A shower is very much welcomed after the masturbation incident. It gives Izuku time to figure out what lie he will tell Ochako and Shouto. Nothing, he felt sick. The truth, he was masturbating. He could always leave out the embarrassing part. That seems like the best plan of action.
The hope that his friends had dispersed while he was in there is quickly dashed when he sees them sitting together on the couch. Both of them look up when he walks out and all three of them just stare at each other until it is uncomfortable.
"Uraraka, I sincerely apologize for hitting you with the door and making you worry," Izuku says stiffly.
"You're forgiven. Now what the heck happened?" She asks, standing up and putting her hands on her hips.
"I was having personal time," he admits, shoulders drooping in defeat.
"Personal ti-," Ochako cuts herself off, eyes widening as the information sinks in.
"About time," Todoroki comments from the couch. The conversation ends there much to Izuku's relief.
The Halloween Block Party is one of the largest events at AMU. By all technicalities, the weekend long event is not endorsed or supported in any way by the university, however, they don't stop you from partying on the campus. It engulfs the entirety of the little city surrounding AMU, even closing down roads.
Izuku is on walk-in duty at One for All. There are several of them before his shift ends early at 7pm. Toshi is letting him out early so he can set up and rehearse with Jirou one more time before Fire and Ice fills up with people. Bodies will be wall to wall in the club this weekend.
"Toshinori," Izuku says, pausing by the older man's workspace before he leaves. "I don't know if I've ever told you this before or not, but I wholeheartedly appreciate you and everything you have done and continue to do for me."
"If I didn't know better, I would think you are leaving the shop for good," Toshi answers, pausing his work to look at him.
"No, I just want you to know that you shape my life for the better."
"I am happy to hear that. Now get out of here before you make me cry. And Midoriya, I expect your music to make my shop vibrate with all that bass tonight," Toshi says with a smile as he returns to his work.
"I will surpass your expectations."
It takes him quite some time to haul his equipment through the bodies that crowd him from all sides on the sidewalks. He is relieved to exit the crowd and walk down the alley to the back entrance of the club. The relief he feels is quickly replaced with nausea and confusion as he reaches the backdoor.
"What is going on here?" He whispers to himself, not taking his eyes off of the scene before him.
"No idea, bro. It just started happening," Camie answers.
"What do I do?"
"Crack the whip, Indiana," Camie says.
Izuku taps into his innermost Kacchan attitude as he walks over to the picnic table. "Excuse you, fucking extra," Izuku growls out to the two men who are engaged in a deep kiss.
Both of them pull apart, one looking shocked and the other, confused. "Can I help you?" The taller one asks.
"You sure can, Mountain Troll," Izuku snarls out, adrenaline bleeding into every fiber of his being. "I'd like to know why you're playing hockey with my boyfriend's tonsils."
"Your boyfriend? Shouto is my boyfriend, he has been for four months," Jolly Green Giant says matter-of-factly.
"Wait a minute," Izuku snaps, turning to face Todoroki. "Are you telling me that I'm the mistress?"
Shouto's brain seems to start working again, but he has not caught up to the current line of conversation yet. "I thought you were getting out of work at 8pm?"
"You thought wrong. Why the hell am I the other guy? I mean, you took me on a date, kissed and cuddled me, and made us official, but you already had someone. What gives, Fuck Nut?" Izuku can feel his rage boiling under his skin and yet his mind is calm and focused. It almost feels dangerous.
"This is really awful," Shouto says quietly. "I have like Inasa for a while and we started dating, but then you came along and confessed, and I felt bad for you and your terrible luck with men, so I went along with it. I don't really know what else to say to you."
Izuku squints at him with all of the fire he can muster, "so not only am I your mistress, but I'm your Mistress of Pity. That is very classy, Todoroki. In case you are too ignorant to figure it out, like everything else apparently, we are done and over with. That includes our friendship. I'm no one's pity project and I don't have time for you and your wayward morals. Kindly fuck off," Izuku spits out with finality.
Turning on his heels sharply, Izuku sets off into the club, a thank you given to Camie as she gives him a high five and holds the door open for him. He doesn't drop his brisk pace until he is on the platform. There is an overwhelming feeling to punch something and it has replaced the adrenaline in his limbs. Frustration sets in because there is nothing for him to hit.
Pulling out his phone, he decides to call Kacchan since he always seems to have the answers. Katsuki picks up at the second ring. "What do you want?"
"Can you believe that Todoroki was cheating on me?! No, not on me, with me! I was the other guy, Kacchan! All because he pitied me and my fucking feelings!" He paces back and forth furiously.
"Say 'fucking' again, that was hot," Bakugou teases.
"Go to hell, Kacchan!" The anger starts to subside. Turning around he spots Shouto watching him with concern. "Get the fuck off of my platform, Todoroki!"
Shouto puts his hands up in surrender and walks up the stairs, revealing a surprised Jirou from behind him. Izuku hangs up on Katsuki and lets out a shaking breath.
"You, uh, doing alright, Midoriya?" She asks, taking his equipment and setting it up as he takes some deep breaths.
"Shouto and I broke up because he had a second boyfriend. I was the second boyfriend." Izuku just stands there numbly.
"That bitch," Jirou gasps, sounding scandalized.
"I know," he agrees as if that sums up every little detail and feeling. They stare at each other before they both start laughing. He isn't sure why they are laughing, and he hopes he hasn't lost his sanity somewhere along the rollercoaster of life that he has just experienced. Something about Jirou, the club, and the laughter just helps settle his hurt and anger, at least for now.
"I needed that," Izuku says breathlessly as he helps set up the extra equipment they have for the weekend.
"I'll be here all night," Jirou says with a smile. "On a more serious note though, we have 25 minutes to make sure all of this stuff is hooked up and the transitions are smooth. Are we ready to test it all out?"
"Yes, Captain. We'll keep our walkies on channel two so everyone else can use channel one. Let's do this," Izuku says, feeling the familiar buzz of excitement. He flips between the DJ cams and the DJ name videography and makes the appropriate adjustments. They pair their computers together and pull up the music they will be sharing. They test out a song and everything goes perfect. No hitches or complications.
Real Time Remixes is an idea that was sparked by several different events in Izuku's life and Jirou got on board with the challenge very quickly. The club goers chose the music and both EJ and Deku would duel against each other to make the best mixes right then and there. Each of them have a camera on them where people can watch them work too. Fuyumi was rather impressed by the idea and insisted on it being done during Block Party weekend. She said it would set Fire and Ice apart from every other bar and club in town.
"I haven't had the chance to tell you, but those piercings are awesome. Where did you get them done?" EJ asks while Izuku pulls his harness up to her platform by the safety wire.
"Thank you," he says, turning to look at her so he won't be tempted to look at Todoroki who is openly staring at him. "I got them done at One for All. Hitoshi is amazing." He pauses for a moment before taking a new tangent. "I'm not using my mask anymore when I DJ."
"Why?"
"I'm not in high school anymore. People don't bully me or hate me now and if they do, I don't care. I just think it is time," Deku says with confidence and finality.
"Alright everybody, doors open in one minute. Get to your positions. Earphone, please start the music. Deku, you get to relax until RTR start at 10pm. Everyone stay safe," Fuyumi says over the radio.
"Let's do this," EJ says excitedly.
"I won't wander too far away from here so if you need anything, let me know."
"Do you have the bracelets for everyone? Are you going to go find them?"
"Yes, that's the plan," Izuku says with a departing wave.
After putting on his DJ outfit, the first one his mother had made for him, he walks outside and checks his phone. Kacchan called him six times and Kirishima called him three times. He dials Kacchan back.
"Where are you?" Katsuki asks when he picks up.
"I'm outside of Fire and Ice."
"That's where I am, and I don't see you," he says impatiently.
"I'm heading out front now," Izuku says with a sigh as he walks to the front of the building. He spots his friend group at the other end of the block. "Found you." He hangs up and jogs down to them.
"Deku!" Ochako shouts, running to him and throwing her arms around him. "We all heard the news. Todoroki is so stupid. He has really irked me!"
"Way to keep quiet, Kacchan," Izuku says, rolling his eyes.
"You're not the only one who is angry, Nerd," Bakugou says with a scowl.
"For this weekend though, it's just water under the bridge," he answers calmly. "Besides, I come bearing gifts for all of you." Everyone in the Nerd Circle crowds around him as he pulls out a stack of purple bracelets. "I arranged you all some VIP treatment this weekend. These are VIP bracelets. I deserve a huge thank you because those strings were hard to pull," Izuku says humorously. Everyone, including Bakugou, gives him a hug. How could he feel bad when he has so many wonderful friends surrounding him? "Follow me."
He leads them to the VIP entrance and shows his badge. Everyone else follows with their bracelets.
"Deku, I swear you're a superhero!" Ashido yells over the music. "You go to school and maintain Honors status, work three jobs, and still keep up on your social life. Then to top it all off, you plan so far ahead that you get your friends VIP status. How do you do it?"
"One word, anxiety," Izuku offers with a chuckle. He shows them to their curtained VIP booth. "Each of you get two drink tickets which I stacked on the table in there. The only downside to your booth location is that you're under my DJ platform, but that shouldn't bother you too much. I'm going to step out before my set, but I'll drop in to see you before I get started. Have fun!"
The autumn breeze feels good on Izuku's hot cheeks when he steps outside. Camie gives him an encouraging smile and he returns it before laying on the table. It helps release the tension in his body. The problems of today can be future Izuku's problems. The club is supposed to be his safe space and he isn't about to let failed relationships destroy that for him.
Someone is shaking his shoulder and there is a jacket on his torso. Opening his eyes, he sees Camie peering down at him. "It's time for you to go on, well almost. You have fifteen minutes," she says as a shiver runs down her body.
"Thank you," he says, sitting up and wrapping her jacket around her shoulders, "for everything."
"Anytime, Deku. I consider you a friend so anytime."
"We are friends, Camie." Izuku stretches and ruffles his hair.
He picks up his hat and mask, putting them on, before peeking in on his friends in the booth. On the platform, Deku wakes his laptop up and sets up the timer for the videography.
"Are you ready for this?" Earphone Jack asks when he gets on her level.
The safety harness is secured on his waist before he says, "exactly like we practiced."
"Fuyumi, thirty seconds," Jirou says into the walkie as Deku climbs onto the railing of the platform. He takes the microphone from her as the music fades out and the lights go dark. A hush falls over the crowd. "Club goers and party people alike, it is now 10pm," Jirou announces.
As the music winds up, a spotlight shines on Deku who takes off his hat and drops it over the ledge, it is followed by his mask. "Ladies and gents, this is the moment you've waited for," Deku sings into the microphone. "Been searching in the dark, your sweat soaking through the floor. And buried in your bones there's an ache that you can't ignore. Taking your breath, stealing your mind. And all that was real is left behind."
He springs into the air and does a double front flip before his feet land on the unforgiving metal below him. Deku spreads his arms in triumph to cheers and screams. EJ picks up mixing 'The Greatest Show' into the first song on the setlist while he unbuckles the harness and collects his accessories. The big screens show 'DJ Earphone Jack' along with her video feed.
Every three minutes, the DJs trade off between mixing and hyping up the crowd that is literally wall to wall. Sweat and alcohol permeate the air as the night continues on into the wee hours of Saturday morning.
Once Fire and Ice is empty and both DJs have cleaned up and locked up their equipment, they leave together in search of their friends. The group is found a block away and all they can see is Bakugou nose to nose with Todoroki as everyone else surrounds them.
"Oh shit, what do we do, Deku?" Jirou asks as they approach.
"You're a piece of trash, Half 'n Half," Bakugou says lowly as Izuku reaches them.
"What I do is none of your concern, Jackass," Todoroki says quietly.
"That's enough of the dick measuring, boys. Everyone knows Kacchan's wins," Izuku interjects as he slips between them and braces his hand against Katsuki's chest. When he pushes, Bakugou steps back. "Mind over matter, I don't mind, and he doesn't matter." Several tense seconds tick by before Shouto and Inasa wordlessly walk away.
"Is mine really bigger?" Katsuki asks seriously.
"Geez Kacchan," he answers, walking away in the direction of the house.
Saturday ends up exactly like Friday with the exceptions of finding out that Shouto is a cheating bastard and the front flips are replaced with back flips.
Sunday Friend Funday is cancelled after a group vote is taken and everyone agrees that they want to rest up after partying so hard. Izuku can't bring himself to sleep in the basement so he takes over Living Room Two. He unhooks the sectional couch and pushes the two pieces together into a rectangle with the ottoman at the end, so he can climb in and out of his nest. It consists of every extra blanket and pillow in the house. No one fights with him about it and he can't help but wonder if Bakugou has a hand in that.
Izuku manages to get through midterm testing and work each week. With threats from Kacchan, he eats at least once a day and with puppy dog eyes, Kirishima persuades him to go to the gym which in turn forces him to take a shower.
"I'll be here when you get back, I promise," Izuku wheezes out as Ochako hugs him much tighter than she should be able to. She and Iida and Tsu leave to the train station together. Inasa collects Todoroki very soon after that and Izuku crawls back into his nest. Inko is going to visit extended family and Izuku had been invited to go along, but he refused under the guise of needing to work. The truth is that he is off of work for the week.
A knock on the front door announces that Kirishima has arrived to take Bakugou who stomps down the stairs loudly. Soon enough, Izuku will be alone and then he can wallow in his self-pity freely.
Bounding footsteps on the hardwood floor are the only alert Izuku gets before his entire makeshift bed shakes. Once he opens his eyes and look around, he sees Eijirou laying on his right side and Kacchan on his left side.
"You didn't truly believe everyone would leave you alone to self-destruct did you, 'Zuku?" Katsuki asks, draping his arm over the middle man's waist.
"You do know how much we care about you, right?" Eijirou asks, draping his leg over Izuku's hips.
"N-no, th-that's not it," the greenette replies nervously.
"Good, because you have us all week," Kacchan says, pulling Izuku closer to him before smirking.
"And we are going to have so much fun together," Kirishima adds, pushing himself against Izuku's back and giving him a mischievous grin.
Izuku moans breathily before whining in the back of his throat and burying his head under the nearest blanket.