My Hero Academia
Paying The Price
Chapter 6: Sinking Steps

While Uraraka changed into her school uniform, Momo kept guard outside the bathroom. The recent events had shaken Momo's mind, and she was unsure as to what the next step was. Logically, she knew that she was still a student, and that the current problem extended far beyond her expertise, but she couldn't help but feel involved.

It was a relief to know that the principal, Nezu, appeared to be working behind the scenes. He was incredibly intelligent, and if the rumours were to be believed, as vengeful as he was cute.

It was hard to rely on a new branch of heroes after All Might died, but as long as Nezu was helping them, Momo knew that things would work out.

"Thanks for waiting, Momo!" She turned and was relieved to see that the uniform she had created for Uraraka fit relatively well.

"Of course. We should probably go to class now though," Momo said thoughtfully, glancing around for a clock.

"Mhmm," Uraraka hummed, agreeing happily. Momo smiled at the smaller girl. Uraraka's mind seemed far away right now, and Momo could easily tell who was causing that. She didn't know exactly what had happened between Izuku and the brown haired girl last night, but the two had grown closer together.

They walked into class together just as the bell went. They sat down, waiting for Eraserhead to walk into the classroom. Tenya started calling off attendance, and thus the day began.

The class was full, outside of Izuku, who was still suspended. Kaminari and Sero still sported wounds from the earlier fight. Mineta seemed to be back in normal spirits. Toru sat at the back of the classroom, not saying anything at all. She sat there stiffly, and Momo wondered what was going through the invisible girl's mind.

The class was interrupted, just before lunch, when a student stepped into the classroom, interrupting Eraserhead and passing him a note.

"So… Ochaco Uraraka, to the principal's office," Eraserhead said, his voice tired and bored.

Uraraka groaned as she heard the class break into whispers. She glanced at Momo, who sat behind her. Momo gave Uraraka a wry smile, before nodding slightly. Uraraka's eyes glanced towards Toru. Last time, the invisible girl had followed her into the meeting with Nezu. Uraraka wanted to be positive that the same thing wouldn't happen.

Toru was sitting in her chair, sitting stiffly, and seemingly ignoring the events in the classroom. It was hard to tell what Toru was thinking, when all she was were shoes, socks, a dress and a top. The important thing was that Toru was in the classroom, and wouldn't be able follow her.

Picking herself up off the chair, Uraraka made her way to the door as fast as she could without looking rushed. She wanted to escape the student's curious eyes as soon as possible.

Unlike the last time, Uraraka wasn't stressed about her meeting with Nezu. The principal still scared her (he was very intimidating), but now that she knew he was on their side, albeit secretly, she felt far more comfortable.

Potentially, the meeting was about her school fees, which were overdue. She had the money though, hidden away at home in her bedroom. Sighing to herself, she realised that she'd somehow have to retrieve that.

She arrived at the principal's door and knocked. Last time he had called out for her to enter, so she waited until he did. She leaned against the wall, watching as various staff members walked past, giving her courteous nods as they continued on their way. Uraraka fidgeted with the hem of her skirt. She felt out of place amongst the adults.

After a minute she knocked again. The quiet echo of the knock pierced through the wooden door.

"I should probably just wait," Uraraka muttered to herself. She remembered how her own father had preferred not be disturbed when his study door was closed. Thoughts of her parents gave her an uncomfortable pit in her stomach though, so she cast her eyes around, looking for something to distract her.

However, the longer she waited, the more anxious she became. Glancing around shiftily to see if anyone was watching, she turned back to the door and twisted the knob slowly. It was unlocked, and the door slipped open easily.

Uraraka cleared her throat, and knocked once more on the door, quite loudly.

"Excuse me, principal Nezu. It's Ochaco Uraraka. I'm coming inside!"

Uraraka pushed the door open the whole way, and as she stepped in, her heart froze.

The white, furry body of Nezu lay butchered on the ground. Fresh blood was pooled around his torso. He was lying on his stomach, his face twisted to the side, eyes dark, empty and unseeing. Several stab marks in the back of his suit appeared to be the cause of the death, but Uraraka couldn't see the weapon.

Uraraka was frozen in the spot. She tried to look away, but the gruesome scene had her mesmerized. She stepped forwards slowly, scanning the room for anything that looked unusual.

Large stacks of paperwork had been pushed off his desk, and papers now littered the room. The chair that Nezu usually sat at was knocked over. It seemed he had been sitting at his desk, taken by surprise and stabbed in the back before he could fight back.

Who had been the culprit though? The window was open. It was possible that they had entered and left through there, but surely Nezu would have seen them.

Suddenly, Uraraka felt very scared. She didn't want to be in this room anymore. Nezu was murdered, and she was the only witness.

Uraraka left the office, closing the door shut behind her. Mrs. Kayama walked by, and nodded at Uraraka in greeting. Uraraka nodded back as calmly as she could, but her insides were shaking. This wasn't a good situation at all. She was the only witness. She needed to tell someone…

Momo! She would tell Momo. Uraraka half-ran back to her class. She slid the door open in a rush without thinking. Everyone in the class turned to face her, and she realised that her flushed cheeks and panicked eyes weren't helping. Momo looked worried, her eyes sharp and analysing. Most of her classmates looked more curious than anything. Mineta was a combination of leering at her, and trying not to make eye contact with her. Deku really had scared him shitless.

Toru sat at the end of the class, still ignoring Uraraka completely. If the clothes were anything to go by, it looked like the invisible girl had barely moved an inch in the last fifteen minutes.

Eraserhead glanced at Uraraka, about to say something reprimanding, but at that moment, the lunch bell rang. Chaos ensued as all of the students dove out of their chairs, grabbing their bags and rushing out of the classroom.

As the class dispersed, Momo approached Uraraka, realising that something was wrong.

"Uraraka, are you ok? You look like you've seen a ghost," Momo said softly.

"He's dead Momo. I saw him. He's dead," Uraraka muttered. She hugged her stomach. She felt sick.

"Calm down Uraraka," Momo said, carefully resting a hand on Uraraka's shoulder. "Who's dead? What happened?"

"Nezu's dead. I-" Uraraka began crying, tears dripping down her face. "I walked into the office, and I was alone, and he was on the ground, and there was blood everywhere, and oh god, Momo it was horrible."

Momo grabbed her in a hug and pulled her in, rubbing her back in large reassuring circles. In the background, Momo heard the sound of police and ambulance sirens, nearing the school. The vehicles gave more proof to Uraraka's story, and Momo began thinking about what they had to do.

Uraraka, did you tell anyone else?" Momo asked.

"N-no. Just you," Uraraka said between sniffles.

"Ok. Then we need to tell someone right now. Let's go find Eraserhead." Uraraka nodded her head in agreement. She was glad she had Momo. The girl's cool, logical thinking was the right choice. "Grab your bag. I don't think we'll be coming back to the classroom after this."

Uraraka nodded, and went to her desk. She quickly cleared her belongings, pushing them into the bag and slung it over her shoulder. Nodding at Momo, they quickly made their way to the staffroom.

As the two girls arrived at the staff room, they realised that there was already quite a crowd. Yellow and black police tape cleared off the surrounding area, but students and teachers alike were crowded around the edge. Uraraka saw two pro heroes within the tape, currently talking to one of the UA teachers.

"Sh-should we be here?" Uraraka asked nervously. Momo seemed to hesitate as well, but she reached out for Uraraka's hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

"It will be worse if we don't tell them your story. Let's go."

Uraraka let Momo lead them through the crowd. As they approached the front, the teacher being interviewed suddenly stopped, and pointed at her. Uraraka froze. It was Mrs. Kayama. One of the pro hero's carefully approached her and Momo.

"Hello miss," the hero said politely, but his body looked tense, ready to react in an instant. "I just wanted to ask you a few questions, if that was alright."

Uraraka glanced at Momo nervously. The taller girl nodded in support, but Uraraka noticed that she was chewing on her lip anxiously as well.

"Sir, my name is Uraraka Ochaco. I was called to the principal's office during class. I knocked on the door, but I didn't get a response. After waiting for about five minutes I opened the door."

Uraraka paused in her story, swallowing strongly. The gruesome scene was still vivid in her mind.

"A-and then I saw… I saw the body… and there was blood everywhere," Uraraka said softly, and the hero leant in to listen.

"And then what happened?" He asked patiently.

"I ran away," Uraraka said. "Back to class to tell someone, but the bell for lunch went, and it was suddenly really busy, and I was really panicked, and I didn't know what to do and-"

"It's alright Uraraka. Breathe." Momo placed a supportive hand on her shoulder, and Uraraka took a deep breath to steady herself. The pro hero was still in front of her, watching her carefully.

"There was no one else who entered the principal's office with you?" The hero questioned.

"N-no," Uraraka replied.

"I see. One moment, miss." The hero stepped away to talk to his partner. Uraraka was feeling very, very scared. The tone that the hero was using with her made it seem like she was a suspect.

"You're innocent. They can't prove anything that didn't happen," Momo said softly. Uraraka turned to her friend and smiled weakly.

"Thanks Momo."

The hero returned, this time with his partner, who was holding a folder full of parchments and paper.

"Miss Uraraka Ochaco. I've been informed that you were to have a meeting with Principal Nezu about your unpaid school fees."

"I wasn't actually informed of why I was meeting him," Uraraka admitted. The hero nodded as he continued to shuffle through papers.

"Nevertheless, the overdue school fees were the reason for the meeting. We are going to search your bag, miss. Do you object?"

"W-what?" Uraraka exclaimed in surprise. It felt like things were spiralling out of control incredibly fast.

"It's just a precautionary measure, miss," the hero said calmly, holding out a hand for her backpack. Slowly, she dragged it off her shoulders and passed it over. It was fine. There was nothing incriminating in her bag. In fact, there was barely anything in it, as it was one of Deku's old bags he had let her borrow this morning.

And yet, Uraraka felt the blood drain from her face as the hero withdrew a long, blood stained steel knife from the main pocked of the bag. The hero examined it for less than a second, dropped it in the bag like it was made of fire, and in an instant had his handcuffs out. Uraraka backed up quickly, but the crowd watching the scene made a wall behind her, and she fell into them. The hero grabbed her by the shoulder, twisted her around, and yanked her wrists together, chaining them shut. Uraraka yelped at the rough treatment, especially when she felt a painful handgrip digging into her shoulder.

"Contact the detectives," the hero told his partner, "we have a prime suspect."

"Keep your hands off of her," Momo cried, leaping forwards. She pulled the lipids in her skin to the surface, forming a solid police baton, and slammed the weapon down on the heroes fist. He let go of Uraraka, swearing in pain as the knuckles fractured.

"Don't interfere in official hero business," the hero snapped, stepping towards her. Momo took a step back, hiding Uraraka behind her, and held the baton defensively in front of her.

"Do you have any idea who I am?" Momo exclaimed, frost coating her words as she stared down the heroes with sharp gray eyes. "I am of the Yaoyorozu family, and if you take one step closer to myself or my friend, I will bring the wrath of my house down on you."

The heroes froze in their tracks, glancing at one another nervously. The one with the folder of papers flicked through them, paling when he stopped on a certain one.

"It checks out," he muttered to his partner. "There is a Momo Yaoyorozu in the 1-A classroom."

"This isn't good. If it really is Yaoyorozu…" The two glanced at Momo, who was looking incredibly threatening. Her eyes were narrowed, she had her arms crossed over her chest, and she was standing tall and proud.

"Call the detectives," Momo ordered. "I want a proper examination performed. I want a lawyer for Uraraka, and I want her handcuffs released immediately."

The heroes blinked in confusion.

"Did I stutter? Now!" Momo shouted. The heroes jumped. One of them dropped the folder of papers, while the other scrambled in his pack for the keys to the handcuffs.

"I'm sorry about before, miss," the hero said to Uraraka, approaching her with the key. "I'll have those off in an instant-"

"You'll do no such thing!"

The hall fell quiet as the powerful male voice rung out. The crowd parted as Yaoyorozu strode forwards, dressed sharply in a well-fitted, expensive looking suit. Why Yaoyorozu was here, Uraraka didn't know, but the situation just seemed to become steadily worse for her.

"You will detain the prime suspect until further orders. Do I make myself clear?" Yaoyorozu ordered. The two heroes looked far more comfortable taking orders from the head of the house, and quickly regained their confidence.

"Father, there has been a mistake. Uraraka isn't guilty." Momo spoke politely, but with forcefulness, urging her father to listen to her.

"Momo, this is official police business. Stay out of it," Yaoyorozu said softly. It was an order.

"Father, I insist. Please listen to me. There is something bigger happening-"

"Enough, Momo!" Momo fell quiet as her father's deadly glare fell onto her. He had sharp, raven hair, just like his daughter, but it was short cut, and framed his angular features. He had cold, gray eyes that dared anyone to disobey him.

Momo glanced behind her. Uraraka was standing proud, trying not to let her fear show, but she was clearly terrified. She had been set up, and if Momo didn't act quickly, Uraraka might never have her name cleared.

Gathering what determination and courage she had left, Momo turned back to her father, a defiant glare in her own brown eyes.

"I demand that you let Uraraka go. She has done nothing wrong, and is innocent of this murder."

"Momo-"

"This knife that you found in her bag? It is impossible for it to be the murder weapon. When Uraraka went to the principal's office, she didn't take her bag with her. Upon returning from the principal's office, I watched her immediately. She never had any moment to put anything in her bag upon returning. Someone else had placed the knife in her bag. I do not know who, but I will stand witness for Uraraka's innocence!"

Teachers and students alike were staring at father and daughter in amazement. A powerful battle of wills was warring between the two. One of the pro heroes coughed softly, having gathered up the paperwork, and spoke up.

"If that is true, then we have no immediate grounds to detain Uraraka Ochaco," the hero said. He was just doing his job, Uraraka realised. He wasn't trying to set her up. Someone else had.

"Fine," Yaoyorozu spat. "Let her go."

As the cold steel around her wrists fell of, Uraraka felt the deep, heavy fear in her heart rise. Momo had saved her. She was going to be ok!

"You, you're coming with me," Yaoyorozu said softly, staring at his daughter.

"Actually, sir, she'll need to come down to the police station and testify," the other hero explained, but he was silenced by the piercing stare from the Yaoyorozu elder.

"She's coming with me." There was no room for argument. His orders were absolute. When Momo didn't respond, he strode forwards, grabbed her by the shoulder, and begun leading her away. Momo walked stiffly, and Uraraka saw the tall girl wince in pain at the tight grip, but she didn't fight her father.

"Well, what are you all doing?" Uraraka glanced up in surprise to see Eraserhead, glaring at all the students. "This isn't a show. Get out of here!" Quickly, the students dispersed, while the remaining teachers and heroes went back to examining the crime scene.

Eventually, Uraraka managed to pull herself away from the scene, but the image of a bloody, stabbed Nezu never left her mind.

As all secrets do, eventually, the whole school knew about Nezu's unfortunate demise. The mood after lunch was somber and bleak. First All Might had passed away, and now Principal Nezu had been the target of an assassination. Things weren't looking great for UA, or for heroes in general. No official statement had been announced though, and the rumour mill continued to turn rapidly.

Uraraka glanced around the classroom, only half paying attention to Eraserhead. Momo still hadn't returned. Her father had dragged her away after the event, and Uraraka hadn't heard from her friend since. Uraraka was worried, but at the end of the day, the two were family. Momo would be fine.

A small voice in the back or Uraraka's head reminded her of her own family. She pinched the back of her wrist hard with her nails until the tears in her eyes that were threatening to well up disappeared.

It didn't help that Yaoyorozu was the current source of almost all of Uraraka's problems. That in itself was difficult for Uraraka to understand. Surely there were countless more families that Yaoyorozu had lent money to. Had they all been put under as much pressure as Uraraka? Or was there something more to it?

The fact that Yaoyorozu just happened to be at the school while Uraraka was being falsely accused for a crime… it just didn't sit well with her. Now, Uraraka's only ally in the school, Momo, could very well be a hostage to her father.

Thinking about it all made Uraraka's head hurt. She needed to talk to Deku. She hadn't had time to message him during school yet, but she wondered whether news had reached him.

The most critical question continued to swirl around Uraraka's head. Why had Yaoyorozu been at the school? He was well known, incredibly wealthy, and wielded much power, but he had no reason to be at a police investigation.

Uraraka kept her (well, Deku's) backpack underneath her desk, squished between her legs. She was uncertain as to how the knife had found its way in her backpack, but she had a sneaking suspicion that it would have taken someone invisible to do so. She almost wished she still had the knife to examine it, but the pro heroes had confiscated it for their investigation.

With everything on her mind, the day passed agonisingly slow for Uraraka. The school bell rang, signifying the end of the day, and Uraraka quickly dumped her books in her bag and headed out the classroom. She fished into the bag pocket for her pink cell phone. As she opened the flip phone, her heart fluttered briefly as she stared at the picture of Deku on her home screen. She giggled to herself before flicking to the messages.

There was nothing from Momo, which wasn't too unusual, Uraraka supposed. She may have dwelled on it further, but the other message pulled at her focus.

Hi Uraraka. I'll be waiting at the front gate for you. I'll see you soon!

Uraraka hugged the phone to her chest as she made her way down the stairs. Seeing Deku was going to be the best part of her day… Well, maybe waking up in his arms was the best part, but still.

The familiar tuft of green hair raised her spirits, and she grabbed the straps of her backpack and ran the rest of the way to the gate.

"Deekkuu!" Uraraka called as she got closer. Deku glanced up from his own phone, and upon seeing her, burst into a smile.

Uraraka froze in shock when, instead of waving at her, or saying something in response, Deku stepped forwards and wrapped Uraraka up in a large hug. Her body was rigid as a board, the sudden affection shocking her system.

"I'm so glad you're okay Uraraka," Deku murmured in her ear, sending chills down her arms and legs. He let go of her, unfortunately too soon for Uraraka, and she sobered realising that Deku was looking quite pained.

"I heard about Principal Nezu," he said softly. "I was so worried about you. Thank god you're alright."

"Well, I have Momo to thank for that," Uraraka admitted. Deku looked at her, concern in his eyes, and Uraraka retold the day's events to him. As she finished, Deku's eyes were furrowed together, his mind deep in thought. Before he could voice his thoughts, the two were interrupted by a loud, explosive voice.

"Oi, Deku you useless shit!"

The two turned to see the spiky blond haired boy walking towards them. Bakugo's whole body was tense, ready to fire at any moment. Uraraka supposed that that was actually quite normal for Bakugo though.

"Oh, hi Ka-chan. How was school?" Deku's complete ignorance of Bakugo's insults was quite entertaining in itself. If anything, it seemed to make Bakugo even angrier.

"Fuck that useless 'how was school' shit. I wanna ask your girlfriend a question!"

Uraraka's face lit up like tomato, going the brightest red instantly. A glance at Deku notified her that he was also blushing heavily.

"Yo, gravity bitch, you heard anything from the stuck up bitch?" Bakugo asked. Uraraka supposed that this was him being polite.

"Uhh.. the stuck up bitch?" Uraraka asked tentatively.

"Y'know… Momo…" Bakugo spoke quite softly when saying her name, almost as if being heard saying her name would kill him.

"Oh… no, I haven't heard from her since her father took her away," Uraraka admitted. Bakugo nodded slowly, before turning away from them.

"Course you haven't, useless shit. Why don't you send her a message tonight then," Bakugo growled.

"Hey, Ka-chan, don't talk to Uraraka like that," Deku countered angrily.

"Yeah, yeah. I'll leave your girlfriend alone. I'll catch you after the weekend, shitheads."

Uraraka watched as Bakugo walked away alone. If it weren't for his occasional bursts of swearing at other classmates as he passed on by, Uraraka would have thought he might have even been a little sad.

"My suspension lifts on Monday," Deku said thoughtfully, glancing up at the sky.

"It'll be good to have you back at school!" Uraraka said happily, leaning into his side. He smiled at her softly, and Uraraka felt like her heart might explode. His face eventually turned red though, and he quickly pulled himself away, coughing softly.

"I, uh, had to explain a lot of the stuff to mum today," Deku explained, changing the conversation deftly. "She was a bit concerned about me coming home with a girl in nothing but her nightgown."

Now it was Uraraka's turn to blush red and turn away from Deku, coughing into her hands. Deku laughed though, making her realise that she wasn't in any trouble.

"She was very understanding. She's a little angry at your parents, but she's promised not to tell anyone. You're welcome to stay with us for as long as you want," Deku explained. Uraraka felt a small warmth in her chest. It felt nice to be accepted into his family so easily.

"I won't be in the way?" Uraraka asked gently, but Deku laughed, and he reached out with a hand and ruffled the top of her head. She brushed it down, annoyed that he messed up her hair, but secretly pleased with the affection.

"Course not. Now come on, let's watch some movies. I have all the superhero films on DVD. You can pick which one to watch first!"

"...Watch first? Wait, how many are we going to watch?" Uraraka asked in worry, but Deku just continued to laugh at her, and eventually she found the joy contagious, and she settled for smiling with him, walking close by his side as they made their way home.

"You sure you're going to be alright?"

"I'll be fine Deku. Now, leave me alone, I need to concentrate."

Uraraka pulled her hair back behind her into a short ponytail, rolled the sleeves of her shirt up, and begun cracking the eggs. Deku shrugged his shoulders and left the kitchen. Uraraka hummed softly with a small smile on her lips.

Inko had very happily opened up her kitchen to her, and Uraraka was going to take advantage of that to make Deku the best brownies he had ever had in his life!

Or so she hoped.

Either way, the comfortable routine of mixing and stirring ingredients put a happy smile on her face.

She could hear Deku outside in the lounge room. He was fiddling with the various DVD cases, trying to figure out which movie to watch first, and in what order to watch the rest. Uraraka promised herself she'd do her best to stay awake and attentive, but a part of her knew that she was going to fall asleep instantly. Movies did that to her, especially those with lots of action in them.

Uraraka poured the mixture into a baking tray. As she picked it up, she let the tin press against the pads on her hand, and the tray was weightless. She slid the tray through the air, the mixture barely moving, until the tray slid into the oven. Once she was happy with it, she touched her fingers together, and the tray fell with a soft clang.

Inko walked into the kitchen to check on the rice in the rice cooker. She sniffed the air as she walked in, humming in appreciation.

"Smells lovely Ochaco," Inko complimented. Uraraka beamed in response. "Have you set a timer on the oven?"

"Yes Inko," Uraraka replied.

"I'll take it out when it's finished. You go spend some time with Izuku while you're waiting. I think he's getting a bit impatient to start watching movies…"

Uraraka chuckled in response, but thanked Inko and stepped out into the lounge room.

"Oh Uraraka, did you want to start watching the movies in chronological order, or by date of release, or-"

As Deku turned away from the DVD's to look at Uraraka, his green eyes wide in excitement, he froze.

"You look good with your hair up," Deku said automatically. His mind seemed to catch up with his mouth moments later, as he blushed red, turning back to the DVD's.

Uraraka wasn't much better. Her heart was beating a hundred times a minute, and her rosy cheeks were becoming even rosier.

"Thanks Deku," she mumbled softly. She sat down beside him, looking at the movie options. They all seemed the same to her.

"Why don't you choose your favourite?" Uraraka suggested. Deku quickly agreed, grabbed the remote, and hit play. Apparently, his favourite movie was already in the DVD player.

The two watched the movie, separated on the couch by about half a meter. Uraraka wasn't overly interested in the story though, and she found her eyes drifting towards Deku every couple of seconds. She stared at his spattering of freckles under his eyes, at his small nose, at his excited teeth as he chewed on his own lip while watching the movie.

She wanted to close the distance between them. Were they a couple? Definitely not. Did Uraraka want them to be?

...Maybe.

Okay, yes. Definitely yes.

But how forward should she be. She wanted to hold his hand, or even better, rest her head on his shoulder and doze off, hugging one of his lean, muscular arms… the soft feeling of his deltoid pillowing her face… mmm…

She must have stared too long, for Deku turned from the movie to glance at her. She let out a soft 'eep', at being caught, and turned back to the film. Her heart began thumping in her ears however when Deku shuffled over on the couch towards her.

She slowly turned back to face him, her neck as rigid as a block of wood. She tried to smile, but not make it a forced smile that would scare him off. Just a casual smile.

It was hard to know if it worked.

He brought a hand up slowly, his gentle fingers reaching towards her cheek. Her face was steaming. She could physically feel her cheeks boiling. Was he going to hold her side, pull her in and kiss her?

This was too fast! Yes, this was what she wanted, but she had to prepare herself first. She wasn't mentally sane enough for this level of affection.

His fingers touched her cheekbone, and she sighed, leaning into his touch. She let her eyes flutter shut. She may not have kissed someone before, but she knew that the first step was to always close your eyes.

She waited, lips slightly parted, heavy, warm breaths escaping softly.

She was slightly confused, therefore, when instead of a soft caress, she felt his thumb rubbing roughly against her jaw.

"There you go, got it for you," Deku replied easily. Uraraka's brown eyes flicked open in surprise.

"Wha…?"

"You had some flour, just here," Deku said, pointing to his own chin to explain. Uraraka's mouth was open in disbelief. When she didn't respond, Deku coughed awkwardly, turning away from her.

"You idiot!" Uraraka shouted, grabbing a nearby pillow and whacking him with it. He cried out in surprise, bringing his hands up to stop the successive blows. Uraraka knew she was being unfair, but her emotions were so shook she needed to vent.

"What did I do? Ah, stop, help!" Deku curled backwards, trying to cover his face and his sides with his arms as she continued to wallop him with the pillow.

"Think. Before. You do things. To a girl." Uraraka exclaimed, punctuating each word with a hit of the pillow. Suddenly, his hands shot out and grabbed her wrists. In a deft movement, he flung her onto her back, disarmed her of her weapon (the pillow), and locked her down on the couch.

"Hah, I win," Deku exclaimed proudly. Uraraka's emotions were all fizzled out from earlier to care about their compromising position, but Deku seemed to realise. His face was inches from her own, and his body weight was pressing down on her legs and wrists. She felt both suppressed and reassured by his strength. Deku eyes widened as he stared deep into her chocolate eyes, but he didn't jerk away like he usually would. Instead, he seemed to move every so slightly closer to her, his motions as if he were hypnotised.

Uraraka was very aware of her heavy breathing. The rise and fall of her chest was prominent, and her body felt warm and tingly underneath him. Deku was breathing heavily too, and something seemed to change in his eyes. The emerald orbs focused on her lips, and he leaned in.

"Kids, the brownies are ready!" Inko burst around the corner, kitchen apron flying to the side, a plate full of warm, chocolatey goodness swaying on the plate.

"I took them out of the oven a minute before the alarm because I thought they'd be- OH MY GOD!"

Deku leapt backwards as if he had been struck by electricity. Uraraka grabbed the nearest pillow and clutched it to her chest, trying to bury herself beneath it. Inko stood there, eyes wide in shock, the tray of brownies frozen in the air.

"Umm, Inko, I'm sorry for doing something like that in your household," Uraraka said meekly from behind the pillow.

"NO!" Inko shouted, before quieting herself. "I'm sorry I interrupted Izuku's first kiss… Oh my god that was probably going to be his only kiss ever and I ruined it!"

"Mum! Don't say stuff like that!" Deku shouted from the corner of the couch, his face red in embarrassment.

"I'm sorry, I'll leave, and we can re-enact the scene!" Inko suggested frantically. She ran back around to the kitchen. Several seconds later she reappeared, much calmer, carrying the tray of brownies into the room once again. She stopped, staring at the two teenagers who were still on opposite ends of the couch.

"This isn't re-enacting the scene at all! You're both terrible at this!"

"Can we just have the brownies mum?" Deku shouted frantically.

"No! Not until you re-enact the scene!" Inko replied furiously.

"Why is this happening?" Uraraka cried in desperation.

"Have you heard anything from Momo?" Deku asked while they were eating breakfast. Once again, Inko had outdone herself and cooked up a feast for them.

Uraraka fished into her pyjama pockets (pants that had pockets!) and grabbed the pink cell phone that Momo had made for her personally.

"...No, she hasn't replied to my messages yet," Uraraka said, her voice tinged with disappointment and concern. "I hope she's alright."

"She will be," Deku replied reassuringly. "Even if her father has been at the middle of all this sketchy business later, they're still family. He wouldn't do anything to hurt her."

"Yeah… of course you're right," Uraraka said softly. Her mind drifted to her own parents, who had been so willing to use her as a method to get out of debt.

Her old cell phone was gone. Her parents had no way of contacting her. Were they worried? Were they sorry? Or was it a relief now that she was out of their lives.

"We could always drop by. See how they're going?" Uraraka's eyes snapped up to Deku as he spoke. Could he read her mind all of a sudden? She hoped not, otherwise he'd know that she'd secretly been watching him work out shirtless in his room yesterday and that she wanted nothing more than to run her hands over his shirtless body-

"Uraraka?" Deku asked. She blossomed red, steam pouring out her ears, as she turned away from the inquisitive green eyes.

"It's ok… I do want to see them… just, not yet," Uraraka said, once she'd calmed down.

Deku nodded in response, and the two went back to eating their breakfast in quiet. However, Uraraka couldn't help her eyes drifting over to the green haired boy, and quietly fantasising about her crush.

"I'll pick you up from school again, alright?"

Deku was waiting outside the school gates, dressed in his casual jeans and shirt. Uraraka was in her school uniform, heading back into school.

"I wish you weren't suspended," Uraraka complained quietly. She wanted Deku at school with her. The weekend had gone too quickly. She had felt safe with him, and being away from his at school made her nervous.

"I know. One more day though," Deku promised. When Uraraka didn't cheer up, he boldly decided to make a move. He stepped forwards and wrapped his arms around her in a large, warm, encompassing hug. Uraraka had never felt more at peace as she snuggled her rosy cheeks into his chest. She wanted to stay there forever, never leaving his comforting embrace.

Unfortunately, he let go, and gave her shoulders a soft push.

"You've got this. I'll be here when you get out."

Uraraka gave Deku the largest smile she could. Her cheeks felt like they were about to burst with how much they were stretching.

"Thanks Deku. You're the best!" Uraraka called over her shoulder, running to class, her short skirt swaying back and forth as her hips swang.

Deku watched her, his eyes darting from her toned thighs to her bouncing hair, until she was out of sight.

This time, he didn't leave to go home. Instead, he found a spot less than a hundred meters away, in which he could still see the school gates, and settled himself down.

If anything happened at UA today, he'd be there in time.

Uraraka was never going to have to face anything on her own again.

Uraraka sat in the assembly hall. An announcement had been made for an urgent school gathering. The UA students sat in the chairs, impatiently waiting for the news. Soft chattering filled the air as friends gossiped about recent events.

The room fell silent when Eraserhead made his appearance at the front stage. He walked to the podium, tapping the microphone with his finger softly to test that it was working.

"Erm… thank you everyone for your patience this morning," Eraserhead began.

"The last few weeks have been quite… turbulent. I'm sure there are many rumours passing through the school, and I would like to clarify things before they get out of hand."

"First, it is with a sad heart that I must announce that Nezu, the UA principal, passed away yesterday."

"Passed away?" Uraraka muttered to herself. Murdered, was more realistic. The multiple stab wounds, and red blood staining Nezu's white fur didn't quite seem to fit the words 'passed away'.

"This is a tragic blow to the school. In addition to the recent loss of All Might, there has been much speculation about the safety, and quality of our school."

Eraserhead paused, and it looked to Uraraka like he was considering his next words carefully. He seemed to be somehow conflicted, but when he spoke, his voice was confident.

"It is during these uncertain times that we must be confident. We must trust each other, and rely upon the loyalty we have built. Although the loss of our late principal has created a void that is impossible to fill, I am at least pleased to announce that we will have an immediate, if temporary, replacement."

Muttering filled the hall as students began whispering to each other. Who was the new principal? Was it one of the current teachers? A pro-hero? Would it be someone that they knew?

The whispers died immediately as footsteps resounded against the wooden floorboard of the stage. Wearing polished shoes, and an immaculate (and expensive looking) black suit, the new principal walked towards the podium. With a nod, Eraserhead stepped away from the microphone, sinking into the background.

The man stood tall, taller than Eraserhead had. He grabbed the bend of the microphone, and tilted it up to reach him. Razor sharp gray eyes pierced the crowd as he slowly turned his head. His raven black hair was short, and styled back. His whole demeanor spoke of sharp, ruthless, and a man that could get the job done.

"I am Yaoyorozu, and from today onwards, I will be your new Principal."

There was a scattering of claps from the audience. Many people knew the name, whether from Momo, or whether from the large monopoly that Yaoyorozu owned. Uraraka tore her eyes away from those sharp, gray eyes, and scanned the crowd, desperately looking for Momo. No matter where she looked, she couldn't see the kind girl anywhere.

Gulping, she slowly turned her head back to the stage, and found that Yaoyorozu was staring directly at her. Uraraka flinched, like a rabbit caught in the gaze of an eagle.

"Thank you for your warm welcome."

A bit of a delay, but a bit longer to make up for it. Also fluff. Yay.

Thanks for all the reviews friendo's and friendarina's. After reading the range of reviews, I'm going to keep with the story, but I am going to pick up the pace regardless. Hopefully though, it will feel eventful, without feeling rushed.

Also, I think I've got an ice addiction. Not like, the drug, but like ice-cubes. Just can't stop chomping on them.

Anyway, hope you like the update. Review and I'll mail you some ice. Not telling which kind.

Cheers,

Council.