If you're the type to squeal, little warning to get someplace safe to do so. :)

◟(◕◡◕❀)

Shinsō was a quiet, determined boy. He met up with me at four-thirty am every day without complaint—except on Sundays which was a rest day. He was more than capable of doing the exercises on his own, but as he lacked proper hand-to-hand combat experience. Sparing would help him bring him up to snuff.

On top of which, while the General studies shared the essentials—math, English, history, etc—it didn't cover things pertaining to the Hero Course—Quirk practice, teamwork, trauma, Ultimates, etc.

Nezu had prepared an assortment of worksheets for Shinsō to complete, and I would be reviewing them.

In the mornings we did a basic warm up exercise, sparred for about thirty minutes, then we went over one of the hero topics. Our lessons concluded about six am and I would send him off with a stack of worksheets to completed by the end of the week.

Thankfully for Shinsō, Izuku was more than happy to wake up earlier as an extra spar partner. Once Katsuki got wind of extra sparing, he would occasionally get up early too in order to beat down Shinsō.

With Izuku and Katsuki helping out on occasion, the three of us were able to offer practice for Shinsō to use his Quirk. Katsuki, admittedly, took a lot of bribing on my end for him to agree to be a guinea pig. I had to make him lunches on the weekend for, like, the next year.

The only way for Shinsō to improve his Quirk was through practice, so guinea pigs were necessary.

It did ease the burden with how determined Shinsō was. He did not complain in the slightest bit, and when I pointed out errors in his worksheets he took them to heart and earnestly listened. It would take a lot of hard work to bring him up to our level for him to enroll second year, but given his drive, I had faith.

"Winter break will be coming up soon," I told Shinsō one early morning in December. "We'll be doing works studies again so I won't be able to tutor you much, but I talked to Cactus-sensei and he said he'd be okay to give you a mock written exam."

"You think I'm ready for that?" Shinsō asked in surprise, adjusting his tracksuit jacket.

"You're an excellent student," I praised him. "I look forward to getting to know you better as a classmate next year."

Shinsō scratched at his head. "Thanks..."

A little slow to open up, but it was clear he had his heart in the right place.

'Is it wrong to wish we could swap Mineta for him?'

◟(◕◡◕❀)

Near the end of our term our class was given a special lecture. Mountain Lady and Midnight arrived at our class with great enthusiasm. Mountain Lady exclaimed as she entered, "Today's topic is all about media exercises. As a rising star myself, I'm the perfect hero to teach you how to work it! C'mon kids, let's do this with a Plus Ultra attitude! It's Hero Interview Training!"

We were escorted outside to one of the empty training grounds, then brought up on a stage with some assistants acting as cameramen. Shōto was chosen to start the first interview. He walked up to the stage and stood next to Mountain Lady who enthusiastically held out a microphone to him as she gushed, "Amazing work out there, Shōto-kun!"

Shōto stared at her. "Sorry, what are we talking about?"

"Pretend you just finished a mission and say thanks," she said.

"Thanks," he said.

Continuing on, Mountain Lady said, "Now tell us, Shōto, what sort of hero do you want to become?"

Shōto considered her question for a few seconds before he steadily said, "The type... who can make everyone feel at ease when I show up."

Mountain Lady beamed in response, playing the perfect role of a bubbly reporter. "Fantastic, but if a looker like you suddenly showed up, I think my heart would burst out of my chest!"

Shōto's eyes widened slightly in alarm. "Do you have a heart condition...?"

"What's with this kid?" Mountain Lady laughed it off even as her cheeks turned red from the embarrassment that he completely missed her point. Had to admit a blushing Mountain Lady was darn cute. "What are your ultimate moves?"

Shōto demonstrated, conjuring a magnificent wall of ice as he explained, "Heaven-Piercing Ice Wall. It's good for crowd control, stopping villains in their tracks, and creating platforms. It has many uses. I have another move called Flashfreeze Heatwave which is a little rougher."

Tōru Hagakure let out a noise of surprise from the crowd. "Huh? What about that other one he used in the team fight?"

"That's Flashfire, it's my Dad's move," Shōto patiently explained to his peers. "I'm not at his level yet."

"It's okay to have personal touchy topics, but if you're trying to put people at ease, smiling would be a good start," Mountain Lady coached. "Flash some smiles and you'll be a genuine lady-killer!"

Shōto looked horrified. "My smile will kill women...?"

"N-Not literally..."

Kōda nervously fidgeted in the audience and he tentatively asked, "Are we supposed to showcase our moves during interviews?"

Mountain Lady giggled. She approached the edge of the stage to kneel down and address the students. "You sweet, naive kiddies. It's not like everyone in the world knows who you are already. Your ultimate move symbolizes you. It's through those moves that people learn what you're capable of. Then you can prepare for impromptu team-ups and combos and warn people of villains and crimes. This way, everyone trusts you enough to put their lives in your hands. Shouting the names of your ultimate moves isn't just for show—there's plenty of meaning behind it."

Mountain Lady looked over at me, winking flirtatiously, "You're Nezu's apprentice, aren't you? Come on up."

"I could never keep such a beautiful lady waiting," I reflexively flirted, her wink bringing out my inner café waitress. Ochaco snorted so loudly that Izuku jumped in surprise.

"That's the right attitude to keep for a reporter," she praised. I swapped places with Shōto and she held the microphone up to me. "Amazing work out there, Saki-chan."

'Ah, did she memorize everyone's hero names?'

I beamed in response, slipping into the role. It made me nostalgic for the RP days in the café. "I couldn't have done it without my team."

"While it's good to acknowledge those who helped, don't be afraid to take credit for yourself," she coached. "What kind of hero do you want to become?"

With confidence, I answered, "One who brings hope."

"How inspiring!" went Mountain Lady, and on the interview went. Each of us had a turn. Izuku handled himself surprisingly well, but he did stumble over a few responses. Katsuki lost his temper, but was able to answer all of her questions without causing too much of a disruption.

It was a pleasant class to give us a small break before our final exams before winter break.

Although I do wish I could have gotten a recording of Mountain Lady's interview with Shōto.

Seeing him so flustered was adorable.

◟(◕◡◕❀)

"MERRY CHRISTMAS!" I heard someone shout for like the fiftieth time that day.

The whole dormitory was decorated to the brim with Christmas decorations. Everyone was dressed up for Christmas. Some wearing Santa outfits, some girls in pretty dresses with antler headbands, and others wearing elf costumes. All of 1A was in a cheerful mood as they ran around hanging up mistletoe, or teased each other over what they wore. I wasn't able to do much in the way of decorating since I was graciously chosen to make the food. I put on a dress, an apron over top it, and a Santa cap, then got to work.

All day from five to five I had been in the kitchen frantically preparing a massive feast for my classmates to enjoy our last night at school before we were sent home for Christmas break. I was ever so grateful that our kitchen had two whole ovens for me to use. I was able to roast ham, turkey, fry up some chicken, whip up several bowls of mashed potatoes, spiced cranberries, green beans, buttermilk biscuits, several no-bake cheesecakes, and fudge.

It was all so totally worth it when Eri arrived with her adorable Santa dress, took one bite of fudge, and her whole lit up with such innocent happiness.

I scooped her up, nuzzling her head and crying, "Let me adopt you."

"When you graduate," Aizawa deadpanned as he rapidly piled up a plate of food to take for himself before he made a prompt escape. He was never one for parties or holidays. It would be up to me to make sure Eri had the bestest Christmas ever. Thankfully, I wasn't alone. Everyone in 1A had pitched in to buy her presents that currently sat under our Christmas tree in the living room.

For tonight, we would celebrate, and in the morning everyone would be sent home for a couple of days before starting our work studies. I would remain in the dorms with Eri. After we opened presents, I might set up some crafts for us to do, or maybe we'd surprise Nezu with lunch.

"I will hold you to that!" I called out after him, kissing Eri's head. "My sweet Eri-chan..."

Eri squirmed in my arms so I put her down. She motioned for me to bend over and I did so.

She kissed my cheek. "Merry Christmas!"

I—

She let out a little gasp of alarm. "Oh, no! Don't cry."

"These are tears of joy, sweetie," I assured her, sniffling. I poked my head out of the kitchen to call out to the living room, "Food's done, everyone."

"Okay who made the chef cry?" Denki demanded.

"Eri kissed my cheek," I explained, wiping at my tears. "Her cuteness has killed me."

"Awww," Ochaco said, patting my shoulder. "I'll get killed by her cuteness next so we can die together."

"You're the best."

We shared smiles. I moved out of the way so everyone else could pile up their plates with food. It was a proud moment to hear everyone compliment and praise my food. If I had a third oven I would have done Baba's sugar cookies. Thankfully everyone thought the extra meat was a worthy replacement.

Class of 1A had shoved all the chairs and couches together in the living room. I took a seat on the couch, Eri on my left, Izuku on my right. Shōto sat at my feet, leaning against the couch. We chatted as we ate, talking about how we would be attending work-studies again soon. A fair few of us were excited, but I was not one of them.

"I'm not going back to that reckless hunter," I muttered crossly on the couch. "Never again!"

"Hmm..." Shōto leaned back, looking up at the ceiling. "Do you... want to join me as Endeavor's intern?"

"Do you want me to?"

"Um... yes?"

"Then yes," I agreed. "Anyone's better than that slob."

"Okay," he agreed.

"What are you going to do, Izu-chan?" I asked my friend who had his cheeks stuffed with chicken. He chewed and swallowed first before answering.

"I dunno. Might go back to Nighteye's agency, but it sounded pretty hectic over the phone," Izuku answered uneasily. "I'll check back with them later."

Eri, who had finished her plate of food and was currently shoving fudge in her mouth like chipmunk said, "I wanna do a study!"

I gently used a napkin to wipe the food off her face. "When you're older, dear. Have you started training with your Quirk?"

Eri nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah-huh!"

"Oh? How's that going?"

"Really hard!" she chirped. "I made the gym explode."

Izuku raised his eyebrows. "How did you do that?"

Eri shrugged. "Dunno."

"Have they told you what your Quirk is?" I asked her.

"Oba-chan said it was called Rewind," explained Eri, and I mentally filed away that Eri had started to call Midnight Oba-chan (Auntie). Did Nemuri know, or was Eri compelled to stay polite and formal in front of her? "Oji-san was really surprised when it happened."

'Oji-san... that's Nezu?' I thought, happy that Eri liked Nezu enough to call him uncle. "I bet. I thought your power only worked on other people."

Eri shrugged.

'If she caused an explosion... is her Quirk capable of turning back time for environments as well as people? That could be... wow, that could save a lot of lives. If she could learn to turn back time prior to an explosion in a subdivision or factory she could literally reverse deaths.'

Izuku must have had the same thoughts as me. We exchanged looks of amazement and concern.

'I wish I could help train her.'

(Do you really?)

The voice was soft and warm.

'Can you?'

(Orihime, Orihime, our sweet little Orihime.)

There was a thought, another face, another moment. One moment I was on the couch listening to my students laugh and in another I—

The living room was spacious, warm, and filled with giggles. In front of me were three children, each eagerly opening presents.

Sora proudly held up his new gaming console. "HELL YEAH! Thanks, Kaa-chan!"

I giggled at his enthusiasm. "You're welcome, dear."

"Kaa-chan, is this—?" came the excited squeal from Orihime as she pulled out an easy-bake oven. "It is! It is! It is! Thank you, thank you, thank you."

"I told you, Hime-chan. You did very well in training, you more than earned it—"

Eri had crawled into my lap. "Nee-chan, will you read to me tonight?"

"Of course," I promised her as my heart thumped from elation at her calling me sister. I adjusted her in my lap. "Do you have a story in mind?"

She shook her head, wrapping her tiny arms around my neck in a small hug. I hugged her back tightly, kissing her cheek again. "Nah-uh."

I heard someone's phone click and I looked over to see Mina had taken a picture of us.

"I will pay you for that picture," I begged.

"I only accept payments in the form of Baba's sugar cookies," she said.

"How many?"

"Enough to last me through winter break."

"Deal!"

"Sending it to you now. Glad we could do business."

Once everyone had finished eating, someone turned on some upbeat Christmas music and the students started to sing terribly off-key. Eri and Ochaco danced around the tree, causing several more students to join in with giggles and jeers.

I was about to join in, but Shōto grabbed my hand and asked me, "Can I talk to you outside?"

"Sure," I agreed. We quietly slipped away. Shōto lead us rather far away from the party, gently guiding me to the backside balcony.

We stood outside, the stars above us sparkling. The night was crystal clear without a cloud in sight, allowing us an unusually perfect view of the night sky. It was always better when sky diving—far above the city lights—but that lovely night on the balcony was just as beautiful.

There was a sprinkle of snow on the ground with more falling. I held out my hand, watching in amusement as the snow melted upon impact.

It was chilly, and when the wind blew I couldn't resist shivering. I reflexively moved closer to Shōto to try and soak up his warmth. It was then that I noticed a very odd sight.

Shōto fidgeted, which was an uncommon sight. Shōto was slow to display his unease, especially in such an obvious form like nervously tapping on the balcony railing. His cheeks were red—likely from the cold—and he steadily looked up at the stars.

Curious—and slightly worried—I scooted closer to him, gently looping my arm through his own and resting my head on his shoulder. "Sho-chan?"

He stiffened, not responding right away.

Patiently, I waited for him to gather his thoughts.

"My mother's doctor gave the okay for her to see visitors outside the family," Shōto finally said, his eyes staring fixedly at the starry sky. "I—I would like you to visit her."

I gave him a few seconds because he didn't seem quite finished speaking. He knew I'd have no issue visiting his mother, so clearly something else had to have—

"As my girlfriend," he finished quietly.

"Come again?" I whispered, not quite sure I heard that right.

'Girlfriend? Me? Really? Me? Does he—?'

His entire face had darkened in scarlet hue as he turned to face me. It seemed like he wanted to say something, but his flustered state made him hold his tongue.

"I like you," I blurted out, my heart taking a flying leap. "Like you, like you. I-I would love to be your girlfriend."

"O-Oh," he mumbled, then as if realizing what I said his eyes widened. "Really?"

"Yes, yes of course," I laughed, throwing my arms around his neck. "Sho-chan, gosh!"

Shōto wrapped his arms tightly around me, burying his face in the crook of my neck and breathing out a sigh of relief.

"Oh jeeze," I breathed out, my stomach somersaulting as a kaleidoscope of butterflies danced inside me. My heart pounded loudly in my head as the blood rushed up to my face, overwhelming giddy delight accompanied it.

"I'm not... good with words," he admitted softly in my ear. "I don't... I don't always understand how I feel, either, but I'm happy when I'm with you. I know I want to be beside you, always."

I rested my head on his chest, trying and failing to contain my silly grin."Always?"

"Always and always," he promised.

◟(◕◡◕❀)

With our fingers intertwined, we returned to the party after it got too cold outside. I sneezed when we got into the warmth and Shōto furrowed his brow. "Sorry... I kept you out in the cold."

"It was absolutely worth it," I assured him, grinning widely.

"Oh," he said, a small smile on his face.

Bubbles in my heart rose up and I couldn't resist stepping close to him again. Because of our height difference, I had to quickly conjure a bubble under my feet so I could reach up and kiss his nose, then cheek, then his other cheek, then—

I pulled back, smiling widely to see that his whole face had turned beet red.

"Oh," he said again weakly.

'This is gonna be great,' I thought, giggling with gleeful delight. 'Oh, gosh, I wish I had a camera. His face right now is—oh man!'

Looking around, I was terribly disappointed we weren't in a room with security cameras. I could've probably gotten Midnight to let me have a copy if we were.

"If I move too fast, let me know," I told him, softening my smile. "I don't want to make you uncomfortable. I like you a whole bunch, so I'm a little over-excited.

He nodded mutely, bewildered. As much as I wanted to continue on, I had to acknowledge Shōto was the shy type. He had grown accustomed to my abrupt forms of physical affection, but turning that affection from platonic to something more would be a transition for him. Given his childhood, it could be overwhelming for him.

No matter how happy or eager I was, I wanted him to feel safe and comfortable with me. His nerves were perfectly understandable, and I wasn't going to ignore them for my own sake. I could be patient for him.

I stepped off my bubble, taking his hand again. I hadn't been able to stop smiling. "Wanna go back to the party?"

"Yeah," he said, squeezing my hand. "Thanks."

"Wanna wait until you stop blushing first?"

Shōto's ears turned red. "Ah—ye-yeah."

I giggled. 'Ahhhhhh. So cute. Must resist nuzzling.'

◟(◕◡◕❀)

Never liked it when the romance gets dragged on for-freaking-ever. I think this is enough time to justify the relationship and will give me plenty of time to evolve it. No need to conclude the romance at the end of the story - there's so much potential in writing a new couple!

I do feel like Shōto would be the type to need to take things slow and steady given his trauma. I've never written a bubbly&shy relationship before, should make for great practice and fun!

Answer: SmartBubbly&everything. Finished London Detectives recently and *chef's kiss.* Not as lovely as CollarxMalice but definitely gonna be joining the favorite list.

Question: Favorite holiday / seasonal treat?

Reviews are love!