No matter how entertaining classes at UA could get, there seemed to be no such excitement when it came to the basic fundamental courses required by the school. Math, English, Science, etc. were all inescapable and dragged on endlessly as far as Kaminari was concerned. He wasn't even sure what class he was in and the gibberish on the chalkboard didn't help him decipher that question. Unlike his investment into the hero courses, these courses bored him stiff, which gave him a little too much freedom to steep in his thoughts.

It's been three days and Kyouka has hardly even looked his way much less talked to him. He was still kicking himself for what he did regardless of whether or not it had just cause. "Hindsight is 20/20 after all" he reminded himself. He wanted to apologize to Kyouka, to everyone, if they'd hear him out. His pride and fear of doing further damage prevented him from absolving himself.

He felt like he was bound beneath the surface of a body of water. He felt cold but tranquil. His mind meandered from negative thought to negative thought as his surroundings dissolved into darkness. He contemplated how he had portrayed himself up until this point. His laid back demeanor was always who he was, wasn't it? Or was it just a ploy to try and appear cool in front of girls? He wasn't so sure after his outburst.

The words "who am I?" echoed through his mind over and over to the point that it warped into a ringing in his head. He came to the epiphany that he had been having an identity crisis for quite some time now. He started working towards better fitness and better grades for that reason; to find out who the hell he was. The ringing in his head appeared to get louder and louder to the point it was obnoxious. He jolted back to reality and realized that he had slept through class and the dismissal bell was sounding off. He drearily dragged himself out of his seat and slouched as he walked towards the exit, not paying attention to his classmates' fixated gaze.

It was all one big misunderstanding. His classmates were concerned about his well-being. Nobody knew how to process what happened since this behaviour was an abnormality for Kaminari. It remained unspoken but the class universally decided that giving him some space was the best option. Although; to Kaminari, he was being alienated from the people he considered his friends. He just wished that somebody, anybody, would pull his head back above water. He could feel the black mass in the pit of his stomach weighing him down. The temptation to resign himself to that feeling and shut down emotionally was plucking a melancholy tune on his heart strings.

The stroll back to the dorms was unlike most days. Kaminari was ahead of the pack lazily trudging back to his room where he could rest his aching head. Most of the class would have outpaced his saunter by now but they all followed cautiously behind him. Nobody thought that he would go into another fit of rage; it was purely to respect his space. Kyouka watched Kaminari's back intently. She could tell by his posture how tortured he was. She wasn't sure if the Bakugou situation was strictly because of Bakugou or if there was something else bothering him. Her heart ached while she watched him, begging her to do something about it but she didn't have the courage. She was angry with herself for being such a coward and shutting him out. She knew deep down that he didn't deserve that.

Midoriya was observing all of this play out the past couple days and had talked it over with Uraraka in private multiple times. Just like he always tried to help Bakugou, Todoroki, or anybody else in his class, he felt obligated to try and talk to Kaminari. He knew it was the right thing to do but like everyone else he was trying to give him a chance to breathe. He was misguided enough to believe that Kaminari needed his space as well. He felt like it wasn't really like him but he vowed to speak with him when he had the chance.

Later that evening, while the class was socializing in the common area, both Kaminari and Kyouka both isolated themselves to their respective rooms. Kyouka excused herself to study while Kaminari hadn't left the confines of his room since class had ended. The class was a touch too anxious to check up on their sparky friend.

Kyouka couldn't quite comprehend what gnawed at her to pick up her phone and text him but she did.

Kyouka: Hey.

Kaminari: What's kickin'?

Kyouka: Not much. How have you been?

Kaminari: I'm cool. Not much to really worry about ya know? With how peaceful things have been.

Kyouka: You sure?

Kaminari: Yeah.

Their conversation had fizzled out as quickly as it had begun. Kyouka felt awful for not being able to find the words she knew she needed to say to him. If only her anxiety wasn't so damn stubborn. It infuriated her that it crept in whenever she really didn't need it. With a deep breath and a gulp Kyouka steeled herself and sent a text. She felt ridiculous bracing herself for impact like her phone was going to explode in her hand.

Kyouka: We didn't get to go on that date. Let me take you out to this really cool music themed restaurant that just opened up downtown. My treat!

Kaminari blinked absentmindedly at his phone screen. It took a couple seconds to register but when it did, his golden eyes popped open in shock. He was convinced that not only had he ruined his reputation with his classmates but that he tarnished any chances he had with Kyouka. The black mass sitting in the pit of his stomach the past few days exploded into a flourish of butterflies. The number of times he had to correct the typos in his text purely because his fingers fumbled nervously was laughable.

Kaminari: I'm totally in Kyo. Wanna go tomorrow after school?

Kyouka felt like she had been holding her breath ever since she had sent the text. The moment her phone buzzed her heart had stopped. Finally gathering the courage to check her phone she was pleasantly surprised and allowed herself an exasperated sigh of relief.

"Thank goodness he's okay."

For everyone wondering: no, the story isn't over and I'm not finished writing it. It's been well over a year since the last update and I apologize. Life gets in the way sometimes and it makes doing this kind of thing hard. For those of you who have been asking for another chapter, this is the best I can offer at the very moment. I do have every intention of finishing out this story. After I finish up with this ship I'll probably leave it there. I'll leave the other ships to other writers on the website. I hope you all enjoy this chapter and please continue to leave reviews as you have been.

TheMortalCoil