AN: A bit late on the update here, but this chapter took a really long time to edit. No matter how much I fiddled with them, some of the scenes just weren't coming out right. This is the best I could come up with. There's a longer AN at the end, discussing some of my decisions for this chapter, but I'll let you form your own opinions before I give you mine.
Enjoy!
Chapter 10
Love is Like Battle training
oooOo Izuku oOooo
It wasn't a very well-advertised fact that one didn't actually need to have attended a hero University to be licensed as a pro.
Izuku's pen scratched over the well-worn pages of Hero Analysis for the Future, volume seven. When had he started this particular book? Sixth… maybe seventh grade?
It was long enough ago that combing through it now he was reminded of little tidbits of information he'd forgotten over the years. Not to mention his sense of humor as a child was… eccentric, to say the least.
Needless to say, it had been a while since he'd read this specific volume, but considering who he'd just met a few hours previously, it was a given that he'd revisit this particular entry.
Izuku's pen tapped thoughtfully against the page.
A provisionary license could only be obtained through a reputable enough Hero institution, but an official hero license could be obtained by any working professional through a recommendation of an already-licensed hero.
That wasn't to say that any average joe could become a hero without any effort. They'd still have to pass an exam judged by a panel of officials like anyone else. Besides… why would a Pro ever risk their own reputation for someone who hadn't even put in the time and effort to achieve greatness? There was a reason it wasn't very well known, in fact, Izuku could count on one hand the number of active pros that hadn't come from a school like UA.
Why was this at all relevant?
Well, ironically one of them taught here.
Izuku peered down at the name titling the entry.
Ishiyama Ken, better known by his hero name: Cementoss, had actually graduated from one of Tokyo's most prestigious Universities with a master's degree in architecture. Though he'd unofficially studied several other disciplines that complemented his ability to erect cement structures in an instant. Ken spent nearly half a decade in the business traveling around the world using his quirk to restore homes to those suffering from natural disasters and catastrophic villain attacks alike.
He only shifted his focus to hero work after being recommended personally by All Might himself. The symbol of peace had somehow caught wind of Ishiyama's relief efforts and spent weeks convincing the man to become a hero.
A few years later and Cementoss cracked his way into the top 100 with a passionate and unyieldingly loyal fanbase. One that was well-deserved in Izuku's opinion.
Even with Ishiyama shifting his focus to teaching in the most recent years, he still tried to devote a few months of the year to his original passion.
But knowing about Cementoss' skill was one thing… seeing the results for his own eyes though?
This felt like Izuku's own bed... He glanced to the walls.
Yep, those were his hero photos, and he'd recognize the diagrams of his own creation anywhere. They were even arranged in the same way he was used to… The same wooden computer desk sat flush with the wall to the left of his bed, exactly where it was located back home.
And yet… this building hadn't even existed this morning.
Izuku knew that for a fact. He'd rolled by the clearing on the way to class himself and there was no way he would have missed the massive building that was the UA dorms for the hero course.
Considering how they'd been instructed to drop off all their belongings the previous morning, Cementoss must have created the building around all their furnishings! There was no other way they could have finished in a single day. Izuku didn't even want to think of the logistics involved with creating a building with fully working plumbing and electricity already installed.
He was still trying to wrap his head around how fine-tuned the man's control must be to have that level of precision with his quirk.
It was certainly a level to strive towards.
Izuku flung volume seven across the room without a look. The book landed with unerring accuracy on his desk.
Yep, exactly the same spot.
Izuku dipped a hand into the river of quicksteel suspended above his bed, relaxing as the cool material parted between his fingers. He willed it to flow in curving spirals through the air, a never-ending loop with neither beginning nor end.
Izuku had never realized just how much sensory feedback his quirk really gave him until it had been forcefully ripped away. Having a telekinetic connection to the metal, every subtle vibration, even a slight change in temperature was noticeable.
He'd of course recognized some of these things before, he would have had to be blind to miss some of them. But by this point in his life, his quirk really was a part of him and Izuku consequently took certain aspects of it for granted.
But it was a mistake he doubted he'd ever repeat. Not with such a jarringly empty sensation so fresh in his mind. There was just something so inherently wrong about having it taken away. Izuku imagined it would be like a normal person waking up without an arm.
He sighed heavily. Maybe holding back in Aizawa's test had been more trouble than it was worth? God, he could just imagine the shit-eating grin Kacchan'd give him if she ever heard that thought.
Izuku stood by his reasoning, but Aizawa was right about one thing. His classmates needed to know what he was capable of.
A solid knock at his door cut through his musings.
In a rare show of laziness, Izuku stretched a thin tendril of quicksteel to open the door rather than get up from the bed himself.
He knew who it probably was anyway…
"Doesn't even get off his ass to greet me," Katsumi drawled haughtily, strolled into his room.
He leveled a deadpan stare at the girl, doing his best to ignore the miles of leg exposed by her orange cotton shorts. "You've tried to open your door with your quirk before, Kacchan. How's that glass house treating ya?"
She stuck her tongue out playfully before unceremoniously flopping down beside him. She heaved a heavy gust of air, as if letting the stress of the day fade away.
The silence they shared wasn't uncomfortable by this point in their friendship. Izuku knew despite her normally caustic nature Katsumi didn't speak without purpose. If she had something on her mind, she'd speak up about it.
But there were other factors to consider… Izuku would be lying if he said having her lithe body in bed with him didn't have his mind racing in a completely different direction.
He could just feel the heat of her body radiating through the sheets. Izuku turned his head, searching out those particularly captivating crimson eyes, only to meet closed eyelids.
What was going on in that unpredictable mind of hers? "What do you think of our new classmates, Kacchan?"
The question had heavy implications. They'd both had their differences of some kind with most of the kids in their previous schools. He was practically the school whipping boy until he'd gotten a handle on how to deal with bullies. And Kacchan was either blindly praised or challenged for prestige for most of her upper grade years. It had left them both isolated, albeit in completely different ways.
Izuku grinned to himself, it had to be fate that they ended up lying side by side all these years later.
With a couple hiccups along the way of course.
He swirled his fingers through the streams of quicksteel, expanding them into a latticework of interconnecting strands reaching to the edges of his room, never ceasing their gentle flow. It really served no actual purpose besides possibly improving his control but more than anything else, he'd liken it to a nervous tick.
Despite being completely inanimate, quicksteel always gave off a sense of liveliness, at least in his opinion. Perhaps it was just that he was so emotively connected with the material that he felt this way, but seeing it now, flowing around the room in a constant state of motion…
It only made him more certain.
"They're a pain…"
He flinched slightly, having been so absorbed by his quirk. But as Katsumi's hand joined his own in trailing through the cool metal threads, he realized belated that she was answering his own question.
"Oh?" Izuku said curiously. That was actually a fairly decent review considering the girl's normal opinion of those she considered below her.
She fixed him with narrowed eyes, quirking her lips to one side. "The fuck you mean, 'Oh'?"
"Nothing…" he smiled. "Just better than 'pebbles on the side on your road to greatness,' or 'extras,' or—"
"Allright! I fuckin get it already!" In a flash of moment, Izuku found his arms pinned to his sides, Kacchan's hand silencing any words of protest that may have left his mouth.
Not that he'd ever protest the way her strong legs straddled his chest as she loomed over him.
"Don't think I've forgotten about earlier, nerd," she murmured, eyes glinting dangerously. He knew she'd meant it to be menacing but god she was beautiful. If Katsumi wanted to punish him, then she was certainly going about it the wrong way… Izuku was surprised she couldn't hear the way his heart thundered in his chest. His quirk indicated no rapid change in temperature but Izuku would swear the room had just gotten ten degrees hotter.
He wasn't sure what had possessed his body in that moment. It may have been merely a whim, or perhaps his steely control over his attraction for his best friend slipped for a moment, but with a twitch of speed Izuku had reversed their positions, leaving Katsumi flat on her back.
The light squeak she'd let out at the sudden movement had been a treat in itself. But Izuku wished he could preserve the utterly unguarded look of shock that appeared on Kacchan's face in that moment. His own arms caged her torso, leaving just enough room for her to squirm comfortably, not that she tried to, stunned as she was.
Katsumi peered up at him, ash blonde hair flattened around her head in a halo with disbelief written so plainly in her eyes. But along side that emotion were others; pride being heavily featured, but alongside it was also an honest fondness and even… desire? There was nothing, however that said she didn't welcome the action itself.
He wanted to kiss her…
It obviously hadn't been the first time he'd had the urge, or the hundredth, but in that moment, with his best friend and her lethal weapon of a body so absolutely vulnerable before him. How could she expect him to hide his affections through all of that?
He was only a man…
So for once in his life, Izuku ignored the possibility of ruining his one true friendship, ignored the threat of being rejected by the only girl he'd ever loved, and finally embraced the undeniable fact that he couldn't live with the uncertainty anymore.
So he kissed her.
…
For a moment, Izuku feared her shock had left her unresponsive, and the kiss may have been even more one-sided than he'd feared. But after a moment that dragged on like nothing before, Katsumi slowly responded, her lips joining his own in a gentle dance.
How something so soft could spew such profanity at times Izuku didn't know nor care. But as he finally claimed the lips of his best friend and crush after so many years, his heart soared in triumph.
It was clumsy. Neither had any sort of experience with the opposite sex and figuring out through trial and error the ideal angle to meet each other was undeniably awkward at first.
But it was undeniably wonderful for Izuku and judging from the appreciative little gasps Katsumi let out, she probably didn't have many complaints either.
They'd spent nearly their entire lives together, a little embarrassment between the two was nothing new. And as Katsumi lightly parted her lips with a gasp a moment later, they found that a little embarrassment could make things a lot more interesting as well.
Izuku slipped his tongue past her lips, probing tentatively around her mouth before teasing at her own a moment later.
He ghosted his fingers up the exposed skin of her leg, creeping closer the soft fabric of her sleep shorts.
She shivered delightfully against his body.
Katsumi deepened the kiss, fisting a hand in his hair as she seemingly grew more and more confident.
It wasn't surprising, really. She was always a quick study, especially with something so instinctual.
Izuku pulled away slightly, peppering kisses down her jaw, then her neck… He nuzzled at her affectionately, biting lightly at her collarbone.
She squirmed at the sensation, seeming to enjoy the teasing gesture, but a moment later, her eyes flew wide open and she scrambled away, practically launching off the bed.
It too a moment for his mind to catch up by Kacchan's sudden departure. Had he done something wrong? Had he read too much into her response? He thought she was as into it as he was… but maybe he'd been mistaken.
His heart sank at the thought.
Katsumi shot up, lips still enticingly swollen from their earlier embrace, but the haze of lust that had clouded Izuku's mind was overshadowed by the concern that had wedged its way into his gut.
Katsumi's eyes darted around the room like a caged animal looking everywhere but at his own.
"I… uh… I've gotta get to bed… we've got—uh…shit… class tomorrow."
"Wait! Kacch—"
Thud.
Before he'd realized it, she was gone, his door slamming shut, leaving Izuku alone, confused, and painfully aroused.
"What the fuck."
oooOo Katsumi oOooo
"—tsumi, hey, Katsumi-chan!"
Against her better judgement, Katsumi paused, waiting for round-face to catch up. But she wasted not time in setting off nearly immediately once the brunette had done so.
"Hey, Katsumi-chan, I'm super excited for class too, but dontcha think we should wait for Izuku-kun?"
Katsumi tensed, inwardly cursing at hot flush that came to her cheeks.
Gravity-girl had only mentioned his fucking name and she was already losing it. How the hell was she supposed to focus on her first real day at UA when all she could think about was the gentle caress of his lips or the hot tickle of his breath on her neck, explosive touches an—
"Nope," she said without a backward glance.
Katsumi let out a sigh as the taps of Uraraka's steps resumed a moment later. The tagalongs from middle school usually fucked off after a dismissal like that… But Katsumi had to admit, gravity girl was a whole other level of stubborn.
Was this what it was like to have friends that were girls? So far it seemed to be far more trouble than it was worth.
"Alright then, as long as he won't mind," she let out an innocent chuckle. "You'd probably know better than I would huh?"
Gah! You're too trusting, round face!
The truth was she'd fucking chickened out, okay!? As wonderful and as mindblowing finally acting on some of her urges the previous night was, Katsumi had absolutely no clue where she and the nerd stood now.
He'd kissed her first right? She vaguely recalled him pinning her to his bed, but... had she imagined that part? It certainly seemed more in character for dream Deku than real Deku.
How the hell was she supposed to tell them apart anymore!?
Katsumi had definitely imagined him kissing her in the past, and for a moment had trouble discerning her dreams from reality. But after she'd realized it wasn't a dream, such an insignificant detail had seemed wholly unimportant in the greater scheme of things.
But now?!
Her mind had caught up to her body as she realized she'd practically assaulted the nerd.
Katsumi flushed at the thought of her full-blown panic attack
They'd only gotten to second base before she'd bolted, citing an urgent need for sleep of all things. What a fucking joke…
But once she'd gotten back to her own room, Katsumi had lied awake for hours pondering just what might have happened if she'd stayed.
Katsumi cringed, thinking back on her sudden departure. What the hell did Deku think of her now? Bailing on him like that she'd be surprised if he even wanted a repeat performance.
She cursed under her breath, chewing the tip of her thumb irritably. For nearly a decade the nerd had remained unquestioningly by her side. But they'd been best friends, and it had been simple, and most of the time, effortless.
As exhilarating as this change was, it was also so distinctly new, carrying with it an air of uncertainty.
Katsumi didn't do well with uncertainty. At least in this respect.
"Gosh! You're totally out of it this morning, huh, Katsumi-chan? Is everything okay?"
She sighed, waving off the brunette's worries. As guilty as she felt about leaving for class early to avoid talking to Deku so soon, she really did need the extra time to get her fucking head on straight.
Today they were supposed to be taught by All Might after all…
oooOo Izuku oOooo
"I. Am… coming through the door like a normal person!"
"It's actually him! We're actually getting taught by All Might!"
"Woah."
"That's his silver age costume!"
"He gets bold text too! Gives me goosebumps…"
There was nothing normal about All Might's entrance, but you couldn't really hold that against him. The man seemed to radiate a heroic energy everywhere he walked, and Izuku doubted he could just switch it off any easier than Hagakure could turn off her invisibility.
However, even the prospect of learning from the legend himself couldn't completely distract him from his current predicament.
As All Might boisterously outlined the details of Hero Basic Training, Izuku couldn't help but shift his gaze to the girl sitting just one seat in front of him. She appeared to be focusing intently on their sensei, just like she had in the more mundane classes they'd had that day, but he could tell from her posture that her mind was on other things…
Of course it was, idiot.
With the way she'd taken off the previous night he wasn't surprised Katsumi had left early that morning, but he couldn't help but feel the bitter sting of rejection.
He was so confused. Kissing Katsumi had honestly been one of the greatest moments of his life, and if he'd been reading her body language correctly, it wasn't half bad for her, either. At least until she'd left so suddenly… Maybe he shouldn't have gotten so handsy with her b—
"-attle training! And for that… you need these!"
It only took a split second for Izuku's mind to catch up as a row of futuristic shelving units ejected from the walls with a gentle hiss.
"In accordance with the 'quirk registry' and the special request forms you filled out before being admitted…"
The class collectively leaned forward in anticipation.
"No way…"
"He doesn't mean…"
Nearly every child in this quirked society they all lived in had dreamed at one point or another about this day. And now they'd finally get their chance…
"That's right! A hero's signature so to say. Hero Costumes!" All Might said, spreading his arms grandly. "Once you've changed, come out in ranking order and meet me at Ground Beta!"
oooOo Katsumi oOooo
"Damn, Yaomomo! I didn't know you were so daring," came a shout from the pinkest of her new classmates.
Just ignore them, Katsumi, you've got battle training with All Might to worry about. She pulled on a pair of jet-black combat boots, a neon orange strap latching around the back of her calves.
"It wasn't purposeful! All I said was there needed to be an appropriate amount of skin showing to use my quirk! They didn't have to make the rest skin tight!"
"Pfft! Sure, girl, keep tellin' yourself that. But really, who's eye out there are ya tryin to catch?"
Don't explode the extras…
"W-what makes you think I have any intentions o—"
"Aww, cmon! There must be someone who's caught your interest? We're in the hero course after all! All those battle-hardened, hero-worthy physiques." The pink one drawled provocatively, "We've got the pick of the damn litter, ladies!"
"Kirishima's body isn't exactly 'carved from marble,' but he gets pretty damn close eh, Mina?" Lobes cut into the debate with a sly look.
Or at least that's what Katsumi assumed, because she absolutely refused to have any association with this conversation.
"W-what!? Oh, I dunno, Kirishima? He's kinda—"
"If we're talkin best body here, it's gotta be Midoriya, right?"
Katsumi stilled.
"Ohmygod! I know right? Did you see those arms? What a shame we only got a glimpse yesterday!"
"Mina, can your acid dissolve clothing?"
"Pfft! You're horrible, I couldn't do that… not on purpose…."
The obnoxious giggles that followed were the final straw as a seething Katsumi spun around only for the words to die in her mouth. She froze at the sight of her classmates' hero costumes.
T-this couldn't be right…
The creation girl hadn't been fuckin' exaggerating. In fact, daring may have been an understatement. She wasn't even wearing pants for fucks sake, or they were at least hidden beneath the belts… And the skintight, dark red leotard that was meant to cover the voluptuous girl's upper torso… wasn't doing its job very well.
Shit.
The others weren't much fucking better either. Katsumi's eyes darted from girl to girl, did she miss the spandex memo or something? Aside from Lobes', every single heroine's costume hugged the girls' forms with impunity. And was Invisalign fucking naked?! Even Uraraka stood several seats down from her tugging at her own costume uncomfortably.
It was no wonder why… Katsumi eyed the brunette's chest as it strained against the stretchy blue fabric. How the hell was every girl in here fucking stacked?
She met Lobes' eyes for a moment, and actually shared a commiserating look with the girl…
Nope. Hell the fuck no, she was not doing this right now.
Katsumi glanced down at her own costume with a sigh…
The compression material used for her upper torso and sleeves was tough and functional, woven from a thread in a similar manner to Kevlar though much thinner. She totally dug the bright orange highlights too, but glancing back once more at the rest of their costumes…
Was it… hot enough?
She shook her head rapidly, making her already unmanagable hair fluff up even more. Katsumi ignored the obvious irony of the thought, instead focusing on latching the streamlined metal bracers, the most recent version of several iterations, onto each forearm. They made use of a semipermeable membrane to wick and store her explosive for more devastating rapid-fire attacks. The same material lined the soles of her combat boots.
She sighed, some of the tension leaving her frame. Without the nerd's modifications, she'd probably be walking around with fucking grenades on her wrists or something…
Crimson eyes snapped open, razor-sharp and focused once more. This wasn't the time to be worried about whatever the hell was going on with her and Deku, even if it was probably her fault…
oooOo Izuku oOooo
Izuku's nervously adjusted the straps to the sleek, forest green bracers that guarded each of his forearms. For the first actual iteration of his hero costume he err'd on the side of practicality over aesthetic. He stuck with a standard pair of charcoal grey combat pants with a more sturdy material of the same color clinging to the contours of his chest. A green, red and white face mask wrapped around the lower half of his jaw, leaving piercing jade eyes exposed to the elements. As Izuku got his bearings and had a couple years of experience under his belt he could ditch the light armour and rely on his quirk to protect his body. But until that time came, he'd take the extra protection.
Izuku's eyes widened as the girls in his class filed out of the locker rooms, chatting as if they were life-long friends.
He hadn't prepared himself for this…
Izuku knew hero costumes could get a bit revealing, but the girls really hadn't held back with their designs, had they?
And despite knowing it would only distract him further, Izuku found himself searching for that familiar ash blond hair, spotting her a moment later.
Kacchan had no business looking that good in kevlar and bandoliers, but there was something about that tank-girl aesthetic that really did it for him…
the matte black body armour practically molded to the contours of the girl's toned midriff, only coming up to around mid-chest, leaving just a hint of tantalizing cleavage and shoulders bare.
It really wasn't helping him keep his mind, or his eyes, off his... friend? Gah! He didn't fucking know anymore!
What was All Might saying?!
"—The heroes have a limited amount of time to either capture the villains, or secure the weapon!"
Weapon? What weapon? Why hadn't he been paying attention!? His eyes darted to each of his classmates as if the answer to his dilemma would be magically written on their foreheads.
It wasn't.
"The villains must either capture the heroes or protect the weapon until time is up."
As All Might continued to explain the scenario, Izuku began to piece together what he'd missed. It sounded like some sort of cliché American blockbuster plot. But he guessed it worked as well as anything to teach them more practical skills.
"Your battle partners will be decided by… drawing lots!" The small box he held, which Izuku assumed contained the various teams looked positively miniscule in the hero's massive hands.
"Is that really the best way!?" Iida questioned in disbelief.
Oh! That's why he seemed so familiar. Izuku knew he's seen that bionic engine mutation before, but it had taken the full-body armour for him to properly make the connection. Iida had to be related to the pro-hero Ingenium!
He'd studied the prodigal hero's quirk intensively, being particularly interested in mechanical mutations to the body. As little as quirks adhered to logic, having human technology develop naturally inside the body was a level of absurdity even Izuku had trouble grasping.
"It makes sense when you think about it," Izuku said softly, thinking back on the hundreds of battles he'd born witness to in his time in the city. He glanced up, only to freeze seeing nearly the entire class's eyes on him.
"Go on, Midoriya-shonen!" All Might boomed with a smile.
Izuku coughed lightly into a fist in an attempt to hide how uncomfortable he was with the attention.
"Most heroes work for an agency where you'd indeed work with predetermined teams," He said, conceding that point to Iida with a nod. "But there are multiple hero agencies patrolling a given area at any time, it's not uncommon to have to team up with people you aren't familiar with for more dire emergencies." Izuku quirked a smile at their legendary teacher. "Plus, if you fly solo like some people, you've got to be able to mesh with a different hero at any given time."
The class was silent for a moment.
"What the hell?! No one told me Midoriya was smart too?!"
"I'm so freaking jealous!?
"That really does make sense when you think about it," Yaoyorozu chimed in.
"I apologize for getting ahead of myself! Please continue!"
"Indeed! Well said, young man! Let's get to it!"
Each student drew a lot, with matching letters indicating pairs. Peering around, Izuku searched for whoever in their class had the C to match his own paper tag.
It seemed fate had its benevolent eye on him after all as he met a familiar pair of crimson eyes. A crumpled paper tag was clutched in her gloved grip, the curved end of what he knew had to be a C peeking out.
And as All Might called up the team A combo of Yaoyorozu and Tokoyami to act as the villains, Izuku had no doubt that his own team would be called up to match.
The fact both terrified him and filled him with relief. At least Kacchan would have to talk to him… right?
oooOo Katsumi oOooo
Fuck!
Just a little bit of time was all she had asked for! Was that really so hard? Was wanting just a another god damn moment to herself being too greedy?
But of course, she'd been paired with Deku of all people, and of course they were called up to bat the first fucking chance they'd got.
Normally, she'd leap at the chance to flex her superiority in battle. And paired with the nerd too?! These scrubs wouldn't have stood a chance.
But she wasn't ready…
Katsumi peered up through pale blond bangs, expression softening as she saw her best friend approaching like he was walking to the gallows.
Well, shit….
She scowled at her own selfishness. Every moment of their relationship was filled with Izuku indulging her many whims while tolerating her less… well… tolerable traits. She knew it couldn't go on like this. Knowing the nerd, he was probably blaming himself for no fucking reason, when she could have solved this whole misunderstanding with a few simple words…
This was what she'd wanted after all.
Right?
Her nerd of a best friend had turned into a total fucking hunk before her eyes and it wasn't the first time she'd thought of making a move… Was she really going to let that chance go to waste after all that time?
Sparks danced inside a clenched fist along with her inner turmoil, which only made the big lug flinch away.
She had to fix this.
Katsumi wordlessly tugged him towards the tunnel that led to the simulated city itself. Luckily, they had ten minutes to themselves before they'd be expected to capture the bomb or whatever.
Hopefully, this wouldn't take that long.
Katsumi slowed to a stop just inside the exit of the tunnel. Clear daylight speckled the ground just a couple meters away, the entrance to the mock city bright and welcoming. She turned to Izuku, finally taking a moment to take in the intimidating figure he cut in his own hero costume.
Katsumi knew it was cliché to swoon over a hero in uniform, but with his sleeveless body armour, made of a similar material to her own, and those combat pants that hugged his ass like a fucking snack… she found herself for a moment, lost for words.
Katsumi reached out a sparking palm, latching her fingers onto the collar of his suit.
"Um… Kacchan, I'm sormpf—"
She wasn't sure what possessed her to silence his lips with her own in that moment. But her body had seemingly closed the distance between them of its own accord, pulling his hinged face mask away to uncover the real prize.
It only took a second for her mind to catch up to her body.
Fucking shit, had she just kissed him?! Was she still kissing him?!
Oh… he should do that thing with his tongue again… wait no! She was supposed to be setting things straight, not getting lost in the way his muscular arm curved around her waist ever so gently. Or the way their tongues clashed in a passionate dance that was possibly the furthest thing from gentle Katsumi could imagine.
Their kiss slowed to a comfortable, tender pace, and Katsumi somehow found her back against a flat surface again. The stone wall was a hell of a lot less comfortable than the nerd's bed.
"I'm… confused?" Deku said a moment after they'd parted.
She sighed. "That's… probably my fault, Deku… I…" she trailed off, the words failing her.
"Kacchan wha—"
"I chickened out, okay!?" She snapped angrily. None of her anger was directed at him, of course, but she'd never let that stop her before…
He peered at her curiously, not blaming her in the least but seeking to understand.
Typical.
"I'm sorry… okay? I bailed on you and that totally wasn't cool…" she felt the heat come to her cheeks as she tried to voice her next thought. "Its not th-that I wasn'tenjoyingmyself."
"What was that?"
"Fucking shit, nerd you heard me! Don't make me say it again!" She scowled, pacing the dark tunnel in agitation.
"So… we can kiss some more…"
God… her face must have been fucking flaming. "Fuck, Deku, you don't have to say it so plainly!"
"Then, could we uh… not kiss anyone else… please?" He hedged, trying to follow her direction.
Katsumi couldn't help the pleasant fluttering sensation that filled her gut at the implication.
"I'd like to see you fuckin try, nerd…" she bit out, thankful for the darkness for hiding her atomic flush.
"Attention, Villain team A's allotted preparation time has expired, Hero team C may enter the premises." All Might's voice boomed over the loudspeaker, somehow appearing just as grand through a mic as he did in person. "You have ten minutes, Indoor Antipersonnel Battle Training! Begin!"
Shit, they'd really cut it close there. But as she met Deku's eyes with a clear conscience and their tentative relationship sorted out, at least for the moment, all that was left was to show these shitty villains the product of superior talent combined with sheer, backbreaking effort.
And a little luck of course.
Katsumi grinned a bloodthirsty smile as Deku's skyboard took shape before them.
"Death from above?!" she said eagerly.
He had the nerve to sigh in response. "Kacchan, we can't call it 'Death from Above,' we're heroes…"
She scowled, "Fuckin killjoy…"
oooOo Toshinori oOooo
"Midoriya can fly?!"
"That's so fucking rad!"
The shout was joined by many other others in a similar vein and Yagi would be lying if he said he didn't find some amusement in his class's reaction to the young man's ability. It also had the unintended side effect of taking some of the pressure off.
Yagi would happily be a hero twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week without complaint. In fact, it was one of his greatest wishes, now that he was actually limited to less than three hours a day. But in the brief time he'd had to impart his wisdom on these impressionable youths he was already exhausted.
If this was the kind of pressure teaching put on his body, then he might have to rethink how much time a day he truly had to spare.
Day by day, the time grew closer to when Yagi would no longer have the luxury of choosing his own successor, and his legendary ability would have to pass to young Mirio by default.
There was nothing wrong with the boy. Quite the opposite in fact. On paper, Mirio was the perfect vessel for One for All in mind, body, and spirit.
But it just seemed so clinical. Especially when compared to the bond he had with his own sensei. As painful as his memories of Nana were, he cherished the time they'd had together all the same. To simply go through the motions with a successor of someone else's choosing, even if they were a trusted friend…
It felt like he'd be disgracing Nana's legacy.
But then, he'd met young Midoriya.
It was almost as if fate had delivered a perfect vessel to his doorstep. Disciplined, kind and sporting a powerful quirk to match, it was no wonder the boy had caught his eye. Judging from his exemplary performance in the entrance exam he clearly didn't lack the heart of a hero either.
But there was still something holding him back, something preventing him from approaching the young man this very day. A… spark? Was missing. And for the life of him, Yagi Toshinori simply didn't know what it was.
But he knew he'd know it when he saw it, as little sense as that made.
Yagi turned his shadowed eyes back to the screen. Perhaps Midoriya would know better than he…
oooOo Izuku oOooo
The streamlined pair of combat boots Izuku had designed for his hero costume were working just as he'd intended.
From the outside they looked to be a variation of the stylish red sneakers he wore on a day to day basis. These however, were constructed from battle grade materials, and refined to look and act bit more streamlined.
But the true genius was in the inner and outer sole of the shoe.
Namely, there was no sole. That particular component had been omitted completely, allowing direct skin contact to his skyboard without losing the protective advantage of the boots themselves. A minuscule amount of quicksteel served as the soles whenever he wasn't flying.
The wind ruffled his hair as Izuku made a quick sweep of the perimeter of the building for a bit of early recon. There was no need to rush in gun's blazing in this situation.
There hadn't been any indication from the outside as to which floor the villain team had set up on. But considering who their opponents were, it wasn't exactly surprising.
Yaoyorozu's creation quirk seemed to be limitless in its potential application, and as long as he had no knowledge of its limitations or drawbacks, it'd be nearly impossible to plan for every situation.
As for Tokoyami's quirk, Izuku had almost nothing on it.
The raven-headed boy hadn't used it at all in the quirk apprehension test the previous day, but whether that was due to not being able to, or a reason more in line with Izuku's own reasoning that day he wasn't sure.
Izuku tried to avoid prejudice whenever possible, but with a name like Tokoyami Fumikage… There was probably a good reason why they'd avoided the rooms in direct sunlight.
Izuku came gliding to a stop where he'd left Kacchan by the entrance. She shot him a grin that had his stomach doing summersaults, but he shoved away the feeling, a haze of razor-sharp focus settling over his mind.
"We good to go, nerd?"
He nodded, "No sign of them from the outside, and they're probably avoiding the outer windows since none of them are furnished at all."
"So I can blast the roof off now right?"
"Kacchan…" he sighed, praying for patience. "We're making a precise infiltration with your quirk!"
…
"You know… with stealth? And no noise?"
…
"So can I—"
"Yes, you can blast the roof off," He bit out.
She snickered adorably, instantly erasing any irritation that had been building. Kastumi held out a hand, wordlessly asking for an arm up onto his skyboard. "Don't you dare fucking drop me, Deku."
"Yeah, yeah. Drop a girl one time in the sand and you never hear the end of it."
"My ass was bruised for days, nerd. Take responsibility!"
He flushed lightly at the thought but pulled the girl up, wrapping an arm around her waist and tugging her close. Now that Izuku knew he could actually get away with these casual touches, and they might even be welcome, he planned to take every opportunity to indulge his wishes.
He widened the base of his skyboard so it resembled a floating platform. All jokes aside, balancing on such a precarious foundation took years of practice to achieve his level of proficiency, and that was with total command of the board itself…
The fact that Katsumi could stay perched so steadily even on an expanded surface was a testament to her absurd sense of balance.
He guided them to the roof of the simulation building where they settled, Kacchan stepping away lightly. He couldn't help but let out a giddy shiver as she trailed the tips of her fingers over his skin, as if hesitant to lose that contact.
"Wipe that grin off your face, nerd. It's showtime."
Her palms burst into a smoldering, blisteringly hot flame, which she turned to the stone roof a moment later.
A stealthy entrance may have been a bit optimistic, but as the concrete roof of the simulation building caved in with a shattering explosion, Izuku had no other choice but to roll with what she'd given him.
He dropped through the dark hole left by Katsumi's superheated palms, surrounding himself with quicksteel to protect from the molten slag along the edges. The familiar fatigue washed over him, but he shook it off easily enough, having battled the heat of Kacchan's quirk for most of his life.
What he wasn't expecting, however, was the massive force that slammed into him the moment he touched down into the room itself.
Luckily, he'd caught a flash of darkness in his peripherals just in time to solidify his quirk, saving him from the brunt of the impact. Unfortunately, he was still flung bodily into the closest wall by the force of the blow, though not hard enough to cause any permanent damage.
Izuku hissed out a curse, not knowing whether this should be considered absurdly good luck or not.
He'd meant to guess the general area the villain team was hiding, not the exact room! But as they said, every good plan lasts until first contact with the enemy.
Izuku ducked a humming strike from a bo staff over his left shoulder, instinctively tossing out a mule kick in the general area of the attack. He was rewarded with a solid thud and distinctly feminine grunt of pain.
Izuku rolled away, trusting Kacchan to guard any further attacks to his flank. Sure enough, she dropped through the hole a moment later, intercepting Yaoyorozu's staff as it cut through the air for a follow-up strike.
It left Izuku completely free to focus on Tokoyami.
At least… he thought it was Tokoyami.
The writhing specter that loomed over him shared little in common with the reserved young man he'd met the day previously. The gaping maw of the beast was like looking directly into the void, and those menacing yellow eyes gleaming eerily in the dim lighting of the room.
The hazy shadow lunged, swinging a wicked, razor-sharp claw towards a much smaller Izuku.
But he stood resolute, undaunted in the face of impending danger. As formless and intangible as this shadow-beast appeared, he knew first hand that its blows were undeniably solid. Disregarding how it got the jump on him earlier, if it was solid, then it was something he could fight.
A grin split his lips.
Izuku deftly ducked the wild swing, a metallic fist whipping out in response. The blow cracked satisfyingly against the mass of writhing darkness, flinging it back into the dark corners of the room. For something so obviously supernatural, it felt frighteningly fleshy, like a living beast overcome by shadows.
But that was a mere observation, in this fight, it meant nothing to him. This entity was merely the being standing between him and victory.
Izuku parried another blow from the blackness, quicksteel-coated forearms taking the brunt of the damage before he lashed out with a textbook side kick, putting some distance between he and the shadow. The beast lunged back with a vengeance, fighting with an animalistic ferocity and seemingly unending reserves of energy.
As he tracked the vicious claw through the air, parrying the blow a moment later, Izuku picked out Katsumi taking on Yaoyorozu in the opposite corner of the room.
The taller girl clearly wielded her bo staff with a confidence born of years of practice, but there was a brutality in Kacchan's approach to battle that Yaoyorozu's technique simply didn't hold up to. Katsumi avoided using any stronger blasts in such an enclosed space, choosing to take on the bo staff with her bare hands.
A hint of pride welled in his chest as Katsumi systematically disabled Yaoyorozu's formidable offense, though not without taking some solid hits from the taller girl.
Even with knuckles bruised and bleeding, Kacchan looked like she was having the absolute time of her life.
Especially as she ducked under another of the girl's strikes to deliver a devasting counter directly to her exposed ribs, activating her quirk for perhaps the first time in their little brawl.
Yaoyorozu was sent tumbling to the stone floor from the power of the blow. She came to rest against one of the many pillars that filled the room, ribs battered painfully but surprisingly still conscious. In a show of tenacity that impressed both he and Katsumi, though Izukuk knew she'd never admit it, the girl struggled to her feet once more.
Katsumi strafed around her opponent like a predator stalking its prey. The flames dancing at her fingertips just barely lit up her fair features, a manic grin exposing rows of pearly white teeth. In the dark lighting of the room, she looked almost as intimidating as Tokoyami.
Another blow from the shroud of darkness slammed into his guard, rattling his teeth with its intensity. But as Izuku caught sight of Katsumi slipping another sparking palm through Yaoyorozu's guard, he came to a startling realization.
They were being dumb as shit…
As much has he hated to deny Kacchan the fight she clearly wanted to finish, it would be the height of folly to not exploit such an obvious weakness.
"Kacchan, remember the sludge monster?" he called out.
She ceased her predatory approach, eyes darting quickly to his own before settling once more on the girl heaving deep lungfuls of air before her. "Naw… what sludge monster? The fuck kinda question is that?" she said shooting him a sarcastic glance, but as he met her eyes, he saw that she understood what he was getting at.
They'd been going about it wrong the entire time.
Tokoyami's sentient quirk launched itself once more at Izuku, but this time he had no intention of taking the blow himself.
"Kacchan!"
"Flash Bang!"
Izuku, well used to protecting himself from Katsumi's diverse array of explosions merely threw up a dome to preserve his eyesight and launched himself towards a blinded Yaoyorozu.
To her credit, the girl got in a couple good swings with her staff, even bereft of her sight. But in the end, her defeat was inevitable. Izuku secured her arms behind her back with the roll of capture tape they were given beforehand.
His head snapped towards where he last saw Tokoyami's beast, only to double take at the sight of Kacchan standing over the boy himself, pinning him in place with a booted foot. Her palm flickered with the embers of an explosion waiting to detonate as a diminutive version of the once-colossal shadow cringed against its host's chest.
Izuku breathed a heavy sigh of relief. Tokoyami was down for the count, and that should mean…
"The villain team has been captured, Hero Team WINNNSSSSS!"
AN: So… I usually hate what I consider unnecessary angst, and after reading through the chapter for the first time since I wrote it, I've agonized over whether Katsumi's panic was even in-character. I considered rewriting the first half of the chapter altogether, but at the end of the day, that's what I envisioned initially, so I decided to stick with it. Even though the characters are older than canon, they obviously have zero experience with relationships. It felt right that Katsumi would be hesitant to initially commit, even if she'd already logically admitted her feelings to herself.
At the end of the day, the pining lasts for barely a chapter so even if you hate it, or think it was unnecessary, everything turns out ok in the end.
As for the power Tokoyami shows in the battle training, I imagine that to be the highest level he can reach at this point without losing control. Also, fans of Momo might feel she was underrepresented in this chapter, but keep in mind this is just from Izuku's point of view. A better explanation of her role will come in the next chapter.