The Bright Hero, Cobalt
Chapter Twenty
A/N: Thanks, all of you, for your support! My snoring pug also thanks you! Twenty chapters?! WHOOOO!
"Normal speech."
"Buff Might/AI/Passionate speech."
"Telepathic speech."
'Thinking speech.'
'Sign language.'
First Heroics Class After Internships
Izuku grinned, hoping to do well in this rescue race. Blue aura flared off the boy, getting several of his friends more pumped than they already had been, and even getting an Aizawa-esque grin from the class's newest insomniac, Hitoshi.
Next to him, Several of the class's most mobile students geared up as well. Himiko, Sero, Tenya, Mina, and Ojiro completed this lineup. Callidum readied his engines, Cellophane prepped a bit of tape, Pinky got her hands that good old acid coating, a bit of a puddle also forming around her feet, Tailman flexed his impressive extra appendage, and Marida began sparking with a Red aura.
"Ready, GO!"
Even before his location was given, Izuku already knew where the hammy hero was, a line representing their bond lighting the way for him. However, it would be against the nature of the race to use a Hyperlane Jump, so he instead flew the normal way. It was more fun this way, after all.
Izuku needed to work on his ability to focus on a single emotion more. If he could focus on the joy of flight everytime he went airborne, he would be able to draw out his Blue aura even in dire situations. As it was, he was not the only one to take to the skies. While she was not being graded, having a pro licence already, it was decided that competing with her fellow students could only be good for his half sister, so Himiko flew beside him, the girl having taken a bit of his Blue aura for herself as she did her best to keep up. With a laugh, Izuku made his flight path more erratic, forcing his kin to adjust to his tactics so as to not be forced to rely solely on her Red aura.
Two lines, one of cobalt and one of crimson, flitted across the sky. Recovery Girl grinned at the sight from her spot on the sidelines, incredibly happy her daughter was having fun, even if she was inadvertently distracting her half-brother from the goal of the Rescue Race. As if he heard the aged hero's thoughts, Cobalt suddenly dove to the ground, landing right by All Might, who announced first and second place after a shout of surprise. Cellophane, also uniquely suited for the site of the rescue race, came in third, arriving less than ten seconds after the test tube siblings.
Learning that there were no injuries, Recovery Girl let out a sigh of relief, and awaited the next round.
In The Changing Room Afterwards
Izuku groaned in annoyance upon spotting the hole beneath a poster that came loose. "Who wants to figure out how long this has been here?" the greenette wondered aloud, informing his girlfriend over their bond, who informed the other girls.
"Seriously? Ugh, people can be so gross!" Kyouka exclaimed from the other side of the wall, her voice loud enough from her disgust that the boys heard it clearly.
"You said it, Jack the Punk! Seriously, what is this, some sort of early two thousands anime? Hey, President Skroob? You know of anything you could shove in there to plug the hole?" Katsuki exclaimed, his voice loud enough to also be heard.
"She says she can't make anything that would be an appropriate replacement for getting the wall properly worked on, Captain!" Tooru's voice exclaimed from near the wall. "We should just tell Sensei about it."
"Speaking of holes, and tell me off if you don't wanna talk about it, but what are those ports for?" Mina asked curiously from next to Himiko.
The blonde rolled her eyes, but explained anyway, sending the info to Izuku so he could get his side of the explanation over and done with. "They're meant to install combat and map data, along with other sorts of info, and if Izuku or I were to find a compatible port, we'd be able to interface with it and the system it's connected to directly. There are a few compatible ports hidden around the school in case its cyber security needs a buff from yours truly.
"They also...used to house our control chips. Our sperm donor, thankfully, lacked imagination, and while we couldn't destroy our own control chips, we could destroy each other's...Unfortunately, Izuku and I were only able to save each other before the system...started shutting the others down," the cat-eyed woman said somberly.
Izuku frowned as dark thoughts not his own floated through his mind, the boy reaching out to his big brother to comfort him before the original owner of his body went back to sleep. "There were more of us," he said, suddenly realizing.
From the other side of the wall, Himiko nodded. "Yup. I was Project Alpha, you were Project Zeta. There was the entire Greek alphabet made of us," the artificial human replied grimly.
"You were the first?"
"Yup. You were the last."
Tsu walked over to the blonde, a curious look upon her face. "Again, tell us off if we're getting too personal, but is your port bigger than Midoriya-chan's because you're older, or…"
Himiko nodded. "Last question I'm answering for a bit, but yes. Even in evil lairs, technology marches on. I was born around fourteen years before Izuku-kun, so my port's bulkier. A bit of a pain to hide, but thankfully, my bff is a mad engineer, and she's come up with several methods of making it less obvious. Baggy clothes definitely help, too," the girl said as she finished changing into her modified school uniform.
From the other side of the wall, Mezo nodded in solidarity. "Many of us born with body parts not normally found on a human are thankfully more able to adapt in today's society. Centuries ago, you, Mashirao-san, and I, would all have had trouble finding any sort of clothing to wear properly. I am glad that you have found somebody who cares about you enough to build clothing that helps you blend in, Shuzenji-san," the sensory hero commented sagely.
The fanged girl grinned. "I'll have to introduce you all to my boyfriend sometime soon. He'd love you kids. Guy's nuttier than a fruitcake, but he's a sweetheart deep down," Himiko remarked happily.
They returned to class soon after, sobered up by the fact that such evil existed in the world.
A Couple Days Later, At The Yaoyorozu Residence
Most of the students were in awe at the sheer size of Momo's home. They all knew she was a rich girl, but the size of the mansion she called home was…
"HOLY SHIT!" Ochako exclaimed in English, causing Izuku to jump next to her, the boy having been startled by the sudden shout he typically associated with All Might. Her face was even shaded oddly for half an instant before it went away.
It didn't take long for them to be shown to the living room, which was big enough to be its own house. Several tables had been set up near one another to allow each of the students to study in groups. It didn't take long for three groups to form, several people from the Bakusquad and the Izukrew forming two groups together, and the less outgoing members of the class formed another.
"Damnit, Kirishima! This one goes there, that one goes there!"
"I can see it, Izuku-kun! I see the numbers coming together!"
"Hagakure-san, come down from there! It's only algebra!"
"NEVER!"
Some of them studied more seriously than the others.
Two Hours Later
The study groups groaned in exhaustion.
"If somebody asks me to explain something in the space below anytime soon, I'll froppin' end their day on an unconscious note, kero," the rainy season hero commented, her sentiment essentially how everybody there felt at the moment.
"I do have some good news, though," Momo said with a smile, gesturing towards the class's invisible girl, who got up and stood in a way that made it obvious she had her hands on her hips.
"I've got gear that will let me turn off my quirk, and I want you guys to WITNESS MEEEE!" the invisible girl exclaimed, pulling out a pair of bracelets from her pockets.
Momo began to panic. "Wait, let me get a mirror before you put them on!" the class president exclaimed, halting the invisible girl before she could put the devices on. Minutes later, Momo had wheeled in a full length mirror.
Tooru rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. "Yeah, good call Yaomomo-chan! I'm just so excited, and I'm glad I get to do this with all of you here!" the girl exclaimed. She put one of the bracelets on, then stopped for a second. "You guys promise you won't laugh at my hair or anything, right? I can't exactly get it nice or-"
"You're fucking majestic, Bright Eyes. Shutting off your quirk so we can appreciate it properly won't change that," a certain explosive teenager snapped, not liking his friend being down on herself, and unintentionally getting the attention of an alien queen. The Admiral has found a new ship.
The invisible girl shut her eyes and put the other bracelet on. In a shimmer of light, the girl appeared, no longer invisible. Long red hair, nearly fuschia, with streaks of black, ran down her back, messy since invisible hair was more difficult to tame than the visible variety. Pale skin with freckles dotting it here and there, some on the girl's cheeks, emerged from the girl's clothes. Realizing she hadn't opened her eyes yet, Katsuki shook himself out of his momentary stupor (where did that come from?) and flicked his classmate in the forehead.
The girl let out a squeak and opened her eyes. Her bright pink eyes. "Huh. Wasn't expecting bright pink. Take a good look at yourself, Bright Eyes," the aggressive befriender said as he grabbed her head with both hands and turned it to the mirror.
"I'm pretty. I knew I was pretty figure-wise, but...Wow. I need a minute," the girl said as she squirmed out of Katsuki's grip and went into another room. Everybody heard a squeal of joy a minute or so later.
Mina sidled up next to Katsuki and elbowed him with a smirk. "So, you and Tooru-chan, huh?" the pink-skinned girl said conspiratorially.
"Oh, shut up. You were holding hands with Kirishima in public. Fucking perverts," the human hand grenade retorted with a menacing snarl, smirking as the pinkette retreated back with a blush. "Don't dish it out if you can't take it yourself. Friggin' moron."
Deciding to find a different target, the acid-slinger made her way over to the one confirmed couple in their class. "Soooo, Midoriya-chan, Ochako-chan, you two go out on a date yet?" Mina teased.
Izuku panicked a little and made a shh-ing motion with his finger. "If you get me excited about it, I won't be able to keep my idea to myself! I can't surprise her if I get worked up and spill the beans early!" the verdette whined softly, doing his damndest not to think about the date idea he had in mind. Then, he abruptly realized something. "Hold on a second. I need to check something on my phone," he said, then moved over to the corner of the room and checked weather conditions. With a grin, he returned.
"What were you looking at over there, Izuku-kun?" Ochako asked with a smile.
"Just something that told me tonight would be fine for our date, if you're able to stop by my place for a few hours," he explained with a nervous smile.
The brunette put a finger to her chin in thought. "It's a weekend, so it should be okay. Is there anything I should bring?" she asked.
Izuku tapped his fingers together. "Warm clothes. It'll probably be chilly, what I've got in mind, even with the precautions I've thought of," he replied softly.
Ochako looked down with a furrow in her brow. "Can I bring what my ma had me bring back with me?" she asked.
Izuku tilted his head. "I don't see why not, as long as you can put a coat over it. I...I'm kinda really looking forward to seeing how you look," he replied with a silly grin on his face.
Mina, who had allowed the two lovebirds to converse uninterrupted until this point reminded them that there was a shipper on deck. "You two had better take pics, or I'm gonna be pissed!" she exclaimed as she flung her fists up and down.
Ochako grabbed her suddenly weightless friend and picked her up and over her head. "You hush, Green Tea Fanclub President!" she roared, then flipped their gravity upside down and pinned the pinkette against the ceiling, getting some oohs and aahs from their classmates. Izuku's notebook made an appearance as he started jotting down tactics for close quarters combat on walls and ceilings.
All in all, a productive and fun study session. Dark Shadow even got trounced in Mario Kart by Momo. Turns out she was a pro this whole time.
At Dusk, At The Midoriya Residence
Ochako arrived, a coat over her shoulder, wearing a tuxedo that had been passed down in her mother's family for generations. Coming from a long line of tomboys, while she was pretty in a dress, for something special like this, she wore a more masculine tuxedo and a pair of dress pants, that had been worn by her mother, grandmother, and great grandmother before her on their first dates. She knew that Izuku knew what she'd be wearing, but that didn't change the fact that he didn't know how it looked on her.
Needless to say, he was impressed. "It looks, and pardon the pun, smashing," the verdette said with a silly grin.
The brunette decided to tease her date. "No 'smashing' until we're older, okay buddy?" she replied smugly. Ochako was satisfied at the odd sounds emerging from her partner's mouth, along with the odd faces he made as he realized how badly he'd been bamboozled.
As for Izuku, he wore a suit and tie, with a jacket over top. He held the door open for his date with his not-quirk, the girl calling him a showoff with a giggle. They entered the house and Inko couldn't stop crying, joy overtaking her.
"My baby boy's finally going on his first date! Oh, I still remember when you were a little toddler begging me to play youtube videos for you!" the Midoriya mother wailed as she took pictures of the couple.
The freckled empath smiled nervously at his mother. "Easy, Mom! You're gonna get me started!" he exclaimed, doing his best to keep the woman calm, even with the butterflies in his stomach.
Deciding to save her date from potentially springing his own eye leaks, Ochako butted in. "So, where are we going? I don't get why we'd need coats, since it's summer and all, so are we using your hyperlane jump to go somewhere that happens to be chilly?" the bright hearted girl asked.
Izuku shook his head. "No, we aren't going somewhere with my hyperlanes. Come out back with me," the red-shoed boy explained.
Upon getting into the backyard, Ochako noticed something oddly familiar. A picnic blanket, a basket that smelled like it had some delectable snacks in it, and a couple of portable heaters. "Um, Izuku-kun, what are the heaters and the jackets for if we aren't going somewhere cold?" the brunette asked with mild concern.
Izuku grinned brightly. "We are going somewhere cold, just not with my hyperlanes. Have a seat on the picnic blanket. We'll get going right away," the freckled boy said excitedly.
The two took a seat, and suddenly, a shimmering of green barrier walls appeared around them, and above them. Ochako soon realized they were in a barrier box of sorts, one that began ascending rapidly. Izuku flipped on the heaters, and gestured for Ochako to put her coat on. "Check inside the basket. I...think you'll like what's in there," the boy said, clearly having trouble suppressing his excitement.
Ochako was about to take him up on his offer, when she realized something. "Izuku-kun, how high up are we going?" she asked hesitantly.
A surprisingly confident grin appeared on the boy's face as he gazed skyward. "High enough that we escape a bit of the light pollution in the area, but low enough to be safe. We're gonna do some stargazing,"
His heart soared with them when he saw the sparkle in his girlfriend's eyes. Suddenly a lot less nervous, the brunette opened the picnic basket. "MOCHI?! THIS IS HOMEMADE?! WHAT THE HECK, IZUKU-KUN?!" she asked, taking a big bite out of one of them and moaning with delight.
The boy poked his fingers together nervously. "I'll probably be able to make them better with more practice, but I figured you'd like it if I learned how," the boy explained with a soft smile.
"Excuse my Bakugou, but THESE ARE FUCKING SCRUMPTIOUS!" the girl exclaimed as she shoved one into his hands. "Have you tried one yet? Wait, of course you have, you made 'em! EAT IT! So gooooood! Wait…" the girl got a look in her eyes, making the boy nervous momentarily. "Is this green tea flavored? You're so CORNY! You made the flavor Mina-chan named our 'ship' after! Izuku-kun, you goof! I don't know how I'll ever top this!"
A thought flitted through Izuku's mind, and Ochako managed to figure out how she'd thank him. Not now, though. It'd be bad if he fainted all the way up here. Instead, she was gonna teach him some basic astronomy. "Hey, you wanna know some astronomy that could save your life someday, Izuku-kun?" the girl asked bashfully. Her boyfriend nodded eagerly.
"You see those seven stars there, that make an upside down pan? That's the Big Dipper. Just a bit below that is the Little Dipper. If you can find either of them, you can find Polaris, the North Star, on the tip of the Little Dipper's handle. It's called that 'cuz it always points North. If you're lookin' at it, you're looking North."
The greenette nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah, I remember learning about this in class a couple years ago. People have used that star for millennia to guide their way in the northern hemisphere! Thanks, Uraraka-chan!" the greenette exclaimed, then got a pensive look on his face. "Do you think...Do you think someday, we can be somebody's Northern Star?"
Ochako smiled gently and wrapped her arms around the boy. "You wanna rescue people who're hurtin', huh? You're really gonna be a great hero someday, Izuku-kun," the rosy-cheeked girl said softly as she held her crush close.
The boy nodded, and the two enjoyed their closeness. This pair of binary stars would light the way for many who were hurting in the decades to come. For now, though, rest well and enjoy life, young heroes.