Today is the day you need to make yourself cuppa cocoa, or hot chocolate, or sweet tea and just sit. Sit still, enjoy the warmth, and let yourself relax.

You more than deserve it.

Beta:

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The morning after the festival was one spent in a blissful trance. All the students had released a lot of pent-up energy during the festival and stayed up far too late into the night celebrating. They were tired but in a satisfying way. It meant that all that hard work had paid off.

My tiara was placed next to my computer on my desk. I had never won an award before, I didn't have a place to really set it. It looked out of my place in my rather worn down bedroom. All of my furniture was hand made or a hand-me-down and had plenty of wear and tear scratches. The only thing "new looking" was my laptop that Nezu had given me to do homework on. The tiara really stood out.

Looking at it elicited a pleasant blush over my cheeks. It was difficult to accept that I had won a beauty pageant.

I didn't think of myself as ugly, but certainly not pretty enough to win a competition based on looks.

Maybe one based on my baking skills, but appearance?

'Ah, this feels kind of embarrassing the more I look at it.'

In spite of my embarrassment, I wasn't going to put it away. It also reminded me of that tantalizingly beautiful warmth I felt while dancing to Fox Hunter.

I was able to fall into a delightfully restful slumber after staring at it the first night.

'Course my internal alarm clock got me up before dawn. As much as I wished I could sleep in, it was too deeply ingrained into me to wake up before five. My eyes opened up to a dark room, the sun not even rising up to shine through the pale pink sheer curtains. I sat up, rubbed the sleep out of my eyes, looked over at my tiara, then proceeded to cover my face in a vain attempt to smother my blush and a silly grin.

Rolling out of bed, I ran a quick brush through my hair before pulling it up into a messy bun. By that point, all the students had seen one another in pajamas so it wasn't uncommon to see people lounge in them over the weekends. I wore a fitted camisole underneath my shirt to give my breasts proper support. I always tried to avoid wearing a bra when I slept, but I needed something when I wore pajamas. The only time I didn't need one was when I wore a onesie since they were puffy enough to hide any bulges.

'What to do first?'

It only took a minute of thinking before I decided. I pulled on some slippers then headed off to the kitchen.

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An hour later I popped up outside of Katsuki's room. A knock on his door warranted a growl before the grumpy boy opened it up. I was unsurprised to find him awake already, dressed in his gym clothes. I was admittedly a little surprised he had a medical textbook in his hand—apparently he had been reading it.

"Um... hey," I said, holding up a basket of blueberry muffins. "These are for you."

"Why?" he asked warily, looking me up and down. "Are you going to cry again?"

"No! Um, I just wanted to thank you. Properly. I was kind of freaking out and you were very supportive and—I know that couldn't have been easy. But you did it anyway." I held out the basket to him. "Thank you."

"You don't need to thank me," he snapped out, his tone a tad sharper than normal. "That's fucking annoying."

"I wouldn't be me if I didn't," I responded with a small smile and shrug.

"We're—we're cool so don't," Katsuki retorted, accepting the basket.

"Aww, are you calling us friends—?"

He slammed the door in my face.

"I love you, too," I cheerfully called out.

I had a basket of orange mini muffins prepared for Nezu as well, but he wasn't in his office (I visited him first since I wanted to give Katsuki more time to wake up). I left them on his desk. If he wasn't in his office it was best not to track him down as it usually meant he was in a meeting or preoccupied with something very important.

With my goals accomplished for the morning, I decided to treat myself to a bit of pampering. By that, I mean baked cookies with Eri, put on a face mask, onesie, and watch Wolf Children for the eleventh time that month.

I must have had quite the look on my face because when Izuku stepped out of his dorm room across from Katsuki's and saw me he beamed. "You look so happy, Kiyo-chan. Got plans?"

"Face mask, cookies, movie, and Eri-chan time," I chirped. "Only way to make it better is if I had even more friends to accompany me. Wanna tag along? I got enough face mask mix to spare."

"Oh, um—actually—"

"That's a yes," I giggled, swooping forward and hooking an arm through Izuku's. "It'll feel great! I can paint your toenails too—"

"Please no—" Izuku said no, but he had a buttery smile on his face. He leaned forward to press his forehead against mine. "I'm glad you're happy."

I couldn't stop the grin on my face and I gently returned his head bump. "Thanks. How about just the face mask?"

"I can live with that," Izuku agreed.

"And a onesie?"

"Nope, just the face mask."

"And a onesie."

A pause. "What kind of onesie?"

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Plans for a pamper day expanded a tad bit after my run-in with Izuku. Shōto became a casualty when my dear friend exited his room at the wrong time. I was arguing with Izuku how comfortable onesies were, and just as Shōto left his room I asked Shōto if he agreed with me.

He did, no questions asked, and that was how I got him roped into the madness that is pamper day.

Of course, returning to my room to grab all of my stuff meant running into Momo and Ochaco who squealed in delight at the thought of a pamper day. So much so that Ochaco immediately texted the other girls in the class and Momo started to invite everyone else and offered to make onesies in their size.

Most of the boys were against the idea of onesies, but were informed they would not be able to eat any of our baked cookies and goodies during the pamper party if they didn't wear it.

Denki cried out that he would wear the onesie for Baba's sugar cookies and the boys echoed in a chant behind him.

So—

That was how all of 1A—minus Katsuki who was perfectly fine with his basket of muffins—ended up in onesies, gathered around the main television in the lounge room and eagerly passing treats and snacks amongst each other. The tubs of face masks were passed around before the movie began and Momo was quite generous in sharing her luxury charcoal masks.

The curtains were drawn, and everyone stuffed themselves as close as they could in front of the T.V.. I ended up squashed between Shōto and Izuku, Eri in Shōto's lap while Ochaco was sprawled in Izuku's and my own lap. Momo and Mina were at our feet, painting each other's nails while the movie ran on. Denki and Kyōka were crowded on one of the armchairs, and through the corner of my eye, I could see Tsuyu was sitting on the back of another chair. It was hard to figure out where everyone else sat because I couldn't see their faces with their onesie hoodies pulled up, but there was a large assortment of students sprawled on the floor and absentmindedly eating snacks while staring up at the screen.

For the tired students of 1A, the day after the festival was the ideal pamper day.

Back to normal school the next day.

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November tumbled in without much fuss. Going multiple months without some kind of major incident was a bit of a shock. Truly, the only thing of note that happened at the start of the month was when Shiori had finished recreating the kaleidoscope.

By that point, I had explained to everyone else in the class I had developed a second wand.

It was met with surprise—obviously—but Nezu was able to deftly answer most questions without letting on to the voices in my head.

Shiori's gentle whispers telling me the kaleidoscope was ready was met with a big grin. I excitedly asked Shōto, Izuku, and Katsuki to stay after class with Aizawa and myself. I also sent a text to Nezu, so he arrived at the class once it had concluded and everyone else I had left.

With my dear friends gathered around I let out a slow breath and began the summoning.

I raised the palm of my right hand and Shiori fluttered into existence, her once snowy aptitude transitioned into that of spring. Her pristine-white belly had darkened into a primrose pink hue, and bits of pinkish dust fell off her translucent wings when she flapped.

She fluttered off my hand as I pulled out my survival knife and—with arguably too much ease—sliced a long gash in the palm of my hand. She gracefully floated back down and a baby pink light emitted from around her, not unlike the glow of a firefly. When the light touched the wound it began to close, the blood creeping back into it in reverse.

"I thought what would help the most?" I said quietly. "There are too many situations where even when a hero arrives, the damage is done. I only had the option to try to save them before they were hurt, but now I have more time."

The choice of healing opened paths to me. I could lean more to utility/support if I wanted to, but I had to think about fighting on my own. I was good—excellent, really—at hand-to-hand combat, especially in one-on-one situations.

'But that's not enough.'

"Shiori, may I?" I asked her, and she murmured an agreeing noise.

She lifted off from my hand, floating higher into the air before dive-bombing back onto my hand. Instead of landing gently on me, she exploded in a splash of pink ooze that soaked through my glove and into my hand.

Immediately I could no longer feel or move my hand. My fingers would not twitch at my command.

"Upon destruction, they become a paralytic. The numbing can be used for patients going into shock, but it's really more of my way of dealing with many enemies at once," I explained.

"Wh-What kind of paralytic is that?" Izuku demanded, eyes brightening with curiosity. He already had his hero notebook out and was scribbling furiously inside it.

"More like a venom than a poison," I said, feeling another face whisper to me. Elizabeth, she introduced herself when helping the kaleidoscope. "Poisons cause allergic reactions, the venom targets the nervous system without being permanently damaging. It's—"

'Uncomfortably similar to mother's Quirk.'

"—it's not something that will target or stop necessary functions on its own. It's specifically engineered for containment. Although if it's splashed onto their heart, I can't guarantee it won't stop it. But all Quirks have to be treated carefully."

"How many can you summon?" Katsuki flatly asked.

"I can summon and maintain 30 butterflies," I hesitantly said. "The more I have the more fatigued I feel. They are—"

'They are borrowing my life force to step into this world.'

It was hard to explain that. The kaleidoscope and I were intertwined in such a way that I had no simple words to describe it. They resided In Between and to step into the Here they required life.

When they left the Here and returned to the In Between life would be returned to me. The more I called, the heavier tax they collected on me. Fatigue was something I could work on, though. I could train my mind and body to overcome it—it was a clear way to improve myself. Something I could not easily do with my first wand.

"It's kind of like you have a familiar now," Izuku said with a grin.

"Witches need familiars," I agreed with a shy smile.

"Is this something you can improve?" Aizawa asked me. "Your first wand was limited in how much you could grow it."

"Yes. The more vitality I have, the more butterflies I can summon," I answered firmly.

Nezu made a murmuring noise. "Have you made any progressing understanding what Owari does, then?"

I couldn't resist flinching at the name. A hint of something foul lurched its way inside the back of my throat, strangling my voice into silence for several seconds. "No. I—I don't think I should train it. It feels very much like the last resort."

Nezu and Aizawa exchanged glances, a look of grim understanding passing between the two.

"Many congratulations on developing your second Quirk, Kiyo-chan," Nezu praised me, changing the subject away from Owari. "I hope you'll enjoy training with it."

"I will," I told him with a smile. "I like summoning Shiori."

"That's all that matters," Shōto said softly.

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Then it was time for a moment in history. The first Japan Billboard Chart—the national hero ranking system used in Japan—was announced since All Might had been forced into retirement. Tragically, the class of 1A couldn't watch it live since it was broadcasted during homeroom, but Denki updated us during lunch on the results when he quickly Googled it. Coming in first was Endeavor, the second was someone named Hawks, and third was Best Jeanist.

The rest of the week went off without incident. On Saturday, I took Eri out for a picnic in the public park of U.A..

It was an ideal day. The temperature was at the perfect spot—the kind only early November and late October could land. Cool enough to dress in a comfortable sweater, but warm enough to not need anything else. We laid out a red checkered blanket and pulled out our lunch spread. Eri had excitedly woken up extra early that day to help me prepare it.

She looked extra super-duper hecka-becka cute with her long-sleeved red dress and thick white leggings. Her hair was growing out longer—almost as long as mine now in proportion to her body. When the food was laid out, I reached over and tugged on her hair. "Do you want me to give you a trim when we get back?"

"Okay," Eri agreed happily. "But not too short, I want to grow it long like you."

I squealed and immediately swooped up into my arms and kissed the top of my head. "Oh my God, my heart can't take this. You're so adorable, I love you."

Eri eagerly accepted my affections, a big smile spreading over her face while her eyes sparkled with joy. "I—I love you, too."

'OH MY GOD.'

Yep. Couldn't resist. Immediately teleported both of us in the sky above Tokyo Tower and started to free fall with her. She screamed, then she started laughing. After teleporting a few more times, I took us back to the picnic and made her promise not to tell anyone I had done that. She technically wasn't supposed to leave U.A.

But how could I not take her skydiving when she said that?

Eri was a touch giddy from the adrenaline rush she got from skydiving. I decided to brush her hair until she calmed down enough for us to eat. It ended up in me actually giving her a trim while we were outside—only enough to get rid of the split ends and shape it to grow healthier. We enjoyed our picnic for several more hours, spending our time slowly eating the goodies we made and chatting about various things. Eri showed me how she had learned to do a somersault, and she said wanted to join me on morning runs.

She wouldn't have been able to keep up with the mornings runs I did with half-asleep Shōto, hyperactive Izuku, and a groggy Ochaco, but I told her we could run in the evenings after dinner and before her bath.

When our picnic was concluded, I took her back to Aizawa's apartment. Aizawa hadn't returned, just yet. I went ahead and started to prep dinner for the both of them while Eri finished her assigned math work from Nezu. By the time I had finished making dinner, Aizawa still hadn't shown up.

It wasn't good to stray from a child's eating routine. I had Eri eat her own dinner while I put wrappings over Aizawa's. Once she was done, I helped her take a bath then read to her until she fell asleep in her bed.

Aizawa came back half an hour after she fell asleep. He mumbled something barely coherent, clearly exhausted from his work that day. I knew the teachers had a bunch of meetings, but I didn't realize it would have been so intensive to make them stay at school so late.

"I made you dinner, do you want me to heat it up for you?" I offered him.

"No, thank you. Eri asleep?"

"Yes. She ate, bathed, and I put her to sleep. Her math work is on the kitchen table. I already reviewed it and it looks good to go."

"Okay," he said, shuffling over to his couch. He tumbled onto it and promptly started to snore.

I stared at him a couple more minutes, debating on if I should wake him up to make him eat. I ultimately decided against it—if he needed sleep that bad, he should prioritize it. Instead, I pulled a blanket over him and with my Quirk carefully pulled him further onto the couch and on a pillow, so he wouldn't wake up with too bad of a body ache.

I made sure everything was locked up, put the food in the fridge, double-checked Eri was asleep, then I headed back to my dorm room.

To my surprise, Shōto was in my bed. He was under the covers, only his red-white hair poking out. I didn't even notice him right away since the lights were off. The single source of light the room received was from the stars and moonlight pouring through the sheers.

"Hello," I said, turning on my lamp beside the bed. "You okay?"

He sat up, rubbing at his eyes. "... Mn."

'That's not good,' I thought, frowning as I moved to sit beside him on bed. "What happened? What can I do?"

He did not respond for over a minute, a hooded expression cast over his face. He leaned forward, placing his forehead on my shoulder and letting out a long, tired sigh. "Mother forgave Father."

'Did Endeavor do something?'

"So has my older sister. My brother will not. I thought—I thought I would not, either, but—?" He fell quiet again. I adjusted my posture on my bed to pull him into me. We shifted around until his back was pressed into me, and he partially sat in my lap. I spread my legs apart to make it a bit more comfortable, and he leaned his head back onto my shoulder. He kept his eyes closed.

I held him for several more minutes, patiently waiting for him to gather his thoughts.

"I don't want to hate him," he admittedly quietly. "Hate isn't something I want in my life forever."

"That's understandable," I murmured softly. I wondered to myself what had happened today to spur such thoughts in my dear friend.

"I don't know what to do. What do I do?"

I squeezed him, turning my head to sweetly kiss his cheek. "What he did was terrible. Had he been a lower-ranked hero he would have gone to jail. Did he try to hurt you again?"

"No," Shōto answered. "He—he said I did good on the provisional license exam. He's been visiting Mother, too. She thinks he wants to change. She thinks he has changed."

I bit the inside of my cheek.

Abusive parents were... touchy.

There were only three ways it could go down. One: they genuinely realize their mistakes and change for the better. Two: They deteriorate further, never owning up to their actions or seeking atonement. Three: They die before any change even could happen.

Endeavor physically and psychologically abused Shōto for several years. Then when Shōto's brother tragically passed on the abuse instantly stopped and Endeavor withdrew himself from Shōto's life. The two would only ever see each other in passing.

There had never been a conversation between the two since. It had always been one-sided. No closure or resolution had been provided to Shōto because of such.

As someone who adored Shōto, what Endeavor did to him made me want to hurt him.

But also as someone who adored Shōto, I wanted him to have a good family. It was taken from him as a child, but if there was even the tiniest chance he could have it as an adult—

'Hating someone only hurts yourself in the end. Even if you enacted upon your revenge, just a hollow or bitter resentment will fill your gut. Hatred can be consuming, and it can lead to a life of misery.'

I would never wish that for Shōto.

The fact that the intense abuse stopped spoke well for Endeavor improving himself. Shōto had nothing negative to say about his internship under Endeavor, either.

Some instinctive part of me felt like Endeavor was being genuine.

So I took a deep breath, swallowed back my knee-jerk reaction to bad-mouth the hero, and told Shōto, "If you want to let go of your hatred, you should. If you're ready to forgive him, you should. If a part of you believes that he can—and will—change for the better, you shouldn't ignore it. At the end of the day, though, you should only do what you feel comfortable doing. If you want nothing to do with him, that's fine. I will support and love you no matter your decision. I'm here for you, all the way."

He sighed, the sound sounding so much heavier than before. He muttered quietly to himself, "What I'm comfortable with, huh?"

I kissed his cheek again, and he asked me, "Can I stay the night?"

"Always," I promised him.

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Since it's my birthday I'm updating 3 stories today. First was RR, second is HF.

Answer: Good food I can eat. Damn you celiac!

Question: What is a short term goal you want to accomplish? What is a goal you're proud you have completed?

Reviews are love!