When we went back to the room, Father seemed happy to have regained his class. Zap had gone to chat with another class. I was glad too...

"Honey. Do you have something you need to talk about?" Father asked, coming into my bedroom. I looked up from my English vocabulary in confusion. Dad was standing nervously in the doorway.

"What do you mean?"

"You had a panic attack in the middle of class. It's been quite a while since you had one..." Dad trailed off.

"Just..." I took a deep breath. Whatever I do, I have to do with 100% certainty. "The fire thing reminded me of that nightmare. But the guys spoke to me at lunch and now I feel so much better about everything."

"Are you sure? I know I was... Irrational before. But if you need to talk to either of us about something that's bothering you and making you anxious..." I looked into his pleading eyes, trying to keep my expression as straight as possible.

"Honestly, I'm fine now."

"Do you promise?" I held his gaze for a few seconds, unable to reply. I simply nodded quickly a few times. Father looked at Dad over his shoulder before sighing and standing up straight.

"Dinner will be ready in an hour." Dad said warmly, ushering Father out before gently closing the door. I heard their voices getting quieter as they walked away. Lying to them felt so bad, but I had to be strong. I can't doubt my decisions. There's no room for that now.

A day passed and I didn't see any sign of Zap, other than the other students discussing him in the hallways and cafeteria. They all thought so highly of him. Somehow, my friends had managed to spot him every time they left the class. Why could I never see him then? It gave me an uneasy feeling. The two groups - the Bakusquad and the Dekusquad - had coordinated a meetup that evening. We were going to a cafe to get coffee and cakes.

"Hey guys. Sorry I'm a few minutes late." I said sitting down next to Katsuki and Mido, out of breath.

"You're still earlier than the fucking Pikachu knock off." The blonde rolled his eyes. Tenya shook his head disapprovingly. It was always a riot when Kat and Tenya spent time together.

"I'm here, I'm here!" Kami yelled, running over to the table and throwing himself in a chair between Sero and Ochaco. Some of us laughed and some of us shook our heads at his antics. A bored looking waitress came over to take out orders. When she got to Katsuki, her demeanor changed. It was subtle, but I noticed her pushing out her chest and batting her eyes at him. Was she flirting with Katsuki Bakugo? I bit my lip to stop myself from saying something, but couldn't keep the sour expression off of my face. Mina raised her eyebrows from across the table when I caught her gaze. I raised mine back. She nodded.

"Girls have their own secret language and it scares me." Sero shuddered dramatically. The waitress left and I felt myself ease up.

"What should we say?" Ochaco asked, also having picked up on her behaviour.

"Ask about his boyfriend." Mina chuckled. The boys looked at each other in confusion.

"Maybe we should all practice a nonverbal communication that relies on no bodily movements. Unlike signs, we could just make different faces to..." And Midoriya was off on another muttering spree. The waitress came back with Katsuki's order first (unsurprisingly). Before Mina had the chance to say anything, Kat casually put his arm around my shoulder and pulled me closer to him as he thanked her halfheartedly. She looked more than disappointed. I looked like a tomato, probably. He kept his arm there until everyone had their order. I got mine last.

"Thank God. I didn't think she'd ever stop flirting with me. How unbearable." Kat remarked, removing his arm as nonchalantly as he had placed it there. So he had noticed. I opened my mouth to reply but decided against it.

"Guys. I have an announcement." Kami spoke up nervously all of a sudden. We all looked at him expectantly. "I am bisexual. I was really confused at first. But I was really happy when I found out what bisexuality is. I feel like I've found my place. And now I feel brave enough to share it with you guys."

"Oh, thank goodness!" Sero sighed happily. "That clears up so much for me. Guys, I'm gay. Denki Kaminari. Will you go on a date with me?" He asked, speaking quickly. Kami gave a shy yes and we all congratulated them.

"Well now seems like a good time to say that I'm pan." Mina shrugged.

"Part-gays rise up!" I fist-bumped her. "Bi."

"Uh... I'm pretty straight. Sorry to disappoint." Kiri chuckled nervously.

"Same here." Ochaco added. Tenya and Katsuki both confirmed their straightness. I silently thanked the Lord that Kat didn't end up saying he was gay too. That would have been embarrassing for me. Mido was silently staring at his lap. I took his hand and squeezed it reassuringly before whispering.

"This is as good a time as any to get anything off of your chest. Only if you want to."

"I..." He began. "I think that... I think that I like men. Gay. I think I'm gay. It- It's been really hard for me to come to terms with. I thought that, if I just ignored it, I would turn out normal. But nothing has changed. So I think that it's time to accept it. Thank you all for being braver than me. You're all so sugoi and seeing you all proudly announce who you are and cheering each other on has made me realise that I should be proud too. I don't know if I'm proud right now. But in honour of you guys, I'm going to try my hardest." I pulled him in for a tight hug and we all cheered for him, quietly so as to not disturb the people around us too much. Todo was the only person who hadn't said anything yet.

"That was very inspiring, Midoriya. I don't think I can be as certain as any of you. I haven't really found my place yet. I've never had the chance to explore my feelings or have real friends because of my father. I think that I like someone. But I've only ever had 'feelings' for one person. So I don't really know how things will go in the long run." He admitted with a somewhat bashful shrug.

"Sexuality is fluid, Todobroki. There's nothing wrong with not having a label, or conforming to anything. It's manly to just follow your heart!" Kiri said comfortingly.

"Yeah. Don't feel pressured to put yourself in a box!" Mina grinned encouragingly.

"I-in that case... Midoriya? Would you like to see a movie this weekend?" Mido went bright red and stuttered incoherently.

"I think that he's trying to say that he'd love to. I speak gay panic." Sero leant forward. Mido nodded. Ochaco sniffed.

"I'm so proud of all of you guys. I l-love you all so much and I'm so happy that you all feel comfortable enough to share a-and-" She started crying.

"Ochaco stop crying because I'll cry." I warned.

"I c-can't help it!"

"O-ochaco!" My voice wavered. Mido sniffed and wiped his eyes.

"Why are you crying?" Katsuki spat.

"Because I feel so lucky to have friends like you all."

"Oh no." My voice cracked and tears welled in my eyes. Mina was next to break. I was close after.

"Someone's going to think someone died." Kami whimpered. Kiri wiped his eyes.

"I think that it's good to cry with each other. Sharing your feelings is healthy. You shouldn't bottle up your emotions. Being vulnerable is super manly, you know." After a few minutes of tears from everyone but Kat, Todo, and Sero - Tenya was adamant that he stayed dry eyed, but none of us believed that - we all laughed and dried our eyes.

"That was so weird." I smiled, wiping my eyes on my jumper.

"But I feel a lot better now; a lot lighter." Mido added.

"I'd gladly do it again. We should schedule weekly crying sessions. Don't worry, we'll break you at one point!" Mina gestured to the three boys.

"Ha! Good luck!" Katsuki growled.

"I haven't felt an emotion since 2010. You'll die trying."

"That isn't a brag Todoroki... That's just kinda sad." Kami patted his shoulder from across the table, soliciting a giggle from the rest of us.

After a little while longer, we decided to make our way home. Kat and I walked together as usual.

"I had fun today."

"Even though most of us ended up in tears?"

"Yeah."

"Weirdo."

"Says you. Are you not happy for everyone?"

"Of course I am, dumbass. I just don't see the point of crying over things."

"You're the weirdo." While we were talking, my hand somehow ended up in Kat's. Neither of us addressed it. We simply walked next to each other contently. I wondered what people would think if they just saw us walking. Would they assume that we were a couple? The thought made my heart flutter.

"What's that dumb smile for?" He asked.

"Oh. Uh, nothing."

"Clearly not."

"I was just... thinking about Ramen. He's just such a funny little cutie."

"I'll let the answer pass, even though I don't believe you. Only because your stupid cat is pretty cute." My smile widened. He likes my cat. How perfect can someone be?

When it was time for us to part ways, I felt kind of sad. My hand felt so empty without him.

"Hey sweetie. Shouta is on patrol so-" He stopped. "Have you been crying?"

"Yeah. Most of us did. We had a weird thing where we all came out. Sero asked Kami out. Todo and Mido are catching a movie."

"That's good for them. And did you get a date?"

"No." I laughed. "But I did get homework. This morning."

"Your father sets too much." He tutted, going back to chopping vegetables. I took that as an excuse to go to my room.

I had an idea.

Making sure that my door was firmly closed, I pressed my bracelet three times, slowly. After a few moments, a portal opened up and Shigaraki came through it.

"Hinami." He was wearing a hoodie similar to the one I had but grey, and had the hand on his face still.

"Hey, Shig."

"How can I help you?" He asked, sitting down at my desk. I leant against the desk next to him.

"I think I have a new lead. Could you look into it for me? I can't do anything without arousing suspicion right now. My parents know that I'm not telling them something."

"Of course. What do I get in return?" He leant forward teasingly.

"I won't call my pro-hero Dad into the room to arrest you?" I raised an eyebrow as he slumped back down.

"A good deal. Sure thing, I'll see what I can do." I explained the situation with Zap as quickly as I could without leaving out any important details. "I'll start investigating as soon as I get back." He said solemnly when I finished.

"Thank you. You're an angel!"

"Hardly." He chuckled dryly. I leant forward to hug him but he stopped me.

"Don't you like being touched?"

"I can't- It's my quirk." Standing up hurriedly, he started to walk back to the portal. "I better go before someone comes in." We said our goodbyes, I thanked him once more, then he was gone. I let out a deep breath that I didn't know I was holding. This sneaking around and working with villains felt wrong; but so exhilarating.

"Sweetie-" I jumped and squealed loudly before realising that it was just my dad. "Are you alright? Why are you standing in the middle of your room?"

"Dad! I was just zoning out really." I responded with a nervous giggle. "Is dinner ready?" He nodded and I made my way out into the kitchen, pulling his messy bun playfully as I passed him.

We sat and had a relaxed dinner together, discussing mundane things about our days. The whole time, my mind was filled with many different thoughts.

What would Shigaraki discover?

Was I right to be suspicious?

Or was I just jumping to conclusions because I wanted an answer so badly?

I wouldn't have to wait long for an answer.

(A/N)

Sorry for posting later than usual! I'm super sick at the moment and considered not posting at all. But having something to focus on other than old reruns of Catfish made me feel way better lol