A/N: HOLY FUCK! SIX MONTHS?!

This hiatus was NOT planned. My school schedule was WAY worse this time around. I didn't have time for jack-shit.

This chapter is mainly just lead in to the start of the midterms next chapter, so forgive me if it's not super interesting to some of you. But, I had to get something out. This was way overdue. This chapter has been sitting in my documents 50% finished all this time.

...~AIV~...

"Ugh, I forgot how awful studying is. They know teenagers have terrible attention spans, right?"

Izuku sighed, nodding his head in agreement, "We just have to power through it. You're in the top ten of the class, so you've got to be used to it by now."

Kyouka looked up at Izuku, who sat at his desk, from her position on the bed with an embarrassed smile.

"To be honest, I've more or less just been coasting through the year. Last minute cram sessions and all that. It's honestly kinda funny how it's the twenty-second century and schools still haven't figured out yet that most of their answers are online." Izuku swiveled around in his chair, a raised brow aimed at his girlfriend, "N-Not that I do that...too often."

Shaking his head with a chuckle, Izuku turned back to his textbook, "I won't act like I'm not guilty of it either. I've spent way too many nights scrolling through hero news or writing in my journals instead of studying for exams."

Turning over and flopping on her back, Kyouka raised her textbook up above her head and flipped through the pages, "Then I'd say we're both doing really good for a couple of procrastinators."

"Yeah, but if we're serious about this duo, then we'll have to put those days behind us." Izuku faltered at the look of panic Kyouka shot at him, "W-Well, for the most part. We have to study, but our lives have proven to get hectic on a constant basis. We'll do what we can. Let's just aim to keep our positions in the top ten. That'll definitely keep us on good terms with Mr. Aizawa."

"That sounds good to me...Wait a second..." Kyouka flipped back over, peering curiously at Izuku, "You're ranked fourth in the class, right? Who's third?"

"Hm? Oh, it's Kacchan."

...Well, that wouldn't do at all.

"Alright, new plan. We're going to aim to beat him...Okay, odds are I'm not jumping up four positions in under two months. So you're going to beat Bakugou."

Izuku furrowed his brow, looking over his shoulder at Kyouka, "That's a terrible idea."

"Getting a high rank in class is a terrible idea?"

"No, not that. Provoking Kacchan on purpose. That's not adding fuel to a fire, it's throwing live grenades into an already occurring explosion."

"Literally everything we do provokes him. What makes this different?"

"I'll become his active target again...Or, well, more active. I have a lot going for me right now, and even more to worry about ruining that in the likely not so distant future. I-I...I just can't focus on Kacchan and his problems with me at the moment. I have my own large array of bones I should probably pick with him, but I just can't do it now. He's left us alone since the Sports Festival, which means I can only hope what I said got through to him somehow. But, with..." Izuku paused, remembering that he had to keep the door slightly open with his mother in the house, and rolled his chair over to Kyouka. He continued with a low voice, "With One For All, the League, All For One, midterms, our duoship, trying to maintain this sort of stable status quo with my mom, I just can't focus on Kacchan. He's adamantly hated me since I was five, and I know how stubborn and stuck in his own head he is. It's going to be a while before any progress is made on that, and I can't put that on the top of my priorities lists. I don't want that, but I don't have much choice. He and I don't like one another, and Kacchan isn't the type to apologize. He once told our sixth grade homeroom teacher that he would rather blast his legs off than apologize."

Kyouka rolled her eyes, "Of course he did. Apologize for what?"

"Nothing. He just meant in general. Long story short, we hate each other and I'm not interested in poking a sleeping explosive bear right now."

"How could he even see you passing with higher grades as an intentional attack against him?"

Izuku deadpanned at Kyouka, "You do know who you're talking about, right?"

"But, I mean, don't you want to give it your all? You told Bakugou, to his face, that you were competing against him, right?"

"W-Well, yeah. But, these are just tests. I wasn't exactly thinking about my math homework when I told him that."

"Oh, Izuku, I know you don't care about pissing Bakugou off with the tests." Kyouka slapped both hands firmly against Izuku's cheeks, bringing their faces together until their noses touched. "I do."

"Kyouka, we-"

"You said you wished he would change, try to move on. Well, I think he needs something to wake him up; give him a real shock. After winning the Sports Festival, he probably still thinks he's stronger than you. So, let's show him you're smarter...and then stronger later."

"But, I mean, Kacchan is actually smart. Really smart. He's always been a top student academically."

"Uh-huh. And, remember all those times he said that you'd always be nothing? Always be below him?"

Izuku's brow furrowed before he answered quietly, "...Yes."

"I don't give a damn how smart he is. What I care about is that you stop putting yourself down and remember just how incredibly smart you are. What I care about is you. He's constantly trying to fight, but forgets that you've got me in your corner. I know what you're capable of. And, I think Bakugou is right about one thing. You do need to stay in your place." Kyouka took her hands off of his cheeks, using her now free hand to point at his chest. "Your place as the future Number One Hero. You once told me that when you're born on a lower pedestal, it's much easier for those higher up to spit on you. I'm not telling you to do any spitting. I'm just saying I think it's time for him to start looking up for a change."

"...I probably should have said this a long time ago, but you're incredibly sexy when you're being inspiring."

"No distractions!" Kyouka shouted with a deep blush blooming on her face, jabbing her finger at her textbook, "Now, take whatever computer chip you have in your brain that makes you memorize everything in your hero journals, and apply it to this!"

Izuku saluted, 'Yes, ma'am."

"Good." Kyouka cracked her knuckles, stretching out on the bed, "Now, I think it's time for a well deserved break."

"That was your break."

"What?!" Kyouka cried out, her head shooting up to peer at Izuku. "No, it wasn't!"

"Yes, it was. I'm not going to suffer through this alone. Besides, imagine the look on Kacchan's face the day you rank higher than him in class."

"I...Wait..." Kyouka closed her eyes, conjuring the image in her mind. "Yeah, okay. That would be pretty sweet."

"It will be pretty sweet." Izuku tapped her paper before rolling back to his desk, "Number twenty-two is wrong, by the way."

Kyouka grumbled, erasing her answer away, "God-damn math."

...~AIV~...

(The Next Day: Class 1-A)

Aizawa rolled his shoulders back as he walked in front of his desk, turning to address his class, "I meant to announce this once you got back from your internships, but due to the unfortunate circumstances of that afternoon, I've been distracted. Midterms finals are close at hand, which also means summer vacation. Having you all slack off that whole time would be a waste, so you'll be going to a summer training camp."

The class immediately erupted into excited whispers, everyone talking about the possibilities and fun that could be had. Kyouka tuned them out, one of the fortunate perks of having hearing powers. A summer camp certainly wasn't her ideal vacation. In fact, literally anywhere that wasn't UA or UA-adjacent was more than perfect for her after the first semester they had. She just needed to get away from it all, relax, and do anything but think about school and the superpowered maniacs that were out to murder her boyfriend.

Speaking of whom, there went the entire week alone with him at her place when her parents went to their event.

"However," Aizawa continued, silencing the class immediately, "we can't just take away all of your summer. Due to all of the unforeseen villain attacks this year, for your stress and suffering, Nezu has canceled all classes a week earlier than normal. So, this year summer begins on July 11th."

As the class erupted in excitement once more, Kyouka perked up, this time sharing in the joy of her classmates. July 11th? Her parents left the thirteenth. And, Izuku's birthday was the fifteenth. The timing was perfect! Now, Kyouka could only hope that camp didn't start before her birthday.

Aizaway quieted down the class once more before stating, "Camp begins August 10th, and we'll return on the twenty-fifth. Got it?"

Kyouka smiled brightly, 'Oh, and the stars align.'

Even with camp, she had a full month of summer vacation. Regular, plain old summer vacation. Except, now there was the twist of having a boyfriend. A week without parents, two birthdays, and a developing intimacy with her hot boyfriend.

It was what Mina would call a "Summer of Love."

...Kyouka wanted to vomit just at the thought of that phrase, but it was accurate.

So...What was going to fuck it up?

It really wasn't a matter of if, only when. Something. Something was going to happen.

"One more thing," Aizawa continued. "Anyone who fails the midterms, will instead be spending that time in summer school..."

Denki groaned, "You really had to give the worst option."

"...with yours truly as the teacher."

"I retract my previous statement. That is the worst option."

Aizawa gave him a devious smirk, "Then it should be a good incentive for you to study, Mr. Ranked Twenty."

"What the heck, man?!" Denki cried out, "Why'd you have to air out my dirty laundry like that?"

"Class ranks are posted on the walls outside," Mina interrupted. "We all already knew, dummy."

"Who're you calling dummy?! You're nineteenth!"

Mina merely smiled brightly, "Yep!"

"I-...You-...Ugh," Denki sat back down, his head hitting his desk, "Summer school, here I come."

Kyouka couldn't help but chuckle under her breath, looking over at Izuku to see him looking determinedly at both of their assignments, triple-checking everything before their next class. "Summer Vacation, here we come."

...~AIV~...

(...Flash Forward to the Final Week of June: UA Cafeteria)

To call the last few weeks busy was an understatement.

Kyouka's parents had been back and forth from their studio and on the phone constantly, making preparations for their trip. Izuku and Kyouka had been cracking down hard on their studying, and it was clearly paying off.

Kyouka had always gotten good grades, but now every assignment returned to her in the last month had a big "A" slapped on the top of it.

Izuku kinda always had that, but now his percentages were even higher on an average rate.

All Might was apparently completely serious about making the duo give him progress reports on their training and academics. And, he still would show up to the beach from time to time, much to the couple's chagrin.

It's not that they didn't understand why or disagreed with him doing it. But, there was this little thing called "Beach Private Time" that became far less frequent due to fear of being interrupted.

Thankfully, with Kyouka's parents out of the house more often, they were more than able to make up for it.

Now, midterms were only a week away. While they were confident about the written tests, the practical exam was still a complete mystery. Izuku and Kyouka's only solace was that they were most likely going to be allowed to take it together, even if everyone else had to take it alone.

Although, that also could mean that they're given a different test entirely.

They hadn't told their friends about the whole partnership thing just yet. Odds were they would tell Iida and Todoroki about it, or they would just figure it out themselves. There were still no solid plans on when to actually tell anyone about their relationship or duoship. The couple was just happy to have it to themselves, no questions asked or anyone intruding.

The fact that Iida and Todoroki acted as if they knew nothing was still truly appreciated.

It won't last forever, but right now, exams are much more important.

"It's probably a combination of everything we've done so far," Tsu inquired. She sat at one side of the table with Ochako, Momo, and Tenya, with Izuku, Kyouka, and Shoto on the other. They had been trying to decipher what the practical exam would be for the last half an hour.

Kyouka chuckled, "So, we go to the USJ, have to race other people to find a bomb, while fighting villains. Oh, while also fighting One v. One matches with one another. You know, now that I know what goes on at this school, I wouldn't be surprised if that happened."

"Don't forget giant robots," Izuku added. "I think Nezu would have a conniption if we went one week without them."

Everyone at the table laughed, earning Izuku a small, prideful smile from Kyouka. Cracking jokes now, was he? He really was getting better.

Iida nodded, "The school does like to utilize them. Although, I doubt either you or Uraraka would want to face one again."

Izuku smiled at the memory of the entrance exams, "It would be nice to avoid broken limbs and a slap to the face."

Momo raised a brow, "The robot slapped you?"

"Oh, n-no. Uraraka did. I was kind of falling from the sky. But, she saved me."

"Nofft afshter youf shavfed me firsht!" Ochako tried to interject, her mouth full of food.

"Chewing with your mouth open is very unmannerly," Iida immediately chastised her.

Ochako swallowed her food, quickly apologizing, "Sorry, I'm just so hungry. I fell asleep last night so I wouldn't have to eat anything."

The table suddenly went quiet, everyone raising a brow as Ochako casually kept eating, not aware of everyone's concerned confusion.

Momo furrowed her brow, "You wha-?"

*THWACK!*

"Ow!" Izuku cried out, interrupting the conversation. Rubbing the back of his head, he turned around to see a blonde boy with an odd look in his eyes staring down at him. He had seen him before, but never spoken to him. Monoma, or something like that.

"Ohoho, I'm sorry. I just couldn't seem to get around that big head of yours." If the phrasing wasn't already enough, that irritating smirk on his face was enough to convey to everyone at the table that it was no accident.

"Really?" Kyouka asked, her bored tone matching her expression. "That's the best you had? We already have two annoying blondes in our own class, but at least their crap is entertaining."

"Hm, what's entertaining is the stunt with the Hero Killer you four pulled. The Sports Festival wasn't enough for you, huh? Just one attention grabbing move after anoth-'GAK!!!" Monoma suddenly collapsed and his tray was grabbed by the out-of-nowhere Kendo from 1-B.

"Leave them alone, Monoma. They're friends."

"Friends?" Monoma scoffed incredulously. "What about these detestable beings makes you call them 'friends'?"

"Because, one: They're not detestable. And, two: Any friend of Yaoyorozu is a friend of mine."

Monoma's jaw dropped, "You actually know one of these cretons? What treachery is thi-GAK!"

Monoma crumpled once more, the only thing keeping him from crashing into the floor being Kendo holding the back of his shirt.

"Sorry, he's just a little...yeah. So, anyway, I couldn't help but overhear. If you guys are that worried about the practical exam, I heard from a third-year friend of mine that it was more robots."

"No! Kendo, what are you doing?!" Monoma cried out as he hung from Kendo's grip, "We had an intel advantage over them!"

"We don't even know if it's true. It's just a possibility. Now, apologize to Midoriya."

"Never!" Monoma folded his arms, a scowl evident on his face.

Kendo deadpanned down at him, "You have three options. One: You apologize. Two: I chop you again, and drag you back to your seat where you'll stay put. Or, three: I leave you here and let them sick Jirou on you."

Monoma looked up at Kyouka, seeing nothing but a future of verbal pain coming his way in her eyes. "...Just hit me agai-GAK!"

Kendo rolled her eyes before smiling at the table's occupants, "Later, everyone. And, good luck."

They all watched as she walked away, dragging Monoma's limp body to his table.

Ochako nodded, "Well, that was...something."

"Yeah, but robots, though?" Todoroki pondered, "UA is never that cut and dry. Not for something like this."

As the table returned to their previous discussion, now with the added information about the robots, Izuku leaned over to Kyouka.

"...My head's not big, right?" Izuku whispered.

"Just to fit that big ol' brain of yours."

Izuku blushed, "O-Oh, well, thank yo-..." Izuku then looked at Kyouka with an unamused glare. "Hey..."

Kyouka chuckled under her breath, "It's a very handsome head, that I will continue to adore. How about that?"

Izuku grumbled a little, "I'll take it, I guess."

Kyouka could see him trying not to smile, the indicator that he knew she was playing around. Returning to her food, and the main conversation at hand, Kyouka kept smiling to herself. She was only a week away from getting away from crap like midterms and Monoma. Just her and Izuku.

Besides, if it really was just robots, how tough could the midterm actually be?

...~AIV~...

(End of the School Day: 1-A Classroom)

"More robots?! Hell yeah!" Denki and Mina yelled in unison.

Denki pumped his fists, "No need to hold back against a bunch of bots. We've got the midterms in the bag."

Kyouka raised a brow as she leaned on Izuku's desk, "You do realize that doing well on fifty-percent of the exams is still a failing grade, right?"

Denki crossed his arms, "Hey! Who said I was gonna fail the written part?"

Off to the side, Tsu asked, "In the weeks it's been since Mr. Aizawa told us about summer school, have you studied?"

Denki scoffed, a smirk growing on his face, "Of course I did."

"He can't be that bad, guys," Ochako said as she walked up next to Izuku and Kyouka, trying to advocate for Denki. "Here. What's the Pythagorean Theorem?"

"I...Ur...Shakespeare?"

"Oh dear God," Uraraka responded with concern.

Denki nodded, his smirk not leaving his face, "I'm fucked."

"If you all really need the help..." Everyone turned towards Momo as she spoke up, "I'd be happy to tutor you if you'd like. I think a study group would be beneficial to everyone."

Kyouka chuckled, "I think it'll take more than a week's worth of studying to fix...that."

Kaminari slid on his knees to Momo's desk, bowing his head to the floor, "I'll take what I can get! Please tutor me!"

"Me too!" Mina jumped in.

Sero joined in with the group, "If we're all going to fail miserably, we might as well go down struggling together. Count me in."

"I could use the help, too," Ojiro nodded.

Momo, overwhelmed by the sudden outburst of her classmates asking for her help, immediately became excited. She opened up her notebook, jotting down her address for everyone to see. "I'll begin a schedule right away! We can start tomorrow!"

"Tomorrow?" Denki whined, "But, tomorrow is Sunda-"

He was stopped by Sero elbowing his side, "This is our karma, dude."

Denki sighed, his body slumping in defeat, "Fiiine..."

Momo then bounced over to Kyouka and Izuku, a bright, beaming smile on her face, "I'd love it if you joined us! You could even assist me in teaching them."

As much as she preferred Izuku as her sole study partner, seeing Momo so happy about people putting their faith in her, well...who could say no to that face?

Kyouka shrugged her shoulders, "I guess it couldn't hurt. One last push before the tests."

Izuku nodded in agreement, "I-I don't think I'm much of a teacher, but I'll do my best to help."

Ochako blushed, rubbing the back of her head, "I definitely need some help before the exams. Sure, I'll come along."

"So freaking stupid..."

Kyouka's jacks perked, hearing the mumblings of a certain prickly blonde. She turned her head towards his desk, a smirk on her face, "Oh, got something to say, Blonde-29?"

Izuku peered curiously at his girlfriend, "Blonde-29?"

"Like, B-29? The bomber plane? And, blonde, you kn-...Shut up, I'm trying here."

Katsuki stood from his desk, his chair sliding back away from him as he shouldered his bag, "Humans or bots, I'd blast them all. It's not a big deal. And a week of studying is never going to help those morons."

Denki pointed back at Katsuki, "Who're you calling a moron, moron?!"

"The fuck you call me?!"

Denki quickly grabbed Mina and hid behind her, "Sorry! I'm sorry! I'd like to keep my flesh non-crispy, please."

"You're the moron who doesn't even know how to use his own quirk! Even Deku managed to figure that shit out."

Izuku internally sighed, 'Barely, but I guess I'll take the...compliment?'

"Speaking of which..." Katsuki continued, turning to Izuku.

'Okay, Izuku. Here we go.' He steeled himself, keeping his voice as firm as he could and began trying to siphon as much verbal power from Kyouka as he could.

"I couldn't care less what the practical exam is. I'm not going to let anything like that hollow victory at the Sports Festival happen again. When it comes to our term grades, I'm going to pulverize you. I'm going to re-widen that gap between us."

"...Did you just admit that I'm near you in skill level? Kyouka, did you record that?"

Katsuki growled, turning his gaze to Kyouka, "You made him so much more annoying."

"It was kinda the idea," Kyouka shrugged. "But, if you have a complaint, please file it with me so I can throw it back at you." Katsuki rolled his eyes with a groan, leaving the classroom and slamming the door behind him. Kyouka turned to Izuku with a smile, "Nice retort. You really threw him off."

"What do you mean?" Izuku asked, genuinely. "That wasn't a retort. I'm serious, did you record that? I don't think I'll ever hear him say anything remotely close to that again."

"Unfortunately I didn't," Kyouka chuckled, "but, after that, how are you feeling about your grade rank now?"

Izuku furrowed his brow, taking a deep breath before nodding, "I'm feeling like third place."

"I...I mean, not exactly the most inspiring phrasing, but I get what you're saying."

"Yaoyorozu and Iida are totally different monsters. I'm pretty sure they consider studying fun."

Iida, who was at his desk reading his textbook, looked up with a brow raised, "Do...Do you not consider it fun?"

Izuku and Kyouka both looked at one another and back at Iida with Kyouka responding first, "Y-Yeah, of course we do, buddy."

Izuku nodded, playing along, "Who d-doesn't?"

They sat in silence, staring at one another until Todoroki walked up to them, looking back and forth between his friends. He saw what Iida was doing and hummed in realization, "Are you guys talking about Iida finding studying fun?"

*Ding-Ding-Ding*

"Well, do you hear that?" Kyouka interjected, "The final bell, let's go home and continue this conversation never."

Near the 1-A door, Shouta watched as students began piling into the hallway to leave and head home. But, his gaze focused on Katsuki walking down the hall. The teacher furrowed his brow, muttering to himself in thought.

'You're spiraling in every direction, but up, Bakugou. Admitting that someone was skilled, even in such a backhanded way, is certainly unlike you. But, you treat it like a poison. You can't deny it, but that's what throws your entire system off. Hmm...It's a shame my original plans for you in the midterms are out the window. But, I suppose it's not the right time to be throwing you and Midoriya together." Shouta watched as more students piled into the hallway, scanning through the crowds and looking through his own students. "However...perhaps I can still make this work.'

...~AIV~...

(The Next Day: Yaoyorozu Family Estate Front Gate)

"Hey, uh...Should we call an ambulance, or...?" Izuku followed Kyouka's line of sight to find Ochako slack-jawed and wide-eyed with limp arms as she stared up in awe at the Yaoyorozu Estate Mansion. Beyond the golden gates was a brick path, sandwiched between well-kept hedges, dozens of flowers of every color, and a widespread open field of grass preceding a mansion of unreasonable size. Clearly a mix of Japanese and European architecture, it was almost like it came out of a cartoon. "She's been like that for like, ten minutes, and I can't remember the last time I heard her inhale."

"We should at least close her mouth befor-Oh, and a fly just went in."

"Okay, c'mon." They walked over to their friend, with Kyouka lightly hitting the back of Ochako's head to make the fly come out. "Uraraka? You in there?"

"..."

"...Are you alive?"

"I-It's so-...House...Big...Money. Too much money. Rich..."

"Yep, she's alive. Have you really never seen extravagant crap like this before?"

"To save food I counted out the grains of rice I had for breakfast. You tell me."

Wow, okay. Kyouka needed to remind herself to take Ochako out to eat at least a handful of times this summer.

"Yo! What's up, guys!" The trio turned their heads to see the rest of the study group on the path towards the house. Once they finally reached each other, Mina hopped up with her arms spread out, "Study Buddies!"

Sero looked at the couple in the group with confusion, "Why are you two here? You're a couple of top-tenners. Hell, Midoriya is in the top five!"

"Do you think we made it to the top ten without studying?"

Kaminari shrugged, "I made it here without studying."

"Truly one of the universe's great mysteries." Kyouka smirked as Kaminari deadpanned in response.

*BzZzT!* "Oh! You're all here!" Everyone turned towards the intercom at the side of the gate, Momo's voice suddenly blaring out of it. "Please, come in! Everything is prepared for us!"

Another loud buzzing noise came out of the intercom, and the gate suddenly slid open, allowing everyone entrance to the grand estate. The group began walking up the brick path, with Izuku doing his best to remind Ochako to breathe as she stared slack-jawed at everything.

"Sooo..." Mina started, her voice low as she pulled Kyouka back from the rest of the group, "do you have any big plans this summer? Like, maybe, getting together with a certain green-haired boy toy?"

Kyouka did absolutely everything in her power not to laugh, "Nah, I don't think so. Izuku has shown zero interest."

Kyouka once again had to hold back laughter at the pure irritated disbelief on Mina's face. There really wasn't any hiding her attraction towards Izuku from Mina. She was a bloodhound when it came to romance and juicy gossip. She had suspected her and Izuku months ago. But, Kyouka might as well have some fun while she still could.

"Are you freaking kidding me?"

"Nope."

"Midoriya? No interest?"

"None whatsoever."

Mina pouted, crossing her arms, "I guess it's good you have super-hearing, because you must be blind."

"Don't look at me. My advances have no effect on him."

"Nuh-uh, no way," Mina shook her head with a scowl, "That boy blushes just from hearing your name when Mr. Aizawa calls for attendance. He must just be too shy."

'He does? Damn, we're bad at this.' Kyouka shook her head, faux-defeat in her voice, "I don't know what to tell you."

"Really? You're just gonna give up that easily? Alright, then, I guess you'd be okay if I took a shot at him?"

"I'm going to hurt you. Physically."

"Yeah, that's what I thought. I expect progress before camp starts. No excuses."

Kyouka smirked to herself, 'Well, this is the first time I've already had my homework done before it was even assigned to me."

Once they made it to the front door, it opened to reveal a tall, lean man with slick black hair dressed in a tuxedo. "Lady Yaoyorozu's classmates, I presume?"

Kyouka shook her head in disbelief, "Momo is officially living the most cliché rich life I've ever seen."

They were welcomed inside and led to the front foyer where Momo practically skipped down the steps of the grand staircase. "Come in! Come in! I hope you're all ready for a full day of learning!"

Denki's face fell, "A full day?"

"Hours upon hours worth."

"I regret everything. I'll take the failing grade."

Mina then shouted, "Too late!" and pushed Kaminari further into the house as they followed Momo through the halls.

"We'll have a fifteen minute break for every hour of studying," Momo began as she read off of her clipboard, "Every two hours we'll change what subject we study. But, first I wouldn't be much of a good host without treating you first."

Izuku leaned over to Kyouka and whispered, "She's really getting into this."

"Let her have this," Kyouka shrugged, "I can't imagine how you would be if someone asked you for help in a Quirk Studies class."

"Wait, is that thing?! Why isn't that a thing?!"

Izuku didn't get a response, as the group had stopped in what looked like a dining hall. The long table before them was covered with different hors d'oeuvres, snacks, bottled or canned beverages, some even looked foreign.

Momo gestured towards the door at the other end of the room, "Once you have everything you want, we'll meet in the family study at the end of the hall. Please, go right ahead an-"

Kaminari, Ashido, and Sero didn't even let Momo finish her sentence before practically assaulting the table, grabbing everything they could and fighting one another for certain items.

Ojiro watched the chaos ensue, shrugged, and calmly grabbed his own plate to gather the items he wanted.

Momo sighed, but knew there really was no stopping them. She walked over to her friends, nodding towards the table, "Not hungry, or are you waiting for the battle to be over?"

Kyouka shook her head, "Maybe later. I wanna at least make sure they didn't slobber all over everything.

"Fair. Uraraka?"

Ochako rubbed her arm, "I-I'm okay."

Momo crossed her arms, "Are you certain? I still remember what you said at lunch yesterday."

"Y-You're already allowing us into your home to help us with the midterms. I don't want to mooch off of you any more than I already am."

"Uraraka, please, don't feel bad. You're not just a guest in my home; you're my friend. This isn't charity. This is simply an act of friendship, and friends don't let each other go hungry. Eat all you want."

Ochako's eyes nearly popped out of her head, "...All I want?"

Momo put her hands on Ochako's shoulders, a serious look in her eyes, "Everything you see here, everything from all of my kitchens-"

"You have more than one kitchen?"

"-and chefs"

"Holy crap."

"-are open to you. Anything you want."

Ochako looked down at the table, her mouth already watering. "I...I don't..."

Momo sighed, turning back towards her butler, "Tsuji, would you please lead my friend to the walk-in freezer and show her our selection of different mochi."

"I'll find it myself!" Ochako suddenly took off, but not before grabbing a plate and picking up everything from the table she could in her sprint towards the kitchen.

Once Ochako was out of sight, Momo turned to her butler, "Tsuji, could you please prepare a large supply of food in tupperware for my friend to take home. I'll come check in later to see what else we can pack up."

"Of course, ma'am."

"Thank you," Momo smiled at him as he walked away. She turned to Izuku and Kyouka, nodding over her shoulder as she turned towards the door, "C'mon, you two. Grab whatever you'd like. I'll meet you in the study hall."

As they watched Momo disappear around the corner, Kyouka furrowed her brow, looking at Izuku, "...Wow, I'm really privileged, aren't I?"

"Yep. Money, brains, talent, unmatchable good looks, superpowers, two loving parents, a hopelessly addicted boyfriend, am I missing anything?" Izuku smiled brightly at the unamused glare he was being met with.

Kyouka crossed her arms, "You've got a lot of nerve being right. I'm starting to like you better back when you could barely muster up a sentence."

Izuku shrugged, kissing Kyouka's temple before following in the direction his classmates went, "No you don't. Besides, you shouldn't have taught me so well."

Kyouka grumbled under her breath as she began to follow, "God-...Damn it, I love him." Following her boyfriend, Kyouka found herself with the rest of her classmates in the study hall, which was basically just a small library. Everyone had taken their seats and began eating as Momo collected a stack of books and placed them on the table. "Alright, Yaoyorozu, what are we studying today?"

Momo smiled brightly, raising a book out to Kyouka, "Classical literature!"

Kyouka's face dropped, a sad groan escaping her throat, "Izuku, take me home."

"It's Pride and Prejudice!"

Kyouka's eyes widened; she grabbed Izuku's arms, tears springing into her eyes, "Take me home! Please, please, please take me home!"

Momo sighed, "Don't be so dramatic, Jirou. For fun I also brought the movie for us to watch when we're done."

Kyouka then cried into Izuku's chest.

...~AIV~...

(Downtown Musutafu)

"Wrong. Wrong. Really fucking wrong. Wrong. Wrong. Wro-"

"Alright!" Kirishima yelled exasperatedly, garnering some turned heads from the cafe they were studying in. The afternoon sun through the windows, brightening up the dark, rustic decor of the establishment. "I get it. You know what would be helpful? Telling me why they're wrong, and how to fix it."

Katsuki grumbled, clenching his fist, "Reread page forty-four, fifth paragraph. Go through those instructions with the problems, step-by-step."

"Well, whaddya know? You can be civil for at least five seconds."

"Piss off."

"I guess it was nice while it lasted?"

"Just get to work."

"Hey, you agreed to this. Don't get all pissy at me for your own decision."

"Hardly my decision. You would've been useless in the written portion if I did nothing."

"You got me there," Kirishima agreed. Katsuki squinted at "Stupid Hair" as he went back to his assignment, erasing away all of his wrong answers. Kirishima saw this, raising a brow at his study partner, "What?"

"Why are you here?"

Eijirou looked confused, "Uh, what do you mean?"

"Ponytail is, aggravatingly, ranked first in class and started up some stupid study group or whatever with all the other morons."

"Hey, some of those morons are our friends."

"Your friends, and that's exactly my point. Why didn't you go with them?"

"Cause you're my friend too. Besides, as much as I like Kaminari and Ashido, adding me into the mix just means we'll get nothing done."

"Who the hell ever said we were friends?"

"Ouch, but hey, whatever floats your boat. You still let me stick around, so I'll continue to believe we're friends."

Katsuki scoffed, "Ever since the entrance exams you've been sticking around me."

"I just think you're a pretty cool guy, despite being...um...rough around the edges. I like your confidence, and you're a great fighter. I want to see how far you go, so I can improve just as much. I'm not gonna let you beat me next time."

Echoes of a young Deku's words of admiration bounced around in Katsuki's head, saying how cool he was, wanting to stand next to him as an equal. As a hero. Those thoughts turned into green eyes with a blazing inferno inside of them, staring back at him from across the Sports Festival ring.

"...I don't need another follower."

"Good, cause I'm not a follower. I'm a friend. And, uh...another?" Katsuki ignored the question, continuing on with his work. "You don't have to worry about me, dude. You don't have to worry about anyone else, either. "

"Anyone else? Who, our classmates?" Katsuki scowled, almost laughing at the thought, "Of course I don't. I don't care about them, and they don't like me. Which is just fine in my book since that means they'll leave me be."

"What? No one thinks that. They all like you...well, I'm pretty sure Jirou doesn't like you. But, she's definitely got a thing for Midoriya, so that doesn't really count."

"Who? Oh, right. Earlobes. She's a pain in my ass, that's for sure."

"Pretty sure that's her plan, bro. You're on Midoriya's bad side...Eh, correction. Midoriya's on your bad side, for whatever reason. So, you're on her's."

Katsuki rolled his eyes, returning to his school work, "Whatever. As long as she stays out of my way."

"Why do you hate Midoriya anyway?"

Katsuki paused, sending a questioning glare across the table, "What's it to you?"

"Nothing really. It's just, everyone's always kind of wondered about it. But, no one knows either of you well enough to feel right asking. I mean, I haven't spoken to him all that much, but Midoriya seems like a pretty cool guy. Real manly."

Katsuki suddenly burst out in laughter, shaking his head. "Pfft, hahahaha! Deku, manly? You're not serious."

Kirishima raised a brow in confusion, "Well, yeah, I think so. He's strong, polite, seems like a good friend from what I can tell. Uraraka said he saved her from being crushed during the entrance exams. And, he somehow managed to make Todoroki his friend, which at first I was beginning to believe was impossible. At the Sports Festival, All Might called him courageous and selfless. Seems like a real hero."

"You can remember all that, yet not your math formulas."

"I'm just curious, is all," Eijirou continued, ignoring the insult. "You guys are like opposites or something."

Katsuki's brow furrowed as a scowl formed on his lips, "I'm his opposite? So I'm not a real hero."

Kirishima's eyes widened as he quickly shook his head, "Not at all! No, I...I never said that, I just mean-"

Katsuki slammed a finger down on Kirishima's paper, pointing at another problem, "...Wrong."

He went back to work after that, with Kirishima awkwardly following suit as silence permeated around their table for the rest of the afternoon.

...~AIV~...

(Yaoyorozu Estate: Family Room)

Kyouka stared blankly at the screen, her brain fried from pure boredom as she watched the third conversation about courtships and land dealings. And, due to their relationship still being kept private, she couldn't even cuddle Izuku. Not that she really wanted to do that surrounded by her friends (and classroom associates), but anything to ease the pain of the experience would certainly help.

Correction: Fall asleep on Izuku's shoulder, because there was no way she was making it through the movie.

She couldn't take it anymore. There had to be a way out of this.

Kyouka turned to Izuku, her hopes rising as she saw his eyes were also half-open. Izuku's favorite movie was "All Might: Summer Commander", so Kyouka knew this movie wasn't exactly his style either. Kyouka whispered, "You wanna make-out in the bathroom?"

Izuku turned to her, then back at the movie screen with tired eyes, "I-I dunno how I feel about doing that in Yaoyorozu's house. She's hosting us."

Kyouka deadpanned, turning back to Momo, "Yaoyorozu, how long is this movie?"

"Two hours," Momo replied automatically, her eyes glued to the screen, along with Mina's.

"And, we're about what? Halfway through?"

"Fifteen minutes in."

Izuku grimaced and immediately nodded at Kyouka, any hesitation gone. "Yaoyorozu, can we grab some more snacks from the kitchen?"

"Help yourselves," Momo replied dismissively, still not looking away from the screen.

Izuku and Kyouka quickly slipped out of their seats, leaving the lounge and maneuvering their way around the halls.

"Which bathroom?" Izuku asked.

"I dunno, there's like twenty of them. Let's just find one that's the most out of the wa-..." Kyouka's jacks suddenly perked up, "Act natural."

"Wh-? What do yo-?"

"Uh, guys?" The couple turned around to see Kaminari walk around the corner, approaching them hesitantly. Kyouka inwardly grimaced at the unbelievably bad timing. "Mind if I talk to you guys for just a quick second?"

"Y-Yeah, what do you need?" Izuku answered. They watched Kaminari uncharacteristically think deeply for a moment, carefully choosing his next words.

"Look, I just...I'm really sorry about everything that's happened between us. I know your opinion of me isn't exactly high, and it's not like I did anything to help that. I've never had the intention of hurting anybody, but I guess like with a lot of things, I was just too stupid to fully understand what I was doing. Or, even what I wasn't. What I'm trying to say is, I'm sorry. For letting Mineta say stupid crap, the cheerleader idea, the dumbass pool idea that thankfully is never going to come to fruition...I'm just sorry. I know I should have said this way sooner, but I've never really had the chance to approach you until now. Or, I just didn't feel like I could."

The couple looked at one another, not expecting anything like that out of Kaminari of all people. It had almost been a month since the locker room incident. Apparently he'd been stewing on this for a while.

"It's not th-that we ever disliked you," Izuku consoled him. "It's just been...complicated, I guess."

Kyouka sighed, "Okay, look I'll admit we didn't exactly start on the best of terms...or continue on the best of terms after learning about the cheerleader stunt you almost pulled."

Denki seethed, "Shit, I forgot about that."

"For me, it's just that you were..." Izuku cleared his throat, his eyes shifting away, "W-Well, I don't like speaking ill of anybody, but..."

Kyouka immediately knew where it was going, finishing for Izuku, "You were Mineta-Adjacent."

Izuku scratched his cheek, looking down at the floor, "Y-Yeah...Sorry."

Kyouka put her hand on Izuku's shoulder, a smile on her face, "Izuku here doesn't like talking bad about people. Luckily for him, I absolutely love it and can do it for him. You hung out with a little purple, perverted gutter rat. In fact, you still do.''

"He's still my friend," Denki defended himself, "The least I can do is keep him out of trouble, for everyone's sake. If one of you started acting like a prick tomorrow, would you abandon the other?"

Izuku and Kyouka looked at one another, both already knowing the answer. Kyouka blew a raspberry, nodding her head, "Look, we're cool, man. Don't worry about us."

"Really? Aw, yeah!" Denki pumped both fists in the air, "Guilt-free friendship! Also, uh, you guys know the kitchen is the other way, right?"

"O-Oh, is it?" Izuku asked nervously.

Kyouka nodded, "Right. Our mistake. Big house, you know.

Kaminari furrowed his brow as he squinted at them, "...You guys aren't going to the kitchen, are you?"

"...Uh, wel-"

"You guys are gonna go bang somewhere."

"Whoa! Hey, w-we're no-I...Y-You know, that's none of your business, anyway. W-We're not ready for that! Not th-that we're even in a relationship! And w-why am I even saying anything?!" Kyouka nudged Izuku with her elbow, "Help me!"

Kyouka immediately recognized Izuku was no help. The look on his face was proof enough that the only thing going through his mind was the sound of a dead phone-line.

"Honestly, after everything I've been through with the two of you, it was pretty obvious. Most of the class thinks you're gonna end up together, anyway. You kinda make goo-goo eyes at each other all the time."

Kyouka scoffed, "Uh, no. We don't."

Denki quirked his brow, a smirk growing on his face, "Oh, really? You don't see this face from Midoriya in class?"

Denki threw a goofy smile on his face with a dazed look in his eyes.

Kyouka crossed her arms, looking at her feet with a frown, "...God-damn it."

"Ha! Gotcha!"

"W-Well, I mean I don't do that, right?"

"Nah, you're more like..." Denki put a smirk on his face, a sort of bright yet sultry look in his eyes.

Kyouka turned to Izuku, horror in her eyes, "Don't tell me I actually do that."

Izuku rubbed his neck nervously, his eyes shifting to the side, "...I-I mean..."

Running a hand down her face, Kyouka used her other hand to point down the hall, "Leave. Now. And not a word o-"

Kaminari raised his hands up in defense, "Hey, I'm not gonna say anything. Besides, you've both proven you could actually kill me pretty easily, so I think I very much prefer being on your good side. I'll leave you both to your 'business' then."

Kaminari walked away, leaving the fluster couple to themselves.

Kyouka pinched the bridge of her nose, taking a deep breath, "...So, bathroom?"

"Right, right, c'mon."

...~AIV~...

(One Week Later: Jirou Household)

"You sure you don't want one last cram session, just for fu-"

"Noooooo!" Kyouka turned her head over, laying face first into Izuku's chest.

They laid on her floor, pillows strewn about them along with random sketchbook pages from Izuku's books. They had been throwing around design ideas just for fun. They had landed on a few they liked, but it would have to wait until after summer. The Support Studio was officially closed so all the students could take their exams.

"No more," Kyouka continued, her voice muffled by Izuku's chest, "No more. Yaoyorozu broke my brain."

Izuku chuckled, stroking her hair as he looked up at the ceiling, "Yeah, she got pretty intense. But, I'm feeling great about tomorrow."

"Three more days. Three more days and then it's just you and me."

"Speaking of us, mostly you, we've been so busy these last few weeks that I haven't been able to focus on you like I want to. How have you been today? I mean, have you had any...you know, thoughts?"

"Hm?" Kyouka peered up at Izuku curiously before it clicked with her what he meant, "Oh, I dunno. Not much today."

Izuku frowned, "Not much is still some amount. When? While you were getting ready in the morning?"

Kyouka almost laughed, but she settled for a scoff, "That's my guaranteed one. I barely think about that one since it's every day."

"What was it today?"

Kyouka shrugged, "Nothing specific. Just one of those days."

"Hm..." Kyouka looked back up at Izuku again, analyzing his furrowed brow, instantly realizing he was absolutely not satisfied with that answer. "You just didn't like how you looked while getting ready. Like, how your clothes fit?"

"Mm, yeah, I guess. I just think I could be, you know...curvier."

"Well, we can't have that. Mainly because it's dead wrong. C'mon, I have an idea."

Kyouka (mostly) faked a groan as she stretched out, "Can't you prove it to me here, while relaxing."

Izuku propped himself up on his elbow, gazing down at Kyouka, "Making you happy is how I relax."

"...I probably should have said this a long time ago, but you're incredibly sexy when you're determined."

"I am? Wh-? H-Hey," Izuku stuttered out, blushing up a storm, "don't use my own words against me. And, no distractions."

"Fine...it's true though."

"Stop."

"Like, really hot."

Izuku stood up, raising his hand out towards her, "Do you want to see what I have in mind or not?"

Taking his hand, Kyouka let him help her on to her feet, "Lead the way, Hot Stuff."

'God...damn it, I love her.' Izuku tried to hide his blush, "I'm starting to like you better back when I was the only one shooting our rapid-fire compliments."

"No you don't. Besides, you shouldn't have taught me so well." Kyouka kissed his temple, reenacting their antics from Momo's house. "Now, what are we doing?"

"First of all, do you have chalk?"

Well, that definitely wasn't what Kyouka was expecting, but she rolled with it. "Probably in the garage. There should be a big box full of the stuff I would play around outside with as a kid."

"Perfect. Meet me in your driveway."

"This is going to be both over-the-top cheesy, yet strangely effective romantically. You can't be one or the other."

"You'll see...and you're right." Izuku bounded out of the room and down the steps. Kyouka rolled her eyes, but couldn't keep a smirk off of her face. Making her way down the stairs and outside, she waited at her driveway for a few minutes until Izuku opened the garage door to meet her. "Okay, lay down on the ground."

It was then that it finally clicked what Izuku was doing. "Drawing my chalk outline like from a crime scene. Nevermind, it's not either."

"Just trust me," Izuku chuckled.

"I've legally binded my career to you at the age of fifteen. I think trust in each other is the least of our problems...Actually, saying it out loud makes it seem like it's our biggest problem, but we're not gonna think about that." Kyouka laid down on the concrete, waiting for Izuku to start. "Hopefully my neighbors aren't looking out their windows right now."

"You say that now, and not back when we climb one of their trees to sneak through your window?"

"Ah, you're right. They all know what we're about at this point."

Izuku chuckled as he began his work. He hovered over Kyouka, carefully tracing her body, not daring to move the chalk even a single centimeter away from her outline. On the inside of Kyouka's legs, he stopped about halfway up her thighs for obvious reasons. But, even then, it was a fairly intimate process. After a couple minutes, Izuku stood back up, wiping his brow as he pocketed the chalk.

"Done."Kyouka stood back up, standing next to Izuku to look down at his work. "That, right there, is your body...Eh, well, a-a cartoonish outline of it. But, my point still stands."

He watched as Kyouka studied it, her brow furrowing and her lips pressing together. "I mean...I don't know, don't you think it-?"

"Kyouka, I will measure this down to the decimal point if you say you don't see the curves."

"It's not that simple, Izuku. I just don't see what you do. I look at that outline, and yes, I see the curves. But, when I look at myself...I don't know. I just can't explain it."

"You don't have to see it. Not yet. Right now I just want you to know that I see them. That they're there. Then, hopefully at some point, you'll begin to see them. And, then maybe, you'll be able to see what I do. And, I promise you, I see far more than that outline. I see far more than the sum of your parts. Which is saying a whole lot since your parts are the most beautiful I've ever or ever will see...I feel like that last sentence came out wrong, but my point is still made."

Kyouka crossed her arms, a small smile threatening to break out on her face as she shuffled over to stand in front of Izuku. "That could take a long time. Years, even."

Izuku shrugged with a smile, "I'm not going anywhere."

Kyouka wrapped her arms around his neck, almost tempted to just blurt out 'I love you' right then. But, no. Something in her was saying to wait just a little bit longer. But, for now, she'd settle with making out with him until the sun went down...and then a little longer after that. Capturing his lips with hers, she did her best to spread all the love she could with nothing but actions.

*Sckreech*

Suddenly, a car pulled into the driveway, stopping in front of the teenagers. Kyoutoku, on his lunch break, stepped out of the car.

He looked up at the problem children, and then back down at the bodily outline of who he had to assume was his daughter, and then back up at the two teenagers who were apparently making-out over said outline. "...I'm not even gonna ask."

...~AIV~...

A/N: Midterms begin next chapter, and then Summer Vacation.

And, hoo boy, Summer should be spicy.