Chapter 94: A Dream of Peace

"Did you see Lemillion on the news?" Mina asked excitedly.

Tsuyu nodded. "He took down those three Tartarus escapees all by himself, ribbit."

"I wonder where those guys get sent?" Sero wondered aloud. He was sitting on top of his desk in the center of the classroom, and kicking his legs. One of them brushed Jiro, and she swiped at him with an earphone jack.

"What do you mean?" Doko asked.

"I mean, the new prison isn't done yet. A lot of the captured are being rehabilitated here, but surely a lot of those thugs don't really need it…"

"Well, you never know. Even thugs can have hearts of gold," said Himiko Toga softly.

Sero sucked in his lips and looked at her with wide eyes. "Sorry, Toga! I didn't mean to-"

Himiko laughed. "It's fine, it's fine. I bet the scum Lemillion took out really were just crooks. I would have loved to cut 'em myself."

Shinso sighed. "But they're keeping us all on a tight leash. You and me most of all."

"And me!" Kaminari put in. He was sitting in his old seat that he'd occupied during the first few months of Class A's time together. "Trust me, even guys like that deserve better conditions than Tartarus. Having, you know, experienced Tartarus firsthand and everything."

Jiro rolled her eyes. "Here he goes again." Momo giggled.

"Well, the new prison is almost complete," said Doko. "And it's more of a rehab facility, anyway."

"One of the wings is already done," Shoto put in. "I toured it last week."

"Huh?" Kirishima and Sero both looked at him, astonished. "How did you manage that, you crazy rich boy?!"

"Endea…my father, is one of the main investors in the construction. Or donors, I guess you could say. I don't think he's used to that word yet."

"Man, Endeavor's been doing all kinds of stuff like that lately," Kirishima commented. "He's turning out to be a weirder number one hero than I thought. You'd think the top guy would be out on the streets, but he's really stepped back. All we see on the news is stuff about our Big Three."

"Not that Midoriya minds, of course." Mina grinned mischievously at the green-haired boy across the room.

Midoriya rolled his eyes. "I see way more of Nejire than those exploitative camera angles could ever hope to get."

"God DAMN, Izuku!" Bakugo cackled from in front of him, as the rest of the class whistled. "You didn't need to snap back that hard!"

"When it comes to Mina, yes he does," Doko put in helpfully. Mina punched him lightly in the arm.

"The fame those three and the other new heroes have received is quite promising," Aoyama hummed. "I cannot wait until we can get out there and sparkle, too."

"Slow down, ribbit," Tsuyu told him. "We still have two more years to go."

"Basically just a year and a half at this point," Ojiro corrected. "How the time flies…"

"Are you kidding me?" Kaminari groaned. "These classes go by at a snail's pace. Sometimes I wish I was out on the streets instead of back in school."

Jiro wrinkled her nose. "Your life choices still need re-evaluation."

"Shinso…" Kaminari groaned like a zombie, waving his arms toward the purple-haired boy. "Please brainwash me through class today…I don't think I can take it…"

Momo raised a concerned eyebrow. "Have you done that before for him, Shinso?"

Shinso had a terrified expression. He scratched the back of his neck. "...No?"

Uraraka giggled. "He has a point, though. These second-year math units are too much…"

"Yeah…" Toga muttered, spinning a pencil over her acrobatic fingers. "Considering I skipped out on most of middle school, I can't believe the rat expects me to do the same stuff as you all…" She stopped spinning the pencil, contemplated the point, and then looked over at Tokoyami. The bird boy shrank away in his seat.

Shoji shuddered. "Don't call Nezu the rat. He'll hear."

"What, really? From in here?" Toga perked up and looked around. "All I see are a bunch of high school idiots."

"Hey!" Kirishima and Sero protested.

Doko shook his head. "It doesn't matter. He knows."

"He knows," Mina echoed solemnly, with a thousand-yard stare.

Toga gave them an expression of pity. "You guys are whipped. Whipped, I tell you."

"Wouldn't that be Midnight's job?" muttered Koda.

The whole room went silent. Everyone looked at the quiet boy, stunned.

Then, half the room burst into laughter.

"PAHAHAHAHAHA!" Sero cried. "Koda gets off a Good One after all!"

"I wasn't expecting that…" Uraraka choked out as she wiped laughter-tears out of her eyes.

"Oh, come on!" Bakugo barked. "I could make a better joke than that any day! It's just 'cause he's usually quiet!"

"It's true," Doko nodded sagely. "If you, Bakugo, for example…were to ever say something even slightly funny…I think we'd all be so surprised we'd laugh hard enough to kill ourselves."

"Bite my ass, crackhead!"

The bell rang.

Midoriya and Yaoyorozu snapped into action. "Alright, everyone! Teach will be here any second!"

"To your seats, and stand up!"

…

Class 2-A entered the cafeteria en masse, chatting in small groups.

Mina stretched and yawned. "Day's only halfway over, and I'm already exhauuuusted."

Sero chuckled nervously. "Yeah…I knew Nezu was gonna change the curriculum, but this new work study stuff we gotta do…"

"It's enough to make me want to return to my room and just curl up into a ball," Doko muttered.

"Oh come on, ribbit. It's not that bad." Tsuyu was the first of them to grab her lunch tray and go through the line. "With how freeform it is, you can find something that goes best with your talents."

"Freeform is not the word I would use to describe it," Tokoyami said. "We have to do…actual…job…work."

"You lecture the lady on descriptions and then pull that out of your ass?"

"Shut up, Dark Shadow."

They all went through the line. Gentle and La Brava were helping Lunch Rush behind the counter, dressed in matching aprons and chef's hats. "Good day, Sero! And Sero's friends!" Gentle waved at them.

"Good day!" Sero responded, accidentally making his voice a little too high to match Gentle's energy. Mina giggled at him.

Spinner and Mr. Compress also took lunch at this time, dressed in jumpsuits. They had ankle bracelets on and sat at their own table. By law they had to stay at least fifteen feet away from all the students, and at least forty feet away from Kaminari and Toga, at all times. But a few teachers, including Midnight and Present Mic, actually sat with them, and they seemed to have some nice conversation. The two villains were a bit subdued, but cooperative, and pleasant enough. Spinner in particular had become rather gentle, though Doko still thought he saw the seeds of plotting in Compress's eyes from time to time.

"When you spend so long behind a mask, you forget to mask your face itself," he muttered.

"Hmm?" Mina followed his gaze to the villains. "Oh. As much as I'm glad that we have Kaminari and Toga with us now…I think I'll feel better when those two are given rooms at the new prison."

"The new prison is barely a prison," Doko said softly. "I just hope that they decide to repay kindness with kindness."

Eventually, as they finished gathering their food, the conversation shifted back to their new work project.

"It is hard to imagine sitting down somewhere at a desk, after spending so long training at this particular career path. Even if it is only for an assignment," said Shoji.

Doko sighed as they all walked toward their table. "Everyone wants to be out on the streets right now, but it takes more than ground work to rebuild the world. We need people sitting behind desks, too. Whether they're boring or corrupt or…"

"Oooh, you reminded me, actually…" Mina said, as they sat down. "I think I might go work for the Commission!"

Sero gasped. "You?" he asked, incredulously.

"That was one of the more obvious options, ribbit," Tsuyu put in. "The work study is just to find somewhere that focuses on the more administrative aspects of hero work. The Commission is perfect for that."

"And with Mirko running it now, I've already got a foot in the door!" Mina said excitedly.

Shoji had a dark look on his face. "I still wouldn't trust them if I were you."

Tokoyami rubbed his friend's shoulder reassuringly. "No one who worked there then still works there now. Nezu completely overhauled it, just like he did our curriculum."

It was true. No second year class at UA had ever done an administrative work study like the one they were doing now. But Nezu sees us as more than just glorified policemen, now, Doko thought. We have to help save the world in every aspect going forward.

"But that power will corrupt…" Shoji said. "There's no way it doesn't."

"You gotta believe in the inherent good in people, Shoji," Mina said. "Everyone was shocked when Mirko said she'd take the job. She really had to mature and wisen up to step back into a role like that. And it's because she seems so unfit for it that she makes the best fit for it after all! I think it'll be the same with me!"

"At least you acknowledge that being a commission agent is firmly un-Mina," Doko told her dryly.

"And what about you, Mister Smarty-Pants?" Mina leaned toward him, raising a challenging eyebrow. "Where do you think you're gonna go?"

Doko shrugged. "I'm not sure."

"I might look into social work," said Tsuyu. "Citizen relief is big right now. It'd let me be out in the field while still fitting in with the project's requirements of no fighting or rescuing."

"Oh, come on, that's still basically rescuing," Sero complained. "If they actually approve that for you, I'll…"

"You will do well with that sort of thing, Tsu," Tokoyami told her.

"Thank you, ribbit."

Doko's watch suddenly beeped. He quickly swallowed a last bite of food and stood up. "They're calling me. Gotta go."

Mina sighed. "Now?"

"Yep. You can have the rest of mine. Sero, don't take it from her."

"Fine," he mumbled.

Doko left the cafeteria.

…

A few minutes later, he was inside the secret wing of the support labs. He still thought of it as the new wing even though it had been completed and operational for several months at this point.

Nezu was standing by some monitoring equipment alongside Power Loader and Mei Hatsume, but hopped down when he noticed Doko. "Ah! There you are!"

Doko rubbed his chin. Some stubble had been growing there as of late, for the first time ever in his life. "What is it now? You pulled me out of lunch."

"I do apologize, Katayama. But this is big news."

"We started receiving signals from the drone!" Hatsume told him excitedly. "A regular stream of basic info…but we think we might be able to send it commands now!"

Doko's eyes widened. "Truly?"

Nezu guided him over to the monitor screen. Sure enough, some simple data was coming in from the drone.

When this wing had first been built, Nezu and the support department had started calling Doko in to practice with his Quirk using their prototype void equipment. After spending several weeks perfecting a slowed warp, where a device created by Hatsume managed to delay Doko's reappearance in the real world at the back end of a teleportation by nearly a second and a half…they had done it. Three months ago, Doko had successfully warped himself inside the room while holding a surveillance probe, and had reappeared on the opposite side of the room without it. He had managed to let go of the probe while in the void, leaving it there to explore.

Unfortunately, it had gone dark. Until now.

"Still…we have no idea how this dimensional connection works," said Nezu. "It may take another three months for the probe to carry out any commands we send it now. The distance isn't just vast, it's immeasurable."

"But there's a chance…" Doko muttered. "It may take a lifetime, or several…but there's a chance."

"Yes," Nezu nodded. "Perhaps even a chance to recover the remains of your mother. If there is anything left."

Power Loader sucked in his teeth, but Doko was used to the principal's inhuman bluntness by now. He just shrugged. "Maybe. Hopefully." Kurogiri didn't actually eat or drink all that much in Tartarus. Is it possible they could survive in there indefinitely?

"It may not have to be a lifetime!" Hatsume put in excitedly. "If my latest baby is functional-"

"That's a big if," Power Loader told her.

"-Then it could be the first step in building a portal!"

"A stable, machine-portal will still take a lifetime to perfect," Nezu said. "Nevertheless, it is an admirable pursuit for you, Hatsume-san, and I will not stop you. In the meantime, we can tell the probe to begin collecting more atmospheric data."

"A portal…" Doko mused.

"Do you still believe in your theory, young man?" Power Loader asked him.

"It's more than a theory. I saw it with my own eyes, when I destroyed the core. There are more universes out there. Some of them even have alternate versions of us. Building a portal could be the first step in connecting those…"

"We will likely all be far too dead to see it by then," said Nezu, smiling as if he wasn't bothered at all. "In any case, that's not all I wanted to talk to you about, Katayama. Would you follow me?"

Doko did so. They walked out of the lab, and to Nezu's personal office.

It was a small space, as the principal did not need much room. Doko gulped when he thought this; he was not fully convinced that the principal was unable to read minds.

Nezu just poured two cups of tea, though, and passed one across the table to Doko. He accepted it gratefully and sat down.

"As I understand it, your class was briefed on the new work study today."

Doko nodded. "Yes."

"Mixed reactions, I take it?"

"Tsuyu sees it as a good opportunity. Others are terrified, or confused as to what the project is even asking for. Kaminari and Toga are upset that they don't get to go."

"Caution must be exercised," Nezu said, sipping his tea. "There is no need to make a big scene about these things. Moderation is key. We put them in your class where we know they will find love and camaraderie. But we also hold things back from them and watch patiently. This is the way of it."

"So they'll get to do something like it eventually?" Doko asked.

Nezu shrugged. "That depends. For a very long time, Kaminari only saw a future where All For One ruled the world with an iron fist. And Toga saw no future for herself at all. It is the future with which we concern ourselves in this new curriculum. And I want to make sure that those two know what they want to do before letting them out and about. Even if it's nothing related to heroism - and I wouldn't be surprised if that was how it was - then and only then will they receive our further lenience."

"Something broke inside Kaminari when AFO died," Doko muttered. "I saw it myself. He's been acting in his fake persona that he acted in back when he was in our class the first time - probably because that's all he feels he has left."

"He owed everything he had to AFO. That is how the man built such a strong empire. Through loyalty through idealistic individuals…which brings me to what I wanted to talk to you about, Katayama."

"What's that?" Doko asked, sipping his tea again.

"Have you given any thought to what you want to do for your assignment?"

"Not much. I've no idea where to start. I do good as a lab test subject, I suppose. But other than that all I can think that I'm good for is street rescue. And that's one of the things we're definitely not allowed to do for this project."

"Hmm. Well, you could consider working for me."

Doko raised his eyebrows. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Huh?"

"You already live here at UA, Katayama. And like I said…loyal, idealistic individuals. You know, of course, that Mirko has taken over the Commission."

"Yeah…"

"She is one such individual that I can trust. Alongside that, we have our citizen relief agencies, our reconstruction firms, our new rehabilitation centers that everyone is calling prisons…not to mention all the new systems put in place to protect Quirkless people or people with dangerous Quirks. Systems to look out for families like your old one."

"Yeah…" Doko repeated himself, squirming. "All this oversight…are you sure it's a good idea? A lot of the big corporations and conglomerates that were connected to the PLF got completely ceded to the people after the war. Shares distributed among middle class investors, stuff like that. Communal ownership. That's what the people are in for, what they're excited about, what they're ready to charge into the future with. They just see heroes as individuals to support them from behind, really. Clean up extraneous messes. So to have the government involved so closely like this…" He remembered what Shoji said at lunch. That power will corrupt.

Nezu beamed. "I'm so glad you have these concerns. This is why we must work hard, and ensure that these things are being spearheaded by people who believe in them, not people who are in it for a quick buck or to go power-crazy. I believe that you, Katayama, are one such person. I'd like you to work as an agent for me for your assignment. To go around to many of these new Quirk centers and get the lay of the land. Report back on your findings. You see anything suspicious, you tell me directly."

"Me, sir?" Doko had a hard time wrapping his head around it. "But I'm only seventeen."

"Seventeen, and already gone through more difficulty and terror than most will encounter in their entire lives. I must cultivate seeds like you early! I want you to be a part of this, Katayama. You and the rest of your class. Because you all have good hearts and want to make the world a better place. Then, you can teach the next generation how to do it, and they can teach the next, and the next…and if we all keep working hard, we will keep that corruption at bay. We can maintain our hero society and improve the lives of the people. Have our cake and eat it too!" Nezu chuckled.

"Well," Doko said. "It would be an honor to work with you, sir. I do view this place as my home, and I want to do anything that would help kids…only, what exactly do you think I should be looking for?"

"Oh, I'm not sure," Nezu said offhandedly. "You have been hearing of the decline, of course."

Doko nodded. The decline had been all over the news nearly as much as the Big Three. Ever since the void monsters had been defeated, Quirkless births had been increasing in number. And Quirked births, at least the ones that showed obvious immediate signs…were showing to be less complex than the previous generation.

"The Quirk Singularity Theory appears to have been reversed," Nezu said, pouring himself some more tea. "If it was ever a concern at all. I suppose we'll never know."

"They're only basing all that on some stuff about pinky toe joints and obvious visual mutations," Doko said. "It'll be another couple of years before we really know for sure. The babies born immediately after the battle will have to be three, four…five, before we really understand the trend."

"But you will always understand the void, and how it connects to Quirks, better than any of the rest of us," Nezu said. "So I'd like to have you by my side as we investigate further. And to protect the children that will be caught up in this mess."

"I'd be honored, sir."

"Good! I'll send the paperwork up to your room."

They clinked their tea mugs together.

…

Izuku returned to his room after class, and was only slightly surprised to see Nejire floating outside his window, tapping the glass gently.

He slid the window open and let her tumble in.

"Now what could you be doing here?" Izuku asked playfully.

She shot upward like an excited puppy, waving a piece of paper around. "Look! Look!"

Izuku laughed and took it from her hands. His eyes widened as he scanned it. "A…a property declaration?"

"Yep!" She emphasized the p. "For our very own agency!"

"Nejire…my goodness, you didn't need to, I mean…"

"Hey, listen." She took him by the shoulders. "I know you said you didn't want to use any of the donation money on something like this. But I've been out there on the streets, and you haven't! And I'm telling you…everyone in Japan can't wait to see Deku! So we need to be ready to show you off, as soon as you graduate! And that means an agency of our own!"

Izuku couldn't help but laugh, and be happy with her. It was infectious. "Well, if you say so. I can't exactly say no to it."

Nejire chirped. "Yippee!" She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him.

When they separated, Izuku said, "I heard you got a raise, too. Something like the second highest-paid female hero in Japan? And you're not even twenty?"

"Yeahhhh, no big deal. Pfffft." Nejire made a show of blowing some of her blue hair off her face, though she couldn't maintain a fake aloof expression for very long. Her smile always returned nearly immediately. "But that's something else I wanted to talk about! My latest check…"

She pulled out her phone, opened her bank account, and showed it to him.

Izuku's eyes widened. "A…a retirement fund?"

Nejire nodded, her smile growing gentler, her eyes relaxing.

He looked back up at her from the phone. "Nejire…"

"I know," she said softly. "Thinking about it before you even graduate school is kinda silly. But…but it's what you wanted, isn't it? I mean…my class, and yours, and all the other classes here…they'll be cleaning up the country, and every single one of them will be a great hero. Japan is almost, you know…all better! And we already fought like hell, you especially, so you really don't owe the world anything else! It doesn't necessarily need…I mean, it doesn't…"

"And what do you need?" Izuku asked her, softly.

Nejire just stared at him for a long time.

"I need a life," she answered. "I need a house and a family to raise, as cliche as it is. I need you."

Izuku just smiled. "Then that's what we'll do. Whenever you're ready, we'll do it. We'll settle down."

Nejire's shoulders relaxed. She dropped her phone on his bed, and then flung her arms around him again, burying her face in his chest.

"Thank you, Izuku Midoriya," she muttered. "I love you always."

"I love you too, Nejire."

…

Doko sat down in his room and turned on the computer.

He opened the video call service and connected through to Akane. It was late afternoon, so she'd probably be-

As he suspected, a video suddenly appeared, pixelated and laggy at first but slowly connecting stronger and smoother. Akane had her computer in her lap, while sitting on a gym bench. Behind her was a volleyball net, and people practicing.

"Hey there, Doko," she commented. "You're finally getting the hang of this technology thing."

"Oh, shut up," he groaned, and then they both laughed.

"How was class today?" she asked him.

"It was fine. We got a new assignment. I'm gonna be working for Nezu for a bit."

"The principal?" Akane asked. "Weren't you already his lab rat?"

Doko winced. "I wouldn't use that terminology on this open call. He hates it."

"What, is he listening?"

"Probably."

She shook her head in good-natured disbelief. "Well, what does he have you doing now?"

"I'm to go around and inspect facilities like the one you and the folks are in. See what's up. Nezu spearheaded the founding of most of them, and I think he trusts most of his people…but he wants me to look around for anything that might need…rooting out, as it were."

Akane didn't respond immediately. For a moment, he just heard the bouncing of balls and the squeaking of shoes on a gym floor.

Then: "Wow. He must trust you a lot."

"Yeah. I think he does. It feels nice, considering the staff of this school once thought I was a traitor."

"And now you're like all their adopted son," she poked at him teasingly.

"Yeah, yeah."

"Anyway, I don't know if you'll find much nastiness here. The people who run the place are really nice," Akane continued. She looked away from the computer for a moment and muted her mic, saying something to a girl on the bench next to her.

Doko was glad to hear that, at least. Ever since his old family's home had been destroyed in the war, they'd been moved into a relief facility. It was basically like a huge retirement home, and it had things like a swimming pool and a gym, which Akane was in now.

"How have…they been holding up?" Doko asked her, when she'd unmuted.

Akane wrinkled her nose. "I'm honestly not sure. I don't actually sleep near them due to the way the wings of this place are divided up. I don't see them often."

"Surely they're not happy about that."

"They can file a complaint up my ass," she said with a shrug. "I think they're making friends, though."

"Friends?" Doko raised an eyebrow. "With Quirked people?"

"Actually, there's a lot of Quirkless people in this facility. I'm not sure if that was intentional or what. It's kinda weird. At one point we had extra security here, even…including Mount Lady herself. There's enough Quirkless people here that it was judged as a potential target for Quirkist villains, or something."

"Yeah, a lot of the remaining escapees have backgrounds in hate groups and stuff, so it's not surprising," Doko said. "You should be careful."

Akane raised her eyebrows. "You get access to all their backgrounds?"

"Hero Network, baby."

"Man. You really are climbing up in the world. Next you'll tell me that YOU'RE the new UA principal, and then I don't get to hear any details because they're all too top secret."

Doko laughed. "Well, if that happens…make sure I don't get a big head."

"There's not much I can do about that from here, unfortunately. You'll have to leave it up to Mina."

He laughed again. "Yeah…" His face grew more pensive, distant. "I'll have to leave it up to her…"

…

Later, after he'd logged off the call with his sister, he went to Mina's room. The sun had set outside, and downstairs, the class was preparing to have dinner as a group.

But Mina was still here. She had her legs tucked in under her butt, and was cuddling a stuffed animal by the window. Pale light bathed her pink face. It took her a moment to turn and look at him even after he closed the door behind him.

"Hey," she greeted with a smile.

"Hey," he answered, sitting down with her. She dropped the stuffed animal and put her arms around him instead, leaning into him with a satisfied, sleepy sigh.

"Did you talk to your sister?" she muttered.

"Yeah. She's doing well. How are your folks?"

"They're fine. Talked to 'em on the phone yesterday."

"Ah." Doko had been thinking a lot about Mina's family, actually. It was just…he wasn't quite sure how to jump the conversation from there…to where he wanted it to go…

"What did Nezu have for ya?" she asked.

"Oh, umm…the probe sent back signals at last."

"From the void? That's cool…feels like it's been forever since you told me about that."

"Three months. It's gonna be a slow process, but worth it, I think…"

"Definitely…"

"That wasn't all. Nezu also offered me a job of sorts, actually."

"Really?" She lifted her head so she could look him in the eye. "For our assignment? That's great, Doko!"

"Yeah. I'll actually be doing similar kind of work to you, if you go through with your Commission idea. He wants me to be his…agent."

"That would be crazy. You definitely should."

"I'm thinking I will. I don't have any better ideas, and besides…" Doko's face grew soft. "I owe him, and UA, a lot. The fact that it became my home…and this became my family…"

Mina tilted her head. "Awww."

"I mean it," he insisted. "Honestly, Mina, I've been thinking…"

The air in the room changed. Mina straightened up, her eyes widening a little, and her cheeks blushed slightly lilac. Did both our hearts just start racing?

"Last week, I met with Nezu's social servants and they offered to let me…change my last name."

"Yeah," Mina breathed. They were both shaking a little.

"And, honestly…I didn't know what to do. I am still connected with Akane, but she might get married in the future, and she won't be a Katayama forever. I looked everywhere for records of a Mikazuki, but I couldn't find anything on my birth mother's last name, either…and I definitely don't want to be Yamishiwa."

"Mmhmm." Mina's chest rose, and fell. Rose and fell.

"So, I was thinking…you know, if your family was okay with it, and you were okay with it…I'd like to change my last name to…to Ashido. I'd like to be Doko Ashido."

They just stared into each other's eyes for an eternal instant, their hearts fluttering.

Mina managed a small smile. "Doko," she half-whispered. "Are you proposing to me?"

"NO! I mean, not no! I mean, w-well…" Doko stumbled over his words, causing her to giggle. "I'd like to do it seriously, eventually…you know, when we're ready…get down on one knee and all that…but for now, this is just something that I feel would make me…you know. Make me feel like I represent who's really looked out for me, I guess. So…"

"I'll have to ask my family about it," she said. "But it's more than okay with me. In fact…that idea makes me really, really happy."

She leaned in and kissed him. He accepted her kiss gratefully, and they sat like that for a while, kissing and feeling each other up a bit until they were called for dinner.

…

Class 2A sat at a long table together in the common room, eating a feast.

"You and Hado are gonna do WHAT?!" Kirishima cried out, nearly knocking over Sero's bowl into Sato's lap.

Bakugo was laughing. "Sure, go on Izuku! That'll be my chance to stay number one for years!"

Uraraka leaned in. "Are you implying that he'll give you competition while he's still working?"

"Oooooooooh!" Jiro and Toga both looked back and forth between them. Shinso whistled.

Bakugo pointed a spoon at her. "Listen. I'd be stupid to think that he wouldn't."

"That must mean you were pretty stupid for a while there." Uraraka grinned.

"Look. I know where your boyfriend sleeps. I can and will kick the shit out of him. Not you though. You scare the hell out of me."

Ojiro shrugged good-naturedly. "She is pretty terrifying. But that's how I know I could handle you."

"Yeah, yeah, we'll see during the next combat exercise."

"What kind of house do you think you'd like to have with Hado?" Momo asked Izuku. "Just out of curiosity."

"Nothing too crazy," Izuku raised his hands in defense. "All Might has always lived a simple lifestyle. I'd want my kids to be comfortable enough, but other than that-"

"KIDS?!" Sero blurted, nearly spitting out his food. "BRO!"

Doko and Mina laughed.

Todoroki had a seriously shocked expression on his face. "Midoriya, are you going to be a father? I am prepared to babysit in the event that you ever need to-"

Shoji bopped him on the top of the head. "That was what I believe they call a hypothetical."

Izuku just laughed. "I'm gonna hold you to that though, Todoroki. You best not forget."

"Let me babysit too!" Mina raised her hand and waved it around. "Just make sure you pay me a lot."

"Hey," Doko protested. "It's not like we're gonna be broke or something!"

"No way," Shinso muttered. "Not you two, too."

"Can I babysit?" Toga asked, picking up a fork and inspecting it. She sat between Uraraka and Doko, and was not allowed knives.

"Hmm. I'm gonna have to think about it, to be perfectly honest," Izuku told her.

Toga shrugged. "Fair enough. Come to your decision in your own time."

"I happen to be great with kids," Kaminari said haughtily.

"Ribbit," Tsuyu's mouth went flat. "If a child is crying, what do you give them to make them stop?"

"Uhhh…" Kaminari's eyes darted around in terror. "Is that a trick question? Food, right?"

Shinso laughed. "I think it depends."

"I have two younger siblings. I was made for babysitting, ribbit." Tsuyu turned to Midoriya. "You know who to call. And that goes for you two as well." She looked pointedly at Doko and Mina.

Both of them blushed. "Hey! We won't-"

"Let's put a cork in the interrogation bottle there," said Momo, "before this no longer becomes dinner-appropriate conversation."

"Easy for you to say," Sero complained, nodding at her and Jiro. "You guys can't even have kids by accident."

"Get your head out of the gutter," Shoji told him, as Jiro struck him lightly with her jacks.

"Have you been getting more lenient with those?" Doko asked her sarcastically. "I swear, the last sixteen times you've hit Kaminari or Sero, I haven't been able to hear the slap from halfway across the room."

A bunch of people laughed, and Jiro narrowed her eyes at him. "I've decided that I haven't hit you with them nearly enough."

"I make sure my stupid comments are stupid in all the safe ways."

"To put it quite simply, that safety is no longer with you."

Doko made a show of hugging Mina's arm. "Please don't let her hit me," he said in a weak voice. More people laughed.

Toga rolled her eyes. "Could you pass me the salt?"

Tokoyami was sitting across from them, and as he ate, Dark Shadow lurked in the immediate area and sniffed food. Tsuyu gave the Quirk a few strokes on the head. It closed its red eyes and made a purring-esque noise, before retreating under the table.

"He seems to be back to normal," Uraraka commented.

Tokoyami nodded. "Indeed. It seems that many things will heal with time." He looked pointedly at Doko.

Doko looked back, and respect passed between them.

Toga prodded him with a finger. "Katayama-kun. The salt."

"Oh, right." He passed it to her.

"Healing with time indeed…" Shoji muttered.

Uraraka sighed and leaned into Ojiro's shoulder. Further down the table, Bakugo and Kaminari had begun to argue about something, while Midoriya and Kirishima laughed.

Doko looked at Shoji, then over at Tsuyu, who had a completely content expression on her face. "It's all gonna be okay, isn't it? Ribbit."

"Yeah," Mina nodded. "It's all gonna be."

Doko put an arm around her, and then looked past their table, out the window. It was dark, but…cozy.

Good night, he thought.

He didn't know who he was saying it to.

Sleep well.

…

EVERYWHERE AT ONCE - THE END