The next morning, Izuku and Ochako sat quietly in the back row of Toshinori's truck as they trundled through the streets. Toshinori occasionally glanced into the rearview mirror at his son, still a bit shocked at the news that Izuku had given him about his new ability.

'Sensei's quirk... One for All is full of surprises,' he thought to himself, shaking his head amusedly as they came to a stop outside a large three-story building.

"What's this place, Dad?" Izuku asked, peering up at the building as they climbed out of the car.

Toshinori clapped his son on the shoulder, smiling broadly, and gestured to the entrance, "This is a quirk gym, a place for legal quirk usage so we can see your new ability without worrying about disturbing anyone."

He glanced down at Ochako, a questioning look on his face, "And I was hoping that Young Uraraka would be willing to help you, as she has some experience with the floating aspect."

She beamed up at him and nodded excitedly, turning to Izuku. "Of course I'll help! It'll be fun!" she said emphatically.

They entered the gym, followed the check-in and registration process, and then split up at the locker rooms.

After changing into work-out clothes, they met Toshinori in front of a large steel door with a small thick window in it.

Toshinori pulled open the heavy door and gestured them inside, showing off a large lit arena.

"This used to be a racquetball court, but they converted it to for people with dangerous quirks to use. The walls are thick and sound-proof, so you can let loose in here," Toshinori explained as they looked around the large space. It was rather plain, concrete floors and walls, the overhead lights casting the entire space in bright white light.

Toshinori turned to look at Izuku, "Go ahead and let's see what we are dealing with," he said, motioning for Izuku to start.

Izuku nodded and closed his eyes, focusing hard. He didn't feel any different, opening his eyes in confusion. Ochako and Toshinori were watching curiously, and he felt some heat of embarrassment rise up.

"I'm… not sure how to activate it," Izuku said sheepishly, glancing down at his feet before looking at his father for guidance.

"Think about what happened last night when it activated," Toshinori said thoughtfully, his hand on his chin, "It might help you find the activation for it."

Izuku blushed slightly at the memory of the hug and smiled softly as Ochako's gaze met his own. He smiled and nodded, happiness rushing through him as he remembered. It was simple; but it was still special.

It was subtle at first, but the shift in pressure and the removal of Earth's bind to him was enough to make him look down in surprise as he saw his feet leave the concrete floor, floating a couple of inches off of the ground.

Ochako let out a soft gasp, her eyes wide, and Toshinori grinned widely as Izuku hung in the air.

"Well it seems you were correct. You have Nana's quirk, Izuku," Toshinori said with pride, shaking his head in near-disbelief. "Uraraka, go easy on him," he finished, patting her on the shoulder gently.

Izuku smiled broadly as he hovered, "Hm… I wonder how this works," he pondered aloud, spinning around, looking for any telltale sign.

"From what I remember, Nana said it was seamless. Just picture yourself flying," Toshinori stated, frowning, his brow furrowed as if trying to remember. "Something about it being like Superman, but she didn't say much else. I don't think she expected One for All to be able to pass down quirks, so she never described her own power in detail."

Izuku nodded and focused again, picturing himself flying like Superman, as corny as the idea was to him, imagining himself lifting up towards the ceiling. His father's words rang true, as just as he thought it, he rose up towards the ceiling slowly, spinning as he gained altitude. His smile never faltered as he touched the rough concrete ceiling and then focused on falling slowly, his descent going smoothly until he touched the ground.

"So… yeah… I can fly!" Izuku exclaimed, chortling with glee as he jumped into the air again and pushed out with the new quirk, swinging between the ceiling lights slowly.

Ochako clapped with glee, laughing at Izuku's antics, waving to him as he drifted over her and Toshinori, coming to land behind them.

"It does seem like there isn't a lot of speed to it," Izuku muttered aloud, looking down at his hands.

"Nana's quirk was Float , Izuku," Toshinori said exasperatedly, "Not flight, or Zero Gravity. She could float along with some control, but she was at the mercy of air currents most of the time. She mostly used it to slow descents and save people from falling," he finished, nodding to Ochako. "Ochako can teach you about balance and control, and you can work on the propulsion later."

Ochako looked up at Toshinori with a determined smile and nodded, turning to Izuku and walking forward. "Let's start with orientation. You still have gravity. So let's remove that as a reference." She reached out and touched Izuku on the cheek with all of her fingers, smiling as he caught her gaze, smiling softly and nodding as he felt gravity leave him, as well as another odd pulse. There was a brief moment of vertigo as his senses got disorientated and he tasted…

'Pink?'

He blinked. An odd shimmer gleamed on the edge of his vision, but he couldn't focus on it. It almost hurt, his eyes straining, as if trying to flip over in his head. Izuku blinked again, and grunted as something clicked in his head. He stopped trying to fight it, and it burst out against his eyes, immediately relieving the pain.

He blinked rapidly and looked back up at Ochako and his mouth fell open in awe. Beyond her look of concern at his grunt of pain and distress, he saw vast curls and waves of bright pink light, ebbing and flowing out of her, almost like magnetic field lines, vibrant and radiant.

It was the most beautiful sight he had ever seen. A bright pink aura around Ochako, and a huge field of energy flowing around her, and all he could do was stare, mouth agape. She was framed like a picture of a goddess, graced with glorious pink light.

"'Zuku, are you okay?" Ochako asked cautiously, her blush growing the more he stared at her and around her. She put her fingers together and released her quirk. Izuku watched as the field around her dimmed, the lines growing faint.

"Yeah… uh…"

He closed his mouth and swallowed heavily, before shaking his head sheepishly. "Just something new. Again," he stuttered out, trying hard to keep his heart rate under control.

"What do you mean, new? " Toshinori asked cautiously. This was getting out of hand. First, Nana's quirk, and now something else after Ochako used hers on him.

An odd tingling in his hands drew Izuku's attention, and he was startled to see field lines burst out of his palms, though to a much smaller degree than Ochako's, barely the size of a soccer ball, compared to her five-meter diameter sphere, and bright green instead of pink.

He flexed his hands and stared at the field lines in wonder.

"'Chako, I think… well, I'm not sure, but I think I... copied your quirk?" he stammered out, looking at her in confusion, as she stared between him and his hands.

"What makes you think that, Izuku?" Toshinori said, worryingly.

Izuku reached out and touched his father's bicep and pushed on the field lines in his palms. Toshinori immediately felt vertigo as gravity vanished, his long hair lifting up, baggy clothes drifting with him. He let out a yelp of surprise as he floated upward a couple of inches.

Ochako stared in awe as Toshinori struggled against the weightlessness, before Izuku pulled back on the field, letting his father descend gently to the ground. As soon as Toshinori hit the ground, Izuku wobbled with vertigo and fell to a knee, nausea hitting him hard.

"Ugh… 'Chako, I don't know how you handle that," Izuku moaned as he rubbed his stomach, praying that his breakfast stayed put.

Ochako's stupor was broken and she let out some giggles before kneeling next to Izuku and rubbing his back soothingly, smiling brightly at him. "Don't worry, you'll get used to it. But how did you copy it in the first place?"

Izuku took a couple of deep breaths and relaxed as his stomach settled, plopping down to sit on the cool concrete. He stared at his hands again and looked up at Toshinori in confusion.

"Perhaps, something to do with your ability to absorb energy?" his father offered, shrugging slightly. "This is all new territory for me too, so your guess is as good as mine."

Izuku smiled weakly, glancing at Ochako, and shrugging. "I do absorb a wide variety of energies. I don't see why emitter type quirks would be any different."

Ochako looked thoughtful, then snapped her fingers, "We'll need to test with Shoko and Katsuki too. But first, it looked like you didn't copy my quirk's power level, just the quirk itself. I can handle way more weight than what you just did before I get sick." She looked at Toshinori, "If he has my quirk as if it's brand new, then he'll need to train it just like his own," she advised, to which Toshinori nodded in agreement.

"Well, that settles it, my boy," Toshinori said, sticking out a hand for Izuku, "You have a lot of work ahead of you."

Izuku grunted as he stood up, smiling brightly.

"Plus Ultra, Dad!"

The next few weeks were grueling for Izuku, with not only his own quirk training, but Float and Zero Gravity with Ochako, learning Telekinesis from his mother, and even copying Absolute Zero from Shoto and Hellflame from Shoko. He spent entire mornings before school training, stretching his abilities to their limits each day, using Capacity to melt metals and plastics for recycling at the beach, stretching Float and Zero-Gravity by practicing flight and weight training with Ochako which led to more than a few lost breakfasts. Izuku quickly learned not to eat beforehand on days he was working with Ochako.

Lessons with his mother were simple and slow, while training with Shoto and Shoko had been brutal, as all three of them worked directly with Endeavor and Blizzard for their lessons.

In between those lessons, however, he worked on the quirk given to him by One for All. Izuku had already gotten Float down pat, able to nimbly navigate through a rock obstacle course at the quirk gym and dodge debris thrown by his father. But what he lacked most was speed.

'Float just isn't fast enough...' He grimaced as he dodged another rock, just barely avoiding it.

But the next rock was much closer and his instincts took over. He had a split second, raising his hand and unleashing an impulse blast, shattering the rock, and Newton's laws took over. The blast from his palm shattered the rock, the recoil from the compressed air and heat expanding outward sent him careening towards the other wall, where he smacked into the concrete with a solid thud. Slightly dazed, he shook his head to clear the dust, and a smile spread on his face as the idea clicked into place.

"Too easy," he muttered to himself, pushing off from the wall slowly and settled onto the ground, walking over to a concerned Ochako and curious looking Toshinori.

"Figure something out, Izuku?" Toshinori asked, recognizing the thoughtful look on Izuku's face immediately, a knowing smile forming on his face.

Izuku nodded, smiling widely. "Yeah, but I need to go outside to test."

Toshinori nodded, smiling proudly, walking the two teens out.

Ochako looked up at Izuku as they walked, "What did you figure out?" she asked quietly.

Izuku smiled brightly at her, "Newton was smart as hell," he said coyly, saying nothing more until they were outside in the parking lot.

"Well then, let's see it. Thirty seconds of flight, then back here," Toshinori said bemusedly, gesturing for Ochako to stand back.

Izuku did a quick double-check of the area, making sure it was clear, and grinned at his friend and father, before placing his hands at his side, palms down.

"Ignition!" he called out, igniting tight rings of power in his palms, smaller versions of his Impulse blasts. The rings channeled super-heated gas down into a column of heat, pushing up against his hands, pushing his whole body up as he activated Float, sending him skywards. There was a blast of downwards air, and Toshinori had to grab onto Ochako to prevent her from getting thrown back from the backblast.

In a split second, he was rocketing upward, screaming with joy into the rushing air as the earth fell away from him. His ears popped as a disc of compressed air burst around him, his burst pushing him past the sound barrier instantly. He wanted more. And he still had twenty-five seconds.

'Faster!'

Izuku pushed on his power, igniting a large ring a couple of centimeters in diameter under his feet, and his speed tripled as the ring of green fire erupted underneath him, shock diamonds forming in the supersonic exhaust. Rocketing upward, faster than any person had any business going, Izuku pushed against the air, fighting not gravity but air pressure and friction, his clothes and hair whipping in the super-sonic air. When he finally counted to fifteen, he killed the power, and coasted, rising up through clouds.

He looked down, and was amazed at the view, crystal clear sky all around him, green and brown earth below him, black space above him. Fifteen seconds of flight at speeds well beyond the sound barrier had put him at the top of the troposphere, with the curvature of the earth plain as day while leaving buildings and cars too small to see.

Izuku marveled at the view for a couple of seconds before wistfully somersaulting in the air and igniting his thrusters again, blasting back down, enjoying the powered fall to earth. He spotted the parking lot and a waving Ochako. Grinning like a madman he decreased the power, coming to a slow hover before stumbling on the landing next to her and Toshinori.

"Have fun?" Toshinori asked, a knowing smile on his face.

Izuku's beaming smile and wind-swept hair said everything he wanted to say.

A couple of days later, Izuku strode towards the training room he had seen Katsuki enter earlier. He paused at the door, hand reaching for the handle. He thought back, the look on Katsuki's face earlier stirring something up. He had been off for a while now, throwing himself deeper and deeper into training, both with their group and by himself. Not to mention his temper had gotten shorter lately. He had literally exploded at Shoko the other day, over something trivial, something that no one had seen coming. Izuku glanced down at his hand on the doorknob, a frown on his face. Katsuki always preferred to handle his personal issues by himself, though Izuku and the others had been trying to reach him, talking to him

An explosion thumped from within the training room, strong enough that Izuku felt it through the door. Izuku pursed his lips, hesitating as his hand hovered over the handle into the room.

'Something's wrong with Kacchan, ' the little voice in his head said, 'You have to do something.'

Izuku nodded to himself and put on his best comforting smile. He reached for the doorknob and turned. The door to the training room swung open.

Izuku peered through the dim light of the dojo, stopping when he saw Katsuki. Standing off to the side, his shoulders tense and energy flickering wildly, as though he was seconds away from releasing his quirk. The ash-blond was staring at a pathetic-looking punching bag right in front of him, the bag torn open, sand trickling to meet a pile just below it. If Izuku squinted, he could see the edges of the hole were scorched. Usually, Kacchan was a lot more careful with the training equipment, especially since it was Endeavor's.

"Kacchan?" Izuku called out as he closed the door behind him, walking into the room.

Katsuki flinched violently and whipped around, his eyes immediately searching for a threat and finding Izuku. He seemed to relax a little bit as they locked eyes, though there was something guarded and volatile in his expression.

"The fuck do you want, Deku?" he growled.

Izuku noticed Katsuki's shoulders droop and relax mechanically, as if desperately trying to hide whatever he was feeling before Izuku entered.

Izuku let his smile soften. "I was hoping we could spar. I doubt a punching bag is a worthy opponent."

'Especially when it's torn open,' Izuku thought with a slight grimace, glancing at the sand. 'Sensei isn't gonna be happy.'

Katsuki's guarded expression hardened for a moment, a biting defensive comment no doubt on the tip of his tongue. But instead of barking at Izuku, the explosive blond took a deep breath and let it out harshly.

"Fine."

He turned towards the sparring mat, flexing his right hand and arm as he approached it. Izuku watched carefully for a second, practically seeing the moment Kacchan's mind switched into a strategic stance, mentally calculating all the moves either of them could do, anything to give himself some kind of advantage.

Relief leaked into Izuku's smile. This would help Kacchan take his mind off whatever's troubling him. Izuku moved purposefully, striding into the arena, and assumed a strong stance on his side of the mat, designed to take hits and prevent the user from getting knocked over. He raised his palms up, wide and open, ready to receive Katsuki's attacks.

"Don't hold back, Kacchan," Izuku said, his grin stretching just a bit as he teased.

Katsuki smirked just a bit, which was good enough for Izuku, even as the scowl came back in full force. He braced as Katsuki launched himself forward, thrusting his palm forward, small pops and cracks firing out, before he unleashed a small explosion right into Izuku's open palm, the heat and light getting soaked up by Izuku's skin, a soft green glow pulsing across his skin.

He continued the barrage, mixing up attacks after a minute or so, switching between hooks and slaps, into palm strikes and slashes, utilizing Izuku's quirk to ensure damage was kept to a minimum. After a couple of minutes, when Katsuki was panting, Izuku mixed it up, trading his own blows, launching into jabs and punches, firing off pulses of power equal to Katsuki's lower powered hits. But when Katsuki overextended a punch, Izuku saw an opportunity he couldn't resist.

Izuku grabbed Katsuki's overstretched arm, and pulled him forward, waiting for the odd pull of the quirk copy. But none came, instead there was an odd buzzing coming from Katsuki, even as Izuku spun Katsuki around, sending him tumbling down to the mat. Izuku glanced down at his hand curiously for a second before looking at Katsuki's angry glare.

"You overextended, Kacchan. Come on," Izuku said, jeeringly, his smile steady as he waggled a finger.

Katsuki glared up at him from his position on the mat, before flipping up into a much larger explosion, which Izuku tanked. As the two fell back into the back and forth rhythm of their spar, Katsuki's stance became more fluid, stronger, his woes forgotten, hopefully. Still, Izuku refused to give him the win.

In Katsuki's own words, 'It doesn't count if you don't try your best,' after all.

So when Katsuki threw a cross at an opening Izuku allowed him to see, the larger teen was ready. Izuku's hand secured Katsuki's own, stopping his attack cold. Izuku's much larger palm gripped Katsuki's tightly, prompting the explosive teen to retaliate with his left hand, which was quickly locked into place by Izuku's right.

Crimson eyes widened slightly as he processed the move. Izuku couldn't help but smirk as he pushed a familiar energy and field lines into Katsuki's fist. Nausea rolled in Izuku's gut as gravity abandoned his sparring partner, watching as shock, vertigo, and panic overtake his focused expression. With Katsuki at his mercy, Izuku whirled around, yanking the shorter boy off his feet and throwing him to the other side of the mat.

Without gravity or a hint of what the hell just happened, Katsuki bounced off the end of the mat and kept going, slamming into the far wall with a grunt. He was fine, a hit like that would hardly cause damage to someone like Katsuki, though for both of their sakes, Izuku deactivated Zero Gravity and fought to keep the new wave of nausea in his gut where it belonged, wobbling on his feet.

Kacchan landed without grace and immediately leapt to his feet, his lips pulled back into a feral snarl.

"What the FUCK was THAT?!" Kacchan shook slightly, rage radiating from his every pore as he glared daggers at Izuku. It'd been a long time since he was this angry…

Still, Izuku kept his best comforting smile on his face.

"I knew you wouldn't want me holding back against you, Kacchan. I figured out something new with my quirk, and it would be wrong to hide it from you," Izuku explained calmly. Katsuki stilled, his rage giving way to a more blank, possibly curious look.

Izuku continued, "I can absorb all sorts of energy, apparently including the kind that quirks use. That means I can copy quirks, so long as I can replicate the energy signature of the original quirk. Well, emitter-type quirks, anyway, like Ochako's and my mom's. Heck, even the twins' quirks."

Katsuki ducked his head, his eyes hidden by his fluffy ash blonde hair. Silence overcame the training room as neither young man said anything. It was broken only by Katsuki's quiet question.

"...Mine?"

He barely sounded like Kacchan. Soft, unsure, almost strangled even. It was becoming harder to smile.

He shook his head, despite the fact that Katsuki wasn't looking. "That's the thing, Kacchan, the copy didn't work on your quirk."

Katsuki didn't move a muscle, allowing Izuku to explain.

"My guess is that you actually have a heteromorphic type, not an emitter." Izuku tapped his temple for emphasis, "I can sense your quirk's energy, and if it was an emitter type, I would have copied it without too much of a problem. You have a really cool quirk, Kacchan."

"Would have?"

Finally, Kacchan looked up at Izuku again. A cold anger and something else Izuku couldn't place was set deep in his crimson eyes.

"What, you wanted to add my fucking quirk to your collection too? The five you have already aren't enough?"

His palms sparked and crackled defensively. An unfamiliar, sinister smile stretched across Katsuki's face. Despite him smiling, there was no joy; a grim visage, feral and desperate.

"FIVE NOT GOOD ENOUGH FOR YOU, DEKU?!"

Kacchan stomped towards the sparring mat, breaking into a run half way. He kicked off, pulling his hands back. Izuku noticed the priming motion and prepared for the full powered shockwave that was coming, spreading his arms wide. The explosion hit with a burst of light and heat, and Izuku tugged on the heat and pressure as hard as he could. Damaging Endeavor's house was not an option, even if it helped Katsuki get through whatever he was dealing with.

Izuku brought the explosion back under control, absorbing the energy until all that was left was a puff of smoke, before turning his gaze back to Katsuki. His smile fell a bit as he saw the anger in his friend's eyes, the sheer rage and pain behind them evident to even him.

"I have to push myself, Kacchan. You know that better than anyone," Izuku reasoned, pushing his quirk out, coating his arms with swirling green and black ribbons of light and power. Katsuki launched another barrage, which Izuku deftly swatted aside or absorbed, using his shielded arms as batons for deflection.

Katsuki stopped attacking, catching his breath and glared at Izuku's arms for a second, his expression becoming more pained. "That's exactly what I'm talking about, you goddamn bastard!" he shouted, gesturing at Izuku, "Always getting stronger, always improving! It's infuriating !"

Izuku looked down at his arms and dispelled the energy, as guilt welled up inside of him. He had always been improving, faster than the others, faster than Katsuki. Was it really bothering him that much?

"And how the fuck are you always improving so damn fast? I can't keep up and it's pissing me the fuck off!" Izuku noticed his eyes starting to look wet, his friend's face warped in anguish and rage, his rant making steam rise up from his body. "I'm fucking weak as shit compared to you, and getting stronger is taking too fucking long!"

Izuku stared in surprise, his smile gone. He thought back. It had only been a couple of months since his power awoke in full force, One for All aside. Was it really that strange for his abilities to get stronger that quickly? He knew that his father took years to perfect his power usage.

"You punched a hole through the sludge bastard with a single goddamn punch when all I did for ten fucking minutes was fight for a single breath and ruin the fucking alley!" Katsuki shouted, his face red with rage, hands out at his side, cracks and pops firing randomly.

"It wasn't even a fucking fight! I couldn't do anything!"

Tears began to form in the corner of Katsuki' eyes, and Izuku could hear cracks in his voice now. Katsuki's head fell.

"I was so weak and I failed. I am weak. I can't grow like you can," he said in a quiet, small voice. Katsuki's rage had vanished, replaced by things Izuku had never seen from the boy.

Disappointment.

Resignation.

Failure.

This was not the Kacchan he knew.

Izuku stood tall, his eyes resolute, "Kacchan, you are growing . You will grow. Who you are now isn't who you have to be forever. You are capable of so much, including change, and that's good. It's expected of us, especially given our age. You will grow beyond anything you can possibly imagine—" Izuku clenched a fist "—and I'm going to help you every step of the way."

Katsuki looked at him in silence for a minute, before looking down, his frown disappearing.

"What...what if...it's something wrong with me? What if I can't be strong?" Katsuki asked solemnly, head hanging.

Izuku reached over slowly, and placed his hand on his friend's shoulder. "Then we'll change it. You're going to be one of the best heroes, Kacchan, I promise," Izuku said, watching his friend's face carefully.

Katsuki's shoulders slumped further, his breathing relaxing as he turned from Izuku to wipe his eyes.

"...Thanks, Izuku," he muttered.

Izuku smiled brightly, "I'm always here for you, Kacchan."

He pulled back his hand and held up a fist.

"No matter what."

Katsuki looked up finally, glancing at the fist first, then up at Izuku's glowing emerald eyes. He smirked, and met his friends fist with his own.

"Now," Izuku said calmly, "Let's go again." He took up his strong stance once more, green light bursting into life around his arms.

Toshinori adjusted his tie in the mirror again, the long red stripe hung loosely against his frame, much like the rest of his ensemble: baggy white button up shirt and a baggy yellow striped suit. He sighed, rubbing his side, the familiar twinge of phantom pain echoing out. It had been getting noticeably worse over the few months that had passed since giving Izuku One for All.

"Five years…" he muttered to himself as he put the finishing touches on his outfit before walking out of the bathroom and into the living room of their apartment, adjusting his suit.

"What's that, dear?" came Inko's voice from the kitchen, a mild tone of concern laced in the middle.

"Nothing, love, just thinking aloud," Toshinori said, smiling softly as he joined her in the kitchen, leaning down and kissing her on the cheek as she prepared breakfast. She hummed softly, leaning into him before turning back to the cooking vegetables.

"Well, thinking about what?" she pried, glancing at him as he pulled a prepared protein shake out of the fridge, Toshinori's usual meal supplement. He shook the bottle, stirring the contents thoroughly.

"Nothing important, just remembering. It's been five years," he said softly, popping the top of the bottle and taking a couple of swigs of the shake. Inko stopped her prep, glancing at Toshinori, her eyes darting to his side for a split second.

"So it has. But now you have a new challenge," Inko said, putting her smile back on, turning back to her prep work.

"Indeed, I do," Toshinori said, chuckling softly as he finished his breakfast. He washed out the bottle and kissed Inko on the head again, before turning to leave.

"Just be safe, dear. And have a good first day!" she called after him as he walked into the entryway.

"You too! I'll see you this afternoon," he called back to her as he put on his too-large shoes.

"I'll have dinner ready!" Inko called out in response from the kitchen.

He smiled as he closed the door behind him, still marveling at how he had gotten so lucky.

The trip to the station was short, and the train ride to his new place of work was even shorter. The UA gates were just as impressive as he remembered them, the glistening lettering and white concrete shining in the early morning sun. There weren't any students around yet, as it was the weekend, and their winter break was almost done.

He felt pangs of nostalgia as he walked through the halls towards the teacher's office, memories of the past with his friends, with Inko and the others and all of the training they undertook. He smiled sadly, knowing the good times were gone. He rubbed his side absentmindedly.

"Something bothering you, Toshinori?"

The voice from the past behind him made him jump, almost out of his loose suit. He turned to see UA's president and teacher of the Heroic Ethics classes, Nezu, a small rodent-like creature, wearing a vest and trousers.

"Ah, President Nezu, no. My apologies, just memories," Toshinori said, bowing down to his old teacher.

"Well then, let's go inside," Nezu said, walking up to the door to the teacher's office and pushing on it, "the others are waiting to meet you."

Toshinori took a deep breath and inflated his form, filling out his suit. He put his signature smile on and followed Nezu in, ready to greet his new coworkers.

It was a short affair, but each of them was pleasant enough, even the female with the long black hair, Aizawa, though she seemed to have something of a chip on her shoulder. And huge bags under her eyes. Poor girl looked exhausted.

"So All Might, I'm looking forward to seeing how you handle the Battle Trainings this year!" Nemuri Kayami, the 18+ Hero: Midnight, said excitedly, practically bouncing in her chair as All Might sweated in his suit, the pressure starting to get to him.

"As am I! I'm excited to show the students my experience and help them learn!" he said, as teacherly as possible, hoping to come off well.

There was a phone jingle from across the room, and everyone glanced at Aizawa, who was looking at her phone with a blank expression.

"What is it, Aizawa?" Nezu asked curiously.

"There was a major earthquake off the coast," she responded simply, "A big one. 9.6."

There was another jingle and her eyes narrowed.

"And apparently Emi wants to get married."

But before anyone could respond, the lights went out and a low subsonic rumble could barely be heard. Then the whole building began to shake, tossing desks, lamps, and teachers around like dolls.

'Don't squeeze her hands too tight, is this too loose? How much is too much?'

Momo's hands were very soft. Really soft, almost as soft as her lips had been when they first attempted to kiss.

'Back on track! Lines!'

She needed to be thinking about her lines, not about the kissing.

'Wait! The kissing is part of…Damn it!'

Why couldn't she get that kiss out of her head? She was going to have to do it a dozen more times, and some of them even in front of other people! She looked towards Mina, who was watching rehearsal from the empty stands behind Momo with great amusement. Or maybe she was watching Eiko freak out over kissing Momo. This was Mina's fault.

'She knows, doesn't she? She has to know!'

Her pink friend had the most infuriating smile on her face as she watched the pair and mouthed "If I profane~", gesturing with her hands for Eiko to take over.

Eiko gulped again and steadied her breath, willfully ignoring Momo's dazzling smile and sparkling eyes that were on her as she continued her lines, "I-if I p-profane with my unworthiest hand, this holy shrine, the g-gentle skin is this: my lips, two b-blushing pilgrims, ready stand to smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss," she recited.

Momo's smile grew just a bit, and Mina in the background clapped once, flipping a page of their play before gesturing at Eiko again. This wasn't fair!

"Good pilgrim," Momo began, putting on her best English accent, and hitting each word in practiced perfection. How was she so good at this? "You do wrong your hand too much, which mannerly devotion shows in this. For saints have hands that pilgrims' hands do touch, and palm to palm is holy palmers' kiss."

The words flowed from Momo's mouth like the sweetest honey, each syllable pronounced perfectly, the pacing of each placed in a perfect line. Eiko couldn't help but stare as Momo recited, the very act being a work of art.

Momo stared, her smile not wavering as she continued to look Eiko right in the eye, then Momo squeezed her hands. Her lines! She had lines! She smiled nervously, "Have not saints lips, and holy palmers too?" she recited, her nervousness fading slowly, Momo's hand in hers steadying her nerves.

"Ay, pilgrim, lips that they must use in prayer," Momo recited.

"O, then, dear saint, let lips do what hands do. They p-pray; grant thou-" Eiko glanced at Mina again, the rest of the line eluding her. Mina mimed praying with her hands together, and then despair by holding a hand to her forward and mimicking a cry out.

'What does that even mean? Oh!'

"Lest faith turn to despair!" EIko finished, the words snapping back into her memory, her eyes snapping back to look at Momo, her smile stretching a bit more.

"Saints do not move, though grant for prayers' sake," Momo continued.

"T-then move not, while my p-prayer's effect I take," Eiko said, her nervousness hitting her again. This was it. The thing she had been so worked up about.

She took a shallow breath and leaned in, pulling Momo closer to her. She watched carefully as Momo's eyes closed as she got close, and slightly puckered her lips. Eiko matched her and moved forward slightly.

Their lips met, Eiko's mind racing as she felt Momo's soft lips on hers, her perfume wafting to her nose, Momo's wonderful floral scent instantly erasing her nerves, the wonderful feeling of Momo's skin on hers making her feel tingling all over. She felt as if the ground had moved underneath their feet.

It was but a second later and Momo pulled back, her smile coming back in full force.

"Thus from my lips, by thine, my sin is purged," Eiko said, her voice barely above a whisper, her red eyes staring into Momo's deep dark irises.

Momo's eyes twinkled again, "Then have my lips the win that they have took."

Eiko smiled a toothy grin, "Sin from thy lips? O trespass sweetly urged! Give me my sin again," she said, pulling Momo close again, her attention focused on Momo's eyes still, her lips begging for the feeling of Momo's again.

The lights went out, and the floorboards rumbled, followed by violent shaking, throwing Eiko and Momo to the ground. Then there was a crash, followed by screams.