Jiro sniffled softly, soaking her bereft tears into her elbow. She was equally frustrated and disappointed that she was crying over a boy like this, but when she saw Green with that brunette— Ochaco— it felt like a part of her died on the inside. The path she had blazed across UA before she could properly break down crying in this bathroom stall was a blur.

It was through sheer determination alone that Jiro was able to hold herself together long enough to lock her stall door. She then proceeded to unravel entirely. Stifling sobs, dropping her backpack on the tile flooring. If any of the other stalls were currently occupied, she didn't care.

The main reason she hadn't confessed was because she didn't want to come off as taking advantage of him while he was emotionally vulnerable in his grieving state. But ever since that night he flew out their window, his attitude and overall demeanor towards daily happenings had largely returned to normal. He's probably like eighty percent back to the Green she once knew.

That remaining twenty percent could be attributed to his struggles to cope with trauma induced episodes. He got nightmares— bad ones at that. From what he described to her, it's like he suffers sleep paralysis while within a dream— so he's forced to confront all sorts of abominations and terrors with no lucid way to stop them.

It sounded horrible, and the sleep deprivation it caused him is what contributed to the dark rings that were ordinarily present beneath his eyelids. He had difficulties staying focused on things that were directly in front of him— and Jiro swore up, left, right and down that she saw him run into their refrigerator a bare minimum of seven times. The Omnitrix would randomly decide to rotate its dial and blink on its own accord without his tampering with it– and Green never seemed to notice when it was happening.

She figured that if Green felt any amount as strongly for her as she did for him— then he would've made some kind of move by now— or at the very least hinted at the possibility of there being something more. She knew he wasn't the most confident guy in the world but she also wasn't exactly playing hard to get either.

'Get a grip, Kyoka. This is just a stupid crush, nothing more. You're overreacting. It's not the end of the world. …So why does it feel like the sky is falling?'

Regathering her bundled nerves, she tidied her ruffled uniform.

'I better get that knife I found in the garden to Recovery Girl before people think I killed someone with it! Besides, any distraction is a welcome distraction...'

Slinging her bag over her shoulder she dragged herself out of the stall she'd been moping around in, coming face to face with Mina Ashido. The awkward closeness urged both teens to back pedal to allow more space between them.

"Look, I'm sorry about yesterday." Ashido started, twiddling her thumbs.

Jiro glared at her blankly, rubbing her damp eyes.

"I am so not in the mood for this."

"After what Kirishima said, I realized that I totally misjudged Midoriya."

"You called him a villain!" Jiro hissed, causing the cotton candy haired girl to flinch.

"It doesn't take a genius to see he's not that type of guy! And he heard you! Not even Shiozaki, who fucking carries a Bible with her everywhere she goes, went so far as to outright say that!" Her jacks made twin serpentine patterns, demonstrating her indignation without the use of additional words.

"So if you want to apologize, you can tell him that yourself!"

Ashido appeared out of her element here, as she hesitantly gave her side of things.

"I- I know, and I will– It's just– you got so upset after we started talking about him in the locker room yesterday! You mentioned being friends with him and I thought, for you to have a reaction like that, you must be pretty close to him? Midoriya?"

"He's my best friend." She confirmed through gritted teeth, exhaling from her nose. "He doesn't deserve half the bullshit that people put him through— and for no good reason!"

"I know, I know, I really am sorry! Jiro— honest!"

Jiro sighed in resignation, walking past the guilt ridden girl towards the bathroom exit.

"I was on that train, too."

She pushed through the swinging doorway leading into the main hall, leaving Ashido behind to contemplate her life decisions.

"Knock-knock." Jiro announced her arrival, poking her head inside the nurses office.

The youthful heroine spared her a glance as she was typing something on her desktop computer.

"Are you injured?" She asked without turning around.

"No, but I had something I thought would be best to show you first."

The smaller elderly lady ceased her keyboard clicking and redirected her focus on Jiro as she laid out the stained dagger on her desk.

"This was in the gardens. My foot got caught on the hilt while I was passing by a bush. That's how I found it."

Recovery Girl frowned, picking up the blade to inspect it closer.

"I don't like to assume the worst, but is that— ?"

"—It's blood." She confirmed.

"Ah." She clicked her tongue.

"What's your name, dear?"

"Kyoka Jiro."

"Jiro? Thank you. I'll bring this to Nezu's attention immediately."

"Glad to help."

Right then the school bell decided to buzz. Taking that as her queue, Jiro gave her elder a polite bow before leaving. Recovery girl ran a cotton swab over the crusty surface of the blade. Taking the leftover residue, she compressed the dried blood sample between two coverslips, gingerly sliding the fragile glass under a microscope lens. Enhancing the image, she jotted notes on a clipboard about what she saw.

"I've never seen anything like this…" She muttered, alternating zoom functions.

'It's as if the quirk factor is at war with itself…'

The physician felt for her vibrating phone, finding a text notification on her lock screen.

Principal Nezu: I'm holding an emergency staff meeting once classes have been dismissed. So we may discuss how UA should proceed from here.

"That rat is so nosey."

Principal Nezu: Typing…

Principal Nezu: I'm not a rat, but thats a good guess.

"Can you see me rolling my eyes?"

Principal Nezu: Typing…

"That was a rhetorical question." The nurse deadpanned.

"I AM HERE! …TO TEACH THESE YOUNG ASPIRING HEROES!" All Might declared spiritedly, sliding through the already wide open 1-A classroom door, cape reacting to his momentum.

"OH MY GOD IT'S ALL MIGHT!" Hagakure automatically cheered.

Her reaction was echoed in the straightened postures and star struck gazes for those of 1-A who had yet to meet the pro personally. Even Todoroki, who already had a reputation for his indifferent approach towards everything, regarded the man with reverence– or perhaps interchangeably– resentment. Izuku awkwardly slipped inside following that… exclamation point style entrance– discreetly speed walking to his far corner seat to avoid attention.

"I hope you're ready for your first day of basic hero training!" He theatrically revealed an elliptical remote control.

With the press of a button, the students curiously observed a horizontal section of the interior wall mechanically shift. Behind its hidden panels, were exposed columns of numbered cubbies. Each cubby contained a bulky suitcase.

"I think you may have an inkling of an idea as to what these are!" All Might said cheekily, further exciting his students.

"Just get on with it already!" Mr. Aizawa grunted tiredly from inside his sleeping bag located on the floor.

All Might delivered his iconic booming laughter.

"That I can do, Eraser Head! Go back to sleep now! It's important to get the recommended amount of rest you know!" He flashed their homeroom teacher a thumbs up, his pearly whites shining.

Izuku faintly heard Aoyama gush, 'He's even more sparkly in person!' And he honestly couldn't refute that.

"Since this will be your first time suiting up, I will allow the lot of you an extra fifteen minutes in your locker rooms so you can get acquainted with them!"

Mr. Aizawa rolled on his side to glare a hole in the man's head as he contradicted what he said he was going to do mere moments ago.

"Oh man! I'm so pumped!" Kirishima sat up in his chair.

"That's the right attitude to have young Kirishima! My hope is, my protégés, that we may ALL learn some valuable lessons today!" He motioned for the students to follow him towards ground Beta– along with navigational tips from Iida, of course.

How this man could navigate an underground sewer system with ease yet manage to be so incoherent while above it was quite frankly, beyond him.

When he submitted the final design of his costume to Power Loader, he had two things in mind: Mobility and accessibility. His super powered aliens made it so that he was equipped for practically any disaster scenario— in retrospect– carrying additional supplies as a human seemed redundant. The fabric was mainly a dark emerald hue, with bold neon green decals that glowed whenever he activated the Omnitrix. Centralized on his chest was a large circular hourglass symbol that resembled the badges he wore whenever he transformed.

He was feeling rather confident in his looks until All Might appeared horror-stricken at the first sight of him. He couldn't fathom why– he was wearing a mask inspired by his new favorite hero, Gran Torino. He figured the man would smile or perhaps even loudly throw his head back and laugh– maybe ask him about the connection to his former teacher– but this was the complete opposite of the reaction he was expecting.

Kevin's costume was split down the middle from left to right, from white to black. The half that was black had an eleven insignia on it, capitalizing on the joke. Much like Izuku's own costume, the fabric of Kevin's suit was woven using a similar form-fitting material, only with additional padding. Slung around his waist was a utility belt that looked more like something that a handy man might use. Knowing the taller teen, those pockets were stocked with tools of various unique metals and rubbers for him to absorb to better aid him in combat.

The rest of his classmates filed into the observation room.

He took note of Kevin's robotic arm– well, forearm plus the missing right hand. The prosthesis was painted white to line up with the corresponding half of his costume.

"I'm still getting used to using this…" Kevin grunted in minimalist effort, flexing the mechanical digits.

"Does it feel real?" Izuku asked curiously, awe seeping into his voice.

"Not even close. I can barely make a fist. But hey, still makes for a decent club."

"Did you make that?" He poked it.

"Nope. Power Loader told me it was the work of one of his first year students, uh, 'Hatsume?' I think?" He shrugged nonchalantly. "Said she's got a few screws loose, but she makes fine tech."

Nodding to show that he understood him, Izuku altered his attention to study his other classmates' costumes. Iida's bore a striking resemblance to Ingenium– so much so that his theory about Iida being related to the turbo hero in some way was probably correct.

For Bakugou's costume he had to do a doubletake to reaffirm with himself that he wasn't imagining things. The orange and black combination bore a striking resemblance to a design he had sketched out for the blonde– back from when they were little kids– when they were still somewhat close friends. The grenade bracers are what tipped him off– and assuming their function hadn't changed, he inwardly prayed that he wouldn't have to be on the receiving end of them anytime soon.

Then he saw Jiro, and his jaw fell.

She looked like she was ready to perform live, center stage at a rock concert. The loudest portion of her costume was the violet leather jacket with shoulder flares. Her jacket sleeves were rolled up, revealing that a fishnet type mesh covered her arms. Fastened around her wrists were a pair of spiked bracelets.

Below her jacket was a black leather vest and her belt, being as wide as it was, made him initially think that she was wearing a corset. The belt buckle had a crossbones design, which he found to be fitting to the overall theme she appeared to be going for. Her pants were, of course, made from a similar leather material, and expressive skulls took on the form of knee pads.

It wouldn't be a true expression of Jiro if she hadn't been wearing combat boots. Assuming this was a stylistic choice– wound tightly around her neck was a black choker lined with spikes. He assumed the emphasized antennas on her stylized pair of headphones were meant to resemble devil horns of some kind. Although, he didn't think she needed it— she was plenty intimidating alone with that vindictive glare emphasized by her face paint. Primarily white, a black star decal had been drawn over her right eye and a crescent moon on her left. And was that–?

No, it couldn't be?

Was she wearing lipstick!?

"Jiro! You look SO awesome!" He slapped a hand over his own mouth, embarrassed by how loudly he said that.

She regarded him with wide eyes, as if unsure where to proceed from that announcement he just made, when she sighed softly.

"Thanks. You look awesome, too." There was a twinge of resignation to her voice.

"Yeah, I like how it turned out! And don't get me wrong, Power Loader did a fantastic job! It's just… well I didn't think it would be so tight?"

Her eyes averted themselves from his own, training on the ground between them.

Thinking that perhaps her confidence was wavering given her new attire (Understandable, he was having some second thoughts himself) he decided to keep talking to her like everything was perfectly normal.

"So, what did you name it?"

"Huh?"

"You're guitar? I'm assuming that's your support item?"

She numbly grasped at the purple instrument, revealing that it was shaped like a musical note.

"I know you name all of your instruments, so I was wondering what you were going to call that one? Better yet, how does it work?"

She lightly strummed the guitar strings, before deciding on–

" –Heartbreak."

He stilled.

"I plug my jacks into the power slot, so that when I start playing, the sound waves I generate with my quirk will be directed through the fretboard and dispelled out the headstock."

She examined his reaction scrutinizingly.

"Figured you'd be stumped by that. Whether it's accurate or not has yet to be seen. I thought it would be a clever way to amplify my sonic projections. Also, there's an element of surprise to it. I'd say the typical, rational person views the guitar as nothing more than an instrument— as opposed to a weapon. They certainly don't expect to be blasted off their asses by it."

"No! I mean- Jiro, that's perfect! You're going to literally be saving people with the power of music! Straight from your heart, no less!"

A smile tugged at the corner of her dark glossy lips.

"When you put it that way, I don't feel as ridiculous."

"ALRIGHTY THEN!" All Might boomed, commanding everyone's attention.

"For this class you will be split into teams of two! Heroes versus villains! Your battles will be taking place indoors!"

"Without basic training? Seems kind of dangerous." Asui croaked, echoing a sentiment shared by a few of her classmates.

Bakugou could be heard cracking his knuckles beside a cringing Koda.

As if he heard none of that, All Might flamboyantly gestured to the massive electronic screen behind him, displaying images pertaining to the lesson.

"Here's the situation: The villains have hidden a nuclear weapon somewhere in their hideout! The task of the heroes is to either dispose of the bomb or capture both villains!" He handed a box containing capture tape to the nearest student, who happened to be Mineta.

"Pass these out to your friends, will ya?"

"Can do, Mr. All Might!" He saluted the man and carried out his task without delay.

"We'll decide the duos by picking lots! Remember, In the field, you won't always have the choice of picking and choosing who you want to work with! You have to be able to make do with what you got! A petty dispute has the potential to cost innocent people their lives if left unchecked!"

Nodding in cohesion with his fellow classmates, Izuku unfolded his slip of paper, finding a hastily written A.

"A?" He mumbled aloud.

Across from him, Yaoyorzu provided her own paper as evidence that she had coincidentally pulled the same letter, meaning…

"…So I guess we're p-partners now!" He chuckled awkwardly.

"Guess so!" She laughed, mirroring his uneasy energy.

"The first two teams that will be competing are… A!and… E!"

'We're up first!? And our opponents are Bakugou and Iida!?'

He didn't need to turn to know that the explosive blonde was shooting daggers in their— well— his direction, as they left the observation room.

"Um, before we do anything else, I just- I need to apologize for staring at you in homeroom yesterday. That must've been super embarrassing for you, especially being that it was our first day at UA and I know that first impressions mean a lot to people. The way your hair was done," He paused to swallow, "You reminded me a lot of m-my mom."

"Oh." Yaoyorozu lifted a hand to stifle her gasp.

He bit his tongue.

"I had no idea."

"Yeah… sorry, it's dumb of me to think all that, I know."

"Midoriya, you're clearly traumatized."

Izuku blinked. That was rather on the nose…

"I can't bring myself to hold any of those terrible things that happened against you. Not after yesterday."

"Yaoyorozu?" He wondered where she was taking this.

"It's OK." She smiled comfortingly.

"You mean—?"

"—Water under the bridge, as they say?"

"Right! Right, water under the bridge!" He rubbed the back of his head as the creation user politely cleared her throat.

"I am aware that Bakugou's explosion quirk is rather formidable, and Iida's engines make him difficult to restrain."

"O-oh! You won't have to worry about Bakugou."

She pursed her lips contemplatively.

"What do you mean? Do you already have a plan devised to counter him?"

"Sort of. If you're willing to go along with it."

"I'm always open to suggestions." She brushed a stray bang away from her face.

"Bakugou is going straight for me."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Call it a hunch. We used to be friends, but that was a long time ago. Trust me."

"Alright. But if he's too much, don't be afraid to call on me for assistance."

"I appreciate it, thank you." He said before slapping the Omnitrix, dissolving in a radiant flash of green light.

The flesh of his phalanges grew and hardened. His biomass reoriented itself to accommodate the newly acquainted exoskeletal system. In the palms of his hands, portholes split open to allow fluids to pass through unobstructed. Scarlet red shells accompanied by spikes fanned out from his forearms and calves. His shoulders broadened, a spotted carapace extending along his trapezius. A dense hood cast a dim shade across his glowing compound eyes.

"Bakugou's quirk works by igniting the nitroglycerin that he sweats. Though he can't explode anything if he's drenched." His voice was distorted, as if he was speaking to her through a wall of water.

"Of course! The effects of Nitroglycerin are severely dampened by water!"

"Bingo! That's also why he hates rainy days!"

'And why I used to pray for them…'

The alien boy clacked over to the main entrance of the office building where the alleged nuclear weapon was being held.

"Once I'm finished with Bakugou, I'll run to your coordinates and we can handle Iida together."

"That strategy sounds reasonable enough to me."

"Heroes and Villains, you will have twelve minutes to succeed in your missions! The battle trial begins… NOW!" All Might announced over the intercoms.

Wasting no time, he launched past the set of entryway stairs and punched the double doors open. The thunderous entrance was meant to signify to Bakugou that he was expecting a fight. Though, hopefully, it won't be much of a fight the instant he lands any direct water attacks on him.

Izuku marched inside at a steadfast pace. Checking the corners as well as keeping his peripherals in mind, he refused to cower away from his bully now. The blonde had full permission to use his quirk on him (And he probably wanted to impress All Might, too) so there was no stopping the inevitable hurt to come.

"DIE!"

Atlantean whirled around to the location of Bakugou's voice, firing two highly pressurized torrents, absolutely decimating a piece of cheap wall art. The blonde rolled under the barrage and somersaulted behind the alien boy with an explosive propulsion maneuver. In a sweeping motion, he let loose a series of ember-emitting explosions for maximum spread and damage.

Off balance, he barely caught onto the visage of Bakugou charging at him headlong through the excess smoke. Izuku grappled his right hook perfectly, flipping him over his shoulder

"GAHK!" Bakugou crashed into the concrete flooring with a resounding thud.

He hosed the fuming blonde, taking mild satisfaction in watching the blonde flounder about in the liquid, desperately trying to ignite his quirk– but to no avail. He slammed his hands into the puddle in frustration– splashing his own face– though since it was Bakugou, he refused to break eye contact.

"For future reference, maybe don't try and melee the guy who has water powers. Now, if you'll excuse me, Yaoyorozu and I have a battle trail to win. So save your breath. You can yell at me after." He turned his back on him.

With that problem neatly tucked away, he tapped his earpiece.

"Yaoyorozu? Do you hear me? Copy?"

"I hear you. Copy."

"Bakugou's taken care of. I'm coming to help you, which floor are you on? Copy?"

"That was fast. We're on the twelfth floor, and I have been unsuccessful in my attempts to impair Iida's movement. Copy."

"Copy!" He hastily ascended the steps of the stairwell.

Arriving at the twelfth floor, he was greeted by a somewhat cartoonish sight: Iida sprinting along the walls, weaving past any obstructions and devices Yaoyorozu could think of to throw disorient him. His engines knocked as he narrowly avoided being tangled by a pair of bolas. Crouching low to the floor, Izuku dispersed a thin layer of water across its surface, taking care to avoid his teammate. Unable to slow himself given the enclosed area, Ingenium's brother lost traction, subsequently dropping the paper mache nuke.

"And that's a match." He pulled the faux bomb towards them using a receding tide.

"Yaoyorozu, would you care to do the honors?"

"Gladly!" She reached to touch the flimsy material when a tremor shook the building foundations.

"What was that?"

"You think you've won!?" A guttural shout echoed from down the hall.

He was having a difficult time believing in the silhouette emerging from the opposite side of the room.

"AHH! WHY ARE YOU NAKED!?" The heiress beside him flailed her arms, face steaming red.

Izuku mirrored Yaoyorzu's cry of alarm, while Iida observed the commotion from his position on the floor, absolutely appalled by his teammates' antics. Truth be told, Bakugou was not totally naked. He was still wearing a pair of briefs. However, there was one aspect of his costume that he didn't dare to neglect: The grenade bracers.

"Bet you thought you were so smart, huh? Should've tied me up while you had the chance!"

"But I- you're quirk— ?"

"—I didn't have enough time to wring out my threads, but I was able to work up a good sweat running back up here." His tone was hostile.

His finger traced the metallic pin on his gauntlet.

"I'm sure you're aware of what these do."

'Because I designed them for you.' Izuku thought.

"Young Bakugou, if you pull that pin, both you and your teammate will be disqualified!" All Might crackled through the radio waves.

"They'll be fine if they dodge!"

"This is your FINAL warning!"

He refused to listen.

The pin dropped.

There was only a split second to create a bubble shield around Yaoyorozu before the rocketing explosion collided with them. A dizzying blur of light and ash ensued, the impact shattering the opposing wall behind them. Then he heard the scream of terror.

In that moment, Izuku didn't see his classmate falling to her death— he saw Inko Midoriya.

"NOOOO!" Without hesitation, he dove after her through the broken debris, propelling himself with rapid geysers.

He thrust his hand out, and as she was mere inches from smashing into the ground, his water construct solidified around her waist and reeled her into his sturdy embrace, as they flipped and spun due to the sudden shift in momentum. Against all odds, he managed to land on his feet, cracking the pavement, and sending a bolt of jagged pain up his legs— though his own injuries were the least of his concerns.

Yaoyorozu was shaking– though not as badly as Izuku. The alien boy's shoulders hadn't stopped trembling since he'd caught her. Poised in a kneeling position, he cradled her body in his arms protectively. His breathing was ragged.

Observing these symptoms, combined with her apparent similarities to his mother, she deduced that he was suffering from the initial stages of an oncoming panic attack. He felt that by letting her go– she'd continue falling. So he refastened his grip, enabling his visor to slide back into his hooded carapace.

Bubbles of varying sizes gently snapped off from the corners of his compound eyes, where they floated above the pair of teenagers, gradually diffusing into the air.

"Are you OK?" His warbled voice wavered.

Apart from her skin– the majority of which was now mildly singed– she was relatively unharmed. Though, now she was beginning to see why everyone was so against her costume. It offered no defense whatsoever. If this was the sacrifice for quirk versatility then she may as well opt for a superior, more durable design.

He was crying– she realized– the bubbles were his equivalent to human tears.

"It stings… Otherwise, I'm healthy." She answered, heart still pounding unabatedly as a result of her her near death experience.

"...How about yourself?"

He deposited the creation user on a smoother portion of asphalt that wasn't upheaved due to their landing. Her hair tie was incinerated by the explosion, so her lengthy dark hair was free to spill across her shoulders and back.

"I'm fine." He spoke wearily as he assisted in lifting her onto her own two feet.

"I am really sorry, Yaoyorozu. I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable." The taller frame of Atlantean murmured as he pulled away from her.

"Midoriya, you didn't- you didn't make me feel uncomfortable! You saved my life!" She shook her head adamantly.

He refused to look at her, visibly ashamed for losing the battle with his conflicted emotive state. They were interrupted before she could try to console him further. The front doors of the faux office building slammed open with a nauseating bang, exposing a partially dressed Bakugou. Iida wasn't far behind, as he appeared to be in the act of scolding him. It was obvious to Izuku that the blonde neither was listening or caring of whatever the other teen was attempting to articulate.

He certainly forgot once he saw Izuku storming in his direction.

"What, exactly, do you think you're doing!?" He wasn't subtle about yelling in the bullies face.

"Winning." Bakugou clicked his belt buckle in place.

"Is that it!?" Atleantean scoffed in pure disbelief.

"What do you want me to say? That I'm sorry? For what? I won, you lost– and that's what matters."

Bakugou rolled his eyes, hardly sparing a glance in said girl's direction before–

"–Besides, she looks fine to me."

"That's not the point! Yaoyorozu, she- SHE ALMOST DIED! If I hadn't been there– her blood would be on your hands! Do you want that!? DO YOU!?" By now Izuku's own blood was boiling.

Iida inserted himself between them as to mitigate the rising tension. Though it had little effect, as they ignored his presence in favor of continuing to yell at each other.

"Tch! You heard me when I told her to dodge! And tell me, did she dodge!? Right! She got what she deserved for not reacting fast enough! Do you want an apology, too? Here: I'm sorry she got in the way of my explosion. There— happy now!?" Bakugou's tongue was sardonic.

"How can you be so heartless!? If you're going to apologize then at least try and be sincere! You owe it her for endangering her life on account of your arrogance!" He jabbed his chitinous forefinger into the growling teen's chest.

Bakugou angrily swatted Atlantean's hand away, instinctively igniting sparks in his palms.

"DON'T TOUCH ME! YOU SHITTY FUCKING DEKU! AND DON'T LECTURE ME ABOUT CARELESSNESS!" He screamed with feral animosity.

Yaoyorozu's brief yelp at the sight of his popping explosions reinvigorated Izuku's approach.

"This is a TRAINING exercise! We aren't trying to get our classmates killed! And over what!? Some meaningless victory!?"

Bakugou's eyes bulged in their sockets, red veins visible, as the slightest implication that his victory was anything less than perfection had the side effect of sending him into a frenzy.

"Yeah you'd know about that– getting people killed!"

'Where is this coming from!?'

"–I've worked my ass off EVERY single day since I got my quirk to become the greatest! To be the future number one hero who surpasses All Might!"

Izuku was surprised that Bakugou hadn't ground his teeth to dust given how hard he was gritting them.

"I HAD TEN YEARS ON YOU! GODDAMNIT!"

The alien boy was stunned into silence.

"THEN, FOR FUCK ALL REASON, YOU'RE TEN TIMES AS STRONG AS I AM!"

There it was– the ugly truth.

"SO I HAVE TAKE WHAT I CAN GET! BECAUSE REAL HEROES NEVER LOSE! AND LIKE ALL MIGHT, I. DON'T. LOSE!" He stabbed his thumb into his pectoral.

"I'm not trying to dethrone you, Bakugou! Or whatever fantasy it is that you're entertaining! How much do I have to reiterate before you begin to understand!?"

"Oh, that is rich! Hey, I have a question for you too! You think Ears or Scarface would give TWO SHITS about your pathetic ass if you didn't have any of your quirks!?"

"Keep them out of this!"

"And what if I don't!? What're you gonna do!? Splash me? Snitch on me? Sock me in the jaw again?" Bakugou goaded him.

"That's not a bad suggestion…" Izuku hinted threateningly.

"Then swing, you overgrown lobster! I guarantee you, it won't land."

"You both need to cease this petty squabble immediately!" Iida raised his voice as to not be ignored.

"Can it, Four-eyes! This is between me and that shitty nerd!"

Izuku officially reached his temperament with his lifelong bully.

"You know, I used to admire you- for your bravery, Bakugou… but it's clear to me now that you're nothing more than a coward who can't admit when he's in the wrong!"

Iida wasn't able to hold onto Bakugou any longer as the temperamental bombardier elbowed him in across the nose, lunging for the alien boy.

"You're calling ME the coward!?" Bakugou screeched incredulously,

"That's right!"

"Then why haven't YOU transformed back yet!?" He then forcefully shoved Izuku, causing him to stumble, though more from the surprise than anything else.

"It's because you're a pussy!" He extended an accusatory finger at him.

"Bakugou, stop it!" Yaoyorozu finally mustered the courage to shout at the blonde.

Iida removed his helmet only to discover he had a fresh bloody nose.

"–Your whole life you've been running from me! And you've always been weak, Deku! So go ahead, call me a bully all you want– but you can't deny that if I had been in your same position, Auntie Inko would still be alive!"

Iida and Yaoyorozu shared mortified expressions as the remote silence stretched agonizingly thin.

"...You don't really mean any of that."

"What? Suddenly I'm a liar now, too!?"

"BECAUSE HOW CAN YOU SAY SOMETHING LIKE THAT!?"

"I don't mince my words, Deku. If I say something, it's because I mean it."

"Then why?"

"What? Do I have to spell it out for you?"

"You can't keep doing this."

"Eh?"

"You cannot keep losing control like this."

"What's that supposed to mean!? Are you saying that I can't control myself!?"

"YES! That IS what I'm saying! Your anger is going to need to be addressed if you have any aspirations to keep attending this school!"

"I didn't realize you were a district administrator!? Who the FUCK do you think you are!? I'm not some dog who needs to be restrained by a leash! I am PERFECTLY capable of dictating the course of my own actions! It's not my problem if other people think that makes me unhinged!"

"IT IS YOUR PROBLEM!" He shoved Bakugou in return.

"BECAUSE WHEN YOU LOSE CONTROL, PEOPLE DIE!"

'̵̡̢̲͕͉͉̞̓̅̂̊̅̓T̵͕́͑̈́̎̈́h̷́͛̔̍̚͜ḙ̷̘̮̌́r̷̗̎͗e̴̡̖̺̣̾̍̓͠ͅ ̵̨͚̜͈͓̓y̸̻̎͝ͅo̵̙̗̻͗̂̀u̷̦̤͖͊͜ ̵̝͓͍̎͒̿̆̉̔̔g̵̝͍̜͙̾̔̿̓̎͐͑ǫ̷̭̤͔̯͝,̴̯͚̽̈͝͠ ̵̪̝̖͎̔͂̌͘͘͜͝n̴̗̜̰͙̻͇̯̅ö̸̲̰̠͙͙͜͠w̶̢̡̙͖̠͈̾̋̒͑̃̚͝ͅ ̴͖͔͎̈́̊̋ŷ̶̢͇̈́o̵̢̠̬̞̱̥͗͊͜û̴̥'̴̧̗̉͐͌̔̽ͅr̸̠͙̱͖̬̻̱̽̈͝ë̷͔̰͓̞͈̋̽̔̍̒͘ ̷̜̆̄̀̒́g̷̠̱͉͖̹̋ͅe̸̪̲̖̺͖̥̓͂͊̋͜t̷̘̰̳̊̒t̸͈͙̉̌̅̕i̸̬̟̬̰͍̜̽̌̌̀̒̕ń̷̨̫̭̮̘́̆͗͜g̷̰͐͑̅͆̕ ̶̧͔͕͇̲̓̅̈́ị̴̒t̵̲̯̦̮͉̭̊̾̄͝ͅ!̶̜̮̲͛̍͘'̵̨̛̟̞͙͆̽̿

This time, he didn't shiver from the cold– he welcomed it.

All Might swiftly landed between them, and he wasn't smiling.

"You two– You're done." He rumbled, though there was the faintest gleam of blood on his lip.

"If there wasn't already a staff meeting after school today, then I'd personally escort you both to Nezu immediately." Judging by his tone, he was immensely disappointed.

"So for now, I think I'll defer to Eraser Head instead."