11.

Wednesday had come faster than he'd anticipated. His alarm blasting a happy pop song as Toga groaned beside him in annoyance. Half-asleep, she managed to mumble out, "Mikeyyy. Turn it off, honey."

He only gave her a glance as she rolled over and halfway opened an eye. "Sorry, Himi." He whispered as he silenced his phone and began to get dressed in the cool darkness of his room.

"Today is the big day, right?" She asked, stretching her lithe body and yawning.

Her golden cat eyes fluttering open to rest on his bare chest. The blanket slid down her bare chest as she sat up on her elbows to better look at him. Her hair remained out of its buns, and Michael didn't bother pretending to look away from her body. "Yep. Gonna be on the big screen and everything, sweetheart. You'll have so many different camera angles to watch me get beaten to a bloody mess by all these overpowered fuckers."

She giggled as she brushed a lock of hair out her face. "Feeling… Inadequate?"

"Oh, look at you! First, you start waking up in the morning with me, and now you're using big words too? I'm so proud." He taunted to her amusement.

"Anyways, one of them literally sweats the main ingredient in TNT before he fucking detonates it. Another can send my ass to the ice age and Midoriya is the most determined bastard I've ever seen. So, yes. I feel a little overwhelmed here."

"Oh, don't be like that, Mikeyyy. Does momma need to make you feel better before you go?" She offered with a lick of her lips.

"As tempting as the offer is, I'm going to have to turn you down for now. Now, if I'm not half-dead and haven't lost too much blood, you can take some. Sound good?" He proposed.

"Hmmm… I don't know. Seeing you all bloody is going to stir something up in me no matter what. Who knows, might even get to see Midoriya get a bit bloody."

Michael narrowed his eyes at the mention of the green-haired kid and went silent as he refocused on getting dressed. "Are you jealous?" She asked with a smile.

"You want my honest answer?"

"Of course."

"I don't want you near him. He doesn't need to be dragged into this, and yes… I am a little jealous." He admitted to the surprise of the blonde.

"Why? I thought you'd be happy to have me off your back for a while. Maybe bring that Mina girl here and maybe do a little something."

"Mina is not ready for that stage of things yet. Especially not if you are still kept secret from her. She doesn't deserve that. As for you… Call it Stockholm Syndrome or something, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't like you."

Himiko seemed to be stunned at his words as she completely sat up in his bed. "You don't mean that. Don't play with me. You let me stay here to save your ass, just admit it."

Michael stood up straight at her word, feeling his temper flare as he tried and failed to reign it in. He slowly turned to her and walked to the edge of the bed before locking eyes with her. "Lying to yourself like that won't change a goddamn thing, Himi. You put us in this mess, and now that we both fucked around and got attached doesn't mean you get to try and flip it all on me. I keep you here because I like you. I let you drink my blood because I want to fucking help you. I'm not a fucking villain to rule the world. I just want to be part of the reason that the broken system is fixed. My fucking mom died being denied her benefits by a system that abandoned her after taking everything it could from her. When she died, it was just dad and me. He reached out and begged for help, and an ungrateful nation turned its back on him. So he taught me everything I know in hopes that I could take what I needed. You need fucking help, and I'll be damned to burn in Hell before I just leave you to suffer!" He had devolved into full-on screaming as he went on.

Tears had been pouring from both of them as he had stopped to breathe. "Himiko Toga. I care for you. More than you fucking know. Hell, at this point, I'd say that I fucking... Fuck it, I need to go. Mina is probably wondering where I am right now." Michael took a deep breath and wiped his eyes as he fixed his uniform and stormed out the house.

Himiko sat hugging her knees as she thought about his words in silence. He'd nearly said that he loved her, and she'd been caught off guard by it. To her, the only thing that stung worse than the near exposure of his feelings was the fact that he withdrew at the last moment to go see Mina. Toga wiped her eyes before grabbing the TV remote and flying through the channel list. Finally, she'd come across the pay per view, and sure enough, the U.A. Sports Festival was the main event for today.

Michael had given her access to his card to order food while he was gone. He'd come back from school smelling like that girl, and it was only a small while until he called her into his room. A few towels were laid out on the floor under his feet as he stood shirtless and waiting. She watched as he slammed a fist on the scar from his first blood offering. His body winced as the blood quickly began spilling from the open wound, and she fought to control herself from tearing further into him. Once she'd gotten what she needed, he gave her his card and told her to order a pizza while he fixed himself up. The two watched Michael's Japanese copy of Godzilla as they spent the rest of the night enjoying each other's company.

Himiko shook herself free of the memory before buying the channel. She'd need to step up her game on figuring out just who Mina was and if she'd need to share Michael. She figured that if she didn't like what she saw, it wouldn't be too much trouble to get rid of the competition. Michael loved her, and she'd be damned if she lost him to another girl. Confirming the purchase, the screen flickered to life, showing a large stadium filling up with masses of people.

Michael stood in the General Studies classroom next to Shinso as Ms. Kayama explained to the group what would happen today. "Are you sure that no one else wants to join in the main event? It's not common for general studies students to get far, but just the effort is usually more than enough to get recognized by some of the biggest names in Japan. Speak now or forever hold your peace."

The class remained seated and silent, leaving the two teens to face off against all of the hero students and, if the rumors were true, a support course student.

"Okay then. Mr. Farron and Mr. Shinso will be representing the general course for this class. The two of you will be facing off against incredible odds, and each victory can be expected to be hard-fought. As much as I'd like for the two of you to do whatever it takes to win, I'd rather you be safe at the end of it all. So just remember to take care of each other out there. Now, the two of you need to put on your gym uniforms and head to the stadium."

Michael and Hitoshi gave silent nods before turning to exit the classroom. They had made it to a quiet hallway when Michael finally broke the silence between them. "No matter what happens, you do your absolute best, alright motherfucker?"

Shinso's tired eyes snapped over to the taller teen who'd been tense all morning. "Only so long as you do the same." The brainwasher answered.

The beginning of a smile flashed across Michael's face before disappearing as they approached the entry gate. The roar of the crowd slowly flooded their ears as they stepped closer. Finally, they stepped into the natural sunlight of the day as the voice of Present Mic boomed through the loudspeakers. "Representing General Studies Class 1C, we have Michael Farron and Hitoshi Shinso!"

The crowd became a near-deafening buzz as they cheered and stomped their approval. Clapping and wolf whistles mixed in with shouts of good luck and praise for the newest arrival of hopeful heroes. A few seconds behind them were the throngs of other hopeful general studies students and even a lone support student. Cheers began anew, and eventually, all the contestants had been grouped into a mass waiting for what came next. "Introducing our very own rated R hero, we have Midnight!" Yelled Present Mic as the crack of a whip rang out.

stood in full hero costume with a short bullwhip in hand. "Hey, kiddos! Are you all ready to show the world just what the great nation of Japan can expect in its future heroes?" She asked into a microphone, walking forward with a bit more sway in her hips than necessary."

The crowd of students roared their confirmation back at her, and the crowd erupted again. Settling the masses down again, she began to speak. "Welcome ladies and gentlemen to the greatest, grandest, and most televised event in history… The U.A. Sports Festival! Today the freshman will be put through their paces in three different games to see who will be the champion. So let's find out what they'll be doing first!" She said, pointing to a screen.

The giant screen cycled through images rapidly before slowing to a stop on a picture of heroes vaulting and running over obstacles. The image began to play out as a clip of heroes such as All-Might and Edgeshot made their way through a gauntlet of different barriers to the finish. "Oooh! Today's first event will be the Obstacle Course! Students will race the three kilometers around the stadium, dodging and destroying anything that gets in their way. So long as they don't attempt to attack each other or leave the boundaries, everything is fair game. Are we ready, kids?" The Rated R Heroine asked.

A buzzer sounded off and a giant door opened up in the gate that kept them inside. Students quickly began scrambling for the entrance as they realized the games had already started. Micheal held back from the initial rush as he could feel the temperature plummet somewhere close to him. A glance to his side revealed the red and white-haired kid had stomped forward. The footstep shot a sheet of ice directly in front of him and trapped the unlucky masses. Once the cryomancer had started moving, Michael shook the feeling of onset drowsiness off and began running. After a few seconds of sliding, he finally began to pick up speed and rocketed past the majority of competitors. A few of the trapped students wasted no time as Bakugo had freed himself nearly instantly. His palms roaring to life with explosions blasting the earth around him. Mina had splashed her grey corrosive acid around her feet and was quickly skating free. For a brief second, he spotted Shinso commanding a few students to free him in their brainwashed state.

The groan of heavy metal was his only warning to sight back into his own problems. A giant metal fist had impacted only a few feet from him with an earth-shaking tremor that knocked him off balance. He transitioned into a roll before smoothly getting back to his feet. A look at his surroundings revealed multiple zero-pointers blocking his way as he ran. Yaoyorozu trailed behind him while Bakugo and Todoroki barely acknowledged the robots. "Ms. Yaoyorozu! I need you to build a big fucking gun!" He yelled over his shoulder, slowing down to let her catch up.

She looked at him for a moment before nodding and ripping her gym shirt off at the stomach, exposing her midriff. The two had slowed to a jog as a long barrel rapidly formed, eventually creating an anti-material rifle with a barrel longer than Michael was tall. "Blow them all to hell!" He screamed, hefting the thick metal barrel onto his shoulder and plugging his ears.

Yaoyorozu wasted no time in sighting in before pulling the trigger. A loud bang was quickly followed by a much louder explosion and the sound of metal being shredded apart. The round took half the head of a zero pointer off with the initial hit while flames licked at the remains. The burning hulk of metal had barely registered the damage before falling onto another of its kind in a heap of melting scrap. Taking off to relocate, Michael and Momo worked in tandem to carry the monstrously heavy weapon. The brunt of the weight held secure and stable on the boy's shoulder while the girl aimed and fired. Slowly but surely, the two had cut the number of giant mechs in half to give them and the others an opening. The resulting mess had slowed the two front runners down as they navigated the falling bodies and flying shrapnel. Students across the field of play had begun using their own versions of teamwork to get past the last giant robots. Momo and Michael had dropped the rifle and bolted to the next obstacle in a mad dash to place high enough to continue.

A couple minutes of running led them to a series of scattered islands floating above a deep chasm. Ropes and small footbridges connected the chunks of land, and all led to a final path. "Any ideas, Ms. Yaoyorozu?"

"Well, yes, but really no."

"...What the hell kinda answer is that?" He asked, looking back to see the majority of the students catching up.

"Ok, ok, ok. Just give me a second." She said as a small rifle with a huge spear tip formed from her stomach.

The spear tip was attached to a metal cable spool that Yaoyorozu held in her hands.

"Here. Fire this at the ending spire, and we'll skip the other islands."

Michael nodded as he entered a good prone position and ran through his lessons with dad. He whispered them just loud enough for Yaoyorozu to hear as she observed his form. "Cheek weld, muscle relaxation, eye relief, and good breathing. Now… Hey diddle diddle, straight up the-" He was interrupted by the crack of the bullet. The cold metal of the stock bit into his shoulder with the force of the recoil.

The spike pierced the air with a demented whistle as it closed in on its target. Finally burying itself into the cliff face, the two began crossing as fast as possible using the rope. From his spot, he could see Midoriya with a large piece of metal strapped to himself as he dangled from a rope. The tape kid was swinging around like a dollar store Spiderman, and most other students took their time with the tiny rope bridges.

Reaching the other side first, he muscled himself up and over the ledge before reaching down for the girl that had been instrumental in his run. Feeling her hands grab on, he hauled her up with a slight grunt. He released his grip and went to turn, only for her to hold onto him. "Miss, I hate to state the obvious here, but we're in the middle of a race."

"Michael, your hand. It's bleeding really badly." She said as she released her grip to show her hand covered in sticky red.

A quick look at his hand revealed that the rope had managed to tear his cut back open. Blood flowed from the cut as he shook his head and said, "Let's finish this, and we can worry about it later."

Yaoyorozu gave him a worried look before shaking her head and joining him on the run. A minute later, the two had come upon a literal minefield that Todoroki and Bakugo had managed to slowly carve almost halfway through. The mines themselves were easy to spot for Farron's thermal vision. The cold steel of the mines were dark blue dots on an otherwise bluish-green surface. "Ms. Yaoyorozu, follow me, and we might place in the top five." He said as he took a glance at everyone else, slowly combing through the minefield.

A hand lightly tapped his back twice. "Ready."

Michael swept his gaze back and forth as the two rapidly made their way closer to Todoroki and Bakugo. They were within throwing distance when a deafening explosion rang out behind them. The four looked to see the cause of the blast and from the massive dust cloud, a single green dot came flying. "Izuku?" Michael questioned as the emerald ballistic missile raced closer.

Todoroki and Bakugo roared in defiance as the green-haired kid flew past and quickly abandoned all care in favor of covering ground. Michael and Momo watched on in shock as Midoriya used the scrap metal from earlier to slap the ground creating another explosion, propelling him forward again. "I knew he was fucking insane." remarked Michael with a laugh as he focused back on the race.

The two had finally come out of the minefield without a scratch and looked on at the last 100 meters to the finish. It was a straight shot back inside the stadium, where the crowd was roaring to see who came next. "Well, Ms. Yaoyorozu… How would you like to do this? The difference in fourth and fifth place can have whole worlds of meaning here, and you were the reason why we're as far as we are. So, I'll leave it to you."

Yaoyorozu looked at the boy who stood with his arms crossed as he waited. The other competitors were nearing the end of the minefield, as she thought. "We'll do it as anyone should. A race to the finish."

She said as she got in position to run. Michael joined in by her side, and the two counted down. "Three...two… one… Go!"

The two quickly bolted out of their positions, and Michael chanced a glance to his side. The girl was already falling behind him as she gave it her all in her sprint. He crossed the line and slowed to a stop as she finally ran past the finish, out of breath and taking a knee. Clearly frustrated at her loss, she was surprised by a pair of feet stopping in front of her. Looking up, she saw Michael holding out his hand to her. "Miss Yaoyorozu. That was a good race, even if speed isn't your strength. We'll have to work together more often. Thank you… Thank you for everything."

She looked up to see his grey eyes looking into her onyx. "What do you mean?"

Michael grabbed her hand with his nonbleeding hand and hauled her to her feet before leaning in close and smiling, "You are the reason I'm alive to even do this hero shit. So like I said back on Monday. If you need anything, then just ask."

Yaoyorozu smiled up at the dark-haired teen before replying, "Fine, then you can start by calling me Momo. Mrs. Yaoyorozu is my mother, and you are always welcome, Mr. Farron."

"Please, call me Michael."

"Well, Michael. I think we should probably look into getting your hand looked at. Recovery Girl should be around here somewhere." She said, looking around for the healing hero.

"No, trust me, it's fine. I hate to ask, but can you just give me a wrap or something?" He asked with worry.

Momo looked in confusion at him before carefully taking his hand in hers. Liquid poured from her hands that made Michael grunt and flinch in pain. A long white sterile cloth came next that the girl quickly wrapped around Michael's deep cut. It was quickly staining red but would do for the time being. "You need to get this looked at sometime soon. I won't ask your reasoning for putting it off, but this isn't something you should ignore for much longer." She said, finishing the last knot.

"Yes, ma'am." He said with a reassuring smile.

By now, a large group of students had managed to cross the finish as Michael took stock of who he'd be facing off against in the next event. Shinso was on his knees and gasping for air while Uraraka was excitedly talking to Midoriya. The green-haired boy's hair was messier than usual, and he was cupping his ears to hear anything the gravity girl was saying. Todoroki and Bakugo sat staring at each other in silent fury. Mina was currently barreling towards him at max speed with a bright smile on her face. He didn't have any more time to look around as Mina had tackled him and managed to put him on the floor. She giggled like a maniac as she straddled him before clapping and saying, "Oh my god, you made fourth place! That's so awesome! I knew you were good, but still, and you're not even a hero course student!"

"Well, hon. I had a lot of help." He said as he pointed to the girl who clearly didn't know how to handle the situation.

"Momo! You got fifth place! I have the coolest friends!" She said before leaning down to plant a kiss on Michael's cheek.

"Public displays of affection are not allowed during the Sports Festival. Remember kids, you are on camera after all." Reminded Midnight as camera flashes shined amongst the crowds.

Aizawa's gruff voice was next to come through the speakers, "A reminder to all of our spectators today. The students of U.A. are exactly that… Students protected by laws most unforgiving of those that would seek to use their likeness for indecent purposes. There is a zero-tolerance policy for this, and violators will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."

Back in Michael's bed, Himiko sat staring at the screen in curiosity. She had originally thought the dark-haired girl was Mina. So seeing the pink chick bum-rushing him before straddling him in front of the world was not what she had expected. To her surprise, however, she didn't immediately despise her. The black-haired girl, Toga, may have had a problem with. The pink girl, however, had her mind running with possibilities about Michael's taste in women. Now that Toga had a face to put to the name, she could begin learning about her newest rival in earnest. The camera had zoomed to a close-up of the blushing girl scrambling off of Michael, and Himiko had caught another detail. "Cute, short and wild with pretty golden eyes. So you do have a type then." She said as she smiled to herself and turned back to the festival.

The next event was already underway as teams tried their best to steal their competitor's headbands while keeping their own. Michael and Shinso had paired with a few other students that may or may not have been coerced into helping. The student with the tail and the shiny Frenchman had been brainwashed by Shinso, while Michael acted as a last line of defense. The team had managed to snag a few headbands to keep them competitive, but Midoriya held the jackpot headband. On his head rested a million points ripe for the taking. The only issue was Midoriya had enlisted the help of a uniquely devastating team. One of the members being the lone support student who brought an arsenal of gadgets and equipment to the playing field. With Todoroki and Bakugo gunning for the green teen, Michael and Shinso decided to stay at their level and play the long game. Mina had been drafted under Bakugo in what Michael could only guess to counter Todoroki's ice, while Kaminari and Momo sided with Shoto. Midoriya's team consisted of the support girl, Uraraka, and the dark raven-headed kid. "Goddamn birds." Michael said with a sneer as he refocused on the battle.

"Hey, Michael!" Yelled Shinso.

"Howdy!"

"Wanna see if we can fourth party that fiasco and pull a miracle?"

Michael weighed his options as he saw Midoriya's team already struggling to keep away from the constant barrage from the other class heavyweights. He nearly declined until he spotted the raven teen's quirk. The black shadow raven seemed to sneer at him in warning before going back to defend the team. "No, we don't need to risk it on the heavy hitters when they'll just pull something at the last moment. How many points do we have now?"

"Not enough… Hey, Michael. Do you see that metal dude over there?" He yelled down to his wingman.

"On it!" Michael hollered in affirmation as he steered towards the last team with any significant points.

As soon as the metal man saw them coming, the alert had been given. Michael yelped in surprise as the ground rapidly gave way as it softened to a muddy consistency. It had only taken him a second to remember his childhood playing in the slick red mud of the south. With more weight in each step, slower strides helped bog the team closer with each step until Shinso yelled out, "Hey, Metalhead!"

"What?" He asked before going blank.

The rest of the team had overlooked their now silenced leader when Shinso kept on. "Didn't know they made Chia pets in your size!"

The vine-haired girl frowned in confusion. "What's a chia pet?" She asked right before being brainwashed.

Half of their team was now dead in the water as the remaining two focused on trying to carry their failing squad away.

"Don't just run away like that! I thought you guys were supposed to be heroes!" The brainwasher taunted.

The bait worked like a charm as the last teammate turned and only managed to get out a word when Shinso took control of him. Two carriers and the leader were waiting for orders as the last carrier struggled to pull them away. "Give me your headbands and break apart."

The order was carried out immediately as the enemy team fell apart and propelled Team Shinso into fourth place. A few more minutes of defending their point headbands flew by as a buzzer sounded, signaling the end of the game. "Great job out there, kids! What a way to show the world that with a little teamwork, anything can be done! Let's go over the placings, shall we? In first place, we have Team Todoroki! Second place has us with Team Bakugo! Third place stars two of General Studies very own in Team Shinso. Our final placing that will move on is… Team Midoriya! Now, we will break for lunch and in an hour will continue with our main event… The one-on-one fight tournament!" Announced Midnight as she posed for the viewers.

Himiko cheered at the results with a wide toothy smile. She'd get to see Michael fight again, and hopefully, he'd get a little bloody. She didn't want him to get hurt, but a part of her wanted nothing more than to see him dripping in the red liquid. She had noticed that the urge to cut him had started to fade over time, but the thirst never really went away. Shaking her head clear of her thoughts, she skipped out of the room and into the kitchen to grab a bite. A quick pantry raid and she had scored a handful of snacks and a large bottle of cherry soda that she'd have to relieve Michael of. She doubted he'd mind the food much, but the question of how they'd handle what happened earlier floated through her head. The boy was obviously trying to help her, and his reaction earlier proved his intentions were honest. So how did she really feel about him? That question would have to wait as she sat back down to watch the other activities.

Michael stood confused alongside Kirishima and Iida as the girls of Class 1-A stood on the sidelines. "What in the cinnamon toast fuck is going on?" Michael asked as he pointed to the group of ladies.

"Mr. Farron, please watch your language out in public." Iida said before Michael hopped out of the stands.

Landing with a soft thud, Michael stood and quickly made his way to the girls, who began to realize who was approaching. "Why are y'all in these damn cheerleader outfits?"

Tsuyu was the first to answer. "Kaminari and Mineta said that we had to come out and do this to help with school spirit. I still don't think this is right."

"Y'all know that is exactly what that team of professional cheerleaders is for, right?" Michael asked as a team of American cheerleaders filed out, beginning a routine.

"What! They tricked us? They're gonna regret this!" Momo screamed as she fell to her knees.

"Figured it was a setup since, well, no other girls from here are in them. Don't worry, we'll set 'em straight."

"Why is that I'm falling for that little pervert's stupid schemes? I even used my quirk to make these outfits."

Jiro threw her pompoms to the ground in rage. "Ugh, I hate those guys!"

Michael's eyes shook his head in annoyance until he heard a throat clearing next to him. Mina looked up at him with golden eyes and a sly smile. "Hey, Mike."

"Hey, Mina." He said, looking down at her and her body.

"See something you like?"

"Maybe."

"You need a cheerleader?"

"I might."

She giggled before standing on her toes to meet the boy for a quick kiss. "Sure you don't want me to take it easy on you?" He asked as they broke apart.

"I will melt you." She said with narrowed eyes.

"Your way too beautiful, girl"

Purple flushed across her face as she smiled and locked him into a tight hug. He returned the embrace, feeling her soft pink skin in his arms. "Good luck out there, Mikey."

"You too, hon. I'll see you out there and when I do, I'm gonna have to hurt you a bit."

The couple separated to head back to the seating area as Midnight sauntered around the arena. Coming to a stop in the middle, she raised her mic and struck another pose. "Ladies, gentlemen, and viewers at home… ARE YOU READY TO RUMBLE?"