she's a maze with no escape

"YOU'RE SOAKING WET," said a gruff voice when Serena arrived at U.A. High School, rushing inside the doors, uncaring towards her appearance. Many eyes followed after her, glued onto the crazy powerful girl with an amazing body that was shown clearly for their greedy and hormonal eyes.

Serena rolled her eyes. "What a marvellous observation. Way to go, Sherlock."

Bakugo's eye twitched in annoyance at her blatant sarcasm, her tone dripping in salt. He grabbed a towel from his locker, throwing it at her. "Here. Use this to dry yourself off."

"Why do you even have a towel in there?" she asked, not glancing at him as she leant forward, pushing her hair over her right shoulder and wrapping the towel around it, squeezing the water out of her hair.

"It's for idiots like you who decide to stand in the rain," he retorted, shutting his locker and walking off, not bothering to wait for the girl. Serena cracked a smile, slipping on her school shoes after putting her other ones in the locker. She made her way to class slowly, using the time to dry off her soaking hair. If anyone who hadn't seen the rain pouring outside saw her, they would've thought she had just come out the shower.

Serena grumbled under her breath, angrily. 'I wasted my whole night trying to make my hair curly, only for it to fucking rain.'

"S-Serena!" The said girl turned around to see a madly blushing Ojiro, his face seared a bright red colour with his dark eyes enlarged as he stared at her.

"Hi, Ojiro!" she greeted, removing her hair from the towel and straightening her back. "How were your two days off?" The blonde didn't answer; instead, his face grew redder than Kirishima's hair. "Ojiro, is everything okay?" she asked, genuine concern lingering in her tone. She took a step forward, removing the towel from her shoulders and bunching it in her hands.

The blonde's face grew even redder. "Y-your uniform," he muttered, turning his head to look away in a manner of respect. Serena glanced down and chuckled. She forgot her blazer at home, and the blouse she wore showed clearly the blue bra she was wearing, leaving only little to imagine to those that fantasized about her.

"Oh yeah. I forgot about that." Serena said sheepishly, but before she could do anything else, she felt an added weight on her shoulder.

"H-Here. Take m-my blazer." Ojiro refused to look at her, his face turning a bright red. There was something about seeing her like that that both turned him on a tiny bit and angered him. Ojiro, although he would never admit it, loved seeing her in a bra. But he didn't like it when the other students walking down the hall glanced at her. He could see the ways their eyes darkened lustfully, and Mashirao didn't like it one bit.

"But don't you need to wear it?" she asked, peering up at the blushing blonde. Ojiro shook his head.

"I have a spare in my bag," he mumbled, reaching into said object and retrieving the article of clothing. "My mum likes to keep me prepared."

Serena chuckled. "Thank your mum for me, then." She slipped her arms into his blazer, liking the way it was big on her. For some reason, Serena found comfort in oversized clothes.

The two of them made their way to class with Ojiro close to her. His tail seemed to have a mind of its own as it wrapped itself around Serena, pulling her closer. Ojiro didn't seem to notice that as he looked ahead and Serena kept her chuckles silent. She didn't mind the protective embrace she was in. Serena loved how her classmates would get jealous over the slightest things. She enjoyed their possessive side, though she would never admit that to any of them.

The two entered class just a few minutes before the bell rang. She moved to her seat, flashing the blonde a grateful smile as she made her way to the back. She slipped into her chair, and Jiro and Momo frowned when they caught sight of the blazer Serena wore, however, neither rose any questions. They figured that it might have been a spare of Ojiro's since the two walked in together. Serena didn't talk to anyone for a while, placing her head down on the desk and cogitating over her dream, if you could call it that.

Suddenly the door slid open, and Serena straightened her back, pushing early morning's occurrence to the back of her mind. She had to start paying more attention in school.

"Morning," greeted their ever so energetic teacher — note the sarcasm. Aizawa's voice was laced with tiredness and boredom, the bags under his eyes seemed to darken even more as the days go by.

"Good morning, Mr Aizawa," they greeted back synchronically.

"Ribbit, Mr Aizawa, you don't have bandages anymore. That's good news," said Tsuyu, the only bold person in the class. Serena glanced over at the dark green-haired girl, realising that she was one of the only ones who spoke to their teacher without any hesitation or fear.

"The old lady went a little overboard in her treatment." Serena felt slightly guilty when she saw the deep scar underneath his right eye. She looked down at her table, her nails digging into her palm. Serena still wasn't over the USJ incident. Even though her classmates and teachers all reassured she did her best, she didn't feel like she did. She could've done so much more. She could've saved them all if she had been stronger.

Sensing her frustrations, Todoroki reached over, placing his hand over hers, the one by her side. He scooted the chair closer and gently opened her palm, looking over at Yaoyorozu who did the same to her other hand.

"It's okay," Momo soothingly said, rubbing her thumb over the blue-haired girl's knuckles in an attempt to calm her down. Slowly, but surely, she relaxed her hand, mumbling a thanks to them once they retracted their hands.

Aizawa was slightly relieved that his lover's daughter was well taken care of by her classmates, all of them obviously in love with her. He was glad she had people to watch over her and protect her when her father couldn't. Aizawa knew how much pain the Akari family had been through and he was going to try his best to lessen that.

"Anyway, we have a big class today on Hero Informatics," he said, distracting the class from recalling the incident. An uneasy silence filled the classroom; those not academically smart were pleading in their minds that it wouldn't be a pop quiz. "You need code names. Time to pick your hero identities."

Immediately the class was filled with enthusiasm, the people in the middle row jumping up in excitement. Aizawa's eyes flashed red, his hair beginning to rise and the sight of him activating his quirk had all the students sitting back in their spots, obviously afraid. If it weren't for the fact that her mind was currently occupied with her dream, Serena would've laughed at their reactions.

"This is related to the Pro Hero draft picks that I mentioned the last time we were in class together. Normally students don't have to worry about the draft yet, not until their second or third year actually, but your class is different. In fact, by extending offers to first years like you, Pros are essentially investing in your potential. Any offers can be rescinded if their interest in you dies down before graduation, though." Serena rose a brow when she saw Mineta quiver in his seat in front of Momo.

"Stupid, selfish adults," he muttered.

Serena turned to Yaoyorozu, raising a brow. "What's up with him?" she mouthed. The dark-haired girl shrugged.

"So, what you're saying is that we'll still have to prove ourselves after we've gotten recruited?" Hagakure questioned, hoping for clarification.

Aizawa nodded. "Correct. Now, here are the totals for those of you who got offers."

Serena's eyes widened when she read her name on the board.

"Serena got 4869 offers?!"

Even she was shocked.

She continued reading the rest. Todoroki got 4123, Bakugo got 3556, Tokoyami got 360 and Tenya got 301. There were a few others who got offers like Kaminari with 272, Yaoyorozu with 108, Kirishima with 68, Uraraka with 20, and Sero with 14.

"In past years it's been more spread out. But there's a pretty big gap this time." While some of her classmates began to groan at how unfair it was not to get noticed, Serena stared at the number in surprise.

"Serena got the most, ahead of Bakugo and Todoroki?" Jiro spoke, her eyes wide.

"Yeah, it's the complete opposite of how they placed in the festival," Kirishima added, glancing back at the girl who had a small blush paint her cheeks, something that looked cute in contrast to her pale skin.

"They probably weren't excited to be working with the guy that had to be chained up at the end," Sero appended, resulting in Bakugo's short temper to explode.

"If I scared some Pros, then they're just weak!" he growled, his hand clenched into a fist, glaring at the boy with the the tape quirk.

Yaoyorozu sighed, not really happy with the number of offers she got. She turned to the two sitting next to her, congratulating them with a soft smile. "That's amazing. You two must be proud."

"These offers are probably because of my father," Todoroki remarked, turning to look to the other side of the classroom, his eyes filled with disinterest.

Serena, however, was flattered.

"I didn't realise people would find me so interesting," she admitted, fiddling with the ends of Ojiro's blazer. Uraraka, who managed to hear their conversation, leaned over her desk to look at the blue-haired girl with wide eyes.

"Are you crazy? Who wouldn't be interested in you? You were so cool out on the field!" she gushed, not realising that her loud voice attracted the attention of the rest of the classmates.

"Exactly!" agreed Hagakure, who turned to look at the girl, nodding her head quickly. "You're like crazy powerful."

Serena's cheeks were suddenly kissed pink like a spring rose, the blooming colour cute against her skin. She lowered her head, suddenly growing shy as her classmates complimented her on her ability.

"Thank you," she mumbled, and those that had crushes on her couldn't help but internally awe at her expression.

'So cute,' they thought.

"Despite the results," Aizawa started, taking the attention off Serena, seeing how the room grew a tad bit cooler because of the spotlight being in her. "You all will be interning with Pros. Got it?" Aizawa stared at the class with a hardened expression. "Even those of you who didn't get any offers."

"Oh, so, we're all interning?"

"Yes. You already got to experience combat with real villains during the attack on the USJ facility. But it'll still be helpful to see Pros work, up close and personal, in the field firsthand."

"And for that, we need hero names!" Sato said, clenching his right hand into a fist, pumped up by the task.

"Things are suddenly getting a lot more fun!" giggled Uraraka and Serena couldn't help the smile that broke out on her face at seeing the girl's happiness. She was glad the brunette didn't let the sports festival deflate her attitude.

"These hero names will likely be temporary, but take them seriously," Aizawa warned, looking out at his students. "Or..."

"You'll have hell to pay later!"

The door slid open and revealed Midnight in her ever so provocative costume. Instantly some of the boys perked up, broad grins and blushes on their faces at the sight of the R-rated hero. Even Serena felt her cheeks warm up at the sight of her. "What you pick today could your code name for life. You better be careful, or you'll be stuck with something utterly indecent."

"It's Midnight!" the boys (Mineta, Sero and Kaminari) all awed.

"Yeah, she'd got a good point." Serena noted how Aizawa looked exasperated, not at all affected by Midnight and her charm. "Midnight is going to have final approval over your names. It's not my forte," he said as he grabbed his yellow sleeping bag from under the desk.

Serena snickered under her breath, remembering the story her dad told her about him and Present Mic choosing a whacky nickname for the emo kid in school, not knowing that because of his lackadaisical attitude, he wasn't going to change it.

"The name you give yourself is important," he explained "It helps reinforce your image and shows what kind of hero you want to be in the future. A code name tells people exactly what you represent. Take All Might for example."

Serena bit her lip as she decided on a name, but the more she thought about it, the more she realised she didn't really care. A name was just a name in her opinion. All that mattered was the person behind it. Your actions were what people remembered, not your name.

"Now students," called Midnight, looking out at the class of students after fifteen minutes. "Who among you is ready to share?" Serena looked amused as she watched people panic.

To nobody's surprise, Aoyama went first. "Hold your breath." Slowly and dramatically, he revealed his chosen name, "The Shining Hero. My name is 'I can not stop twinkling'. Mon ami, you cannot deny my sparkles."

"It'll be better this way," Midnight started, taking the board out of his hand and correcting the name. "Take out the 'I' and shorten the 'cannot' to 'can't'."

"It's stunning, mademoiselle," Aoyama said, the sparkles still surrounding him. Serena's lip quirked upwards, finding herself always at ease and amused with Aoyama. She made a note to spend more time with him, realizing that she really didn't know much about the blonde male.

Mina went up next, excited. "Okay, let me go next. My code name is Alien Queen."

"Hold on! Like that horrible monster with acidic blood? I don't think so."

"Dang it," Mina sighed, walking back to her seat with a deflated expression. Serena sent her a sympathetic smile, though the pink-haired girl didn't see it.

"Ribbit," Asui rose her hand. "I think I've got one. Is it okay if I go next?"

"Come on up," Midnight said, welcoming her with a bright smile.

"I've had this name in mind since grade school. Rainy Season Hero: Froppy."

"That's delightful!" complimented Midnight. "It makes you sound approachable. What a great example of a name everyone will." The class collectively cheered her name with Serena sending her a wink once they locked eyes. Tsuyu blushed, ducking her head and rushing back to her seat, which confused Serena. She wasn't ordinarily shy towards her.

"I've got mine too," Kirishima said, walking up to the front and showing his whiteboard to the class, presenting his chosen hero name. "The Sturdy Hero. My name is Red Riot."

"Red Riot? Interesting," mused Midnight, tapping her chin with her index finger. "You're paying homage to the Chivaerlous Hero: Crimson Riot, yes?"

"That's right," Kirishima said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. "He may be kind of old school, but someday I want to be just like him. Crimson is my idol."

"If you're bearing the name of someone you admire, you have that much more to live up too."

"I accept the challenge!"

Serena smiled, admiring his determination. A certain blonde turned his head to the side, a faint pink dusting his cheeks at the happy redhead, while a certain stoic boy felt his heart flutter at the boy, his eyes widening ever so slightly as he glanced down at his hands, wondering why he felt so warm inside.

Serena didn't really pay attention to the rest of her classmates, deciding to focus on coming up with her own name. She looked down at the whiteboard in front of her, unsure of what to write. She bit her lip, thinking on a name that would suit her.

"King Explosion Murder."

Serena almost choked on air. Her eyes went wide as she stared at the boy who stood at the front of the class with a deathly aura manifesting around him.

"I'm gonna say that one's a little too violent," Midnight said, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Huh? What do you mean!" he yelled, his hands clenched into fists.

"Why don't you be Explosion Boy?" Kirishima joked, watching the way Bakugo's rage grew even more.

"You shut up, shitty hair!" he yelled, pointing at the redheaded male. "Why don't we go on outside and I'll show you exactly why murder should be in my name!"

Serena chuckled at the boys, shaking her head as she returned back to pondering over her hero name. Her eyes lit up when she finally thought of one. She wrote it down before standing up, grabbing the attention of her classmates as they stared at the beauty who walked up to the front. A deep curve on her lips made the world stop around her; those with a crush on her felt their breath was stolen from them.

To Midroiya and Bakugo, her smile brought back a million memories in a split second. The precious dimple that crinkled, the happiness that shone radiantly in her lively cerulean eyes. She let her smile widen into a brilliant grin, one that had the whole class beaming. She turned her whiteboard, presenting her hero name that was written in elegant writing.

"Freeze."