Team STIK (Strike)

by Aragon365

One born without the power to make a difference. Another gifted with an incredibly powerful dual semblance. One who wishes to live up to his elder brother. And a faunus whose anger makes him almost as brutal as the Grimm. At Beacon Academy, these four unlikely souls would meet, and forever change the face of Remnant. These are their exploits. (Discontinued)

33. Scalded Memories

A/N: Three. Hundred. Favorites.

Eighty. Thousand. Views.

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..

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*off in the distance, you might hear screams of pure joy and happiness from beyond time and space. It's basically like DBZ Abridged's Vegeta scream, but with happiness instead of pure rage. He's been doing that for the past hour now. Please help*

THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH! YOU'RE THE BEST! ENJOY! THIS ONE'S FOR YOU GUYS!

Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY or My Hero Academia. They belong to Monty Oum, Kohei Horikoshi, and their respective publishing companies. Please support the official releases.

I do not own the cover image

Chapter 33: Scalded Memories

"So... what did you need to talk to me about?" Izuku asked his partner, who was giving him an incredibly cold and calculating look, like he was trying to get something out of him. They were currently standing across from each other in their dorm room, Todoroki leaning against one of the far walls and Izuku sitting in his desk chair.

"Erm... that others are training in the ring. Maybe we should go there and help them?"

Still no response. Just that same, unreadable stare. It was kinda unsettling. He could deal with people screaming their heads off, Bakugo had given him plenty of practice in that regard, but this silent intimidation tactic was very new and infinitely more terrifying to him. Worse still, it was from his partner and leader, someone who he trusted like a brother. Why was he even doing this? What had happened?

"I... got overwhelmed," Shoto finally began. "Before you broke out of the hypnosis, Hanta nearly got me. And I almost broke a promise that I made to myself a very long time ago. I know that you have no idea what it is, but it's very important to me. And you deserved to know."

Izuku then noticed an uncomfortable tension within his leader's left hand. Did this have something to do with his other half? He could've mopped the floor with nearly anyone here without restraining himself like that. There was a reason that the only student at Beacon who had ever beaten him seemed to be Pyrrha. And even then, just barely. So why hold back?

"I don't think anyone else has felt it yet. Their senses aren't nearly as sharp as ours. I think Bakugo might have his suspicions, but other than that, no one seems to know. When you broke from the hypnosis, I sensed your power. It reminded me of when All Might and Nomu fought."

"Okay... is that all?" Izuku was starting to get really nervous now. Had he figured it out?

"I'm saying that in that moment, compared to the other times you didn't restrain yourself, and the fact that he talks to you in private, your power felt almost the same as All Might's. And he's helping you, guiding you."

Oh crap, he's putting it together! Oh Oum, what the hell do I do? How do I throw him off?

"Izuku, tell me honestly," Shoto said.

"Are you All Might's secret kid or something like that?"

.

..

…

Am I... WHAT?!

"Well? Are you?"

"What? No, no way! That isn't it at all! But even if I was I'd probably say that anyway, so you'd probably never believe me no matter what. Anyway, I promise you've got the wrong idea," Izuku tried to assure his teammate. "And why would you even think that about me, anyway? Did I do something to suggest that or... what?"

Shoto breathed heavily before he continued. "The way you worded that is rather interesting. 'That isn't it at all.' It would suggest that there's something between you that you're not supposed to talk about."

Izuku's eyes widened at this before quickly finding themselves fascinated with the floor. On top of everything else he'd learned, this might well be one of the worst days of his life. And he couldn't explain himself without revealing rather sensitive secrets. He wanted to. He really, really wanted to. But he had to keep his promise.

"You already know about my father, Endeavor. And I know you're aware he's number two on the Big Four. So... if you have a connection to All Might somehow, then that just means that I have more incentive to beat you. Or, at least, that's what my dad would want."

Huh?

"I'm about to tell you this in strict confidence. Don't tell anyone else. Not even Yang or Bakugo. Got it?"

Izuku nodded nervously as the half and half leader began. "Endeavor aims for the top, and has tried to get there in numerous ways. His power is simple in concept but incredibly destructive and flashy in use. He managed to make a name for himself pretty quickly. Especially when the Faunus War was still in gear. But he never gained the popularity that All Might possesses. He's got it in his head that the guy is living proof of his failure. He's still trying to take him down."

"Wait, I'm still kinda lost. What are you trying to say?" Izuku asked with concern.

"Have you ever heard of... fusion marriages?"

That caught Izuku by surprise. He knew exactly what they were, much to his dismay. They were incredibly unethical, a way to see if semblances could combine into a stronger, more potent one. They were popular in Atlas, back when they were establishing a foothold in world politics, and it was not a very steady one. Hell, those types of marriages were one of the main causes of the Great War, and for some Oum forsaken reason, they were still legal in Atlas.

"He bought off my mom's parents to get his hands on her semblance and essentially banned her from hunter's work. And she hated it. After years of trying, they finally had me. The whole reason I was born and trained the way I was... was to usurp All Might."

Izuku, not for the first time that day, found himself at a loss for words. How much had he been through? How much did he not know about?

"He gave me Muspelheim, ya know. As an attempt to get me to use my powers. Heh. The only reason I still even keep that sword around is to have the satisfaction of never drawing it. It's one of the only ways I can really get back at him. I hate him so much. That man isn't even worth being called human. I will not be used as a tool in his game. Not again."

"… again?"

"That's right, you don't know." Shoto rubbed his face with the ball of his hand, saying, "Momo and I were... well, we're engaged."

"Wait, seriously?!"

"It was entirely out of our hands! We were only ten," Shoto explained tiredly. "Neither of us liked it. But we spent a lot of time together, and I guess things just kinda happened from there. It wasn't the greatest way to meet someone, but I don't think we ever would've met otherwise. I just... I wish my mom could meet her."

"Yeah, you've... never really talked about her before. Did something happen?"

Shoto simply sighed. "They're mostly painful memories. No matter how hard I try, I just... I only seem to ever see her crying. One day, she just couldn't take it anymore. Mom... called my left side unbearable," he brought his hand over his left eye, as if the pain had seeped through the memory and almost became real again, "before she... poured boiling water on my face."

Now Izuku was just horrified. How, in the name of all that was good on the face of Remnant, was Shoto still sane after all he'd gone through? And why did he feel as though he couldn't do anything to help with his friend's pain?

"I won't drop out of this fight. I need to show that bastard that I can beat you without using his damn power," Shoto then dropped his hand from his face as he continued with the harshest glare he'd ever seen him give, "So you see. I'll show him that I reject him and his power. That I can be the best without it."

Izuku... didn't have a place to speak. Sure, he knew about Shoto's past now, but there was no way that he could really understand unless he experienced it for himself. It would be like trying to explain color to a blind person: you needed to experience it to understand what it was like. He hadn't. Yes, he'd been bullied, and chastised, and told that he was nothing all his life before All Might, but he would never truly understand the mental hell that Shoto had to endure before Beacon. It sounded absolutely terrifying.

"You're obviously connected to All Might somehow, even if you won't admit it. But... I don't want to fight you like this. Not just to prove a point."

"What? But... isn't sticking it to your dad important-"

"There are plenty of opponents here who can match the both of us in terms of power. I can just beat them. But you're like a little brother to me, Izuku. And I don't want to hurt you. So please, just this once...

"… withdraw from the match."

Silence permeated in the room for several, seemingly endless moments as the shock of what he just asked sunk in. Withdraw? It... certainly seemed tempting. And considering everything Shoto was capable of, anyone else would be in their right mind to take that offer. The guy outclassed him in almost every regard. Sword Skills? Outclassed. Firepower? Unless he used 100%, which would break his body; Outclassed. Dust Skill? Completely. And utterly. Out. Classed. The only ways that he could even hope to compete with him were his battle tactics and his speed. In all other categories, he couldn't hope to match even half of what Shoto was capable of. But...

"I won't force you to do anything. If you really want to fight me, it's your choice," Shoto said as he stood from the wall and walked to the door, briefly stopping to say over his shoulder, "Just know that if you do decide to face me... I can't afford to hold anything back. I'll win this tournament with only my right hand. You can be damn sure of that, if nothing else," as he left the room with the door clicking softly behind him.

Damn. So that's what he's been dealing with. He's almost like a comic book character, tragic backstory and everything. It's hard not to admire him for coming this far and still have the will to keep moving forward.

But...

Izuku stood and followed Shoto out of the room, quickly managing to find him walking down the hallway as he yelled after him, "Hey, wait!"

Shoto stopped mid-stride and glanced back at his partner. "I'm only here because someone chose to help me along the way. I've been really lucky. And the fact is, I've had even more help since I came to Beacon. From you, Ruby, Yang, Jaune, Tenya: all of you."

"Fear not, you are safe. Now that I am here!"

"You've got this, Midoriya! Kick Initiation's ass!"

"I'm proud of you. Remember that, okay?"

"There's a time to parry and a time to dodge. Don't be so shaken by a single slip up."

"You can't be a hunter if you've only got one trick up your sleeve."

"Arms up! And get ready to spin that scythe of yours like there's no tomorrow!"

"Alright Greenie! That was a damn nice hit, but don't get cocky!"

"Remember, you can tell me if you need help, okay?"

"Just get me to the roof. I'll take care of the rest."

"Why don't you throw a full power smash at me?"

"DON'T EXPECT ME TO HOLD BACK, DEKU!"

"Young man, you too can become a huntsman."

Izuku felt his fist clench as he remembered. They all helped him get this far. He couldn't let them down. He wouldn't let them down.

"All Might is the kind of person I want to become. I want to inspire hope in others like he did for me. I know my reasons might seem stupid or even childish compared to yours. But I can't lose this either. I owe it to everybody to at least try. Thanks for the offer, but I'll decline. I'm aiming for the top too, you know. And if this is what it takes..."

"I will beat you."

Shoto held Izuku's gaze for a few more silent moments, giving no ground a gaining none himself. In this moment, on this battlefield, they were true equals.

Then Shoto turned and continued to walk down the hallway as Izuku, after a few seconds of silent staring at his leader's back, turned back and went into their dorm room, now with something to focus on other than the secrets he and Pyrrha had learned.

But little did he know that as Shoto turned and walked the halls once more, he couldn't help but smile to himself. Fearless and stubborn till the end. If there was one thing he could admire about Midoriya, it was certainly his sheer willpower.

And neither of them noticed a red headed amazon at the opposite end of the hallway just around the corner, having retreated after accidentally eavesdropping when she meant to talk things out with Izuku. She'd heard everything. And what she'd heard worried her greatly. She didn't know what to do.

(meanwhile, somewhere in Vale, general POV)

"Hey! You alright, Minty?" The ashen blonde direwolf asked his twin tail wearing friend, who had briefly begun to stare off into space for some unknown reason. She quickly responded with, "Aww, is Bakugo worried about little old me?"

Bakugo felt a bit of embarrassment as he brushed her comment off, "No, but you said that you needed to talk to me about something. Well? What is it?"

The disguised Neo visibly huffed, seeing as her fun had ended way too soon for her liking and she still had no idea how she was going to warn her friend about the Fall without giving herself away.

You know what, fuck proper planning, I'll just wing it.

Neo the pulled out her scroll and began to type at a feverishly fast pace, sometimes having to stop in order to edit a few things in a way that wouldn't mention the people she worked with or for in proper context. When she finally managed to finish it and show what she wrote to Bakugo, it read, "It's a pretty long story, so I'll give you the short version. My uncle and I came here a couple of years ago in order to avoid some bad stuff from Mistral. We still have a couple contacts over there, and I heard through the grapevine that something bad might happen... well, somewhere in the world. We tried to get more info, but then they just kinda disappeared. And now that Torchwick's been captured, Vale's crime rate is just gone. No robberies, no Fang raids, the League hasn't attempted anything in almost two months; everything's gone silent. That's not natural. Sure, the guy might've controlled the majority of the crime in Vale, but I don't think he controlled all of it. But what's been worrying me lately is the fact that there's been a lot of chatter about something that'll happen at Beacon. I don't know what it is, but it's something bad. So just be careful, alright? I don't want you dying on me if it's as bad as it sounds. If not, I guess I was just being a worrywart."

Several awkward, silent seconds passed as Bakugo read through the wall of text she'd written, his ears flattened as his eyes zipped from one corner of the Scroll to the next. When he finally managed to finish, he asked the disguised girl in front of him, "You've got some serious baggage, huh?"

Neo steamed a bit at that, but she calmed down fairly quickly. "You're not exactly wrong about that."

"You wanna talk about it?"

"No. No, I do not."

"Oh, come on. I spilled my guts to you, now it's your turn."

"That was because you really, really needed to vent. I've got myself under control, thank you for asking."

Bakugo simply sighed. "Fair enough. So... you've got an uncle?"

That was a topic she could talk about vaguely without giving away too much, so she jumped at the chance to answer it. "Yep. It's pretty much just been us against the world ever since I was seven. He's a pretty unusual guy, but he's all the family I've got. I just hope I can find him soon."

"Huh. He sounds like a cool guy."

"I'm sensing more pent-up frustration."

Bakugo sighed heavily at this. "How'd you know, Minty?"

"Call it a sixth sense or something. So? Got anything to tell me?"

"Mom raised me alone, dad died before I was born. End of story."

"Oh. Sorry."

"It's fine. I'm over it."

Cleary, you aren't. *Sigh* Guess I'll just leave it alone.

"So... about that other thing... do you know anything else?"

"The White Fang might be involved somehow. That's all I've got. I'm sorry it isn't more."

"It's more than a lot of people would've found out. So... good job. I don't think anyone'll believe me if I tell 'em, but I can at least be ready, just in case. And if they think I'm gonna let anyone die on my watch... well...

"They've got another thing comin.' Only one who gets to do anything close to that is me."

That was all he said as he stood and left the coffee shop, with Neo simply sighing as she thought, Well, I've done what I can without giving us away. Maybe... maybe it'll be enough.

I hope you and your friends survive, Bakugo. I really do. Then we can have a real talk. And then, it'll probably be my turn to spill my guts. I just hope we're still friends when I do.

(meanwhile, somewhere overlooking Beacon, Ironwood's POV)

"I... apologize for what I said earlier, Aizawa. It was out of line. It won't happen again," Ironwood said as sincerely as he could. He really didn't mean to say that, but sometimes these things just slipped out.

"What's done is done, and what's said is said. There's no use being sorry for it now," Aizawa said, though there was some subtle hostility within his tone.

"No, you should know this," Ironwood said as he pulled out his Scroll, swiped through a few things and pressed several keys, and showed the screen to the baggy-eyed teacher. "We have him in maximum security, the same thing we did for the Huntsman Hunter. He won't be going anywhere."

Aizawa could only stare at the screen for several, silent, agonizingly long seconds, looking over the profile that Ironwood was showing him, glaring with intense, nearly unrestrained rage at the name. The name of the person responsible for so much death and destruction, who took pleasure in pain and misery. To whom the sounds of agony were beautiful, symphonic bliss and melodies.

Solf. J. Kimblee.

"I understand that he was... a major reason as to why your team didn't survive. And for that, if nothing else, I personally apologize. I should never have given him the specialist rank. But saying that won't fix that damage that's already been done. Is there... anything you wish to do with him?"

Aizawa took an incredibly shaky breath and let it out at a snail's pace, his mood visibly calming itself as he did so. "If you really want to do me a favor, just make sure that psychopath never sees the light of day ever again."

This response just... confused Ironwood. Why wouldn't he want to take revenge against the man who'd caused him so much pain? It's what he would've done. So why?

"Don't misunderstand me: I'm not forgiving him. I'll never forgive him or anything that he did. All I can really do is... accept what's happened and try to be better."

"That's... an interesting perspective. An oddly hopeful one, too."

"Call it what you will. It's how I've seen the world for a long time now. I can only hope that my students will be so optimistic once they learn how harsh life can be."

Ironwood simply chuckled at that. "Well, if it's any consolation, I think you're a damn fine teacher. Better than me, anyway."

"Thanks."

.

..

…

"… wait, did you seriously just say that?"

"I'm not taking it back because it's true. You are a better teacher than I could ever hope to be, I can admit that much. Also, I know that you don't really like Atlas all that much, but know that if you ever need anything, my door's always open."

(meanwhile, somewhere in the student dorms, Izuku's POV)

"So... that's kinda why I need a place to sleep tonight. Sorry for the inconvenience," Izuku said as he finished his explanation to the blonde brawler in front of him. He didn't tell her about Shoto's past; that was private stuff that he should reveal himself. So, his explanation involved them having a disagreement and what with the fact that they were fighting each other the next day, tensions were pretty high and he wasn't sure they'd both be comfortable being in the same room for a while. It wasn't entirely true, but it wasn't really a lie either.

"It's fine, Greenie. All you had to do was ask," Yang said with a cheeky grin, almost causing Izuku to blush again, though what with everything he'd learned within the past four hours he was able to control himself while those thoughts stewed in the back of his mind. And then he realized...

"Won't it be really awkward though? I mean, your team is all female, and I'm a guy, and I have no idea what conclusion Weiss might come to if I sleep over-" Izuku caught himself before he began rambling again. "Sorry."

"Don't worry, Greenie. I've already got a solution in mind," Yang said as she pulled out her Scroll and dialed somebody, though Izuku wouldn't know who until a few minutes later.

(ten minutes later, Team RWBY's dorm room, Izuku's POV)

"WOOHOO! SLEEPOVER!" Mina said with a fist pump into the air, now wearing dark blue camo styled PJ pants and a black t-shirt with the word 'Pinky' written in the same color. Under her arm was a pink sleeping bag and pillow. She really liked her skin pigment color, didn't she?

"Wow. These rooms have a lot more space than most of the guest dorms. Ribbit!" Tuyu said, now dressed a dark teal shirt and froggy green pajama pants with her own sleeping bag and pillow under her arm.

"Oooooo! Bunk beds! So manly!" Kirishima said, wearing a basic white tank top and black shorts. You already know what he brought with him, and it was in his favorite shades of crimson and dark grey.

"Calm yourself, Kirishima. They're not ours, and we have no reason to use them," Tokoyami said as he placed a calming hand on his teammate's shoulder. He was dressed entirely in black, and what he brought was colored in the same shade. The entirety of Team TAKT was here.

.

..

…

"… Yang..." Weiss began to ask threateningly.

"Iinvitedthemoversothatitwouldn'tbeasawkwardforGreenietosleepinherebecuaseheandShotoarehavingadisagreementandhejustreallyneedsaplacetosleepalright?" Yang sputtered out as quickly as she could. She and the heiress were friends, that much was true, but her friend did still have quite the temper when she got riled up.

Weiss simply sighed and rubbed her forehead as she continued, "Just warn me for things like this, okay? Besides, I've... never really done this before. I mean, Momo would stay over at my place sometimes, but we both had our own rooms-"

"Oh boy, have you been missing out, sister!" Ruby yelled as she crashed into her partner, though they managed to stay upright. "C'mon! I've been waiting for a night like this!"

"W-wait-" But her resistance came too late as her leader dragged her into the bathroom and, if Izuku was predicting this correctly, try to get Weiss into some more standard sleeping attire.

As all this was happening, Izuku was sitting against the far wall of the room in his All Might t-shirt and green flannel pants while Blake sat next to him in her kimono with one of her many books covering the lower part of her face, her eyes darting from corner to corner with only the slightest of blushes dusting her cheeks.

"So... there's gonna be a sleepover..." Izuku really wasn't sure how to talk to Blake. Aside from that one time in the classroom, they'd never actually talked to each other.

"Mm," the cat faunus mumbled as she turned the page of her book, not really paying attention to the ensuing chaos.

The silence between the two only continued until Izuku got curious and leaned over her shoulder to see exactly what she was reading. He read a few of the lines before his face began to heat up and turn almost entirely red. Wow. Blake was certainly into some really, really kinky smut. That's what it was called, right? Smut?

Almost as though she were psychic, her amber orbs flickered over to Izuku's currently blushing face. She then adopted a sudden, evil smile whispering, "What did you see?"

"E-erm... nothing?" The green haired boy asked with hesitation.

"No, I'm asking which lines you read. But seriously, tell no one. Especially not Velvet or Ruby. They're way too innocent for this stuff," Blake answered, this time with her normal neutral look, though her lips did have a slight upturn to them.

Izuku couldn't speak the lines he'd read without blushing even more intensely, so he just pointed to them, allowing Balke to read over them, causing her eyes to briefly widen in realization and say, "O...kaaay... I think I can see why those lines would embarrass you."

"Why was it so detailed..." The freckled boy began to rock back and forth as he remembered the minimal, though incredibly descriptive, part of the page Blake was on.

"Hey, I won't tell anyone about it if you don't."

"Deal."

It was at this point that Ruby and Weiss finally emerged from the bathroom, with the former wearing what she wore in the ballroom before Initiation while her partner wore something that Izuku honestly never thought she'd ever try to wear. A white t-shirt with the Schnee logo emblazoned onto the back of it and light blue sweatpants with her hair hanging free.

"Huh. You clean up pretty well," Mina said with Tsuyu and Kirishima in headlocks while Tokoyami simply nodded along.

"Well, most of the time she just sleeps in a nightgown," Ruby explained as the bathroom clicked closed. Yang was probably taking her turn in there right now.

"Wait, people actually sleep in those?" Kirishima asked, earning himself a bop on the head courtesy of Mina for being overly blunt.

"Surprisingly, yes. They're actually pretty comfortable," Weiss said as she tested her new outfit a bit. "Though I will admit these clothes are a lot more... flexible."

"See? I told you you'd like them!" Ruby cheered.

"Well damn. I owe you five Lien, sis."

Izuku's eyes darted to where Yang's voice came from, then finding himself trying really, really hard not to blush again. She was wearing the same outfit that she had on in the ballroom the night before Initiation, the yellow tank top with her emblem emblazoned onto the stomach with a pair of black short shorts, but it felt different to him now, and in a very good way. She didn't even look all that different, with the exception of the extra muscle she'd put on at Torino's, and she was only giving half of a cheeky grin to Ruby, but-

Izuku shook himself out of those thoughts fairly quick. No. You're here to get some sleep without making your partner uncomfortable, not flirt with Yang. Get your head on straight.

… w-w-wait, did I actually think about flirting with Yang?! What am I, crazy?! She's still way out of my league! I can finally hold an actual conversation with her without blushing every time, and I really like her, but... jeez, why is this so hard?!

… I mean, there was that one time at the dance-

Izuku never got to continue that thought, as it was at that moment that Tenya burst into the room. Literally, he kicked the door open and yelled as he entered, "WHY DID NO ONE INFORM ME OF THIS SLUMBER PARTY BEFOREHAND?!"

.

..

…

"Dude, this was a private slumber party. You really shouldn't have done that," Sun said as he popped out from behind the spectacled boy with a disappointed look on his face.

"Like you have any room to talk! Besides, I had to! There could be such debaucherous acts committed! Like groping!"

"Okay, first of all, I already apologized for helping Blake avoid you guys. Second, I don't think anyone here is that perverted or stupid."

"Someone could've smuggled in alcohol!"

"Literally none of them are of drinking age yet, and neither are we."

"Or they could play perverse games that-"

"Okay! I think that's enough of that!" Sun quickly covered Tenya's mouth in order to quell the growing wrath of Yang and keep Ruby's mind relatively innocent for as long as they mere mortals could.

"Sun? What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be with your team or something?" Izuku asked the blonde monkey faunus.

"Well, they're mostly beat from training all day. I have you guys to thank for that," Sun said as he finally released Tenya, who surprisingly remained silent, as he gave a playful glare to TAKT, to which Tsuyu responded, "That's their own fault. We had nothing to do with it. Ribbit!"

"Well, either way, you'll need someone to make sure the activities don't get too... perverted. That and I'm a bit interested in them myself," Tenya said as he pushed his glasses back up, catching the glint of the light and suddenly shining to the point that his eyes were no longer visible.

"So, you're just going to leave Mr. McSplodySplode and Shoto by themselves, Spectacles?" Yang asked the blue-haired boy.

"Bakugo heard about this and called over team CVFY out of spite. Trust me when I say we have nothing to worry about."

"But-" Mina began to object.

"Nothing. At all." Tenya said, a demonic aura suddenly darkening the room for several seconds as he gave Mina one of the mightiest glares Izuku had ever seen him give anyone. Even Bakugo hadn't been so unlucky.

"Well, now that that's settled, let's begin!" Tenya said, the odd demonic aura now gone and a smile gracing his face.

(meanwhile, Team STIK's dorm room, Bakugo's POV)

"So... what the hell do we do now?" The ashen blonde asked. He'd never really done this before. Certainly not with people like CVFY. Or Shoto. Well, that guy was kinda off in a corner doing his own thing.

"Well... we could play a few games," Coco offered, dressed in a chocolate brown tank top and black shorts.

"Sure. I've got nothing else to do," Bakugo responded, stretching as he did so. He wore a black tank top and crimson shorts.

"Wait, what kind of games are we playing?" Velvet asked nervously. She wore a long sleeved, brown shirt with a cartoonish gray bunny head emblazoned on the front with a pair of black sweatpants.

"The party/sleepover variety," Fox answered for her with an evil smirk on his face, wearing a rusty orange tank top and black shorts.

Yatsu simply sat in another corner and meditated in his hunter's uniform (for some reason), briefly saying, "Alert me once they start. Someone has to make sure they don't get too perverted."

"Count me out," Shoto said as he continued reading... well, something, Bakugo wasn't close enough to read the cover. But, considering the fact that he was Deku's partner, he was probably studying up for tomorrow's big fight.

"You sure? You'll be missing out," Coco offered, only to have the half and half leader turn even further and somehow place his nose deeper into his book. "Okay then...

"So, which should we start with?"

(thirty minutes later, Team RWBY's dorm room, general POV)

"Alright! By popular vote, the next game will be Seven Minutes in Heaven!" Mina yelled aloud. They'd just finished up a game of Truth or Dare without much really happening (because of Tenya), and before that, there was a game of I Spy that got shut down really quick (again, because of Tenya). Now they were playing the third game that evening and, much like the other two, Izuku had no idea how to play.

Luckily, Mina was all too happy to explain the game. "So, to play, all we have to do is sit in a circle-"

"I feel like a lot of these games involve sitting in a circle," Weiss mumbled under her breath.

"Not all of them do, but the majority do involve something akin to that," Tokoyami admitted.

"I am talking, you two!" Mina regained their attention once more. "All we have to do is sit in a circle and spin something with a pointer. We'd normally use a bottle, but this pencil will have to do." She twirled said object between her fingers as she did so. " We'll spin it twice, and the two people it lands on will go into the closest for- well, the hint's in the name- and after their time is up, they come out. While you're in there, you can do anything or you can do nothing, as long as the other person's okay with it. Hell, you could just talk for a bit, doesn't matter as long as you're both cool with it. Also, what happens in there stays in there. Unless you want to spill your guts. In which case, have a blast, but make sure the other person agrees to spill as well, alright? Alright.

"This good enough for you, Tenya?" Mina turned to the spectacled boy who, after thinking it over, said, "As long as no one is forced into anything overly uncomfortable. So, does everyone consent to the conditions?"

"They seem pretty fair to me," Blake said as Kirishima nodded enthusiastically with Sun doing the same with a bit less energy. Weiss agreed, as did her partner. Tsuyu gave her blunt opinion but agreed to the rules with a characteristic ribbit and Sun just nodded. Tokoyami just nodded solemnly, and Izuku, though still a bit confused, agreed as well.

"Well, alright. Let us begin the game."

Mina placed the pencil in the center of the circle and, after a short bit of buildup, spun it as hard as she possibly could. Somehow, it managed to stay close to the ground, ever so slowly coming to a stop, and pointing directly at... him.

O-o-o-okay. C-calm down, Izuku. A-a-as long as you don't get t-too nervous, you'll be fine.

"And Yang will be joining you."

… well, I was kinda just asking for this, wasn't I?

Without a word from either of them, the two stepped into the closet, though not before Tenya was sure to turn the light on, and Mina gave a cheeky wink to the two of them, saying in a singsong voice, "Have fun, you two~" before closing the door, leaving the blonde brawler and the green haired inheritor alone.

"…"

"…"

Crap. What do I say? I have no idea how to handle this!

"So... are you doing okay, Izuku?"

"… huh?" She... used my actual name.

...and now I'm even more nervous than before. Okay, Izuku. Deep breaths. You're just standing around and talking... with a girl you've had a crush on for Oum knows how long and can beat you to a pulp if you piss her off. No pressure.

Izuku quickly came out of his thoughts as the blonde continued, "Before, when you came to me about staying over here, you seemed like you had a lot on your mind. You get this look in your eye when you do. Do you need to talk about it?" Yang said as she sat down against the far wall of the closet.

"Maybe..." Izuku said as he hesitantly sat next to her, though Yang was more than okay with it. "I can't go into specifics, though."

"You don't have to. Take your time. Besides, I kinda wanted to talk to you anyway."

"E-erm, sure! What did you... want to talk about?"

"I feel like I don't say this enough, so... thanks. Thank you for everything. I know, it sounds cheesy and kinda cliché, but thank you. For saving me and my team at Initiation, helping me out with Ruby, finding Blake, and... well, a lot more than I can rightly remember right now. You've never asked for anything in return, despite the fact that you had every right to, and... I really admire that about you, ya know? You remind me of All Might like that. I wish I could be more like you. Not so quick to just running in, guns blazing, and just think about how to approach stuff. And to be nicer to people I might not like. When I... told you and Blake about my mom, you... listened. No assumptions, no sarcastic jabs, no subject changes, you actually listened to me. Not a lot of people have done that for me. So, thank you for that especially. And I... I can tell you're having a hard time. I wanted to help you before you left Torino's, but you needed to handle that on your own, I get that now. But that doesn't mean you can't ask for help."

Izuku then felt something soft cover his hand. He looked down to discover that Yang's right and was covering his left tenderly. He could feel the callouses on her palms from all the work she'd put into her fighting, and judging by the tightness of her grip she was a bit new to talking it out with people, Blake likely being one of the only other times she'd had to something similar; yet despite that her touch was almost enough to make his heart burst out of his chest.

"I guess what I'm trying to ask is... how can I help you?"

Izuku was very, very touched by this. Not a lot of people would help him with something this personal. Toshinori was a good person, and so was Shoto, despite his cold nature, as well as Tenya, Ruby, and almost everyone else he'd met over the past year. They were all well-meaning, though Bakugo was still pending, but he didn't know if he could be this vulnerable around them, with the possible exception of Shoto, as his older sibling figure. He felt like he could trust Yang with anything. In a rare show of impulse, he nearly spilled everything, the Inclined, the Maidens, all of it. But he restrained himself. He didn't want to put her in danger. But he just... he needed to vent. He wasn't angry, not even close, he just needed someone to listen to him rambling for a few minutes, to get these pent-up feelings out and dealt with.

"I've been... really conflicted lately. My old teacher told me some stuff that I never thought was possible. There's so much going on, and I can barely keep up with it all. I'm feeling a lot of pressure, and it's starting to... I'm sorry," he apologized as his eyes began to well up with tears, wiping them away before they could fall. "I'm... scared. More scared than I've ever been in my entire life. I don't know what to do. I don't know what the right choice is. I wish I could tell you. I want to tell you-"

But before he could continue, the blonde brawler brought him into a tight hug. He didn't know why she did, or how she knew what to do, but he was glad that she did. He felt safe, like this. As if he didn't need to worry about anything. But he would. He knew that much.

"You don't need to tell me any of that. You don't need to tell me anything. Not yet. If you need a shoulder to cry on or someone to lean on when times get tough, I'll be here for you. I'll always be here for you. And so will everyone else. We all care about you. Even Bakugo, in his own way. This big old group of ours wouldn't be the same without you in it. And I think it's about time that we started returning the favor."

Izuku felt tears welling up again, and this time, he made no effort to stop them from falling. He buried his face in her shoulder and silently sobbed, letting all his frustrations, his worries, and his problems out in his cries, all without having to put Yang, or anyone else, in danger. For an unknown amount of time, they just stayed there, like that, neither one moving a single inch. Holding each other with the muted sounds of the green haired inheritor's cries.

Eventually, Izuku stopped crying, bringing his head out of the blonde brawler's shoulder and pulling back, rubbing his eyes a bit before opening them again, revealing them to be a bit red from all the tears he'd shed, then saying, "Sorry. I guess it's kinda silly, huh? The crying?"

"Well, you feel better, right?" Izuku gave the blonde a confirmative nod. "Then I guess it's not so silly," Yang said with a satisfied look in her eye.

"… yeah. Thank you." And then another topic came to mind. One that almost made him blush at the thought of it. "Yang?"

"Hm? What's up?"

"Do you remember the dance?"

"Yeah. One of the best nights of my life. ...why do you ask?"

"D-do you... remember... r-r-right before those goons c-came in a-and wrecked everything?"

"What are you... oh... OH! R-RIGHT! THAT!" Yang realized with an awkward stutter, suddenly reaching around and bringing her hair over her shoulder and beginning to gently stroke the golden mane softly. It was a nervous tick that he'd noticed at the beginning of the year, though she didn't often show it.

Wait, does that mean she's as nervous as I am?

This thought managed to convince Izuku to finally muster up all the courage he could (minimal though it was), and began to ask his blonde crush, "S-so-"

And before he could get more than a word in, Mina slammed open the door and yelled, "TIME'S UP!"

This interruption caused the two to immediately jump apart with large blushes on each of their faces, with Izuku mumbling to himself with his hands covering his ears in a bit of a fetal position, with Yang responding, "Oh! A-already?"

"… did-"

"Nothing happened!" The two synched.

"Okay, okay, I get it! Well, c'mon out of there. Me and Kirishima are going in next," Mina said as she jerked her thumb over her shoulder, leaning out of the way as they filed out of the closet, neither having the guts to look at the other for most of the night.

(thirty minutes later, Yang's POV)

C'mon Yang, just don't think about it! You need to focus- and I'm thinking about it again. Okay, breathe... and don't think about anything. the blonde brawler thought to herself as everyone began to settle down and doze off. They finally managed to get Weiss to sleep on the floor, much to the platinum-haired girl's dismay, and they were sleeping in groups according to their teams. TAKT was huddled up in one part of the room, where Kirishima and Ashido were sleeping way too close to each other to still be considered 'just friends' any longer, and Tenya was currently snoozing off in a corner with an optimal view of the room. He'd tried to stay up and keep an eye on everyone until they went to sleep, but he couldn't stay up long enough and dozed off himself. Sun was splayed out on the floor with a blanket draped over him, curtesy of Blake, who was now sleeping beside to him tucked into her own little ball in the cutest way possible. Yang was betting about five lien with her little sister that Blake and Sun were gonna be in each other's arms by the morning. Not intentionally, Sun just seemed like a restless sleeper and Blake wasn't. Ruby was sleeping with Crescent Rose cradled in her arms like a teddy bear, mumbling about mods and destructive capabilities all the while.

As for the blonde brawler, she was near Izuku, the green haired boy lying about two or so feet from her, and they were currently the only other two people awake in the room. She could tell because he was mumbling incredibly softly to himself, to the point that she almost thought she was imagining it. But he was. She didn't know what it was about, but she did feel the need to see if he was alright.

A light tap on the shoulder alerted him to her presence, almost immediately silencing him as he slowly turned onto his side to face her, though his eyes didn't meet hers at first and busied themselves with analyzing the carpet textures.

"What were you mumbling about?" She asked as quietly as she could.

Izuku didn't respond at first, though he eventually answered, "N-nothing important."

And the awkward silence just came rolling back in as they stayed stock still.

.

..

…

"… so-"

"I'm sorry."

… what? Why's he apologizing... actually, this is totally something he would do even though he doesn't have to. Oum, why is it so freaking cute?!

Yang shook herself from those thoughts as the green haired boy continued, "W-what I asked in the c-c-closet. I sh-shouldn't have done that. I wasn't ready for it, you weren't ready for it, and I think I just messed everything up and I'm sorry, you don't deserve that kind of pressure and... urgh," Izuku began to apologize over and over again, thinking the worst when Yang managed to snap him out of it.

"Hey," she said as she put a hand on his cheek. "You didn't do anything wrong. You just asked a question. But... we've both got a lot to deal with right now. You especially. And I know that you don't need that kind of pressure on top of what you're already handling."

Izuku looked surprised. Surprised... and also relieved. He didn't hurt her. She was just fine. Thank Oum.

"B-but... Oum, this is even more awkward to say," Izuku buried his face into his hands with embarrassment. Yang could've sworn she saw a bit of red bleed through them. How was this possible? She had no godly idea, and neither do I.

"Go ahead. I'm listening."

"… shouldn't we talk about this, though?"

"Yeah. We should. And we will. But not tonight. You're up against Shoto tomorrow, and I know he's probably at least as strong as Pyrrha, if not even stronger than he already lets on. So... this stuff with me and everything else you have going on? Try not to think about it. Not yet. It can be tough sometimes, but this fight is more important right now.

"So get some sleep so you can kick ass tomorrow," Yang finished with a cheeky smile, removing her hand from Izuku's cheek. "Sorry, that was kinda cheesy, wasn't it?"

"N-no, it wasn't. I-I kinda liked it."

"Heh. To each their own, Greenie. Goodnight." They both settled into their respective sleeping bags, Yang dosing off with a subconscious smile on her face.

Those were the last words between the two spoken, at least for that night. Eventually, they'd talk. About everything. But not tonight.

A/N: You're free to rage at me in the reviews about 'romance blue-balling' you or something to that effect! I know, the buildup to relationships in these kinds of things can be unbearable sometimes, and I'm hoping that you aren't too mad about it. But it will happen eventually. It won't be at the end of the story, I'd never do that to you guys, but certainly not this close to the beginning either. It's on the semi-distant horizon, but we aren't quite there yet. Onwards, shippers!

Also, if you do have any ships for this story, let me know! They might or might not have any bearing on what I've got planned, depending on the characters, but I'm open to rethinking some stuff as well as some pairs for this story besides Mighty Dragon into the spotlight. Yup. This ship officially has a name now. And it will happen. No. Matter. What.

Next Chapter: July 1st

Seeya in the next one!