Uh, hi? I'm not dead! Surprise…?
Sorry for the abrupt hiatus, and this short ass chapter, there's just been a lot of stuff going on for me. Anywho! I have a HUGE question about my JJK fic, that I need answered before I can even publish it: do you guys want it chronological, and then enter canon, OR, pretty much start with canon, and add flashbacks sprinkled throughout? Because there is A TON of background/buildup in the OC's childhood, that it would take at least a handful of chapters before getting into canon material if I go chronological. That being said, these background chapters would have teen Gojo, Yaga, little Megumi, etc. and I kinda wanna go this route tbh. But lemme know if writing it in chronological order would be boring, because I know sometimes backstories can be that way.
(ALSO, the "kawaii style" I'm referring to is a style of hand-writing semi-popular in Japan with teen girls. It's not "uwu" baby-talk, it's just a stylistic font)
Katsuki grumbled to himself, rubbing his neck. It was cramping up after he stupidly fell asleep at his computer desk the night before— which was not normal for him —while intently going over notes on the things he's missed during his house arrest.
Notes that he was given by a certain pinkette.
"Here! I don't know how much help they'll be, and some of them have more doodles than actual notes— but I hope you can make use of them!" Saito thrusted forward a messy stack of papers, and with a single glance at them he noticed most of the writing was done with glitter pens.
"I don't need your help, damnit." He shot her down, his voice gruff, but more mellow than it would have been if it was anyone else offering.
Saito actually smirked. "Well, I never said you needed them. I had them, used them, and now they'll go to waste. Unless of course, you want to use them."
The first thing Katsuki thought after she said that, was you've never taken notes a day in your life. He sat behind her, he knew that Saito was a mess when it came to preparing for homework. Most of the time she was idly playing with her pens and pencils, or staring off into space out the window. So this cover of hers was bogus. She did not have those notes already made "just because". She—
…She actually sat and paid attention in class, to take notes.
The stack was dropped in his hands. It was heavy. It was a lot.
And Katsuki had combed over it all in one night. Regrettably. And he learned a handful of things along with the intended knowledge on the paper.
(1) Saito used goddamn stationery for notes.
(2) Saito had a serious problem with doodling— but could draw a decent flower as a result.
(3) Saito was one of those girls who wrote in that overtly kawaii style. Not always, but sometimes. And Katsuki really couldn't tell if he was just unamused, or actively irritated by it.
But the detail he kept coming back to, was the notes' existence themselves. While the only ones he really got any use out of were the English ones, there were more for each class. Each day he was gone.
(He remembered, back during the rescue exercise, when she reached down her hand, and he took it. Then let her carry him minutes later.)
Why the hell was it easier to accept help from her, than it had been from anyone else, ever?
(She doesn't look down on us. It's not in her nature.)
He opened the classroom door, still rubbing the ache in his neck.
A head of cherry-blossom pink hair shot up, and a sharp toothed smile was aimed right at him.
"Welcome back!" Saito cheered, throwing a small handful of confetti in the air— thankfully only in the range of her own desk.
Confetti. Actual fucking confetti.
From anyone else, the performance would feel sarcastic, and mocking.
Katsuki rolled his eyes, meandering over and dropping into his seat.
She leaned back in hers, giving him an upside down beam.
…But from her, it was nothing but sincere. She was genuinely happy to have him back in class.
(And when was the last time he could safely say someone was happy to see him?)
Something smug, victorious, and (flustered) cocky, swelled in his chest.
"Mr. Aizawa's gonna make you clean that up."
"Worth it!"
The pain in his neck dulled into nothing.
…
"The Hero work studies are a more serious version of your internships. They entail helping Pro agencies on the streets and with investigations. Your teachers and the Principal discussed them at the faculty meeting. And we all agree. It's too soon." Mr. Aizawa deadpanned. "They should really be canceled."
"…What?!"
"Aw, but we already met about them!" Eijirou pointed out desperately.
"I guess, when you think about why we had to move into the dorms, it does make sense." Denki idly played with Ojirou's tail.
Hitomi's ears drooped guiltily.
Whereas Katsuki stood, slamming his hands on his desk with a triumphant cackle. After all, he didn't get to do one either way, so at least now the whole class had to suffer.
"But… some people think we won't be able to raise strong Heroes with that sort of protective outlook." Mr. Aizawa pressed on. "And with that in mind, the compromise is to be selective about participating agencies. So choose one with a proven track record. Otherwise, you won't be taking part."
Katsuki twitched, a vein popping from his head. "Damnit!"
Hitomi frowned, raising her hand with hesitancy. "Sir, you mean a good track record of taking on students for work studies?"
The teacher nodded. "Yes."
She slumped limply on her desk, whining into the wood. "No…"
"What's wrong?" Mezou eyed her worriedly.
She lazily turned her head to look at him, pouting strongly. "Excel-lency's never taken on interns or provisional Heroes."
"Your parents' agency?" Eijirou's brows furrowed sympathetically.
"Mm-hm."
"Well, you could go work under Best Jean—"
"Never again." Hitomi snarled.
The hard refusal raised several brows, considering no one but Momo or Katsuki knew about her animosity for the Hero.
When the bell rang for lunch, no one exited class right away, milling around and discussing the new information about the work studies.
Hitomi never bothered getting up from her spot moping on her desk.
Ojirou leaned back in his chair, arching a brow at her. "Don't you have, like, a harem of Heroes? Why not intern with one of them?"
"Not a harem… besides, no one's available." Hitomi sat up, ticking her fingers off with each Hero. "Aunt Nemuri is busy teaching here, and her agency has a minimum eighteen-year-old age requirement; as much as I would love to hang out with the Midnight Boys while interning, it's not an option. Aunt Rumi is on a mission overseas right now, and her agency doesn't take on student interns anyway. Emi— or, Ms. Joke, doesn't have the authority to grant me an internship. Mount Lady's the same, she—"
"Wait, wait." Mina waved her hands, shaking her head before settling her with a curious look. "How do you know Mount Lady?"
Hitomi blinked. "Oh, Nori's dating her. She's the one that helped me redesign my costume. Did I never mention that?"
She was fairly certain she saw Ojirou's eye twitch.
Mina raked a hand down her face. "Of course your brother's dating Mount Lady. Next you're gonna tell me you're pen-pals with Hawks."
Hitomi winced, scratching the back of her head. "Ah, actually… that's complicated."
"What do you mean?" Kyoka crossed her arms.
Hitomi shrugged with a sigh. "Eh… I don't want to put a label on what we have."
"…You have five seconds to explain what the fuck that means." Mina deadpanned.
Hitomi chuckled nervously, shrinking in her seat. "Ah, well… he's got this running joke about us, and about how exactly we always run into each other. It's kinda hard to explain our dynamic."
"Are you fucking serious?" Katsuki spoke up behind her, staring at her with something akin to disbelief, mixed with annoyance.
Hitomi shrugged again. "Yeah…? I don't talk about him much because we're not friends or anything. And the last time I saw him was back in middle school. I just kinda… know him."
"You just kinda know the Number-three Hero?" Katsuki's expression was purely annoyed now.
"Mm."
Ojirou closed his eyes and shook his head. "…No offense, but I think I actually hate you, Saito."
Hitomi smiled to herself. His scent said otherwise.
…
It was starting to get a little discouraging.
Katsuki and Shouto were back from their first day of their make-up exams, neither of them any worse-for-wear. And other than them, the only one in the class who was getting anything done— like getting their work studies secured —was now Izuku.
Despite the weight in her chest over her lack of prospects, Hitomi beamed upon hearing the news of his success once he returned to the dorms that evening.
"Congratulations!" She squealed, embracing him in a hug that lifted his feet clear off of the ground.
Izuku smiled sheepishly, now used to the borderline manhandling, and frequent touch. At some point he had stopped flushing and stuttering at the blatant affection, recognizing them as the reassuring and comforting gestures that they were.
"Yeah, congratulations Deku!" Ochako gave an oddly tense smile at their embrace.
"That's awesome!" Mina pumped a fist.
"Indeed. Well done, Midoriya."
"Thanks guys." He huffed, taking Tenya's offered hand when Hitomi finally put him down.
"Thank you. You're an example to us all." Their class rep praised— a far cry from his attitude shortly after the fight between Katsuki and Izuku.
"I dunno how the rest of us are supposed to compete, though." Denki lamented, arms crossed behind his head.
"Yeah, you'll be working at Sir Nighteye's agency. That's seriously amazing." Hanta added.
"And I hear Togata recommended you." Eijirou grinned.
"You must've really impressed him." Hitomi mused, her smile only going slightly dopey at the reminder of the upperclassmen.
"Um, yeah, I guess…" Izuku looked down, his scent conflictingly proud, and anxious.
"The distance between us just keeps getting wider. We've got to catch up, and soon." Shouto lowly observed, leaning against the wall by the glass door leading to the backyard.
"Feh." Katsuki huffed derisively next to him.
"I wish I had a place picked out. The school said Gunhead hasn't had enough interns, so his agency is a no-go." Ochako sighed, her chin in her hands.
"I know what you mean. I wanted to go to Selkie's, but that's out too." Tsuyu said, finger to her mouth.
Eijirou sagged over the back of the couch. "Yeah, so is Fourth Kind. He doesn't even accept students for work studies."
"The teachers sure aren't making it easy for us, are they?" Hanta sighed.
Hitomi whined softly, throwing herself onto a couch, letting her head fall into Tsuyu's lap. "I'm this close to calling it quits, and calling the last resort."
"Jeanist?" Katsuki stated more than asked.
"Jeanist."
"It's so weird seeing you hate someone. You even find Monoma tolerable." Mina commented.
Hitomi hummed thoughtfully. "Monoma's not so bad. His voice is nice, when it's not being sarcastic or bitter."
"When isn't it?"
"Let's see him gloat over us now, I doubt 1-B's doing much better than us right now. Thanks to all these requirements, a ton of agencies are ruled out right off the bat." Denki shook his head.
"We can't really blame them, the agencies. Unlike the internships, we'll be directly involved. So if anything were to go wrong, then…"
A tired voice piped up. "Then the Pros have to take responsibility for whatever happens."
Hitomi shot up, smiling over the back of the couch. "Mr. Aizawa!"
"Only Pros who're the real deal will take on rookies like you guys, knowing the risks involved." Their teacher pressed on as he approached, not acknowledging her cheer. "Tokoyami, looks like you've got an offer from one of them. Hawks had invited you to work with him in Kyushu."
"No way!" Denki gawked.
"Dude, the Number-three Hero wants you to work under him?!"
"That's awesome!"
"That's great! He's a huge pain." Hitomi chirped, her tone contradicting her second statement.
"Well, what do you say?" Mr. Aizawa prompted.
Tokoyami offered Hitomi a considerate glance, before nodding once at their teacher. "I respectfully accept."
"Alright then. I'll make sure you get the relevant paperwork later. Just let me know when you're expected in Kyushu, I can sign off on your absences."
"Congrats Tokoyami. You psyched?" Mezou asked through his hand.
"I am grateful, of course."
"We've really gotta catch up." Shouto sighed deeply.
Katsuki twitched. "Would you stop saying that?!"
Mr. Aizawa moved on, turning to the group around the couches. "Also, Kirishima, Saito. Apparently Amajiki from the Big Three wants to talk to you two about something."
Hitomi and Eijirou both blinked, pointing at themselves. "Me?"
"Uraraka and Asui, you've got your own Big Three summons from Hado. You can track 'em down sometime tomorrow or whatever. That's all for now." Mr. Aizawa very anticlimactically finished, walking out.
"Amajiki? That's crazy. I wonder what he wants with us?" Eijirou looked at Hitomi curiously.
She perked up, shooting to her feet and rounding on him with a shining smile.
"Oh my god— I'm such an idiot!"
"We know, but go on." Denki teased lightly.
Her tail blurred behind her. "His Quirk— Amajiki's! It's a lot like my mom's!"
"She could shapeshift parts of herself into animal versions, right?" Izuku clarified.
"Mm! I remember seeing him during the sports festival before ours, he stuck out to me because of how similar it is to hers. Maybe he's interning with a Hero that specializes in body-modification Quirks!"
Eijirou grinned excitedly. "Hey, you might be onto something!"
Suddenly, she slumped. "Ugh! If only I'd already been training with these!" She splayed and closed her hands— shifting them to paws. "Maybe I can ask him about helping me learn how to best control them…"
"It's kinda shocking you didn't know you could do it. How'd you never do a minor transition before?" Mina asked not unkindly.
Hitomi opened her mouth, but someone else spoke first.
"She did." Shouto plainly stated.
Hitomi blinked. "Eh?"
Shouto vaguely gestured to his mouth. "When you get worked up, your fangs extend."
Hitomi stared blankly at him, experimentally baring her teeth the way she always did when entering a fight. And she felt the familiar pull, as her canines grew longer.
And just like that, she felt like the biggest idiot in the world.
"…Son of a bitch!"
Hanta gasped, scandalized.
Katsuki gave Shouto an irritated side-eye. "And how the hell did you notice something like that?"
Shouto stared at him blankly. "How could I not?"
Katsuki bristled.
"Wait, so you think Hado and Amajiki want to see us about the work study program?" Tsuyu spoke up.
"That'd be too good to be true, right?!" Ochako's eyes lit up.
"We have to wait until tomorrow?" Eijirou groaned, then stood straighter. "Nope! I'm going over to the third years' dorm right now! Let's go, Hitomi!"
"Yeah!" Hitomi grabbed his wrist, taking off in a sprint and pulling him along.
"I don't think I can wait either. Let's go with them." Tsuyu suggested before Hitomi dragged Eijirou out the front door.
"Right!" Ochako leapt to her feet, her and Tsuyu following after them.
…
(He-she-me-WUMBO Groupchat)
(Red Riot! has entered the chat)
Red Riot!: GUESS WHO'S GOT A WORK STUDY
(Alien-Queen! has entered the chat)
Alien-Queen!: YOOOO
(Sticky has entered the chat)
(Charge-Bolt has entered the chat)
Sticky: NO EFFING WAY
Charge-Bolt: BRO
Alien-Queen!: PLZ TELL ME HITOMIS IN 2!
(Ōka-waii-mi has entered the chat)
Ōka-waii-mi: (/◕ヮ◕)/ yeppers!
Alien-Queen!: WOOOO
Charge-Bolt: GET IT GURL
(King-Exploson-Murder has entered the chat)
King-Exploson-Murder: If someone changes the chat name one more fucking time I swear to fucking god.
Charge-Bolt: KACHAN READ THE DAM THREAD
King-Explosion-Murder: I read it shithead.
Alien-Queen!: we should put a profanity filter on here
Sticky: do you WANT bakugou to leave?
Charge-Bolt: wut agency does amajiki work with?
Red Riot!: Fat Gum!
Alien-Queen!: OMG I LOVE HIM HES SO CUTE
Ōka-waii-mi: I don't have to go crawling back to Jeanist! ヽ(^。^)ノ
(Charge-Bolt changed groupchat name to: #BestJeanistisoverparty)
Ōka-waii-mi: HA
King-Explosion-Murder: I fucking warned you.
(King-Exploson-Murder has left the chat)
Charge-Bolt: oh god
Sticky: RUN
Red Riot!: you're dead for sure lol
Alien-Queen!: i can hear him stomping down the hall lmao
Ōka-waii-mi: i can smell his bloodlust from here ( ﾟ Дﾟ)
Charge-Bolt: IM BARACKADING THE DOOR
Sticky: that's not how you spell barricade
Ōka-waii-mi: that's not how you spell I'm
Alien-Queen!: the man's about to die, let him be illiterate
Ōka-waii-mi: maybe Eijirou should talk him down
Red Riot!: why me?
Ōka-waii-mi: becuz i smell smoke and i scawed (._.)
Red Riot!: but you're better at calming him down!
Ōka-waii-mi: (・_・;) scusa non capisco la tua lingua
(Ōka-waii-mi has left the chat)
Alien-Queen!: omg
Red Riot!: HITOMI
Sticky: hang on, lemme look something up
Sticky: ok yeah, that was funny
Charge-Bolt: HES GONNA RIP THE DOOR OFF THE FUCKING KINGES
Alien-Queen!: lol "kinges"
Sticky: kinges
Red Riot!: kinges
Charge-Bolt: GUYS
Red Riot!: ok ok
(Red Riot! has left the chat)