Chapter 66: no matter the cost

His eyes traced over the rows. The cylindrical metal containers glistened dully in the bright, cold light. They weren't longer than his hand and could easily be disguised as spray paints or other mundane objects, and there were so many of them, he lost count. This wasn't good, he was supposed to be one of the most intellectually capable people present, how did this happen? Everything was just so… Overwhelming.

Yotsune followed the men down the hall like a dog on a leash. He kept his head down, let his feet drag him forward. Each step his face paled further.

"How many?" Dragon wanted to know.

Too many.

"About a hundred and fifty for each city, two hundred for Onderon. We tried as best as we could, but..." The scientists whose name he long forgot rambled on. Two hundred. This would be a massacre. The so-called 'Tragedy of Onderon" was nothing compared to what was about to hit.

"... makes nine hundred and fifty, plus the fifty specialized doses you asked for."

A thousand. They had produced a thousand murder weapons, each capable of bringing down over two dozen people. Yotsune hated quirks, he hated the quirk society, but this… He would be emptying the contents of his stomach as soon as Tomomo signalled him to leave.

They needed to get out of here. Especially the two girls. It wouldn't affect him, but they had a quirk. They should leave the night before, so Dragon was too occupied preparing his operation, or… Or they could make use of that. If chaos reigned, no one would notice they were missing, at least not until it was too late. Yes, that sounded better. Once everyone was preoccupied with the operation, they would leave.

He had to tell Zeddama to start with the preparations. If everything went as planned, they would be free within five days. Whatever came after… They simply had to improvise.

Izuku looked nervous as they climbed up the stairs with Aizawa's eyes boring into their backs. Most of the students had still been in their rooms when they left, but he insisted on holding her hand while they said goodbye to the ones in the common area. It also didn't help that Momo caught him - apparently again - as he left her room in his Pyjamas, this time noticed by all three of them. The rumours from yesterday hadn't died down, she didn't want to know what new ones were going to spread till their return.

The apartment door opened, revealing a beaming Inko Midoriya. She tugged at her hair, a bit out of breath. "Good Morning, Izuku, Hikari-chan!" The woman opened her arms to hug her son, realized she was still wearing her cleaning gloves and apologized bashfully while he helped her out. Hikari leaned over the railing across the apartment door and waved Aizawa-sensei as a sign that everything was in order. He gave a sharp nod but didn't leave until he saw the door shut behind his students backs.

"Let me apologize for my messy appearance, I'm not quite done cleaning!"

"No need to apologize, mom, we got here earlier than expected!"

Finally free from her gloves the housewife wrapped her son in the tight hug he deserved and kissed his front. "I'm glad to see you in one piece, Izuku. I heard so many terrible things…"

"We're fine, mom."

She only reluctantly let go of him as he slowly became embarrassed by her display of affection. Hikari stood a bit awkwardly to the side, glancing at her empty wrist, until the woman also gave her a firm hug. She had a surprising amount of strength in her arms.

"Welcome back, Hikari-chan."

"Thank you for letting me stay, Inko-san. It's good to be back." If only her own mother had ever embraced her like that.

"Has anyone seen Hi-chan?" Hagakure burst into the common area. The four heads of three of the worst students and the top student of their class turned to her.

Mina shrugged, clicking her pencil against the table. "Probably still in bed, you know she's actually a sleepy head."

"So… Iida? No wait, he's too stiff, what about Midoriya? No, I'll go with Tsu-chan!"

"If you're looking for someone to explain math homework, we already formed a study group! Sit with us!" Momo kindly offered, she was used to it. Much to Hagakure's dislike.

"But we study with you all the time! I feel like I'm totes taking advantage of you, Yaomomo! You should take the weekend off!"

Momo only shook her head. "It is fine! I like studying with you. Going through the material again helps me internalise it. Since we're only going shopping in the afternoon, we still have plenty of time to get through the subjects!" She was excited about going out with her friends; Shopping at 'normal' stores where you weren't immediately stormed by assistants was something special to the recommended student. While she smiled to herself, the invisible girl gave in with a sigh, "Fine, I'll get my stuff. But Hi-chan's not in her room, I already checked."

"That's because she left with Midoriya-san earlier," Momo explained, not seeing the many surprised looks thrown into her direction. Mina raised an arm as if asking a question in class. "Wait, when will they be back?! I really need to have a chat with her!"

The bemused vice class president cupped her cheek. Did Hikari not tell them? Again? She let her eyes wander over the students surrounding the table. They were all expectantly staring at her, so she clarified, "Tomorrow evening, as far as I know."

"Wait, I thought they weren't allowed to leave," Kaminari piped up, "where did they go?"

So, Midoriya didn't tell the boys either. A bit concerned by this development, Momo explained, "They went visiting Midoriya-san's mother."

"Why would they visit her?" Sero now wanted to know, scratching the back of his head. "I mean, I get why Midoriya would visit his mom! But what's Shikogane doing there?"

Growing more confused by the second, Momo nervously picked her pencil up. "Mrs. Midoriya asked her to visit again. I think they've bonded over the holidays and escaping Dragon."

"Shikogane has visited before?"

Why did they act so surprised? Did they truly not know that Hikari had spent the winter holidays over at the Midoriyas' apartment? It wasn't particularly odd. Even if Hikari didn't already know Mrs. Midoriya, she and Midoriya were extremely close, and close friends visited each other's homes from time to time. Momo nervously tapped her pencil on her notebook and explained, "The Midoriyas let Hikari stay over so she didn't have to spend the holidays all alone here at U.A. They are already under protection so there wasn't much paperwork. I thought you all knew."

Judging by their expressions, they didn't.

"So, you're telling us," Mina began summarizing, counting on her fingers, "Hi-chan crashed an entire week at Midoriya's place and didn't tell us anything, now she's going to spend another night there after Iida caught them sleeping intimately close to each other, as he said, but matter how many times I try to set them up so Midoriya can finally make a move, Hi-chan doesn't-" The horned girl paused. Momo could see the gears turn in Mina's head.

Hikari doesn't what? And what would Mina set them up for? A silence stretched between the students. Momo was simply irritated because yes, she knew about everything her classmate mentioned, but what was wrong with it? Why did everyone look like their entire existence had been a lie?

"Oh. My. God."

"No way, you don't think…?" Kaminari piped up, almost shily. He wasn't the only one acting out of character. Hagakure gasped and let herself plop down on a chair as if she needed support.

Think what? Momo frowned. Why weren't they speaking in full sentences? She was intelligent, but her friends' babbling didn't make sense to her. Was something wrong with Hikari's and Midoriya's friendship?

"Duuude, I thought they were acting weird yesterday! I mean, I would be too if Iida caught me sleeping in a girl's bed, but the whole hand holding thing Jirou mentioned?" Kaminari repeatedly slapped Sero's arm who didn't seem as invested as him.

"I don't know, man. It's Midoriya and Shikogane! He's a stuttering mess around most girls and she's well… Shikogane." Whatever was going on, he didn't sound convinced.

Kaminari didn't agree and argued, "You were there when he basically admitted in front of everyone that he has a crush on her!"

Everyone, except Momo. The raven-haired student dropped her pen for good. Were… Were they implying that Midoriya was harbouring romantic feelings towards Hikari? That… Okay, thinking about it, it would explain a lot. Why he always came checking on her every time something unusual happened. Or why Momo would often hear him knock on Hikari's door at ungodly hours or find Hikari loitering on the second floor. Why they trained together all the time, or why Momo caught him leaving Hikari's room every other morning, or why he had been holding her hands under the table when she told them about her brother's fate.

Speaking of that… Hikari could have withdrawn her hand. She could have left him train with Todoroki and Bakugou. She could have asked Tsuyu or Momo herself to help with her hair, she didn't need to go down three floors with a brush in her hand, unless she thought Midoriya was a better hairdresser. Or she just liked it more when he did it. Like she liked it when he helped fixing her glove. Or when he did anything that involved touching, if Momo was being honest, which was odd, since Hikari still tensed when Mina latched onto her arm too suddenly...

Momo placed a hand over her heart. Or more likely slapped it, because she could hear the dull thud of the impact on her ribcage. Suddenly, she understood why her classmates pulled those faces. She was surely reliving what they had gone through mere seconds ago, as her previous assumptions and beliefs crumbled like dry leaves.

"Yaomomo? Are you alright?" Hagakure called her, but all she could manage was a very airy, "My goodness!"

The weather had taken an unexpected turn, rattling at the blinds, and howling between the buildings surrounding the apartment complex. The rain splashed against the windows; an irregular patter followed by growling thunder. Despite it being still late afternoon - they had managed to finish all homework and worked on their individual assignments in his room until twenty minutes ago - it was dark enough he saw the faint golden glow in the slit between the door and the floor. Izuku knocked before poking his head into the guest room.

The air was filled with golden swirls, twirling around randomly, not wild but soft like the waves of a calm sea. He felt a soft tug at his shirt and took that as a sign that he was welcome. As quiet as possible he slipped in and sat down on the floor next to the girl who remained completely still, only the slow and steady movements of her chest indicating that she wasn't a statue. Hikari sat cross legged, arms resting on her knees, her eyes were closed.

"Almost done," she informed him low without moving her lips much. Izuku waited patiently, watched as more particles rose from her body, mostly her arms and back. It was a quirk release exercise, she had explained to him during the holidays when he had first seen her do it. Since her body had grown so used to constantly produce as many particles as possible, she had to release them at some point before the pressure became too much and they broke free, literally, as in ripping her skin apart. He hadn't been there when it last happened, but his other classmates had told him a vivid and gruesome tale that had to be resolved by Aizawa-sensei in the end.

"It's been a while since I had to do that," Hikari admitted, "Aizawa-sensei said my body had been too weak to produce any particles at the hospital or the few days after, and we've been working so hard lately, I didn't have any to spare."

Izuku wondered if his fire would trigger a similar reaction, would he be forced not to use them for a long time. He didn't know, it hadn't been that long since he got his quirk back, and he hadn't spent a single day without using it at least once. Quirks were such a wondrous but also dangerous thing.

Just as he finished marvelling and musing over his own limits, the golden glow faded, leaving the room in a dim gloam. Izuku didn't speak up, he didn't have anything to say, and waited while his girlfriend reached for her hoodie. He was glad he couldn't see much, otherwise he would be very embarrassed. He understood the need to have as little fabric as possible so Hikari didn't have to focus on keeping her clothes intact while doing this rather meditative exercise, but he still felt a fluttering in his stomach knowing most of her back, arms and midriff were exposed.

"Ah, could you maybe get my glove from the bed?"

Izuku pushed himself to his knees without replying, bent his torso to reach behind himself, when his eyes caught a dark coloration. It wasn't just a difference in colour but also in height and texture. He traced the line about as thick as two gingers that ran from the base of her hand over her shoulder to the back with his eyes. It branches into countless thinner lines that split her skin like broken glass, reminiscent of an inverted Lichtenberg figure. He had never seen it before since the cool temperatures required longer sleeves, but he immediately knew where she got it from.

Hikari jerked as his fingers came in contact with the bulging scar tissue. He could feel her gaze rest on his hand as he let his fingertips ghost over the thickest line.

"It's not as bad as it looks," she tried to reassure him, "and besides, I already have so many, it doesn't change the overall picture."

But it did. It stood out. It looked darker, fresher, bigger, and more distinctive than all the other marks adorning her skin. And even if it didn't, the fact that it was his fault, that she had gotten it while saving him from certain death was enough to make his heart miss several beats.

"Izu, Izuku, look at me." His hand was brushed off and his face squished between two hands turning it to lock eyes with her. "This isn't your fault. You didn't ask me to do it. If it is anyone's fault it's Tomomo's, he pulled the Trigger. Or Dragon, because he made the drug. And don't dare to blame yourself because he's your father, we've been over that bullshit too many times."

It was unfair how well she knew his brain and dismantled his arguments before he could voice them. Izuku's vision blurred, he didn't even try to stop the tears from falling. He returned the hug without hesitation, pressed his front against the shoulder that exhibited another immortal mark his father had left a few months ago. He so desperately wanted to believe her, he wanted to stop thinking about that vicious man, but as long as Dragon roamed freely, he wouldn't find peace. The man needed to be captured, he needed to be locked away, justice needed to be served.

And he would be the one to do it. He wouldn't let anyone else get hurt by him, he wouldn't let his friends get anywhere near him. Izuku would take down Dragon, no matter the cost, as long as he was the only one paying it. So, he didn't argue, didn't say anything. He let the arms hold him close and warmed the skin that always seemed cool under his touch.

Four more days.

Inko's Kotatsu was the closest thing to heaven Hikari had experienced in a while. Izuku, whose quirk kept him warm, had no trouble sitting sprawled out next to them, while the two women warmed their legs under the table. The living space was dimly lit, two candles burned in the middle of the table. The winds still howled outside.

"What about this one?" the girl pointed at a DVD with a dark cover that piqued her interest. Izuku peered over her hand.

"Oh, I remember that one! It's about two detectives dismantling a series of murders committed by a fake ghost!"

Inko cupped her face. "I don't recall a film like that."

"It's because you've never seen it! It's a bit spooky and splattery, you didn't want me to watch it when I was younger."

She frowned at her son's answer. "Then why do we own it?"

"Our creepy neighbour from our old apartment left it behind. The one with the large dog."

"Oh, that one," Inko mused, "why did we even keep it?"

"You told me I could watch it when I was older."

"I did? I don't remember allowing you to watch it..."

Izuku looked everywhere but at his mom. "Uh, I don't…"

"Izuku!"

Uh-oh, family drama. "Okay, maybe not this one," Hikari intervened and quickly snatched the DVD to place it on the pile of sorted out movies.

"Do you like scary movies, Hikari-chan?"

"She does," Izuku skidded closer to the table, still not getting too close to the heating, "Kaminari-kun once dared her to watch every horror movie from U.A.'s library with Tokoyami-kun."

"Good gracious!"

"We didn't even get through a fifth," the girl defended herself, "and it already took us a whole week! We can watch something like that now." She pointed at the next DVD she knew was a romantic comedy and seemed more like Inko's taste. The mother was aboard immediately.

"Oh, it's one of my favourites! How about we each choose one? You can watch that horror movie after I've gone to bed."

After a quick glance, the teens agreed in sync. All that's left now was for Izuku to decide. The boy pulled at his lower lip and rambled on in his usual manner, while Inko topped up their teacups. The mumbling stopped and he proposed, "How about the one with the bank heist?"

He didn't get a straight answer, only two confused pairs of eyes on him. Puzzled by this, he rubbed the back of his head. "Is something wrong?"

"We just expected you to say something different," Inko stated.

"Like what?"

"All Might, the movie?" Hikari suggested, earning a smile and side glance from the middle-aged woman. Izuku backed up. "I-"

"Part five," she added. His jaw dropped. "You explained the plot to Shouto-kun about five times during the internship."

"It's been a while since we last saw that one," Inko remarked. Hikari simply shrugged. "I've never seen it before, although you may have spoiled the plot a bit, but why not? It's going to be fun seeing how they portray All Might."

Utter disbelief was written all over Izuku's face. The two women snickered.

After a short bathroom break, Inko returned to her son pulling his best All Might impression and the girl next to him wheezing, "Oh my god, how do you even do that?! You don't look like yourself anymore!"

Hikari leaned forward, cupped her son's face, and pulled at his cheeks. Inko was a bit startled by the intimacy and decided to announce her return, "Izuku has been practicing for years! Since he was about four. I made sure to document his improvement from time to time."

"Do you have pictures?"

"Of course! Half a dozen albums full of them." She chuckled at the memory. "Would you like to see them?"

"Mom, NO!" Izuku panicked, but it was too late. Hikari's face lit up.

"I would love to!"

A few minutes later, they sat in front of the sideboard, two of them eagerly pulling out the albums while the third hid his face in embarrassment.

"Mom, please," he begged for mercy his mother denied him. He had been too cute as a baby and Hikari thought so too. He grew more flustered with every picture, typically boys his age. Only after Hikari mentioned she didn't have any photographs of her family, he calmed down. Inko tried not to show how much that statement upset her. The woman swore to herself that she would make this girl feel at home and take as many photographs as possible, so they would have something to look at in the future. Because she had a feeling the three of them would still be doing that in a few years.

No less than three albums later, Inko decided that it was time to finish the movie if she wanted to get a decent amount of sleep. They collected the books, careful to place them back in chronological order when something slipped from the shelf board behind the oldest album and glided to the floor. A big, ivory envelope. The mother sucked in a breath, dove for it, but it was already in her son's hands. He turned it around, revealing elegantly curved numbers.

"What's this?" He asked innocently, studying the date.

It had already been eighteen years. No, Inko couldn't do this to him, not after everything that had happened last year. Izuku eyed her with concern, but she didn't have the heart to tell him.

"Mom?"

"It's… It's nothing, just an old picture. We can look at it another time, I think it's fairly late already." She held out her hand. Izuku hesitated and she already feared he didn't trust her enough, but he handed it back. Inko slipped it between the albums.

Hard winds still swept through the town when Izuku opened his eyes. At his right, Hikari was breathing steadily, fast asleep. He carefully slipped away from her and came to his feet. The teen opened his door, threw one last look over his shoulder to make sure he hadn't woken the girl, before stepping out into the hallway.

It was so dark, he had to place his hand on the wall for guidance. Guilt formed a heavy knot in his chest, slowing him down. His feet were made of led. He shouldn't be doing this. But the look his mom had given him… He couldn't ignore it. He needed to know.

At last, he reached the living room. The many buttons and the digital clock beneath the TV provided enough light to let him carefully navigate around the space. Without making a sound he opened the door of the sideboard and reached for one of the albums. The envelope was exactly where his mom had left it.

A chill ran down his spine. Izuku threw another look over his shoulder. Nothing. He narrowed his eyes at the number on the envelope, it was a date from eighteen years ago, a time he hadn't even been born yet. Inside was a big photograph. He couldn't see much in the dark, so the young hero in training wandered over to the balcony door to pull at the curtains. White moonlight fell through the glass, directly onto the picture.

He forgot how to breathe.

It couldn't be.

There was his mother, younger, looking happier than she ever had in his memory. She was so beautiful in her white dress, her eyes were glistening, her cheeks flushed, her head slightly tilted to the right to lean against a shoulder.

Izuku didn't even notice he had started crying until a drop landed on the picture. He wanted to wipe it away, but he couldn't move, paralyzed by what he was seeing. To his mother's right was a man, tall, in an elegant black suit, emanating an aura of absolute authority. Freckles dusted his cheeks, his short black hair was as unruly as Izuku's.

Dragon.

It was their wedding picture.

He couldn't hold back a sob. They looked so happy, both of them, this cruel man, this villain who caused so much pain, who killed so many people, who ripped families apart-

An arm was wrapped around his shoulders. Another sob escaped him.

"I… He looks like…"

"You look so much like your mom," Hikari whispered, "all you have in common with him are the freckles and the undeniable handsomeness."

Izuku hitched a breath that turned into another sob. Finally he was able to lift his hand and wipe the tears away, even if they were replaced by fresh ones a second later. He didn't struggle when the girl took the photograph from his hand and stepped in front of him. She wiped another stream of tears away with her thumb and cupped his cheek.

"It's okay, Izuku. It's going to be okay."

How would this ever be okay? He leaned forward to rest his forehead against hers.

"You're not like him, you never will be." She caressed his cheek but didn't add anything, simply waited for him to calm down. He didn't know how long he had been crying as silently as he could when his sobs ceased and he pulled back. Hikari smiled at him.

"You're perfect the way you are, never forget that. That's why I love you."

He almost cried again. "I love you too," he hiccupped and turned his head to place a kiss on her palm. The girl took his hand.

"Let's go back to bed."

Hidden in the darkness of the hallway, Inko Midoriya pressed her hand to her mouth to stifle her own sobs. That's why she didn't want him to see it, he wasn't ready. She doubted he would ever be.

At least her son wasn't fighting alone.

Three days. Izuku was sweating and shaking once he woke from his nightmare, filled with faceless people in fancy dresses and his mother, blinded by her love, dancing across the blood-soaked floor in Dragon's arms. Hands pulled him close, his front was pressed against a collar bone, a chin poked into his head. Wednesday. Only three more days until he would most likely meet his father again.

They decided to hit the gym, work out for a bit and spar to keep their minds off things. His mother was already up, she behaved a bit strange, but not in a bad way. Maybe she had slept well?

They stayed until his back warned him that if he'd slam into the mat one more time, he wouldn't be able to get up again. Izuku had been able to throw his girlfriend over a decent amount of times himself, and he was tempted to steal a kiss for each, if it wasn't for their almost neighbour from two apartments down who decided to work out at the exact same time. Izuku insisted on getting them once they arrived safely back in his room, though.

Being a gentleman, he took the last turn at the shower. Once he was done, both his mother and Hikari stood in the kitchen, already preparing lunch. He offered to help but the women shooed him out of the room - it was almost scary how well they got along - and his mom nodded at the closet in the hallway. Izuku opened it, scanned the half empty boards - this apartment was so much bigger than the one he had grown up in - until he found a small paper bag. A glimpse inside told him that it was exactly the right thing. He looked back into the kitchen, met his mother's eyes, and mouthed a silent thank you. She beamed at him.

They exchanged another glance. Hikari picked up the remaining plate and announced, "I'm going to start with the dishes!"

"Oh, no, you're our guest! Just let me-"

The look Izuku was giving his mother made the woman stop in her tracks. There was guilt and regret in his eyes. Hikari left as quickly and silently as possible.

.

Even after finishing the dishes, the U.A. student stayed in the kitchen for a while. She didn't even need to do those, they had a dishwasher, but the Midoriyas clearly had a lot to discuss. Eventually, she slipped into the guest room where her stuff was. Had Inko noticed the guest bed stayed untouched? Shaking the thought from her head, the girl played with her phone for a while, checked in with Jirou, started a meme battle Kaminari in the class group chat until Iida asked them to stop, when someone finally knocked at the door.

She jumped to her feet and ripped it open. Izuku blinked at her. His eyes were red, he had definitely been crying - not a surprise - but he looked relieved.

"How did it go?"

"As good as it gets." He drew in a shaky breath. "Mom's making some tea, do you want to join?"

"Of course." She flashed him an uplifting smile and squeezed his hand, which he seemed to appreciate. Before leading her back to the living room the boy placed a hasty kiss on her lips, catching her off guard.

Inko looked like she had cried as well, which Hikari obviously didn't point out. She joined the woman under the Kotatsu, while Izuku kneeled in front. An awkward silence stretched between them.

At last, Inko was able to put on a small smile. "Thank you for taking care of Izuku."

Hikari's head shot up. The statement irritated her, she expected Dragon, their trip to Onderon or the photograph to be the subject. She turned to Izuku, who averted his eyes in embarrassment. What was going on?

The woman chuckled at her confused expression. "Hikari-chan, I'm his mother, I know these things. To be honest, I was a bit disappointed when you two left after the internship week and nothing had happened. Izuku has been head over heels for you for a while, although I think it took him quite a bit of time to notice it."

Wait, Izuku told her?! Inko knew?! Hikari felt her face flush. She stared at the mother with wide eyes, whose smile only widened.

"S-so you're okay with…?"

"Oh, of course I am! You're such a lovely girl and you've saved both our lives! I'd be a fool if I hindered my son from dating such a strong young lady."

Hikari averted her eyes and bit her lip, unable to answer.

"Whenever you like to accompany Izuku again, my door is always open. And if you have any questions regarding romantical matters." Izuku almost choked. "Don't hesitate to call. I might be old, but I was young and in love once."

"Y-you're not old, Inko-san," Hikari forced out, not knowing what else to say. The woman chuckled again.

"Please, lose the honorifics. I have a feeling we'll be getting to know each other a lot better from now on."

At last, the girl couldn't take it anymore and hid her face behind her hands.

.

The kitchen was busy. Momo seemed to be working on her special recipe with Satou, they were trying to create a small candy that would provide Momo with extra lipids on the run and didn't taste too awful. Iida, a carton of orange juice and a glass in his hands, exited and greeted Hikari with a nod. The girl had changed into sweatpants but was still wearing the turtleneck Inko had gifted her last time. She prayed no one was going to make a fuss about what happened Friday but readied herself at the same time. They were hero course students, being nosy was their speciality.

"Aww, look who's here!" Mina seized her arm as soon as she stepped in. "Did you have a nice weekend?" She wiggled her eyebrows. Ignoring the gesture, Hikari dragged the other girl to the sink, rolled her sleeves up and washed her hands. All she wanted was a snack. Had it been a bad idea coming down here?

"Yeah, it was nice," she eventually replied.

Mina, still latching to her arm, pouted. "Is that all you're going to say?"

"Uh, it was nothing special." Aside from the fact that they had found the supervillain Dragon's wedding picture and told Inko san about their relationship. "We finished homework, watched some movies with Inko-san, went sparing and hung out. The usual."

"Ehhh, you two are so boring. I wanted the juicy stuff."

The what? Hikari could only blink at Mina. The horned presented a smirk she didn't like at all. "Aww, Hi-chan, come on!"

She quickly slid out of Mina's grip and turned to the fridge, hoping the tips of her ears were the only thing that had turned red. There were still some leftovers from dinner. Hikari grabbed the rice and some soy sauce - she wasn't particularly choosey with her food - plus chopsticks from the drawer. Mina didn't leave her side for one second.

Hikari groaned. "What do you want me to say?"

"Hmm." The girl put a finger to her chin. She obviously did not expect that question because no answer came. Sighing, Hikari also grabbed a bottle of soda with her quirk since her hands were full and let her know, "I'll be in the dinner area if you've found your answer."

In the common area, Hikari received a friendly welcome. No one made any remarks, and she was able to eat her rice in peace. She even got to browse through a few news sites in front of her empty bowl, until the worst-case scenario occurred.

Both, Ochako and Iida, halted in front of her. Hikari gulped.

"Hey, Hikari," the brunette greeted her a bit awkwardly, not meeting her eyes.

"He-hey."

"Can we...?" The zero-gravity girl pointed to the door. Iida hadn't said a word yet. They wanted to talk, in private. Hikari quickly jumped to her feet, trying not to succumb to panic.

"Yeah, sure, let me just put that stuff away…"

"Oh, this can't be good," Kyouka muttered as she watched the three disappear in the hallway.

"Like a code orange or...?"

"Red, definitely red," she didn't let Kaminari finish, "someone, call Midoriya."

Before Kaminari was able to reach for his phone, Kirishima was already typing a message to their classmate. Bakugou, sprawled out enough he needed a couch to his own, only grunted, "That's fucking stupid."

"Come on, man, we're just trying to help! It wouldn't be manly at all to do nothing!"

"It's not manly to butt your nose in other's business either, shitty hair!"

"Shut up you two! Status?" The only girl and voice of reason shut them down. Kaminari leaned over Kirishima's shoulder gave her a thumbs up. In that moment, a heaving Ashido came stumbling around the corner.

"Guuuys!"

"We know!" Three of them answered in unison, while Bakugou rolled his eyes.

The shower she had taken after sparing was for naught. Cold sweat ran down her back, she was glad she wasn't wearing any of her thick hoodies right now.

Ochako and Iida led her down the stairs, towards the laundry room. It couldn't get more secluded than that, no sane person would do their laundry at such an hour on a Sunday evening. Truly the only spot in the dorms they didn't need to worry about unwanted ears.

Izuku's friends stood against one wall, Hikari was leaning against the other. It was nice of them to not block the way, allowing her to make a fast exit should the situation demand for one.

"I think you know why we brought you here," Iida began. He looked calm and didn't throw his hands around which told Hikari that exactly the opposite was the case. She pulled the hems of her sleeves over her hands to prevent them from fidgeting. The soft knit fabric squished in her fists offered some comfort. At least she had Inko's and Tsuyu's blessings.

"I…" But before she could speak, Iida and Ochako bowed.

What?

"We wanted to apologize," the tall teen stated a bit too loudly, "for our behaviour last Friday. We were worried about Midoriya and that led us to disregard not only his own wishes, but also all of your feelings as well."

"I agree with Iida-kun! I was… I was confused and worried…" There was more to it, but apparently Iida didn't know of her crush on Izuku. "And as friends and classmates, we should have accepted Deku-kun's and your decisions and, and-"

"...Offered our support! One should always be there to support his friends!"

It was surreal. Hikari stared at the two, not even daring to blink, still believing this was a dream and that she would wake up if she closed her eyes. She eventually had to, and nothing changed.

"Are you two… Serious?"

"Of course! We would never joke about such things!" They had straightened themselves and were sending her small smiles; Iida's polite and relieved, Ochako's as well, but her brows were the tiniest bit furrowed, and her eyes a bit glossy. She had to be in pain, and yet she endorsed the relationship - for Izuku, whom she had been ready to give her heart.

Hikari couldn't take it. She only noticed the tears when they were already halfway down her cheeks.

"GUYS!"

The three U.A. students almost jumped and turned to the cry echoing from around the corner. Taking larger steps than should be possible Izuku rushed towards them, gasping, a twinge of panic on his face.

This had to look so completely wrong. With Ochako and Iida standing on one side, Hikari pressing herself against the wall across, trying to bring as much distance as possible between them, tear stains running down her cheeks...

Hikari laughed. She wiped her face and laughed. The heavy weight she didn't realize had been growing inside her stomach since Friday disappeared. It was fine. They would be fine.

"Wha…?"

"We're good," Hikari reassured her boyfriend, "everything's good."

Izuku closed his gaping mouth. A straight arm was raised in front of him.

"No worries, Midoriya! We simply apologized to Shikogane for our behaviour two days ago! Hereby I want to congratulate you two and wish you all the best for your relationship!"

Izuku stared at Iida as if he had never seen him before.

"Yep, congrats," Ochako agreed, not able to fully conceal the hurt in her voice. Hikari wondered if Izuku noticed it too, but he seemed too shocked by his friends' reactions to think clearly.

"I am sorry if we gave off the wrong impression! That wasn't our intention!" Oh, it was hilarious how Iida could be both, smart as heck to the point where he came second after Momo, and really dense regarding social matters at the same time.

The shock in Izuku's eyes was replaced by confusion, soon his eyes went wide and became glossy. He didn't say anything. Ochako suddenly began bouncing up and down.

"Ah, Deku-kun, please don't cry, or I'm gonna cry, too!"

.

Hikari expected one or two people to notice they had wandered off, but she wasn't ready for the sight that awaited them back in the common area. The space was full. Packed. Almost the whole class was present. Why did all conversations die the moment they stepped in?

"Are you guys… Okay?" Mina piped up. Despite saying you guys she and most of the others were fixed on Hikari. Oh. They probably knew exactly what this had been about. Did they… Did they know? Had they called Izuku for help?

"We-We're all good, uhm, aren't we?" It sounded more like a question than a statement, but it was better than letting things get messy and misunderstandings being formed. Hikari peered over to Iida, let her eyes wander over Ochako until they met Izuku's. the three of them nodded.

"We're all fine and in agreement!" The class president approved of her statement, even if it sounded like they had just puzzled out some sort of contract. The tension in the air slowly faded. The whole ordeal would raise more questions, but they might just disappear without-

A pressure appeared around her hand. Before she could wrap her head around the fact that Izuku openly took it, the boy stepped forward, pure determination on his face he usually only showed when going up against villains. It sent a chill down her spine.

"Everyone, we need to tell you something," he began, "Hik-"

"We fucking know, nerd!"

Silence. One way to make things anti-climactic.

"Jeez, just let him finish! Do you have any idea how long I've been waiting for this?!"

"The hell do I care, it's annoying! And don't tell me what to do, Racoon Eyes!"

Mina and a handful of other students sent Bakugou a glare. Izuku's jaw dropped. Hikari wished she was surprised, but she wasn't. Not after Friday, not after they snuck away over the weekend, not after all of Mina's comments. She already thought nothing could baffle her at this point, when Shouto - how did they get him to come down for this? - set out, "Was this… Supposed to be a secret? I thought you two had been since the meeting."

A choking sound came from her right. Shouto pensively crossed his arms and placed his fist on his chin. "I definitely thought after the joint training, out-"

"Okay, we get it!" Hikari rushed the words. Her face felt hot. She wasn't in the mood to think about the moment she first thought about kissing Izuku and may have even done so if Todoroki didn't interrupt-

Wait a minute. Had he seen everything? Did he known what they - she - they? - were about to do? Did he, all this time…?

Arms wrapped around her, separating her connection to Izuku. Hagakure squealed, after her attack hug the rest of the girls followed, more civilized, even if only a bit. Kirishima patted her on the back, Tokoyami held a short monologue about how that revelation had lightened the dark depths of his heart, Aoyama's comment came half in French, so she had no idea what he was trying to convey. A lot of them ruffled Izuku's hair or said some nice words to them, except for two people. Bakugou left halfway through, muttering something, she only heard the word gross, though there was something akin to a smirk on his face when he turned around and dragged himself out of the room. The only other person was…

Mineta.

The tiny boy cried and shook Izuku, asking him how he dared to be the first one to get a girlfriend, until Tsuyu slapped him with her tongue. Sero got ready to tape him to the ceiling, but the purple menace acknowledged dramatically that there was now one less girl available in the class, but he would not give up. He would still make all the ladies fall for him.

They decided to let him sulk in a corner by himself for the rest of the evening.

A/N: Phew, longest chapter so far! Fluff and a sprinkle of angst and 1-A interactions, because writing them is an absolute joy!
PS: Todoroki, the ultimate conspiracist, was at least half-right. Maybe he'll nail it next time. Let's wish him luck lol

Review time:

*Yamajiji: Thank you! I hope this chapter brought the "real" closure!

*Nixxon Mysterio: Thank you so much! This chapter once again proved that I can't be brief, so there might be a possibility the count moves up one or two chapters. No promises though. And omg, I feel honoured! Thank you for staying with us!

*Ryu: Thanks for the review and for being such a loyal reader! It does mean a lot, every word counts!

*RandoFox: Thanks a lot for your comments! Sorry about the teasing xD