Izuku shoveled chicken into his mouth, while Iida and Uraraka chattered.
"- -do you think we're doing today? I swear to God, if it's another one of those tests- -"
"- -I doubt Aizawa-sensei would do that to us twi-actually, no, I don't doubt at all that he would do that multiple times- -"
"- -at least All Might will be there- -"
I wouldn't bet on that. He may've worn himself out this morning.
Todoroki shrugged at Izuku, his white hair glistening in the sunlight streaming through the cafeteria windows. Izuku raised his eyebrow at the scarred boy, who leaned a bit closer to be heard over the dull roar of the student body.
"Did you talk to the reporters outside?"
Jesus tits, no. The mob of press members had swarmed him as soon as he reached the school gates, asking inane questions about All Might. "'Is All Might a good teacher? Does he set an example for your class? How's he feel about texting in class?'"
Well, he's trying his best but he's clearly inexperienced, of course he's a good example, teaches more about heroism than anyone but Aizawa-sensei, I wish those two got along, I don't know, no-one is brave enough to text in class here, what a dumb question, is this your first day as a reporter? It's UA for god's sake.
Well, that was what he tried to say. What came out was more like "WELLeetrisbuseexperinSCUSEME!", before he shouldered through the befuddled crowd and into the school.
"No. I- -ah, I went around them."
Todoroki inclined his head.
"I'm, ah- -really, really good, at, yunno, going. . .around. . .things. . ."
Izuku felt every cell of blood in his body rush to his face, and he stared determinately at his food. Todoroki chuckled, just a bit, and Izuku flushed harder. Fuck, he's laughing at me.
"They didn't even try to talk to me." For just a moment, Todoroki sounded wistful. "I don't know why. Is it my face? Is it scary?"
Yeah, probably.
"No, definitely not!" Izuku said, a bit too loudly, snapping his head up to stare Todoroki. . .well, not to stare him in the eye, but to look very hard at the bridge of his nose. "Your face is not scary. Not unless you, like, wore. . .clown makeup or something. Then you'd be scare. Scary."
With furrowed brows, Todoroki took a bite of fish and pointed at his face. "I've a massive scar and- -what is it? Resting bitch face? Uraraka?"
"Yeah, you've got major resting bitch face."
"Thank you." He turned back to Izuku. "I don't think I need clown makeup to have a scary face."
Izuku pursed his lips a little. "Well, I do. Think so, I mean. And the other thing. Need clown makeup to be scary. I have a non-threatening face."
"Well, thank yo- -" Todoroki paused, midsentence. "Wait. Are- -are you afraid of clowns?"
Suddenly, Uraraka was right next to Izuku, arm slung over his slumped shoulders. "Has he not told you? He's horrified of them!"
. . .the hell, Ochako.
Todoroki made a humphing noise. "Can't blame you. I've always hated them."
"See!" Izuku leaned close to Todoroki. "Between you and me, I think only villains are clowns. Or are clowns villains?"
"Or are you just a pussy?"
"Or am I just a-hey!"
"I have never understood the fear of clowns." Iida said. "They're just people in facepaint."
"No. They. Are. Not." Izuku hissed. "They are evil."
Uraraka, Iida, and Todoroki all looked at each other and shrugged. Izuku glowered at them in turn as he ate. The table settled into a sort of comfortable silence.
Todoroki had opened his mouth to say something- -without even being prompted, what progress- -when suddenly- -
BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNG!
- -a shrieking noise filled the air. Students cried out and stood up, and the faculty members tried to usher them into the hall. Older students assisted, and Izuku heard a shout of "It's the intruder alarm!"
"Intruder?", Uraraka shouted. "Here?"
"Maybe it's a villain!" Izuku replied. "Let's get out of here!"
The four of them joined the stream of students heading out of the cafeteria. Hundreds of tight-packed bodies jostled, shoved and pushed for position, shouting to be heard over the din, Todoroki was swallowed up by the crowd and vanished from sight behind them, Iida somehow ended up ahead, shouting back at Uraraka and Izuku. Uraraka grabbed Izuku's hand, and they clutched tight and forged ahead. The mass of frantic students shoved them about like minnows in a tsunami, and the pair found themselves getting closer and closer to the windows- -
a large student slammed into them- -
Uraraka was gone.
Izuku looked frantically around, trying to spot her, but it was no use. He was too short, and moving too fast, to get more than a glimpse of anyone. Elbows and knees slammed into him, and someone was floating over the crowd- -floating?
It was Iida, hovering above the morass, his calf-engines burning bright as he spun, out of control, towards the door at the end of the hallway. Uraraka must have given him a boost- -where the hell is she?
Iida collided with the wall above the door and spread his arms out, gripping on the wall as best he could. "LISTEN UP!", he bellowed over the din. "EVERYBODY! LISTEN!"
There was a slight dip in the noise of the crowd. Iida sighed and shouted at what Izuku felt should've been his opening volume, "EVERYONE SHUT THE FUCK UP!"
Everyone shut the fuck up.
"THANK YOU," Iida said, battling the alarm for "Loudest Thingy in Earshot". "WE ARE NOT UNDER ATTACK. THE PRESS SOMEHOW GOT IN. EVERYONE REMAIN CALM AND HEAD BACK TO CLASS TO WAIT."
Those closest to the windows turned to look. "HE'S RIGHT!", someone cried. A collective sigh echoed through the hall as the students slowly dispersed, headed back to their homerooms to wait out the alarm. Izuku stood, stock-still, staring up at Iida, who held himself above the door until no-one was passing under it anymore, and then dropped down and landed on all fours, panting. Izuku rushed over and helped him to his feet. "Oh my god, Iida!", he said, but before he could finish, a tiny projectile person knocked him aside and threw her arms around Iida.
"I told you you could do it, Tenya!", Uraraka cried. Iida blushed and stammered, as Todoroki walked over and nodded at him.
"Nice."
"Well, ah, uhm, yes, thank you, Todoroki." Iida said, trying to free himself from Uraraka, "but, well, ahm- -"
He's turned into me!
"- -you see, it was Uraraka-chan who, ahm, noticed the reporters. She floated me over."
"Yeah," Izuku said, as the quartet started walking, "but you totally took control of the situation. It was great!"
"Yes, well. . .thank you, Midoriya-kun." Iida said stiffly. "Let's. . .get back to class, shall we?"
His heart was beating out of his chest. Between resigning as class president in favor of Iida, who looked ready to cry at the time, and now. . .Todoroki. Well, no, this wasn't normal "near-Todoroki" heart-beating, which he was growing accustomed to. No, this was "acting-cool-around-Todoroki", which was worse, because there was a façade involved.
Todoroki bobbed his head along with the music, staring out the window. His face was, as usual, utterly expressionless. When the song ended, Izuku pulled his phone from his pocket to see what was next- -
Good With Grenades
Bruises and Bitemarks
- -and promptly yanked the earbud from Todoroki's ear. Don't wanna freak him out. Todoroki turned to face Izuku, his brows furrowed.
"S-sorry," Izuku said, trying hard not to blush or giggle or die, "tha-that-the song, it's, uhm, not actually very good, I, ahm. . ." he trailed off as Todoroki shrugged and turned to face out the window again. The roar of the crowded bus picked up again, and Todoroki seemed to flinch slightly.
A pang of something sharp and blue went through Izuku's heart. He skipped to the next song- -
The Cranberries
Linger
- -and tapped Todoroki on the shoulder, offering the earbud again.
Todoroki stared at it for a moment, then raised his mismatched eyes to Izuku's. Izuku, with great difficulty, met his gaze, nearly flinching away from the awkwardness of looking someone in the eye.
For just a second, they sat there, staring into each other's eyes.
Todoroki took the earbud and slipped it into his ear.
Izuku sighed silently, scooted just a bit closer, and let the sound wash over him.
About forty minutes later, the bus pulled to a stop. Aizawa somehow managed to stand up without leaving his sleeping-bag, and grimaced at the class. "Alright, single file into the facility."
Todoroki removed the earbud from his ear and handed it to Izuku, who turned his phone off and tucked the whole mess into his pocket.
"I liked that last song. What was it called?"
"Hm?" They stood up and started filing off the bus, following Iida and Uraraka as they chattered. "Oh, it was, ahm. . .Sugar We're Goin' Down, by Fall Out Boy."
"It doesn't really sound like. . .like music you would listen to."
Izuku laughed a bit, a wild noise that bubbled up from his throat, and shrugged. "Yeah, uh. Light introduced me to a bunch'a bands during his emo phase. He got out of it, but I never did, at least. . .with the music. . .yeah."
Todoroki nodded slowly and picked up his stride, exiting the bus ahead of Izuku.
The class was gathered in front of a massive blue and gold dome that must've covered at least an acre of land. Aizawa unzipped his sleeping-bag and tucked it under his arm. "Is everyone here? Better question, do I care?"
The students shared an uncomfortable look.
"I do not."
With that, Aizawa turned around and trudged into the building, his students trailing behind him. When they reached the door, Aizawa shoved it open and propped it, allowed the kids to stream in, and then closed it again.
The class collectively gasped.
The building was truly massive, and a spectacle like none they'd ever seen. They were standing on a raised area, with clear views of everything- -the massive waterslide, dotted with rocks; the artificial lake with a ship floating atop it; what appeared to be cities in the midst of a hurricane and a raging fire; a torn-up city with spikes of jagged rock dotting it's landscape; and in the center of it all, a simple, open area, bordered on one side by a forest, and on the other, a lake.
"Wow," Izuku said aloud.
"Indeed," Iida muttered, his mouth slightly agape, "I knew UA had incredible facilities, but nothing like this."
"Class," Aizawa said, drawing their attention back to him (for a second Izuku could've sworn he saw Aizawa smile), "please welcome your guest instructor, 13!"
Izuku may have peed himself. Just a little.
"Oh my god," he said not-so-quietly, "the rescue hero 13?! Well that explains the set-up of the compound, we're obviously being trained in disaster relief operations, oh my god this is awesome- -"
Everyone was staring at him Izuku reddened and clapped his hands over his mouth.
"He's right," said a new voice, as the top of a space suit became visible over the edge of their vantage point. It was 13, ascending a staircase, eyes narrowed in a friendly fashion. "I am the rescue hero 13, and you are being prepared for disaster relief." The hero reached their group and indicated the whole compound with a grandiose gesture. "Welcome to the USJ! The Unforeseen Simulation Joint! I-" the hero's eyes narrowed more, in shock. "-need a word woth Aizawa-sensei real quick."
The two teachers stepped aside and conversed in low voices. Aizawa held up three fingers, and 13 nodded slowly. The pair stepped back to rejoin the group.
"Well!" 13 said, clapping. "We're going to go through to zones as a class, then I'll split you up- -"
a crackling sound split the air
a line of what looked like black lightning appeared in the center area of the USJ, far below them
and then it widened
into a wall of purple smoke
with baleful yellow eyes
and out of it, poured dozens of people
- -"what the?" 13 said, turning his back to the class.
"Villains," Aizawa said softly.
"What the hell?!" Kirishima butted in, shoving through the class. "Villains? I thought this was disaster training."
"They're real villains," Yaoyouozu interjected. "Aren't they?"
Aizawa slowly nodded. Kirishima gulped and stepped back. The teachers took a step forward, and a honeyed voice rang out around the compound, deep and powerful.
"Good afternoon!" The purple smoke being twisted higher into the air, locking eyes with the class. "We are the League of Villains, and we are here to destroy you." If the smoke-man had a face, he would be smirking. "Please, fight back. It makes this so much more fun."
The students were paralyzed, as more and more villains, nearly a hundred, poured into the USJ. Aizawa, however, simply slid his goggles onto his eyes. "14," he said, his voice hard, "protect the students. Send someone for help- -if they've managed to get on campus, they probably have a way to jam communications. Kaminari?"
The electric boy shook his head. "Nothing."
"Damnation," Aizawa growled. "Anyway. Keep them safe. I'll deal with the strays."
He took a step closer to the edge of the platform-thingy. Izuku rushed forward. "Wait! Aizawa-sensei, they'll tear you apart! Your Quirk is good for one on one combat and ambushes, not- -"
Aizawa smirked and held up a hand. "Midoriya, Quirks are tools, not crutches. They have many uses. Besides," he said, gathering up his scarf- -a capture weapon- -in one hand, "I've got more than one trick up my sleeve."
He ran at the edge of the platform, landed one foot on the railing, and flung himself over, into the crowd of villains below. Izuku rushed to the edge, gripped by terror. Below, a trio of villains had assembled out of the morass. "Shooting squad, take aim!", one cried. Izuku closed his eyes, expecting Aizawa to get torn to pieces- -
"Hey, what happened to my Quirk?!"
- -and promptly opened them again, just in time to see Aizawa's foot slam into one villain's face- -the other two spun to face him- -he ducked just as one sprayed bullets from his fingertips, catching his companion in the shoulder- -Aizawa's scarf wrapped around the finger-gun villain and slammed him into the injured one. The other villains swarmed toward Aizawa, activating their Quirks- -and one by one, their Quirks vanished. The villains cried out, and Aizawa slammed into the crowd, sending his opponents flying and sprawling.
"IDIOTS!", shouted a high, raspy voice, barely audible over the din, "THAT'S ERASER HEAD! A PRO! HE CAN CANCEL YOUR QUIRKS BY LOOKING AT YOU!"
Aizawa ducked under an outstretched fist and slammed his elbow into his attacker's groin, while his scarf pulled two villains into a violent impact with his feet. A monstrous four-armed man made from rock jumped at the teacher. "Bet your Quirk can't affect a heteromorphic type like me!"
Aizawa ducked under the rock-man's wildly swinging arms. "No, but this will," he said, wrapping his scarf around the rock-man and yanking him in for a punch to the face, "so it really doesn't matter, does it?"
The rock-man went sprawling, and more villains engulfed Aizawa, who had them outclassed- -not one of them could lay a finger on him, and their Quirks were randomly being shut off. Izuku turned back to the class, a grin on his face. "He's kicking their asses!"
The students cheered briefly, but were cut off when a familiar crackling sound tore through the air. Several feet away, between the students and the door, the smoke-man appeared, swirling and glaring.
"Hello there, children," the smoke-man said, but 13 stepped in front of the class before he could speak.
"Kids, get behind me," the hero said, shoving Kirishima away and popping his fingertips off. "BLACK HOLE!"
13's Quirk lets him suck in matter! Will it work on the villain? Will it kill him?
A vortex formed in the air, sucking everything in it's path into 13's fingertip, including the smoke-man, who laughed. "Oh yes, Black Hole. The Quirk that sucks up matter! It tickles!" He laughed again. The horrid crackling sound again. Black lightning appeared behind 13.
"How do you like it?!"
A portal opened behind 13, and bits of spacesuit flew out of the smoke-man's front. 13 cried out and collapsed, caps popping over his fingertips again, half of his spacesuit gone, revealing a void within. The smoke-man laughed again, closed his second portal, and grew, looming over the students. "And as for you brats. . ."
Kirishima and Bakugou leapt forward, arms hardening, explosions popping- -
"BEGONE!"
- -the smoke-man engulfed Bakugou and Kirishima, spread across the class, swallowing them up. A wave of black smoke filled Izuku's lungs, and the ground below him vanished, and he was falling, falling into darkness, with no end in sight.
Did y'all see the trailer for The Crimes of Grindlewald? Can I get a "fuck yeah"?
Lesley Manville was robbed at the Oscars.
In case you can't tell, Izuku has my taste in music.
Please review.