Hello, hello! First time in a while there's been an Author's note up here!
This is a bit Special of a chapter, because it's a Christmas Special!
Get it?
Oh? I'm not funny? Damn!
Moving on…
This Christmas Special takes place a bit over a month in the future, around Christmas time for Izuku and the whole cast, because the narrative doesn't line up with real-time, sadly. That would make my job a lot easier if it did, but oh well.
Suffice it to say that, once we get to Christmas-time in the story, there won't be any kind of Christmas-themed content because this is it! This is the Christmas content!
We'll be back to your regularly scheduled content on January 6th!
Anyway, I worked all weekend to write this from scratch, so I hope you all have as much fun as I did!
Merry Christmas everyone!
Sometime in December…
"You've been really busy lately, sweetie, so I think we should do something special this year for Christmas," Inko said suddenly.
Izuku's eyes widened and he started coughing midway into a bite of his dinner. After a moment where his mother was clearly on the verge of rushing around the table to assist, he took a sip of his drink and responded.
"W-what were you thinking?" he asked, clearing his throat partway into the first word.
"I'm… Not sure. Most people like to invite their friends over since family gatherings are for New Years, but…"*
The woman was… tactfully trying to tip-toe around the fact that, to her knowledge, Izuku didn't have any friends… She was glancing off to the side bashfully, looking like a woman half her age through her nervousness. Truly, shyness was the Midoriya family trait.
"Um… I have a couple of friends I can invite over…" Izuku said, finally.
He hadn't really avoided mentioning their existence to his mother, there simply had never been a reason for it, okay?
"Really?!" she asked, utterly astonished. "Er… I mean…"
"It's fine…" Izuku sighed sheepishly. "I'll mention it to them the next time I see them."
…
"...and that's why I'm inviting you two to a Christmas dinner with my mom," Izuku explained.
"That's so sweet of her!" Uraraka smiled.
"We're your only friends…?" Shoto muttered in amazement. "That's kind of… sad."
"Yeah…" Izuku agreed, drooping from comical depression.
"Hey! Like you're one to talk!" Uraraka defended. "I've never heard about you having any other friends!"
After a moment, she seemed to realize how rude her statement could come across, waving her arms back and forth in front of herself, she continued.
"Er, no, that sounded terrible! I didn't mean it like—!"
"Why bother…?" Shoto mumbled, his head dipping forward a bit in comical moodiness, mirroring Izuku's posture. "It's true…"
The duo sat there, moping for a moment, before Izuku perked up.
"W-well, anyway… I'll see you guys at the party, then?" Izuku interjected.
"Of course!" Uraraka declared, relieved to have a way out from the awkward silence of a few seconds ago.
"...Sure," Shoto agreed. "It's an excuse to be… out."
"Great!"
…
Christmas Eve…
"Enjoy your nap, honey!" Inko called. "I'll let you know when your friends are here!"
"Thanks, mom!" Izuku replied as he shut the door to his room.
As had become something of a norm, Izuku was overworking himself recently, staying up late to study and perform his vigilante work. No rest for the wicked, right?
Wait, no, that didn't apply to him. Sure, he was a vigilante, but that didn't mean that—
He was doing it again…
Digging a deeper mental hole…
Well, anyway, he'd gotten up super early to make sure he had all of his work done so he could enjoy the evening with his friends. The plan was to crash for a few hours before they arrived so that he actually had the energy to interact with them.
The green-haired boy let out a yawn, his eyes scrunching shut as he let himself fall onto his bed. Slipping under the covers, he quickly dozed off to sleep.
…
After a couple of hours… the watch flashed green… and then red… and so on, the pattern repeating six times before stuttering on the seventh, the light fading a moment later…
"Ooh!"
"Fufufu…"
"Uhm…"
"Tch…"
"..."
"Hmm…"
"So, are you doing anything for Christmas, Bakugo?" Kirishima asked.
"Nope," the blonde replied tersely.
"What about you, Mr. Yagi?" the redhead queried, whirling to face the man—who was sitting on his usual seat ever since the fight, a comfy armchair that he sank into a bit too much.
"Well, I don't really have that many friends, young Kirishima," the tall man replied. "Besides, Christmas is a young person's holiday!"
"Hmm…" the boy mumbled, clearly pondering something. "We should do something, then!"
"I've got more important crap to worry about, spike-teeth," Bakugo responded with a scowl of annoyance.
"Not that I wouldn't enjoy it, young man, but I'd hate to intrude," 'Mr. Yagi' added. "I doubt you'd want an old man like me barging into your fun, anyway…"
"So it's decided, then!" Kirishima declared. "We're going to have a Christmas party!"
"I literally just said no to that…!" Bakugo growled.
"While I appreciate the gesture, I really must decline—" 'Mr. Yagi' started.
"Heck no! You two aren't getting out of this that easily!" Kirishima denied. "We're going to hang out, just us guys, and there's nothing you can say to stop it!"
"Oh for the love of—Fine!' Bakugo grumbled. "If it'll shut you up, I'll go…"
"I don't know…" 'Mr. Yagi' trailed off. "It's hardly reasonable for a man as old as I am to 'hang out' with young men your age."
"Oh hell no!" Bakugo exclaimed. "If I'm getting dragged into this, then so are you!"
"I—"
"Sorry, sir, but it looks like you're outvoted!" Kirishima interrupted with a toothy grin.
The blonde man sighed fondly, a smile coming to his sunken cheeks as he rubbed the back of his head in exasperation.
"Oh, heck… I guess I have to come then, don't I?" he said with a smile.
'Twas the night before Christmas… And all through the watch, not a waifu was stirring—
No, we're not doing that. Do you know how hard it is to rhyme something with 'waifu?'
—Not even a… hmm…
Yeah, exactly.
…
The lounge was empty, the couch sitting alone in the center of the room as the uncolored doors shifted back and forth across the wall behind it. All was normal, with the girls each in their rooms…
When suddenly a box appeared on a table, resting against the sofa. It was wrapped in red and green paper, with hourglass symbols strewn across its surface in a checkered pattern. The container itself was long and rectangular, easily half a meter across.
From the air above the present came a swirling mass of snow, slowly forming into seven distinct snowballs. After a moment, they floated apart, rearing back and flinging themselves at the seven different colored doors.
Sun-like Orange, Crimson Red, Pale Purple, Aggressive Pink, Synthetic White, Bluish Purple, and White-with-Gold each received a Christmas knock, and then the snowballs slid down the wooden surfaces, coming to a stop in a slowly melting pile in front of each door.
After a few moments, the doors began to open, one after the other.
"Woah, what's that…?" Ryoko asked, staring at the package.
The next door opened.
"Oh, heaven. It's that time of year, isn't it…?" Rias said with a brief shudder.
The third opened.
"Uhm… Did someone knock?" Hinata queried.
The fourth.
"I was in the middle of somethin'," Baiken commented irritably. "Who tossed… snow…? How the hell is there snow in this place?"
The fifth door came next.
"Ryoko, I've told you many times, I do not have any desire to pursue frivolous activities for no benefit. Please leave me alone," 2B declared as she stepped out of her area. Glancing around, she realized her assumption was inaccurate. "This is… Unexpected. What is going on?"
The sixth door opened.
"How can I help—" Medaka started, then noticed Rias' presence off to the side, instantly cutting herself off as she began to glare at the redhead—who returned the favor silently.
The other four girls all turned to look at the seventh door, expecting it to open as well, but nothing happened.
"Is she not coming…?" Ryoko asked in disappointment.
"...I do not find it likely," 2B stated. "Else the door would be opened by now."
"Nevermind her," Baiken interjected, "What's in the box?"
"It… looks like a present…" Hinata added. "But who did it come from…?"
All six of them approached the box, though Rias and Medaka were still more focused on sending petty glares and childish quips at each other under their breaths.
Hinata carefully pulled the wrapping off, not tearing it a single time—
"Give it here, you're taking too long!" Ryoko cut in impatiently, reaching for the box.
A burst of orange energy appeared above her palm before winking out almost immediately.
"Aw… I can't do my thing in here…?" she whined.
"Would one of you just open it, already?" Baiken requested in annoyance. "I just found a new brand of sake in the temple, and—"
"Done."
The girls all turned to 2B, who was holding a perfectly unwrapped wooden box, while Hinata's hands were empty.
"When did you…?"
Ignoring her viewers, the white-haired woman rested the wooden container on the table again, lifting its lid up and revealing a felt interior with seven slots inside. Each slot had a green band, with a black hourglass pattern repeating across its surface, resting within it.
From the top of the box, a paper note floated down.
These are each one-use, so enjoy them while you can!
No, I won't explain how it works, so call it a Christmas Miracle.
Merry Christmas,
"It's unsigned…" Hinata mumbled.
"It matches Izu-chan's!" Ryoko declared happily, already wearing one of the bands. She'd placed it around her neck like a choker, rather than covering up one of the indentations on her wrists. "I wonder what the note meant by one-use, though—"
The girl disappeared, the room lighting up with a flash of green, followed shortly by one in red.
Rias' eyes widened as she made the connection. A smug grin came to her face as she quickly wrapped one of the bands around her left wrist.
"Izuku is mine, you—" she taunted Medaka, disappearing in an identical manner to Ryoko before she could finish her statement.
"...Um… I guess if they're doing it…" Hinata mumbled, grabbing a band and hanging it around her neck next to her dangling headband.
She disappeared a moment later.
"Ah, what the hell…" Baiken grumbled.
She grabbed one of the bands, stretching it such that it managed to loop around her waist sash like a belt. After a few seconds, she disappeared in a flash of green and red as well.
"How curious…" 2B thought aloud.
Taking the fifth band, she wrapped it around her face, going over her blindfold with ease. Like the others, she disappeared after a moment.
"There's no way you're beating me, Rias," Medaka growled, grabbing the sixth band and hanging it from her left coat sleeve with her student council bands.
In a final flash of green and red, the room was left empty. After a few moments of silence, the box fell closed of its own accord, disappearing with the final band still inside into a cloud of snow that dissipated a few seconds later…
"You got a plan for this, spike-teeth?" Bakugo asked.
"Of course!" the redhead exclaimed.
"Are you sure it's okay for me to come with…?" 'Mr. Yagi' asked, clearly uncertain.
The trio stood, a few blocks from the beach they usually trained at, surrounded by a thin sheet of snow, with more flakes drifting to the ground lightly.
"First, we need to be dressed for the occasion!" Kirishima declared.
From a bag he'd brought with him, he pulled out three matching Christmas sweaters—red and white striped, with candy-canes and reindeer sewn into the patterning.
"I am not wearing that," Bakugo stated.
"Thank you, young man," the old blonde said, gratefully accepting the largest of the sweaters.
The redhead slipped his own on, turning to offer Bakugo the last one.
"Come on, Bakugo… Don't be a scrooge!" he began. "This way we can match!"
The blonde just turned away and crossed his arms.
With a gleam in his eye, the redhead lunged forward while Bakugo's back was turned, slipping the last sweater over his head and dragging it down in one swift move. This left the teen with an awkward bulge around his torso, his arms still crossed underneath the fabric, as he whirled on Kirishima.
"You…" he growled, fire alight in his eyes.
Slipping his arms into the sleeves purely so that he could properly use his hands, he took a swipe at the redhead—who laughed as he ducked below it. The teen took off running, waving tauntingly towards the blonde.
"Catch me if you can!" he shouted gleefully. "We've got our first stop to make!"
Knock, knock, knock…
"Coming!" Inko shouted, setting down the timer she'd just finished setting for the food in the oven.
Rushing to the door eagerly, she peered through the peephole to get a glimpse of what had to be Izuku's friends.
There were two of them!
The first was a skinny boy with white and red hair—did he dye it for Christmas?—and was dressed in a dark blue coat with grey gloves, a thick white scarf wrapped around his neck. The poor thing had a terrible scar over one eye, and his breath clouded out in front of him onto the silk-wrapped platter he was holding.
The second was a girl—does Izuku have a girlfriend?!—who was dressed in a white cardigan and a cute Santa hat. She was clearly holding a Christmas cake** in her arms, the opaque plastic not doing a good job of hiding the food but protecting it from the snow drifting down from the sky all the same.
Without any hesitation, Inko opened the door with a teary smile, overjoyed that her sweet boy was finally making friends again!
"Hello, dears!" she began. "Please, come in! It's cold out there!"
"Thank you!" the girl beamed, stepping in cheerily.
"...Thanks," the boy mumbled, refusing to look Inko in the eyes for some reason.
The two teens slipped off their shoes, thick-soled boots for the boy and felt boots with fur lining for the girl, and followed the woman into the Midoriya abode.
"You can set the food on the counter," she started. "I'll go wake up Izuku. He's taking a nap in his—"
A loud yelp echoed from a different room, cutting off the woman before she could finish her sentence.
"...What was that?" the boy inquired as he set down the silk-wrapped platter.
"Was that Izuku…?" the girl added.
"I… Don't know…?" Inko trailed off.
The two teens glanced at each other, some kind of unspoken message passing between them before they both nodded.
"We'll check it out," they both stated at once.
"You should stay here, just in case…" the boy stated. "...It might be a burglar."
"Yeah, we're training to do this kind of thing!" the girl agreed.
"I can't let you children go off on your—"
They were already moving down the hallway before Inko could stop them.
A few moments prior… In Izuku's Room.
Izuku was sleeping soundly.
"Would you—!"
Pleasant, indiscernible dreams echoed from his subconscious while his body relaxed…
"Back off—!"
It was like drifting across the clouds, the sunlight at just the right temperature to be pleasant, while he floated weightlessly.
"What if you two—"
"...Fine—!"
His blankets wrapped around him in a cocoon, the feeling of silken grips wrapping around him underneath the covering plying a contented sigh from him.
"Better—Worth it—!"
Someone laid thick pillows upon him, weighing him down and making it harder to breathe, but also bringing a wonderful feeling of instinctual safety—like the wholesome embrace of a maiden…
…Wait a minute.
Slowly opening his eyes, Izuku saw two sets of orbs peering back at him. One pair a sparkling blue, the other a deep maroon.
Blinking, Izuku slowly processed the rest of the scene.
Those eyes were peering out of very familiar faces, with crimson red and blue-ish purple hair respectively. The two had their arms wrapped around Izuku tightly and were under the blankets with him, their mostly bare chests pressed against his own—
The green-haired boy let out a yelp of surprise, his face reddening in an instant as he tried to scramble backward.
"Aw, Izuku~" Rias started seductively. "Do you not like us…?"
"What's the matter?" Medaka added more matter-of-factly. "Aren't you comfortable?"
Both girls' grips on Izuku were like iron, keeping him firmly in place as he started to hyperventilate, red lines trailing from his nose as his brain overloaded.
"AHAHA! I told you it would work better if you two worked together!" Another familiar voice added. "Just look at Izu-chan's face!"
Tearing his eyes away from the sight likely to kill him, Izuku looked and saw Ryoko sitting on his desk, leaning back on her palms as she laughed maniacally, her legs swinging childishly below. She was dressed differently than normal, her clothes shifted into hues of white and red, a Christmas Elf hat resting upon her head precariously while candy-cane earrings dangled from her ears.
"A-are you sure it's not a little too far…?" Hinata piped up.
The pale-eyed girl was sitting on the ceiling cross-legged, poking her fingers together nervously as she refused to look at the bed. A slight blush was on her face as she looked away, her long hair dangling below her as a reminder of her gravity-defying posture. Like Ryoko, she was dressed in a palette-swapped version of her normal appearance, though her clothes were mostly green and red, with fluffy white lining hemming every bit of fabric.
"Feh, the boya needs to man up a bit," a lower voice stated. "It'll do him good if he can actually stop freakin' out over a bit of skin. It's a stupid weakness to have…"
Baiken was sitting at the foot of his bed, her right leg arched while Izuku's bokken rested against her left shoulder—the handle near her head while her singular arm kept it in place. Again, she was dressed differently than normal. Everything she wore was exclusively red and white, with white fluffy lining on her sash and gakuran—while white puffballs dangled from the end of the knots in her clothes. Her eyepatch had a reindeer on its surface, while her pipe had been striped like a candy cane.
Off in the corner, 2B was examining Izuku's computer.
"Fascinating… It's so… primitive…" she muttered.
The white-haired woman's elegant dress and blindfold had been dyed red, the stitching turned white and the lace designs reshaped into snowflakes. Her long gloves and boots were green, with the now green bow that held the skirt of her dress shut reknotted to look like the type of ornamental bow one would place on a present. Lastly, on top of her head was a Santa hat, the white puffball at its end dangling off the side of her head.
Suddenly, the door burst open, and—
"RAAH…!" Uraraka cried, as if she was running into battle.
Upon seeing the contents of Izuku's room, and his current position under the covers with two girls, she trailed off into silence—her face turning almost as bright red as Izuku's currently was.
"I-I… It's n-not w-what it l-looks like…?" he asked more than said.
Stepping from behind the brunette, Shoto stared at the chaos blank-faced…
"E-Excuse us for intruding…" he said, actually stumbling on his words for once as he dragged Uraraka out of the room, shutting the door a moment later.
After a moment's pause, all the girls in the room returned to their tasks—though 2B had never stopped hers. Most notably, Rias and Medaka glanced at each other, matching conspiratorial grins on their faces, before they cuddled deeper against Izuku.
The poor(?) boy's eyes widened into saucers.
"W-wait, no! Don't leave!" he called out through the door. "Help me-e-eeee—!"
The last bit of his cry shifted into something of a squeal as both girls crawled up a bit higher, exposing the pulled-open tops of the Christmas version of their normal clothes and rested their heads in the space on either side of his own—hugging him tightly from both sides simultaneously as their breath tickled his neck.
With that, Izuku's brain finally shut down, and he passed out completely.
"GET BACK HERE, SPIKE-TEETH!" Bakugo shouted angrily.
"NEVER!" Kirishima laughed.
A good distance behind both of them, 'Mr. Yagi' strained to keep the two teenagers in his line of sight—making very slight use of his quirk to keep himself from collapsing—and laughing loudly between his gasps for air.
"AHAHA… What a night to be alive…!"
"Wake-up, wake-up, wake-up…!" A familiar voice called, light smacking against his cheek punctuating each word.
Gmmgrh…?
"Wake-up, wake-up, wake-up…!" the voice repeated with matching taps.
Wha…?
"Grab-a-brush-and-put-on-a-little-makeup…!"
Izuku sat up straight, suddenly awake.
"You wanted to…!" he mumbled under his breath.***
"Oh, goodie, you're awake!" Urarka cheered.
Groggily, Izuku glanced to the side, finally noticing the brunette's presence.
"Ah, you're awake, 3B," 2B realized, glancing up from the book titled 'Christmas Traditions: Meaning and Origins' that she was examining. Where she'd gotten it from, Izuku didn't have any idea.
The rest of the room was empty, with only Uraraka and the android present.
"2B…? How're you…?" Izuku trailed off.
His eyes suddenly widened.
"Oh, god, did that—!"
"Izuku~!" Rias' voice echoed from the other room. "Avoid the 'G-word,' please!"
Blinking, Izuku realized that what he remembered wasn't some kind of absurd dream, and the girls were here in the flesh.
"What is going on…?!" he whispered in shock.
"Um… We were kinda hoping you could explain that," Uraraka stated. "There are six girls walking around the place that look almost identical to your quirk-forms…"
"Wait, only six…?" Izuku wondered aloud.
"Number Seven didn't choose to join us, for whatever reason," 2B interjected.
"Huh…"
"So… Any idea what's going on?" Uraraka asked.
"I… have no clue," Izuku responded.
…
As Izuku walked into the kitchen/main room area, Uraraka next to him and 2B at his heels attentively, he was struck by the sheer ridiculousness of the situation.
Baiken was in the kitchen, dicing vegetables and meat with the ease of an expert chef despite only having one arm, while Medaka bounced around the kitchen, working on ten different things at once while grabbing various ingredients that her pink-haired partner finished preparing—tossing them into whatever dish required it.
Shoto sat on the couch in the living room, while Hinata sat as far from him as possible while still being on the same piece of furniture, fiddling with her fingers shyly. The boy was steadfastly looking at the tv, which wasn't even tuned to a station, while Rias draped herself over his shoulder and kept making attempts at getting his attention—even bringing up how comfortable he'd found her 'pillows' when he'd fallen asleep on Izuku months prior.
He was perfectly silent, and given the way his one eye was twitching while frost wafted from his mouth, he was clearly restraining himself from using his quirk to freeze her solid.
Lastly, Ryoko had attached herself to Izuku's mother—who was trying to do anything she could to help the girls in the kitchen despite Medaka repeatedly shooing her away politely—like a sloth, hanging off her and partially floating behind the woman as she kept nuzzling into her hair and… was she purring…?
"Izuku!" Inko called, instantly rushing over the second she saw the boy. "Please tell this girl to let go of me. I need to help with dinner now that we have so many more people!"
"Mmm… Mama-Inko…" the blue-haired girl mumbled contentedly.
"What are you doing, Ryoko…?" Izuku asked in confusion.
The girl blinked, her cat-like yellow eyes gleaming in the light as she stared at Izuku. A grin suddenly came to her face, exposing fang-like canines as she leaped off Izuku's mother and onto the boy himself, latching on just as tightly as she had been attached to the woman a moment ago.
"W-what—" Izuku began, stumbling backward but managing to avoid falling over.
"Hugs are awesome, Izu-chan!" the girl declared as she nuzzled against the boy. "Why don't you do them more often while we're sharing a body?"
"W-well, I suppose that works," Inko muttered before going back to the kitchen to try and regain control of her space.
Izuku stood there, a blue-haired girl wrapped around him tightly and purring… and wondered when his life had become this ridiculous.
"Hah… Hah… Slow down… Spike… Teeth…" Bakugo panted, stumbling forward more out of spite than anything else at this point.
"N-never…!" the redhead denied, barely a few feet ahead of the boy.
Finally, the two boys' legs gave out, and they fell onto the sidewalk they were standing on, a few feet apart and in similar poses as they leaned against the foot of the street hut next to them. After a few moments of quiet panting, the two teenager's stomachs let out loud howls of protest, demanding food after all the energy expenditure.
"Hmm…" A voice called.
A man stuck his head forward over the counter the boys now realized they were leaning against. He had a bulbous nose and a plethora of horns instead of hair, with a plain bandana wrapped around his forehead.
"Would you boys like something to eat?" he offered.
Glancing to the side, the boys noticed a small street sign that said 'Oden,' marking the small kiosk they were at as a food stand.
"Y-yes please…" Kirishima breathed.
"Yeah," Bakugo agreed wearily.
The both of them pulled themselves upright and staggered over to the stools they now noticed on the other corner of the kiosk, collapsing into them and leaning forward onto the countertop.
"Hmm… What would you boys like?" the chef asked.
…
'Mr. Yagi' stumbled forward, even his quirk unable to keep him going any longer unless he used enough of it to shift into his muscle-form, and noticed a small food stand up ahead. His two students were sitting there, eating Oden**** in bits and pieces as they laughed and joked merrily.
Well, Kirishima did most of the joking, but Bakugo did a good job of being the secretly entertained straight-man.
Should I leave them be…?
The duo was clearly having fun, and his presence was sure to change the mood. It was probably for the best if he just went home and let them enjoy themselves. It was more than enough for him to know that they were getting along without his supervi—
"Oh! Mr. Yagi!" Kirishima called suddenly. "There you are!"
Bakugo glanced up from his seat, a skewer of octopus partially sticking out of his mouth since he was mid-bite, and rolled his eyes at his mentor. He seemed to have a way of knowing exactly what the man was thinking when it came to times like this.
"Get over here ya old fart!" he shouted. "We were wonderin' when you'd show up!"
A soft smile came to the blonde man's hollow cheeks, and he stepped forward to join his students.
Izuku marveled at the chaos in front of him, a result of him just trying to decide seating arrangements for the dinner that was almost ready. His mother was putting it on plates as they spoke…
"I called sitting next to Izuku!" Ryoko shouted possessively. "He's my little brother!"
"That may be, but Rias claimed the seat on his left, and she can't be trusted to be next to him!" Medaka denied imperiously. "I need to be on the other side to keep her in check!"
"I do not care where I am," 2B stated simply. "I will sit on the floor if it would make things easier for 3B."
"Feh... How about I sit on his left instead," Baiken suggested. "That way we don't need to worry about either of the cows causing trouble while we're all trying to eat."
"WHO'RE YOU CALLING A COW?!" both Rias and Medaka shouted at the same time.
"Are you two vapid on top of being sluts?" the samurai responded, looking down her nose at the two. "Of course, I'm talking about you two. Who else lets their tits hang out like—"
"LIKE YOU'RE ONE TO TALK!" the duo exclaimed.
"C-can't we all just get along…?" Hinata tried to interject.
"NO!" Rias and Medaka shouted at the girl.
"Ain't how it works, princess—" Baiken began.
"Okay, enough!" Izuku yelled.
Everyone in the room went quiet, and all eyes turned to the green-haired boy—even Shoto and Uraraka, who'd been carefully avoiding involvement for the past few minutes.
"U-uh… I m-mean…" Izuku started, suddenly nervous now that everyone was staring at him. "How about Shoto and Uraraka sit next to me, and you girls can all fill up the rest of the seats…? That way no one has to argue…"
"There!" Baiken exclaimed. "That solves it."
Looking Izuku in the eye, she gave him an almost… proud… smirk.
"Nice to see you takin' charge for once, Boya."
"T-thanks…?" he replied, rubbing the back of his hair sheepishly.
"Ahh… That hit the spot," Kirishima exclaimed.
"Hmph," Bakugo grunted.
"Where to next, Young Kirishima…?" 'Mr. Yagi' asked cheerily.
"Hmm… The light show doesn't start for a bit, so we've got some time," the boy stated in consideration. "...Wanna hit up the arcade? No one's gonna be there, since it's Christmas Eve, so we'll probably have the place to ourselves!"
"...Whatever," Bakugo said with a shrug.
"Lead the way, young man!"
"What's that called?" Ryoko asked excitedly.
"...Kentucky fried chicken," Shoto replied tiredly.*****
It was probably the tenth question he'd answered about what a specific dish was.
"Mmm… Tasty…" Ryoko groaned contentedly, ripping a piece of meat off the bone with her oddly sharp teeth.
Across the table, Rias leaned forward, resting one elbow on the table and turning toward the person on her side.
"So… When're you gonna tell Izuku…?" the redhead asked.
"What…?" Uraraka asked, utterly befuddled.
"That you like him, you silly girl!"
"W-w-what…?!" Uraraka stuttered, so completely embarrassed that her natural blush markings were overwhelmed by an actual blush. "I don't!"
"Fufufufu…" Rias giggled. "Then you like mister 'Dark and Broody' then?"
"Why can't I just be friends with boys without someone assuming I like one of them…?!" The brunette demanded, utterly mortified.
2B and Izuku both ate their food at a relaxed pace at their respective parts of the table. The former was unbothered by the noise around her and the latter was just happy that his friends were next to him instead of Medaka and Rias… He would never have managed to finish his meal if they were sitting by him…
"Ugh…!" Baiken exclaimed in disgust. "What the hell is this crap?"
In her hand was a glass of white liquid, a cinnamon stick sticking out of the cup.
"That's 'eggnog,' Baiken," Medaka explained. "Though etymologists and historians debate over the origins of the drink, the term 'nog' was first used in 1693 and referred to 'a kind of strong beer brewed in East Anglia' but it may have also referred to—"******
"Wait, this stuff has alcohol in it…?!" Baiken asked, horrified.
"No, Mrs. Midoriya didn't have any lying around for me to add to it. There are plenty of recipes that don't rely on adding any spirits, but even that wouldn't have stopped me from helping out Izuku's mother—" The purple-haired girl continued, her lovably smug grin firmly plastered on her face.
"Oh, thank god you didn't waste good booze…" Baiken sighed, clearly relieved.
"Baiken," Rias interjected suddenly, pausing her continued efforts to tease Uraraka briefly to get the pink-haired woman's attention. "Please don't say his name around me."
"Ah, right," Baiken muttered. "Forgot you're literally a demon."
The redhead grinned devilishly, her shadow flickering unnaturally in the background.
"Devil, actually, but thank you~!"
Over on the far end of the table, Inko took a bite of her food.
"So you used to have a garden…?" Hinata asked pleasantly.
"Yes, you should have seen it!" The green-haired woman responded proudly. "There were so many flowers, and I even managed to keep a few fruits in there too! Izuku loved playing in it when he was little, always hiding under the petals and jumping out at 'villains' like the dreaded 'bath-lady.'"
"'Bath-lady…?'" The pale-eyed girl repeated.
"That was what Izuku called me at that age… He used to hate taking baths, so I was a villain for him to 'defeat' in a lot of his games," Inko explained wistfully. "Once he got over his bath-hate, I 'graduated' to the person he wanted to rescue…"
"That's adorable…!" Hinata giggled.
"It really was!" The woman agreed. She continued a moment later, a very specific gleam in her eyes. "So, Hinata was it…? Do you want to have kids when you're older…?"
"Umm…" the girl mumbled, her pale face reddening as images of a blond boy's face filled her mind. Those images were followed by those of little children, some with her hair, some with his, and all of them with her family's eyes… and the boy's adorable whisker marks.
Steam wafted from her ears as she realized what that required, and she wobbled in place a little bit.
"I take it that's a yes…?" Inko said knowingly.
"And what's that?!" Ryoko cried excitedly.
"... Christmas-themed potato salad," Shoto said tiredly.
"Did you just try to parry that?!" Kirishima cried in astonishment. "Who do you think you are, Daigo?!"*******
"Die!" Bakugo shouted, smashing his fingers against the controls of the arcade cabinet.
"I'm not sure I understand this game…" 'Mr. Yagi' muttered, watching with restrained bewilderment as the characters on screen—two heroes he recognized from his own experiences—launched into complicated attacks akin to iconic quirk abilities tied to their respective heroes.
"You can try it next, Mr. Yagi!" Kirishima stated. "I'll start you off with All Might! He's a great beginner character!"
A wide grin spread across the man's face.
"All Might you say…?" the man asked.
"Can it, old man," Bakugo complained. "I can hear you grinning right now."
The man chuckled in response.
"We'll see if you can still say that after I beat you at this game of yours!" he declared.
"Bring it on, you old fart!" Bakugo replied with a toothy grin.
"Is everyone done eating…?" Inko asked.
Ryoko let out a loud, contented, burp, before leaning back and rubbing her stomach with a sigh—blinking sleepily.
"I'd take that as a yes," Baiken committed idly, picking her teeth with a knife.
"What did you all think?" Medaka asked, excitedly. "I've only taken one cooking class, so I wasn't sure how the Christmas theming would go over."
"D-do you mean you've only taken one class before practicing yourself…?" Hinata asked shyly.
"Hm?" Medaka began. "Oh, no, I mean that was the second time I've cooked besides that class."
"That's so unfair…" Uraraka mumbled discontentedly.
"It was… palatable…" 2B commented.
"Fufufu…" Rias giggled. "It was excellent…"
Everyone turned to look at her, astonished that she would complement her rival so blatantly.
"Maybe you could apply to be one of my family's servants?" she continued. "Your cooking reminded me of my lunches back home."
There it is…
"Why you little—" Medaka began.
"Then it's time for dessert!" Inko cut in, clearly trying to avoid an argument.
"Is the Christmas Cake we have enough, though, Mom?" Izuku asked. "We… have a lot more people than expected…"
"Well, no… But with the second cake your friends brought, we should have enough for everyone to have some!"
"Hmm… Whad is 'Chrishmas…?'" Ryoko asked suddenly with a mild lisp.
Everyone at the table turned to stare at her.
"Actually, I would like some clarification as well…" 2B chimed in. "The book I looked through didn't explain it to my satisfaction."
"Um… Izuku, honey, why don't you explain while I go cut the cake…?" Inko requested.
"I'll help you, Mrs. Midoriya—!" Medaka began.
"No!" the woman exclaimed possessively. After a moment, she blinked and returned to her normal demeanor. "Err… There's no need to get up. I can handle it."
With that, the woman shuffled over to the kitchen, and all eyes shifted to Izuku.
"Go ahead, Boya," Baiken said, a bit of sarcasm in her tone. "Dazzle us with your knowledge."
"Um… Well… Christmas is—"
"An absolute pain in my wonderful ass!" Rias interrupted angrily. "Do you have any idea how much of a pain it is when people keep bringing up the 'Big G' for at least a month? Even non-believers are talking about it, arguing over whether the holiday with His son's name in it is a pagan event or not!"
"Well, they have something of a point, though," Medaka replied. "I'm not saying it's impossible, but I don't think there's a 'God—'"
"You are literally speaking with a Devil right now…" Rias interjected.
"Well yes, but—" Medaka tried.
"Alright, you two are getting off-topic," Baiken interrupted. "'Sides… It's the boya's turn to speak. Our host said so, so listen to her."
"I… don't know about g—" Izuku began, getting cut off by a sharp glare from Rias, "—religion, but to me… Christmas is a fun time of year where everyone stops worrying too much about what's coming next and thinks about relationships… Friends, family, or anything, really… It doesn't matter. It's about appreciating the now, so you can worry about 'then' once New Year's comes around."
Everyone sat there in silence, staring at Izuku in surprise. The boy began to redden a bit from the attention, turning away and rubbing the back of his head.
"Er, maybe I'm just weird—"
"That's… really sweet," Uraraka commented.
"Who knew you had it in you to be a romantic, boya," Baiken laughed.
Ryoko lunged at Izuku, flying quite literally through the table to latch onto the boy. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she rubbed her reddened nose against his shirt.
"'Das so awesum, Izu-chan…" she cried, latching onto him tightly as she slurred her words. "I wuv Chrid-mash!"
"...Did someone give her alcohol…?" Shoto commented.
"I'm the only one here with any on me," Baiken commented, reaching for the jug she'd sat at her feet. "And I sure as hell didn't—"
It wasn't there.
"...Crap. She nabbed it when I wasn't looking," the pink-haired woman continued.
Sure enough, the jug was on its side, dribbling the last of its contents onto the floor at a slow rate, right next to Ryoko's chair.
"I'll get her some water," Inko declared as she entered the room, carrying a tray of sliced cake pieces. They were somewhat small, but it was enough for everyone to have some, just as she'd predicted.
Resting the tray on the table, she returned to the kitchen to grab the aforementioned drink. When she came back, she rested the glass next to Izuku, who had an emotional girl still clinging to him on his lap.
"Here," Inko said. "Make sure she drinks all of it before she gets up again. It'll help a bit."
"W-what about getting her back to her seat…?" Izuku asked nervously, trying his best to keep a respectful distance from the clingy blue-haired girl.
"You'll just have to bear with it until she's feeling a bit better, honey," his mother declared.
"Ooh… Cake…" Ryoko said suddenly, swiveling to look at the tray at the center of the table.
She started to crawl forward onto the furniture, but quickly lost her balance, collapsing back onto Izuku.
"Izu-u-u-ch-a-a-n…" she slurred. "The cake ish so f-a-a-r… Could'ju get i' for me-e-e…?"
At the boy's side, Uraraka started giggling at his predicament.
"Oh, this is going to be awesome…!" Kirishima said with a grin.
The trio was walking down the brightly lit streets, fantastic ornamental lights wrapping around the trees and buildings such that it not only gave a distinctly 'Christmas' feeling to the area… but also directed pedestrians towards the center of the exhibition: the park square.
"I've never had a chance to watch the Christmas fireworks…" 'Mr. Yagi' commented. "I've always been tied up with work."
"You have a job?" Kirishima asked in confusion. "I thought you were retired…"
"Er, well, I meant that—" the man began, panicked at being caught out.
"He just doesn't want to admit he's a shut-in when he's not training us," Bakugo interrupted swiftly. "Ignore him, spike-teeth."
"Oh-h-h…" the boy trailed off. "Got it."
The blonde man mouthed the words 'thank you!' to Bakugo when the redhead wasn't looking, giving a cheery thumbs-up to go with the statement.
"So, when's this thing startin'?" Bakugo carried on, sounding somewhat bored.
"Any minute now!" Kirishima began excitedly. "We've just gotta wait!"
"Feh…" Bakugo grunted in annoyance.
"Well, now that we have a moment…" 'Mr. Yagi' began. "I want to take the chance to thank you both."
Both teens turned to look at the man.
"Hah?" The blond teen breathed.
"What for, sir?" Kirishima asked.
Reaching up to rub the back of his head somewhat sheepishly, the man gave a bright smile.
"Tonight has been a lot of fun, thanks to you two," he said. "I dare say that if it wasn't for Young Kirishima dragging me along I would be sitting alone in my apartment, with no one to celebrate with."
"Hmph…" Bakugo grunted, looking away irritably.
"I'm thankful to you as well, young man," 'Mr. Yagi' continued. "Young Kirishima may have gotten me to come along, but you got me to stay and actually enjoy myself. Without you I would have been an awkward hanger-on, too afraid to interfere with you boys' fun."
"Yeah, yeah, whatever…" the teen grumbled, even though there was a light blush of embarrassment to his cheeks.
"Well, I'm glad we're all here!" Kirishima declared. "You guys have helped me out so much the past few months, it's only right that I do my manly best to get you guys to liven up a little! You workaholics needed the break!"
'Mr. Yagi' let out a booming laugh at that, one loud enough that it didn't suit his frame at all. After a moment though…
"...It was… fun…" Bakugo muttered quietly. "Thanks."
Kirishima whirled to stare at the blonde, astonished—
BOOM, BOOM, BOOM!
The fireworks above lit up the sky, and the show started with a 'bang!'
"Woah!" the redhead exclaimed, already distracted. "Awesome…!"
With a gentle smile, All Might quietly rested his hand on his successor's shoulder. The gesture was simple, but its meaning was not. It carried the weight of pride, duty, and so many other things… but for now… that wasn't important.
"Let's watch the show, my boy…"
A gentle snore echoed from Ryoko's cake-crumb-covered mouth as Izuku strained to stand up without waking her.
"Here…" Uraraka offered, tapping the girl with her hand.
Instantly, the weight on Izuku's lap was reduced to nothing, allowing him to stand up and set her on the couch without any effort.
"Thanks…" Izuku trailed off, letting out a yawn.
"What… Gettin' tired already, Boya…?" Baiken asked, letting out a yawn of her own.
"I am… running low on energy," 2B commented idly, her tone almost identical to normal. "I should shut down to recharge soon."
"Well, I'm…" Rias began, letting out a yawn of her own. "Not tired…"
"It seems that whatever allowed… this…" Shoto began. "Has put a strain on Izuku, seeing as all of you are on the verge of falling asleep in spite of it being…"
The boy glanced at his phone.
"Nine o'clock," he finished.
Medaka let out a yawn of her own, giving a thumbs up of agreement.
"Y-yeah…" Hinata stated, pausing to let out her own yawn. "T-that does seem to be the case…"
"Well, you children should all get to bed, then," Inko stated. "I can escort your friends to the door."
"Are you…" Izuku began, blinking slowly a few times and smacking his cheeks lightly. "...Sure? They're my guests, so I should…"
He let out another yawn.
"Sweetie… Go to bed," Inko ordered gently.
"But—"
"Izuku…" the woman began.
The boy's eyes widened in instinctual fright, wary of his mother becoming angry, and rushed over to his friends.
"Sorry-guys, I'll-see-you-next-time-we-meet-up!" he said rapidly before rushing up to his room.
"...Heh…" Shoto laughed quietly.
"Pft!" Uraraka giggled.
Both of them gathered their things and made their way to the door, followed shortly by Inko. The others all remained in the den, yawning and blinking groggily in their seats.
"Thank you for having us, Mrs. Midoriya!" Uraraka exclaimed brightly as she stepped onto the porch.
"...Thanks," Shoto mumbled with a smile. "It was nice… like having a family."
"It was wonderful to meet you two," Inko stated. "Get home safely!"
With that, the duo walked away, and Inko returned to the den.
"Now, what to do with all of you?" she wondered aloud.
"Hah…?" Baiken mumbled groggily, lifting her head off the table from where she'd been asleep a moment prior. "Did someone say somethin'...?"
"Fufufu…" Rias giggled quietly, getting up from the table.
She started walking toward Izuku's room with almost exaggerated sneakiness, only for Inko to latch onto the girl's collar.
"Where do you think you're going, missy?" the woman asked.
"Hmm…?" the girl mumbled, barely awake.
Inko let out a sigh and steered her back to the den, where she proceeded to take out the two extra futons she had in the closet and lay them down in the corner of the room, putting blankets down on top of them.
"Since you all seem to be part of Izuku's quirk, I'm sure you'll go back to normal sooner or later… but that doesn't mean you should be uncomfortable until then," she began, even if the girls weren't really paying any attention. "Between this and the couch, you should all be able to get some sleep."
"Thank you, Mrs. Midoriya," Medaka said, surprising the woman with how awake she was.
The purple-haired girl proceeded to shuffle 2B and Hinata out of their seats, laying them down on top of the futons before laying down herself.
"Mmm…" Rias grumbled, half-awake, before sitting down next to Ryoko's curled up form on the couch and closing her eyes fully.
Baiken got up and made her way to the futons, taking a seat next to them in her classic posture before letting herself fall into a slumber, her head resting against her shoulder.
"There!" Inko said quietly, a smile on her face.
…
A few hours later, long after Mrs. Midoriya had gone to bed herself, each of the girls started to stand up—feeling a distinct 'off'-ness to their position, like an itch they had to scratch.
One by one, they made their way to Izuku's room, practically sleepwalking.
Ryoko was the first to enter, and she instantly slid under the covers with Izuku—who hadn't even bothered to take off his day clothes before collapsing into his bed—wrapping her arms around him in a wholesome hug before dozing off with a contented rumble.
Rias came in second, sitting off to the boy's side and leaning up against the pillows behind him—placing his head onto her lap before drifting back to sleep herself.
Hinata was the third to enter the room, taking a couple of pillows from the linen closet and settling down at the foot of the bed, one of the blankets wrapped around her as she snuggled into the corner.
Baiken entered fourth, taking nothing but a blanket and sitting next to the bed on the floor, wrapping a blanket around her while resting in her three-point position—Izuku's bokken still gripped in her hands as she kept her back to the boy and faced toward the door.
2B came next, laying down next to Izuku on top of the blankets. Not minding the cold.
Finally, Medaka entered the room last, sitting at the head of the bed near Rias and sliding the boy up in between them—allowing the two to lean against him while under the covers.
By the end of it, all of them had found a way to be near Izuku—near the person their spirits were tied to—and the feeling of 'off'-ness disappeared instantly.
Come morning, gentle flashes of light would announce the girls' return to their homes within the watch, but for now…
For now, they could enjoy their time as a 'family.'
*Fun fact! In Japan, Christmas Eve (Christmas Day isn't really celebrated that much) is an event for romance or friendship, while New Years is more about family. All the differences between their perspectives on the holiday and more western mindsets are a bit too complex to fit here, but I recommend looking into it! It's quite interesting.
**A classic Christmas food in Japan is the 'Christmas Cake' which has strawberries and white cream dotting their surfaces to give it a unique Christmas feel! They also tend to have little chocolate cottages or decorations on top too, but that varies.
***I have unashamedly and blatantly stolen this joke from 'Something Witty Entertainment's' MHA: Abridged series. You should watch it! It's pretty fun!
****Oden is a Japanese stew, served in pieces rather than dishes. Common ingredients are: Boiled Eggs, Fish Dumplings (Chikuwa,) Japanese Squash (Kabocha,) Japanese Radish (Daikon,) Kelp (Kombu,) Carrot, Shiitake, Octopus, and Deep-Fried Tofu (Atsuage.)
*****KFC is actually a really big thing in Japan, specifically for Christmas time. This is because of an incredible marketing campaign in the 70s that convinced the Japanese that KFC was a traditional American Christmas dinner. It was wildly successful and it's incredibly common in Japan to this day. People reserve special Christmas Chicken dinners months in advance, if you can believe it!
******Everything that Medaka says here is true, actually! It's all taken straight from Wikipedia—or maybe it's just something she memorized from one of the encyclopedias in Hakoniwa?
*******Evo Moment 37… A legendary event in the history of fighting games. If you don't know what it is, go watch it. Watch it now. It's insane what that man pulled off.