to say the least. There was no need for his class partner to be that rude. He plopped down on his bed with unnecessary aggression and flailed his legs wildly in a toddler-esque tantrum.

He just had to be assigned a new partner, or there was no way he would be able to pass this course. It also didn't help that Izuku wasn't used to interaction, much less such intense and rude behaviour.

Sitting up, he hurried over to his study desk to pick up his phone. He emailed Mr. Aizawa urgently about his request before plopping down on the bed yet again.

Growing up, Izuku had been a bit sheltered. After his father left the picture, his mother made damn well sure that her son would never experience anything overwhelming ever again. She was quite a bit overprotective, but it was for a good reason.

Because of that, Izuku was homeschooled up until the ninth grade. He then went to the local high school, where everyone knew everyone since they were kids- and so there was hardly any bullying.

So naturally, meeting someone like Katsuki was a huge culture shock.

Izuku's phone buzzed. He tiredly took it up.

It was an email from Mr. Aizawa.

Izuku's eyes scanned the words hurriedly in hopes that his teacher would understand, but his face fell in disappointment.

[ Good afternoon, Midoriya.

I'll be frank with you. Your request is understandable but futile. While most of the pairings I made were random, I purposely put you with Bakugou for a reason. It seems unfair, but he had to pair with someone besides his little chums. You're going to have to learn how to cooperate with all kinds of people. Thank you for understanding, and good luck. ]

Izuku scowled. "But I don't even know how to talk to people!"

Another text came in.

[ Hey, Midoriya. Wanna meet up at my dorm for a movie night? Uraraka will be here too - Iida aka dad ]

Midoriya brightened.

[ Sure! I'll be there in fifteen.- Izukuwu ]

Izuku forced himself out of bed to go take a shower. He grabbed his toiletries, stepped out of his room, and headed to the nearby shower that was just two doors down the long hall.

After a quick bath, he hurriedly headed back to his room.

He seriously hated the possibility of someone seeing him in a towel.

Brushing his thoughts away, he dragged on a pair of blue skinny jeans and a pastel multicolored shirt. He began to put on a pair of baby blue converse when his phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Izu!" Uraraka's cheerful voice made Izuku involuntarily smile a little.

"Oh, hi-"

"I'm already here, so hurry up," Ochako stressed, dragging on the last word.

"I'm coming, jeez!" Midoriya laughed a little as he finished tying his shoelaces.

After hanging up, he grabbed his wallet and room keys and left, locking his door.

___________

"I can't believe I got here before you, Izu," Ochako Uraraka said in mock disappointment. Her usually bobbed mousy hair was caught in a low ponytail, some tendrils escaping its hold as she squinted. "I'm supposed to be the late one."

The three best friends were sitting comfortably on Iida's bed, all of them extremely close because of the small space. They didn't mind, though.

Izuku pouted. "Stop chewing me out over it, I already feel awful."

Iida went opened up Netflix on his laptop, adjusting his glasses afterwards. "Nevermind that. What do you guys wanna watch?"

"How about Pulp Fiction?" Izuku suggested.

"Ooh, sounds good," Uraraka hummed. "Okay, Pulp Fiction it is," Iida said, searching up the movie before clicking on it.

A few minutes into the movie, Izuku started to hear the distinct sound of cheers and music nearby.

Uraraka huffed in irritation. "Damn, I can hardly hear."

"I apologize for that. My neighbours have been doing this every few nights. I've gotten kind of used to it." Iida shrugged.

"Didn't you try talking to them?" Ochako asked.

"I did. They listened, but only temporarily. Besides, there's one particular guy that's been a real jerk. I'd rather not encounter him again, honestly," Tenya explained.

"Oh," Uraraka said, pouting a little.

"Maybe we can turn the captions on?" Izuku cringed.

"Better than nothing, I guess."

The hoots and cheers from next door seemed to be getting louder, if that was even possible. Luckily for the trio, the movie was wrapping itself up.

Iida yawned. "It's eleven, I'm gonna get some sleep. Thanks for coming, guys."

"No problem," Ochako said as she and Izuku headed for the door.

"See you around," Midoryia said, smiling.

Ochako opened the door and they both stepped out into the hallway.

A loud thud erupted, followed by a yelp of pain.

"Oh my God, I'm sorry about that!"

A red-haired teen who'd been rushing down the hallway had managed to knock Uraraka over. He apologized profusely as he helped the brunette up.

"It's fine," Ochako chuckled awkwardly, before visibly brightening. "Wait, Kirishima, right?"

The redhead smiled, showing off his unusually sharp teeth. "Right! And you're Uraraka!"

Izuku, who'd been quiet until then, spoke up. "You two know each other?"

"Yeah, we share a few classes," Ochako explained.

"Oh, that's so rude of me!" Kirishima exclaimed, grabbing hold of Izuku's hand. His bright ruby eyes shone with friendliness. "I'm Kirishima, but my friends call me Kiri or Ejirou."

Izuku almost overheated. "Uh, I-I'm Midoryia. Izuku Midoriya."

The charismatic teen smiled brightly. "Nice to meet you, dude!"

"So you're the one living next door? Where all the racket is?" Ochako asked curiously.

Kirishima smiled sheepishly. "Yeah, sorry about that. I keep on telling those dudes to keep it down but they don't really listen. Most of my friends live nearby so it gets...chaotic."

"So where are you hurrying off to?" Izuku questioned, almost slapping himself as soon as the words left his mouth.

What if that question seems off, or intrusive? I need to get a grip-

"Oh, I was just about to buy some beer. A friend of a friend sells it cheap," the shark tooth male replied.

"Oh." My anxiety is going to be the death of me.

"Anyway, I like you guys. Wanna join me and head back to my place? You can't turn down free drinks," Kirishima said, laughing a bit.

"I don't care for drinking, but thanks anyway-"

"Sure!" Ochako interrupted Izuku, nudging him a bit afterwards.

"I think we need a distraction anyway."