Chapter 21: Shake Off the Rust!
Inko spun her ring around her finger, lost in thought. Izuku was tucked away at U.A. and as much as Nezu gave her pause, she knew that he needed Izuku now more than ever. One for All would make him a target but it would also make him the heroes' greatest weapon and Nezu didn't seem to be the type to not protect his allies.
Still, Izuku was her baby boy. She was his mother. She couldn't just leave his safety in the hands, paws?, of another. She had to do whatever she could to protect him. Even if the number she was dialing made her stomach clench with nerves.
"Hello? How did you get this number?"
"Is that any way to talk to your Nee-san?"
"Nee-san? Holy shit, Inko? Is that you?"
"Yeah, it's me. Listen, Kagero, I need a favor."
"Alright young man," Recovery Girl said, taking down the last of his x-rays. "I believe that last healing session has put you in the clear. I am officially allowing you to return to active combat drills."
"Yes!" Izuku couldn't help but run forward and scoop the old nurse into a hug. "Thank you, Recovery Girl!"
"You put me down this instant, sonny!" Sheepishly, Izuku returned her to her feet.
"Sorry. I just got a little excited."
"Hmph." Recovery Girl adjusted her white coat. "As I was saying, you're cleared for contact but I expect you to wear your arm brace the whole time. If you need adjustments to your costume to make sure it will fit you better do that before the exam. Now get out! Go bother somebody else today."
Izuku snagged a handful of gummies on his way out of the nurse's office and idly snacked on them as he made his way down to the gym. Finally, finally, he was free to get back to training. Flying yesterday was amazing and he was grateful beyond words to Nejire for helping deepen his bond with One for All but there was something he missed about being able to spar and practice real practical moves. He must have gotten addicted to the adrenaline rush over the past few months because just the thought of sparring with his classmates sent his heart rate skyrocketing.
"Hey, Deku!" Ochako's cheery voice echoed down the hall as Izuku jogged toward where she waited by the entrance. "You ready to get back to training?" He shot her a wink.
"To quote a certain beautiful woman in my life: I'm gonna do my best!"
Yuuga slipped quietly out of the hallway and into the room, sliding his lockpicks back into his pocket. He had a limited window to try and get this done. Most of his classmates had started to make their way to the gym, but if any stragglers caught him on the fourth floor they would have questions he didn't really have answers for.
Carefully, he pulled out the devices Dabi had given him and set about placing them around the room. Hang on, maman. Your prince is coming back for you. As he hunted for places to plant them, he heard shuffling from the hallway. Footsteps rapidly approaching the door. Frantically, Yuuga dove into the closet as the outer door burst open.
"Fucking stupid pikachu. Can't believe he fucking forgot his math homework again. How fucking hard is it to remember?!" After a few moments of rustling, the door slammed again and the cursing faded out. Yuuga waited for a few moments before exiting through the forest of dress shirts and uniform pants, his heart gradually slowing back to a normal pace. He felt a trickle of guilt that he snuffed out. Dabi hadn't told him the exact plan to deal with Bakugo, but he had been very clear about the consequences of failing in his mission. He couldn't afford to fail.
Toga took another pull from the warm neck of the commission officer that still twitched and spasmed on the ground of the alley. She had learned a long time ago that keeping blood warm was always easier with a living donor and a quick strike to sever the spinal cord kept him from trying to run off and get help. The man was so not cute at all and had been way too eager to follow a girl in a middle school uniform into an alleyway, so she figured Izuku would approve of her target.
Even if he was a creep, he was a valuable source of blood and information. There was no way she was breaking into U.A. after Shiggy's failed first attempt, so her best bet was to try and talk to Izuku while he was away from home. It just so happened that the blood bag behind her knew when and where his exam was going to take place in a few days. Now all she had to do was figure out a way inside.
Hmm, what would Izuku like? She thought back to the auburn haired girl in the forest, the one that smelled like her darling love. Let's go find a brunette.
Sweat freely poured off of Izuku's arms. His hair was sticking on his forehead, his back stung where he had been thrown down onto it earlier and his compression sleeve was starting to chafe.
Izuku wasn't sure he had ever felt quite as alive.
He charged forward and rolled under Ojiro's swiping tail, feeling more than seeing the extra limb as it whipped through the air. As he gathered his feet underneath him he used a burst of Float to leap into the air. The follow through from Ojiro's tail strike swung him back in a circle, turning him face to face with Izuku. From his floating position, Izuku brought his legs up and slammed them down onto Ojiro's shoulders, trapping his head between his thighs. Ankles locked together, Izuku let gravity take him once more and wrenched his back and shoulders toward the floor. Ojiro yelped as he flew in an arc through the air, slamming against the mats again with Izuku rolling out of the way.
"You know Ojiro, if you wanted to get choked out by thighs this much, you could just ask. You don't have to keep falling for the same moves over and over." Izuku shot a wink to Sato, who was watching on and rapidly blushed from the attention. A low groan from Ojiro was the only response he received, so Izuku took the opportunity to grab some water for the both of them from the fountain.
The sounds of combat and called out super moves carried throughout the gym and filled Izuku with the same sense of wonder he had felt at his first heroics lesson. It felt incredible to be back training again, and even if he had a long way to go before he could take over for All Might he was making progress again. He could feel himself being rejuvenated even by the small steps he was taking in his first session back with Class A.
"Hey man!" Izuku turned to see Kirishima walking toward him with an arm raised and a wide smile on his face. "Glad to see you back in the gym, Midobro!"
"Thanks, Kirishima." Izuku gladly accepted the high five and moved to the side for the other boy to fill his water bottle. "It's good to be back. I've been itching to train for the past week."
"I bet, I bet." Kirishima capped his bottle and turned his attention back to Izuku. He looked unusually serious, and Izuku's heart rate picked up out of concern. "So listen dude, I had a question for you."
"S-sure." Izuku internally winced at the stutter and cleared his throat. "What's up, Kiri?"
"How do you do that flirting thing? Cause I've been trying to put out signals to this person and I don't think they're picking up on it at all." Izuku sighed in relief. For a second I thought Kirishima was going to declare war on me too!
"I wrote down a lot of tips from Midnight; I can show you my notes when we get back to the dorms?"
"Sweet! Thanks man!"
"Yeah, of course. Can I ask who it is?" Kirishima blushed a little and Izuku quickly backtracked. "You don't have to of course! But if you know the person you want to flirt with well it's a bit easier to figure out how, you know?"
"Oh, I know her pretty well." Kirishima turned and Izuku followed his line of sight to where Ashido was twirling, showing off her new Acid Man move. Huh, I guess Ochako was right about all those romcoms. Always suspect the best friend. Izuku patted Kirishima's shoulder.
"I think you've got nothing to worry about on that front, friend. If you want help I could talk to Ocha and have her test the waters?"
"Bro," Kirishima wiped a pretend tear from his eye. "That would be so manly of her."
"I'll see what I can do," Izuku laughed. "If you want flirting advice though, you should probably talk to Kayama-sensei, she's the true master. Speaking of, have you seen her today? I had a question about something we did yesterday."
"Nah bro. I heard from Snipe-sensei that she took a personal day."
Izuku frowned at the new information. First Aizawa took one yesterday and now Nemuri? I hope everything's okay. Izuku shook off his worries. Midnight was one of the strongest people he knew. If she were here she would tell him to focus on what was in front of him instead of things he couldn't control. He turned to Kirishima.
"Are you working on a super move or do you want to join us for some sparring?" Kirishima put a hand on his bare chest.
"That sounds so manly. Let's do this!" Izuku tore his gaze from Kiri's impressive pecs and walked back towards Ojiro and Sato.
"Want to set up teams of two?"
"Dibs on being with Midoriya." Ojiro said from where he was still laying on the floor.
"Down boy, there's enough of me to go around." Izuku cackled at the return of Ojiro's blush. If Nemuri wasn't here to mess with people, well Izuku would just have to do it himself.
"I just don't understand him, Hizashi."
Nemuri paused to blow on the top of her overpriced coffee. Hizashi had insisted that they get out of U.A. for a little while to have this conversation and Nemuri couldn't come up with a good enough reason to say no, so here she was in a little deserted cat cafe across from one of her best friends. Both of them were dressed to avoid attention in casual clothes, Nemuri with her glasses on and Hizashi missing his patented hair swoop.
"You gotta understand, Nem," Hizashi swirled the sugar and caramel monstrosity he claimed was coffee in one hand while twirling a straw in the other. "Oboro wasn't just his first friend, he was the one who took Sho in after his parents kicked him out." He took a sip before continuing. "Honestly, if O wasn't tragically straight I think he and Sho probably would have ended up together."
"Leaving us two the spares who get paired, huh?"
"Hey babe, you said it not me." Hizashi laughed and shot her a wink. "I'm a damn catch and you know it."
Nemuri felt a laugh force itself out of her. It was nice checking in with Hizashi. Between the two of them they had six jobs, three cats, and a husband so it wasn't often the two of them could get together like this. She could savor it even if the circumstances for their meeting weren't ideal.
"So what do I do, Zashi? If I do what Shouta's suggesting, I might be just putting myself through all that pain for no reason."
"But?" Hizashi prompted.
"But," Nemuri said with a sigh. "If I don't, can I ever really live with myself? What if I don't go and it doesn't work? Would I just be dooming myself to what-ifs for eternity?" Nemuri's head slid down to the table. "I just feel so lost."
Her words were mostly mumbled into the napkin but she heard Hizashi hmmm consideringly. After a moment or two a warm slid onto the bench next to her and an arm wrapped around her shoulders.
"I don't really know if there's a right answer here, Nem. I think it's just a matter of making the choice you can live with." She sighed into the table.
"I'm going to have to apologize to Shouta, aren't I?" Hizashi let out a laugh that nearly rattled the windows, sending any nearby cats scattering.
"Sorry babes, looks like it. But hey, he still owes you like three apologies for that parking garage incident so don't worry too much." Hizashi rubbed comforting circles on her back, and Nemuri was grateful for his unending optimism. She figured they were all going to need it in the near future.
"So when are we doing this?"
"Well, Sho's kids are taking their provisional exams on Friday, so after that's done we can figure out a time." Nemuri let out another sigh. She still didn't really want to do this. It was only in the last few years of her life that she could feel herself moving past her grief for Oboro. But if there was a chance and she missed it, it would haunt her.
If you're in there Oboro, hang tight. I'm coming.
Nezu Rangers, Unite!
Uwuravity
Sooooooooo…
Anything you want to tell us Tsu???
;)
The Frogs Were Always Gay
Don't you dare…
Dekuwu
??????
Conspiracy Realist
I've got a bad feeling about this…
Dekuwu
Good reference Shoto!
Conspiracy Realist
What reference?
NYOOM II
Ochako! If there is anything Tsu wants to tell us she should be allowed to tell us in her own time!
Uwuravity
Boo!
The Frogs Were Always Gay
Thank you Iida
Cowoffee Pwease
Tsu has a crush on Kendo from Class B
Uwuravity
:0
NYOOM II
How did you even hear about that???!!!!
Cowoffee Pwease
You all talk too loudly and interrupt my couch naps.
The Frogs Were Always Gay
Say goodbye to your toes Insomniac
Cowoffee Pwease
Why do I hear boss music?
Dekuwu
Tsu!
That's awesome! You should ask her out!
Conspiracy Realist
Congratulations on your impending nuptials
Uwuravity
I-
Dekuwu
Shoto, I don't think most people get married that quickly
Conspiracy Realist
They don't?
NYOOM II
If you are getting married just remember that our exam is in three days!
We should all do our best to ensure that our hormones are not distracting us from this opportunity!
The Frogs Were Always Gay
We are NOT talking about this kero
A knock at his door made Izuku drop his phone, cursing.
"Hark, Midorya. A portent of ill omen carves your name on its visage." Izuku turned and stared at the door for a moment, even as his phone continued to chime with notifications. Tokoyami was a great person and an excellent friend but there were times he utterly baffled Izuku.
"...thanks Tokoyami, I'll be out in a second."
"Verily."
Izuku managed to extract himself from his bed with no small amount of effort given how sore he was from his first day back in training and made his way to the door. When he opened it, Tokoyami and Dark Shadow had disappeared leaving a wide and short box addressed to Izuku on the floor. Taking it inside, he cut the tape with his vintage All Might's hair spike letter opener (first edition with the original discolored blue on the handle!) Inside was a letter and a pair of small metallic red wristbands.
Dear Izuku,
Hi! I heard from Uncle Might that your quirk is going through an evolution, and while I wanted to give you these in person, my dissertation is at a pretty delicate stage so I can't galavant off to Japan for a weekend. But, I'm still trying to help my hero in any way that I can, so I hope these new Full Gauntlets help!
Izuku looked back in the box at the wristbands and took one out. In the light it looked similar to the original mid gauntlet that he had worn on I-Island, though darker in color and slightly heavier. He turned back to the letter.
They're prototypes so try not to break them again XD. They were designed to withstand Uncle Might at full strength so they should theoretically be able to handle whatever you put them through. I think I said that about the last ones though, so be careful! So you don't get them stuck on again, instructions for use and maintenance are on the flip side of this letter. I'd recommend heading to your support technician to see if they need to adjust anything in your costume to make them work. I also heard a little rumor that you finally heroed up and asked out Ochako heh. Good for you! I hope I can see you guys in person next time you make it out to I-Island! I know you're going to be an amazing hero because you're already mine. Good luck on everything!
XOXO
Melissa Shield
Izuku smiled as he put the letter to the side. Tears started to collect in the corner of his eyes. His adventures on I-Island were almost forgotten in the wake of everything else that happened in the insanity of his first semester at U.A. but it meant so much to hear from Melissa. There were so many people in his corner, giving him their support and putting their faith in him. A familiar fire sparked to life in his chest. He was going to prove Melissa, Ochako and everyone else right. He was going to be the greatest hero in the world.
He had to start, though, by heading down to the support labs. He grabbed the box with the gauntlets as well as the letter and started off toward the main campus building. There was only one person he trusted to incorporate the new Shield Tech into his costume, and he knew just where to find her. He just had to follow the sounds of explosions.
Ochako adjusted the ice pack pressed against her shoulder. Recovery Girl had given her a thorough tongue lashing earlier for falling and dislocating her shoulder and the older woman was so angry that she made Ochako spend over an hour cleaning and reorganizing the nurse's office. She had thankfully done so after healing her shoulder, but she knew the little aches and twinges would be sticking with her for at least the next day or so. Ochako was grateful the only stop she had to make was a quick layover at the support lab to check in with Mei about her boots before she could crawl into bed and get some much needed sleep. The teachers had been pushing them even harder with the exam only two days away and everyone was beginning to feel the pressure.
Ochako paused as the door to the support studio came in sight, but when no explosion came she frowned. Maybe Mei isn't in? I don't think I've ever seen this door open properly. Shrugging, Ochako strode toward the door and put her hand on the handle.
Which is of course, when it decided to blow up in her face.
She was thrown from the door, landing solidly on her back. Something warm and heavy landed on top of her, and when her eyes were clear from the smoke she looked up to see a head full of green hair above her.
"Hey babe, come here often?" Ochako gaped at her boyfriend who held himself slightly above her with hands planted on either side of her head.
"I-Izuku?!"
"The one and only," he said with a wink. He pushed himself up to his feet and began to help Ochako back to standing.
"My bad Ten Million! I didn't think those were the explosive rockets, I thought they were the glitter ones! Somebody really should label those better." Hatsume, wearing rolled down overalls and a black tank top that made Ochako envious of the other girl's figure, stumbled out of the doorway where smoke still spilled into the hall.
"Hatsume! That is the third door this semester!" Power Loader's voice sounded from deeper in the support labs. "You destroy one more and I'm going to resign!" Hatsume rolled her eyes at the threat.
"What a baby. They weren't even nice doors. Oh! I should get to work on a door-baby next!" Hatsume descended into her own mutter storm as she rattled off ideas and plans for her next contraption.
"Hey, Ocha." Izuku's voice pulled her attention away from the mad scientist in their midst. "What do you think? Pretty heroic right?"
Izuku put his hands on his hips and puffed out his chest, striking a pose in his costume that made Ochako want to giggle and jump his bones at the same time. Izuku's new costume truthfully wasn't that dissimilar to his old one. The green had brightened a little and lost some of its blue, almost matching the lightest parts of Izuku's hair. The green suit had a thick border of white along the knee, rising above the knee cap and meeting the lines that made the panels on either side of his torso. Below the knees were black reinforced bracers with white and red patterning that mirrored the panels on his torso. The cape was slightly shorter, trimmed in red now, but the biggest change was to his arms.
The suit had become sleeveless, ending at the shoulder. Spiraling down all the way to his wrists were dark red metallic bracers that looked molded onto his arms. On his hands were black gloves, a splash of white on the palm with raised holes on the back of the hand that were also painted white.
"The gauntlets were a gift from Melissa," Izuku explained. "Apparently she made bigger and better versions of the ones from the whole Wolfram thing after she heard about my arm." Ochako swallowed down the surge of jealousy she felt at the blonde's name. She trusted Izuku implicitly and she knew she had nothing to fear, but she couldn't help but feel jealous of the older girl. She was brilliant and beautiful and could keep up with Izuku's brain which Ochako struggled with at times.
"And, look!" Ochako refocused on Izuku who flipped up a hood that had been lost in the cape. The hood was white with green panels that almost looked like eyes on the top and two familiar looking protrusions rising out the back. "They're back!"
"Oh, your bunny ears are back! I gotta admit, I kinda missed them."
"Wait, what?" Izuku pulled off the hood and peered curiously at Ochako. "They're not bunny ears, Ocha. They're All Might's hair spikes." Ochako squinted at his head.
"Are you sure?"
"Wait, they're not bunny ears?" Mei asked, breaking from her planning. "But I specifically made them look like rabbit ears?"
"No!" Izuku blushed and Ochako bit back laughter. "Why would they be bunny ears?"
"Because Mirko is your mentor and idol?"
"Hatsume, All Might is my idol."
"Then why did you ask for bunny ears on your costume?" Ochako lost the battle and broke into laughter as Izuku groaned.
"Sorry babe, you're never outrunning the bunny accusations." Ochako pressed a kiss to his cheek in between laughs.
"I'm going to go train," he grumbled. She was worried for a moment that he was genuinely upset, but he gave her a quick kiss on top of the head before wandering off. "Why is it always rabbits!" She heard him say before he rounded the corner.
"So, anything I can do for you, Uraraka?" Ochako turned curiously toward Hatsume.
"So you do know my name?" The pink haired girl shot her a wink.
"No one will ever believe you." She walked back into the still smoking support studio and Ochako groaned. Why is everyone in this school so damn weird?
Toshinori leaned back in his chair, diligently flipping through channels to find something that didn't have his face on it.
It wasn't something he usually had to contend with. His apartment for much of his life was simply a place to house his bed and clothes. Even then he often found himself sleeping on the couch in his office rather than going back to his apartment. He rarely had time during his career to sit and watch television and doing so now made him realize something.
He was desperately, deliriously, bored.
He had a better understanding of young Midoriya now that he was a few more days into his retirement. He was simply not meant to stay still. His body was worn down and tired but it seemed his mind hadn't gotten the memo. He couldn't help but feel that tug in his soul that called him to act, there just wasn't anything for him to do.
Still, that call inside of him could not be ignored. Toshinori pushed himself up off his comfortable chair with creaking bones and made his way out the door and into the campus at large. He wandered somewhat aimlessly, following whatever direction spoke to his instincts the most. It shouldn't have been a surprise, then, that he managed to find his way to the gym where his successor was training.
He idly noticed that his boy changed his costume again as he bounced along walls and buildings, switching between Gran Torino-esque turns and flying with Float. Melissa had told him that she was sending him new arm braces to help support his limbs but he hoped that Izuku would still continue to limit his output and not rely too much on his new tools. The hood was interesting though he doubted his successor would wear it too frequently outside of media appearances or for blocking line of sight based quirks.
"You're doing well, Young Midoriya!" Toshinori winced as Izuku nearly crashed into a building out of surprise. Within moments though, he had recovered and landed on the street with minimal cracking of concrete.
"Hey All Might! Do you like my new costume? Pretty heroic, right?" Izuku flexed and posed, and Toshinori couldn't help but laugh.
"You look like a true hero, my boy!" Toshinori added to his compliment with a thumbs up. Izuku beamed at the praise and something in Toshinori eased at seeing his successor in such bright spirits. It had been a long time since he had seemed so chipper. "Your new additions from Melissa look great."
"Oh! Thanks, All Might. I'll have to remember to thank her the next time I'm out on I-Island." Toshinori raised an eyebrow.
"Making plans for a vacation already?"
"No, no," Izuku laughed. "I'm just excited I guess."
"Nothing wrong with that, my boy." Toshinori plopped a hand down on his head and ruffled his hair. "Just don't go looking too far into the future. Take it from an old man, today can be just as rewarding as tomorrow if you let it."
"You're not old, All Might."
"So you say, my boy." Toshinori took his hand back and gave his successor a nod. "Well, since we're both out here how about I give you a few tricks with that fancy new cape of yours? I did have quite the successful run with my own back in the day."
"Woah, that would be amazing!" Izuku cried with stars in his eyes. Toshinori chuckled at the fanboy tendencies even a year and a half of training together couldn't rid him of.
"One neat thing is using it to distract your opponent's eyes. Spins and things work well for that. And this one might be better for you than me because I've never been much of a kicker." Toshinori positioned himself across from Midoriya and mimicked the motions he was explaining. "You take the edge of the cape in one hand and pull it across your body in the eyeline of the villain. Spin on that leg and kick out with your leg as you get to their position." Toshinori stumbled a little, but managed not to fall. "It's better if you keep your kicking leg close to your body to hide it with the cloak as long as possible. Ready to try it?"
"Yes, sir!"
"And you're sure?"
"Inko, this is what I do. Of course I'm sure. Not even All Might himself could get in and out without raising hell. You have nothing to worry about."
"And about the other matter?"
"I'll start putting out some feelers and see what comes back. I've got to say though, I'm a little surprised you'd come to me of all people for this. I thought you left this life behind after Hisashi."
"You know I wouldn't do it without a good reason, Kagero."
"That's what makes it so interesting, Nee-san. Well hey, feel free to call again anytime. The next one's not free though. I've got to make a living too, you know. And maybe next time you'll bring your boy around and I'll finally get to meet my one and only nephew."
"Goodbye, Kagero." Her brother's chuckles cut off as Inko hung up the phone. She felt a little more settled with the confirmation that her fears were unfounded, but that tendril of doubt and nervousness never quite went away. There's nothing to do now but wait, she told herself as she put on another pot of water for tea. Let's hope the reputation of 'Giran' isn't all smoke and mirrors.
Most of his hell class were gathered in the common room, squabbling over which movie to watch and generally causing a racket. Shouta listened to them from the porch where he sat watching the cars flash past. Someone, Mina by the sound of it, loudly begged for some romantic comedy that was roundly rejected by the group. Iida, his loud instructions identifiable even through the walls, tried to marshal the class into order. Shouta couldn't help but snort at his efforts. He would have better luck herding cats.
"All by yourself tonight, handsome?" Shouta did not start at the sound of Nemuri's voice, thank you very much. He did however turn to see her smirking face standing at the steps leading to the porch. There was something hesitant about her posture, even despite the amusement she clearly felt at trying to get the drop on him.
"Nemuri," he acknowledged. Behind him, the volume increased once again as someone's suggestion was shot down by the group. "What are you doing here?"
"I was looking for you actually." She pulled out a gift-wrapped package from behind her back and tossed it at him. "Can I sit?"
He nodded at her as he began to inspect the package. It was soft underneath the Present Mic themed wrapping paper, roughly a foot long on either side and heavier than he was expecting. He raised an eyebrow at Nemuri and she gave him a shit-eating grin. He sighed and tore apart the paper at the seams. Inside was a plush All Might holding a whiteboard. The whiteboard read 'Feel Better to show the world that You Are Here!'
"Really?" He asked, holding up the plush. "Why are you like this?"
"They didn't exactly have one that said 'I'm sorry for being a dickhead'." Shouta let out a snort.
"I bet his marketing team would have an aneurysm."
"I am sorry, Sho." The amusement he had felt over inappropriate All Might merch faded as Nemuri's tone became more serious. "I shouldn't have shut you down like that."
"It's alright, Nem. I don't have any room to judge people for their coping methods."
"I'm willing to do it. I'll go see Oboro. But Sho, if this doesn't work…"
"It will, Nemuri. It has too." She sighed.
"Let's hope you're right." The din from class A turned into a roar as whatever argument they were having hit a boiling point. "Are you going to do anything about that?" She asked him.
"I'll let them have their fun until curfew. They deserve a chance to just be kids."
"Wow." A spike of dread ran down Shouta's back at the teasing tone in Nemuri's voice. "I see the rumors are true. The big bad Eraserhead really has gone soft on us."
"Fuck you, Nemuri."
"Only if you beg, Sho~" Shouta's sigh was drowned out by the voices of 1-A and Midnight's cackling. I should have quit as soon as I saw All Might on the faculty roster. This school year really might be the death of me.
"Well met, Midoriya Izuku." Izuku found himself standing in front of a familiar circle of thrones with an unfamiliar man standing at the side of the tallest throne. His ashen hair and green eyes were similar to Yoichi's but his most prominent features were twin scars tracing over his left eye. The scars were jagged, running over the eyebrow all the way down cutting through the lip to the chin. "I am Hikage Shinomori. I was the fourth holder of One for All."
Izuku felt frustration burn in his stomach. There were so many questions he wanted to ask the past holders, so much history he wanted and needed to know, but the cloying smoke that clung to his mouth prevented him from asking.
"It is not fair of us to put this burden on one so young. In life I removed myself from the world in order to strengthen One for All and while I do not regret that decision, I often find myself wondering if all I did was kick the proverbial can down the road." Hikage settled a hand on Izuku's shoulder. It felt solid and real unlike the rest of the dream around him. "My quirk will protect you as I could not. Danger Sense will alert you to all manner of ill intent, but only those directed at you. You've already felt its warmth before, have you not?"
Izuku thought back to all the times he had just known when to move, those heats and spikes of pain. That had been a quirk the whole time?
"Rest now, Ninth. You have a long day ahead of you. We will meet again soon."
The throne room faded out into black and Izuku fell into slumber.
Katsuki tossed and turned, haunted by whispers.
You're so weak, Katsuki. His mother's harsh voice burned in his ears. Izuku fought for his freedom. And what did you do when you were captured? You rolled over like a dog for those villains.
Like we could expect anything less, came the mocking voice of his father. The only thing he's ever been good at is waiting for Izuku to step in and help him.
You can never be a hero when you're so broken. A sob tore itself from Katsuki's throat as All Might's voice, the voice of his idol and favorite hero, derided him. You should have been stronger, like Midoriya. Maybe then you would have been worth something.
Now you see, little pup. They don't care about broken toys. When will you finally show them the wolf inside?
Katsuki bolted upright, the rasping voice of Dabi still lingering in the air. He was safe. They couldn't get him at U.A. He was safe.
Right?
Chapter 22: Your Words Matter!
The whispering started as soon as the bus pulled up outside of the stadium. U.A. was famous; its heroics students constantly ranked on the "New Heroes To Watch For" lists, the support industry was littered with standouts from former 3-H, 3-I, and 3-J classes, and even the general studies students were recruited to the best universities in Japan and abroad. To most of the Japanese public, 1-A was the exception that proved the rule. The attack on the USJ, the famous connections and legacies that its students held, the dramatic battles in their sports festival all served to make 1-A the most famous first year class in even U.A.'s illustrious history.
And that was before Kamino.
The hushed whispers and side conversations that followed his classmates seemed to stop as Izuku stepped out from the bus. Even among his classmates, it seemed Izuku stood out. The world had watched him fight alongside the Symbol of Peace. His actions weren't soon to be forgotten.
It wasn't quite unfamiliar territory. There had been plenty of times in his life that he had been the subject of pointed looks and whispered rumors. This time, though, he had a small sense of pride in their stares and whispers. He had their attention because of what he had done, not who he was. They didn't hate him for something he couldn't control, they were jealous of him, or at least so Nemuri claimed after she forbade him from looking at news reports of himself. He knew not all of them liked him, most of them probably didn't know what to think, but they weren't against him from the start. It was with those differences in mind that he was able to hold his head high and take the attention. The old Izuku would have crumbled. But this Izuku was ready to soar.
As students from various schools began to turn to each other at his appearance, Ochako pressed herself into his side, taking his arm and pulling it over her shoulders. Shoto stood close by to his left. Tenya and Tsu took up position behind him, with Kirishima and Mina taking up position in front of him.
"Uh, guys? What's going on?"
"It's simple, Mido-bro," Kirishima said. He ran his hand through his hair, making the spikes go wild, and shot him a shark-toothed grin. "We're your bodyguards!"
"Bodyguards?"
"Totally!" Mina mussed Kirishima's spikes into his normal upright style. "We gotta make sure nobody tries to mess with you before the exam. You're sometimes too nice, you know?"
"There's such a thing as too nice?"
"Your newfound fame will make you a target," Shoto said. "Other students will likely see you as a target. Someone to test themselves against and aim to destroy."
"You would know, wouldn't you?"
"I don't know what you mean." Izuku narrowed his eyes at his two-toned friend. It was entirely possible that Shoto didn't see the irony of his statement. Or it was intentional and Shoto's poker face was masking his snickering at the joke. It really was impossible to tell sometimes.
"Alright, fall in, hellions." Class 1-A wandered behind Eraserhead like eighteen lost ducklings, grouping up together at the front of the bus. "Today is a very important day. If you get your licenses here, you'll hatch into hero chicklets. Don't, and you'll be stuck as novice eggs in our farm of life."
"Do you have any idea what he's talking about?" Hagakure leaned over to ask Mina.
"Not a clue. Think someone should check to see if he and Present Mic switched bodies? Normally weird metaphors are his thing."
"Eraser! Is that you?" Izuku watched the normally expressionless Aizawa cycle through horror, despair, and anger before settling into resignation. A woman, clearly a hero based on the audacious green and orange colored costume, skipped toward Eraserhead, coming to a stop just a few inches from their teacher. "Hey, hey, maybe today really is my lucky day! Let's get married, Eraser!"
"No." Izuku was sure that Midnight would have had words with Eraserhead because of his gruff response but the female hero simply laughed along.
"You're still so funny, Eraser! Have you been practicing since our last little repartee?"
"I hate you." Aizawa turned to the class, face stoic except for the slight twitch above his left eye. "All of you, give it your best. I will be watching to make sure you do. Don't let me down."
"You're so serious, future husband. You shouldn't scare the kiddos."
"Die."
"Sensei is right," Kirishima called out. "We've got to give it our all guys! Let's hear it: Plus-"
"ULTRA!!"
Himiko ignored the giant oaf and his overly enthusiastic antics. His voice had nothing on the volume of the fights between Spinner and Shiggy over their little Sky-ring games. He, like all these other brats, were minor distractions at best. None of them could hold her attention with her Izuku mere feet away from her.
If she had passed him on the street a few months ago, she doubted she would have given him a second look. His uniform jacket was tight around his arms and shoulders, pants a little shorter around the ankle, sure signs of a recent growth spurt, but despite his atrocious attempt at a tie he looked… normal.
Gone was the whirlwind of fury and cocky one liners that had stolen her heart at Kamino, and in its place Himiko was left with something so innocent it hurt to look at. His laughter with his friends was light and airy, the soft smiles he shot toward the brunette at his side made her stomach turn. She had finally gotten to meet her love and he was just deliriously, insanely, boringly normal. The kind of normal that made Himiko's heart ache in funny ways. The kind of normal that made her fingers twitch with the urge to stab and draw blood.
The kind of normal she once wished so desperately to have been.
It was his eyes that gave him away though. Even as he smiled at something the pink skinned girl said, the innocence burned away from his eyes leaving a searing green that made Himiko's breath catch. His eyes, all iron and fire and barely restrained power, clocked the adult heroes in the crowd and lingered over students with signs of obvious quirks. She shuddered as his gaze swept over her to land on the hairy guy at her left who had stepped in to control the giant windbag. No fresh faced heroling had eyes like those. Those were the eyes of an apex predator, one that held a power so intoxicatingly strong that even those around him subtly leaned away from him. That was the Izuku she had been looking for. The bloodied fighter that hadn't left her thoughts since that first fateful meeting.
Now that the moment was here, Himiko could hardly contain her curiosity. She had so many questions to ask him and finally there was no Shigaraki to get in her way of asking them. What made him so special? What was he fighting for? Why did Stain spare him?
Which of his masks were the real one? The hero or the innocent?
"Camie, you ready?" Himiko turned, falling easily into a smile that felt natural on her borrowed face.
"Let's like totally crush this exam, fam!"
Ochako let out a breath, closing the last of her medical supplies into the pouches on her belt. It had taken a whole lot of bargaining to keep Hatsume from adding anything too crazy to her equipment, but she felt more at ease carrying some basics on hand just in case. Plus, the iron marbles she had snuck in did give her a reliable ranged option in combat. She wasn't on par with Snipe-sensei just yet, but she was getting there.
She and Momo were the first to finish changing so the two of them were left in the prep room with the mummified lump of their teacher in the corner. (She had never figured out just how to tell when he was sleeping and when he was just listening in on them. Did he ever sleep in a real bed? And where did the sleeping bag keep coming from?!) Momo was busy scrawling away notes and strategies on the whiteboard she had produced from her stomach. She knew that Momo and Izuku had collaborated over the last few days on optimal strategies and pairings for if they were all to be separated, but most of the time it had devolved into quirk theory and potential applications of combining quirks that went over her head, so she stayed out of the way. Both her boyfriend and her friend could become a little intense when they got into discussions of their mutual passion, and she had long since learned that avoiding the conversation was the best way to keep her sanity intact.
"Yo, Midoriya, did you see that Shiketsu chick from earlier?" Ochako perked up at the mention of Izuku. "Serious crazy eyes on that girl, man."
From the hallway leading to the men's locker room came Izuku flanked by Kaminari and Sero. All three were in their hero costumes, Izuku's gloves clamped between his teeth as he fiddled with his gauntlets and Sero's helmet tucked under an arm. She took the opportunity to watch Izuku as the trio filtered into the room. She knew he hadn't been sleeping well the past few nights, and it wasn't just nerves about the exam. Dark circles had taken up residence underneath his eyes and there was a subtle jitteriness to his movements that she hadn't seen before. The way he stretched his arms was jerky, like he had to move through molasses every time he moved. She doubted that he had even noticed it in himself yet, Izuku would probably run himself into the ground before he admitted that he was tired, but Ochako considered herself to be one of the foremost experts on Izuku Midoriya, and there was something just a little off with her boyfriend.
"I know, right?" Sero said, breaking her out of her revere, as he fit his helmet over his head. "I really hope I don't run into her during the exam. She seems like the type to pull a knife on you for looking at her wrong."
"Amen, dude. Plus she probably has some super strong quirk on top of it. Did you see her costume? She had, like, no gear and no armor. Either she's crazy enough that she doesn't want it or she's got a strong enough quirk that she doesn't need it. Either way, no thanks."
"Yeah, good luck, Midoriya. She's all yours." Izuku blinked up at Sero, pulling his gloves out of his mouth.
"Huh? What do you mean?" Kaminari and Sero shared a look before turning back to him.
"Dude, you serious? She was eyeing you up big time, my man."
"Big time." Sero concurred, nodding.
"Really? I thought she was just looking over because of all the commotion."
"Oh my god, dude, no. She was like, totally focused on you." Kaminari said, slinging an arm over Izuku's shoulders.
"Like a lion and a gazelle, bro." Sero put his arm on top of Kaminari's across Izuku's shoulders with a sigh. "Some guys have all the luck."
Ochaco burned a little at the insinuation. An ugly coiling sensation settled into her gut. She had seen the girl they were talking about too, a beautiful tawny haired girl with curves that made her seethe in jealousy, but she had been too focused on making sure the crowd didn't overwhelm Izuku to consider her for more than a moment.
But she would tear off her own arm before she let her get close to Izuku. Wasn't one psycho blonde obsessed with her boyfriend enough? Did there really need to be another?
"Even if she was staring at me, it probably wasn't for that reason," Izuku said, moving to stand beside Momo. "She was probably going over her strategy to take us out."
"Uh, why would some random girl have a strategy to take us out?" Kaminari asked.
"Simple," Yaomomo answered as she drew a line connecting her name to Kaminari and Sato. "We are the biggest targets in this exam. U.A. is the gold standard, and because of the Sports Festival, our quirks and fighting styles are widely known. We are assuredly at the top of the list of logical targets to start with in an exam like this." She turned back to the boys, clasping her hands behind her back with a smile.
"As soon as the exam begins, every student in the arena will be gunning for us, and U.A. will be crushed."
Izuku sighed, dipping beneath a three meter long tungsten nail and backhanding another volley of balls out of the air with a burst of one for all. He had to give the students from Seijin Academy credit. While he didn't really understand why they were all wearing the same ninja-inspired costumes in different colors and they hadn't exactly come close to hitting one of his targets yet, they were admirably persistent.
"Give up, cretin! No matter how fast you are, you'll never escape the long arm of Justice! Seijin Academy will defeat you!" The leader, or at least the one Izuku assumed to be the leader because he had been shouting about the glory of their school for the past few minutes, pulled another pile of nuts and bolts from underneath the folds of his red robes and threw them at Izuku. As they hurtled through the air, the hardware expanded to several meters in size, blocking out the stadium lights in the ceiling far above.
"Woah, you almost got me that time!" Izuku called back as he rose above one of the bolts, and shot through the center hole of a nut before stopping. He floated over the heads of the other students as the quirk-enlarged hardware crashed to the ground behind him. "You're definitely getting closer, but I think your aim may need some work, Seidin Institute."
"It's the Seijin Academy!"
Momo's plan, with some minor modifications from Izuku, was relatively simple. They disrupted the first wave of attacks with large defensive walls like Shoto's Ice Barrier and Dark Shadow, and used the chaos to spread traps out along the area that they cleared. Then the fastest members of 1-A acted as bait to draw in the other schools to where the rest of the class was waiting. And thanks to Float and the speed boost from One for All, Izuku made excellent bait. Truth be told, the hardest part for Izuku was holding back so he didn't get too far ahead and make those following him lose interest and with every attack his opponents grew more frustrated and more likely to break away and find someone else to engage.
He needed to wrap this up soon. The other students from Seijin were starting to get antsy, and Izuku caught several dirty looks being aimed at their classmate. This should be enough time for the others to have gotten set up, now I just have to lead them in. Izuku turned to shoot off toward his classmates when the world around him exploded. Dirt and earth sprayed into the air as the ground was torn asunder, chunks of rubble pelting Izuku as towering earthen walls rose around him.
Damn, that's an impressive earthquake quirk. Still, I should be able to regroup with the others and- "HELP!!"
Izuku spun behind him to see one of the Seijin students flailing their arms as they began to careen off a small chunk of the ground that was crumbling beneath their feet. Izuku dove toward the other student without hesitation, wrapping his arms around their torso and careening toward the ground.
"AAAAHH! Help! Help me please! Oh god, I don't want to die!" Izuku winced as the other student kept yelling in his ear but he managed to land without letting anything hit the two of them.
"Are you alright?"
"I-" The student got through a single word before their eyes rolled up into their head and they fainted in Izuku's arms. Izuku couldn't help but sigh a little as he lowered them to the ground. You would think they were a little bit tougher with the way their leader was boasting. He laid them gently on their back, crossing their arms over their chest and checking their pulse. Probably just the shock of all the adrenaline hitting them at once, Izuku thought trying to remember the lessons Recovery Girl had drilled into his head. Once he had them laid out comfortably, he debated about going back to find his friends before dismissing the thought.
I can't leave them here. What if there are aftershocks? He turned his attention to the targets on the student's uniform and ran a finger over the ball attached to his belt before sighing. Not while they can't put up a fight. It wouldn't be right. Izuku stood up and dusted the dirt off of his uniform pants. The student he had just saved was in the middle of the pack of Seijin students when the earthquake hit. If he couldn't find his friends, maybe theirs were still nearby. Izuku crouched, letting the lightning of One for All rush through his veins, ready to launch himself into the air when a voice stopped him.
"You're just going to leave?" He turned over his shoulder to see the girl from Shiketsu, the one Kaminari and Sero were talking about, slowly walking toward him. Her black catsuit seemed to absorb the light as she approached. Her hair flowed loosely down her back from where it emerged from her uniform cap. There was something off about her though. Something that made Danger Sense rumble in his chest. She wasn't about to outright attack him, the warning from his quirk wasn't strong enough for that, but still… "You have your opponent on the ground, all three of their targets are right there, and you're just going to walk away?"
"They're knocked out on the ground," he said, taking a step to place himself between the girl and the unconscious student. "It wouldn't be much of a fair fight if I were to hit their targets now."
"Hmm, and you're all about a fair fight, aren't you, I~zu~ku?" Izuku stiffened as she drew out his name. She had closed the distance to just a few arm lengths apart, and Izuku pulled his quirks to the surface. He didn't know what this girl wanted, but she was definitely trouble. Seeing him raise his guard, she let out a giggle. "Oh, silly Izu. If I wanted to hurt you, you never would have seen me coming." She trilled out another little giggle that did nothing to assuage Izuku's nerves. "I've been wanting to talk to you for so long, Izuku. Even before we met the first time, I had so many questions I wanted to ask you. And now I finally have the chance."
The insinuation that they had met before made Izuku pause. He definitely would have remembered meeting another hero student from Shiketsu, but he also didn't think this girl was lying. The confusion must have shown on his face, because the girl pouted.
"You don't remember me, Izuku? Maybe I'll just have to remind you…" A lance of heat shot through Izuku's head, as the girl took another step forward, a knife falling into her hand from some hidden sheath. Pressure rolled off of her in waves, an intent so heavy that the air chilled and Izuku's hair stood on end. Izuku had only felt a presence like this once in that alley in Hosu with Stain. This girl was definitely a villain then, but how could a villain have snuck into the exam? No one had seemingly blinked an eye at her presence among Shiketsu, so either she had a brainwashing quirk or…
Or she only looked like a Shiketsu student.
Of course it was her. Shigaraki and All for One might be in Tartarus, but the other members of the League were never found. And there was only one villain he had met that both could masquerade as a hero course student and was crazy enough to do it with a few thousand other heroes around.
"Hey, Himi-chan. It's been a minute, huh?"
Himiko couldn't help the squeal that tore itself from her throat. He did remember her! She knew it!
Her whole body felt like it was on fire. Finally, finally, she had Izuku all to herself. And he was all she had wanted him to be and more. Watching him fight against those heroling wannabes was like watching a hurricane; he was an unstoppable force of nature in battle and he was effortlessly keeping up with a whole school while holding so much of his power back.
But despite all that power, he was still just so good. He didn't even hesitate to save the kid that had been attacking him! He just plunged headfirst into danger to save them. Even now, he was putting himself between her and the brat. She knew he wouldn't leave. He couldn't risk running to get help and letting her kill the kid, and if he signaled for help she could just attack the kid anyway, or slip in with the crowd and transform into someone else. She had him pinned. She could ask him all the questions she wanted.
She could ask him…
"Why?" Izuku blinked. The crazed smile that had appeared at his recognition of her slipped from Toga's face, hair falling over her eyes as she looked down at the ground. "Why?! Why did you save them? Aren't they supposed to be your enemy? Why would you save them?!" Her whole body shook and trembled, voice thick with tears and pain.
Izuku was paralyzed with shock. He never would have expected this. She broke into the Provisional Licensing Exam to ask him why he saved people? Tsukauchi had given him a brief rundown of the members of the League of Villains after Kamino on the justification that he was a possible target for revenge attacks now. Himiko Toga was suspected of a laundry list of crimes that included assault, murder, theft and kidnapping. She was a violent criminal as well as a supervillain and terrorist because of her actions with the League. But looking at her now, all Izuku could see was a girl in crisis on the verge of tears.
She looked sad.
"Because that's what heroes do." Toga's head whipped up, tears falling from bloodshot eyes. "I've never been able to just walk away from someone in trouble. I can't. I have to save them if I can, or at least try." Izuku tightened his hand into a fist, desperately trying to force his swirling thoughts into some kind of order. "I like to think that even if I didn't have a quirk, even if nobody had helped me get where I am today, I would have tried to be a hero anyway."
Toga scoffed. "Heroes fight villains. They arrest people with quirks they think are ugly. They beat down the people that are different from them. Heroes don't save people, they break them." Izuku shook his head.
"Maybe sometimes we fight people, but we're trying to stop them from hurting others. A hero, a true hero… they save people. Even if it means saving people from themselves." Toga stared at him with unreadably calm eyes. Her trembling had stopped and her face had smoothed itself into a perfectly blank mask. It felt unnatural to Izuku, like she had simply been frozen in time.
"You really believe that, don't you?" She eventually asked in a small voice.
"I do."
"Then why do you think people become villains? Shiggy always said it was a cycle of violence, that the heroes create villains." Her voice gradually rose, gaining in strength with every word. "If heroes are supposed to save people then why are there villains at all?!"
Izuku paused. He had never really thought about it before. Villains were just a fact of life. There were always people willing to break the rules to get what they wanted. But Izuku thought about Stain, who had killed because of his convictions that hero society was fundamentally broken. He thought about Kota, who hated heroes because of what happened to his parents.
He thought about what he would have become if All Might hadn't chosen him to be his successor.
"I think it's about hope." Izuku stared at his fist. One for All pulsed inside him in time with his heartbeat, filling him with resolve. "Sometimes people are put in terrible situations, and they lose hope. They think that it won't get any better, that no one will come and save them, so they become a mirror. They reflect all that hurt and anger and negativity onto others and they take it out on the world." He looked up to see Toga staring at him with shock, the knife in her hand falling to the ground through her slack fingers.
"And I know," he rushed on, desperate to finish before she could say anything else. He felt she needed to hear this for some reason. That if he let her go without getting it all out that something terrible would happen. "I know that you probably went through hell to become who you are, who you had to be to survive. I know about your quirk and what it does, and I can only guess about the kind of things people said to you."
Toga dropped to her knees in the dirt, tears returning to her eyes. Izuku took a few cautious steps toward her, and kneeled in front of her. Tucking a finger underneath her chin, he tipped her head back to look into her eyes. The face from earlier had melted away, dripping into grey sludge, revealing the true tear-stained face of Himiko Toga. Her pupils were blown wide, nearly enveloping the yellow around them, and her pale skin was blanched, making the tears stand out in stark relief. She mumbled a word to him, one that sent a shudder down Izuku's spine.
Monster.
"But Himiko, those people were wrong. Do you hear me? They were wrong. You're not any of those terrible things. You're not…" He swallowed, pushing down the memories of all the bullies he had endured. "You're not a monster. You just need a little help. You need a little hope, and I can give that to you. You just need to let me."
Izuku's words hung in the air, and he desperately hoped they would take root in her mind. The rest of Toga's disguise had melted away, leaving the girl bare to the world, but Izuku didn't take his gaze of her eyes. Please, he tried to convey with his eyes, please let me help you.
When Danger Sense gave a soft ping to his right, the softest alert the quirk had ever given him, Izuku closed his eyes. He let the dirt Himiko had scooped up hit him in the face. The air around him swirled tumultuously as the girl ran away. He let a few seconds pass before he stood with a sigh, wiping the dirt from his face. He shot a strand of Blackwhip to pick up the knife Himiko had dropped and used a few more to bind up the still-unconscious student from Seijin.
"Come on," he said to their body. "We still have an exam to pass." Izuku rose into the air, and began to search for the others from 1-A when a thought hit him that made him groan aloud.
"Aizawa is never going to let me out of his sight again!"
Himiko watched Izuku rise into the air as she crouched behind a pillar of stone. She wrapped her arms around herself for comfort, mind roiling with everything he had said to her.
"You're wrong, Izuku." She whispered. "I'm nothing but a monster." That heavy green gaze wouldn't leave her thoughts though. He seemed so sincere. Like he really believed so fervently that she was anything but a monster in human skin. "But I think… maybe I'd like to be what you think I am, one day."
Izuku could feel Aizawa-sensei's glare on his back as he got handed his license from the nice receptionist, but it was fine. It all ended well, right? Sure, there was a twenty minute delay between the first and second rounds while they did a full sweep of the area and Izuku had had to endure a scathing lecture from Eraserhead about calling for backup and trying not to "magnetically attract all villains in a ten kilometer radius", but nobody had gotten hurt! And he had still managed to pass the exam! Izuku did feel bad for Shouto for failing, he didn't really understand what was going on between him and the bald guy from Shiketsu but Tenya had promised to take care of it, but eighteen of nineteen in a class passing on their first try was incredible! Especially for a group of first years.
He looked down at the piece of plastic that he had worked so hard for in his hands. It was his and it was real. A real genuine hero license. His smiling face, and thank god Nemuri had made him practice how to smile for photos because he shuddered to think about how awkward he would have looked otherwise, dominated one side of the card. It had his name and HPSC ID number on the other side with a little red dot next to it to signify that it was a provisional license. Underneath it had his agency listed as U.A. High School, and below that were the words he had waited to see his entire life.
Hero Name: The Hopeful Hero, Deku
4 New Messages
The Almighty Dad-Might!: Congratulations, my boy! I knew that you could do it! I'm so proud of you, and as your mentor allow me to give you a few words of wisdom that my mentor said to me on the day I received my license… [Read More]
Mamadoriya: MY BABBYYYYYY!!!!!!!!
Excalibur's Older Sister: OMG!!!!!!!!!!!! That's so exciting!!!!! How did the gauntlets perform??? Any problems???
Like Noon But Cooler: Told you you could do it kiddo
Ochako ran her thumb over the back of Izuku's hand as he slept with his head on her shoulder. The rest of 1-A seemed to be divided between exhaustion and lingering excitement and adrenaline from the exam. Sero and Ojiro were seeing how many bags they could stack on top of Kirishima who had passed out the moment they got on the bus. Tenya, Shouto and Tsu had congregated in the back and were talking in soft voices. In the seat next to her, Kaminari was excitedly giving Jiro a play-by-play of the combination move he and Momo had used to pass the first stage while she blushed and tried to correct Kaminari's exaggerated storytelling.
"It really wasn't that impressive."
"Momo, you made a gatling gun to shoot my pointers at a whole school! We have to do that more often. But we need a dope name for it."
"How about Shock and Awe?" Jiro pointed out from the other side of Momo. Kaminari stared at her with his jaw hanging open.
"Dude, I could kiss you for that." Jiro blushed scarlet.
"Gross, dude! Go offer that to Sero or one of your idiot friends."
A bright flash distracted Ochako from the budding argument. She looked up to see the smirking face of Mina with her phone aimed at Ochako and Izuku over the seatback.
"You two are like the cutest couple in the whole world, I swear." Ochako heated up with a blush. Thankfully when she checked, Izuku's breathing was still steady and it didn't seem that he had stirred.
"If you had woken him up because of that Mina, I swear…"
"Woah! Down girl, chill. If anyone deserves a little snuggle time after today it's definitely your boy here. I just wanted to get some good blackmail photos to use at your wedding." She waggled her eyebrows, and Ochako hated the way her blush deepened at the suggestion.
"You know," Momo cut in, leaning forward to escape Kaminari and Jiro's bickering. "If Toga is going to continue to take an interest in Midoriya we should probably come up with a way to determine if someone is masquerading as one of us. Perhaps a code phrase or something?"
"Oh that's such a good idea!" Ahsido said. "But do we know if her quirk lets her get memories of the person? Or does she just, like, look like them and she's just that talented of an actress?"
"Well," Momo put a finger to her lip. "I'm not entirely certain. It's possible that with the blood she ingests she gets a copy of the person's recent memories? I'm not really sure…"
"Well how about we wake up our resident quirk nerd and ask him?" Jiro suggested. "Big Green's had the most experience with her so he's probably got an idea of her limitations by now, right?"
Ochako bit her lip. She really wanted Izuku to get some sleep. Between the past few weeks of harsh training and the villain encounter on top of the exam, he needed the rest. But on the other hand, this was important and Jiro was right, there really was no one better to ask about the potential limitations of a quirk than Izuku. Making her decision, Ochako shook Izuku's shoulder.
"Hey, Izuku, can you wake up? There's something important we need to talk about." She waited a few seconds before frowning. Izuku wasn't the lightest sleeper in the world, but he was also normally pretty easy to wake up. Ochako shook him a little again. "Izuku?" His head rolled off her shoulder, and Izuku collapsed to the ground.
"Izuku?!" Ochako rolled him onto his back, shaking his shoulders. "Izuku!"
"What the hell is going on?" Ochako looked up at Eraserhead, tears starting to prickle the corners of her eyes.
"He won't wake up!"