The Bright Hero, Cobalt
Chapter Thirty-six
One Morning During The First Week Of U.A.
Katsuki Bakugou rose with the sun. The boy peered out the window of his bedroom, and let out a roar. "FUCK YOU, SUN! THINK YOU'RE HOT SHIT, GETTING UP WHEN I DO?! I'LL FRIGGIN' PUNCH YOUR LIGHTS OUT!"
The teen doesn't mean much of what he says, but he needs to let off steam somehow, and the sun isn't exactly gonna start crying in a way that tugs his heartstrings, no matter how tough he pretends to be. 'Dammit, Izuku. Why do you have to be so fucking adorable.'
Minutes Later
"GRRRRRRRRRR! RAGH! DIE, GERMS AND DIRT AND STUPID NITROGLYCERIN SWEAT!" the ash blond shouts as he scrubs himself clean in the shower. He looks down to where he knows his mouth is. "You're next, fuckers. Ninety-nine point nine percent of you shits are gonna get genocided out of my mouth!" he comments menacingly.
From what he knew of the morning routines of other people, he knew his was an odd setup, screaming bloody murder at the mess that he cleaned off of his body. "BLOODY MURDER! BLOODY MURDER!"
He didn't give a fuck that he was weird. Normal was overrated and boring, and could suck his left pinky toe.
Several More Minutes Later
"MOVE IT, OLD MAN! THIS IS MY DOMAIN! IF YOU WANT A SHIT BREAKFAST, GO TO MCDONALD'S! IF YOU WANT KICKASS BREAKFAST, SIT THE FUCK DOWN AT THE TABLE AND WAIT A FEW!"
The old fart sat down with a proud smile. Fucker better be smiling. This food's gonna be majestic, and he knows it. "BURN, FUCKERS! BURN SO MY SHITTY PARENTS AND I CAN EAT THE FUCK OUT OF YOU!" he cackles as he cooks, surprisingly meticulous despite his apparent madness.
Breakfast was delicious, as fucking usual. The boy mentally thanked Izuku for having the patience to help him in home ec during middle school. 'You majestic fucking bastard. Fucking get over your shyness and confess to Round Cheeks already! You fuckers would be so damn adorable together!' he thought to himself as he quickly downed his food.
Around Half An Hour Later
The explosives expert saw red. He was walking to class, and caught up to the two fuckers he'd been thinking about earlier. The two of them were fine, except…
'There's a whole fucking meter between them!'
Steaming with rage, the ash blond approached, shoving past Mina who'd been watching the pair as well, and roughly ruffling the hair of his new friend Tooru, who'd been right next to her. Izuku, probably sensing his irritation, turned around and smiled at him. "Hi, Kacchan!" he exclaimed happily.
Not skipping a beat, Katsuki let out a warscream and lifted his best friend up by his armpits, then foisted him over to Round Face. "HOLD THIS SHITTY NERD FOR ME, ROUND CHEEKS! HE'S IN MY WAY!" he demanded, refusing to set the squirming boy down until his demands were met. It didn't take long, since they were both plenty fucking smart, and now he was glaring at the awkward couple-that-wasn't-yet as his rage simmered down, then nodded firmly to himself and continued on his way.
Tooru and Mina caught up to him quicker than the two dumb lovebirds, conniving grins on their faces. "So, you want them to get together too, huh?" the acid launcher said conspiratorially.
Neither of them could see the grin on Tooru's face, but Katsuki could hear it in the tone of Tooru's voice. "See? I told you he has a sweet, soft side! He'll totally help us get them together!" she exclaimed, sleeves flapping in a manner that implied she was waving her arms excitedly.
"Fucking morons, I'm not helping you with something dumb like that," he said, not shouting for once. "Nothing to help with. Those dumb fucks are already attached at the hip in a way none of us will ever experience. They might as well already be married. Them getting together is fucking inevitable."
"Like everybody in the class becoming your friend?"
"Fuck yeah, like that. Friendship is inevitable. Now hurry the fuck up. I don't wanna be late because of stupid fucking gossip."
Eri's First Day Of School
Himiko smiled down at her daughter, who she was still holding by her tiny hand. Jin, who had the tiny tot's other hand, couldn't stop crying, a clone of his helping by applying tissues. "I can't believe it's our baby's first day of school already! They grow up so fast! It feels like we haven't even had her more than a year! That's because we haven't, moron! You two shut it! I'm too emotional on my own, I don't need your feelings getting in the mix! Sorry! Sorry."
Eri glanced adoringly at her parents, then at the quirk inhibitors disguised as bracelets that they'd gotten her. As if sensing her thoughts, Himiko knelt down to her level, a look of pride and love in her eyes. "Remember, these kids can be dumb sometimes, but I guarantee you'll find a friend or two here. Tsuyu-chan's kid sister, Satsuki-chan, will be in your class if you need a suggestion of who to start with. Work diligently, but be sure to ask for help if you need it. Be yourself, and don't be afraid. Also," at this, her eyes turned serious. "Remember, you are very much allowed to remove your bracelets if you need to use your quirk, and if you need me for anything, I'm just a thought away."
Tears brimming from both girls' eyes, Himiko wrapped her arms around her baby girl, with Jin lifting the bundle of huggles into a hug of his own. "We love you so, so much!" the two spoke into her heart as one, letting their adoration and pride and wonderful, wonderful love flow into the tiny girl's heart unfiltered before setting her down, and letting her walk into the school herself. Eri turned around when she got to the front door, and saw the two of them still there, proud smiles on their faces. It was an entire minute after she'd entered that the two of them left, off to do their jobs.
Shortly after introducing her to the class, the teacher gave their students a quick free period, in the hopes that some of the more outgoing students would befriend the new kid. With a gentle nudge, the teacher indicated a girl with green hair in short pigtails who was waving for Eri to come over. Recognizing the shape of the girl's eyes, the shade of her hair, and the slightly crouched posture, Eri quickly made her way over, then bowed slightly. "N-nice to meet you. My name is Shuuzenji Eri," she offered quietly.
"Asui Satsuki. Call me Sachan. Neechan told me you'd be showing up today, and gave me the gist of your situation. Not too many details, though, so don't worry about that-kero," the girl said plainly, apparently taking after her sister. Looking at the sleeves of the long-sleeved shirt Eri wore beneath her school uniform, Satsuki commented, "You like wearing stuff beneath your uniform too, huh? My quirk makes me jumpy in the most literal sense, so I never go without some shorts under my skirt. So, you got any favorite shows or book series?"
Eri smiled shyly, turning a bit red. "I-I've started watching Avatar: The Last Airbender recently. It's my mama's first time seeing it, too, so we're watching it together," she explained quietly.
Satsuki blinked, a tiny grin appearing on her face. 'Adorable,' she thought to herself. "That's a really fun show. I'm not gonna spoil anything for you if you tell me what part you're on," the girl offers.
"W-well, they just met Toph. I forget the episode number, since it's been a bit since we had time to get back to it, but people keep telling me I'm gonna love her," she responds with a smile.
"Those people are right. Toph is so awesome that I'm having trouble containing myself from fangirling about her. Subject change, so I don't end up spoiling anything. How's life over at the dorms? Neechan says that there isn't much unusual about it, but I wanna know for sure."
"Oh, it's very nice. It's like we're all just a big family. I...I really like it," the unicorn girl said, a faraway look in her eyes as she reminisced about life with her big, silly family.
"Hey, hey, what's this? Why's the new kid wearing these stupid long sleeves?" a boy with pointed grey hair and yellow eyes said with a nasty grin, reaching for her sleeves before Eri pulled away, Satsuki quickly getting between them.
"Leave her alone, Tennou-san. That's none of your business," the amphibious girl said warningly.
With a smirk, the boy continued his prodding. "What, does the little weirdo cut herself?" he asked cruelly.
He might have continued, but he was cut off when Eri glared at him with such spite that he was momentarily frightened. "I didn't cut myself. Somebody else cut me," she said venomously.
Before he could attempt a response, the teacher called out to him. "Hariko-kun, quit it. Don't make me write up a report again," they said, causing the boy to let out a huff of disappointment before he went back to his seat. "All right, kids, get back to your seats. There's an empty seat behind Satsuki-chan, so you can sit there, Eri-chan. Okay, let's do some math…"
A Few Hours Later
Eri sat with her new friend at recess, the two girls quietly reading two separate books in a series. Anticipating such a situation, Satsuki had brought the first book in the series for her new friend. Eri had been incredibly grateful to her mother for teaching her to read, even if her method had been unorthodox. Directly sharing the memories of when she learned to read was definitely not how most kids learned, she knew.
Occasionally, one of the two would giggle at something funny they'd read, or gasp at a twist that had come out of nowhere. The quiet between them was one born of comfort, and while they didn't speak much, each girl would occasionally peer at the other to check and see how they were doing.
Eri was about to turn to the next page, when a shriek of pain was heard from the playground, accompanied by a cracking sound that the silver-haired girl was all too familiar with. Looking up, Eri saw that the boy who had bullied her before had fallen from some of the equipment in a less than safe manner, and could already tell that he'd broken something. Surprising herself, the girl got up and was next to the bully in seconds, removing her bracelets as she got settled next to the screaming boy.
"Sachan, hold my bracelets please," she said, voice full of conviction. The greenette did as her friend asked, and watched on curiously.
"Hey, you kids, get out of the way! I've gotta get this kid treated-" the recess staff member who'd come to perform first aid said, only to be interrupted by a sudden flash of bright light, and a gasp of confusion that replaced the screaming.
Her job done, Eri got up and started walking away, Satsuki handing her bracelets back. "You know, you didn't have to help him-kero. I'm impressed regardless, but why'd you do it?" the sister of Froppy asked curiously.
Eri answered so softly, her friend almost didn't hear her. "I don't like seeing people suffer. That's all it is, really," she said.
The albino was startled when a pair of arms wrapped her in a hug. "You're really sweet. I'm pretty sure we would have been great friends even if my sister hadn't told me about you-kero," Satsuki said happily.
Tearing up a bit, Eri turned around and wrapped her new friend in a hug as well. "You're really sweet, too, Sachan. Thanks for being my friend," she said with a grin.
The rest of the school day went by pretty uneventfully, other than Hariko apologizing for his earlier behavior after learning it had been her that had healed him. Eventually, the school day ended, and Eri met with Himiko, who'd been waiting outside, hidden from the eyes of others. Several of her classmates let out gasps of surprise upon learning that Eri's mom was the pro hero Marida when the power armor-clad woman gently grasped the albino's hand and began walking her home.
"So, how was your day?" Himiko asked, the pink monoeye on her armor's head turning to look at her daughter.
Eri started going on a spiel about what she'd learned, before she was stopped by her mother letting out a peal of laughter. "No, silly, I mean, did you make any friends?"
Blushing slightly, Eri nodded. "Sachan was really nice, and there was a bully, but I don't think I'll have to worry about him anymore since I fixed his leg less than a minute after he broke it. He apologized, too, so that was nice," the albino commented quietly.
Beneath her armor, Himiko grinned. "Attagirl. Kill 'em with kindness, and if you do so by proving that Kai fucker wrong over and over again, all the better! Did the lunch I packed you keep okay?"
As the two continued their conversation, a happy atmosphere surrounded them. Through it all, Eri could not stop smiling.
One Evening, About Half A Year After Graduating From U.A.
Izuku and Ochako both blushed heavily, as they realized what time was upon them. They had an early day tomorrow, since there was still more unpacking to do before they headed out to the Nighteye agency, so they couldn't put it off any longer. They'd set up two beds, but that was more to keep from being embarrassed by their friends and parents who'd helped them move.
"Y-you can use the bathroom first, Izuku," the brunette rescue hero stammered nervously.
"N-no, y-you can g-go first. I d-don't think I'd be able t-to shave with my hands as sh-shaky as they are r-right now," the greyed hero replied, lifting said jittering hands to prove his point.
Taking a quick gulp, Ochako nodded. "O-okay, then. I'll see you in a few minutes."
Thankfully, the two were able to complete their nightly rituals without much hassle. Now the pair were in bed together. Somehow, the two of them were even more nervous than when they'd made love in their third year.
"This is the start, huh?" Izuku said via telepathy, not trusting his voice right now.
"Yeah, it is, isn't it?" the brunette at his back responded in kind, a tiny smile forming on her face.
"The start of our life together." they said together, grins accompanying their blushes as they finally turned around to look at each other.
Gazing warmly at one another, the pair began focusing on the features of their partner's face. Izuku looked intently at Uravity's pupils, seeing stars in them that he'd only ever seen in the dark of night, then glanced at the pink spots on her cheeks that had changed over the years to be like swirling nebulae, though you could only see it when you were close.
Meanwhile, Ochako was gazing at the green eyes of Cobalt, which they'd all found out would glow softly anytime he was looking at her during their second year, though it could only be seen at night, and even then, you had to be looking for it. She looked at his freckles, the cute spots that had always made her smile, especially when there was a smile directly below them. Unable to contain her silliness, she reached up with a finger and poked one of them. "Boop."
The pair giggled happily, the glow in Izuku's eyes going from green to blue as he reached a hand up and grasped hers in it. He pouted slightly at the specialized gloves she wore, covering two of her fingers on each hand for when she slept, and Ochako let out a short laugh. "You really like my finger pads too much, Izuku," she teased the young man, bringing her other hand up to ruffle his hair.
With an uncharacteristic smirk, Izuku leaned forward and left a quick kiss on his girlfriend's lips, turning the teasing back over to her. "Thank you so much, Ochako," he said with a toothy grin.
Blushing heavily, the pink cheeked girl asked, "F-fer what, ya dork?"
"For being born, for being Ochako, and for being my partner." It was said with such a bright smile, Ochako couldn't help but grin herself.
"Thank you, too, then. For bein' born, for bein' Izuku, and for bein' my partner," she replied, pulling the former verdette into a hug that turned into a cuddle session that lasted until they'd both fallen asleep.
They were very thankful that they'd have many more nights like this, to reflect on how happy they were to be together. After all…
This was just the start.