Chapter 30 – Foundational Heroics Rescue Race
"I AM HERE!" All Might announced to Class 1-A as they stood before the walled off training field that they'd be using today. "And the reason for that is…your Foundational Heroics Training!" He placed his fists on his hips with his signature smile. "It's been a while, boys and girls! How is everyone?"
"Not much of an entrance." Kaminari mumbled to Kirishima.
"I kind of expected more after a break." Kirishima nodded to the blonde.
"Maybe he ran out of schticks?" Sato guessed with the other boys.
"Run out? Never!" All Might chuckled at the comments. "My supply of schticks is inexhaustible!" He declared with a wide smile that got a round of grins from the students.
"His Golden Age Costume is so cool." Izuku was always excited to be able to learn from his idol and favorite Hero.
"As an immediate follow-up to your internships, today's activity is a playful one!" All Might held up his right hand, his index finger pointing upwards. "A rescue-training race!"
Iida's hand shot into the air quickly. "Shouldn't rescue training be performed at the USJ, sir?"
"That place is for disaster rescue training, in particular, young Iida." All Might shook his head. "But recall what I said, it's a race! This is Field Gamma!" He threw his arms wide to introduce the training ground. "It's a dense spread of factories that wind together to form an intricate network of maze-like alleys! For this exercise, you'll all be splitting into four teams of five members and going through it one team at a time!" Seeing that all of them understood, All Might nodded and continued with the explanation of the exercise. "I'll send up a distress signal from somewhere inside, and you will all start at the edge of the field in randomly selected locations. It's a race to see who can reach and rescue me first!"
"Yes, sir!" Class 1-A chorused, smiles breaking out on multiple faces as some excitement started to build up.
"Naturally, keep the destruction of property to a minimum." All Might reminded, looking over at Bakugo and pointing to the Explosion user.
"Stop pointing at me." Bakugo grumbled at being called out for the collateral damage that his Quirk was capable of causing so easily.
"Alright, now to randomly select the first group and their entry points to Field Gamma." All Might pulled out a tablet and flipped it around to show the screen to the students. A list of names rolled past the screen like a slot machine for a second before they stopped. "Group One will consist of Sero, Ashido, Iida, Asui, and Midoriya. Please head to the location beside your name and we'll begin shortly!"
"Yes, sir." The five students stepped forward.
"Once you get the signal you may begin!" All Might instructed before leaping from the ground and into the middle of Field Gamma in one move.
"Whoa…" Chikuchi blinked at seeing All Might's legendary strength in-person for the first time. She was given understanding looks from all of her classmates. They'd been just as surprised by it the first few times too.
While the five students of Group One made their way towards their designated starting positions. The rest of the class was sat up on a raised platform with a large screen and speakers. The screen was divided into five perspectives, each one following one of the students.
"Iida is better at flat out speed, but in a series of narrow streets like this, isn't he at a disadvantage?" Ochako pondered on the location given what she knew of Iida's Quirk.
"The mobility experts of our class all got matched up, so I'm not sure how to call this one, you know?" Shoji looked between the five screens to determine who had the biggest advantage in this race.
"Yeah. But Midoriya is there, can't he just use that Warp Gate of his?" Kirishima questioned the others. It seemed like the easiest way to win in his opinion.
"Doesn't he need line of sight for it to work? Or at least a target area to warp to?" Tokoyami asked, not having full knowledge of the majority of their Class Representative's Quirks.
"Not sure, but even line of sight warping gives him a pretty huge advantage, right?" Jiro reminded the group from her spot next to Momo.
"Yes. Izuku's various Quirks could be combined to give him exceptional mobility, but his Warp Gate makes distance almost a non-factor." Momo agreed with her friend wholeheartedly. "Further, I'm sure he could open a gate into the sky and just peer through it, if needed."
"I'm giving Izukun the win on this one." Ochako smiled, her cheeks lightly pink. It wasn't favoritism…okay it was…but it was also just the most realistic outcome!
"Same, Izu has got this on lock!" Camie cheered for her boyfriend, a bright smile on her lips.
"Yeah, but who would be second if Midoriya just warps to the finish line?" Kaminari questioned everyone.
"Sero, maybe?" Kirishima thought about it. "Wouldn't he be the best bet after Midoriya's warping?"
"I think Tsu-chan is the most likely contender for second place." Toru spoke up brightly. "She was already fast before, she can stick to walls, and I bet she got even stronger at her internship!"
"Yeah!" Camie and Ochako cheered along with the invisible girl. "Go, Tsu-chan!"
"I do hate to bet against her, but while Mademoiselle Ashido is fast and nimble, I believe she might be at a similar disadvantage as Iida in this race." Aoyama commented, posing as sparkles seemed to come off his body. "Unless she has a way to significantly increase her speed on such unfavorable terrain, this race is not in her favor."
"START!" All Might's voice blared over the speakers and all five students inside Field Gamma took off.
"This kind of test is made for me!" Sero launched his tape up high, sticking to one of the many pipes throughout the field, and then retracted his tape to launch himself into the air above the obstacles.
"See!" Kirishima pointed out. "Going above is best in a cramped space like this one!"
"Sero is good at staying airborne too. So, that gives him an advantage." Shoji agreed as the class watched.
"Kero!" Tsuyu crouched down, tensing her legs and thighs as she prepared to hop with all of her strength. In a blur the frog-like girl was gone, launching herself high into the air and landing on top of a multi-story factory that had been before her. With another leap, she had cleared three more such buildings and safely landed on the roof of the fourth one.
"Oh my!" Momo was happy for her friend and amazed by the display.
"Told you!" Toru laughed brightly, seeing Tsuyu clearing large distances with each hop.
"Go, Tsu, go!" Ochako and Camie were happily cheering her on.
"Anybody else seeing Iida?" Sato questioned, seeing the resident speedster dashing around buildings and down streets while barely slowing down. "Since when could he corner like that? He's almost halfway to the center point of the field already!"
"He must've learned from Ingenium on his internship." Todoroki spoke up as he watched Iida. Clearly the straight-laced teen had learned quite a lot from his elder brother.
"Mina's doing parkour?" Tokoyami pointed to Mina's screen.
"Yahoo!" Mina was indeed parkouring her way across the intricate network of pipes, buildings, ductwork, and other obstacles. With a grin, she leapt towards a flat wall, only to produce a thick, viscous acid from her hands and through her special shoes. The pinkette stuck to the wall almost like Tsuyu and quickly climbed up the side before resuming her parkour across the rooftops. "Can't stop me!" She laughed brightly, seeing the roof that she was pretty sure All Might was on.
"Man…everyone has improved so much." Kirishima beamed at his classmates as they raced through Field Gamma.
"Tch." Bakugo tsked from off to the side of the group, his eyes hadn't left Izuku since the start. His angry red gaze was practically drilling a hole into the green-haired teen.
"Since I have no fixed target…" Izuku knew the 'Coordinate' part of the Warp Gate Quirk wouldn't be of much use here. "Line of sight it is!" A swirling black and purple fog appeared from his body and he leapt through it. He exited a gate that was high in the air, gravity reasserting its hold on him as he began to fall. "There!" Izuku took his time to scan the rooftops of the industrial field to try and spot All Might. It hadn't taken him long to see a large man standing on the roof of a building near the center of the area. A new gate swirled into existence below him and Izuku fell through it.
"Ah, I suspected as much." All Might chuckled as a swirling black fog appeared just above the building he was waiting at. The green of Midoriya's costume flew out of the gate as the boy tucked and rolled to absorb the impact of his fall. He popped back up onto his feet with a smile that made All Might grin in return. "Well, we have our winner!"
"Yes!" Izuku cheered a little at winning the race.
"You beat me, Izukun." Tsuyu landed on the roof from her latest jump just a moment after Izuku had been declared the winner. "Congratulations." She smiled at him and let out an adorable 'kero' when he pulled her into a warm hug for a moment.
"Shoot!" Sero sighed at seeing that he was third. "I thought I'd picked the fastest route too."
"I have arrived, sensei!" Iida nearly barreled through the door of the roof access. The bespectacled teen quickly counted his classmates and hung his head at coming in fourth place on a race of all things.
"Darn it!" Mina pouted as she swung herself over the railing to the rooftop. "You guys are making me look bad!" She accused playfully, pointing at her friends.
"Midoriya may have taken first place, but you've all figured out new and better ways to use your Quirks since starting at school here." All Might praised the five students with a bright smile. "Keep up the good work as you prepare for your Final Exams!"
"Right, Finals are coming up." Izuku recalled as the group were walking back down the stairs of the building to vacate the field.
"I need to study more." Mina groaned, not being the bookwork type.
"You can do well if you apply yourself, Ashido!" Iida chopped the air in her direction.
"Hmm, I could use help in a subject or two, myself." Sero admitted, running his free hand through his hair while his opposite hand held the helmet of his costume. "Classical Japanese isn't helping my overall scores."
"Perhaps we should make a study group? Kero." Tsuyu suggested, looking at Izuku.
"That's not a bad idea, as Class Rep it's part of my responsibilities to make sure that all of us are doing our best when it comes to our grades." Izuku agreed as he entered his 'thinking' pose. "We'll need to make sure we have everyone that needs help join in, if they want to, of course. I'm sure Momo will want to help as well, she was first on the midterms, so she could help with any subject."
"Kero." Tsuyu had a happy little smile as she took Izuku's hand in hers as they walked, just listening to him mutter as he planned to make the best study group that he could to help his classmates. 'So cute!' She cooed in her mind.
When it was time for the next group to have their turn, the five students were: Tokoyami, Jiro, Kirishima, Chikuchi, and Aoyama.
"START!" All Might's voice once more blared over the speakers. The Number One Hero had moved to a different location entirely within Field Gamma to prevent the next group from knowing where to find him.
"Dark Shadow!" Tokoyami called out and the sentient Quirk rose from the raven-headed teen's body. "Dark Fallen Angel!" He exclaimed, making a few of his classmates quietly snicker at the chuunibyou name.
"Got it!" Dark Shadow seemed to withdraw into Tokoyami's cloak, only for his large arms to wrap around his stomach.
Tokoyami leapt as high as he could, roughly a meter and a half, and then literally flew into the air!
"EEEHHH?!" The watching students exclaimed in shock.
"Tokoyami can fly?!" Shoji was wide-eyed at seeing his friend flying.
"Since when?!" Kaminari gaped at the new development.
"New move!" Mina cheered brightly, even as she laughed at the name.
"I see…" Izuku had pulled out his notebook, stashed somewhere on his person, and was rapidly flipping to Tokoyami's page even as he started muttering. "Using Dark Shadow's seeming immunity to gravity, Tokoyami can have Dark Shadow hold him and then move. Rather than Tokoyami standing on the ground and Dark Shadow moving independently, they become like horse and rider to achieve flight! That's amazing!"
"Shining…Rocket!" Aoyama announced flamboyantly as he directed his laser towards the ground. The bright light was unleashed and sent the armored teen flying up the side of the nearest building until he landed on the roof. "Monsieur Tokoyami is not the only one that has learned new tricks!" The blonde sparkled as he rushed across the rooftops, occasionally blasting himself higher with a carefully controlled beam. Internally he was hopeful that All Might wouldn't mark off too many points from his score for the bits of damage he was doing while launching himself around.
"Aoyama too?!" Sero was both stunned and happy for his classmate. "It's not actually flying, but it's still crazy!"
"He must've gotten better with his stomach pain, huh?" Ochako could sympathize with Aoyama. Having to deal with nausea from using her Quirk for too long was a similar kickback that the two shared.
"Didn't see that coming." Toru remarked before seeing what Chikuchi was doing. "Look at Chi-chan go!"
"Huh?" A lot of eyes turned towards the newest student of Class 1-A, only to once more bug out.
"Is she flying too?!" Sato gaped at seeing another of their classmates just defying gravity.
"Are those water wings?" Momo pointed out the blue objects around Chikuchi's biceps and ankles.
"They are…" Camie confirmed that their classmate was indeed wearing flotation devices made to help small children learn to swim.
"How is she flying like that though?" Todoroki wondered, clearly not understanding what the brunette was doing.
"Focus…" Chikuchi controlled her Quirk precisely, like Backdraft had shown her during her internship. "Just don't let it pierce through the edges." She floated through the air until she was flying above the factories and could see the whole training field. "There!" She grinned, only to gape as she saw Tokoyami flying straight for All Might far faster than she could hope to. "What the hell?!"
"I get it!" Izuku exclaimed with a bright smile, making several of his classmates look at him, including his four girlfriends. "She filled the water wings with water! She's manipulating it with her hydrokinesis to carry her along! That's so smart since her costume isn't ready yet!" He was rapidly writing down this new discovery of the girl's Quirk.
"I thought her Quirk made water take on spike or cone shapes? Wouldn't that pop the water wings?" Tsuyu blinked at seeing two of her classmates flying through the training field.
"She must be controlling the shapes inside the water wings, keeping the flat edges of the water cones against the sides to lift her up." Momo realized after a few seconds to think about it. "But she'd have to be doing that for all four of them at the same time…" That was a stunning revelation to just how well Chikuchi could multitask and split her focus.
"That's nuts." Kaminari shook his head. He was pretty sure he was getting a headache just thinking about it.
"Kirishima and Jiro are really out of luck, huh?" Sato commiserated with his fellow landbound classmates, watching the two run towards the area that All Might was waiting.
"Kyoka looks like she knows exactly where she's going though." Mina pointed out.
"She plugged one of her jacks into the ground as soon as the race started, maybe she heard All Might's location?" Camie guessed, having wondered why her friend had done so from such a distance away.
"Over that much distance? Can she do that?" Shoji, also a reconnaissance specialist, questioned as it became clearer and clearer that Jiro did indeed know where All Might was.
"Sensei, I have responded to your distress call!" Tokoyami flew down from the air and landed on the loading dock that All Might stood at. On the side of this factory, he was only visible from certain angles. It made it rather difficult to find him if one couldn't see from above, or had some other way of finding him.
"Excellent work, young Tokoyami!" All Might smiled and gave the teen a thumbs up. "I'm most impressed by your new move, very creative!"
"Thank you, sir." Tokoyami was so happy that he'd gone to Hawk's Agency for his internship. He never would've thought of flight with Dark Shadow on his own.
"I'm…whoa…I'm here, sensei!" Chikuchi floated down from above, a bit unsteadily, but she almost made the Pro's eyes bug out.
"Young Togeike…how are…simply marvelous!" All Might decided the how didn't matter at this moment. "You've truly taken well to the Hero Course and have clearly learned greatly during your internship! Well done!" He beamed at Chikuchi brightly.
"Th-Thank you very much, sir." Chikuchi was blushing from the praise. She felt like her heart might burst with joy! How many people, who had almost failed to get into the Hero Course entirely, had ever been so enthusiastically complimented by All Might himself?
"Your shining knight has arrived!" Aoyama declared as he slid down a ladder from the nearby warehouse-like building's rooftop. "Though it seems like I have been bested by flight…my sparkles shall not dim!" He declared, making All Might chuckle at the dramatic entrance.
"A good time, young Aoyama, be proud of your growth and development with your Quirk!" All Might gave praise where it was due. Aoyama preened under the compliment and posed.
"Thank you very much, sensei!" Aoyama had a wide smile on his face.
"You guys are ridiculous!" Jiro laughed as she jogged into the area. "Flying, rocket jumping with a laser, what's next?"
"Tell me…about it…" Kirishima jogged into the loading area from the other side, clearly out of breath. "I couldn't figure out where you were, except in this general direction. Hoo…" He exhaled and then inhaled deeply. "I must've run an extra dozen blocks or so just trying to find you, sensei."
"Not to worry, young Kirishima! This exercise is meant to show not only how you've improved, but how you can continue to improve as well!" All Might consoled the redhead. "If mobility hinders you, then work on reconnaissance to find the fastest way to your destination!" He shot Jiro a thumbs up and the rocker girl smiled with some pink on her cheeks.
-Boys Locker Room ~ After Class-
"Man, I need to work on my mobility!" Kirishima lamented his last place finish.
"Me too." Sato sighed, having had much the same issues as Kirishima in actually finding All Might among the maze-like training area. "Even boosting my speed with Turbinado sugar didn't do me much good since I was practically running around in circles."
"You'll have to increase your reconnaissance skills then, like All Might said." Tokoyami responded as he was putting on his tie.
"We'll still fall behind at this rate." Kaminari mentioned, putting on his uniform shirt. "I'm jealous of you guys that can fly and take the high ground so easily."
"I worked up a bit of sweat this time around." Aoyama wiped his forehead with a handkerchief. "I almost overused my Quirk."
"Midoriya, you totally took the cake this time around." Sero chuckled good-naturedly. "How are any of us supposed to beat warping?"
"Right?" Shoji got in on the banter. "It doesn't matter how fast we move if he only has to take one step to get there."
"I call hax!" Kaminari laughed, shooting a smile at his friend.
"But you guys did great today." Izuku shook his head. "I never expected to see flight from Tokoyami or Chikuchi, especially." Even his analytic ability hadn't puzzled those uses out of their Quirks. He might have a bit of a leg up when it came to understanding Quirks, but he wasn't all-knowing nor infallible. But that DID keep Quirks super exciting for him!
"Damn Deku…" Bakugo muttered under his breath as he finished changing and left the locker room without looking back.
-Girls Locker Room-
"Chi-chan, you were amazing out there!" Toru gushed to her newest friend. "How'd you learn to fly?!"
"A lot of practice with Backdraft." Chikuchi shrugged, playing it cool.
"Boo~" Mina called out with a giggle. "Give us the real story!"
"It was mostly just Backdraft asking me a lot of questions about my Quirk. Then he'd just ask me why I hadn't done one thing or another with it." Chikuchi admitted as the girls continued to change back into their uniforms. "So many times, he just asked 'Why not?' and I couldn't answer him at all. It was really eye-opening."
"I get that." Jiro nodded understandingly to the brunette. "I felt the same way back when Midoriya analyzed my Quirk. Me and my mom have the same Quirk, yet neither of us had figured out some of the things he did. He hadn't even known about my quirk for more than a few days!" She shook her head with a small grin. "It's crazy what you can discover with an outside point of view."
"You aren't kidding." Camie smiled at the rocker girl. "Izuku blew a lot of our minds that day."
"Speaking of new things though…what's up with that new gear, Jiro-chan?" Tsuyu asked as she buttoned up her shirt.
"Oh this?" Jiro held up one of the new white speakers on the back of a pair of fingerless gloves she'd added to her costume. "This is new Support Gear that came in from the same company that makes Present Mic's set up. He got me in touch with them. They'll really up my decibels!" She laughed while looking at the small, innocuous item. "They're super variable too! I should be able to more easily hit resonant frequencies and do more pinpoint targeting."
"That's amazing, Kyoka!" Momo beamed at her friend.
"What else do they do?!" Ochako asked curiously, the excitement of the room getting to her too.
"Not too much more, but I can do this with them." Jiro grinned and her jacks extended, each one plugging into one of the small speakers and removing them from the back of the gloves. With merely a thought, Jiro fully extended her jacks, taking the speakers with them, until there was a speaker on either side of the locker room. "Anyone up for some stereo?" She grinned as the speakers began to reverberate with her heartbeat.
"Neat upgrade!" Chikuchi laughed, feeling the vibrations against her. "You can blast around corners and other obstructions now. Too bad today wasn't combat training, you'd have wrecked shop!"
"Right?" Jiro chuckled and stopped the sound, pulling her jacks back to her and unplugging the speakers. "I'll have to really show off what I can do when we get to cut loose on some robots again."
"Oh yeah, I almost forgot." Tsuyu blinked as she was putting on her shoes. "Izuku wants to set up a study group since Final Exams are coming up. I suggested it and he really ran with the idea."
"I think it's wonderful!" Momo nearly sparkled and began to bounce slightly. "I'm confident that I can be of help to anyone that may be struggling academically! Oh, we could even do it at my home! There's plenty of space in the main hall!"
'Main Hall?' All of the other girls blinked at Momo's words.
"Is there any type of tea you all are partial to?" Momo was getting super excited now. "We usually drink Harrod's or Wedgewood, but I can have the butler acquire whatever kind you like!"
'Butler?' All the girls felt like they'd just been smacked across the face with the wealth gap between them and Momo. Even Camie, Ochako, and Tsuyu who all knew that Momo was very wealthy.
"What is your life, Yaomomo?!" Ochako reeled and was caught by Camie.
"I realize our vast social differences clearly now…but she's so cute like this that I can't even care." Jiro, Toru, Mina, and Chikuchi all spoke in unison. Momo really was absolutely adorable when she was like this.
-Outside of U.A. ~ After School-
"So, Izu…" Camie grinned at her boyfriend. "Do you have any plans for the next couple of days?"
"Aside from getting the study group set up, not really." Izuku shook his head. "What's up?"
"Well~" Camie drew out the word and not-so-subtly moved Ochako closer to him. "I was thinking we could go on some dates." Momo, Ochako, and Tsuyu all blushed cutely. "Ochako first, since she's such a shy bean."
"Camie-chan!" Ochako's face was now bright red.
"Y-Yeah…I'd love to." Izuku smiled, though his entire face was even redder than Ochako's. "We're dating, so we should definitely be making time for dates together."
"Izukun…" Ochako smiled adorably as she gently took his hand with hers. Both of them shared a warm look with each other, their hearts beating strongly together.
"Great!" Camie clapped her hands. "Let's talk about it! The days of the guy having to decide everything are long over! For real!"
"I agree…it does seem inconsiderate to expect Izuku to come up with everything by himself." Momo nodded, her face flushed but a beautiful smile on her lips that made Izuku feel like his heart was going to burst with affection for his amazing girlfriends.
"I have the afternoon free this weekend." Tsuyu smiled at Izuku. "My mom will be taking care of my little siblings." She had told her boyfriend and girlfriends (that's how she thought of Ochako, Momo, and Camie at least), about her home life. Both of her parents worked and she often had to take care of her little brother and sister after school.
"Then we'll have a date." Izuku declared and surprised all of them when he leaned in to place a gentle kiss on her cheek.
"Okay, kero~" Tsuyu wasn't usually incredibly expressive, but Izuku could make her swoon with simple affection like this. She took his other hand with a bright smile on her lips.
"Ooh~ Izukun is getting rather bold now." Camie grinned happily at seeing it. "That's exactly what we want to see, right girls?" She giggled and then cracked up entirely when Momo, Ochako, and Tsuyu all nodded happily.
Izuku felt like his face might catch on fire soon, but he couldn't care with how happy he was right now. Making his girlfriends happy was important to him. Their relationship wasn't conventional, but he wanted it to work and he was willing to put the time and effort into making it work! They all were!
"My mother has been wanting to meet you, Izuku." Momo revealed with a bashful smile. "Ever since she saw our match in the Sports Festival.
"My parents will want to meet you too." Tsuyu nodded as she lay her head on his shoulder as they walked hand-in-hand.
"Eh?" Izuku continued to walk, but in his mind a blue screen of death had appeared at the thought of meeting his girlfriends' parents so soon.
Chapter 31 – Dates and Parents
Izuku was going on a date. That fact had him smiling lightly all morning, even his mother noticed it. Inko had been supportive, offering encouragement and wanting to meet the girl sometime, whenever his girlfriend was comfortable with it. A red-faced Izuku had left his home while Inko smiled and waved from the doorway.
Getting to Ochako's apartment wasn't hard, just a train ride and then following the GPS on his phone. Izuku was psyching himself up as much as possible on the elevator ride up to her floor. The young man didn't know much about dates, having never been on one or anything. Thankfully he and Ochako had decided to keep it simple and just spend the day together, going to the local shopping district, the park, and getting lunch.
"Okay…just knock…that's all…" Izuku breathed deeply before raising his hand and knocking on the apartment door.
"Izukun!" Ochako's bright smile upon seeing him made Izuku's nerves vanish. She was wearing a light yellow t-shirt, black leggings with blue shorts over them, along with pink and white sneakers on her feet.
"Cute…" Izuku mumbled automatically upon seeing her.
"W-What?" Ochako blushed cutely. "No…come on, they're just regular clothes." She looked away with a bright grin from the compliment.
"But you do look cute, Ochako-chan." Izuku smiled at his girlfriend, offering her his hand.
"Thank you, Izukun." Ochako placed her hand in his with a smile and leaned in to peck his cheek. "I'm looking forward to today."
"Me too." Izuku agreed, doing his best to not become a stuttering mess by accident. The couple walked back to the elevator hand-in-hand and left the apartment complex on the way to their first destination of their date.
-Park-
"Ah…the weather is great today." Ochako smiled happily at the sunny day.
"It really is." Izuku grinned, the two of them still holding hands as they walked through the park. "It's even better because we're here together."
"Izukun…" Ochako giggled and put her free hand on her cheek. "When did you start getting all suave?" She looked at him with a grin.
"I was just being honest." Izuku blinked at her and Ochako flushed even more. "We should've done this earlier. Going on dates, I mean." He squeezed her hand gently.
"We've been busy with school." Ochako shook her head and returned the gentle squeeze. "Then there was the USJ. The Sports Festival. And then the Internships." She sighed and briefly ran her hands through her semi-long brunette hair. "We don't get much time to just relax and breathe."
"No kidding," Izuku completely agreed with Ochako. "If this were a manga, I'd say the author didn't know how to take his foot off the gas."
"Rushing through it, huh?" Ochako laughed and to Izuku it was beautiful.
"I'm just glad we've gotten some time to ourselves." Izuku smiled at how happy Ochako was.
-Lunch-
"Yakiniku time~" Ochako was smiling brightly as she and Izuku sat at a table together in a Yakiniku restaurant that hadn't been too far from the park. "All you can eat too!" She placed a few slices of beef on the grill along with a sliced mushroom.
"It smelled too good to pass up." Izuku chuckled as he placed some strips of pork, a slice of onion, and part of a green pepper on the grill too.
"Right?" Ochako giggled as their chosen foods cooked. "How're you feeling about Finals coming up?"
"A little nervous, but I'm always like that about tests." Izuku shrugged. He definitely had some test anxiety. "I'll just review and study to the best of my ability. But not knowing the physical portion is kind of making me worry." The teachers hadn't told any of the students what their practical exam would entail at all.
"Same here." Ochako sighed at the secrecy. "Thanks to the study group we're setting up, I'm not as nervous about the written exam. But do they really have to spring the practical on us at the last second?" She pouted cutely, making Izuku struggle to hold back on calling her adorable.
The staff of the restaurant had no such qualms though!
"The cuteness, it's too much!" The man behind the counter held his hand over his heart.
"It's too pure to look at!" The high school part-timer agreed, covering his eyes jokingly.
"Don't embarrass them." One of the waitresses admonished the two lightly. "They're adorable together."
Izuku and Ochako were blissfully unaware of how cute their date looked to others.
-Shopping Center-
After a filling lunch, the couple had hit up the nearby market area. Walking along and window shopping was enough for them. But when Ochako or Izuku saw something that interested them, they'd enter the shop in question together. That's how they found themselves in the current store with Ochako looking at some charms and necklaces.
"It's a kitty." Ochako admired the charm on the necklace that she was looking at. She thought the little curled up cat was cute, sleeping away as cats were wont to do.
"You like it?" Izuku looked between the necklace and Ochako.
"It's cute, but I really shouldn't buy it." Ochako gently shook her head. She took one last look at the necklace before moving towards a different part of the store.
"Ma'am, this one, please." Izuku picked up the necklace and handed it to the woman behind the counter as soon as Ochako was out of hearing range.
"So cute." The woman smiled at the boy that was clearly buying for his girlfriend. She rang up the purchase and Izuku handed over the money. The necklace was placed into a small paper bag which Izuku folded up to stash away in his pocket for later.
Izuku and Ochako walked the rest of the market area together without seeing much else they wanted to look at. Afterwards, the couple started making their way back towards Ochako's apartment.
-Ochako's Apartment-
"Do you want to come in?" Ochako asked when they got to her door.
"Are you sure?" Izuku hadn't expected to be invited inside at the end of their date.
"Yes." Ochako's perma-blushing cheeks darkened slightly as she let her boyfriend into her apartment. This was the first time she'd had anyone over, much less a boy. Perhaps it was a good thing she was living on her own for school? She could only imagine how her parents would react to her bringing her boyfriend home.
"Pardon the intrusion." Izuku spoke the standard polite phrase upon entering someone else's home. He slipped off his shoes in the entryway and followed after Ochako.
"Tea?" Ochako offered with a cute smile.
"Yes, thank you." Izuku couldn't help but smile back.
The two had tea and some small snacks as they enjoyed their time together. Izuku felt like the time was right, and pulled the folded up paper bag from his pocket. Ochako cocked her head slightly at seeing the little bag. Her confusion increased when Izuku handed it to her.
"Here, it's a gift for you, Ochako-chan." Izuku smiled at his girlfriend.
"Izukun, you didn't have to." Ochako shook her head, but the smile on her face was beautiful. She opened the little bag and pulled out the necklace. Seeing the cute cat charm that she'd been admiring back in the shop made her eyes widen. "You…I…Izukun, you didn't…"
"I wanted to." Izuku stopped her with a reassuring smile. "You liked it and that's all that mattered."
"Okay…" Ochako blushed fiercely, her entire face red. She put the necklace on and admired the cuteness for several moments.
"It's cute on you, Ochako-chan." Izuku complimented her genuinely, a bright smile on his face.
"Izuku…" Ochako didn't know what came over her. She just had to kiss him. The brunette placed her hands on the low table and leaned forward to kiss her boyfriend. The two stayed lip locked for a few moments before pulling away and staring into each other's eyes.
"Wow…" Izuku breathed out a few seconds later.
"Yeah…" Ochako was still looking into his eyes.
"Again?" Izuku asked as he gently cupped her cheek with his left hand.
"Yes." Ochako agreed instantly, sliding around the low table and into Izuku's lap.
The kissing was innocent enough at first, but the teens deepened it after a few experimental kisses. Izuku wrapped his arms around Ochako's waist. Ochako wrapped her arms around his shoulders. The couple couldn't have lost track of the rest of the world any faster as their tongues met and they shared a French kiss.
"Mmm, Izuku…" Ochako breathed out when they separated their lips sometime later.
"Ochako…" Izuku kissed her cheek and then her forehead, making Ochako sigh happily before she returned the same kisses to him.
"You can touch…if you want to…" Ochako gave him permission with an adorably bashful look on her face.
"Okay." Izuku was honestly surprised that he hadn't locked up at Ochako's words. Perhaps all the teasing from Camie was paying off? He moved his hands from Ochako's waist to her butt and gently ran his hands over it. He didn't even think of trying to go under her clothes. Not on the first date.
"Izuku, oh…" Ochako let out a soft moan as Izuku's hands began to gently squeeze and fondle her bottom. She knew he wouldn't be pushy or try to go too far. It was one of the reasons that she loved him. 'Love him?!' Ochako shrieked in her mind, but settled down when Izuku kissed her again. 'Okay, yes, I love him.' She decided as she kissed Izuku and let him touch her body.
"Ochako…is…is this okay?" Izuku questioned as his right hand moved from her butt, up her side, and then gently touched her breast.
"Yeah…" Ochako nodded, barely able to look into his green eyes from a sudden bout of shyness. She let out a light hum of approval as Izuku gently ran his hand over her breast. Over the clothes, of course. The two would further their relationship at their own pace.
Not to be outdone, Ochako ran her hands over Izuku's chest, feeling out the muscles beneath his shirt with an eagerness that made Izuku smile out of reflex. His girlfriend was absolutely adorable like this and both of them were blushing as they took a step further together. When Izuku leaned back to the floor, leaving Ochako straddling him, the brunette sputtered for a second and Izuku couldn't hold back his own laughter.
"Izu!" Ochako lightly swatted his chest a few times with a pout. She was a little flustered by their new position, to say the least!
"You're so cute, Ochako." Izuku complimented and Ochako just leaned down to capture his lips.
"T-Take off your shirt for me?" Ochako requested once they separated.
"Okay…" Izuku hadn't expected that, but he sat up enough to pull off his t-shirt. While his vision was blocked by pulling his shirt over his head, he felt Ochako move too. When he could see again, he saw that Ochako had removed her shirt as well, a simple white bra keeping her modesty. "O-Ochako?"
"It's okay, you can look." Ochako permitted even as her face burned. "I can't let Camie always be guiding us all along, right?"
"You're beautiful." Izuku didn't know why he blurted that out, but it was his true feelings.
"Izuku." Ochako fell onto him and the two were back to French kissing in seconds. This time their hands wandered bare skin and Ochako let out the cutest squeak when Izuku lightly touched her bra-clad bosom.
The two would wonder where almost an hour and a half went when they finally paid attention to the outside world again.
"I had a great time today, Izukun." Ochako beamed at Izuku as they stood in her doorway.
"Me too, Ochako-chan." Izuku had a dopey little grin on his face and Ochako felt a small bit of smug pride in her chest at putting it there. "I'll text you when I get home."
"Okay, be safe." Ochako kissed his cheek and Izuku walked towards the elevators with a skip in his step.
Ochako closed and locked her apartment door before rushing to her bedroom and grabbing her cellphone. With giggles she started texting Tsuyu, Camie, and Momo about her date with Izuku, making sure to include a picture of her new necklace too. It was a text conversation that would go on until she went to bed that night.
-The Next Day-
"What are your intentions with my daughter, Midoriya-san." Asui Ganma questioned his daughter's boyfriend before he let the teen take his daughter out. Ganma had a very frog-like appearance, more so than the rest of his family, as he seemed to have the head of a brown toad. He was a tall, stocky, middle-aged man with black, short-cropped hair and black eyes. Ganma was wearing a plain business suit with a blue-dotted tie, a small frog-shaped clip near the middle that he'd gotten from his children on his last birthday.
"I…plan to spend the afternoon with her and take her wherever she wants to go, sir." Izuku replied, inwardly cursing his body for clearly shaking slightly. How was Tsuyu's dad this intimidating?! His Quirk wasn't doing it. 'Maybe it's a dad thing?'
"I see." Ganma nodded slightly. "You seem like an alright boy, and you did save her during that USJ incident." The man leaned forward over the table a bit. "But you understand that she's my daughter and I will look out for her."
"Y-Yes sir!" Izuku nodded back.
"Be nice." Asui Beru, Tsuyu's mother, came into the kitchen with tea. "Are you going to be like this with both of our daughters?" She questioned her husband with a light laughter.
"Yes." Ganma answered easily, accepting the tea from his wife.
"Don't mind him, he's just protective." Beru smiled at Izuku. Such a nice young man that Tsuyu seemed to like very much. She was happy for her daughter. Beru had long, dark hair, worn in a similar style to Tsuyu's. Her face grew wider around her mouth, which was notably long, and she had circular, spaced-out eyes with long upper eyelashes. Beru appeared to be rather prone to blushing, as she had perma-blush spots on her cheeks much like Ochako. She had a small nose, positioned very high up on her face and like the rest of her family, she had a very frog-like appearance.
"I'll permit this relationship, Midoriya-san." Ganma acquiesced, knowing he'd get on his daughter's rarely seen bad side if he tried to stop it. "However," He set the tea cup down with a little more force than necessary. "I will tell you this now. If you hurt her, there isn't a Hero alive that'll stop me from getting to you."
"I would never do that, Asui-san." Izuku's response was firm and his green eyes practically blazed with honesty as he looked into Ganma's eyes.
"See that you don't, Midoriya-san." Ganma nodded to the teen. At least his daughter's boyfriend was the honest sort. He approved of that much at the very least.
-Inokashira Park Zoo-
"So cute~" Tsuyu cooed at the guinea pig in her hands.
The couple had come to the zoo after talking it out together. It was cheap to get into the zoo and they were both enjoying seeing the animals. Having spotted a sign promoting a 'Guinea Pig Petting Corner' the couple had entered the building. Now both of them were holding cute guinea pigs and petting the rodents.
"They're so soft." Izuku gently ran his fingers along the back of the guinea pig that he was holding.
"It's too bad we can't have pets at our place." Tsuyu sighed as she petted the rodent that was snuggling in her arms. "You're so warm and soft." She cooed at the guinea pig.
The two did have to relinquish their guinea pigs eventually, but walked out of the building hand-in-hand. Both enjoyed the scenery and the various animals the zoo displayed. They walked the Squirrel Trail, watching the bushy-tailed rodents scamper along and climb trees. Tsuyu's delightful giggle when she saw a squirrel nibbling on a nut half the size of its own head made Izuku smile.
"Kero." Tsuyu ribbited at the frog looking up at her from the Wildlife Encounter Field. It was only open for a short time today, but both of them had wanted to try it.
"Kero." The frog croaked back, making Tsuyu giggle.
"Cute." Izuku couldn't help it. Tsuyu was too adorable right now.
"Thank you, Izukun." Tsuyu smiled brightly at her boyfriend, leaning into him happily.
The rest of their time was spent seeing the rest of the animals: monkeys, raccoon dogs, Amur Cats, and even the elephants the zoo had. They had a snack at the café and on their way out took their time watching the ducks and other wild birds in the pond that the zoo maintained. Seeing herons and storks taking care of their young made Tsuyu smile and Izuku couldn't get enough of how adorable she was.
The couple took the train to the next location of their date, a Ferris Wheel. Buying tickets, the two got on and were soon in the air overlooking part of Tokyo. Izuku put his arm around Tsuyu's waist as they went higher and higher into the air. Tsuyu leaned into him with a happy 'kero' and when they approached the top, she kissed him softly. Izuku pulled her into his arms and kissed her back. The two were completely oblivious to the outside world for a bit as hands slowly roamed.
"Kero…Izukun~" Tsuyu cooed as Izuku gently ran his hands over her butt.
"You're beautiful, Tsuyu." Izuku kissed her again and Tsuyu melted into him as they slipped into a French kiss.
Naturally Tsuyu was the 'winner' of their little tongue war. As the Ferris Wheel came full circle and they disembarked, a happy Tsuyu led a grinning Izuku off the ride. One of the workers just shook her head knowingly at the couple. It wasn't the first time she'd seen such a thing, nor would it be the last.
When Izuku and Tsuyu returned to her home, they held hands and kissed softly in front of her door for a bit. Neither of them was even thinking about it, but the lack of Ganma waiting for them right behind the door was due to Beru running interference for her daughter.
"Text me when you get home." Tsuyu requested as she hugged her boyfriend.
"Of course, as soon as I get there." Izuku promised, kissing the top of her head.
Tsuyu kissed his cheek one last time before entering her family's home and closing the door behind her. Izuku felt that this date had gone spectacularly well too. He walked towards the train station with a smile on his face and a pep in his step.
-Next Day ~ After School-
"Come with me, Izukun!" Camie laughed, dragging Izuku away almost as soon as the last bell rang.
"Camie-chan?!" Izuku questioned his girlfriend as she nearly pulled him along by the hand.
"Date time!" Camie giggled at him as they headed down a different path than Izuku normally took.
"Okay, where are we going?" Izuku asked as they finally slowed down and started walking together with their fingers intertwined.
"Arcade!" Camie grinned at him while pointing towards a sign with colorful lights.
The arcade was slightly noisy, being just after school there were a decent number of teens inside. Camie and Izuku got some tokens from a machine and started to play some games together. When Camie picked out a two-person shooting game, Izuku was curious as to why.
"Man…you're a little slow on the trigger, huh, Izukun?" Camie's cute laughter filled the area they were in.
"So, this is why you chose this game…" Izuku looked at her with narrowed eyes.
"Maybe…" Camie teased, sticking her tongue out at him.
"Best two out of three?" Izuku challenged her now that he had some experience.
"Only if winner gets a prize from the loser." Camie's cheshire grin should've been all the warning Izuku needed.
"You're on!" Izuku agreed and the two started up another round.
Izuku lost abysmally.
"How…?" Izuku gaped at the massive difference in their scores.
"What? Did you think I was being serious the first round?" Camie snickered at her boyfriend. "Too bad for you, Izuku~"
"What do you want?" Izuku looked at her suspiciously.
"Nothing big, nothing big, just come take some photos with me." Camie assured him while pointing to a photobooth in one corner of the arcade away from most of the games.
"Alright, that's easy." Izuku shrugged, wondering why she hadn't just asked.
When they got inside the photobooth, Izuku and Camie leaned against each other and smiled for the camera. The first picture was innocent and cute, just a boyfriend and girlfriend enjoying a date together. The second picture and they made funny faces together. The third was Camie kissing Izuku's cheek while his face went red. The fourth picture was of Camie laughing at the flustered Izuku. The fifth was of Camie's lips being captured by Izuku's. The sixth and final of the first set was Izuku and Camie kissing each other intensely with their arms wrapped around each other.
"You want another set?" Camie breathed out heavily from their passionate lip lock.
"Yes." Izuku didn't even think about it. He just put more money into the booth.
The first picture of the second set was Camie nearly pouncing on Izuku. The second was of Izuku and Camie making out with Camie straddling Izuku's lap. Third picture showed Izuku blushing and staring as Camie lifted the front of her uniform skirt to flash him. With the camera only taking pictures from a single angle, it was easy for Camie to make sure her black panties weren't seen by anyone except Izuku. For the fourth picture, Camie was seen undoing Izuku's shirt as they continued to kiss. The fifth was of Izuku with his uniform shirt unbuttoned and Camie running her hands over his chest. The final picture of the second set was Camie leaving a hickey on Izuku's neck.
Izuku fumbled for a few coins to get another set, but with the vast majority of his attention on his most adventurous girlfriend, it took a few tries to actually pay the machine. Camie would be keeping the last two sets of pictures a secret from her parents, that was for sure. The third set was six pictures of Camie and Izuku heavily making out, both shirtless and Camie only wearing her black bra as their hands freely roamed each other.
"Let's go grab some food, Izukun!" Camie, redressed as if nothing had happened, declared with a bright grin on her pouty lips.
"Yeah…" Izuku had the biggest grin on his face as Camie led him out of the arcade. The illusionist laughed at the look on her boyfriend's face, both either unaware of or ignoring the envious looks of the other guys in the arcade as they headed out of the building.
"Lucky punk." One of the older teens shook his head before going back to his game. "Need to find me a girl like that."
"You? Good luck." His buddy jibed at him.
"Oi!" The first teen swiped at his friend.
Izuku walked Camie home after they stopped at a stand and bought some food. He'd have to take an extra train normally, but Camie had teasingly whispered to just use his Warp Gate when no one was looking. Looking into his girlfriend's eyes, he leaned in to peck her lips.
"You're a bad influence on me." Izuku accused playfully.
"I'm the best influence on you~" Camie purred back as they stopped outside of her home. She kissed him, softly and with love, before pulling back. "See you at school tomorrow, Izukun."
"I'll text you when I get home." Izuku gently leaned his forehead against hers, just staring into her eyes.
"So, about thirty seconds from now?" Camie giggled at him, her eyes warm with affection and love for him.
"Maybe…" Izuku smiled, letting her know that he was indeed going to take her advice.
"Good night, Izukun." Camie kissed him one more time. "You should go before my father comes outside, otherwise you'll be meeting him today."
"Good night, Camie-chan!" Izuku kissed her lips once more before dashing off as Camie's beautiful laughter followed him.
-Next Day-
"Are you sure this is all you want, Momo-chan?" Izuku asked as he held Momo close while they sat on a picnic blanket together and enjoyed a nice meal under the shade of a tree.
"Mhmm~" Momo hummed happily, her cheeks flushed as she snuggled into his arms.
The two had left U.A. and gone to a nearby park. Momo's limo driver had handed her a picnic basket as they passed by him. The two were just enjoying a lovely afternoon together, holding each other and occasionally sharing kisses.
'I still get the feeling that someone was staring at me from behind the tinted windows of the limousine.' Izuku thought to himself before putting it out of his mind and just snuggling with Momo. She was too cute…Izuku couldn't deny her anything.
Momo had spent her life in luxury. Having friends was nearly impossible in the social circles of the upper echelons of society. Nearly everything was a ploy or some kind of play to make connections. Thus, Momo's childhood was rather lacking in friends. But now? Now she had friends, and even a boyfriend!
'We even got to go on a picnic for our first date! Just like in my romance novel!' Momo thought to herself giddily. She'd never imagined having this type of relationship before. But Izuku was doing his best to make everything perfect for her. Leaning up, she placed another gentle kiss on his cheek. Izuku turned his head to gently kiss her lips and Momo nearly swooned as she buried her face into his chest.
-Limo at the Park Entrance-
"Fufufu…they're so cute together." Yaoyorozu Robin giggled behind her hand. Using her Quirk, she was keeping an eye on her daughter. This concession was the only reason that her husband had allowed their daughter to go on this date at all. He was such a doting father, but also paranoid that something could happen to his precious daughter.
If it had been up to her husband, Izuku would've been questioned harshly, probably just under the legal definition of interrogation at that. She was fairly certain that her husband had already had the Midoriya Family investigated as well, but there wasn't much she could do about that.
"It was hard enough to get them their first date without meeting us." Robin shook her head with a smile. "But I'm afraid I can only buy you this one date, Midoriya-kun. You'll have to meet us both next time." The beautiful woman giggled behind her hand. Perhaps she'd play along with her husband and instill a little fear in the boy? He was clearly in love with their daughter, just as Momo was in love with him. The adorable picnic they were having was proof enough, especially with the snuggling. "If only I could take a picture for some mother-daughter teasing. Maybe next time. Fufufu." She laughed, the copies of her eyes still secretly watching her daughter and the boy that had captured her heart.