"Now that you've finished up your first semester at UA High, it's time for summer vacation to officially begin." Aizawa addressed his students lazily. "However, don't think these will be months of rest for you heroes in the making. At this camp we'll push you to go beyond your limits. You're aiming to become 'Plus Ultra'."

"Yes sir!"

Four buses were parked on the street behind Eraser Head, one for Class A and one for Class B. The other two buses were to deliver luggage. To be honest, (L/N) didn't understand why additional transport was necessary. Everything he was bringing fit into his tattered rucksack. That and the silver briefcase that housed his hero costume. Both items would fit comfortably in his lap. He understood that due to his station in life he didn't have much, but even if his classmates packed two or even three bags, he was sure it would fit under the seats of the bus. They couldn't have packed that much, right?

A tap on the shoulder caused him to jump in surprise. "Oh, sorry." Yaoyorozu apologized. "I didn't mean to startle you."

"It's alright." He dismissed. "What did you need?"

"Well, I was just wondering if you'd like to sit next to me on the bus." She said shyly. "I thought we could listen to some music together during the ride. We can share my headphones."

(L/N) awkwardly adjusted the straps of his rucksack. "That's very nice of you to offer." He said. "But Mr. Aizawa said I could ride with the luggage."

"Oh." She said, trying to hide the disappointment in her voice. "I-I see."

"It's not because I don't want to." (L/N) said quickly. "It's just, i-it'll be quieter."

She put on a smile. "It's alright. I understand."

"Yaomomo!" Jiro called from the steps of the bus. "We're about to leave, hurry up!"

"I'll be there in just a second!" She called back. "Um, I guess I'll see you when we get there."

(L/N) nodded. "See you when we get there." He echoed.

Dropping his bag on the seat next to him, (L/N) took his place in the only bench not taken by luggage. As the bus started, he found himself biting irritably on his lip, the corners of his mouth downturned in a displeased smile. 'Yaomomo', Jiro had called her. She said he could call her 'Yaomomo', too. That it was what her friends called her. She was too close.

Maybe it was the smell of her perfume or the sound of her voice, he didn't know. Whatever it was though, something about her had drawn him in. He hadn't noticed it until a few days ago, which was all the more concerning. How had she slipped past his defenses? How had she managed to gain his trust without him even knowing? Was it her quirk, or was it something else entirely? He needed to know. He needed to identify it and in doing so remove any hold she had over him. Because as kind as she was, she was only human. Just another person, no matter how different she might seem. People weren't different. She wasn't different. She wasn't kind, she wasn't trustworthy, and above all, she wasn't his friend. She was Yaoyorozu, not Yaomomo, no matter how much he wished she could be. What they had, whatever it was, was a fantasy. It was fleeting and now it was over, just like a dream. A very... pleasant dream.

"And during your time here, I want you to ask yourself something. What is it you want? And why do you want it?"

(L/N) had given up on dreams a long time ago. There was nothing to be gained from them. No truth or knowledge to be found. The only thing dreams served to do was sharpen the cut of reality. That wasn't to say he had given up on the idea of dreams. The idea of dreaming could be pleasant, he supposed. After all, anything could happen in a dream. But never confuse a dream for reality.

In a dream she would see him. All of him. The parts he tried to hide and the parts he tried to forget. She would see the things that made him ugly and think that they were beautiful. She would see the things he hated about himself, and she would smile. But don't confuse dreams with reality.

In a dream she would stay. She wouldn't be afraid of him. Or maybe she would be. Maybe she would be terrified, maybe she would want to run, and maybe, just maybe, she would stay anyways. Maybe she would decide that he was worth something. Anything. Maybe she would decide he was worth staying for. But don't confuse dreams with reality.

In a dream she would love him. In a dream she could love him. He didn't remember what that felt like. He didn't remember what the word meant. In a dream she would teach him. But don't confuse dreams with reality.

The reality was that not even someone like her could see who he was and find a way to love him. He was ugly. A freak. He would spend his entire life alone. Unwanted and unloved. The playing of the piano was getting louder. Time to wake up and face the music. To face the truth. And the truth was it was only ever a dream. That's all it ever would be.

The hissing of the brakes as the bus came to a stop roused him from his slumber. When had he fallen asleep? He could hear the rest of his classmates from outside and he was about to join them when he felt something rolling down his cheek. He slowly brought his fingers up to brush it away and was surprised when he felt something wet. A tear? But... that wasn't possible.

[My Hero Academia]

The Beast's Forest was actually quite a tranquil place despite its name. As far as (L/N) could tell the only actual beasts were the ones Pixie Bob willed into existence, but he had left those earthen puppets far behind, along with the rest of his class. If they wanted to waste their time and energy fighting their way through the forest, so much the better. They would keep Pixie Bob's efforts focused on the group and he would slip by as a blip on the radar, avoiding the conflict. It wasn't for lack of trying though. During the initial ambush the dirt beasts had attacked strategically to keep any stragglers from escaping. That being said, they were nothing more than lumps of clay. Any of the monsters that tried to attack him or block his path simply crumbled when coming in contact with the barrier of hard light that surrounded his body. Eventually he was far enough away that Pixie Bob could no longer afford to split her attention.

The sounds of his classmates struggle grew more and more feint until it disappeared almost completely. Flying above the forest canopy, he allowed the sun's rays to bathe over him, replenishing what energy he was expending to maintain his speed and altitude. Even unhindered the journey took him over an hour. He didn't mind though. The trip had been leisurely and relaxing, giving him some much-needed time to think.

Mandalay had been surprised when she spotted him approaching from the skies. She herself had just arrived fifteen minutes beforehand and she hadn't been expecting any of the students to make their way through the forest so quickly. How far behind were the rest?

They had promised lunch to whoever made it through the forest before noon, so Mandalay got busy setting a pot to boil and chopping a variety of vegetables for a stew. From the window above the kitchen sink she kept a curious eye on (L/N) who was sitting at the picnic table. He hadn't moved since he'd arrived.

"So, what's the story with (L/N)?" She asked of Aizawa who was reading in their connected sitting area.

"Huh?" He asked, looking up from the book he was reading. "Oh, him. Principal Nezu found him hidden away in some orphanage and convinced him to attend UA. Unlike the rest of his peers however, he doesn't have any ambitions of becoming a hero. In fact, I get the feeling he finds the whole idea rather deplorable."

Mandalay chuckled. "Sounds like he and Kota would get along."

"Hmm." Aizawa said disinterestedly, going back to his book.

"So, what's a kid who hates heroes doing at UA Highschool?" Mandalay asked as she cut up a few carrots.

"Like I said, the principal has a special interest in him. Not hard to see why though. Kid's got an insanely strong quirk. The only problem is he's spent his entire life suppressing it."

"How strong are we talking?"

"Unknown." Aizawa answered as he flipped a page. "From what we've managed to gather we estimate he's somewhere close to on par with All Might."

Sosaki tore her eyes from the window to look at Eraser Head, her eyes wide with disbelief. "Wait, are you serious?"

Aizawa looked up from his book. "I'm always serious."

The color drained ever so slightly from her face. She was twice the boy's age, a pro hero, and an expert hand-to-hand combatant, but if Eraser Head was telling the truth, and he wasn't exactly one for practical jokes, then she didn't even register on the scale compared to this boy's power. How the hell were they supposed to help him get any stronger?

"That's not why he's here." Aizawa said, shocking her from her thoughts. Apparently, she had verbalized the last sentence aloud. "What he lacks is control, not strength. I'll be working with him directly while we're here. You and your team can leave him to me and focus on the others."

[My Hero Academia]

He gave a muttered thank you to Mandalay as she placed a plate of food and bowl of stew in front of him. It seemed like she might have wanted to say something, because she lingered for a moment before deciding to leave him be. He was thankful she'd decided not to stay. He had a lot on his mind.

He thought he may have found a solution to the 'Yaoyorozu Issue' as he called it. There was a difference between being friends and being friendly, he'd decided. Though why he'd decided such, he wasn't yet sure. He never had any problem alienating people before, though they'd alienated him just a much, so hurting someone's feelings had never really been an issue. It was a fine line upon which he would have to balance, but he thought it might be worth the effort. First though, he needed to see if it was even possible. A test.

The rest of Class 1A emerged from the forest just as the sun was setting. Battered, beaten, and drained, they limped from the trees a ragged, sweaty mess. Fully in the clearing, the students doubled over in exhaustion, a few of them fell to their knees or else collapsed completely, sprawling face first into the dirt.

"You said it would only be, like, three hours." Sero moaned.

"I guess we timed it based on how long it'd take us." Mandalay laughed apologetically. "Sorry."

"Now you're braggin' about how much better you are? That's so mean." Sato cried.

"Hey, isn't that (L/N)." Jiro panted, pointing at the picnic table behind Pixie Bob who was dancing around Midorya, Bakugou, Todoroki, and Iida.

"Hmm? Oh yeah." Mandalay said. "He got here around eleven."

"He what?!" The entire class shouted.

"Thanks for the help, man!" Kaminari yelled sarcastically.

"Yeah, way to ditch your teammates! That's totally unmanly of you!"

Ignoring them as he always did, (L/N) got up from his spot at the picnic table and walked over to Yaoyorozu.

"I, uh... I thought you might be hungry." He said quietly, offering her the plate of untouched food he'd been given at lunch.

"O-Oh." Yaoyorozu blushed, slowly accepting the plate. "I... uh..."

The others became even more agitated as they hungrily eyed the fruits and buttered bread (L/N) handed to the girl. Blushing, Yaoyorozu shrank behind (L/N) as her classmates displayed their indignation at the preferential treatment she was receiving.

"You didn't save any for the rest of us?"" Kaminari cried angrily over the sound of his growling stomach. "How's that fair?"

"Um, well..." (L/N) stuttered. He truthfully hadn't expected this reaction. He'd never really considered them anything more than background noise, so when he thought Yaoyorozu would be hungry after hours of fighting her way through a forest of monsters, he'd honestly completely forgotten about the others. "It's just... none of you have quirks that require you to eat, so..."

"I do!" Sato yelled.

"Oh, um... sorry, I, uh... I don't... know you."

"Enough playing around." Aizawa said in that way that silenced the entire class. "Get your stuff off the bus. Once your bags are in your rooms, we'll have dinner in the cafeteria. After that you can bathe and sleep. Tomorrow your training starts in earnest. Better get a move on."

The students groaned and dragged their feet as they slowly made their way round to the front of the building where the buses were parked. Waiting for the others to get a bit of a head start, Yaoyorozu gently tugged on (L/N)'s sleeve to get his attention.

"Uh... thank you." She said. "For the food. It was very thoughtful of you."

"You're welcome." He replied sheepishly.

Holding the plate in one hand, Momo placed the other on his shoulder and placed a soft kiss on his cheek. She hadn't really given her actions any thought, but after the fact her face grew a bright red and she immediately ran off towards the buses, leaving a stunned (L/N) in her wake.

This wasn't going to work.

Damn.