Kai's POV
The weekend arrived with unexpected news.
U.A. announced a temporary dormitory arrangement. After the USJ attack, security concerns demanded students stay on campus until additional measures could be implemented. Two weeks, minimum.
Parents were notified. Bags were packed. By Friday evening, Class 1-A had moved into a hastily prepared building near the main campus.
"This is so exciting!" Mina bounced through the common room. "It's like a sleepover that never ends!"
"It's a security measure," Iida corrected, adjusting his glasses. "We should treat it with appropriate seriousness."
"You treat everything with appropriate seriousness. Lighten up!"
I claimed a room on the third floor. Nothing special, just a bed, desk, and small bathroom. Functional.
The real complication was the proximity.
Momo was two doors down. Ochako was on the floor below. Every girl in the class was suddenly within walking distance.
This was going to be interesting.
Saturday morning, Momo knocked on my door.
"Study session," she announced when I opened it. "You still need help with mathematics."
"Right now?"
"Do you have other plans?"
I didn't. Nemuri couldn't visit with the dorm arrangement, and Yu was working all weekend.
"Fine. Your room or mine?"
"Mine. I have better materials."
Her room was twice the size of mine.
I stared at the space. Custom furniture, bookshelves filled with texts, a sitting area with a couch and low table.
"How did you get all this in here?"
"I made it." She gestured at the furniture. "My quirk is useful for more than combat."
"Clearly."
She'd set up a study area with textbooks, notebooks, and practice problems. Everything organized with military precision.
"Sit," she said. "We have a lot to cover."
The first few hours were purely academic.
She walked me through calculus concepts, her explanations clear and patient. I actually understood most of it, which was a first.
"You're improving," she said, reviewing my practice problems. "Your approach is more methodical."
"Good teacher."
"Good student." She smiled slightly. "When you actually apply yourself."
We took a break around noon. She'd prepared tea and snacks, laid out on the table like a proper arrangement.
"You didn't have to do all this," I said.
"I wanted to." She poured tea with practiced grace. "It's nice to have company."
"You have the whole class now. Everyone's living together."
"That's different. Group dynamics are exhausting." She handed me a cup. "One-on-one is more... comfortable."
The word hung in the air between us.
"Momo."
"Yes?"
"About what happened at Recovery Girl's office..."
"The kiss?" Her cheeks flushed. "What about it?"
"We haven't really talked about it."
"I assumed there wasn't much to discuss." She looked down at her tea. "We kissed. Uraraka saw us. It was awkward."
"Is that all it was to you? Awkward?"
She was quiet for a moment.
"No," she admitted. "It wasn't."
"Then what was it?"
She set down her cup and met my eyes.
"It was the best moment of my life."
The confession surprised me.
"The best moment?"
"I've never been kissed before. Not really." She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, nervous. "And when you kissed me back... when you held me like that... I felt things I've never felt before."
"Good things?"
"Terrifying things." She laughed softly. "But yes. Good."
"Then why haven't we talked about it?"
"Because I didn't know what to say." She stood and walked to the window. The sky outside was darkening, clouds rolling in. "I've been thinking about it constantly. About you. About what it means."
"What does it mean?"
"I don't know." She turned to face me. "That's the problem. I've always known what I wanted. Had a plan for everything. But you..." She shook her head. "You don't fit into any plan."
"Is that bad?"
"It's confusing." She crossed her arms. "I'm not used to feeling confused."
Thunder rumbled in the distance. The first drops of rain began to fall.
"Sounds like a storm," I said.
"The forecast predicted heavy rain all evening." She glanced at the window. "You might be stuck here for a while."
"Would that be a problem?"
"No." Her voice was soft. "It wouldn't."
The storm intensified as the afternoon wore on.
Rain lashed against the windows. Lightning flickered across the sky. The building's lights dimmed momentarily before backup generators kicked in.
We'd abandoned studying entirely. Instead, we sat on her couch, talking about everything and nothing.
"I've never had a real friend," Momo admitted. "Growing up, there were always people around. Tutors, servants, my parents' associates. But never anyone my own age."
"That sounds lonely."
"It was. Is." She shrugged. "I learned to be self-sufficient. To need nothing from anyone."
"Everyone needs something."
"What do you need, Kai?"
The question caught me off guard.
"Connection," I said after a moment. "Real, genuine connection."
"Because of your quirk?"
"Partly. But also just... because." I leaned back against the couch. "I spent a long time feeling alone too. Different from everyone around me. It's exhausting."
"When did that change?"
I thought about Nemuri. About that first meeting at the coffee shop. The way she'd looked at me like I was worth looking at.
"When I met someone who saw me clearly," I said. "And liked what she saw."
"She?"
"It's complicated."
Momo studied me for a long moment.
"You have secrets."
"Everyone has secrets."
"Yours seem heavier than most."
"Maybe."
She moved closer on the couch. Not touching, but close enough that I could feel the warmth of her body.
"I want to know your secrets," she said quietly. "All of them."
"Even if they change how you see me?"
"Especially then."
The rain continued to fall.
Night crept in, darkening the room. Momo turned on a lamp, casting everything in soft golden light.
"I should probably go back to my room," I said.
"Probably."
Neither of us moved.
"Kai?"
"Yeah?"
"I've been thinking about what you said. About connection."
"And?"
She turned to face me fully. Her eyes were bright, determined.
"I want that. With you."
"Momo..."
"Let me finish." She took a breath. "I know about Uraraka. I know she has feelings for you too. And I know there might be others."
"How do you know that?"
"I'm observant. And I'm not stupid." She reached out and took my hand. "But I don't care."
"You don't care that I might be involved with other people?"
"I care. But not enough to walk away." She squeezed my hand. "I've spent my whole life playing it safe. Following rules. Being what everyone expected me to be. And where did it get me? Lonely. Isolated. Afraid to want anything for myself."
"And now?"
"Now I want something." She met my eyes. "I want you."
The words hung in the air.
I looked at her. Really looked. At the vulnerability in her expression. The courage it had taken to say those words.
"You barely know me," I said.
"I know enough." She moved closer. "I know you're kind. Brave. That you protect people without thinking about yourself. That you treat me like a person, not a name or a quirk or a body."
"Momo..."
"I know I want you to kiss me again." Her voice dropped to a whisper. "Please."
I cupped her face in my hands.
"Are you sure?"
"I've never been more sure of anything."
I kissed her.
The kiss started gentle.
Soft and sweet, a question more than a statement. Her lips trembled against mine, uncertain but willing.
Then she made a small sound in the back of her throat, and everything changed.
She grabbed my shirt and pulled me closer. The kiss deepened, becoming urgent, desperate. Her tongue brushed against my lips and I opened for her.
"Kai," she gasped when we broke for air. "I want..."
"What do you want?"
"More." Her face was flushed, eyes hazy. "I want more."
"Are you sure? We can stop."
"I don't want to stop." She grabbed my hand and pressed it against her chest. I could feel her heart racing beneath my palm. "Feel that? That's what you do to me."
"Momo..."
"I've never felt this way before. Like I'm going to explode if you don't touch me." She leaned in, her lips brushing my ear. "Please, Kai. I need you."
I pulled back slightly.
She looked hurt for a moment, confusion flickering across her face.
"Did I do something wrong?"
"No. God, no." I took her hands in mine. "I just need to tell you something first."
"Tell me what?"
"About my quirk. The full truth."
She waited, watching me with those dark, intelligent eyes.
"My quirk absorbs energy from physical contact," I said. "The more intimate the contact, the more energy I absorb. And the more people I'm intimate with, the stronger I become."
She processed that. I could see her mind working, connecting dots.
"When you say intimate..."
"I mean exactly what you think I mean."
"So when we kiss..."
"I absorb a small amount of your energy. It's harmless. You might feel a little tired afterward, but nothing serious."
"And if we do more than kiss?"
"The absorption is stronger. And the enhancement to my quirk is greater."
She was quiet for a long moment.
"Is that why you're with other people? Because you need to be?"
"Partly. My quirk benefits from variety. Different people provide different types of energy." I met her eyes. "But that's not the only reason."
"What's the other reason?"
"I genuinely care about the people I'm with. It's not just about the quirk."
"Do you care about me?"
"Yes."
"How much?"
"Enough that I'm telling you all this instead of just taking what you're offering."
She smiled slightly.
"That's either very noble or very stupid."
"Probably both."
She laughed, some of the tension leaving her shoulders.
"So if we do this... whatever 'this' becomes... I'd be sharing you with others."
"Yes."
"And you'd be honest with me about them?"
"As honest as I can be. Some things aren't just my secrets to share."
"But you wouldn't lie to me?"
"Never."
She considered that. Outside, thunder rolled across the sky.
"I have conditions," she said finally.
"Name them."
"First, you treat me with respect. I'm not just another conquest or a source of energy."
"You never could be."
"Second, you're honest with me. Always. Even when it's hard."
"Agreed."
"Third..." She hesitated. "Third, you give me time. To adjust. To understand. This is all very new to me."
"We go at your pace. Always."
She nodded slowly.
"Then I accept."
"Accept what?"
"The situation. All of it." She reached up and touched my face. "I want you, Kai. However I can have you."
"Even knowing everything?"
"Especially knowing everything." She smiled. "Now kiss me again. Properly this time."
I kissed her properly.
She melted into me, all the earlier hesitation gone. Her hands explored my chest, my shoulders, my back. Mine found her waist, her hips, the curve of her spine.
"Kai," she breathed against my lips.
"Yeah?"
"Stay tonight."
"Are you sure?"
"I'm sure." She pulled back to look at me. "I'm not saying we have to do anything. I just... don't want you to leave."
I looked at her. At the hope and fear and desire in her expression.
"Okay," I said. "I'll stay."
Her smile was radiant.
We ended up in her bed.
Not doing anything, just lying together. Her head on my chest, my arm around her shoulders. The storm raged outside, but inside was warm and quiet.
"This is nice," she murmured.
"Yeah."
"I've never shared a bed with anyone before."
"Me neither." A lie, but a small one. She didn't need to know about Nemuri and Yu yet.
"Can we do this again? Not just tonight. But... regularly?"
"If you want."
"I want." She snuggled closer. "I want a lot of things I never thought I'd want."
"Like what?"
"Like you. Like this. Like feeling something for someone besides obligation." She yawned. "I think I could get used to this."
"Go to sleep, Momo."
"Will you be here when I wake up?"
"I promise."
"Okay." Another yawn. "Goodnight, Kai."
"Goodnight, Momo."
Within minutes, her breathing evened out.
I lay there, listening to the rain, feeling her warmth against me.
Tomorrow would be complicated. Questions would be asked. Boundaries would need to be established.
But tonight, this was enough.
More than enough.