Shadows flickered across (L/N)'s face as the black sedan sped through the city, causing the early morning sun to intermittently disappear behind office buildings and restaurants. The nurses had flooded his room minutes after he'd awoke, pulling Momo away from him as they began several hours' worth of tests to ensure the overdose would have no lasting effects. Keeping him overnight as a precaution, the hospital had finally discharged him in the early hours of the morning, turning him back over to UA's care.

Mr. Aizawa had personally come to escort him back to campus, keeping a scrutinizingly careful watch on him out of the corner of his eye. "Class will be starting shortly, so we'll be headed straight to the school." He informed him as they entered the vehicle. "Once we arrive, you will issue an apology to your classmates for your actions on Friday evening, is that clear?"

(L/N) nodded once, his gaze directed towards his feet. "Yes, sir." He said quietly.

"After that, you'll serve a suspension from school and all related activities for an indeterminate amount of time, understood?"

"Yes, sir." (L/N) repeated.

"Good." Aizawa turned the ignition and put the car in reverse. He was just about to start backing up when he got the feeling he should pause. Parking the car again, he placed both palms on the steering wheel, stretching out his fingers.

"Look, I know you haven't exactly been dealt a winning hand." He said in a gentler tone. "But it's up to you how you play your cards. And even though what happened at the licensing exam was an accident, you need to realize that your actions have conseque-"

"I understand." (L/N) interrupted. "I..."

Aizawa glanced over as (L/N) fell silent, only to find himself looking at the face of a man much older than the student that sat beside him.

"I know you do, kid." He said quietly, putting the car in reverse. "I know you do."

[My Hero Academia]

"All right, everyone take your seats." Mr. Aizawa said impatiently as he pushed open the large sliding door. "I apologize for running a little late today." He said, lazily shuffling over to the podium. "From what I heard of your conversation; I gather Yaoyorozu has already informed you that (L/N) has recovered from the events of last Friday. That being said, he has been suspended until further notice. Before that, however, he would like to address the class. You can come in now."

Everyone's head turned towards the door as (L/N) slowly entered. The atmosphere in the class instantly changed the second his foot crossed the threshold, as if all the air had been sucked from the room. No one said a word as he dragged his feet, watching with bated breath as he came to a stop in front of them all.

"Go ahead, (L/N)." Aizawa said, prompting (L/N) from his silence.

From the back right corner of the room, Yaoyorozu watched as he nervously rubbed the backs of his hands, wishing she could offer him some sort of comfort. Normally she would wrap his hand between her own, but the distance between them, even though it wasn't great, felt like a world of separation.

"I, um... I would like to a-apologize." He stuttered in what was barely more than a whisper. "I know what I did... was unforgiveable. And that my actions have revealed the ugliness of my nature. As for an explanation, I have none. There is nothing I can say or do that will convince you to st..."

A dull ache beat from Yaoyorozu's heart as she noticed the subtle way his voice almost broke. And when he continued to address his classmates, it was with a tremble in his words she had never heard before.

"I never meant to hurt anyone." He told them. "And... if you feel like... like you can't accept me... after what I've done, I... I understand."

He was talking to the entire class, but he was speaking to her, she knew. And it hurt her to hear him sound so despondent. It hurt her to hear him sound so small. But what hurt her most of all was the way he spoke to her. It was as if he expected her to abandon him. And he had already accepted it.

It broke her heart.

Because she knew that even after everything they had been through together, everything they had built together; that he so readily believed that she would abandon him and that he accepted it as fact so quickly, was all because it had happened to him before.

"I'm sorry." He breathed.

The next moment he was gone. Fleeing from the room before anyone could stop him. In his stern voice Mr. Aizawa killed the few whispers that had already begun springing to life from about the class, refocusing their attentions on school until slowly, (L/N)'s apology was pushed from their minds, and they continued on with the school day.

For the next thirty minutes Eraser Head went over the responsibilities a provisional license granted them and what areas they still needed to improve upon based on their performances during the exam. "We'll be continuing your training on developing your ultimate moves." He informed them. "Change into your hero costumes and report to Gym Gamma."

There was a rustle of movement and the sound of chairs squeaking against the floor as people stood and filed into the hallway and made for the changing rooms. Mr. Aizawa shuffled a stack of papers into a neat pile and was just about to follow his students out the door when he noticed one of them standing on the other side of the podium.

"What is it, Yaoyorozu?" He asked.

"Well, you see, sir." She shuffled her feet uncomfortably. "I'm, uh... not feeling too well."

"No?"

"Not at all, sir." She said, trying her best to sound convincing. "I think I'm still a little dizzy from the concussion. So, I thought maybe it best if I excuse myself for the rest of the day to recover."

"If you're still feeling the effects of the concussion, perhaps I should escort you to Recovery Girl's office." Her teacher suggested.

"Um, well, you see, sir. The thing is, Recovery Girl's quirk leaves her patients exhausted, and I think that might make my condition worse." She recited, glad she had that counterargument prepared. "I think getting some rest would be the best thing for it, sir."

Swallowing the lump in her throat, she prayed the suspicious look Aizawa was giving her only appeared so because of how nervous she was. She felt heat rise to her cheeks as her teacher remained silent and hoped the blush wouldn't give her away.

"Very well." He said finally. "Just let me write you a note excusing you in case you get stopped."

Yaoyorozu let out a sigh of relief as he turned his back, reaching for a pen on his desk. She watched as he scribbled a brief message on a piece of scrap paper and signed the bottom. Offering it to her, she went to take it but found him still holding onto the other end.

"Oh, and Yaoyorozu." He looked her in the eye. "I trust that you'll have made a full recovery in time for class tomorrow. Is that understood?"

Her face flushed in embarrassment at the knowing look Mr. Aizawa gave her. "Yes, sir."

"Good." He handed the note to her.

Bowing her thanks, Yaoyorozu took her leave and made her way through the halls for the main entrance in a brisk walk, but careful not to allow her anticipation to tempt her into a run. She was supposed to be injured, after all. Sure enough, she was waved down by her modern art history teacher just as the front doors came into view.

Yaoyorozu presented the note Mr. Aizawa had written in way of explanation and waited impatiently for Midnight to read it. The indigo haired heroine scoffed as she read through the letter and reprimanded Eraser Head for allowing his student to travel unaccompanied when she was injured, saying he was callous and lacked tact.

Despite Yaoyorozu's polite protests, Midnight insisted on escorting her back to the dormitories, and she was unable to do anything other than act thankful for her teacher's concern. A gust of chilled air met them as they stepped outside. The midmorning sun, though shining bright as ever, now sat lower in the sky, and its rays had lost some of the warmth they once brought. Though the leaves had not yet quite begun to change color, the chill in air spoke to the encroaching arrival of autumn.

Midnight mentioned something about having never been a fan of the colder season, but Yaoyorozu wasn't really listening, and only offered a noncommittal hum as response. Momo noticed, rather impatiently, that her teacher was intentionally walking at a slower than usual pace. She knew it was out of concern for any injuries Yaoyorozu claimed to have had, but she couldn't help but find it the slightest bit irritating. Fortunately, Heights Alliance was only a handful of minutes away even when walking at a snail's pace, though to Momo it seemed much longer, and soon enough Midnight was leaving her at the front doors.

Bowing twice as her teacher set off for the school, Momo hurriedly slipped inside the large double doors. Kicking off her shoes, she dropped her bag on one of the chairs as she made her way to the door off of the living room, behind which were the stairs that lead to the sublevel. Heart pounding in her ears, she paused for the briefest of moments before knocking softly on his door.

There was a second of silence, and then a whispered "go away".

Frowning and biting her lip, Momo knocked again, this time a bit harder.

From behind the door, she heard a sigh, followed by a series of muffled footsteps, and finally the characteristic sounds of a doorlatch opening before the door opened just a crack.

"What do you want?" He asked.

"I wanted to see how you were doing and to make sure you were alright." She answered, placing her hand against the door. "And I... I wanted to see you. So will you please let me in?"

The touch of the wood left her palm as (F/N) opened the door the rest of the way, revealing himself in a fraying button up and patched pair of jeans. His hair was several inches longer than it had been at the beginning of the school year and fell over his eyes to the point his blindfold was almost completely obscured by his (H/C) bangs.

"How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine." He said simply.

"A-Are you sure?" Momo stepped inside before he could lock her out again. "You looked, uh... upset, when you were apologizing to the class." She said, carefully reaching out to hold his hand. "And I thought maybe you'd like some compa..."

"I said I'm fine, Yaoyorozu." He said, pulling away from her.

Momo recoiled at the sudden violent motion and sadly looked down at her feet. The use of her last name was not lost on her, and she knew it had been intentional. After all, to him she was 'Momo'. She had been Momo for almost a month, and so she recognized the return to Yaoyorozu as him trying to distance himself again.

He turned his back to her and walked over to the door. "You should leave."

Yaoyorozu walked up behind him and placed her hand on his upper back. "I know what you're trying to do." She told him. "But I'm not letting you push me away. Not again. You told me you wanted me to stay, so that's what I'm going to do."

"I know what I said." (L/N)'s hands clenched into fists as his voice raised. "But... maybe you shouldn't. Maybe I'm meant to be alone."

As she stepped closer to him, Momo tentatively slid her hand up to his shoulder, waiting to see if he would retreat again. When he didn't, she brought both arms over the tops of his shoulders, draping them over his chest in a comforting hug.

"Is that what you want?" She asked quietly in his ear, her chin resting the spot between his neck and collar.

"I..." He fell silent, and for a moment Yaoyorozu could feel his uncertainty as he struggled with himself, unsure whether to step away from her, or closer to her. "I want you here. With me." He said finally. His arm drifted up so his fingers could wrap over hers, her hand fitting perfectly in his own. "But I think you need to leave me. Don't you get it?" He asked, stepping away until her hold on him broke. "I'm no good for you."

"Maybe you're right. Maybe I should leave." She saw him wince in pain despite the softness of her voice. Placing her hand once again on his shoulder, she turned him around to face her. "But that's my decision to make."

"Yeah, but... Yaoyorozu-"

"Momo." She said firmly as she took his hands. "It's Momo. And I'm not going anywhere. I'm staying right here. With you. And I know you're scared. I know you're scared that you'll hurt me, and that I'll leave you, but I'm scared too. I scared of losing you. All I could think about on the way back from the licensing exam was what if I never saw you again. And when I saw you in this room. Overdosed. Did you even stop and think about what that would do to me?

"You've been so worried, thinking 'what if she leaves me', that you haven't even stopped and considered that I have nightmares about the same thing. Nightmares where you leave me. Nightmares where you decide that I'm not worth it. Not worth the risk of getting hurt again. But the risk of letting someone in is the only thing that makes it real. And I have tried to show you, over and over, that I'm willing to take that risk. I'm willing to let you in. But you just keep holding me at arm's length, and I'm terrified that that's the closest we'll ever be. That it'll never be real for you. So don't you ever think you're the only one that might lose something. I... I need you too."

(F/N) stared at Momo from behind his blindfold. No one had ever made him feel like he was the one who might leave. Or that it would even matter if he did. As far as he knew, he'd never meant anything to anyone. And even though he still didn't understand why Momo thought he was worth anything, he at least understood the fear of losing someone.

"I... I'm sorry." He said, turning his hands over so their palms met. "I didn't know."

"I-It's okay." Momo said. "I just don't want to lose you. I really... really care about you."

"But I don't understand why." (F/N) didn't know why he had started crying. He wasn't sad or angry, he didn't know what he was feeling. But the feint hiss like a drop of water falling on a hot surface confirmed the presence of tears, and a whisp of steam-like vapor rose from behind his blindfold, while still others escaped the heat and began to roll down his cheek. "I... I don't understand why."

"Because you're important to me." Momo said, wiping away his tears. "Because you see me in a way no one else does. Because you've helped me learn so much about myself. And now I want to help you do the same." Even as she continued to gently brush away what remained of his tears, she herself had begun to cry. "You are more than the people you've hurt."

Five minutes passed. Then ten. (F/N)'s shoulders were shaking, and his breathing unsteady, but her warmth acted as an anchor in the cold of the ocean. Eventually the trembling stopped, and the last trace of tears disappeared with a final dying whisper.

Goosebumps rose on his cheek as he felt Momo's breath and the feint trace of her lips there. "Is this okay?" She breathed.

He nodded. The soft feeling of her lips on his cheek washed  away the last semblance of the cold.