The class stood at the hub meeting place of all the grounds, all in their costumes and ready for the final practical exam. Luffy felt he did very well on the written test, having studied with the smartest of them, Yaoyorozu and Todoroki, so he was confident. But he was worried about the final. He was worried about who he'd be paired with. They were fighting the teachers, Rayleigh had been clear about that the day before, so it wasn't a surprise and they all had the chance to familiarize themselves with the teachers' quirks.
According to class 1-B, Aizawa didn't tell them what the exam was, and that they'd be home bound if they failed and unable to participate in the training camp. Rayleigh was much nicer and patient and open. But he'd already known that after Ace and Sabo had Aizawa. They said he was a good man, but he was a very strict teacher.
Rayleigh was not; they called him by his first name and he got respect from everybody. So here they all were, ready for what was coming, just not sure about who it would be against. Law was partnered with Kirishima, Zoro with Ashido, Sanji with Sero, Midoriya with Bakugo, and then, unfortunately, Luffy and Bellamy.
He felt personally betrayed by Rayleigh pairing him with somebody who made him deeply uncomfortable. He glared at his teacher for it. He never glared, and then they were put up against the man. Was he being punished for something? He lowered his head, his fists clenched in anger and hurt.
Bellamy didn't even wait to strategize before stomping off. Luffy turned and walked towards the hub. Zoro was looking at him in pity and sympathy. "He did that on purpose. He knows Bellamy is mean and makes me uneasy. Is he trying to fail me? I though he liked me, I guess I did something wrong," he basically snarled, kicking his foot into the floor.
"I doubt it's some sort of punishment," Sanji said reasonably. They looked to Midoriya. Now that he had a quirk, he wasn't called quirkless anymore, but relations weren't any better with Bakugo than before he got his quirk, actually worse. The explosive boy was jealous and hated Midoriya not being completely helpless anymore.
Yet the freckled teen still wanted to be on friendly terms. Luffy couldn't fault him for wishing a relationship could be what it used to. But he didn't really believe Bakugo could ever like him as a friend again. Well, it was his choice, Luffy wasn't going to tell his friend to give up, even though Zoro and Sanji had told him multiple times to not put so much work in when the other person was not willing.
So Midoriya and Bakugo could be for them to cooperate better. But why Luffy and Bellamy? It wasn't like Bellamy hated Luffy, he hated Zoro. So why not pair those two together? He was upset regardless, after saying something privately to Rayleigh and then having it turn out like this.
He pouted through the other matches, watching his friends pass but for a few. When it was his turn, he was the second to last before Midoriya's match. Like Luffy, Midoriya didn't expect to get any help beforehand by his partner. Luffy wondered if the jerk just ditched and it would be Luffy vs. Rayleigh, only. That would be more convenient for him, honestly.
"Good luck," Law said, with everyone looking at him in pity or sympathy. He nodded, and went to the ring they would be working in. It was the forest one, still in fine shape after the last match. Bellamy was much taller than Luffy, like everyone else.
"Rayleigh can see everything we will do, so-" Luffy started when he was grabbed around the stomach and was told to go to the exit and was thrown hard over the forest. He didn't scream, seeing Rayleigh below. Luffy had been thrown the completely wrong direction. "Thanks for this!" Luffy shouted to Rayleigh angrily.
He couldn't exactly do anything mid-air, so when he landed it didn't go well. He hadn't been an asshole to Bellamy, so why do this? Was he supposed to be a distraction? He didn't get an answer before he slammed into the fance, head hitting it and falling unconscious. He briefly heard his teacher shout his name in alarm, but then he was out.
Luffy woke up in a bed much too big for him. He touched his head, which had a wrap around it. The light hurt his eyes, and he closed them. He wasn't even at UA anymore, this was a real hospital. He could smell the chemicals and scent of others all around him. He scowled, starting to cry. He tried sitting up and it made his head hurt. He pressed the nurse button next to his head. He hoped Bellamy would get expelled but also hoped Rayleigh didn't fail Luffy because of this. He couldn't believe he was grabbed like that! He was so fucking tiny. He'd been surprised and confused. He was weak.
A nurse came out, with red hair. "How are you feeling?" Luffy said he felt like crap. He knew that wasn't helpful, but asked if he could talk to somebody, if anyone was there. She nodded, and returned with Makino, who hugged him. He started crying, saying he was just picked up and thrown. He wouldn't be a good hero if that was what happened.
"Sweetie, he was supposed to be your partner. You would never let a bad guy get that close to you." Luffy was still teary, and asked if he would be okay. If he had a bad head injury. "You needed brain surgery, but Recovery Girl gave you a fix for any lingering problems. You'll be just fine." Luffy was relieved, terrified he'd have some long lasting brain injury.
Makino hugged him, saying she'd missed him so much. He nodded in agreement. He liked being with his friends and with Law, but he'd rather see them at school while he lived at home. He asked his mother what happened, about his mean partner who did this. He did this on purpose, he didn't even throw him in the right direction.
"Bellamy has been expelled from UA," Makino said. Luffy sighed in relief. He asked how long it had been since the incident. "It was only yesterday. You're not missing that camp, and you aren't failing your final," she assured him.
"When do I have to go back?" Luffy asked. He'd rather not leave his mom. He was told he had to go back as soon as he was cleared. He contemplated sawing his arm off so he had to stay for more surgery, stay with his mom. "I don't want to go back."
Makino ran her fingers through his hair, saying he had to. For his safety. "But the bad guys are gone! I want to come home," he said weakly. "I want to go home, and stay home."
"I know. I'm sure hundreds of others of kids and parents want to be reunited. But that has to wait until the heroes say it's safe." Luffy moped, putting his hands over his ears. Makino took his lower left arm and smoothed the fur down. She traced her finger over the scar. "You were so brave and heroic to get through that. You helped everybody. You were there when no hero was. Because of that, we all know you'll make a wonderful hero. Even if you're small, you'll still make a lovable hero."
Luffy sniffled, but kept himself from telling her about what nobody but those twelve kids knew. He kept it to himself, and would continue to do so. He just enjoyed his time with his mom. He told her all about school, all about everything that had happened since he last saw her, even things they'd spoken about on the phone.
Until he cleared the tests, and was discharged. Until Rayleigh came to drive him back. Luffy didn't get in the car. "I'll walk back myself," he said coldly. Makino stopped him, and said she'd drive him back. Rayleigh looked regretful, but Luffy went with his mom to her car. He was stewing in the car seat that had been elevated. He wouldn't be in a booster seat!
"Hey didn't know Bellamy would do that, sweetie. You like him, right?"
"I did."
"Hear him out. Maybe he did the wrong thing for a right reason. Maybe there was some purpose in being that boy's partner," she said. She sounded so kind and forgiving. Not of Bellamy, never. Luffy wanted to be like her. Kind and loving and forgiving. Maybe he made Rayleigh feel bad enough; he should listen to what he had to say.
Well, he was the teacher, Luffy didn't really have a choice. When he got back to the school gates, he walked inside after having a long hug with his mom. While he was walking up the steps, he saw something on his finger glowing. He held it up, confused. He tried to wipe it off, or shake it away, but then more started to glow. A image was formed out of the glowing light.
It looked like a flowery archway, all light wit the backdrop black. It looked like a beautiful water color portrait. He stared at it, ready to head straight back to the hospital as he was clearly seeing things. He put his hand to his head, and turned back around to call his mom again. But the light shifted and turned into a small dot, floating next to him.
"What is happening...?" he asked as the dot morphed into a glowing horse, it looked like it was being painted along the air. It circled him, splashing into the walls, becoming other things. It was hypnotising. He was hallucinating, wasn't he?
He pulled out his phone, and took a photo of it. He knew it wouldn't show up, and started to call his mom. "I think I should go back to the hospital. I'm seeing things," he said as the light danced around him.
"Ok, I'll come and get you," Makino said, voice full of worry and concern. He hung up and went back to the gate as the color danced. Like it wanted him to interact with it. For a hallucination, it was pleasant. And he didn't have to go to the school immediately! When he got to the car, his mom stared at him.
"Honey?" she asked, the window rolled down. "What's this?" Luffy didn't know what she meant. "Sweetie, that's not in your head. You're not hallucinating," she said firmly. He looked back at the shimmering light. Makino got out of the car. Her quirk was nothing like this, Roger's quirk wasn't, either. And Luffy already had a quirk.
He asked what they should do. Wondering what it was, why it was there. She said she didn't know. "How about I walk you back to the school? Then we can all try and figure out why this light is following you. Maybe somebody else is pulling a prank. Another student, maybe," she offered, trying to come up with a solution. Luffy nodded.
She got back and parked the car at the curb and got her purse and keys. They both walked up the steps to the main building. "It is very beautiful," she said honestly as it danced around them, in the shapes of various creatures and objects. Luffy put his finger out and the light centralized and sunk into his fingertip before it faded away.
"It was so pretty. I wonder who was doing it? If it was a prank, it was a nice one," Luffy said positively, feeling much happier than before. Makino agreed with that. They went to the office, Luffy just wanting to make this last longer. All Might was there, and was surprised to see Luffy walking through that area.
"Young Luffy?" he said curiously.
"Yeah. Do you know somebody else was around here?" he asked lightly, the light making him feel happy. All Might said it was after school, and that nobody was in the area. He came over here because nobody was in the area. He asked why. "Someone's quirk was messing with me."
Makino said, "There was a glowing light following us while we walked. It might be nothing. Maybe both of us were seeing things," she said. Luffy smiled and hugged her goodbye. "I love you. I'll see you soon, okay? If not in person, we can do a video call." He said he loved her, too, and he would talk to her everyday, now. She smiled and walked away.
Luffy walked back to the dorms to get in a new outfit. On his way, the light returned. He brightened at its appearance. It made shimmering walkways above him, little glittery dots raining down. It really lightened his mood, and he didn't really mind if somebody was messing with him. But he couldn't hear or smell anybody in range. And definitely not who was walking up the path with them.
He heard and saw Law running towards him. The dot returned to Luffy's finger and Law hugged him tightly. "I'm okay. Promise," he said, returning the hug, even it Law was pretty much lifting him up off the ground in the hug. He pulled away and was glaring. "What's wrong?"
"I can't believe he threw you like that. You could have died. You're head was cracked open and bleeding everywhere," Law said, voice breaking. He touched Luffy's forehead, where the wound had been. Now there was only a faint line.
"He's gone now. I don't know why he was paired with me, but I don't want to think about that right now. Look at what I found, though," he said, the light erupted out again and showing bright patterns around them. "It just showed up when I was walking with mom." Law tried touching it, but it went right through his hand, like a ghost. Law was in awe, too. "It's pretty, isn't it?"
Law nodded, and asked where it came from. Luffy said he didn't know, and he climbed onto his back while walking to the dorms, the light showing them pretty patterns and fluid landscapes. It disappeared when Rayleigh came into view. Both of them grew cold. He sighed and said, "Luffy-kun, I need to speak with you."
He was his teacher, Luffy couldn't just ignore him to tell him to go away. He dropped off of Law's back, who didn't leave, but didn't interrupt. The light was back, and floating above his shoulder. "It was a mistake to pair you with him. Or to pair anybody. When he was questioned afterwards, he said he would have ruined the exam with whoever he was partnered with."
"That's not the point. I told you personally that he was making me uneasy and giving me a bad feeling. So then why did you go and pair me with him?" Luffy asked in a hard voice. The light scattered around before returning to its place above his shoulder. Rayleigh was doing well with ignoring its presence. Nobody seemed to act like it was strange so far.
"My thinking was that if you could work with him and overcome your fear, you would realize you should face things head on instead of shying away due to discomfort. Clearly, it did not go how I planned, and I am very sorry. I paired Midoriya and Bakugo together because they were contrasting and got along so terribly. I didn't do any of it to upset any you. And I especially would not have let Bellamy continue being on this campus if I knew what he was gong to do."
Luffy frowned, "But I told you. That he gave me a bad feeling. You said it was fine, and then he attacked me and I nearly died." Rayleigh looked completely regretful. He said he would learn from this, then.
"After this, Nezu has decided we do extensive interviewing every student who comes for the hero course. We can't let in bad people like Bellamy," he said. "I'm sad that has to happen, but it will because nobody will ever tolerate something like that." Luffy didn't point out that they got into plenty of fights with one another. Maybe it was only because this one involved Luffy's skull cracking open.
He sighed, and remembered he was forgiving. "I forgive you. But I won't doubt my instincts if somebody is bad again," he added. Rayleigh said he was fine with that, and was thankful for the forgiveness. Then he asked what the light was. He'd ignored it for a long time, which was hard.
The light came up to his finger. "It just showed up. It followed me and mom up the stairs and then with me and Law," Luffy said. He added he didn't know what it was or where it came from. Rayleigh tried touching it, but it flittered away. "It seems like it's alive," Luffy added. Rayleigh looked a bit confused about it.
"Can you speak and talk to it?" Luffy said it's mostly just been doing pretty lights. "Ask it to do something for you." Rayleigh sounded very curious.
"Hmm, turn blue," it did so, jumping from a pink to a blue. "Turn into a cat." The blue dot morphed into a blue, shimmy cat. Looking like water color, not an actual, solid cat. Almost like a cartoonish-etheriela form. Like a spirit! That described it perfectly. Rayleigh asked for it to turn into a dog. The light turned its head at him in defiance. It definitely acted alive. "Turn into me!"
It didn't look like him, not in detail. More light the silhouette. It darted around them, a golden color now. It made Luffy relaxed. "This is very interesting. Can you make it leave entirely?" Luffy had it disappear with a tiny burst if light, disappearing.
"Can somebody have more quirks than one?" Luffy wondered.
"Other than the bad guy, there hasn't been any recorded person with more than one quirk." Luffy was glad he didn't say the name. Luffy shared a glance with Law, both realizing why things may be… different. They never learned or heard more about the drug they had been infused with in the womb. Neither said anything, and Luffy commented that he was hungry.
They walked back to the dorm, Luffy on Law's back, feeling relaxed and only a tad concerned. But the light was harmless, it seemed. They'd keep it to themselves. Not even Zoro or Sanji knew about why they were taken. And as far as Luffy knew, nobody else knew but those who were in the cursed 12.
-x-
Luffy was on his bed, watching the ceiling of his room dance with lights. Shimmery, spirited lights. He stood up and walked to the bathroom to pee. When he looked in the mirror, he jerked awake completely. His eyes were glowing. Like, a bright blue, not even showing the whites or irises. He rubbed his eyes and the glow disappeared. It left Luffy very shaken and he went to sleep in Law's room.
When he woke up, Law was awake. It was vacation, as much as a vacation could be while trapped at school. He was at his computer, doing something. Luffy sat up, rubbing his eyes. Law noticed him waking up and said a good morning. "Morning," Luffy replied. Law asked how he felt. "Okay." He made the light appear, saw it darting around the room in the air as Luffy's silhouette.
Law watched it and asked if it was alive. It acted alive. Luffy shrugged, saying he didn't know what it was. Didn't know if he had a new quirk, even though he couldn't think of any other reason this was happening. "Do you think its from you hitting your head? You could have died. A near-death experience did something to the drugs in you," he said quietly, knowing nobody was listening, but staying quiet regardless.
Luffy said he didn't know, but it was a good guess. "Stupid Bellamy," Luffy grumbled. But then the light came out. It made to walk across his shoulders, but he felt nothing from it. He assumed it was an illusion. "I think it's an illusion quirk. It hasn't made physical contact with anything. But it sure is beautiful," Luffy said, watching the now glowing cat walk through the air.
Luffy was was sure his light was alive when he asked for it to leave and it nodded. The taller asked if Luffy could see more of what he could do. Maybe it was more than just a light. But maybe somewhere other than their rooms in case something went wrong. The smallest nodded, and went into his room to get dressed and ready.
When they got out of their rooms, the light followed, and Luffy asked it to stay out of sight. It obeyed and moved to his finger, entering him and not showing up again. The day before, Luffy had gone to his room after returning, so he hadn't really seen anybody after he left the hospital. When he came into view, everyone was so happy to see him safe and well.
They all looked at his head, at the faint pink line where his head had cracked open. Zoro and Sanji stood up and walked to him with a hug. He hugged them back, saying he was okay. They had breakfast, some asking how Luffy felt. He said he felt fine, and then asked what happened after their match.
"You were flown to a hospital in a helicopter. It was so bad. I saw it," Zoro said. He added that there was a lot of blood. Luffy smiled and said he was okay now. He didn't need to go back. He was glad he got better so fast. "Thanks to Recovery Girl." Luffy nodded, so thankful for her help. He asked what happened with Bellamy. "He actually was handcuffed and taken to the school while the other teachers organized us all. Midoriya and Bakugo had their match after a short recess, which they barely passed.
"They got pretty beat up, too, but not like you did." Luffy nodded, and then his face fell. He was so embarrassed he was just picked up and thrown. "It's not like you thought he'd do that right then. If it was a villain, there's no way that would have happened." Luffy nodded, already having heard that.
After breakfast, Luffy, Law and his two best friends left, Midoriya staying behind to probably go talk to All Might. He was the man's favorite, and Luffy was happy his idol liked him. He didn't know why, still not listening in even though he easily could.
They all got to the tree Luffy and Law sometimes went to, and Luffy dropped off of his boyfriend's warm back. "So, what's all this about?" Sanji wondered, since Luffy didn't want to train at the training ground erected for the students. Luffy said he had some things to tell them, but they couldn't tell anybody else. Not even Midoriya. He was only trusting this information with his closest people. Both grew serious and nodded.
Luffy explained what actually happened after they left the hell. How they were tested on, and the reason they were all taken. Didn't know why it was only UA, but only those twelve made it to the last stage. And then about the drugs they knew very little about. Neither of them were very angry, but a bit sad they were only just told. "Mom doesn't even know. Ace and Sabo, either. I didn't want anyone to think I'm only who I am because of some drug."
Both best friends protested this, and Luffy smiled. "So, I'm telling you because something happened after I hit my head. Only after that." He had the light leave his finger and swirl around them into beautiful patterns. "I think I have developed another quirk," he said with a firm voice, truly believing it.
"And last night, my eyes were glowing. Like, not able to see anything but a bright blue glow. I rubbed them and they went away, but I don't think I was imagining them," he confessed.
His friends were intrigued. "Can you do other things? Or is it mostly the light just being here?" Zoro asked again. They were sitting now.
"Like, having it open some awesome, godlike portal?" Law said he was stretching it a bit far. Luffy asked the light to show them the universe. It started swirling around them and then they were sitting in the pitch black, surrounded by stars and planets and galaxies. Luffy stood up in shock, but it dissipated.
They were all in surprise and baffled. "It seems like an illusion. We weren't actually there," Law suggested. "Maybe it stops if you move. Ask if it can show our friends. Like a portal."
It swung again in a golden circle before showing their friends, but it was an illusion. Zoro texted Midoriya, which they were watching, but he didn't answer. The visuals looked accurate before it faded into their silhouettes, glowing. "Awesome anyways. This is amazing," Zoro said in awe. The glow fizzled away and the light cat seemed to drift to sleep and fizzle away and back into Luffy's finger.
"Looks like it has a limit," Sanji commented. "That's really cool." The other three nodded in agreement. They looked to Law, asking if he could do something new. He shook his head, saying he'd tried, but nothing had happened. And he wouldn't willingly put himself in a near-death situation.
Later, after trying to bring out the light but it not returning, so most likely recharging, they went to the dorms and ordered what they needed for the summer camp. They couldn't go shopping, and Luffy really felt the teachers were hiding the reason they were still at school from them. It had been over 6 weeks since All for One was offed. So why stay there?
Since they were unable to go shopping, they all bought their supplies online. Rayleigh told them at the last moment that a wild fire had damaged so much of the forest surrounding their camp. The only other one available in time for the provisional license exam was in a different place. A very different place.
Not somewhere you'd usually hold a summer camp. It was in the mountains. As in the cold mountains. Instead of light clothing, they needed heavy jackets and pants. Thick sleeping bags. Scarves, hats, gloves, boots. Everything. Luffy was actually excited for this. He'd never been to a summer camp or anywhere in the mountains.
Most were upset and not looking forward to it. Luffy and Zoro were the most excited for the challenge and new experience. They'd have to be tough to weather the intensely different climate. He was excited to have snowball fights. Surely they wouldn't work the whole time. Rayleigh wasn't that mean.
Since all of them order their things,o when it all arrived, they had to sort through a lot of boxes. It felt like Christmas, sorting the presents. It was fun. When they had everything ready, all of Luffy's customized clothing sized for children, they put the things in their rooms, stuffing it all into trunks successfully. They were such thick clothes that they barely fit, but managed to if they really worked at it.
During the break, Luffy spent much of it with Law in various places. Sitting on top of the wall, the trees, the fake buildings, anywhere they could manage to climb to. After two weeks, the time until the camp, Luffy was sitting in Law's lap and leaning his chest against Law's, dozing as his ears were rubbed silently, Law leaned down and kissed his head.
It made Luffy blush, but it was nice. So he stood and kissed Law's forehead back. It was nothing intimate, but it was sweet and still sent butterflies through him. Seeing Law blush just by that was nice.
Then the sun started to set, and they climbed down the large tree, Luffy being held against Law's chest instead of hanging off his back. Sometimes… being little was nice. These times were some of those moments. He didn't feel like a child being carried by Law. It was a new feeling, a new way to embrace his size. One of the few.
