Their Hero Academia – Chapter 14: Sora Iida Takes Off

"For the record," Sora shouted after Kenta Sato and Kimiko Ojiro, "being unable to access the Wi-Fi does not constitute a "science emergency!" I am not your tech support!"

Honestly! All Ojiro had done was turn the Wi-Fi functionality off on her phone. Hardly a science emergency and definitely not worth the urgency with which she and Sato had demanded that she come with them. In fact, there was no reason why she should have had to leave the room in the first place.

Clearly, something was going on. Shenanigans were afoot! But what? With all respect to the two of them as her friends and future Heroes, neither Sato nor Ojiro were clever enough to be the primary suspect in anything. But they were usually to be found in the company of Takuma Sero, who possessed the rather unique ability to be rather clever and rather stupid at the same time when it came to getting into trouble. Perhaps he had spearheaded something while the other two distracted her? But what? And why would they not distract her younger brother as well?

These were questions that she clearly was going to get no answer to until she had additional data. Then again, she had multiple projects of her own to work on and there had been no sign of any damage to anything. Perhaps she was better off ignoring it, so long as they did not cause any apparent disruptions? It would mean a return to the designs she and Tensei were working on.

Yes, perhaps that was best.

Sora returned to the Common Room to find Tensei sitting at the table she had left him, looking up with the kind of grin that was usually reserved for a very serious breakthrough in design, one with only a very small number of explosions and minimal property damage.

"Brother?" she asked, tilting her head slightly. "Did something happen while I was gone? Did you figure out how to reduce the thrust multiplier to a manageable size?"

He continued staring ahead for a moment, though from the look in his eyes, she could tell his thoughts were moving quite rapidly. Their mother got the same look fairly often, and from what their father had said, so did she and her brother. According to Father, the only trick to bringing any of them out of it was a sudden shock.

"Oh, younger brother," she trilled.

That brought Tensei to attention, his eyes narrowing as they focused on her. "While that is factually correct, it is only a matter of minutes! The data is statistically irrelevant under most circumstance!"

She offered him a somewhat apologetic nod. He was easy to get riled up. Not quite as easy as Father, but few people were. Their mother could do it with just a slight change of expression. "It was necessary. You were quite clearly lost in thought and I did not wish to wait for you to come out of it on your own."

"I was not…" Tensei trailed off, starting to stand. Halfway though, he sat back down. "Forgive me, Sister," he said. "I was indeed lost in thought. Much has occurred since you left the room and I am still uncertain of how to process it all."

"Elaborate," she said. "Did Sero do something? He was not with his usual collaborators."

"It was Sero," Tensei told her. "He wished to thank me for saving his life earlier."

That was perfectly logical, but it did not make sense with the deception. "Commendable," she said. "But that does not explain why Ojiro and Sato felt the need to remove me from the room before he did."

Tensei smiled again. "There was more. He asked if I wished to engage in a one-on-one activity with him this weekend. I accepted."

"Oh, well then, that is…"

Wait.

She stopped and replayed the words he had just said in her mind. "Are you telling me, you have a date?"

More information assembled itself in her brain. "With Sero?"

Tensei nodded. "I do."

"I am very happy for you, Brother," Sora said.

She realized it was the first lie she had ever told him.

"Kirishima-Bakugo!" Sora shouted, arms flailing through the air as she entered Kirishima-Bakugo's room. "I require advice!"

Kirishima-Bakugo looked up from her chair, where she was lifting small weights. She gave Sora a long, penetrating stare. Perhaps it was meant to be some form of communication? Was it code? She could crack that if she applied enough thought.

Somehow dissatisfied with Sora's response, Kirishima-Bakugo finally spoke. "…And you're coming to me, why, exactly? Isn't this more Tokoyami's bag? Or Toshi? Or Izzy? Besides, I thought you usually talked things through that brother of yours."

Sora frowned. "Unfortunately, this concerns my brother, so I am unable to request his advice on the matter."

"That still doesn't explain why you came to me. We ain't exactly best friends or anything." A pause. "And it's not like I'm exactly known for making the best decisions."

"Those are true statements," Sora admitted. "But Tokoyami, Izumi, and Toshi are occupied with their study group with Shinso and Haimawari. I did not wish to interrupt. I know we are not close, but I would appreciate council all the same."

Kirishima-Bakugo finally set down her weight. "This have anything to do with your brother getting a date with Sero?"

Sora felt her eyes go wide. "How do you know that? I only just learned moments ago!"

The blonde, muscular girl laughed at that. "You do remember Ojiro was involved, right? Once she knew it, assume everyone who exists, did exist, and will exist knows."

She picked up her phone and called up a post from a social media site. It showed a picture of a happy if somewhat shell-shocked Sero with the caption "My BFF ( Takuma_Sero) just scored himself a date with Tensei Iida! I'm so proud of him! And Iida is such a hottie! So jealous!"

Sora stared at it for a moment. "That was fast."

"So what's up?" Kirishima-Bakugo asked. "Just don't tell me you were crushing on Sero. Because that would have really been barking up the wrong tree."

She shook her head. They had all known Sero was gay for some time; he made no secret of it. She had known Tensei was as well, of course, though she was uncertain how many of the others did. He did not really speak of romantic or lustful inclinations one way or the other. Like her, machines and intellectual challenges were typically his first priority.

"No, nothing like that. It is just…" Sora trailed off, waving her hands in the air in awkward gestures.

"I'm gonna need words, Jetset. My Quirk ain't mind reading."

Strange. She could usually articulate her ideas quite clearly. Or at least, clearly enough that her brother and mother could understand. Other people sometimes did have a hard time following her. But words were not usually a problem.

She tried again. "Tensei and I are twins."

Kirishima-Bakugo raised an eyebrow. "And water is wet."

"It is just… I should be happy for him. It is good that he has found someone to spend time with, someone he might like. But for some reason, I am not."

For a long moment, Kirishima-Bakugo stared at her again. Then, a strange, amused grin finally crossed her face. "I always wondered what would happen when one of you left the nest."

She stood and rubbed Sora's hair vigorously. "You're jealous, Jetset."

Sora pulled back, running a hand over her blue-black hair to smooth it back down. "I am sorry, but… what?"

Kirishima-Bakugo flopped back in her chair, still grinning. "You," she said, "are jealous. That someone who's not you is getting to spend time with your brother."

"No, that cannot be it," Sora said, looking down. And yet… The data point introduced by Kirishima-Bakugo completely recontextualized the data points she had already gathered about the situation. Her reluctance to be happy about the situation, a nagging concern in the back of her mind that she could not name…

"We have always done everything together," she went on. "We have the same Quirk, we have the same interests, we understand each other well enough that we can practically read the other's thoughts. I cannot remember a time we have every spent more than a few hours apart."

"You do know they're not getting married or nothing, right? This might not even work out."

She was aware of that, wasn't she? And it was not realistic to expect that her brother spend his every second with her. He already did not do that; they had to sleep sometimes, after all. Not at much as most people would probably prefer they do, but that was an argument for another time. But they typically did spend the majority of their waking hours together. Two minds and four hands made for lighter, smarter work, after all.

Sora was a woman of science. She had been taught from a young age to hypothesize, experiment, analyze the data, and come to a conclusion, even if the results were not the ones you wanted. The walls of their home had several scorch marks that attested to that.

She became aware of Kirishima-Bakugo snapping her fingers in her face. "You went away there for a little while, Jetset."

"I am sorry," Sora said. "But I think, Kirishima-Bakugo, you are right."

"Say that again."

"'You are right'?"

She grinned. "I just wanted one of you eggheads to admit that for once."

Kirishima-Bakugo went on, "Look. My own personal life's kind of a mess right now. And I really ain't the person with answers. But the way I see it, being a little jealous ain't terrible. Letting it take over, letting it get in the way of you and your brother, that'd be terrible. I know I'd hate it if I let something come between Tai and me."

Sora nodded. Her jealousy was an understandable factor. But one she could control. There was no reason to deny her brother a chance at some happiness. She would hope he would do the same for her.

"I… Thank you," she said. "You have given me a lot to think about."

Kirishima-Bakugo nodded. "Yeah, well, you're not the only one who can use their head. 'sides... Just think of how he might feel when you find some guy to ask out. Or girl. Or whoever. If that's your thing."

"Oh," she said, "I suppose that would be rather hypocritical of me. Especially as I like…"

Kirishima-Bakugo held up both hands. "Nope, don't wanna know. I got enough going on without getting you even more sorted out. I already know more about you than I needed to."

"Still," Sora said, "I must thank you. This was a very clarifying discussion." She held out her arms, awkwardly. "Social convention tells me I should hug you now."

"…Let's skip that, okay?"

When Sora went to find her brother, he was not in his room. Thankfully, Kaminari had seen him going up to the roof and let her know this. She first went down to the Common Room to grab bottles of grape and apple juice from the fridge, then went up to join him.

Tensei was standing near the edge of the roof, looking up at the stars. "Brother?" she asked. "Are you nervous about your date? It is soon? Where are you going? I demand additional information!"

He turned and smiled, accepting the bottle of apple juice that she offered him, taking a long swig before he answered. "I am filled with uncertainty. This is my first date ever and I feel incredibly unprepared. But Sero has suggested this Saturday and going for a quick dinner and to the arcade downtown. He seems experienced enough in these matters, so I agreed with his plans."

She took a drink of her own apple juice. "If I could offer you advice, I would," she said, "but my dating experiences are no different than your own."

"Do you suppose I should ask Father for advice?"

Sora shook her head. "I think we both know that would useless. Mother always says that she had to get Aunt Mina and Aunt Toru to explain her interest in him to him before he understood. Though he claims they were overly direct about it."

This got a laugh out of him. "This is true. Though I am uncertain as to what they could have said to fluster him so."

Sora shrugged. "I am afraid I have no idea."

She frowned. The two of them had always been open and honest with each other. Now was not time to change that. Even if her opinion on the situation had changed, he deserved to know her full thoughts on the matter.

Tensei noticed. "You seem preoccupied, Sister."

She finished her juice before she spoke, feeling it fueling her body and her Quirk. It was a warmth, spreading through the rest of her, concentrating itself in the jet engines on her back. "I told you I was happy for you when you told me you had a date. And I am, now. But when I told you that, I was lying."

His eyes widened. "You were? But why?"

"I was jealous," she said. "I was afraid if you were spending time with Sero, we would have less time together. And I realize that this is still true. But that does not make it wrong. We are twins and always will be. But that does not mean we cannot have our own lives as well."

"As if I could ever forget about you," Tensei said. "You are my sister. I will always try to make time for you. But I am also inexperienced in the requirements of other relationships. So if I fail to achieve balance, I will be relying upon you to set things right."

She nodded. "Of course I will. Can you forgive me my jealousy?"

"Of course!"

"And," Sora said, "you will do the same for me, should I ever pursue a romantic relationship?"

"Certainly," he said. "Though as your brother, I am obliged to threaten any boy you might be interested in with bodily harm, should he be anything less than a gentleman to you."

"And as your older sibling, I should remind you that the responsibilities of protecting the younger sibling from their romantic partner falls to me. Perhaps I should be pre-emptively defending your honor with Sero with threats of violence!"

"You are older by only three minutes! That is a statistical rounding error!"

"Nevertheless, it is still factual and precise!"

"I am not having this argument again!"

"Because you are losing!"

"I do not concede that!"

"The facts do not care about whether or not you accept them, they simply are!"

Tensei gave her a curious look, as he put data points together. "For the sake of being prepared to defend your honor, is there anyone you have romantic interest in?"

He always shifted topics when he knew her logic had defeated him. Well, she had already nearly told one person tonight, perhaps she ought to tell someone for real…

"Both of you go inside! It's after curfew!"

Sora peered over the edge of the roof, spotting Aizawa down on the ground, patrolling the school grounds.

"How does he do that?" Tensei asked. "His vision should not be that good."

Sora shook her head. "If I have learned anything so far this week, it is that Mister Aizawa is a statistically anomaly all his own."

Sora returned Tensei to his room and was on her way back to hers when she saw Toshi coming from the stairwell. Mostly likely, he had finished his study session with Tokoyami, Izumi, and the rest. Even in his casual wear, his muscles were readily apparent.

"Oh, hey, Sora," he said. "How're you taking being lab-banned?"

She frowned. "It is going," she said. "A week is a long time to be away from the Support Workshop."

"Well, you did kind of blow it up…"

"Only a little! We put the fires out very quickly!"

Toshi put up his hands in an apologetic gesture. "Okay, okay, just a little exploding. I'm sure it was fine."

"It was," Sora insisted. "But Power Loader did not see it that way. After he was done banning us, I saw him break into the bottle he keeps in his desk for "emergencies." Whatever that might be."

Toshi blinked slowly for a moment, looking at though he might say something about that, then shrugged. "Well, I'm sure it will pass pretty quick. We've got plenty of Hero stuff to keep us busy. We're going out to the USJ next week, after all. Uncle Kota says he's got some really special stuff planned!"

"That is good," she replied. Though she was not completely without worry about it. They all knew what had happened during their parents' first visit to the USJ. While they all knew the likelihood of anything like that happening to them was amazingly slim. The various members of the League of Villains from that time were either dead or in prison. Nevertheless between who they were and what else was going on in the world, the school was taking a great number of precautious.

He nodded. "Yeah, I'm really excited for it."

Indeed, she could see the excitement already in his green eyes. It was an aesthetically pleasing look on him, especially when he smiled.

"It promises to be an interesting experience," she agreed. "Though I am not as certain as to how well I will perform at rescue work. I can certainly catch falling people, as my brother did for Sero earlier today, but much of it requires more delicate work than my Quirk allows."

"That was a good catch," Toshi agreed. "But don't sell yourself short either. The right Quirk in the right place at the right time can make a big difference, sure. But you and your brother are way more than just flying around. You're both crazy smart. That's important too."

Sora felt her cheeks redden slightly. "You are too kind, Toshi," she said.

"Yeah, well," he said, rubbing the back of his hair, messing up his green hair. "It's true."

"Thank you," she said again. Perhaps there were better words here. But she still felt as though the time was not quite right. Not when she was still battling down the last vestiges of jealousy. "I will keep that in mind."

He smiled again. "Good," he said. "See you in the morning then?"

She nodded. "In the morning. Good night, Toshi."

"Good night, Sora."

She headed back to the stairwell to head back to her own room. She definitely required further data points before proceeding. Perhaps she could interrogate Tokoyami, Shinso, or Izumi for more information before she put a plan of action into effect…