Disclaimer: I do not own My Hero Academia. I might own some OCS though.
Minoru hadn't expected to wake up in the Nurses' office of U.A. As he pushed himself up, Recovery Girl poked her head over. "Well now, sonny. You're awake."
"Uh…" He winced when he felt a phantom stab of pain from his scalp. He clutched his hand to his head. "So… I lost?"
"Mm." Recovery Girl nodded. "Seems you pushed yourself too hard and collapsed after removing yourself from Hatsume's chest-"
His eyes widened. He remembered – the soft, supple bosom under his hand – how it had been better than he could have imagined, and he had a very active imagination for these kinds of things. He groaned.
Great! First time I touch a girl's boobs and it's in the middle of the Sports Festival! And OF COURSE I pass out from touching them! What the hell, God?!
He sat there in agonised self reflection, only to start when the door slammed open. In stomped Bakugou, the truly terrifying explosive boy leading Midoriya in. Minoru shrank back a bit before steeling himself. He was different than he was before – he touched a girl's boobs!
…Wow, I have low standards for self esteem.
Recovery Girl glared at him and Midoriya. "And I suppose the pair of you need to be healed?"
Rather than bark out an order, Bakugou bowed. "Yes, Recovery Girl. Me and Deku got a bit rough in our fight."
Minoru looked over the pair of them. One of Bakugou's hands had a large bite mark in it, and the other was held close to his body. Midoriya was covered in dirt and scuff marks, and was holding his ribs with a wince.
The green haired boy smiled at Minoru. "Hello, Mineta! You had a pretty good performance out there! You were reasonably close to getting Mei."
Oh, he used her first name.
…Oh. Better clear this up.
Minoru nodded frantically. "T-That was an accident! I-I really didn't mean to!"
While Midoriya nodded in understanding, Recovery Girl shook her head with a long-suffering sigh. "Honestly. The pair of you need to learn to hold back! You, especially," she pointed her cane at Bakugou, who backed up- slightly, "have sent both yourself and your opponent to see me!"
Bakugou awkwardly looked away as she rapped him on the knee, guiding him and Midoriya over to a bench. "Honestly, what is All Might teaching you?
Looking at the fierce scowl the much shorter woman wore on her face, Minoru decided that it was time to get out of here. He managed to hop out of bed, carefully inching to the door. "Uh… I feel okay now. Can I-?"
"You should be fine – though you should still have a gummy." As he took one, she gave him a careful look. "However, you passed out from Quirk exhaustion. Don't pull off any of those balls for at least a day or so to let your scalp recover."
Nodding in understanding, he chewed the gummy he was given. He strode back to the bleachers, frustrated. "I lost because I touched a girl's boobs accidentally? What is wrong with me?!"
"Well, it's better than doing it deliberately."
Minoru jumped as Midnight met him in the corridor. "A-ah Midnight sensei-"
A serious look crossed her face. "While I am in favour of… youthful vigour, deliberately molesting a fellow student-"
"I-I wouldn't do that!" And he wouldn't – maybe before he'd failed, he would do something like that, but it sort of felt weird thinking about doing it deliberately. He wasn't insane.
Midnight gave him a wide smile. "I know." Her smile faded. "While Cementoss is rebuilding the arena again, I do have to ask – are you okay? You've been on edge the last two weeks."
Minoru stared down at himself. "I… I've been trying to do a… challenge. It's the wrong month for it, but I'm determined to do it, even when everything's tempting!"
She blinked. "What kind of-" Her eyes widened. "Ah."
He shuffled awkwardly. Midnight gave him a look, before shaking her head. "I'm guessing that's why you collapsed after touching Hatsume's chest."
The thought of that action drove him to do a pushup. "Ah-"
She squatted down so that she could make eye contact, a gentle smile on her face. "That level of dedication is incredible, Mineta. However, it's clearly had an adverse effect on your physical and mental well-being."
Minoru paused. "But-"
Midnight patted him on the shoulder. "Going cold turkey is hard, Mineta. My best advice is to moderate yourself on this… issue. Don't cut it out entirely, just do it less."
With one last pat on the shoulder, she left for the stage, leaving Minoru standing in the corridor. A blush crossed his cheeks as her words rang through his ears. "Midnight sensei touched me…"
Minoru shook himself. He'd better see what kind of insanity was going to occur on stage - he'd missed the last match in the Nurses' office.
Izuku rubbed his arm where Recovery Girl had kissed him. "Thank you, Recovery Girl!"
Next to him, Kacchan bowed politely to Recovery Girl, flexing his fingers. His scowl had nearly completely left his face. "Thanks."
Izuku gaped at how politely Kacchan was acting. He didn't even say thank you to his own mother!
Recovery Girl sighed. "Here, you'll need some candy." As Izuku and Kacchan took their sweet treats, she gave Kacchan a stern look. "Try not to injure yourself in your next match, Bakugo."
Kacchan shrugged, walking out. Izuku left hastily, before turning around. "Ah, you must get asked this all the time, but could I please have an autograph?"
She smiled warmly. "Certainly, sonny!" Pulling a small pad of paper out of her jacket, she gave it a squiggle and then a small kiss mark, handing it over. "But only because you're a polite young man who hasn't hospitalised his opponents."
Izuku smiled. "T-thank you! This is a great honour! Oh, this is going to be a family heirloom!"
He hopped out, meeting back up with Kacchan. "S-sorry about the bite. I-I got carried away."
Fighting with Kacchan… it had reaffirmed his beliefs. After all, he knew that Kacchan could be the next Number One Hero, and this had just proven it! Just when he'd thought that he would go to the finals, Kacchan had been there to knock him off stage!
Izuku would never doubt Kacchan again.
Kacchan scoffed. "Not bad, nerd." They walked in silence, Kacchan pausing. "…Deku… I…" he shook his head. "When we were four and I said you couldn't be a Hero and you said you could be… well, you were right and I was… less right."
Izuku blinked. "Uh… okay?"
Hopefully
His best friend huffed, before stomping off to his preparation room. "When I graduate, I want you to make my support gear," he barked. "I don't want any Extra's shit."
Izuku's eyes filled with tears. Kacchan only wanted his stuff! It was like the deep relationship between All Might and David Shield that they had shared in college! Even though they never made it past second base, it was still beautiful! "I-I will, Kacchan!"
As he left, a thought struck him. While he had shown off nearly everything, there had been one item he hadn't had the chance to demonstrate…
He jogged over to Mei's preparation room. It was all approved anyway, so he just had to hand it over before the match started.
Present Mic cracked his knuckles. "Eesh, Cementoss had to redo the ring again. Bakugou certainly likes his explosions."
"Midoriya's done a fair share of damage as well," Eraserhead commented, staring down at Cementoss as he poured cement over the cracks with a frustrated expression on the blocky Hero's face.
Power Loader sighed. "Well, here comes the final. Just in case, Eraserhead… Do you have the medical bots on standby?"
"You're worried about your student's safety?"
"In a sort of way, yes."
Present Mic shook his head, before grinning widely at the audience. "OKAY, EVERYBODY! PUT YOUR HANDS IN THE AIR AS IT'S THE FINAL MATCH! COMING ON STAGE NOW, HE'S RUDE, HE'S CRUDE AND HE'S ONE MEAN DUDE! HE'S BULLDOZED THE COMPETITION SO FAR! THIS IS HIS LAST MATCH TO PROVE THAT ATHLETE'S OATH TRUE!"
He waved a hand at Bakugou as he strode on stage. "GIVE IT UP FOR BAKUGOU KATSUKI!"
The crowd cheered loudly, if only because they were asked to. Present Mic couldn't really blame them – Bakugou had good grades yet had an abhorrent personality. "AND COMING ON STAGE NOW… INTRODUCING THE PINK HAIRED DEMON SALESWOMAN OF 1-F! SHE CAN SPOT A POTENTIAL SPONSOR FROM ABOUT THREE KILOMETRES AWAY, AND SHE'S COVERED IN INGENIOUS SUPPORT GEAR… GIVE IT UP FOR HATSUME MEI!"
The girl clambered on stage, the vaguely insect-like movements of her mechanical arms setting his teeth on edge. "Oh, God, those arms are horrifying," he whined to Eraserhead. He then squinted at Hatsume. "Huh, that's a new piece of gear on her back."
Indeed, Hatsume was carrying something new. Its white metal body shone in the sunlight. It looked like a sci-fi laser rifle built on a grander scale, blue LEDs tracing along its length. Hopefully it wasn't that bad an invention-
Power Loader stared at what Hatsume had on her back, then collapsed in a dead faint. Present Mic suddenly had a really bad feeling about the coming match.
Katsuki glared at his opponent as her mechanical arms carried her on stage. The pink haired girl stared back at him with a manic smile on her face, a smile he had seen too many times on Deku's face to truly be comfortable with. "You ready to die, Dreadlocks?"
Dreadlocks crossed her arms as those mechanical limbs lifted her slightly above him, the smirk never leaving her face. "Hell no! Not while I still have Babies to sell!"
Midnight's whip cracked and the fight was on!
Katsuki blasted forwards, intent on finishing her off. A tentacle lashed out but he was ready for it, since he had managed to recover his energy from the healing while Cementoss was fixing the arena thanks to Recovery Girl's special vitamin gummies. He charged up his sweat, and her eyes widened as he hit her in the face with a powerful explosion.
He grinned, flexing his palms slightly as a massive smoke cloud came from where he had unleashed a mighty attack. "How about-"
An arm lashed out at him, catching him on the jaw. He stumbled back, having barely managed to roll with the blow. Dreadlocks emerged, battered and dirty but still standing. Mostly because he wasn't going to kill his opponent (at least not literally – figuratively she was going to end up six feet under) but still.
Maybe Dreadlocks was worth keeping an eye on.
Mei grinned at Bakugou, a slight edge of wrath in her smile. Sure, Bakugou was apparently Izuku's oldest friend, and she could respect that. But seeing her favourite minion beaten up by Bakugou had set her on edge before this fight had started. It was almost like the feeling she got when somebody deliberately damaged her Babies!
"Nitro-glycerine? Now that's a classic explosion! But I've had better!"
Bakugou's face twisted into disbelief. "The fuck do you mean, 'better'?"
She cackled. "Please! Izuku and I blow up the lab practically every day! I've been hit with so many explosions I barely even feel them!"
"Future applicants to the Support course, do not follow in her example. Please?"
His hands popped with explosions. "You and Deku are actually insane, aren't you? But since you're asking for it…"
Bakugou lunged forwards, and Mei winced when she felt the heat of his next blast connect, her mechanical arms barely blocking the worst of it, Still, her laser blasters fired up, and he was forced to back off as they scorched the concrete. "What was that weak shit?"
Mei pulled her other Baby off her back - Izuku had passed it to her to test drive. She didn't get why Power Loader had only approved it for Izuku's use, but since it was something she'd worked on part time…
"Speaking of Izuku, this is a collaborative baby that me and my minions worked on!" Mei grinned as it powered up with an ominous hum. "Izuku helped with the power function, Mayumi made it more stable and I came up with the core idea! This is the High Velocity Plasma Cannon!"
Bakugou barely twisted out of the way as a blast of blue light crackled past him, hitting the stage in a powerful explosion. She cackled at seeing their Baby leave a smoking crater. Off to the side, Cementoss slapped a palm to his face.
Present Mic didn't sound as enthusiastic about this brilliant invention though. "Okay Power Loader, what the hell."
"I approved Sayuu and Midoriya to use that invention, not Hatsume. Unfortunately, since she worked on it, she is technically allowed to have it."
Mei smirked at Bakugou as he stared at the crater. "You like that, huh?!"
He glared at her. "Fuck no! I can do way better than that weak shit!"
"Come on, Number One! I want to see your best!"
He snarled. "OH, YOU BETTER KNOW WHAT YOU'RE GETTING INTO, DREADLOCKS! I'M GONNA BLOW MY LOAD ALL OVER YOU!" His angry red eyes bored into hers. "IF I'M NOT FACING YOUR BEST SHIT, THEN IT ISN'T A VICTORY!" !
"Hell yeah, Number One! I'll show you mine if you show me yours!"
"Uh… oh shit, Power Loader's collapsed! Shota, you mind getting him-?"
Midnight made a choking sound for some reason. Bakugou's eyes turned into wrath-filled slits. A demonic smile crossed his face. "Fine! I'm gonna explode all over your fucking face!"
Mayumi stared at Mei and Bakugou as they fought. A horrifying train of thought crashed through her mind.
Mei loves explosions almost as much as making new Babies. Bakugou's Quirk lets him make explosions. They both have titanic egos, they believe that they're the best thing in the universe… and they have the skills to back it up.
What if… no. They wouldn't be interested in that! But if they were…
Images flashed across her mind at what could happen. With the horrifying thought playing across her mind's eye, Mayumi's eyes rolled up in her head and she fainted. The thought of Mei and Bakugou dating was too much. To say nothing of their children…
—
Melissa blinked, looking over at Ashido with a raised eyebrow as Bakugou charged forwards, explosions gathering in his palms as he tried to smack Hatsume. "So… Do you think they know what they sound like?"
The pink girl shook her head, then sighed. "I'm gonna have to update my shipping charts after this…"
Melissa blinked as Hatsume unleashed a bigger explosion from that plasma cannon of hers, which Melissa was itching to pull apart to see how it worked. "Do you have shipping charts about our classmates?"
Next to her, Shinsou gave a tired sigh. "Sure does. I've seen most of them-"
A tearing sound came from the ring. Melissa looked over, then gawked. She really hadn't expected that, and obviously neither had Present MIc.
"WHOA! SOMEBODY SHOULD CENSOR THE TV, BECAUSE BAKUGOU'S GOING TOPLESS!"
"Hizashi, our students are doing their level best to kill each other and you're making tasteless jokes about it."
Bakugou had indeed just torn his shirt off his body, exposing his abs to the world. Melissa flushed red in second hand embarrassment while around her the rest of the class reacted with blushes, congratulatory shouts, or in the case of Kirishima both.
He gripped the shredded remains of his shirt in his mouth, and Melissa blinked. Why had he…
Ashido drank it in, grinning. "Oh, I forgot Bakugou was cut."
—
Katsuki twisted into the air. He had been saving this move to smack Half-and-Half with, but against Hatsume… He had been challenged. Sure, Hatsume may have had guts… but he was going to crush her utterly and completely.
He spun through the air, scraps of shirt in his mouth. His sweatbands had stored a fair amount of sweat over the las two fights… but his shirt had been marinating in sweat since the start.
Below him, Hatsume pulled that damn gun of hers up, twisting a dial. In the crowd, he heard Izuku scream.
"MEI NO! NOT TO FIFTY!"
"CEMENTOSS, MIDNIGHT! THEY'RE GOING TO KILL EACH OTHER!" The Hobo Teacher screamed, Midnight and Cementoss starting to spring into action.
Hatsume cackled as her gun started to spark, blue light building ominously in the barrel. Katsuki barely kept his eyes open in the face of the oppressive G-forces his new technique generated.
"HOWITZER…" he managed to growl out through his shirt.
As his palms swung down, the shirt fell from his mouth, just in time for the sweatbands to hit his palms. Hatsume pulled the trigger.
Thick cement walls sprung between them. They might as well have been made of paper.
"IMPACT!"
The world turned white as one unstable explosion met another.
—
Death Arms stared up at the stadium, mouth agape. Next to him, Mount Lady and Kamui Woods wore similar expressions. "What the hell are they teaching those kids?" Death Arms muttered.
Above the stadium, a gigantic mushroom cloud blossomed. While Bakugou's attitude was the only nuclear thing about him, the group thought that Hatsume seemed the type to do something like that.
Present Mic managed to comment on it. "Now we are all sons of bitches."
"Really?"
"Come on, what better time than now to use that quote?"
"Almost wish we were chasing Mastermind, huh?" Mount Lady opined. She then gasped. "Hopefully they're still alive after that."
Kamui Woods and Death Arms nodded stoically. "Indeed."
"Yeah, I have money riding on Hatsume - I'm joking, I'm joking!" Mount Lady hastily added, seeing her friends give her disgusted looks.
Eventually the dust settled. Present Mic shook his head, trying to clear the ringing in his ears with his mouth still gaping. Thankfully, upon seeing Hatsume and Bakugou going all out, a few Heroes in the audience had the foresight to set up Barrier Quirks to stop debris from hitting civilians, other Heroes working to mitigate damage. Power Loader and Eraserhead were similarly shocked. "Uh…"
He scanned the field, and his eyes widened.
Bakugou and Hatsume were on opposite sides of the central arena, the ring wrecked. They were bruised, battered and covered in dirt and scrapes. Hatsume's mechanical arms had been scrapped along with that horrible weapon, and Bakugou looked like he could barely stand. But crucially…
"W-WHAT A TURNAROUND! HATSUME MEI AND BAKUGOU KATSUKI ARE BOTH RINGED OUT!"
Both of their faces twisted in disbelief. They tried to move, only to collapse. "Ow…" Hatsume groaned. "Alright… that one was eleven out of ten…"
"Fucking… told you… I'm the best…"
Present Mic shook his head. "W-WELL, COMPETITORS, THANKS TO THE MIRACLES OF TECHNOLOGY, WE CAN DETERMINE WHICH OF YOU GOT KNOCKED OUT FIRST! NEDZU HAS A BUNCH OF SENSORS BUILT INTO THIS ARENA, SO WE'RE GONNA CHECK THE RESULTS OF THESE SPECIAL CAMERAS!"
On the stage screen, a replay was set up. Flickering through different filters, it hit on a camera mode that tracked Hatsume and Bakugou as the attack launched them… and they then hit the ground at the same time.
Present Mic's eyebrow twitched. "Uh… OKAY, SO MAYBE THE EYE IS DECEIVED, BUT MAYBE THE PRESSURE SENSORS WILL TELL US-"
Power Loader held up a finger. "Already checked those. And… Well, it's a weird coincidence, but they hit the ground at the same time."
"Seriously?"
"Down to the microsecond."
Present Mic stared at the taciturn teacher before sighing. "Well, that's… uh…"
Midnight had, fortunately, been relatively protected from the blast thanks to pre-emptive earplugs and a Cementoss barrier. She levelled a stare at the pair of them as they lay on the ground, panting. "Do you have any way to resolve this matter that isn't going to level the stadium?"
When neither participant answered she sighed. "While I am a fan of the springtime of youth, there is a limit. Congratulations, you're joint winners."
Bakugou and Hatsume stared at her. Their sentiment was echoed by a variety of audience members. "WHAT?!"
—
Off stage, Kayama rubbed her eyes as Hatsume and Bakugou glared at her in the preparation room. "I know this is unorthodox-"
"FUCK THIS! I AIN'T TAKING HOME A PRIZE LIKE THIS! WHAT THE FUCK?!"
"I agree with Bakugou! My super cute Babies deserve better than a fake win like this!"
She sighed. "Then do you agree to a nonviolent way of settling this dispute?"
Hatsume and Bakugou glared at each other and shook their heads. Kayama sighed, glaring at the pair of them. "Look, either you take this compromise and get something out of this, or you can whine and complain like a pair of spoiled toddlers and get disqualified - and yes, that is something I can do if I feel your conduct is unbefitting of this institution. Which is it going to be?"
A vague stab of guilt went through Kayama's heart. Maybe she was being too harsh on them. Then again, she had been at practically ground zero of an explosion so powerful it was probably visible from outer space, sue her for not wanting to take their egotistic crap. Her life had flashed before her eyes at that point.
They exchanged glances, then looked at her face which said she was, indeed, deadly serious. Bakugou's eye twitched, but he glared at the ground. "Fine," he ground out. Hatsume followed suit a second later.
Kayama beamed. "Great! Now, Bakugou, your youthful physique is quite distracting, so put on a shirt so you don't make housewives thirsty."
—
All Might cracked his neck in preparation. After seeing the exact details, Nedzu had laughed so hard he'd rolled around on the floor, before approving it on the grounds that, "It'll inspire both of them to new heights!"
Midnight, now much cleaned up and recovered, waved to the crowd. "Now then! It's time to present the medals! And handing them out… You all know him, you all love him!"
He jumped down from the lip of the stadium. "I AM HERE… WITH THE MEDALS!" He shouted, as Midnight announced, "It's the Number One Hero, All Might!"
All Might gave Midnight a pointed look, to which she sheepishly apologised.
He managed to place his trademark smile on his face before checking the podiums. In third place, Melissa gave him a determined grin. "I guess I made it here after all, Uncle Might. I-I showed the world that I'm here."
All Might pulled her in for a hug. "Yes, and I have never been prouder," he whispered, before placing the medal around her neck. "Congratulations, Melissa! Next year, you may go even further!"
Shinsou Hitoshi looked down as he placed the medal around his shoulders. "Was not expecting this…" he managed.
All Might gave him a congratulatory hug. "Well, these things happen every now and then, young Shinsou! You had an exceptional performance today - you have a strong Quirk and solid fundamentals in combat! But in the future, you will "
Shinsou tried to play it cool while he went to the next stage. He had to crouch down to place the medal around Mineta's neck. "Congratulations, young Mineta! You've made it to second place!"
Mineta stared down at himself. "...I-I lost in such a dumb way though-"
This time, All Might gave him a full hug. "A strong Quirk and body took you this far, you just need to work on refining it! Especially since your performance impressed the review team so well!"
"Huh?"
"You've earned a spot on the Hero course, Young Mineta. Seize the opportunity." He patted Mineta on the back as he went to Midoriya. The young man seemed rooted to the spot, barely standing upright.
All Might frowned. "Are you alright?"
Midoriya blinked like a deer in the headlights. "I-I'm fine! I just… I didn't think I'd be here on this stage at all!"
"Nonsense, young Midoriya! Your genius and fighting ability is undeniable! Here's your well-earned medal!"
He hooked it around Midoriya's shoulders. The young man blinked, tears gathering in his eyes and threatening to cause another flood. "T-thank you! I'll treasure it forever!"
All Might hugged Midoriya, letting his pride pour through. As a formerly Quirkless man, seeing Midoriya make it so far in this festival made him happy. All Might couldn't blame Midoriya for not believing he was here.
"His armpit smells like hopes and dreams," Midoriya whispered to Mineta. The much shorter young man could only nod dumbly.
Hatsume was waving to the crowd cheerfully, while Bakugou had resigned himself to scowling furiously. All Might approached the explosive young man. "Congratulations! You lived up to your promise-"
"This ain't victory, All Might." He started at the calm yet angry look on Bakugou's face. The young man stared at him, emotions warring on his face. "This isn't how I wanted to win!"
A stab of pain came from his side. All Might sighed. "Sometimes, young Bakugou, you have to accept any kind of victory over defeat." He hooked the medal around Bakugou's shoulders, the young man angry yet not throwing it off. "Still, you fought well today, take heart in that."
Bakugou looked away, the anger draining from his face. All Might gave him a congratulatory hug, Bakugou looking away with repressed awe.
Hatsume grinned at him as he approached. "How did you like the Babies I displayed in this tournament? I have some designs for gear that would suit you-"
"Uh… I'm not in the market for new Support gear. But your performance and inventions were amazing! If you wanted, you could enter the Support Hero track-"
Hatsume blinked, then paused. "Yes… I could do that… I could take the fight to Mastermind directly!"
All Might paused, draping the medal loosely around her neck. "Uh-"
She cackled. "A-HAHAHA! YES! GET READY, MASTERMIND, FOR I'M GOING TO BEAT YOU AND YOUR AMAZING BABIES INTO THE GROUND!"
Midoriya and the others stared at her with huge eyes, Bakugou inching away slightly. All Might shrugged, not sure where to go as she cackled. Eventually he settled on his most powerful hug, which left Hatsume reeling, still trying to laugh.
He turned to the rest of the students and the stadium. "Well, these are your winners! But don't forget that anybody in this tournament could have stood on these illustrious platforms!"
—
In the bar, Shigaraki idly stroked Mon, a special glove on his hand to prevent disintegration.
"Competition! Encouragement! Pushing each other to climb higher and higher!"
He leered. "Oh yes… seeing that shit on display, I have to admit, I want to get stronger… We need better minions, don't we Mon-chan?"
Mon barked affirmatively. Shigaraki stroked him more, eyes glaring daggers at All Might's stupid smug face. "Just you wait, All Might… once I eliminate Mastermind, you're next."
—
"The sprouts of today will grow into the Heroes of tomorrow!"
Stitch grumbled as he heard All Might speak. "Damn All Might… he really is as charismatic in person as he is on TV."
On the other side of the screen, Inkblot watched with concern. "Can you help him?"
Stitch paused. "You dragged Ingenium here and expected me to help him with a fraction of the resources I'd have when I was a professional surgeon? I've dealt with worse."
Inkblot looked down. "But what about-"
He held up a glowing finger. "Shut up, working."
On the table, Ingenium rested, Stitch working his magic to ensure that he would survive. At least Mr. Compress' marble had kept him stable enough so that he could work. A backup canister of Bushijima's gas had done the work of an anaesthetic.
Unfortunately, Double had not been so lucky.
—
"So in that spirit, let's have one final cheer!"
Izuku couldn't help but smile. Seeing All Might close-up like this… so cool! And All Might had hugged him! Nothing could ruin his day!
"Everyone, say it with me!"
The crowd roared, "PLUS ULTRA!"
All Might yelled, "Thanks for the hard work!"
While the crowd lambasted All Might for not going with his practically trademarked catchphrase, Izuku's 'work' phone buzzed.
—
A couple of hours later Gentle Criminal was the first to see Izuku as he burst into the room. He quickly ran over to Gentle, eyes wild. "Gentle, what happened?!"
Gentle looked down. "Well… we encountered the Hero Killer-"
"In Hosu?! Why was he in Hosu?!"
La Brava hopped down. "W-we hadn't expected him there! And… well, he was trying to kill Ingenium-"
"Is Ingenium alright?"
Stitch looked up. "He's stable."
"Dead is stable."
"Listen, Izuku." Stitch pulled off his gloves. "Ingenium was badly injured before Mastermind encountered him. Stain's final attack… If that blade went a couple of centimetres deeper, he wouldn't be able to walk."
Izuku stared at Stitch, before taking a deep breath. "...And my Double?"
Stitch looked away. "...Sword went through a gap in the armour and impaled him to get to Ingenium. Double's breaking down. He's holding on through sheer willpower, but he doesn't have long."
Izuku sucked in a deep breath. He then turned to Gentle Criminal and La Brava. "How is Bushijima?"
"He's unharmed." Gentle looked at Izuku with a concerned expression. "Are you going to be okay?"
Izuku took a deep breath. "I'm going to talk with myself for a while."
—
It was a pretty nice view they had in the garden. Izuku looked across at his Double. "So, how are you feeling?"
In answer, Double held up a hand. Part of it dripped onto the ground in the same grey sludge he had started as. "It doesn't hurt, at least." He paused. "Well, not the melting. This stab wound hurts like hell. It's freezing cold and burning hot at the same time, which is… interesting."
Izuku wasn't sure what to say about that. He settled on, "I'm sorry."
Double managed a pained smile. "Please, don't be. We… We both knew this was going to happen eventually. At least it didn't happen at U.A. Speaking of…" he managed a pained smile, "what happened to the plan? Why did you make it all the way to the finals?!"
"W-well, Kacchan wanted me on his team so I-I couldn't sandbag, and then I accidentally took out Todoroki and Melissa-"
Double chuckled. "I fought the Hero Killer, you got second place… We both screwed up our plans, didn't we?"
He doubled over, trying to hold back but failing. Izuku pouted, but then a spurt of laughter came from his mouth. Soon, they were both laughing hysterically, tears pouring down their faces at how spectacularly wrong everything had gone.
Eventually, they managed to breathe, sighing and gasping for air. Then Double's hand finished collapsing, and Izuku winced.
"I-maybe I can do something to save you-"
Double shook his head. "Once a Double loses structural integrity, it's only a matter of time until it… it collapses." He paused. "It's fine," he said in a tone that said it was clearly not fine.
Izuku stared at his hands. "…Did you give yourself a name? I should have asked at the start of the mission."
"Yeah. I didn't have a name at the start of the mission, but I found a good one. I decided to call myself Shinji."
"Shinji?" Izuku mulled it over. "…That's not a very good name."
Shinji pouted, a piece of flesh dripping down his face. "It's mine, though."
Izuku chuckled, before bowing his head. "True enough, Shinji. Yours and yours alone."
For a little bit, they sat together as he decomposed. Shinji sighed. "…I…I know that it would give the game away. But..."Shinji stared at Izuku desperately, a smear of his body getting on Izuku's T-shirt. "I… I want to be with Mum! I-I want her to hold me and tell me it's going to be alright!"
He looked down. "I'm scared…"
Silently, Izuku pulled out his phone, and scrolled to a picture of Inko, laughing with Izuku as they ran through the park. Shinji held onto it with a desperate longing, until his other hand dissolved, Izuku managing to catch it. "T-thank you."
"Not a problem, Shinji."
Shinji teared up, eyes locked on the image of their mother as flesh dripped off him. "…Will you stay with me? Until I…"
Izuku didn't say anything, simply nodding. They sat, watching the sunset as it dipped over the horizon.
"...I never had a brother before, Shinji. So… thank you. For being my brother."
Shinji took a shuddering breath. "N-not a problem."
He closed his eyes, and his body collapsed into mush. Izuku stared blankly at the sunset for a few more moments. Then he stood up, pulling out a small container.
Mechanically, Izuku scraped the sludge that had once been Shinji into the vessel, sealing it shut. Then, shuddering, a torrential flood of tears poured from him, swamping the garden in grief.
Wading through the tears, Inkblot was the first to hug Izuku as he shuddered, no tears left in his body yet the demand was there. The rest of the League soon followed.
…
The urn containing Midoriya Shinji was interred at the lab space I built at Gentle Criminal's house. I couldn't think of a better way to honour his memory.
While the heist was a success… we lost one of our own.
He may have been me to start. But Shinji had his own experiences, different from mine. He was his own person.
In the end I had to go back to my mum and Kacchan and pretend that nothing was wrong. I'm good at that, apparently. Against all odds, I had placed second in the Sports Festival.
… It was only my vehement disinterest that prevented me from being offered a Support Hero track. Still, at least U.A was happy to support me wherever I went in life!
But we still had Ingenium at our base, recovering. Mastermind would make a move soon… but right now I had other things to worry about.
AN: The tournament has finished, but at what cost?
I actually teared up over the last scene with Shinji. But it was going to happen sooner or later. It's going to take a while for Izuku to recover, but he is good at hiding his true intentions. Please comment and help me make it better.
Next time… Internships and Hero Names!