Dog Days [Ikari x Bakugou]

[NicTheDjinn]

It had been an entire year since Ikari had been accepted into UA, and now her and all of her 1A classmates were in their second year. Ikari had a fairly eventful year. She hadn't really been expecting to be able to keep up with the other students; it wasn't like her quirk was anything special compared to the other students. This was a world-class school, so there were bound to be some incredible quirks. However, she still managed to get a recommendation from her middle school teacher. She met the others during the recommendation field exam, and she was unsurprised to find that she had been correct in her assumption. Her and Momo got along pretty quickly, the other girl being fascinated by her ears and tail. Ikari had never known there could be so many questions about what she could do. Shouto had been slower to warm up to her, but she had won him over when he saw that she ate Soba correctly. Ever since, he would randomly invite her out to lunch for Soba. Purely platonic, of course. They were just friends.

Of course, not everything was all sunshine and rainbows last year. Their class had gotten attacked by villains a couple of times, though luckily no lasting damage had befallen anyone. Thier teacher got a fresh scar out of one of the encounters, but other than that, everything was fine. Now, they were in their second year, and Ikari was hoping that it wasn't going to be as... eventful as last year. They could all do with a break from the near-death experiences at least until they were officially Pro Heroes. As a result, the school had erected dorms, which was a good thing for Ikari. Because now, her family didn't need to shell out the money to keep her in an apartment.

"Hey, Ikari."

Her white wolf ears snapped to attention as she was jogged out of her thoughts by someone saying her name. That someone being Momo. Normally, the brilliant girl wasn't one to speak in class, but apparently Ikari had been spacing out enough to concern her and ignore her personal principles. Ikari just waved her hand in front of her face. "Don't worry, i'm fine. Just... end of the day, mind wandering, you know?" While Ikari was quite aware none of that was a complete sentence, Momo knew her well enough by now. Actually most of them in the class knew her well enough by now. But, it was true. They were currently in their last class of the day, and Ikari just wanted to go back to the dorms, and kick up her feet with a book. Probably in the common area, because she did like being around the others even if she wasn't actively participating.

luckily, class released just a few minutes later, and Ikari stretched; her arms reaching for the ceiling as her back popped from being in a sitting position for so long. Then stood up, putting her notebook and textbook away into her schoolbag. Normally, Ikari quite enjoyed class, but today had just been so long, and she hadn't gotten a very good night's sleep last night. Putting the strap of her bag over her shoulder, she made her way out of the classroom.

-----

Katsuki has had more than just eventful last year, if he was to be honest. Being kidnapped twice was.... More than enough to scar him in ways he was never prepared for. Really, he wasn't prepared for a lot of the things that had happened to his class in the first year alone. But, the one constant he was glad for was his circle of friends. Eijiro, Denki, Sero, Jiro, Mina, and Ikari, and the floating clover-head Shinso. The two are.... Almost friends, at least. Izuku was another story, with them being more.... Healthy rivals, more than friends at this point. He still hated the kid's guts, hated how.... Determined he was, yet at the same time, he was willing to admit the other was growing stronger by the day.

That just meant he had to work even harder towards his goal. Like *Hell* would he let that nerd get a fastpass to the #1 spot just because All Might gave him One for All!! And, Katsuki has been training more, harder, sometimes to the point his friends had to reign him in, or a teacher-- mostly Aizawa-- had to. But, they can't say he's slacking though, right? But, as a result, he's begun to notice some things, especially about his friends.

Namely Ikari.

She's a hard worker-- absolutely terrifying as both an ally and opponent, but he much prefers her on his side, that much was certain. Cunning, snarky, and.... Admittedly, adorable in her wolfish mannerisms. He could easily see how she was feeling by her posture, how her ears and tail moved, and today, she's been exhausted. He recalled how she was awake 'before' him that morning, and frowned a bit. Did she have a rough time sleeping last night? He saw how quickly she got up to leave, and he followed suit, catching up to her easily.

"You seem drained-- stayed up too late with the idiots again? Or was it something else?" He asked rather bluntly-- beating around the bush rarely got anyine anywhere-- but, all the same, he was honestly concerned about the other. Much like any animal, seeing her exhausted never bode well, nor did it sit well with him even if it was only a minor problem. He knew it was stupid, being softer just because she bore animal characteristics, but.... It didn't stop him from feeling a deep pain whenever she was hurt, nor did it make it any easier to refrain from patting her head, scratching her ears whenever she did something amazing, or was just simply cute, if only for a few moments.

-----

Ikari was almost startled when she heard Katsuki's voice so close; which was telling because it was next to impossible to sneak up on her because of her animal senses. She was so out of it, she hadn't even heard his footsteps! "Oh, Katsuki." Ikari called all of her friends by first name (much like Tsu), and by now they had all gotten used to it. Even the late arrival, Shinso. Now that he was closer to her, he would be able to see the dark circles under her eyes from lack of sleep that implied it had been more than one night. She was a little surprised that he had picked up on her exhaustion, but... this was Katsuki. He noticed everything. She hesitated to speak more on the subject. She hadn't told anyone of the hard time she was having. She hadn't wanted to worry them... But, it would be nice to tell someone... wouldn't it?

She sighed, her ears drooping at the path her thoughts had taken. She knew Katsuki... It wasn't likely that he would drop it. Besides, he was her friend, and everyone needed someone to lean on from time to time. Even future heroes. "I've... been having nightmares ever since the forest trip last year. You know, when we were all attacked by Villains. I know, I didn't get seriously injured. But I could have been so much *better*." She adjusted her bag on her shoulder. "That fire guy got the drop on me. I was only able to dodge his blast because I smelled the ignition, like I do with Shouto."

She could remember it so clearly: The very slight change of air pressure against her skin, the smell of something sparking that had been so similar to Shouto's own fire quirk. She probably wouldn't have noticed it if her and Shouto didn't train together so often. When she dodged the blast of fire it was simply because her reflexes were those of a wild animal. The only thing through her mind as she felt the heat that barely missed her was: that could have been her. Or worse, her *friends*. For a while after the incident, she had buried herself in training her senses to be better than what they were. She never wanted to risk such a close call ever again. And in the meantime, she had the nightmares to contend with.

And they were still a problem. Even after facing more villains later, and actually doing better, the forest still haunted her. And she had told none of her friends. She knew they would worry, and that was the last thing she wanted. But, by now, she was nearing her breaking point. Maybe that was why she had decided to tell Katsuki. Well... that, and he was pretty good at telling when she was lying. Damn ears betrayed everything.

-----

The fact Ikari was spooked by his presence disturbed him-- she really, really was out of it, it seemed. And, upon seeing the dark circles under her eyes, he frowned a bit more deeply, unhappy with the implication. But, when the lupine girl began to explain what was going on, why she had been so tired, it chilled him a bit. He knew better than to think he was the only one effected by that night in the forest, but.... It almost made him feel guilty, despite how stupid it was. He knew it wasn't his fault-- after countless counselor visits, and counting-- but.... He never realized Ikari had been affected this badly. Had he been blind this whole time, being selfish about his own traumas, in a way?

He shook his head of those thoughts-- they weren't going to help anyone here. "Honestly, I'd think you were a psychopath if you weren't effected by that night.... So, it's understandable you're still haunted by it. I'm still haunted at times, among other bullshit I've had to endure." He shuddered faintly, recalling how hard he had to fight that sludge bastard, how he had to.... Try to keep him out, and not only from his mouth and nose. "Trauma is.... Normal, in cases like this." God, he sounded like his counselor-- "What we do about it is up to us. Do we let it effect us negatively, or do we let it bolster us, make us stronger, not only for ourselves, but others as well?" He looked to her, gently stopping her with a hand on her arm. "You're strong, capable-- shit happens, alright? Fuck-- I had my ego blasted apart because of how easily those bastards got me!! It's...." He faltered, seeing some people pass, before continuing once they were mostly alone again. "It.... Really, really hit me in a way that.... Made me realize I'm.... Not the strongest, that I actually need to depend on others, deapite how fucking badly I dont want to. It pisses me off-- it makes me feel weak, but.... I'm not.... Im not ready, yet, and that's okay. Its okay to depend on others, even if its only the people you trust most." He admitted, his expression softening into that of saddened, embarrassed displeasure.

"So.... If you need to talk, I'm here for you, okay? Even if you have to wake me up-- I'm a light sleeper, so sending a text or knocking a certain way will wake me up. If you need me to, I'll watch you until you're asleep proper, alright?" He offered, his tone betraying something else under the comfort he wanted to provide, but he gave no tells what that could be, other than it was harmless, safe. He then gently brought her back on the path to the dorms, feeling a weight coming off his shoulders after their heart to heart. At least they had a similar thing bothering them they could bond further over, right? He felt a little less alone-- but, he had to open up to do it, which, admittedly, felt wrong after having to deal with his own problems by himself for a long, long time. But.... Confiding, even a little bit, into Ikari was a relief. He hoped she felt the same.

-----

The moment that Katsuki started speaking his own thoughts on the matter, Ikari knew that keeping her nightmares a secret from him had been a mistake. *Of course* he of all people would have understood what she was going through! How could she have been so dumb? Though she had never heard him speak so earnestly before. He really had mellowed out from their first day of school last year. She couldn't help but smile at his offer of comfort. Her ears perked up a little, and her tail involuntarily started to wag. It... did that when she was happy or excited. She felt some heat rise to her cheeks when it happened, but there was really no stopping it, so Ikari had given up on trying a while ago. And in this case, it wasn't a bad thing. Now, he would know he had made her happy without her actually having to vocalize it. But, she definitely felt better after telling him. It had been difficult keeping it from her friends. It wasn't like she wanted to, of course, but she hadn't wanted to cause any stress for them.

It sounded nice to have someone there until she got to sleep, though she wasn't sure if she would actually take him up on it. She might be too shy for that, but... one never knew. If she was desperate enough for sleep, maybe. She was silent for a little while as they made their way outside to go back to the dorms. "Thanks, Katsuki. And... you know. Same goes for you." Though, she knew he wasn't used to relying on people other than himself. It had taken a lot of trust for him to tell her all that he did, so she wasn't expecting him to do it again anytime soon, but she definitely appreciated it. Momo and Tsu had passed them earlier, when he had stopped them, but hadn't said anything. It must have looked like they were having a serious conversation. Ikari almost groaned out loud when she realized Mina probably saw them, and that meant the 'Alien Queen' was going to be asking her if Katsuki had tried to ask her out. That girl was always looking for romances between all of them.

Hell, Ikari didn't even know that her friend had been seeing a counsellor until he had mentioned it. She... had her suspicions, but never asked him about it. After all, he would regularly leave the dorms at the same time everyone few weeks or so, it didn't exactly take a genius to figure it out. Not after what he went through. Once they made it to the dorm itself, she suppressed a yawn, as she excused herself for a bit so she could change out of her school uniform. She came back wearing a comfortable green sweater and jean shorts. It wasn't like it was particularly cold, but the building had air conditioner, so it wouldn't be too warm either. She already had a book in her hand, but goodness knows how much she would actually get read with everyone around. However, she was determined to try. She settled into her usual spot on the couch, her legs curled up underneath her.

-----

Seeing Ikari's tail begin to wag, paired with her perked ears at his offer for comfort made a warm smile grace his lips, and, without really thinking, he gently ruffled the hair atop her head with a soft chuckle. "It's so easy to read you, as long as you're not oblivious." He muttered, mostly to himself, but it also wasn't a criticism on her part. Katsuki was glad gor it, really. Though, having her offer him the same was a bit of a surprise, his expression becoming one of soft, shocked confusion, before his cheeks became a faint pink as he huffed softly, not speaking a word....

But he wasnt rejecting the idea. If anything, he was putting up a front in case anyone was trying to listen in on them.

Once they got to the dorm, and went their separate ways, he changed into a baggy pair of grey sweatpants and one of his iconic black skull tank tops before heading to the common area. He saw Ikari doing her best to read on the couch, and hummed softly, thinking for a moment. He came over, leaning on the back of the couch, his expression a bored sort of blank, and he spoke quietly to the girl, hoping to avoid spooking her. "You hungry for anything? I'm hungry, was wondering if you wanted something." He stated, trying to come off as.... Friendly, but in his way. He wanted to take care of her-- when that fedling manifested, he wasnt entirely sure-- but, a part of him felt confodent enough to begin acting upon such instincts, thanks to their heart to heart.

Maybe he can make something to help her sleep a bit easier? He knew how to make a proper cup of tea, too.

-----

Ironically enough, Now that her mind was occupied, the lupine girl was much more alert about her surroundings, though that was probably fleeting. She had gotten all of four hours of sleep the previous night, so she was due for a crash any minute now. Her ears perked up at the sound of footsteps, and a quick sniff through her nose told her it was Katsuki. He had ruffled her hair earlier, and if she hadn't been on so little sleep, she would have made a retort about it. Maybe she would get him back tomorrow. She didn't know how yet, but maybe. And so far, she proved to be wrong about Mina coming over to pester her about what her and the blonde boy had been talking about. She felt the couch shift ever so slightly at the added weight of him leaning against it. When he spoke, his words caught her off guard. He was... offering to cook for her? That was unexpected.

It wasn't like Ikari couldn't cook. She had lived on her own before the dorms had been built, but she had never been particularly good at it. Nor did she enjoy it. She smiled at the thought. She felt a little closer to him after their talk, and it seemed he must be feeling the same way. Unless she was reading this wrong. She turned her gaze from the book, and upwards instead to make eye contact with him, her ears getting flattened against the back of the couch in the process. "That sounds really nice. I could definitely go for some food. I'm not particularly picky, whatever you make for yourself will be fine." Part of her wanted to tease him about it, but... it was such a nice gesture. She didn't want to discourage him by doing so, or make it appear like she was making fun of him for being nice. Tomorrow, she was sure they would be back to giving each other a hard time.

It was hard to believe that they were such good friends now. Back when they were still new to the school, he used to get her so angry. For one, he was always yelling. Which hurt her ears depending on the proximity. For two, he was just... so full of himself. And openly hostile. She was really glad he calmed down. Heck, she couldn't even recall why her opinion of him even changed. She was friendly with Kirishima and Mina before she was friendly with him. She mentally shrugged it off. It wasn't really important. Emotional trauma aside, those villain attacks really brought them all closer as a class. They were all closer to family than friends now. She closed her book, and set it aside. She had stopped paying attention to the actual words shortly before he had made his approach. She found herself looking forward to whatever he decided to make though. She had never had his cooking before, but he did everything well, so it was probably good.

-----

Katsuki hummed at her response, grateful that she didnt mock him for this kind gesture. Lord knows how he would have reacted-- and felt, as a result. It would have been a disaster, the walls he had, reluctantly lowered would have been built right back up, and he would be far too reluctant to confide in her again. But, that didn't happen, and everything was right as rain. For the timr being. "Have a preference for protein? I was thinking curry." He replied, noting how cute her ears were, folded over how they were. Made her seem like a Shepherd puppy.

Once he had Ikari's answer, he headed to the kitchen and got to work, beginning with cleaning. Even if it looked spotless, he always cleaned-- he can't just adsume no one half assed cleaning up after themselves, nor could he assume someone hadn't been nasty here either. He's seen how Deku has been eyeballing Half-and-Half from across the room these past weeks. He was disgusted at the thought of them.... Tainting his kitchen. Mind you, the relationship wasn't the problem, it was the mess they'd leave behind. He shook those thoughts from his mind befire scrubbing at all his work services even harder.

Then began the food prep-- washing the vegetables, cutting them and setting them aside in a bowl, putting rice in the cooker, and making the base for thr curry, with Ikari's chosen protein swimming in the sauce. He made it tame on purpose-- and made enough for two more mouths, in case she wanted more later. He'd add his own heat to his own plate once everything was done. He sauteed some onions, various chopped peppers and garlic all together separate from the vegetables for both plates, his body moving naturally as he flawlessly flipped the ingredients every so often, and stirring the curry base and protein in between.

The squad and some others liked to joke that he'd probably fight Gordon Ramsay over something ridiculous or be praised by the master chef, and really, he would throw hands if he was told his cooking wasn't perfect. But, regardless, with all the skill and flair came actual talent as well as practiced ability, the food was finished, and he brought his and Ikari's food over on two trays, one with a glass of milk for her-- just in case it was still a bit too warm for her-- and a glass of water for himself, and sat down next to her. "Eat up, then I want you to try to lie down, alright? If you need it, I can make you tea to help you out." He offered only so she would here, his eyes.... A certain kind of intense, similarly to the look he had given her in the hallway before.

-----

Ikari had to think on his question about the protein. "I'm... partial to beef..." She was a little hesitant to respond. She hated whenever her likes and dislikes corresponded to something that could be wolfish. But she was a lot better about it than when she had first arrived. Honestly, she hadn't been any better than Katsuki when she first arrived, just in different areas. She had been quick to anger if anyone made any dog jokes. But that was mostly because she was used to being made fun of in school for her quirk. People would call her an 'anime cliche', bark at her when they passed her in the hallway, throw sticks to try and make her 'fetch'. It took longer than she cared to admit that this group was different. If they asked questions about her quirk, it wasn't a passive aggressive attempt at making fun of her, they were genuinely curious. Then, she had to get over her own inadequacy issues. She hadn't really stood out among the others in their assessment that first day of class, except in the speed portion, where she had come pretty close to beating Katsuki's time, though she wasn't even close to beating Iida. She had started to question why she was even there. There were so many talented people, how had she managed to not only get in, but get in on a *recommendation*?

Then, the class with All Might rolled around, where they had to protect (or capture) a 'bomb' depending on the team they were on. She had been paired with Momo, and that was when she truly stood out. She told Momo to guard it, then set out into the dark building. She was a predator. Stealth, and ambush tactics were her specialty. She could hear the other team's footprints, as well as their whispered strategies. She could sniff them out, and she could see in the dark. It was the perfect hunting ground. She used it all to her advantage and single handedly captured the opposing team. She had been told by Kirishima later that it had been like watching a horror film back in the camera room. That was when she finally started to feel like she belonged. And it had only gotten better from there.

Ikari snapped herself out of her reminiscing, and was about to pick up her book in an attempt to stay awake long enough to enjoy his hard work. After all, she didn't want to put him through the trouble of cooking for her only for her to pass out now. But that was when Mina decide to make her way over. Ikari sighed. She liked Mina, she really did, but the girl had been pestering her about if she liked any boys around school a lot lately. She knew the excitable girl really meant no harm by it. She just wanted everyone in the class to be happy, but Ikari felt that she might be too tired to deal with her right now. "Soooo... You and Bakugou seem close." Wow, no beating around the bush, huh?

Ikari just chuckled and rolled her eyes. "We're friends, Mina. You know that. You're our friend too."

"Yeah, but you seemed to be having a pretty serious conversation after class today..."

"He was just concerned because I had been tired lately. Really, That's all it is."

Mina pouted in that cute way she had when she got all sulky, but apparently decided that this wasn't worth pursuing at the moment, because she left after that. Or... She wanted to avoid Katsuki before he heard the nature of her questions, since he came back with the food not long after that. He handed her the tray, and... her tail started to wag. It was an excited enough wag to cause her to reach behind herself and actually physically stop it. The resemblance of a dog getting excited over it's master putting food down in front of it was too much for her to bear. "Thanks." She said, as she carefully sat on her tail to prevent it from embarrassing her further, while she accepted the tray from him. Ikari nodded at his instructions however. It... felt kind of good to have someone looking out for her, and trying to take care of her. "You don't have to tell me twice, I promise." She took one bite of the curry, and paused. "Wow... this is *really* good." She told him. "I might regret this decision if only because I might not be able to stomach my own cooking after this." She said with a laugh. And she appreciated how mild he had made it. It was nice of him to take her sensitive taste buds into account.

As she continued to eat, she looked back over at her ruby-eyed friend to find him looking at her. It was a strange feeling, actually. Had he always looked at her like that? His gaze was... intense, but it was almost a... soft intensity, if that made any sense. She felt a slight flush rise to her cheeks, hoping he would mistake the color in her face for the temperature of the food.

-----

"Alright, I'll use the good beef then. Do you prefer it red or well done?" He asked then, knowing that some people like their steaks bloody-- he was one of them-- and others liked them well done. He knew Ikari had always hesitated about divulging things about herself that linked well with her quirk, but he never picked on her for it. If anything, he just.... Made things a bit more obvious, wanting her aware, much like earlier in the hallway. Between her ears and tail, she emoted quite clearly, if you knee canine and lupine body language. It may cause a bit of difficulty if she had to keep a pokerface for one reason or another.

Admittedly, Katsuki though Ikari fit in 1A better than Ojiro did-- guy's gimmick was that comically large, muscled tail of his, meanwhile Ikari was built like a proper predator. With the wrong upbringing and circumstances, she'd be a terrifying villain for sure. When he saw her prowling the hallways during that first hero training class, he had to agree with Kirishima on the thriller aspect of the footage. He definitely would be terrified if he had to deal with her as a proper villain. Luckily, she was a good girl-- not in a demeaning way, mind you-- and she was about as sassy, full of personality like a husky, but far more intelligent and built to be a proper hunter. She was loyal, too.... That fact had his mind wandering more often than he'd like to admit.

He saw how Mina was all in Ikari's bubble, no doubt trying to get a bit of gossip going, or ask about his conversation with the lupine girl in the hallway earlier, and rolled his eyes. Mina was so nosy sometimes-- and it got annoying, too. But, at least it wasn't a constant occurrence. It's bad enough Kaminari, the fucking idiot, was picking up on the fact he's been.... More 'frustrated' lately. He didn't understand *how* the bastard knew, but he did and it pissed him off to no end!! But, luckily he hadn't picked up on who was causing his 'frustrations' yet.

He didn't miss how her tail wagged excitedly when he brought their food, and he couldn't help the small smile the cute display earned. But, he made no comment, knowing Ikari would try to hide such a cute side of her in the future. It's bad enough that she's now sitting on her tail to hide her embarrassment. "You're welcome, I hope you like it." He replied, making himself comfortable before eating with her. Though, at her praise, he snickered, looking all too proud of himself. "Well, if you really can't bear your own cooking anymore after this, I guess I'll have to take responsibility and keep feeding you." It was playful, cocky, but no less an offer he'd be happy to carry out, if asked.

When he saw the lupine girl begin to blush as he looked at her, he blinked before going back to his food a tad agressively, his own cheeks growing warm. Shit-- how long was he staring? And even if he was trying to block them out, he *knew* at least Mina and Denki were watching them now, and he didn't want that headache today. He knew Pikachu and racoon eyes would bother him until he threatened physical harm if they were determined enough.

-----

Ikari had informed him that she liked her beef rare, knowing full well that he would remember for any other time he might decide to cook for her in the future. But, she definitely didn't regret staying awake for his cooking. She laughed along with him with the offer of cooking for her more, not entirely sure if he was joking or not. Admitedly, Ikari was better at baking than cooking, but not by a large margin. Her skills just never seemed o do well in the culinary fields. Thinking back on it, the only thing she had ever really taken to well was martial arts. That was what had prompted her to pursue being Pro Hero. She skyrocketed to the head of the class, and her sensei told her that she would probably make a good hero. Of course, that wasn't her *reason* for her current career choice, but it did give her the confidence boost she needed to start working towards it.

She glanced at the blonde boy again, couldn't help but smirk a little at how pointedly he was focusing on his plate. She had to admit, he was pretty cute. Not like, she would ever tell him that. He would probably go out of his way to make sure he never displayed a cute side to him ever again. They were alike in that regard. He had always been good looking, but it was only recently that she had really started to notice. Again, it wasn't like she would tell him this. Although if he ever asked, she probably wasn't a good enough liar to get away with not doing so. Luckily, she didn't foresee him ever asking such a thing. Man, she must be really tired for her thoughts to have wandered *this* far.

Turning her attention back to her food after she had caught him staring for reasons unknown, she found that she was getting tired. Now that her belly was full with delicious food, and sleep was the only requirement that her body needed to be met right now, it was starting to take over. Luckily, she was still able to finish the food on the plate, but she was fading fast. She didn't even have the strength to stand up and take care of her plate and empty cup. Before she knew it, she was slumped over against the arm of the sofa, the still on her lap. Her tail instinctively wrapping around herself as she slipped further and further into sleep.

-----

Katsuki had finished his food before long, and after realizing that he hadn't heard her eating, he looked over, only to feel his face heat up considerably. She was just.... Too damn cute for her own good. Her normally confident and femininely angled features looked so soft, almost childlike, and with her tail tucking around her, it was almost too much. He carefully took care of their dishes-- putting her leftovers in the fridge-- before returning to her, and carefully, carefully cradled her in his arms.

He then carried her away back to her room, his face growing quite red as he knew damn well Mina and Denki was watching him as far as the doorway leading to the students' bedrooms. So far, she was still asleep-- or at least pretending to be-- and once he finally got to her room, he stood by her bed a bit nervously, unsure if he wanted to let her go yet or not. She wasn't light, but she was a pleasant weight, and holding her felt.... Right. He wanted to hold her more the longer she remained in his arms, and he hated how reluctant he was. What if she woke up, and freaked out because he was creepily standing by her bed with her in his arms? He frowned sadly, before gently laying her down, and covering her with her blanket. He looked down at her peaceful expression, and hated himself for the thoughts that ran through his mind.

He hated how Denki knew he was.... Pent up, and probably knew now who the source of that was. But, after heaving a soft sigh through his nose, he gently tucked some of Ikari's hair away from her face, his heart heavy. He.... He loves her, and he didn't know when that began. All he knew was that moments like these would be rare until he got over his own hangups and confessed his feelings.... But, then again, she may reject him, and he'd never have chances like this again.

He quietly shook his head, then left her room, locking the door behind him. The blonde didn't know why he locked the door-- maybe it was a subconscious desire to keep her safe, even if that little grape bastard was long gone, but.... People did stupid, senseless shit when they were in love, he guessed. But, he soon made his way back to the kitchen to finish cleaning up, before heading back up to his room, retiring for the night. He left his door unlocked, however, so Ikari could come to him if she needed to.

-----

The wolf girl only just barely stirred when he picked her up. One of her eyes cracked open instinctively just to make sure that whomever was touching her wasn't a danger, but the moment she recognized him, her eye closed once again. If that wasn't a testament to how much she trusted him, she didn't know what was. After that, however, she was blissfully unaware of anything else going on, as she was very much asleep. As he walked, however, she did instinctively nestle into his chest a bit, blissfully unaware of the effect that probably had on him.

Once making it to her room, he would have been free to look about the place. It was pretty spartan to be honest, the bed pushed up against the right wall. The bedding was definitely hers though, as the sheets were black, and the comforter was a light, pastel pink. Across from the bed, on the opposite wall, was a slightly askew poster of Hawks (her favorite hero, growing up). On the desk was a closed laptop, and two picture frames. The first was a man and woman, probably her parents, though Ikari didn't look too much like them. Neither of them had any wolf features, and they both had black hair, which was decidedly opposite of her own. The second picture was of an elderly woman sitting in a rocking chair. Now this woman, looked very much like Ikari if you just aged her up a few decades. She must have been where Ikari inherited her quirk. And in her arms was a newborn Ikari.

The young girl must have been incredibly tired, seeing how she didn't so much as stir when he placed her in her bed, covered her up, and adjusted her hair. She woke up a little while later, blearily, just because she was uncomfortable sleeping in her clothing. So, she changed into a blue tank top with matching blue pajama bottoms. The bottoms had cartoon bunny rabbits on them. Then she went back to sleep. It seemed like she would have a peaceful sleep from here on out.

But she was wrong. The dream wasn't very clear, but it was no less terrifying. She saw flashes of blue flames, heard her friends screaming as they were engulfed in said flames. Momo, Shouto, Tsu, Izuku, Katsuki. And it ended with ominous laughter. Then Ikari was awake, bolt upright in bed. "Shit..." Normally, Ikari didn't swear, but... the dream didn't often happen two nights in a row. She glanced at the display of the time on her phone. It was roughly one in the morning. She contemplated trying to just go back to sleep, but she kept seeing blue whenever she blinked. She didn't want to be alone right now. Should she see Katsuki? he said she could come to him if she had difficulties. Leaving her phone where it was, she stood up before she could talk herself out of it, and be up half the night again. Luckily, they all knew where each others rooms were. it would be embarrassing to knock on the wrong door.

She hesitated just a moment. it wouldn't feel right to just walk in, and either way, he might lock the door. He did tell her he was a light sleeper, so knocking would probably work. Steeling herself, she raised her hand a knocked. Hopefully the sound didn't wake up anyone else in the nearby rooms.

-----

Katsuki was lucky this was a night he wasn't plagued by any number of nightmares he could have had, but it also wasn't peaceful or enjoyable like he wanted. He rarely ever dreamed anymore, no sweet or funny antics most of the time, spare for those involving Ikari. Tonight was just.... Blank, nothing to remember, so when the knocking came, he was a bit confused at the time on his alarm clock, but he got up, knowing who it had to be. No one would dare open his door at an ungodly hour if they had a will to live.

He was groggy as he opened the door, Ikari easily seeing him shirtless with thos same grey sweats from earlier hanging low on his hips, and his hair was.... Oddly uneffected by sleep. But, his face looked softer, like a little boy having been woken too early, his eyes barely open. "Need me to help...?" His voice came out in a tone raspy with sleep, but it was calm, and caring in his current state. He wasn't alert enough to put up the facade of just doing this as a friend, but luckily, he wasn't exposing too much all the same.

He mumbled a bit as he dug the heel of his palm into one of his eyes to rub away the sleep within, before looking to the lupine girl again. "Wanna come in, or do you want me to come with you....?" He asked properly, his defenses still lowered. If she asked him about this when he was probably awake, he'd swear up and down he wasn't this soft-- would be quite defensive about it, which wouldnt help his case one bit. Ikari was in a uniaue situiation, that much was certain.

-----

Luckily, Ikari didn't have to wait long for her friend to open the door, though it certainly felt longer than it was. She just couldn't get the images of the dream out of her head. She was on the verge of tears by the time he opened the door. Luckily, he was probably still too groggy from being woken up to notice. Seeing Katsuki without a shirt was really nothing new. Sometimes the blonde just didn't like wearing shirts. Sometimes he had been injured, and was being patched up. In fact, a lot of them had seen each other in various stages of undress because of that last one. The minute his door had opened fully, he had barely had time to finish his questions before she couldn't help herself any longer. She threw her arms around him, pulling herself close in her embrace. She did this for two reasons, mostly. The first being she needed a familiar scent, and the second being that she needed to reassure herself that he was actually there, and alright. She inhaled deeply through her nose. He smelled like caramel, but that wasn't all. It might be all that a regular human nose could detect, but underneath that there was his natural musk. It almost smelled like nature after it had finished raining. The two scents smelled great together, but more importantly, it made her feel *safe*. She wasn't sure when that had happened.

"Can we just stay here?" She didn't feel like making the trek all the way back to her room, even though it really wasn't all that far. While they had never made physical contact while he was shirtless (beyond the times she had helped him change bandages in the past), she was comforted by how solid he felt, and made sure that her claws didn't dig into the flesh of his back. He would notice that she was shaking slightly, though whether or not it was because she was currently cold, or if she was just that striken by the nightmare. It had hit her this hard last night as well. As well as every night it had happened, but until today, she suffered in silence. She had thought that she was alone in this, until she had decided to open up to Katsuki. She had no idea she had needed comfort this badly until this very moment. She desperately hoped she wasn't crossing some sort of line with him by hugging him like this.

-----

Katsuki couldn't help feeling.... Unreasonably uncomfortable with shirts at times, even if he never had difficulties with the fabrics before. It normally occured after nightmares involving the sludge incodent, how.... Constrictive it all felt. But even with him getting tops a size bigger, it didn't help. But, at least no one picked up on that at all. As far as he knew, at least, and the only one that *might* would have been Deku, but he knows damn well that divulging that info would get him into an early grave, closed casket. It's one thing that he was kidnapped by the League and was mostly unharmed spare for being cuffed and tied up.... But that sludge monster had attempted to do things unspeakable despite the audience around them.

Right now, he woke up enough to register Ikari hugging him close, *sniffing* him, even, and he couldn't help but freeze for a minute. His mind was fuzzy, blank, and his face felt hot before he finally allowed himself to hold her close in turn, resting his chin between her ears. He was acutely aware of a few things-- her trembling, her clear attempts to ground herself through contact and scent with him, as well as.... How she clearly only had a pajama shirt on, allowing him to feel her....

He subtly angled his hips away for fear hed ruin the moment and her trust even though he wasn't anything lile that grape bastard who shall not be named. When she asked if she could stay with him, his heart rate picked up a bit, and he swallowed softly before nodding gently. "Y-yeah.... Want me to sleep on the futon?" He asked, doubting she would want to lay in the same bed. It was a twin-- meaning they'd basically have to.... Spoon. That would be a nightmare just for the fact the thought made him quite nervous, knowing damn well hed be annoyingly frustrated well into the morning and wouldn't be able to do anything about it, and would worry about her feeling uncomfortable. But could he really be blamed? He was a teenege boy, finally having allowed himself romantic feelings for Ikari, though he tried to keep them to himself. It didn't stop his hormones though.

-----

Ikari couldn't help the sigh of relieve that escaped her after he returned her hug. He was just so solid around her. She couldn't help but feel safe in his arms. It was then that she realized that she... might like the blonde boy as more than just a friend. Once again, she wasn't entirely sure when that had happened, but frankly, she didn't really care about that. That wasn't important. All that mattered was that he was here for her, right now. She would... unpack her feelings later. Not that she would tell him, she probably wouldn't, at least... not for a while. And it wasn't exactly ideal to reach this conclusion in their current arrangement. Not with him so close, his chin between her ears. One of them was perked up in such a way that the soft fur was lightly touching his cheek.

He broke her out of her thoughts with his next question: If he should be on the futon. "Whatever you're comfortable with." She honestly wouldn't have been opposed to just cuddling up with him on his twin bed if that meant she could go to sleep with his scent there to soothe her, but she didn't want to make him uncomfortable, so she didn't suggest it. She wasn't even concerned with what the others might think if they saw her leave his room in the morning. She realized that she had been holding onto him for quite a while, so as to not make him feel uncomfortable, she pulled away slightly. Not all the way, mind you. Her hands went from around him, to resting on his chest, and their torso's were no longer in contact with each other. She had stopped shaking, at least. Honestly, she had been surprised that he had just pushed her away outright. Katsuki had never really been one for physical contact, at least not that she had seen.

She stared at her claws that were gently resting on his chest. She did feel bad about waking him... "Sorry, I woke you, by the way. I just... didn't want to be alone." She never really paid attention to how much that fire guy had fucked her up. He hadn't even touched her, but it had been a close thing, and she didn't like the idea of someone being able to sneak up on her. Especially since her animal senses made that particularly difficult. She tired telling herself it was just because he was far away, but that didn't make her feel better. It just meant she had to extend the range of her senses, but that was easier said than done.

-----

It was nice, all things considered, holding the lupine girl close like this, feeling one of her soft, delicate ears along his cheek. He honestly would stay like this forever if he could, but alas, all good things must end sometime. At least she didn't fully break contact-- though.... Her clawed hands on his chest easily reminded him of his predicament, and he prayed she wouldn't notice. He didn't let go of her fully, though, his warm and soft yet strong hands gently cupping her shoulders, though he deeply wished he could place them in her waist, or hips....

But that would he a bit too familiar, and he didnt want to ruin this moment. He hummed at her response to his question efore biting his lip, thinking about it all. "You.... Probably would want to hold me as you sleep, make sure I'm there, proof that any other nightmares are only that, right? I'm alright with sharing my bed-- it'll be a bit.... Close, but I'm comfortable with you. The only condition is that you have to be the.... Uh, big spoon. I'm still waiting on replacement mitts from my support company. Normally I have them to keep not only myself but others as well safe while I'm sleeping.... The first few weeks of 'fire drills' in the night was because I fired off in my sleep, and lighting something on fire because of night terrors...." It was hard to admit that, ut it was only Ikari here-- and they've already come this far for trusting with sad and or embarrassing things, right? "If I misfire, I don't want you to be in harm's way. I have a feeling you'd wake up right away ans make sure nothing's burning for me, right?" He gabe a weak, nervous laugh, hoping the humor would lessen his shame, and still make his half-lie believable.

"Now, let's get to bed, okay? Its really late.... And again, I was the one that offered, so you don't need to apologize, okay?" He assured gently, a hand gently lifting her chin with a slightly crooked finger, before he hesitated, and replaced his hand on her shoulder, and guiding her inside with a hot face. Hopefully, she wouldn't notice how red he became just from displaying that small yet significantly affectionnate gesture. He laid in bed first, facing his wall, so when morning came, and she woke up before him, or nature called, she could slip away easily. He knew he'd be good until morning, at least. "Also, I.... I don't mind if you cling, okay? Including hooking a leg over my side it that's comfortable for you. Just don't scratch, strangle or kick me in my sleep, okay?" Granted, he wouldnt mind scratching in a different scenario, but now wasn't the time.

-----

Ikari's ears perked up slightly when he started to speak. It almost sounded like he was rambling, but she chalked that up to him being tired, and it being late. However, his logic for them sharing a bed seemed sound. And she trusted him too. She knew he wouldn't try anything, and it was true that having his scent readily available would help ground her if the nightmares returned. When he moved her chin so she was looking at him, she hesitated a bit before her eyes found his face. In the dark, her eyes almost seemed to glow like the predator her quirk was based off of. She could see in the dark, so she was able to see all the lines in his face, and his eyes were bright, though tired. She smiled at his comforting words. She had felt bad about waking him, but he clearly wasn't mad at her. Though, it was kind of a funny thought to think what might have happened if it wasn't her at the door. If it had been Kirishima, he might have been on the business end of one of Katsuki's explosions. It made her feel... special.

Once he settled into the bed, she made sure to follow him. She was a little cold now that she wasn't in his arms, though, being under the covers with him changed that. She hesitated for a moment, before scooting closer to him. She felt a blush creep to her face as she wrapped an arm around him, and pressed her face against his back. She closed her eyes, and made sure to breathe evenly to get back to sleep. And his scent certainly helped. It didn't take long for her to find her way back to sleep. Ikari was used to sleeping in a small ball in her bed however, so while she was sleeping, her legs instinctively curled. Upon meeting with resistance (that resistance being Katsuki), one of her legs wedged itself in between his, and she snuggled closer to him.

She woke up in the morning, though her nose reminded her where she was before her eyes did. That's right... she went to Katsuki's room. She promised herself that she wouldn't let her inconveniencing him turn into a habit. Her eyes fluttered open, and she was staring at his back. She felt the urge to kiss his back, but quickly shoved that thought aside. She tried to detangle herself from him as gently as possible to avoid waking him. However, Ikari had some habits in the morning that she had been doing since she was a child, and so they couldn't just be ignored. She didn't even think about it in fact. She rolled onto her stomach, stretched her arms out in front of herself, sticking her backside into the air. It was more common in cats and dogs, but... she hated to admit it, she had a canine quirk, so that was probably why. As she stretched, her joints popped, as well as her spine. She let out a soft sigh as this happened.

-----

Ikari's gorgeous eyes were, admittedly, haunting in the dark-- how they glowed with the faintest sources of light, but her eyes were soft, yet focused on him, especially with his gentle, guiding touch. Oh, how he wanted to close the gap, look into those eyes with a tender intensity, but now wasnt the time. That was cowardly, underhanded and manipulative. There will be a better time-- he'll get his chance before too long, he hoped. He wanted nothing more than to do his best for her, make her happy, feel safe.

When they were in bed, he hoped she wouldn't be able to hear and or feel his heavily thudding heart-- how the pace increased the more she grew close, and even more so with how she gradually tangled herself further and futher with him. She was warm-- not as warm as he was, but it was definitely a comfort. The weight of her was soothing in a sweetly odd way-- he rarely cuddled anyone willingly, but this felt so, so comforting for the blonde. Even with his racing heart, he slipped into sleep in an almost startling amount of time, and though he didn't dream again, it felt.... Peaceful, rather than a tense silence that would be disturbed come morning.

Katsuki had been almost too happy to lay there until his alarm sounded off, but with Ikari moving, he stirred, especially when the lupine girl had pulled away, almost pulling a whine from Katsuki in his 'vulnerable' state. He was about to ask why she was pulling away, barely getting his eyes open just in time to see her stretching, his face soon growing hot, and when that sigh left her, he swallowed thickly, and was glad his blanket was pooled over his waist and legs. "....'Morning, Ikari...." Was all he could manage, his voice, again rough with sleep, but also faintly deeper due to an unforseen complication the girl caused.

-----

Ikari heard Katsuki say her name, and that snapped her out of her morning stretch routine. She smiled, and turned to look at him. The sun was just rising now, so she didn't doubt that they were the first ones awake. "Morning, Katsuki. How did you sleep?" She asked. It was obvious just by looking at her that she had a much better nights sleep than last night. Her eyes were more alert, and the shadows under her eyes were lighter. School today was going to be much easier. Which was fortunate, because today included at least one practical class, where she would more than likely need a good night's rest in order to do well. She had to admit, spending the night in Katsuki's room was the best sleep she had in... a while. Probably since the night of the forest. She knew she could, no... should, see someone about what she had gone through. But... admitting that would be more than she could handle at the moment. Maybe in the future, if she could find a good therapist. She knew her parents wouldn't mind paying if need be. Especially since it seemed to be plaguing her so regularly.

She sat up to her full height, knowing she had to get out of his room and back to her own relatively soon in order to avoid people seeing her. She could only imagine what Kirishima or Denki would say if they saw her leave their friends room. Hell, she might have some serious problems if words gets out anyone even saw her leaving the Boys' Dorms, let alone an individuals room.

"Thank you, again, Katsuki. I'll try not to make this into a habit." After all, she didn't want to inconvenience him too much. Even though he said it was alright, part of her didn't want to test the theory by putting too much strain on that promise. But, she hoped he could see how much his support meant to her. Even now, her tail was wagging, though not vigorously. Suddenly making up her mind about something, and before Katsuki could wake up enough to fully comprehend it, she leaned in, and gave him a light peck on the cheek to show appreciation. She was also subtly trying to hint her interest in him, because she didn't yet have the courage to say so out loud.

"I should get going though. I still need to get ready for class today." And with that, she was out the door, and sneaking her way out of the Boys' Dorms.

-----

"Uh.... Fine...." He barely managed, before softly clearing his throat. Good god-- even in the faint light caused by dawn, she was entrancing-- and with her hair a slight mess, he couldn't help momentarily imagining her beautiful hair pooled over his pillow, sighing-- he clapped his cheeks to snap himself out of those thoughts, knowing damn well he already was going to have a hard time calming down that morning before classes began.

"Better than I have been, honestly. How about you?" He soon asked, hoping to keep the girl from reacting to his self-slapping out of the blue. Though, at her saying she would try to not to make a habit of staying in his bed for comfort, he did softly grumble, his face taking on a soft, feverish pout. "I told you its not a problem-- and honestly.... It turned out much better than I thought it would, too." 'It felt nice, feeling you holding me so closely as I slept.' He added in his mind, not wanting to risk their friendship by voicing it.

However, when she suddenly leaned in, and pecked his cheek, he was thrown off guard, his eyes wide, mouth faintly agape as he looked at her with a deep but affectionate sort of confusion. Like a little boy being kissed by his crush on the playground before having to go home. He watched her go quietly, and after gingerly touching the spot she kissed, he could help the squeeze of his heart, and flopped back onto his sheets, staring at the ceiling.

Today ws going to be a long one, and he had some work to do before he can even leave his room.

Even after taking care of his morning trouble, washing and dressing himself for class that day, his cheeks were positively rosy-- and his group noticed right away, as well as some of the more attentive classmates. The only ones brave enough to ask him why he was blushing were Kaminari and Kirishima, the latter of which he made an example of by pinning the other by the front of his shirt before telling him to keep out of it, clearly embarrassed, but also pissed that someone noticed in the first place.

He sure as Hell wasnt going to explain how Ikari kissed him that morning.

-----

"I slept much better than I have in a long time." She admitted to his question, and even though she swore that she wouldn't make a habit of it, she knew this would be the last time she came to him for help.

Luckily, she managed to get out of the Boys' Dorms without anyone noticing, and even made it back to her room before any of the others woke up. So, she dressed like normal, pretending she had never left her room that night. She put on her uniform, complete with the thigh-high socks that she had chosen to wear over the normal socks. It wasn't like she was the only one to choose thigh-highs. She just happened to like them.

School went by without too much difficulty. She was back to her attentive self, and Momo and Shouto took a notice too, mentioning how she seemed back to her old self. She just smiled. It wasn't completely true, but she at least felt like she was on her way. As classes progressed, she occasionally snuck glances at Katsuki, noting that his cheeks were rosier than usual. She had to wonder why. He had been acting weird all day. He had even stuck Kirishima to the wall earlier! Ikari hadn't been there, so she didn't hear what the redheaded male had said to deserve such a fate, but word got around about the act itself, even if gossip wasn't consistent on what the topic had been.

Soon enough, it was time for their class with All Might. The man may be retired now, but that didn't mean he couldn't still instruct them on their training. And for the instances where they needed a demonstration, there were plenty of other teachers who were willing to fill that role for him. Her Hero outfit consisted of a fur halter top, and a fur mini-skirt for maneuverability. She wore black bicycle shorts underneath the skirt to preserve modesty. Why not just have fur shorts? One might ask. Because it chaves against her skin, that's why. She had knee high boots as well, which also had fur on it all the way down to her ankle, where the boot was designed to look like a wolf's paw, complete with metal claws. Completing her look was fur bracers, with metal over them so she could block her vital spots with them. Wherever her skin was exposed, she had blue tribal paint with the exception of her face. All the fur on her outfit was white, to match her hair, and fake.

She started off with simple stretches, to loosen her muscles. Everyone in the class had their own designated spot to do this. It wasn't officially assigned to them, but humans were creatures of habit. Once she was sure she could do the most complex stretches without difficulty, that was when she actually started doing them. She put her leg on the wall, heel first, and moved leaned in closer and closer until her leg was flush against the wall, and her nose was to her knee. Then she did so on the other leg. After that, she went in the opposite direction, lifting her leg behind herself until her boot met her shoulder. Then the other one. She was completely in the zone as she did this, noticing nothing else around her, like always.

-----

"That's good.... And again, don't be afraid to come sleep here again if you need to. I know it helped me out too." He admitted to her again with his offer, a faint smile on his face prior to that unforseen kiss upon his cheek.

Alas, thanks to that kiss, he'd had further issues throughout the day, particular with his attention span. Luckily, he and Ikari had yet to lock eyes with each other during theor classes, but he had been guilty of stealing glamces at her, that same soft intensity in his eyes, as well as a touch of hunger. Hunger, because he noticed she had worn thigh highs, and.... Dammit, they suited her so well!! It made his mind wander, made it hard to focus even at the risk of being put on the spot if caught.

Kirishima had seen the result of trying to bother an answer out of him regarding his reddened face, and luckily, the rest of his group had since ceased their not so subtle questioning or suspicious gazes.

Alas, as the training course began, his focus was further strained. He knew well of her hero outfit, knew how revealing it was, how terribly he wanted to smudge that paint of hers in some secluded corner, hidden by staged and secure rubble. He knew it was all for the sole purpose of mobility, but.... Being a young man, brimming with poorly managed hormones and emotions, it really tested his patience with himself, as well as his anxieties. He knew well enough to never, *ever* betray her trust, hurt her by being the worst sort of impulsive....

But he was struggling far more than usual, and he knew at least Mina finally figured out why he was so tense, so flushed and aggressive, the moment he caught sight of Ikari doing such a deep, flexible stretch. He had been staring, his face almost as red as his eyes, and he only snapped out of it when he heard Mina gasp softly, then giggle with pure mischief, her gaze trained onto the explosive blonde. He could only mouth a silent, *angry* 'Don't you fucking ***DARE***', lest he draw more attention than what was necessary. That bubblegum bitch had no plans to let him live this down, and was sure to do something to fuck with him, possibly fuck up his chances with Ikari.

Regardless of the tender kiss and innocently intimate cuddling they had done last night, with nothing but comfort and care in his heart for her.

-----

Ikari was blissfully unaware of the torture she was putting Katsuki through, both Momo and Shouto coming over once her stretches were done. Ikari liked to train with the two of them, since Momo could make pretty much anything, that helped with her adaptability, and training with Shouto helped her reflexes, since he could be quite unpredictable. She had been practicing with him a lot ever since the man in the forest. She hadn't told anyone that the real reason was because she wanted to be able to familiarize herself with the ignition smell his fire quirk produced so she could smell it from farther away. Although, Katsuki was smart. Now that he knew the reason behind her nightmares, he was likely to put two and two together.

It wasn't much longer that All Might called attention to himself to give them their task. It was a rescue mission. One team of three to play the heroes, where one of them was incapacitated because they had been 'captured' by the enemy team, which would consist of two people. Seemed fairly routine, to be honest. It was important to pit them against each other for certain scenarios. She was just glad that they didn't have to worry about fighting a teacher in this scenario. Depending on the teacher, that could be quite difficult. Although, a lot of the students were getting quite good at what they did, and could hold their own against some of the teachers.

To make the selection process fair, All Might had them all write their names on slips of paper, and put it into a box. In the end, the Hero team consisted of Kirishima, Katsuki, and herself. The Villain team was Izuku and Shouto. Honestly, it was a pretty impressive lineup. She drew the role of the Hostage for the first bought. She sighed a little in disappointment that she wouldn't be apart of the action this time around, but she wasn't about to argue about it. The villain team got to pick where she would be hidden, so they ended up choosing this pile of rubble that had formed a sort of cave, and hid her inside it. It was Izuku who tied her up, though he made sure it wasn't uncomfortable for her. Midoriya would be Midoriya.

"Just let me know if I pull it too tight, Tenrousei." He said as he finished up the tie around her knees. It was just enough that she could lower herself to her knees, but she opted to lie down so the rope didn't sit in between two layers of flesh in an uncomfortable way.

"Will do, Midoriya! But, so far, it seems okay." She said, giving him a thumbs up from where her hands were at her side. She wasn't even all that concerned about the dark cave, she could still see relatively easily.

-----

Katsuki was glad the stretches were over before long, allowing him a sort of break from the torment from his hormones running wild. Though, he did notice Shoto and Momo coming over to do a bit of light practice with, but it was the two-toned young man that stuck out a bit more than usual. Knowing what he knew now, he didn't feel as.... Threatened by the other in the relationship front in regards to Ikari anymore. But, still, he did somewhat envy how close the pair seemed at times. Though, if he was right, he was fairly certain that he was the only one she had shared a bed with that wasn't a girl.

When the drawing began for the exercize, he was glad to have Ikari and Eijiro on his team-- they worked well together, though their opponents weren't going to be easy to beat. In a few ways, they had the disadvantage-- Eijiro can only handle so much damage from Izuku, plus the fact he could be frozen easily by Shoto, meanwhile Katsuki was built for damage, not to take hits, and he was only so fast gainst Izuku, even if they were both fired up with the intent to win, while Shoto could hinder him with cold, even if he missed a direct hit on the blonde. With Ikari, she had the benefit if being fast, flexible, and knew how well Shoto fought even if he was unpredictable, but there was Izuku, again, with his freakish gifts, including Black Whip. All the same, those factors were nothing compared to what was to come-- one of the 'heroes' had to be tied up, and wait for rescue from their teammates.

It's one thing to save someone else, it's another to be saved. He's been bound a total of three times without his consent-- once where he was damn near violated by a sludge freak, once at the sports festival for the whole country to see, and then when he had been kidnapped, vulnerable to any harm that could have come his way when his hands had been bound. He knew that he was safe, knew no one would hurt him here, but.... His gut was flopping, his flushed cheeks finally becoming a sickly pale the more his mind lingered on the thought.

But, when Ikari was drawn first, he relaxed, if only a little bit. He could focus on saving her, make her his goal, his focus to drag himself away from his anxiety for the time being. After the rules were gone over again, Katsuki and Eijiro readied themselves, waiting for the starting bell. Once it rang, he and the redhead made a beeline into the building, eyes wary of any frost, or potentially any shadowy green tendrils lurking about, ready to snare them, but also looking for any sign of Ikari without raising notice. At least they had the benefit of having her on their team in this regard-- it would be hard to fight her when she could find them silently and strike without mercy out of nowhere. And, that also meant they could find Eijiro or himself much easier with Ikari on the hunting party.

When they reached the third floor, the pair slowed down, feeling the air grow colder than the prior floor, and crept as quietly as they could. If only they could get a signal of some sort from Ikari, some hint to where she was.

-----

Ikari didn't like being the damsel in distress. Never had, never will. Especially in a situation like this, where she would absolutely excel in the hunting party. She had heightened vision in the dark, had much better hearing than a normal human, as well as a sense of smell. It had been why she had done so well in her work study and internship. Well, one of them had been more combat based, learning under Gunhead with Uraraka. That girl had surprised even Ikari how well she had taken to hand to hand combat. The other one, she had been by herself, working with a hero in the mountains as a rescue hero. She had really excelled there, her heightened senses allowing her to find people in need of help in record times.

But here... She was useless here. And it drove her nuts not being able to help Eijiro and Katsuki. She knew Shouto was the one guarding her; he was close enough to where they had hidden her that she could smell him. It was also colder here, though Shouto would always be Shouto, as her particular space wasn't that bad. That meant Midoriya was out there in the building, probably trying to find her teammates. She frowned, knowing how difficult it would be for her teammates to find her. Well... Katsuki was probably smart enough to assess the clues, and she had to hope that they didn't split up, because Eijiro would probably go in the wrong direction. She wanted to help them in some way, but there wasn't much she could do without alerting Shouto to what she was planning. It wasn't like she could growl, he would hear that... And she couldn't tap out Morse Code or something, they wouldn't hear it. In the end, she decided to use the metal claws of one of her boots to make a scratching sound on the concrete. It probably had the same problem that the Morse Code idea did, but it was still louder than tapping. She just hoped it wasn't loud enough to alert Shouto.

Meanwhile, Ikari's assessment had been correct. Midoriya was patrolling the building, trying his best to keep quiet as well as keep in the shadows, and he was silently glad that Ikari wasn't on the active team at the moment. This would end a whole lot quicker if she was. But Midoriya knew he probably shouldn't take on both of them if it could be avoided, so even if he did run across them, he wouldn't fight them together unless they spotted him, and left him no choice.

Shouto, on the other hand, was too preoccupied keeping watch to really notice what Ikari was doing. This particular hallway was colder than the rest, and it had occurred to him to try and do the same to other hallways to try and throw them off, but it would use up too much energy to keep those areas cold remotely. And he wanted to save as much as he could for combat, as both Bakugou and Kirishima were pretty good at that.

-----

Katsuki knew they *had* to be close now-- the chill in the air was even noticeable in the winter version of his uniform!! He looked to Eijiro silently, and without needing to say a word, he passed a few grenades to the red head, then sent the other towards the opposite direction of the chill. Izuku *had* to be on this floor-- and, it stood to reason that that nerd would have decent enough trouble with Eijiro, cause a lot of noise....

Which, admittedly, happened far sooner than Katsuki had been ready for, but he had faith in the dork. He kept up his creeping as the sounds of battle echoed further down the opposite side of the floor, following the chill, as much as he hated to. Sure, he was insulated well enough to not be too hindered, but, all the same, he wouldn't be at his top performance against Icy Hot. But, he was banking on one thing-- if they met face to face, he'd be feirce about blocking the way to where Ikari was, while also avoiding any damage to her if she was close by. Risky, sure, but it was worth a shot.

Though, he did soon hear a scratching sound even with the increasing damage on the other side of the building, includong the first of three grenades to pop off. Good-- maybe that may be enough to pull Shoto away-- okay, second went off, maybe he'll be lucky? He hated making Eijiro bait, but he seemed quite happy to follow through. He owed the redhead after this, regardless of the outcome.

[Silver Wings]

Ikari hated this. Just sitting and waiting to be rescued. Sure, it was for class, but she was much better suited to searching someone out than being the one searched for. Especially since she couldn't adequately provide a hint as to where she was being kept. Not with Shouto so close. He'd be able to hear anything that Katsuki would. He didn't have wolves' hearing, like she did.

Speaking of... her ears perked up at the sound of Shouto shifting his weight. He was anticipating Katsuki, she knew. There was no way they wouldn't send their strongest hitter to get the hostage.

That was when she heard the explosions. Hmmm... maybe she was wrong. Eijirou had no means of making those on his own, and she doubted Katsuki would just give away his position like that. Was he fighting Midoriya while Eijirou looked for her. No, that didn't make sense. Eijirou's quirk was much better suited to fighting a melee combatant like Midoriya...

She growled in frustration. All this speculation was getting her nowhere. But it was against the rules to break herself out. They were supposed to be playing the role of a helpless citizen. Or a hero that had been incapacitated. Luckily her growl hadn't alerted Shouto. Or, if it had, he showed no signs of acknowledging it.

She sniffed the air tentatively, and couldn't help but smile. She knew it... Katsuki was close. She tapped a few more times, hoping he heard it, being sure to stop when Shouto looked over his shoulder at her.