Chapter 3 - Hard Work Pays Off
[December 2nd]
Izuku smiled as she walked home, clutching the bag to her chest, but making sure she wasn't followed, especially by the creep in red. But upon seeing no one she continued on her way home.
Once she entered the safety of her home, she smiled at her mom.
"How was your day?"
"It was okay. I got a cake from Eiichi."
"What type?"
She pulled out the container and it was a vanilla cake with buttercream frosting and several candy roses residing around the cake.
"A vanilla cake with buttercream frosting."
"How nice."
"Do you want to split it with me?"
"Of course, but let's save it for after dinner."
"Okay."
After she changed into something comfortable, she made to eat with her mom. The cake was placed in the fridge in the meantime while they ate and made light conversation. However, when dinner was finished, Izuku still felt the sting of Katsuki's accusation ache through her chest.
She wouldn't let it spoil her mood, not after Eiichi did his best to lighten her mood with his stories.
'I'll just stay out of his way from now on. It's not like he talked and hung out with me like we used to before middle school. I need to focus on my dream and I have friends and my volunteer work to focus on.'
[Bakugo Household]
He stomped his way home, making his way past his father on the couch and nearly head-butting his mother in the chest as she called after him, "Katsuki!"
The angry blond didn't respond with anything other than a harsh slam of his bedroom door.
Mitsuki tsked, "What crawled up his ass and died?"
"Did something happen at school?"
She shook her head, "Nah. If it was something like that he would just be annoyed. But he's pissed. But at what, who knows?"
He sighed, "Do you want to talk to him later or should I cover his dinner so he can eat when calms down?"
She shook her head, "No. I'll bring his ass down in an hour. Let him stew for a while. Hopefully, it will blow off soon by tomorrow if not later."
He nodded as Mitsuki took a seat beside him, kissed him and made to lean against him, much to his blushing as she giggled.
She nuzzled against him, "I love that can I always make you blush like a cherry."
"How can I not? You are still as beautiful as the day I met you."
"You have such a way with words," She grinned
[Katsuki's Bedroom]
He tossed his bag into the corner of the room and jumped into his bed before he screamed his lungs raw. He wanted to tear out his hair, he wanted to blast everything in his room to pieces until nothing was left.
'Dammit! Why?! Why did I say that shit?'
He pulled and tugged at his ashy blond locks in fistfuls, nearly tearing handfuls out of his scalp before he made to take in multiple deep breaths to still his quickly beating heart. He couldn't get Izuku's sad and disappointed look out of his mind.
Katsuki knew he went too far with his accusation and it wasn't even true. He knew better. He was supposed to know better. He may have pushed her away from him for good.
Oh, now you get it? Did you think she would stay friends with you after all the shit you have given her? On top of your accusation with no proof other than overheard rumors. You aren't fucking four. You know better and now you may as well castrated your chances with her. And you have only yourself to blame.
He let out a snarl before it trailed off into a miserable huff, just allowing the silence of the room to surround him as he basked in the shit he found himself in.
[December 4th]
Izuku made her way into the living room to find her mother bundled up on the couch with a cup of tea.
"Are you heading down to the cafe?"
"Yes. Everyone is heading down there to catch up."
"I see. Well, have fun."
"Do you want anything from the cafe?"
She shook her head, "No, but thank you. Just have fun."
"I will. See you later, mom."
She kissed her cheek and closed the door behind her as she made her way to the cafe. She was wearing a black scarf wrapped around her neck, a thick blue-green turtleneck sweater over a purple t-shirt with a pair of black jean leggings and dark boots. She stuffed her hands in her pockets to keep her hands warm.
[Felersio Cafe]
When she entered she was greeted by Eiichi who smiled at her, "Good day, Izuku."
"Hello, Eiichi. Have they arrived?"
"You are the first."
She nodded and made to find a bigger booth by the window so everyone could fit. Soon enough, everyone else arrived within the next several minutes. Harumi was wearing a dark overcoat over a dark blue long-sleeved turtleneck shirt with a pair of jeans and dark brown boots.
Ace entered seconds after and he was wearing a black puffer coat under a red long-sleeved shirt with a pair of thick jeans and a pair of dark boots.
Lucy and Kiddo arrived last at the same time. Lucy was wearing a black and red windbreaker over a green t-shirt with a pair of black palazzo pants and a pair of shin-high black boots.
Kiddo wore an oversized fuzzy jacket over a long-sleeved sweatshirt over a pair of gray jean leggings with a pair of ankle boots.
They all squeezed into the single booth and they greeted each other before Eiichi came over.
"Now, what do you all want to start off the day?"
Izuku asked, "Can I have a hot white chocolate with extra whipped cream?"
Harumi smiled, "I'll take a red tea with honey on the side."
Lucy smiled, "A hot chocolate with extra chocolate."
"I'll take a coffee with cream and sugar," Ace yawned.
"A green tea latte," Kiddo smiled.
Eiichi nodded, "Of course. They will be right out and the pie is in the midst of being baked. It should be ready soon enough."
Lucy grinned, "I can't wait!"
Eiichi smiled at her before turning around to complete the drink orders.
Izuku stretched in her seat, "Now, what did you all do this week?"
Ace made himself comfortable, "Mostly practice, eating, and school work."
Lucy grinned, "Schoolwork, sparring, and eating. Also, my brother and Gramps are coming home from their Military work."
Kiddo smirked, "Shit quizzes, hanging out at the music store, and talking to my dad who's coming home for Winter break."
Harumi sighed, "Mostly practicing with my quirk, doing homework and schoolwork, reading, and sleeping."
Izuku smiled, "Practicing with my quirk, volunteer work, and spending time with my mom."
Eiichi came back with the drink orders and they all thanked him before he made to check on his pie.
"Alright, now it's my turn." She pulled out her phone and flipping through multiple playlists before finding the one she wanted to show to everyone.
"The album I wanted to show you guys are from Razzy Tonic, a rock band from America."
She played five songs below.
The Scent of Teen Spirit
Walk of Shame
Howls of the Wild
Shaken Nights
Cry of the Black Phoneix
"Who's the lead singer?"
"Their name is Chester Greed, they all take last names from the Seven Deadly Sins."
"Edgy but it fits."
Then Eiichi came back with five plates of the pie he was working on, making Lucy nearly squeal with delight. The pie was a creamy custard pie with a side of whipped cream and they all dug in with gusto, complimenting the old gentleman who was elated over the fact that they enjoyed it so much.
Lucy asked, "What did you put in it?"
He chuckled as he took the empty plates off the tables, "A secret, for now, I'm still finalizing the recipe before I put it on the menu."
"Do you have extras?"
"Yes."
"Can I have them, please?!"
"Of course, but please mind your stomach, Lucy. I don't want you to get sick."
She pouted, "But your cooking is so good..."
He smiled, "I know it is."
She huffed before everyone laughed.
Then Harumi got everyone's attention and she made to show how far she came with her quirk, she closed her eyes for a moment to concentrate as her fists glowed a bright blue before she shot her arms up and unclenched her fists, releasing a symphony of fireworks. They were loud and crackling, but they disappeared before they could touch anyone around her or the area around her.
When she opened her eyes she was greeted with smiles and cheers as Izuku gave her a hug, "I told you your quirk was awesome!"
She grinned, "Thank you, but I still have a long way to go with it."
"Don't we all?"
Then the group settled down into a warm peace as they conversed and ate the day away as Ace and Izuku got into a deep discussion about his fighting style and their next spar. Soon after the group ordered their regular order before paying for them as the group just enjoyed everyone's company until it was time for them to return to their homes.
[December 6th - 15th]
As Izuku went through her daily routine of going to school and volunteering at the clinic, she always changed her hair color and eye color through the hairbrush and eye contacts Eliza bought for her. Every day she went, she switched colors and checked for the creep but it looks like he lost interest in her.
That's all Izuku could ask for. The dead-looking glare he gave her made her spine cold.
[Medical clinic]
Whether writing medical reports or continuing to learn through observation, she made to practice with her quirk. With her quirk, regenerating muscles, skin, and bones from previous states of harm became simple to fix. As she always wrote down the injury, the time and energy used to fix it and how better to heal the wound type whenever she would come across it in the future.
She met with several regulars and those who were healed by her drop in to greet her as she made to continue her volunteer work with a smile. Her quirk abilities are replenished through food, a high-calorie diet was something that helped her maintain homeostasis from the massive calorie expense her quirk used when dealing with heavier injuries.
Her quirk abilities so far consist of her healing glow, which caused her hands to glow green which when placed over the injured area healed it to a previous state of normality. A strange ability that awakened when she was grabbing a pencil only to see what looked to be a blue circle form at her fingertips. The blue circle just flickered in and out considering the attempt was passive. The last ability was something she discovered at the end of the week. It was a small one-inch heart that floated an inch from the tip of her pointer finger.
The various colors that the hearts came in so far were blue, yellow, white, black, and green.
The blue heart forces cortisol and aldosterone into the body which can promote a calming effect.
The yellow heart forces dopamine into the body which can promote a happy effect.
The white heart forces oxytocin into the body which can dampen pain.
The black heart forces melatonin into the body which can promote drowsiness and sleep.
The green heart forces epinephrine into the body which activates the fight-or-flight response, forcing extra energy through the body.
Ray and Kuran gave her their old medical books to look through as gifts and she thanked and hugged to the point of nearly bruising their ribs. They weren't the touching type, but they have gotten used to getting hugs from Izuku. Eliza made sure if there were any terms or medical practices she was stuck on she broke them down for her to understand.
[The Basilisk Dojo]
The pair walked into the large traditional dojo as several afterschool self-defense classes were taking place around the dojo as the pair of teens made small talk. Once they made their way to the back, they went their separate ways to change out their school uniforms and into a pair of sparring clothes before going into one of the private sparring rooms the dojo had. Ace set up an alarm for an hour and thirty minutes and set it up on a stand in the corner of the room.
They began to warm up and stretch before Izuku commented, "Are your parents out?"
"Yeah, they needed to do several things so they will be gone until dinner. Adrian is the Head Instructor at the moment who is taking care of the six and up students."
"Hm, well tell them hi for me."
"Will do."
After they finished their warm-up, he got into a classic stance, non-dominant foot forward while the other was behind with the legs slightly bent and the feet are pointed at the sides of the opponent. The arms are raised with the left arm protecting the ribs and solar plexus and the right arm was raised to attack.
Izuku matched his stance as they smiled at each other, "Ready?"
"Always."
The pair started off slowly, mostly exchanging punches, kicks, and leg sweeping to where they both picked up speed and made series of combo attacking each other, often meeting each other blow to blow until the timer rang. Ace stepped away from her and silenced the alarm.
"A nice practice, you've been getting better."
"I practice when I can and I have a great teacher. Besides, I'm still a far cry away from you."
"But you are getting there and that's all that matters."
"Thank you, but come here. I want to get rid of the soreness."
He made his way towards her and held out his arm as she activated her quirk, "Thank you."
She smiled, "No problem."
After she finished with him, she used it on herself, rolling her shoulders, clenching and unclenching her fists.
"That quirk is so handy."
"It has its' benefits. I can just train as much as I can, after all, I still have my dream."
"I expect to see you on that top ten hero list when you graduate from UA."
"Thank you for the vote of confidence and I'll do my best."
He grinned as she made to take her backpack and her uniform before she waved him goodbye.
"Tell your mom hi for me."
"Will do!"
[Raw Muse Tonic]
The group of girls made their way inside the music shop, it was a retro music store with a modern twist that was filled to the brim with instruments and CDs. Kiddo led them through the store, making their way passed the instruments, other patrons, and workers doing their jobs.
Finally, the group made their way into the music section as Kiddo looked at both Harumi and Izuku and said, "Take your pick. We will meet each other at the front to pay."
Izuku smiled, "Got it."
Harumi just nodded as she made her way down a random isle as Izuku and Kiddo did the same.
Kiddo was a rock enthusiast and made to go to the classic section before she found two bands, Linkin Park and Halestorm, bands from America that appeared before the time of quirks.
She pulled out her headphones and made to listen to one song from each, 'Lies, Greed, and Misery' from Linkin Park and 'I Miss the Misery' from Halestorm. Kiddo had to pull herself away to stop herself from listening to each song on repeat and made to get the album from both bands.
With Harumi, she made to find the instrumental music section, whenever she listened to the strum of instruments without words, she could find herself getting lost in the flow of it. It made controlling her quirk easier as it stilled her worries.
She searched before she came across a woman named Lindsy Stirling, putting on a pair of earbuds played a random song, which loaded for a moment before it landed on Shadows.
It was a heavenly violin tune and she fell in love with the tune in moments as she searched up who the person was and saw she was a violinist who got her shot at fame from a national talent show and was popular in Europe. She picked up her album and couldn't wait to listen to it when she got home.
Izuku made her way to the random assortment of music, she loved to get surprises and found herself attached to listening to music in different languages and American pop music. She pulled out a set of headphones and made to listen to random songs and found Cheri, Cheri Lady from Voice of the Celts, Ugly Heart by G.R.L, Really Don't Care by Demi Lovato, Derniére Danse by Indila and the last song was Je t'aime by Kelly Sweet.
She made her way to the front with the song titles and artists on a small notebook and made her way to the front to meet Harumi and Kiddo in the midst of paying for their albums.
"Did you get into the random artist section?"
"Yeah, they have a lot of good music in there."
"Of course they do."
Then it was Izuku's turn and she got the songs she wanted before leaving with Kiddo and Harumi beside her, spending the day together enjoying each other's company along with their newly bought music.
[Taste Perfect]
Izuku and Lucy were walking side by side into the massive snack shop, filled the brim with different snacks and drinks. If you could imagine a candy parlor but it was split in one half was made up of sweets and the other half was of savory snacks with a variety of different drinks in the middle.
They split up to cover more ground and Lucy made her way through the savory section while Izuku made her way down the middle, searching for a drink. She was going to get a canned coffee before she saw a strange-looking drink can. She made her way towards the seemingly neglected section of the entire store.
There were around twenty cans of the strange-looking drink, it was in a can that was yellow on top before it shifted to blue in a way that resembled paint flowing down an art piece.
She picked up one of the cans and read the name, "Super Gel Dero Doro Drink? What a strange name."
She took it with her and made to grab several more snacks, grabbing several things she wanted to share with everyone back at the clinic before going home herself. When she met Lucy at the counter, she frowned at seeing the drink, "Are you sure you want that one, Izu?"
"Really? There's something that even you don't like?"
"It just doesn't taste good."
"Hmm, well, I just picked it up because it sounds interesting."
"Well, it's your choice. But when I tried it, I couldn't eat anything for nearly four days. I just felt full after I drank it. The texture is gross too."
"Hmm..." They paid for their stuff and they walked out.
She opened the can and took a hesitant sip, before stopping.
"It's gross isn't it?"
Izuku shook her head, "It's sweet, though."
"Really?"
Izuku handed her the drink and she took a sip only to shiver in revulsion and spit out the remainder in a nearby trashcan.
"Gross. Are you sure that you aren't screwing with me? It tastes wrong."
She drank it as if it was a canned cream soda and nodded, "It still tastes sweet to me. The juice is thick like slush, but it tastes just fine to me."
"Maybe our tastebuds are different," Lucy sighed with a scratch of her head.
Izuku observed the can before she saw something that was strange.
"Lucy, I think I see the reason why you don't like it. You are able to use your quirk depending on how much you eat, right?"
"Yeah."
"This drink has 5000 kcalories, which is 5,000,000 calories. It makes sense why you didn't eat for four days. That's almost a good two weeks of heavy hearty meals with desserts plus snacks. Even then I'm sure there is room for a lot more."
"Really? That much?! Man, that's a lot. No matter, you can have them all. I'll stick to snacks and food."
She laughed a bit, "Thank you."
Soon enough they went their separate ways and she made her way to the clinic to drop off the snacks to Eliza who told her to take care. She nodded and made her way home, finishing her drink before she activated her quirk before it became a denser green than before.
Her eyes widened before she turned it off and made her way inside to greet her mom. Over the course of the next several days, her quirk restored the bodies of those at the clinic more quickly until the drink's massive amount of calories finally burnt through her system.
She made to get a shipment for herself considering that only a small amount of the population enjoyed it so she could get them easily with her mom's permission as they were dirt cheap.
[December 16th]
Izuku yawned as she stretched her arms and back as she walked towards Felersio to get a quick snack before going home for the day to do homework and relax only to see a familiar head of indigo hair. She immediately recalled him from the alley the other day, but she didn't have a name to go with his face.
He was leaning against the cafe wall as if he was working up to the nerve to enter only to see her and stiffen as she called out to him, "Oh, hey!"
He got off to see her quickly make her way towards him until they stood face to face from each other.
"You look better under the light."
He blinked several times before he looked away, "Uh, yeah. I just wanted to thank you for helping me the other day and the cake you gave me. It was really nice of you."
"Of course. Do you want to come inside? Eiichi has a custard pie that's to die for and I really want to talk to you. Well, unless you are busy."
"Oh, no. I just wanted to thank you for helping me and who's Eiichi?"
She pointed a thumb at the cafe beside them, "He's the owner and I got introduced to him by my friend. The cafe is really nice and I hope you didn't stay out too long. It's cold and you could get sick."
"Just a bit. I just hoped to come across you and thank you."
"Come in, he won't bite and I won't either."
Against his pessimistic view around new people, he followed her into the cafe where he was met with the comforting scent of food and the warmth of the building. He looked around and took in the warm atmosphere and decor as they made their way into the bar.
Eiichi smiled as he just finished polishing a glass, "Good afternoon, Izuku and who's your friend?"
She turned to him, "Oh that's right, I haven't introduced myself yet. My name is Izuku Midoriya."
"Hitoshi Shinso."
"What a nice name."
"A pleasure to meet you, young man. My name is Eiichi Kajo. But please call me Eiichi."
He nodded and sat down at the bar as Izuku did the same.
"Now, what would you like? Considering that you are a new customer you get a freebie of your first drink."
Hitoshi simply said, "Surprise me."
Izuku smiled, "I'll take a non-alcoholic Irish coffee, please. It's cold out there."
"Of course," He smiled as he made to complete the order.
The pair settled at the bar in peaceful silence other than the sounds of Eiichi tinkering with appliances before Izuku asked, "You don't have any more bruises, do you?"
"Oh, uh, no."
She smiled, "That's good. But I wonder who would do that to you?"
Hitoshi didn't bother to respond to that, but asked something that bumped around in his head, "Why did you help me that day?"
"Huh? What?"
"Why did you help me?"
"Isn't that the normal thing to do? I came, you were on the ground and I helped you. That's it."
"That's it?"
"That's it. What? Did you expect me to charge you a service fee for helping you or something? You were in need, despite you being reluctant to accept it at first."
"Well, most would just let a cop or a hero handle it."
She huffed, "Well, I'm not most people and that's just a crappy way of saying it's not my business to interfere. Despite there being hundreds of heroes and a lot more cops as the two groups being a primary pillar of society, they can only do so much. They can't be everywhere but people who can lend a helping hand to those who are down are. And here you are with me. If I ignored you, I wouldn't be having this nice conversation with you would I?"
He stared at her for a moment before looking away, "...No, I guess not."
Then Eiichi came back with the drinks and Izuku smiled at sipping her Irish coffee before Hitoshi took a sip of his drink.
"What is it?"
"Lavender tea with sugar and mint."
He nodded and made to drink until he finished.
He smiled into his cup, "It's good."
"I'm glad you enjoy it, young man," Eiichi smiled
The older gentlemen took his cup and made to clean as Izuku made to slowly nurse her coffee, "You should know that you are always welcome to come back you know?"
He shook his head at that, "I'm sure you don't want me around."
"Why?"
"It's hard to explain."
She just gave him an understanding smile, "You don't have too if you don't want too, but I have a group of friends that would be coming here on Saturday and I'd like for you to meet them."
"We'll see."
She accepted the statement as it was and walked him to the door after paying for her drink, "Take care!"
He waved her goodbye as he made his way home, the taste of tea and the warmth of the cafe stayed him as he continued on his way.
When he finally arrived home and closed the door behind him, he saw his father was resting on the couch, sipping on a black coffee.
Hajime Shinso, who stood at 6'1" with the same messy indigo hairstyle as his son, but grown out slightly longer. His eyes were black with black shadows underneath his eyes from not sleeping. He was wearing a white button-up underneath a black sweater, a pair of jeans and a set of brown loafers.
"Oh hey, how was your day?"
Hitoshi sat next to him, "I met a nice girl today."
"Really?"
"Yeah..."
"Your mom told me you didn't have bruises the other day, did those punks finally piss off?"
"Not really. Don't tell mom, but the girl I met today, she was the one who helped me with her quirk."
"I see. Well, you spent some time with her, huh?"
He nodded, "Yes. She has a group of friends she wants to introduce me too on Saturday."
"And you are afraid that they will dislike or even hate you for your quirk, correct?"
He didn't voice it, but his answer was obvious. He experienced too many negative reactions about his quirk way too often to not be pessimistic about it. His father sighed and pulled his son close to him.
"Is it bad that the thought haunts me?"
He shook his head, "No. Some people are judgemental and distrustful of things they refuse to understand. Those are the types of people who make villains and criminals because they outcast those who don't fit in their little box of what's good or what's right. I know you suffered a lot because of your quirk and I can't tell you how much I'm sorry about that. If I could give you another quirk, I would, but I can't. But despite what you have been through you still, want to be a hero. Not for money, not for fame, but to help people. And you met the first person who helped you simply because they could. If the girl you met is as nice as you hope she is, then neither she nor her friends will hold it against you."
Hitoshi felt his throat tighten before croaked out, "Okay. Thanks."
He got his hair ruffled, "Of course."
"What did you do this week?" He quipped, making himself comfortable
"Well..."
Then the door opened and closed, "I'm home Hajime, is Hitoshi back?"
"I'm home!"
"In the living room."
Mihoko came in with several take-out bags.
"Glad to see you, hon and welcome back, Hitoshi."
"Hey, mom."
She hugged her son before she pecked her husband on the lips as they talked about their day as Hitoshi just enjoyed the comfort of his home and his parents.
[December 18th]
Hitoshi found himself anxious as Saturday has finally arrived. The day where Izuku wanted to introduce him to her friends. He didn't know what to do, he was a loner, people stayed away from him, they didn't bother knowing about him ever since he spoke about his quirk.
His brainwashing quirk.
They stayed away from him like the plague, condemning him as a villain in the making and he made just to isolate himself. He stayed in his own dark world with only his parents bringing him only a bit of relief from his isolation. He swore that he would prove them wrong for assuming that he would be a villain.
But then her, Izuku, she arrived just out of the blue, healing him and stepping into his world as if she belonged there. He didn't know what to do, he was so confused that it made him nearly scream in frustration. He wanted to stay hidden, stay isolated so he wouldn't get hurt, but something he buried long ago when he finally came to terms with how his quirk would affect how he was viewed became undone.
It was the will to be desired and liked. The will to have friends and not be lonely. To not be thought of as a freak or a villain in the making and her offer, it was like a light at the end of a long tunnel and all he had to do was walk towards it. But that light was so far away and his crippling self-doubt and pessimism about the entire thing just made it seem impossible.
A knock on the door rang out and he said, "Come in."
His parents came in to see their son wrapped in a bundle of blankets and asked, "Aren't you going to get ready?"
"I think I don't want too."
His mother softly asked, "Why not?"
"I-...," Hitoshi stopped and refused to speak
Hajime quipped, "You're scared that this will end up to be another situation like the previous ones, correct?"
His parents didn't need to see his face to know his answer. It was obvious.
His father sighed and took a seat on his bed and patted his blanket covered head, "You can't hide forever son. Trust me, I wish I could do this for you but this is something you have to do on your own."
"Your father's right, Hitoshi. No matter what happens, you are still our little hero and we love you to the ends of the Earth and beyond on that. Now, what do you really want to do?"
His voice was muffled by the blankets, "I want to go..."
"And you just need a bit of a boost. That's what parents are for, you know. Come on, son. You can't spend all day in your bed no matter how comfortable it looks."
"Hm-hm..." Her mother nodded
He slowly sat up under his covers as his father pulled them off, showing him giving the two a tired half-smile.
"Come on, let's get you ready. You are just meeting potential friends, not facing an execution. I'll get your clothes ready, now take a hot bath."
He made his way to the bathroom as his father made his way to the living room as his mother picked out his clothes. After he showered and made his way back to his bedroom, he got dressed in a navy t-shirt under a beige sweatshirt with black jeans and red hightops. As he made his way into the living room to find his parents waiting for him. His father handed him a canned tea.
"It might help your nerves better than coffee would."
"Yeah. Thanks."
His mother kissed his forehead and his father hugged him before sending him on his way as they watched him walk until he was out of sight. She clung to her husband for support who kissed her cheek as he closed the door.
He rubbed her back, "He will be fine, dear. He will be fine."
She nodded as she fiddled with her phone, silently praying to God to watch over her son.
[Felersio Cafe]
He finally made it and counted slowly to ten until he made his way inside to find Izuku who sprung up to greet him when she saw him come in.
She cheered, "You made it! You made it!"
Izuku made her way over to him to drag him over to her friends as they waved and greeted him as he softly greeted them back. He was squeezed into the booth as they introduced themselves.
"I'm Lucy Blaese and my quirk is Gummy-Gummy."
"I'm Kiddo Eu and my quirk is Attract and Repel."
"I'm Harumi Akagi and my quirk is Magic."
"I'm Ace Kuyo and my quirk is Kishin."
"And I'm Izuku Midoriya and my quirk is Regeneration."
He sighed, "I'm Hitoshi Shinso and my quirk is...Brainwashing through my voice."
Everyone was quiet for a quick second and before his self-doubts could rear their ugly heads, Izuku hugged him and nearly squealed, "That's amazing!"
His head snapped up in shock over her proclamation as he stuttered, "W-what? Amazing? Me?"
"Well, yeah? Everyone here is amazing to me, but your quirk is really cool. I mean you could do so many things with it?! Are you planning on being a hero?"
"Yeah?"
"Even better!" She grinned
"Wait, what do you mean you could do so many things with it. You don't think it's a villain's quirk?"
"Of course not."
She released him and stared at him, "All quirks have the potential to do good and evil. It just depends on the person. Any person can see the bad in someone's quirk, but there are good ways to use each individual quirk. As such with yours, with brainwashing, you can end hostage situations easily just by talking. You can get information many interrogators or physiologists wouldn't be able to get from victims traumatized by crimes and villains within months instead of months or even years along with stopping riots with just your voice. Your quirk is amazing!"
His face flushed as he never been complimented so much in his life outside his mother and father.
She stared up at the ceiling in contemplation, "I can probably think of several more in a minute."
Kiddo laughed, "Oh God, you got her started and now she'll start mumbling."
Izuku scoffed, "Hey, I stopped that mostly!"
"The keyword mostly, dear Izuku. Mostly."
She pouted as Kiddo cackled, "Be prepared Hitoshi, she may hand you a notebook filled with ideas on your quirk and what it can do. She just can't help herself."
Everyone around him just nodded as they got their own notebooks as Izuku flushed the same color as Hitoshi.
She fiddled with her fingers as she stared at him, "I'm a bit of dork for heroes and I write analyses of all the ones I can for a hobby and it's something I just do fun. It grew to the point that I do that for the quirks and what can support and hinder them."
Ace spoke up, "Trust me, you shouldn't beat yourself over your quirk, Hitoshi. If you saw mine, it would probably scare you shitless. Let me just say you aren't the only one that gets shit over their quirk. If I have to hear one more time that I should drop out because I'm some wannabe villain side muscle, I'm clocking someone to next Tuesday."
Harumi got his attention, "You shouldn't worry at all. I felt the same with my own quirk as I couldn't control it well and people thought I had villain's quirk before Izuku talked me out of it. It just takes time."
Lucy just grinned at him, "I'll be glad to be your friend."
"Same."
"You can never have enough friends."
As the rest nodded at him, making him nearly cry with happiness as he made to stay as he gladly wanted to be their friends as well. Much to the cheering of everyone along with Izuku's glee as everyone celebrated the new addition to the group.
For the rest of the day, they talked and exchanged numbers before it was time to go. They told him he was always welcome there before it was time to leave and he waved everyone goodbye.
From that day onward to the day he passed on, the decision to not skip out on meeting her and now his friends at the cafe would be one of the best decisions he ever made. They accepted him without a hint of thought and some he could even relate too.
Hitoshi was nearly delirious with happiness as he grinned the entire time as he made his way home and when he got to the front door, it was wrenched open by his parents who were dressed up to storm the town only to see his surprised face.
"Mom? Dad?"
They pulled him inside and closed the door as his mom nearly crushed him in a hug, before releasing him to stare at him, "How did it go?"
"It was amazing, I was worried for nothing. They just accepted me and I spent all my time talking with each of them that I didn't check my phone."
"I'm glad you had fun and as long as you are careful. We called and texted you and you didn't pick up and we thought of the worst. But I'm just happy you're okay..." She finished with a crack.
Hajime asked, "So the girl you told me about the other day."
"She has a healing quirk."
"So she's the reason you didn't have bruises that day," Mihoko asked
He nodded making her smile, "I guess I have to thank her personally and she got you that cake slice too."
"Yeah..."
"It seems that you have a group of friends, now."
"I guess, I don't really know how to feel."
His mom just ran her fingers through his hair, "Just feel happy. Don't let anyone rain on your parade. As long as you are happy and live your dream, then that's all we could want."
"Thank you."
[December 20th]
The semester was over and Izuku grinned as she shot up in her seat along with everyone else as students talked about what they were going to do with their winter break.
She made to pack up all her materials and pulled out her phone and made to message everyone, 'Hey, when you guys read this, do you want to meet up at Felersio to celebrate the start of winter break?'
As she made her way out of the room under Katsuki's gaze as he stayed out of her way, he couldn't bring himself to confront her after his accusation he made at the park and just made to watch her from a distance. He just packed up his stuff and made his way home in a sour mood.
[With Izuku]
She looked at her phone as it vibrated in her hand with multiple messages.
Kiddo - Hell yeah! I fucking finished my damn tests and I'm ready to party!
Ace - What she said! I'm all for it!
Harumi - I'm heading over there now, I can't wait to see everyone.
Lucy - Let's get the party started!
Hitoshi - Sounds fun, I'm heading over there now.
As she walked passed an alley, a gloved hand reached out from the darkness and pulled her in, making her drop her phone and she now faced the creep from before. His eye bored into her as he gave her a grin.
"Hi~"
His hand covered her mouth as her eyes widened in shock.
"I see that you remember me, but that lady was so mean that she didn't allow me to introduce myself to you that day. Allow me to do it, now. My name is Nui Harime, a pleasure to meet you, little Midoriya."
Her body stiffened as she stared back at him as he observed her as if she was a new toy. Every hair on her body just stood straight as goosebumps blossomed across her skin as he just stunk of malice and sadism. She knew deep down to the very marrow of her bones if she didn't escape this situation, she would be fucked.
"Now...you need to come with me. Papa will have plenty of use for a girl like you with a wonderful quirk like yours. I can tell. I'll make it worth your while."
She shook his hand off her mouth as she scowled, "Get off me."
He frowned for a split second before his smile reappeared, "Oh course, dear."
The blond then smacked her further into the alley, nearly barely stopping herself from conking her head on the dumpster. Her back met the dumpster with a harsh thump. He slowly made his way towards her like a predator as she got up.
"Now, sweetheart, you need to stay down. I don't want to hurt you so much. Well, at least not yet."
He made to restrain her and punched her in the face, it was like getting punched by a brick.
His eyes widened in slight surprise, "Hm, maybe you are more resilient than you look. Any two-bit monkey would have been unconscious from that. Well, it just proves your worth. Now, just fall unconscious, please."
Before he could punch her again, she activated another hormone heart that blazed an angry red and aimed it at him. She fired it and he avoided the heart and was about to comment before the heart exploded into the air, creating a massive bang.
That bang alerted multiple people in the area as the sound of footsteps and concerned voices became apparent and grew near.
He released her and tsked, "Well, well, you are full of surprises, aren't you?"
He walked a bit away from her as she slumped to the ground as he turned towards her, "Keep growing, little Midoriya. I'll pick you up soon enough." He then jumped towards the rooftops and disappeared as quickly as he showed himself.
She coughed and made her way towards the end of the alley, clutching her wrist that was once in his bruising grip. Several well-meaning civilians and a cop checked out the noise to see her and her bruised wrist.
"What happened here?"
Izuku grabbed her dropped phone where she saw her friends sending her multiple messages that were wondering where she went and if she was okay along with several missed calls.
She closed her eyes for a moment before she said, "A creep attacked me back there. He's gone now."
They questioned her, but she waved off most of the question as she didn't know who the person was and despite the cop's obvious reluctance, they let her go, but they go her phone number to call about the situation.
She nodded and left as she made to heal herself in private and texted everyone, 'Hey, I'm sorry for being late. I got caught up in something. I'll be right there.'
Her phone continued to vibrate and it was mostly messages about how she finally answered and when she arrived she was embraced by Lucy and Harumi.
"I'm sorry for being late."
"You scared us, what kept you?" Ace asked
She was silent for a moment before she spoke, "The creep got me in an alley."
"What?!" Everyone screamed, Harumi nearly burst into tears as she checked over her before Izuku calmed their worries.
"It's okay. I got away from him. I'm okay."
"You healed yourself so we wouldn't worry, didn't you?" Kiddo frowned
"I can't really lie to you all, can I?"
"No, no you can't. And we are taking you home."
"But the celebration-"
Ace sighed, "The celebration can wait until later. The creep or whoever is connected to them might still be out there and I wouldn't be able to live with myself if that creep or his buddies tried anything while you were walking back home."
She frowned, "I'm sorry."
Kiddo hugged her, "Quit apologizing. It's not your fault. We will just celebrate another day."
"Izuku..."
She made her way towards Hitoshi and hugged him, "Sorry for ruining your first party."
"It's not your fault. It lies with the creep and we can celebrate another day."
She gave him a soft smile as they apologized to Eiichi who waved them off and told them to be safe and he would make something even better when they return. They all made their way out of the shop and walked Izuku back to her apartment.
When she knocked, Inko opened the door to see her daughter and her friends.
"Oh, why are all of you here with Izuku? Did something happen?"
Their grim faces made her feel as if a rock formed at the pit of her stomach.
Kiddo softly spoke, "The creep came back."
"What?!" She grabbed her daughter in a crushing hug as she looked around before she looked back at the kids.
She let out a broken squeak, "He's back?"
They nodded as she looked at her daughter to explain.
"He got me as I was walking towards the cafe, he pulled me into an alley, but he didn't much other than punch me and bruise my wrist. I think he retreated when I activated another heart. It's a bit of a noisemaker that got the attention of others."
"But the main question is what does that creepy fucker want?" Kiddo snapped
Izuku just shrugged, "He said he needed me for his father, or Papa, or whatever."
"So he's a creepy fetishist than."
Ace shuddered, "I'm walking you home from sparring practice from now on."
"Okay, okay."
"Would you all like to stay inside until someone can pick you up or I can drive you back home?"
They all politely refused and said that they would manage, but Inko sadly relented, "Very well, but be careful. All of you, please."
"I'll be fine. I promise."
She especially reassured Hitoshi that he was welcome and gave him a hug. She was fine and would continue to be before wishing him and everyone else well.
Once she was safely inside her apartment, Hitoshi spoke, mostly to himself, "I swear if I get the chance to find that creep I'll use my quirk to make the fucker sand off his face with a brick wall."
Ace and Kiddo laughed and agreed as they would finish them off.
Harumi lightly scolded them, but couldn't really agree more. Lucy just made to observe her surroundings but was mainly worried about her friend.
'Maybe my brother or Gramps has something that can help. I'll call him when I get home.'
[Inside the Midoriya Residence]
She made to comfort her mother who started to bawl and had to calm her worries, Inko was glad she made it out okay, but wouldn't know what to do if anything happened to her.
Izuku just told her that she would be careful and try her best and that she informed the police and they called just as she finished it ended with a practical three-hour phone call and a promise to stay home for an entire week.
She had to respect that order, not that her mother would let her out for anything less than a week. She made to inform Kuran, Ray, and Eliza about what happened and told them that she was fine. They told her to relax and they would email her more medical files and help in case she needed it.
They would celebrate with her after the week was over and have Ray walk her to and from the clinic. After ending the call, she turned in to sleep, stripping herself of her clothes to change into a set of pajamas before tucking herself into bed.
She wouldn't allow herself to be taken advantage of again.
'That bastard ruined a time that was supposed to be with my friends, he will regret that when I get my hands on him.'
Ending the chapter! Oh my, what a chapter and the creep in red is back and Izuku goes through her first fight with her quirk along with awakening another hormone heart. More analyzation time. I hope you all enjoy it and now it's Christmas break and the time for rumors which will reach the ears of multiple people.
Quirks of Characters shown off so far:
Ray Nightengale - Glance & Memorize - Emitter type
Kuran Monozaki - Blood Diagnose - Emitter type
Eliza Black - Black Detox - Emitter type
Kiddo Eu - Attract & Repel - Emitter type
Lucy Blase - Gummy-Gummy - Transformation type
Ace Kuyo - Kishin (Berserker) - Transformation type
Hitoshi Shinso - Brainwashing [through voice] - Emitter type
Hajime Shinso - No Sleep - Emitter type
Mihoko Shinso - Brainwashing [through touch] - Emitter type
Thank you for the reviews!
The Greatest Show - I'm glad you like the picture, I really love Izuku, both male and female and that picture just suited the story. Also, that's an idea, but we will see, considering her quirk can work both inward and outward, so we have to see. Along with the upcoming battles. I'm glad you think this story holds a lot of promise and I'm working on Naruko Sosuke, don't worry about it. Thanks and have a great day or evening as well.
Perseus12 - Yep, he shot himself in the leg. But Izuku will get better and Katsuki will stew in his actions soon enough, especially when he finds out that Izuku has a quirk. I hope you will enjoy this chapter!
rozielrie - Thanks! Katsuki needs to crush his ego and pride before he goes to apologize. His snapping and snarling will only put him in the spotlight of his enemies instead of the safety of his allies. And I will, but he will have to work for it, considering that Izuku will get more and more confidence. He will have to earn it. And her quirk will be put on the down-low, for now, considering how powerful it can be. She would be a prime target to turn to the side of villains. But knowing her she would run into All Might first, but it's up in the air. I'm still deciding.
renatoragnan4 - I meant as platonic relationships, but she will have several male romantic interests, not female though.
Guest#1 - Everyone has their interest, but I'm glad you like this story.
(guest) guesttiger - She can use Law's room technique and her healing is like Orihime's healing technique that can reverse injuries. She can manipulate hormones that most if not all humans have, can speed up their healing process on the field, give allies an energy boost or put down enemies. Like causing their body to shut down on them or revamping the body along with affecting the body's emotional state. But I plan on doing a lot more with her hormones, but I won't say anything about it now. I won't say she has haki or will get it, but I'm still iffy on making all three types of haki something that is inheritable, taught or subconscious in only a handful of the population. It will come, but not at this point. Later on when shit is finally hitting the fan. I hope that can answer your questions.
Smlluffy67 - Yep, it just seemed to fit. And I hope you enjoy the story as I hopefully continue to pump out chapters for as long as I'm able too. Thanks for the review.
~Kourtney Uzu Yato!
