Author's Note: Before we get started, I want to address something that I think some of my readers will take issue with. In this chapter we will see Yaoyorozu lose her patience with (L/N). Please remember that Yaoyorozu is also a human with emotions and that while she may want to help (L/N), the way he acts towards her takes a toll on her emotional health. Also remember that she does not know the full story of (L/N)'s traumas.

Startled when the door suddenly opened to her, Yaoyorozu's greeting died in her throat as she looked up to find (L/N) framed in the doorway. He was wearing a faded black t-shirt that he had outgrown probably several years ago, the tight fabric allowing her to see clearly the surprisingly well-defined muscles of his torso, chest, and arms. His hair had grown in the weeks he'd spent in the hospital, so his bangs now obscured the blindfold around his eyes, and this combined with his usual intensely stoic expression caused a heat to pool in Yaoyorozu's chest and rise to her cheeks.

Stammering, she tried to compose herself. "Uh... I, um..."

(L/N) leaned one arm against the doorframe, sighing heavily as the other swept the hair back and out of his weary face. He waited expectantly for Yaoyorozu to say something, but her attention had been drawn from his face by the way his shirt had ridden up and exposed his toned abdomen. Inhaling sharply, she closed her eyes and gave her head a small shake before forcing herself to look up.

"Um, hello." She said meekly.

"What do you want?" (L/N) asked callously.

The harshness of his tone caused her to falter, and she shrank beneath the cut of his tongue. "Oh, s-sorry." She squeaked. "I didn't mean to bother you. I, um... I'll just go."

Turning, she took several hurried steps down the hall, shaking her head and scolding herself. So much had happened in the past few weeks that she had forgotten their last face to face conversation. But the sharp edge to his words served as reminder to their most recent exchange and the hurtful things he had said.

"Wait." He called after her. "Momo, wait."

His hand took hold of her wrist, and he pulled her back with more force than he'd intended. Stumbling into him, her free hand came to a rest on his chest to steady herself, the other still captured in his firm grip.

Yaoyorozu's breath caught in her throat as she stood still in his hold. A mere six inches/fifteen centimeters was all the distance between their faces. The last time they'd stood so close had been at the training camp, just after Class 1A had emerged from the Beast's Forest. Looking past the curtain of hair that fell over his face, she could just barely see the scar tissue poking out from behind his blindfold.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to sound so... acerbic." He apologized. "I-I'm just... tired."

She gasped as she felt his hand release her wrist and unconsciously begin to slowly slide its way up her forearm to rest just before the crook of her arm where it gently caressed her smooth skin.

"What is it?" He asked, taking note of the sharp inhale.

"Y-You... you just..." she stuttered, "you just called me 'Momo'."

(L/N)'s eyebrows raised in horrific realization, and he quickly placed more distance between them. "I-I'm sorry." He stammered. "I-I... I didn't mean to..."

"No, no, no." Yaoyorozu said hurriedly, taking a step to close the gap between them. "It's, um... it's okay." She whispered.

Nodding meekly, (L/N) tried to swallow the lump in his throat, but his mouth had suddenly gone dry. Unsure what to say, he instead nervously rubbed his hands together while Yaoyorozu ran her fingers through her hair.

"So, you uh... you said you wanted to talk?"

"Hmm?" Yaoyorozu asked distractedly. "Um, I mean, yes."

Stepping back, (L/N) lazily gestured for her to enter his room. Private as he was, and it was extremely private, Yaoyorozu was stunned that he was allowing her inside. It took a few seconds for her to recover from her surprise, but she quickly entered, eager to see what his room might reveal about him. However, it became evident as soon as she crossed the threshold that she would be left disappointed. Unlike her other classmates whose personalities were written on their bedroom walls, (L/N)'s room was simply that: a room.

"May I sit?" She asked as (L/N) closed the door. He nodded and she gently lowered herself onto his bed.

"What did you want to talk about?" He crossed the room and, to Yaoyorozu's surprise, sat next to her.

"Well, there's a lot of things, really." She said. "But I suppose I should start by saying I'm sorry."

(L/N)'s brow pinched together in confusion. "For what?"

"For making you rescue me... again. And I'm sorry you got injured because of it. Mostly though," she continued guiltily, "I'm sorry for not respecting your boundaries. It's just, I know people are social animals and because of that I believed that, deep down, everyone had a desire for companionship. I never imagined someone would want to be alone. So, when I met you, I didn't understand why you chose to isolate yourself. But just because I don't understand doesn't mean I should force my friendship upon someone. I realize that now. And I realize that I've probably made you uncomfortable. So, I'm sorry for staying in your life when you've asked me to leave. I won't impose on you any further."

With that, she stood to leave. Turning the handle, she was about to open the door when he came up behind her and held it shut. Startled, Yaoyorozu quickly turned around and jumped when she found him so close to her.

"Wait." He whispered. "Please, don't... don't go. Don't leave me."

Looking up at him, she noticed there was something different about him. Yes, his expression was still hardened and forbearing, but for the first time she noticed a crack in his façade, one just large enough for her to glimpse what lie behind his walls. His voice though, is what truly gave him away. It was so small and desperate, so alone. She had never heard someone sound so scared. It made her want to embrace him, but there was something bothering her.

"Stop." Yaoyorozu placed her hands on his shoulders and gently pushed him so she could step away. "I-I'm confused. The last time we spoke you made it sound like you never wanted to talk to me again. And now... now you're asking me to stay? What do you want from me?"

(L/N) hugged himself. "I... I want you to stay." He said quietly.

"Do you? Or do you want me to stay right now?" Her chest was heaving, and she was struggling to control her volume. She knew he had been hurt in the past, and she was doing her best to be patient, but it was just so frustrating. "Every time this happens, every time I get close to you the further you push me away. Just, over and over again. You... You can't keep doing this! I can't keep doing this!"

"I'm sorry, I... I didn't think you cared."

"You thought I didn't care about the way you were treating me?" She asked angrily.

(L/N) hung his head. "I didn't think you cared about me."

The frustration and anger left her in an instant and her expression softened. "Why would you think that?" She asked in a gentler tone.

"Because no one ever has." He whispered. "People... they come into my life, and... they look at me like I'm broken. Like I'm something for them to fix. But when they realize they can't, they give up. So, when you came along, trying to fix me just like she did, I knew it was only a matter of time. And now here we are."

Reaching for the handle, (L/N) opened the door and stepped aside.

"If you want to leave, leave. You won't be the first. But before you do, I... I just want to say I'm sorry. I never meant to hurt you. I just... I never thought there would be someone like you. Someone who cared. So, thank you for that."

He offered her a sad smile, one that barely touched his lips before his expression was once again unreadable. Falling onto his bed, he listened as her footsteps crossed the room, each one echoing like a fading heartbeat, and even though he knew it would happen, the sound of the closing door still caused him to wince. As white vapor steamed from behind his blindfold, he wondered if there would ever be a time when it didn't hurt.

And then he felt the mattress sink and a pair of soft hands wrapped around his arm.

"I'll stay. For as long as you want me to."

An unsteady breath escaped his lungs at the feeling of her arm intertwined with his. Hesitantly, he placed his hand atop hers and held it tight. There they sat in silence, leaning into one another as they abandoned a need for words.

The young man tentatively approached the fissure once more. The hot steam that poured from its depths warmed the surrounding waters and wrapped him in a relaxing embrace. He tentatively traced his hand along the ocean vent and almost as if in response to his touch the intensity of the heat began to grow. Sensing no danger, he rested himself on the ocean floor with his back to the fissure, bathing in its warmth.

Some time later the two finally separated. Cheeks flushed; Yaoyorozu gave (L/N)'s hand one last comforting squeeze before standing.

"Wait." (L/N) kept hold of her fingers.

Turning back, she smiled at him. "Yes?" She asked eagerly, allowing him to fully recapture her hand.

He coughed nervously. "Uh... I, uh..."

She smiled sweetly and sat back down. "What is it, (L/N)?"

"It's uh... it's (F/N)." He blushed. "My first name is (F/N). Just in case you wanted to... to call me that."