Once sat down for dinner, the class got back into the swing of things like no time had passed, which was a big relief to Ciana. The biggest change? Yuuki being among them for tonight, and while the ninja-like feline was as stoic as Shoto, she spoke with those she felt willing to speak to, her aura was still muddled with many dark, guilt-ridden emotions but there were far more lighter ones to be seen.
Soon, however, everyone returned to their rooms for the night, with Yuuki leaving early to return to her dorm. After checking with her own hearing that everyone was in their rooms, Ciana tucked away her new fan blades in her room, grabbed a few things, and headed down for the baths on the ground floor with Izuku waiting nearby for her, his notebook at the ready.
Ciana was in her nightgown and had her swim suit underneath to not make it too awkward, she even had her scarf hanging from her arm for some reason. "Okay I'm here… you ready to take notes?" She now asks a bit shyly, this will be kinda embarrassing for her especially that she grew a tail that he's about to see…
"Only if you are," Izuku replied, opening the door to the girls bathhouse, letting Ciana pass through. "At the end of the day, this is your choice to show me. I'll help however I can like always, you know that,"
Once through the small changing room, they entered the large square room with a warm bath already run due to Ciana planning ahead knowing it would've been empty. So it was enough water for her to feel comfortable to transform in.
Now that they were in, once they door was closed she wasted no time having the water run on, still feeling kinda bashful. "Um… what your about to see soon, p-promise me you won't end up laughing please…" Ciana nervously asks as she sat on the edge to wait for the water to fill up more, slipping her nightgown off to reveal her swimsuit.
He put his hand up to her, "I swear not to laugh... not that I ever found your quirk laughable," Smiling, he eyed her toned body for a moment longer as he spoke. "If I'm assuming correctly, water and your quirk have a correlation of some kind?"
"You'll see…" Ciana hugged herself nervously, seeing that the water was filled enough. She ends up going in now, weirdly she even uses her scarf to blindfold her eyes, taking a deep breath. Ciana activates her quirk with another glow… but this time instead of horns and scales, her horns were more morphed into sparkly fins on the side of her head, her neck gained gills, her elbows grew a longer patch of fins the same for her hips that looked almost like a skirt and what makes it more odd is that a long wavy tail grew from her backside…
But still grew scales, her nails and fangs came back and her hair changed to light bright yellow, Ciana felt tingly during this changing process…
Izuku had his pencil at the ready only to stop and stare, taking in this new and exotic state Ciana had uncovered in her travels. She had the same, scaly patches like her dragon form, but now, her forearms grew a shimmering membrane, same for her temples instead of horns. And the tail was a new thing entirely. Dark amber scales with gold membrane along the top, the tail a single fin that transitioned from a dark amber, to orange, to marigold. Ciana kept finding ways to amaze him.
"An aquatic form...!" He gasped, writing all this down. "T-t-the applications of this... amazing, and only needing to be in contact with water!" Clearing his throat, Izuku finished jotting down his notes to move closer. "How do you feel? Are you okay?"
"Weird… a-and very unnatural…" Ciana kept her blindfold on, being a safer way to be around Izuku. Hugging herself with her arms while still being in the water. "I-I discovered this look when I was bathing in the cave that was full of crystals… I-I could be wrong but I think it's what caused my form to morph more." Ciana shares, really not liking how different she's becoming…
"I see, so those mana crystals caused your quirk to evolve so-to-speak to adapt to water when around large bodies of it," Izuku surmised as he sat at the edge, seeing how anxious her body was. "You're doing great, better than any other time before, actually. Remind me to thank someday whoever helped you in Crescent Shores, I know it's a lot to handle, hence the blindfold, but I'm really proud of you,"
"That's going to be hard since he's from another world…" Ciana chuckles a little, knowing she's talking to the same person whose always helped her. "Well the blindfold is part of the reason to avoid me freaking out but it's more to keep you safe from me…" Ciana blushed really red, mating instincts is just so freaky for her…
"O-oh, right, instincts..." Izuku remembered, but still sat where he was. Knowing what he had to ask. "...Ciana, are you... still afraid... to be near me?"
Ciana flinched at the question, but staying quiet for a moment is probably what gave it away. "Well… y-yeah…" She ends up answering with a sad frown. "I-I don't want to do something that will end up scaring you away from me… I'm just trying to protect you."
"I figured as much, you always put others before you, even if it hurts..." He replied, looking up at the ceiling before dropping his gaze to her form as she trembled slightly. This was a complicated situation, one he had ran through his head countless times until now, most of his scenarios ended with them splitting apart. "...I really don't know how to move forward from here, I want to, I really do, but... I can't, because... I'm scared you'll now push me away, and we'll be right back at square one,"
Cianas felt heart stopped at this, turning around looking confused now toward his direction. "W-wha… what do you mean exactly?" Is he telling her… that he wants to break up? Ciana begun trembled at that possibility… as that is what it sounded like in her ears.
"I mean, the reason you left was because you felt we were better off without you, but that's not true. But in your time away, you learned to control your power right? How much in terms of control do you have? Is it your transformation? Your ability to passively absorb energy through emotions? Your instincts?" He stared at her blindfolded face, fixated on her. "I want to help you, but I don't want to force you into a corner either. I can only meet you halfway, Ciana. Please, if you can't trust yourself, then trust me to help you get to that point next,"
Ciana didn't expect to hear this, her brows narrowed in conflation about her situation. "I-it's not that I don't trust you, yes I left because I felt you all were better off… but it was mostly to get those guys who are after me off my back, I noticed whenever I'm in my dragon form and when I become attracted to you then I turn all weird, and I unleash some kind of pheromone that are probably directed from my eyes…"
She sighs, facing him but keeping her eyes hidden. "You said you didn't know how you feel around me anymore if I ever came on to you… I-I don't want you to hate me and I don't want to do something I'll regret…" Ciana was scared what her other side does will drive him away, she still wanted to be her normal self again like the good times they had when she was normal…
"We've been here before, nothing will change if we don't try something," Izuku shook his head. "You're right, I don't know what I'd do if the worst case scenario occurred, but that's not fair to either of us to be tethered to that for our entirely lives. I don't want to just be stuck where we are for years, I want to be with you but how can I do that if you won't let me help you find a way past this? Really, the worst case scenario is not seeing you happy at all..." This was frustrating, it was like all that effort had meant nothing, and they were back to the beginning again.
"I'm sorry…" Ciana frowned very sadly, thinking this is leading them apart now. This is pretty much her fault for taking off… Ciana knew she had to live with the consequences… Ciana ended up slipping her blindfold off but kept her eyes down, already feeling like she's about to cry. "If… your saying you can't handle our relationship anymore, then…" Ciana trembled, hating to show her pathetic side. "T-then I'll understand… I-I just want you to be happy, but if I'm not doing that for you anymore…"
Izuku didn't speak for a second, putting his notebook side safely, sitting at the edge of the water with his legs in, he motioned for Ciana to come closer. "Come here," He asked in a gentle tone.
"Huh?" Ciana ended up looking up in confusion, she didn't expect for him to usher her over. Her beastly green eyes stared at him for a moment before she slowly inched closer to Izuku, blushing pink and still confused as she moved.
Once she was close enough, her eyes blinked widely as he pulled her tightly into a hug, her hearing catching the steady beat of his heart. His right hand brushed past one of the membranes atop her head to rest. "Whatever happens, even if it's frustrating at times, I'm not going to leave you; you and me, that's what I said when we met again, and I'm not going back on that now," His arms squeezed tighter. "I will never let you go through this alone again, I swear it,"
"You could never hurt me, I know that, nothing will change that," He assur - he vowed to her. He spent one whole month, he could've moved on, forgotten all about Ciana, but he stomached the pain, he had his closest friends prop him up as best they could, and he waited.
Ciana's gaze looked up at him as she listened, once again his loyal words warmed her heart and fluttered seeing the devotion in not only his words but her gaze toward her. Ciana begun to tear up a little as she stared up at her hero. "Izuku…" she sniffled before she ended up embracing him with her own arms around him, once again she felt warm and safe… the kind of feeling she missed greatly as her face laid against his chest to keep listening to his heartbeat.
"I love you… m-more than you ever even know…" Ciana ends up telling him, her arms gripping tighter around him. "I-I really don't deserve you…" Ciana cracked a little smile as her tears streamed.
He chuckled, holding her close. "Feel like I should be saying that..." He teased, his voice still as tender. "I love you too, no matter what happens,"
Just hearing that brought her to smile more, closing her eyes as she remained in his embrace. Ciana didn't want to let go, strangely this reminded her back when she was in the mana stream with the fantasy Izuku but except their in a big tub rather than a magic glowing stream… either way this made her flustered a little. "Um, so…"
Ciana had no idea what to say now, becoming kinda bashful but happy still. "I have a lot to tell you still, I want to tell you more about the new guy that plagued my dreams before…" Ciana frowned fearfully recalling the guy and especially the way he threatened and mocked Izuku in her dream.
Sitting upright, he watched her calmly, still running his hand down her now blonde hair. "You said it was someone aside from Meru Zena, I guess there's always someone bigger when it comes to villains,"
"I thought the first guy was bad but he acted just as cruel…" Ciana kept her gaze down, her head now laying in the crook of his neck. "I don't know his name, but when I was in the middle of a premonition that already happened, this guy suddenly showed up and… he started saying cruel things, his eyes were even so evil it was more scarier than Meru…"
She shares so far, sighing nervously from the memory. "He also mocked me about my moms death and that I am a monster… it's like he was trying to encourage me to kill when he started to mock a image of you in my dream…" Cianas fists clench in aggravation at the cruel motive.
Izuku held her tightly, letting her vent out her frustrations. "It's like with Shinso, he's using words and events to agitate you, villains like that are either egotistical or lean towards manipulation to further their agenda, so it's best to never let him get a rise from you if he ever shows up again," He prayed that would never happen, but wishful thinking was only as good as that. "In the end, you've proved him wrong, just like you've proven Zena wrong. You turned a quirk used for evil to good, and you've taken large steps to being the furthest thing from a killer, not that you ever were,"
"I was afraid my quirk would turn me into one from how violent I acted…" Ciana stared down at her hands again, recalling how ferocious she acts like this. "Being a dragon has me act almost as violent as Bakugo… even if I use it for good I don't like how different my personality becomes, but at least now I can deal with it a little better when I need to power up."
"And you'll continue to improve from there, I know it," He comforted, his hand running over the strange membrane on the right side of her head, feeling its rubbery texture. "I wonder if and when you grow stronger you could develop wings or a tail in your normal dragon form? Though I guess that's for a later date; want to get out now and head to bed?"
Ciana flinched at what he theorized, already she trembled a little at the idea of growing another tail or wings. "Uh… I-I guess so…" Ciana really didn't feel human anymore… now she's a mutated beast…
"It's just a theory of mine, don't worry too much about it, okay?" Izuku noticed her deflated state, offering a hand to help her out. "I think where you are is already a massive leap on its own, so don't rush yourself," He gave a soft smile.
"N-not that I want to…" she takes his hand now, things just had to get more complicated for her. "Hey, did you by any chance read my notebook when I went away?" Ciana now suddenly asked with a suspicious raised brow to him.
Now that she was out, Izuku handed her a towel as he shook his head. "No, you've seen your room, it was left exactly as you left it, I haven't looked at anything..." His hand instinctively went to toy with the locket between his fingers.
"Then why was it left open to the last page I wrote in it when I got back to my room…?" noticing the way he toyed with the locket, narrowing her brows in more suspicion as she drys herself with the offered towel. Her sea dragon traits shrinking away now that she's dried, this still felt weird for Ciana…
"It... was?" Now his fidgeting stopped, giving her a confused look. "I mean... I guess maybe a teacher went to inspect to see if maybe there was a clue to where you went with the gatestone, but then they'd have already asked you about the premonitions... hrm, sorry, I really don't know who could've done it," If one of their friends knew about Ciana's premonitions that could cause problems down the line. Even Izuku had a hard time wrapping his head around it, but not everyone had a level head like his.
"I see…" Ciana had a feeling someone would be curious if they wanted to figure out where she went, but then her eyes went wide realizing something. "Wait! T-they know about my premonitions now?!"
Izuku nodded along with concern too. "That's what I was thinking... that could be an issue if they bring it up, though they'd likely confront you personally, I just hope it's someone... rational," Then he face palmed. "Who am I kidding? It's never that easy... but, I'll help you look for them if you need it,"
"Oh god…" Ciana covered her face as she was panicking on the inside "This is so humiliating! Not only are they gonna be aware I can see the future but they will catch on how I feel about you when it comes to my quirk…" Ciana almost debated on running away again…
"We can figure this out, breathe..." He cupped her hands, rubbing them gingerly. "The sooner we find who it is, the less chance they have to say anything to anyone. Tomorrow would be our best chance while everyone's at the dorms, if need be, we could ask Jiro to tell if anyone's lying but explain it's too personal for you to explain why it is we need her to check,"
"I'm really afraid to find out who it is…" Ciana makes a mental note to put a lock on her notebook or just hide it better under her mattress, probably both. "A-anyways I better start studying on whatever I missed out in my room to catch up a little for tomorrow." Ciana slips her nightgown back on. "It will be a long night for me…" she responds with a sheepish smile.
In saying that, Izuku's face perked up, "Oh, I almost forgot, here," Removing the pages he had written down about Ciana's newest development, he handed her his notebook. In contrast, it wasn't his normal heroics book, but one that upon inspection, was written with several sections of schoolwork lined up and organized in simple to follow instructions, examples, etc. "I had no idea if and when you'd come back, so to distract myself in my downtime, I-I wrote this out, sorta a guide to help you catch up on everything you missed so it d-doesn't take hours upon hours of work. Iida, Todoroki, and Yaoyorozu helped me revise and fill it in too,"
She blinked at the offered notes, smiling thankfully as she accepts it. "Your a life saver… I don't know what I do without you Izuku…" The girl goes to peck her hero's cheek to thank him further. "Hey that reminds me, I always noticed how burned up your notebook was… why don't you ever get a new one?" Ciana has debated on getting him a new notebook before, she recalled Bakugo was the one who ruined it… she was surprised Izuku could even still write in it.
"It's the thirteenth I've written, and... I guess since it was still intact with only a few burnt edges, I didn't see any reason to replace it, that, and... well I've written a lot in that one, and about you so..." He didn't want to part with it, given how much history that one notebook carried compared to all the others. It had been the one Katsuki burnt, All Might signed, and contained his first thoughts on Aura and Ciana as a person.
"I see… so it became more sentimental to you, I get it now." She smiled warmly at this, now she can see why Izuku never replaced the book. "Well I'm sorry it got ruined before… I'm surprised Bakugo would do such a mean thing, but I'm glad to see it's still usable despite some damages." Ciana felt really bad how much Izuku was picked on before, no one should crush someone's dreams like this even if they were quirkless, in a way she sees them as more special with a bigger purpose.
"R-Right, yeah..." Izuku briefly looked lost in deep thought before his smile returned, pushing the rest of what happened after his book was burnt that day aside. "Still, we can worry about the issue of someone snooping around your diary tomorrow, but if you ever need some help with your work, let me know, I'm sure the next few days will be extremely hectic so if at all I can pull some of the weight off, I don't mind,"
"Then let's make it a study date." She suddenly suggest, arms behind her back cheerfully. "Like back when we used to study at my old place from middle school, let's do that again in my room. Would be a nice blast from the past don't you think?" Ciana figured he wouldn't want to leave her side after everything.
"Well, it's only half nine, sure, it'll be fun, or as fun studying can be," Izuku chuckled.
Once Ciana was ready and dried, the two headed back upstairs without a sound, this time, making their way to Ciana's room as they quietly entered without a peep, Izuku closing the door behind them while Ciana moved to turn on her desk lamp to bring light back into her once vacant room.
"Sheesh, didn't know some of my things would get all dusty and I only been gone a week… didn't realize how a week can turn into a month when you world travel." Ciana goes to get her proper pjs together first. "Hey before we study, mind turning around while I change out of my swim wear…?"
"Hm? O-oh, yes, sorry," Izuku quickly spun on his heel, again, playing with his locket to distract himself. He was going to ask why she didn't use her bathroom but already heard her clothes hitting the floor as his face crawled with heat a bit. He really didn't understand why he wasn't calm, he's seen it all before. He deadpanned at his own thoughts. "I really am just hopeless..."
"I figured you still had your adorable shy guy side…" Ciana teases as she was slipping a light green soft tank top on. "I forgot to ask, how was your training with the old pro? In the vision I saw you looked pretty exhausted when training… did that guy work you to your tipping point?" That's what she guessed when seeing his expression.
In mentioning his training, Izuku stared at his locket with forlorn expression. "N-not really... I... d-did that to myself, to improve as fast as possible, n-now I can handle ten percent no problem, a-and fifteen with some strain,"
"Whoa really?! Ciana beamed at this, she really could tell he has improved. "That's amazing Izuku! Your leveling up so quick! Oh and you can look now." She informs him, Izuku truly is amazing. "I bet the old pro was even impressed especially the way you managed to keep up from the jumping he's been doing."
He turned again, seeing she now wore a pair of pyjamas that were light green, trousers and a striped tank top. "It's not easy, he has a greater wealth of experience with agility than me, but it did help to broaden my skill set... as well as something else about my quirk, something I never got to tell you at the hospital that occurred when I was facing Stain," It was vivid in his mind, that calm voice, the way it felt like someone was watching over his shoulder, how his senses sharpened with that painful throbbing in his head. "...I think I unlocked something about my quirk, something even All Might didn't know about... but that's better for when we're in a more private space tomorrow,"
"Your always full of surprises… it's like Uraraka said, you always keep managing to amaze us." Ciana recalled he said someone watched over him back when he got stuck in a trance by Shinso, she guessed it had something to do with them. "Goes to show how truly special you are Izuku." She happily tells him before she goes to sit back at her desk.
"I learned things about my quirk I didn't even know I can do, plus I get premonitions now… but not only that, I think I might of heard my moms voice when I almost died confronting the vines source a while ago…" Ciana recalled her moms words she use to comfort her, turning the page to the song on her notebook as she smiled at the words.
"You did?" Izuku gasped before he moved over to her quickly, cupping her biceps gently. "Wait, you almost died too?"
Ciana forgot that detail would startle Izuku… blinking before now smiling anxiously. "Uh… well, maybe…?" The girl shrugs as she tried to lighten the mood. "I'm okay though, I'm still here aren't I?"
Sighing, he nodded but looked no less worried but was relieved. "Yeah, that you are," Sitting down at her bed, he motioned for her to continue. "You were saying you heard your mom then?"
She turned her chair around to face him, at least glad he settled down. "Yeah, right when I though it was over for me, I heard her repeat her familiar words from her song… 'Don't worry about a thing, we'll reach out to you.'" Ciana smiled at the familiar words. "After that… I unleashed the beast within me and used it to fight better, that's when I decided to accept my appearance in a dangerous situation like that." She glances down at her feet.
"Mom used to tell me I'm never alone no matter where am I and that I'll always be watched over… it was her way to also help me ease up on my fears." Ciana explains, taking her hairpin out of her hair to fiddle with it.
"I guess she meant it, she's been looking out for you this whole time; no doubt she's proud of you," Izuku was amazed, her aura must've increased in that moment of crisis to such an extent that she actually felt the faint presence of her mother's aura. "It's funny, talking about spirits isn't so far-fetched when you've travelled between worlds,"
"I pretty much believe anything now after meeting so many people with strange abilities…" She giggles, glancing up at her hero with another smile. "Though next thing I haven't seen yet is a ghost… could you ever handle fighting off a undead spirit in a haunted house like in the movies?" She asks playfully.
"I'd have to be able to actually punch it and not go flying through it first," Izuku smirked with her. "Then again, with how Yuuki tends to appear out of thin air like Chaser does, I think I'll pass out from fright before then,"
She laughs a bit by this. "I think seeing him with a knife jabbed in his eye was the scariest I ever seen…" Glancing down at her hairpin again she was still fiddling with. "How did you get a hold of my hairpin anyways when you went back to train with the old pro?" Ciana now asks in wonder.
"...Chaser, I assumed gave it to me when I woke up and heard the news you... were gone," Izuku shuttered at the awful memory. "It was just sitting on a table with a small note reading, 'Good luck charm', and that's all, so I kept it safe with the locket."
"Oh, I see…" She looked up back at him and frowned in guilt, feeling bad she put him through this "I'm so sorry… I never meant to hurt you like this… I just assumed you be okay knowing you always were in the future without me."
"I know, you only felt you were doing right, I don't blame you for that," Izuku replied, his hands taut against his knees. "But that first week? It... really was awful, i-if not for the closest ones to me b-being there, I'd... r-really be in a worse state, I kept blaming myself, t-that I had failed you, that toxic mentality almost consumed me, b-but again, they kept me upright," Then he gazed to her seriously. "And the motivation I had afterward; to find a way to reach you, somehow, and to grow stronger so that something like this never happened again,"
"Izuku…" her eyes stared at him more in sadness at this, standing up as she threw her arms around his neck. Now sitting on his lap as she kept her arms around him. "You did help more than you think… every time I was away I kept thinking of you when I was trying to deal with my look… I spend days even crying because I felt so horrible leaving and that I was away from you…"
Ciana felt like the worst person in the world. "I can't blame you at all if you hated me for leaving… but I couldn't even bare the idea spending any more days away from you…"
He let out a shaky breath, his arms tied around her back as he placed his head under her neck instead, "I-I was just so scared that I'd n-never see you again," He croaked, but smiled all the same, she was here and safe again, "I'm glad I was wrong,"
"Me too…" Ciana murmured out, smiling a little with her tears coming out while gripping her hold around her hero more. "Do you by any chance want to stay with me tonight…?" She ends up asking a bit shyly, Ciana admits that she wouldn't want to be apart right now…
Like that was even a question, "If you don't mind," He didn't want to be apart from Ciana right now, he'd give her space like normal, but tonight? He just wanted to be close to her. "I'd definitely sleep better with you,"
Hearing that made her blush a little, but made her chuckle as she now pulls away a little to smile up at him. "I do too… why do you think I sleep with my rabbit when your not around?" Ciana smiled playfully as her loving gaze stayed on his own beautiful eyes.
"Especially when it helps me feel like your still by my side…" Ciana murmured, placing her hand back on his soft adorable cheek. Caressing his face with a loving smile toward her hero.
Leaning into her palm, Izuku exhaled deeply, more at ease than he had been in weeks, that tension and fear in his heart finally coming undone. "I won't ever leave it again, because I feel more like myself with you too..." He whispered back.
"I always love you in every way, quirk or not your always a hero in my eyes." Ciana tells him with a wider smile before her face now begun to lean towards his own with her eyes even slowly closing halfway.
"Ditto," He replied, shutting his eyes too as they kissed softly after so much time apart that feeling the familiar kindling blaze again was like its own breath of fresh air. Izuku ran one hand down her dark hair, the other wrapped around her waist tightly to keep her hoisted on his lap while their lips danced in a gentle rhythm.
Cianas eyes were fully closed now while feeling the familiar happiness in her beating heart again, especially knowing these feelings are mutual than one sided and not from her quirks that's pushing this, at least she hoped now… Ciana placed her hands on his shoulders as she lingered in his lips, already feeling the warm building up from their lips.
Spending at least five minutes like this, the two parted with the same, loving expression on their faces, leaning their foreheads against one another with their eyes closed to savour being close again as Izuku held her closer. "I really missed that... I missed you," Izuku muttered breathlessly into her ear.
Ciana teared up a little as her eyes opened slightly to smile back lovingly towards her handsome hero while keeping their foreheads in place. "M-me too, there's no way I ever want to think about being apart from you again…" She sniffled a little, feeling so happy in his embrace.
He was grateful to hear that, moving back on her bed to move the covers to one side, pulling Ciana down so that she was resting against his side, hugging her close while she stared forward at his face with that adorable smile, his fingers brushing a few of her bangs aside. "So cute..."
Ciana giggled at his words, blushing pink from the comment. "I could say the same about you too…" She murmured with her smile still intact as she laid still, deciding to tease him a little as her smile turned into a playful smirk. "Especially when I got to see you as a cute little kid in a All Might costume from your moms photos…"
"Ugh... why remind me of them?" He groaned, looking away in distaste as the colour on his cheeks darkened.
"That's why!" She responded as she let out a few more giggles, really missing his cuteness. "It's not too much of a surprise anyways since your room is a shrine dedicated to your hero…"
"At least you didn't call it a 'cult' like Kamanari..." He murmured, sighing in defeat as his finger prodded her cheek. "I-it's not as bad as it once w-was, I've got verity, just m-more so towards All Might, that's all," A shaky defense but he'd die on that hill.
"Honestly I felt like he was watching me from everywhere in your room…" Ciana giggles more, she wasn't sure if his shy side will ever let up. "Say, you said you had more pictures of me than All Might you mentioned a while back… when did you exactly take photos of me…?" Now curious from what he brought up to her before.
"I did? W-well, not in a creepy way, I-I just meant I had more of you on my p-phone; from our time before UA, the S-Sports Festival, our dates, s-stuff like that," And pictures he kept safe. With a teasing smile, he added. "So I'll never forget y-your beautiful face,"
Course that caused a shy blush to appear on her face too, blinking before averting her eyes with a flustered smile. "I-I guess it's mutual since I do the same towards you with my new phone… Hey I wonder if your mom will let me keep one of your toddler photos if I ask…?" Ciana smirks at that last part…
"I'm surprised she didn't the day she met you..." Izuku deadpanned, causing Ciana to snort a laugh at his reluctance to see if that would be true. Rolling his eyes, Izuku leaned his head up a bit to peck her lips. "Now, I thought you wanted to sleep? Or are you too wide awake for that?" He smirked.
"Eh?" Blinking, her face slowly started to heat up at what he's referring to. "Uh, w-well it is probably late by now…" Ciana responds bashfully as she averted her gaze a bit, they may have been intimate before but there are times she still couldn't help but feel flustered. "A-are you sure your my Izuku…?" Ciana teasingly asked with a raised brow now since she always known he's supposed to be the shy one.
"If by that, you mean a hero, All Might fanboy who used to have confidence issues? Then yes, certainly," He chuckled, resting his head on the pillow. "I just... I feel the times I've misspoken it's caused issues, or my hesitance does, and I don't want that anymore, so... I'm trying to improve just like you have, so I can truly support you and others to the best of my ability, t-though I have times I slip back into a stuttering mess, hehe,"
"You're not alone in that…" She giggles, now snuggling up to his chest with her own arms around him. "Though you still seem to shake up around other girls presence at times besides me anymore…" Ciana stated as she thought to the time at the beach when some of the other girls were in skimpy swimsuits like Ashido and Yaoyorozu.
"Forgive me, but being caught off guard, and being me is a recipe for disaster," He raised one finger, too comfortable to move his whole arm. "But I've only got my eyes for you regardless so no need to worry there,"
"My heart has always been set on you since the beginning, I know I don't deserve you now after what I put you through… but no matter what I'm happy and grateful I got to fall in love with you…" Ciana says with a warm yet a bit of a sad smile as her hold tightens and her head rested on his beating heart.
At this point Ciana could see why she wasn't meant to be with Izuku… but hoped and prayed she gets to be with him as long as it lasts, closing her eyes now as her face nuzzles against him more. "I could never ask for anyone better…"
"Me neither..." Izuku murmured to her, closing his eyes with his arms held around her tightly, but using his left to pull the covers over them to contain the warmth.
Both snuggled closer, the mental gymnastics of today quickly taking their toll on the young couple as they quickly drifted off to sleep in each others' arms, both content in a restful slumber.