trope of "stupid, in over their head teenagers," but this was ridiculous. Maybe back thirty or so years ago, this wouldn't have been that big of a problem. Sure, it would've been bad, but if worse came to worst, then all it would take was setting up a doctor's appointment. But now? In the current day and age?

As Hizashi sat back down on the couch, the elevator doors opened, and Shota came walking out of the elevator, a bag of coffee grounds in one hand and sleeping-related things on his left shoulder. Shota saw Hizashi's conflicted expression and was left confused by it.

"What's wrong, Zashi?" Shota asked as Hizashi sighed.

"Kira and Midoriya did something stupid."

"Huh?" Shota rumbled, confusion in his eyes as Hizashi shook his head.

"Look, we can talk about it in the morning, but… It could cause problems if left ignored for too long. Both Kira and Midoriya are in the guest bedroom, and yes, it's for the reason you're probably thinking," Hizashi replied as Shota groaned.

"For fucksake…"

"Yeah, tell me about it," Hizashi muttered, running a hand through his hair. "Let's just get some sleep. I'll set up the coffee pot, but…"

"Tomorrow is going to be hell," Shota grumbled. The level of irrationality that he was getting second-hand information from had really, truly, and honestly made him wish that teenagers had much better decision-making skills. But, alas, here he was. "I don't get paid enough for this shit."

"Let's just hope it doesn't lead where I think it'll lead," Hizashi said as he stood up from the couch, walked over to the kitchenette, and began to set up coffee for the morning. Shota prepared the couches; all the while, he dreaded the impending headache that was about to come.

Tomorrow was not going to be fun.

-To Be Continued-