Super long chapter today - 7.5k words! Probably my longest chapter to date! A lot happens mainly because I both wanted to keep this to one chapter, but I also originally wrote this as 2 chapters. This story I am planning out and I want to expand it into something greater. Originally I wanted to make this a simple story that followed the anime making IzuOcha canon - but now I have MANY ideas as to where I can go in terms of time skips - stuff with the League, possibly branching this off into a completely different reality compared to canon. I DO like the idea of Izuku going to America after graduation.
That would be AT LEAST another 50k words though and even more chapters waaaaayyyyyy down the line, and I may be getting over my head here but its nice to plan things. I am so glad at all the support this has been getting, so I hope you like the chapter and where I bring the story from here on out. Don't worry - at the end of the day this is a slow burn Izuocha fic - which means eventually we'll get to them being together. But it is slow burn for a reason, I'm just REALLY taking my time XD, lol - hope you Enjoy!
He knew this...Izuku knew this. It all factually made sense to him. Bakugo had explained it only a few minutes prior. The only class that was targeted by the league of villains was class 1-A. The only people besides teachers that would have known about the classes location would be the students. Everything pointed to the traitor being one of his classmates.
He knew this...so why did he feel like throwing up?
His hands trembled - and his eyes felt stuck open. The gulp that followed physically hurt his throat, and the only word he could say was a simple question. "What?" His eyes watched as his mentor moved to comfort him.
"Midoriya, it's ok." All Might leaned forward as if to grab his shoulders and bring him into a hug. There was a part of Izuku that wanted one. But there was a larger part that screamed to disagree with the claims.
"N-No! It's not ok! Everyone in my class has been attacked by the league! How does that not clear us of being suspects?" He could feel himself losing it. It was clear his emotions were getting the better of him, he didn't want to act this way. He knew the logical reasoning behind all of these claims were sound. But still - "N-No..."
All Might once again shifted his tone to comfort him, "Young Midoriya - just calm dow-"
"NO!" Izuku shot up from his chair and paced to the other side of the room, "H-How can I?! You're telling me the school seriously thinks our class has a traitor? That my friends are traitors?!" His hands came up to his now flushed face - and he could feel the familiar sting of tears wash over his cheeks. A part of his mind resented those tears - they always showed up at the worst times. Like right now - when he was freaking out at his mentor.
"Young Midoriya!" Toshinori abruptly stood up and moved to the boys side. His voice echoed lightly, it was loud - clear - powerful. As he walked towards him a small twang of fear shot through Izuku's mind. He had forgotten how powerful his teacher could sound when he wanted to. All the fear left him however, when he simply brought his hands up and held his shoulder in an attempt to stop his anger, "Take a deep breath. No - the school does not think this. The Hero Public safety commission does however. Now please, take a seat and be quiet! The rooms are soundproof but Uraraka and Bakugo are right outside."
Oh right - he had forgotten about his friends right outside the door. There was a good reason for All Might wanted to talk to to him alone, now that he realized he had gone on such an outburst, it was clear what that reason was - "I-I'm sorry, I d-don't know what got over me." He took a deep breath, and tried his hardest to calm down. He could not believe this. First off the entirety of his class were being thought of as traitors. Did that mean him as well? Questions for later obviously - but still. His entire class. The thought twisted Izuku's spine - even the idea of any of his friends betraying them. It was a terrible notion.
Toshinori heaved a heavy sigh before walking Izuku back to his chair, "It's alright. Frankly it's what I expected. Hearing that all of your friends are being put as prime suspects is not an easy thing." The thin blonde man wiped his forehead and walked back to his side of the desk.
As the two sat down once more, Izuku brought his scarred hand up to his face. The roughness kept him grounded - he couldn't have another outburst like that. Not at All Might - he needed to keep his emotions in check. But before that he also needed more information, "Sir, does that include Uraraka and Bakugo...and me?"
"Yes," Toshinori shouldered a guilt ridden face, "Actually. Not you young Midoriya, but those two are." He nodded towards the door to his office - looking rather pale at the idea that two of his most trusted students could be traitors.
"So..." Izuku ran a shaky hand through his hair, feeling the nervous sweat catch onto his hand, "I am the only one who is cleared, out of the entire class."
"That is correct."
...
"Why?" Izuku asked, holding back an angry undertone.
"That is why I asked to speak to you alone in the first place ," Toshinori opened a file including multiple pages of what seemed to be student files, "I was able to clear you - since I was invited to the national Hero gala. And I had a plus one. Luckily my voice still has some power." It made sense - Izuku's mentor had been the number one hero. The figure of peace for the world, it was no where near a surprise that his voice alone could go miles.
Izuku once again stayed silent. He did not like the way this conversation was going. The whole idea of his best friends being possible traitors - and him being the special case out of the class. It didn't sit well with him, and he could feel his emotions slipping once more. His hand slipped into his pocket and he pinched his thigh - a quick trick in order to get him back on track mentally.
"Basically, I used the excuse of me bringing you to the dinner as a way to get you cleared from being put in lock-down. That's what's gonna happen to the rest of the class, they will all be locked in the dorms." The glint on Toshinori's eyes shined with pity - his entire face drooped lower then before and his hand came up to scratch the side of his cheek. "Think of it like a precautionary measure just in case any of them actually are the traitor."
Izuku's lips twitched with a snarl, "Sir-"
A quick raise of his hand stopped the boy from losing it once more. Toshinori slowly lowered it as he continued, "What I am about to say next Midoriya, it is going to get you mad. But you need to understand where I am coming from here," he watched as the boy fidgeted in his chair, "I don't trust Uraraka and Bakugo like I trust you."
Izuku immediately tensed. He could almost feel the blood rushing to his fists as they tightened. Biting his lower lip only helped slightly - but when a thin trickle of blood ran against his tongue he could tell he was losing it again. The irony taste running through his mouth Trying his hardest not to explode, he pushed through gritted teeth, "What."
Sighing, Toshinori once again brought a hand to his face, "Listen to me young Midoriya. What we need is for all three of you to be out of the school, away from the lock-down - for a while," he reached under his desk and pulled out a file that was unfamiliar, "The Committee is sending a man that goes by the name Revere. He is a retired Pro, who's quirk is essentially a truth revealing serum."
His face red with anger - Izuku pushed down his feelings once more. "And all three of us know of one for all - we can't risk this man forcing us to reveal that."
"Precisely," he handed the file to Izuku, and the boy hesitantly took it, "But the only problem is I cannot know for certain that those two aren't the traitor. And I know what you are about to say - but listen. I'm going to use all of my power to stop the secret of One for All getting out, and for me to do that I need complete certainty that Uraraka and Bakugo are on our side. For all we know they have been playing from the enemies this entire time."
Izuku had been staring at the ground for a minute, ignoring the hero description file in his hands. "S-Sir," he stammered from pure anger, "I under...I understand your concern. But Kacchan, he was kidnapped by the villains. Surely that is enough to clear him!" He could feel his anger slipping once more.
The thin man looked defeated, "I know, I was getting to that."
Izuku's eyes shot up, "What do you mean?"
"I have a plan already Young Midoriya, I know that Bakugo is not a possible suspect. But..."
Uraraka is.
That's what he was going to say, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. Not that it mattered, Izuku wasn't dumb. He knew what All Might was getting at here. The flames in Izuku's eyes were nearly visible, "...but you suspect Uraraka?"
"I don't, but I need to be completely certain."
...
"...Sir..." Izuku's face showed nothing but anger, "With all do respect, are you out...of your mind?"
Toshinori's eyes widened, "W-What?"
"I am willing to bet my mother's life on Uraraka being innocent. She was attacked by Toga in the hospital only a few weeks ago!"
"Young man I understand that but that's,"
"I trust her more then Bakugo! You trusted me enough to share this secret with her in the first place! What's different with this?! If they already know our secret what's stopping them from telling the league?!"
Toshinori abruptly stood up, "Izuku!"
The boys eyes widened, and he realized that he was leaning over All Might's desk and screaming in his face. He rapidly pulled back, his hands trembling, and his eyes wide with shock. He had done it again - he lost his cool. "I...I am so sorry sir-"
With a single raise of his hand, Toshinori called for Izuku to stop. And stop he did. "Young Midoriya. I am sorry, and I understand your frustration and your anger. But what I need you to understand, is my reasoning. So please, let me explain why I am not fully convinced Uraraka is innocent."
Izuku rubbed his hands through his hair - he had been trying so hard to not explode. When he heard his feelings on Uraraka however, he couldn't help it. Sitting down let Toshinori know that he was willing to listen. So he sat, looking up to his mentor, hoping his reasoning was justified. But then again - he also hoped his reasoning wasn't. He couldn't even begin to fathom Uraraka being a traitor.
Toshinori sat down as well, "Alright, now I do trust her. I do trust your word. It is not that I believe she is the traitor - it is what I believe the Committee thinks."
Confusion is all that could be seen on Izuku's face, "What do you mean sir?"
A long sigh followed, but Toshinori continued, "There are two reasons I suspect they will believe she is a main suspect. One, she was attacked by a villain that can transform into anyone at will. We know now that Toga has taken Uraraka's blood - there's a chance even as we speak, the Uraraka outside is not the real Uraraka."
Shivering at the thought, Izuku nodded once more. He needed to calm down, getting like this was not helping anyone. All Might himself said that he did not suspect Uraraka, but there is a chance Toga could switch out with her at any moment, "That would mean Toga has been posing as Uraraka for a while now."
"Yes, but I doubt she would be so convincing that none of you realized this. I know you two are close - I'm sure you would have realized something being different. Anyways, the second reason is there is a gap, in Uraraka's attendance, a day before the USJ incident..."
Izuku stayed silent, a small pit in his stomach forming.
"She called out sick. Even visited Recovery Girl in the morning. I have the file right here," he glanced down at the stack of papers on his desk, "and I want to believe that it was only a cold - that's what the file says. But...you need to understand that if I do what I have to do - I will be putting all of my trust into you three. If there is even a sliver of a doubt in my mind that she could possibly be a traitor -"
"..You need to be one hundred percent certain that she is innocent."
Toshinori surprisingly looked at the boy, "p-precisely. That and if I do what I am going to do - it would take her completely off of the Committees radar."
Izuku sighed, long and hard, "I...understand..." he took a shaky breath in, "you would be breaking the law by doing this, you need to be certain."
Toshinori nodded.
"Then...what...is your plan?"
Toshinori was nearly surprised by the boys lack of reaction - but he simply chalked it up to his ability to hold back. It possibly could be because he simply had run out of energy to get as mad as he was before, he couldn't blame him. "We need to accuse her of being a traitor."
This time the boy reacted, he stared directly into All Might's eyes - a gaze full of confusion.
"Why?"
"We need to present her with a situation that leaves her no choice but to tell the truth. That's why I need your help Young Midoriya. I need you here, and I need you to act upset. Act like you've seen evidence of her being the traitor and are utterly destroyed by it. That way she has no other option but to tell us...and if she doesn't confess we'll know to trust her."
Toshinori could tell that the boy was contemplating saying no. This was going to be hard - not only for Izuku. He would have to refrain from comforting her or sticking up for her when he accuses her. When she denied it he would have to say silent - even if she asked for help or confirmation.
"I'll do it..." Izuku bit his lower lip to reel in his anger, "On one condition, we apologize after she is cleared and let her know of everything that is happening. No more secrets - nothing that will jeopardize our trust."
Smiling, Toshinori nodded firmly, "Of course. I was already planning on it."
"Ok...what do you need me to do? Where should I sit? What should I say?"
"Nothing - that chair over there," he pointed to a chair near the window on the other side of the room, "Sit in it. Look upset like I said, it won't be hard, just think about how this whole thing is upsetting you anyway."
Nodding, Izuku ran a hand through his hair and sighed, "alright."
"What I'll do is bring them inside. Then I'll hit a button on my desk that locks down the windows and door - and I'll explain how I have evidence that she is the traitor. From there I'll keep pushing for a confession until either she confesses or doesn't. If she doesn't give in after a while, we'll know to trust her."
"Sir," Izuku raised an eye brow, "What about Bakugo? If he is cleared why not tell him this as well?"
Toshinori rubbed the back of his neck, "To be fair we very well could, but I'd rather not. It would be more convincing if he didn't know either - and honestly there was another reason I wanted to speak to you alone. There is the small matter of creating a convincing argument for their absence when we clear them."
"And you want my help coming up with that argument?"
"Well, yes. You see - your classmates need a good reason as to why all three of you will be gone. We can't give them any reason to suspect you three are doing something shady. The quirk that will be used on them will make them say anything that they are keeping a secret. So it has to be public, and you have to make it convincing as possible."
"...I see," Izuku's head tilted down, and the muttering began. Toshinori almost made a comedic comment, but the situation didn't allow for him to make those sorts of jokes. He knew this was how his student did his best thinking, no use in stopping that. Especially after his outburst earlier - now was not the time to tease the boy.
After a solid minute of Izuku going over every possibility, his head shot up, "Do you think the gala you and I would be going to would allow another plus one?"
Toshinori frowned, "Unfortunately no. The only extra guests we would be able to bring would be a date."
Izuku hesitated for a second, but then continued, "I could...take Uraraka."
The older man's eyes widened, "Would you be okay with that?"
"..Ya of course, she's my best friend. I'm...just thinking since some of our classmates tease us sometimes that it would make a lot of sense. But let's not worry about that for now - for Kacchan. I think it would be best if he simply did something along the lines of visiting his mother. If he is linked to the hero gala as well, people would start wondering why all three of us are going to this dinner. With me and Uraraka we could convince them it was a date so it would be believable."
Smirking at the boy, Toshinori nodded in agreement, "That sounds good to me - I al-"
"Does the the committee have a full list of the students at the school?" Izuku asked cutting the man off.
"Well, I was bout to say that we were actually supposed to send that information tonight," Toshinori curiously gazed at the boy, "What about it?"
"Well, I was thinking if it were possible - maybe we can accidentally leave off Kacchan and Uraraka's names from that list. That combined with telling the class that Uraraka and I will be attending the gala - and that Bakugo is visiting his mother, it will make sure that there is no questions asked."
The former hero smirked, "I like your way of thinking. In fact, I had already thought of that - I was planning on doing something similar tonight."
"If we can do that, then we can move those two outside of the school without the public safety committee knowing," he bit his lower lip, "do you really think the school would allow you to do that?"
Toshinori sighed, "I would say there is definitely a possibility, earlier most of the teachers were very...vocal...about their disdain for this man coming to our school. Aizawa was actually one of them."
Smirking, Izuku stood up from his chair, "If we can do that - then we can get them out," his smirk slowly dropped, "but first, we need to clear Uraraka."
Toshinori nodded, and Izuku moved to the chair setup near the window of All Might's office. Watching as his idol let his best friends in, his eyes glanced over their faces. They looked incredibly nervous. He didn't blame them. He was as well - but if there was one thing he learned from his time at U.A, it was redundant to let his fears take over him.
Actually, Uraraka taught him that.
He plastered a cold look on his face, trying his hardest not to show any emotion. Maybe this was going to be harder then he thought.
"You two can come in now," Toshinori motioned for them to step inside the office, trying his hardest to hide his uneasiness. This wasn't going to be easy. As the two sat back down, he looked to Bakugo, and then to Uraraka. This was going to be a disgusting act of lying. But it had to be done.
Ochako didn't really know what to expect when she walked into the office. Her and Bakugo weren't exactly chit-chatting in the hall, so there was no vocal exploration as to why Deku and All Might were speaking alone. But when a scowl never before seen by Bakugo or herself appeared on All Mights face. The usual up-beat and positive man turned into a cold, hard, and unforgiving monster. All with one look - It shook her to her core. The blood-lust radiating from him was enough to make her shake.
Confusion was the only word she could use to describe it. To describe how she was thinking. Well, she was already questioning everything walking into the room. Seeing Deku in the corner, not to mention the screams she had heard in the hall with Bakugo. She hadn't been able to make out what it was about - but it was something serious. And the one screaming was definitely Deku. The look of disdain on their teacher's face was unsettling. Like he had flipped a switch - it seemed to come natural to the man, not something Ochako would expect from their usual happy go lucky teacher. She pictured him as a comedic, light-hearted, and overall kind role model. But what she was seeing now was something completely different. Like a mask had been ripped off - or better yet put on.
A long sigh came from the man - and an even longer moment of silence came after. The tension in the room was uncomfortably high. That tension seemed to break however, when their teachers sunken eyes shifted down, and his hand quickly slammed a button on his desk. In the blink of an eye, metal had covered the office's windows - and the door had been sealed shut by an iron barrier.
Ochako immediately panicked, scanning the room frantically until her eyes landed back on to the man in question. Bakugo shared a similar reaction - also finding himself staring towards their teacher. All Might sat still, his arms rested on his desk, while his eyes were still shifted down.
She did not like this, "...All Might?" she called - her voice tiny, hardly audible.
Bakugo snarled, "What the hell is going on?!" His voice projected throughout the room with a commanding tone. In direct parallel to Ochako's, garnering a reaction out of the former pro.
Yet another sigh escaped All Might's lips, before he directed his voice towards the fellow blonde, "Bakugo, I am going to need you to stay quiet for a while."
Her eyes darted back and forth from All Might to Bakugo. She watched as the younger of the two uncharacteristically shut his mouth - while the older moved his attention back to her. Now, this was freaking her out. The whole atmosphere of the room was becoming grim, and all she could focus on was All Might. His voice, it sounded...distraught. Like he didn't want to continue speaking the way he was, acting the way he was. Ochako watched as his gaze shifted to her, "S-Sir?" she asked with a bit of fear.
"Ochako Uraraka..."
Confusion filled Uraraka's mind once more, her full name? Why was he acting like this? She frantically looked towards Deku, only to find that he wasn't even looking at her. He was simply staring at the metal covered windows. As if he wasn't even paying attention. She glanced over to Bakugo, who wore a look of even deeper confusion then her. Finally, they shifted back to her teacher. Before she could ask any more questions, his voice spoke once more.
"...I know who you really are."
...
What was he talking about? Know who I really am? The voice in her mind whispering to her that this entire situation seemed sketchy, suddenly began to shout, "I don't know what you're talking about sir..."
"Really?"
The fists once laying calmly on his desk tightened, and his disdain turned into an anger-filled frown. His eyes widened, and he stared deeply into her soul, "I know you are a traitor to U.A."
..
...
...huh?
...a...traitor?
Her heart pounded, loud enough for her to hear it bouncing around in her head. She could already feel the tears brimming her eyes and her shoulders beginning to shake, "What?!" She exclaimed, refusing to believe that he seriously thought her to be a traitor. Whatever was happening, it felt wrong. It was like she was dreaming.
"Do not deny it." All Might sounded angry, "We have proof! Hard evidence that shows you told the League of Villains about the USJ trip!"
Ochako rapidly stood up, her hands coming down on the desk in shock, "I have no idea what you are talking about! Please list-"
Out of nowhere, All Might launched out of his chair as well and slammed his hands on the desk. She moved back in fear, Bakugo even jumped at the sudden explosion from the frail man.
"Do not lie to me, Uraraka I know everything! So save us the trouble and confess already. It's the least you can do for Young Bakugo and Midoriya." All Might demanded, refusing to listen to her pleas.
"W-What? I..." Ochako stammered back, the tears in her eyes starting to fall, "Please sir I have no idea what-"
Cutting her off, Bakugo stood up in his chair as well. The entire room fixated on him, "All Might, do you really think round cheeks could do something like that?"
The teachers eyes shifted to the smaller blonde, a look of fury mixed with pain shot through - "I thought I told you to stay quiet."
Bakugo was immediately taken back, "W-What the hell is all this?! Deku! Come on..." Bakugo looked towards Izuku, and only saw the boy flinch slightly and tighten his fist, "What the fuck..." The boy stammered, falling back into his seat and widening his eyes to a confused glare.
Ochako glanced towards the boy, sending a silent thank you before regaining her focus. "All Might!" She called, gathering the mans attention once more, "You have to believe me, I would never betray U.A!" She regained some of her voice and this time moved towards her teacher, "Show me the evidence! I'll disprove it!" This was starting to get ridiculous. It was like everything she said simply didn't matter. She glanced back to Bakugo - thanking the gods that she wasn't alone in her confusion.
"It's not something you can simply disprove Uraraka!" All Might was essentially yelling at the girl now, "The Heroes Public Safety Committee is already on its way to arrest you! Just confess and explain yourself - maybe your jail time will be less if you can just explain to us why? Why would you do it?!"
W-Why?
The anger gathering inside herself began to dissipate, and she could feel wetness dripping on to her face. It was definitely her own tears, no doubt in her mind. This whole thing was a mess - she...was getting arrested now? They hadn't even shown her evidence, or anything! She knew she was innocent, so what do they have that proves she's guilty?! The tears running down Ochako's face hadn't stopped, and as she took in everything All Might was saying - she began to shake. Her head shook back and forth, her tears became full blown sobs. She couldn't understand any of this - what the hell was happening?
"P-Please," her face had contorted with her crying - her mangled sobs became hard to understand, "Please b-believe me!"
She backed up, feeling completely cornered. On one hand Bakugo sat dumbfounded, in complete shock. While All Might, still standing behind his desk, stared her down. It was like he was looking into her mind - it was completely terrifying. Her hands came up to her head, holding it in place as she slowly crouched to the ground. She had no clue what to do anymore, where was Deku?
"P-Please! Deku!" She looked to him, still sitting in the corner, "Y-You have to-to believe me! I would never betray U.A...please..."
He couldn't hold himself back anymore. When she called out his name in desperation, he turned. And in the split second that he looked at her, their eyes met.
He watched as all the anger, confusion, and fear that was present in Uraraka's eyes radiated towards him. Her chestnut eyes, they looked terrified. Absolutely horrified. That wasn't toga. That was Uraraka. And Uraraka was not guilty. He felt stupid even going through with this - the tears on her face were enough to tell him that. Within that moment, staring at his best friend. Seeing her scared.
Izuku broke.
"All Might..."
All Might broke his character as Izuku called out to his teacher. The tone in his voice almost frightened the man. It sounded angry, and as he turned around towards the boy he knew fears were right. The blood-lust emitting off of him was enough to make All Might physically stammer back. Out of nowhere, the green haired boy shot up - his chair flying out from under him. His fists clenched at his sides. A long shiver ran down the teacher's back.
Before he could say anything - a loud sob came from Uraraka. It was broken, filled with fear, she too had broken. If his eyes could get any wider they would have, but Izuku lost it watching her - alone - helpless. He should have never done this.
Izuku's teeth gritted against each other, and before he knew what he was doing, he screamed - "That's enough!"
One look in Izuku's eyes and anyone could tell that he was serious, serious enough to command All Might like that. Serious enough for All Might to listen.
Realizing that there was no further need to question Uraraka, Toshinori sighed - and within a few seconds he had collapsed back on to his desk chair. The man was was disappointed in himself, however necessary it was - it still felt terrible making his own student break down like that. He even made his own pupil explode as well - again - this entire ordeal made him sick to his stomach.
Izuku breathed heavily, his eyes darting back to Uraraka. She was still crying, completely confused and basically collapsed onto the ground. This was all too much - they had taken it too far. "Uraraka!" He rushed to her side and brought her into a small embrace, "It's ok, you're fine! The whole thing was just a test, I'm so sorry!"
She melted into his arms, looking up at him with complete confusion, "W-What?! What - do you mean - a test?" Her breathing was spurratic, and Izuku's mind went straight to the worst case scenario. She might be having a panic attack.
He knew them all too well, and this looked awfully familiar. He clung to her tightly as her breathing picked up - and he realized she was hyperventilating. Grabbing her hand, he squeezed it hard and pushed her into his chest even further, "Slow down your breathing, ok? Please, just follow me, in, and out, in, out." As he continued her pace slowed, and she cried small thank you's into his chest.
Izuku's eyes traveled to All Might, who looked like he was about to throw up. "All Might..." he called. Izuku wanted an immediate apology, he never knew he was going to go that far with it. What the fuck! Who knew his idol could be so...so...menacing.
Toshinori stood up in a flurry, the disgusted look on his face still hadn't left, and before anyone knew it, he was on the ground in front of Uraraka. "Young Uraraka, please...forgive me," he bowed his head begging her to accept his apology, "You're not a traitor, I made it all up to test you. I needed to see if you were really on our side."
The tears from Uraraka's eyes were beginning to slow, and her breathing was starting to stabilize. She still leaned into Izuku's chest, almost scared to leave him, "A-All Might...that was all a lie? You don't have any evidence proving I'm a traitor?"
"Of course not," Toshinori winced at his own actions, "but-"
"But that means-" Uraraka half yelled, cuffing off the former pro, "You had genuine reason to suspect I wasn't trustworthy!"
Izuku watched as the girl shifted out of his embrace, and now looked towards him with a similar accusatory gaze, "and you...Deku you knew?"
He flinched at her observation - he felt terrible. He didn't think that All Might would have pushed her so far, or that she would have broken down like that. But he still went through with it - he still agreed in the end.
The boy leaned down and bowed his head, "I am so sorry Uraraka."
A light smack to his shoulder was enough for him to raise his head, where Uraraka was looking at him with a saddened expression, "I don't want your apology Deku, I just..." She wiped the fresh tears forming in her eyes, trying her hardest to keep her composure, "I want to know why? What was your reason for thinking I could be a possible traitor?" Her eyes looked directly into his, and she whispered, "I thought...you trusted me."
"I do trust you!" Izuku launched back down into the ground, his head nearing the floorboards, "I trust you more than anyone Uraraka-"
"This wasn't Young Midoriya's doing," All Might once again spoke up - he now raised his head and stared at the confused girl, "It was mine. Because there is something that needs to be done where I need to completely know you three are safe and on our side. And with Toga attacking you I needed a definitive answer as to if you were really you."
Toshinori sighed lightly as he stood up and extended his hand to her, "Young Midoriya didn't want to do this. I forced it, I needed to be completely sure. So please, do not blame him and blame me instead."
She hesitated, before taking the hand and standing up alongside him. After a brief pause, Toshinori slowly walked back to his desk, motioning for the two teens to follow him. As he sat down, he noticed Bakugo once again. He was sort of, shell shocked, "Young Bakugo," he sighed and then looked into the boys eyes, "I am sorry as well. For raising my voice and keeping this from you."
Bakugo simply nodded, ever so slightly before speaking up, "Th-That was fucked."
"So, besides Toga attacking me, the reason you couldn't completely trust me was because I was absent the day before the USJ?"
Toshinori nodded, "And I needed to trust you with every fiber in my being, so once again I am sorry but it was necessary, I needed to test if you were on our side, if there even the slightest of possibility that you could have betrayed us - it would have been catastrophic."
The thin former pro had already un-locked his office, opening the room to the natural light of mid-day. The teens had calmed down, Uraraka in particular was being very understanding. Izuku, not so much, but he held back his anger and concern. It wasn't the time.
"I understand completely sir," Uraraka scratched the back of her head, "If what you're saying is true - then it must be very important to have our complete trust."
"Precisely," he looked to Izuku, "Young Midoriya, would you like to explain the situation?"
He nodded, still a little shaken from the experience, "Of course." Izuku had been expecting this - All Might had a habit of pushing these sorts of things on to him. He remembered how he had made him explain One for All to Uraraka - it was his own way of training him for the future. When All Might wouldn't be around. He looked to Uraraka and then Bakugo, "Our entire class is prime suspects in being the U.A. traitor."
As he explained the situation further to his friends, their reactions were very similar to his. Anger, confusion, and overall - they didn't believe it. Bakugo sounded a little sure of himself, especially when he exclaimed how he had been thinking about this earlier. Of course, Izuku remembered the conversation - Bakugo had been right. They really were suspecting their class as traitors.
Uraraka seemed less shocked and more upset - similar to how Izuku reacted. She did not like the idea that the school thought all of their best friends could be traitors. She did believe it more however when he said the Public Safety Committee were the accusers - not the school.
"So the plan is for All Might to pull some strings and remove your two names off of the class's record. So when the committee gets a hold of it, they won't know that you two are even apart of the class." He shared a small look towards Uraraka, just to gauge her current feelings. It was hard to talk normal like this when she had just been breaking down on the floor. The guilt he still felt on the whole thing was still, very, prevalent.
"What about you Deku?" Uraraka chimed in, seemingly fully calmed down and stable from her small breakdown. Izuku knew better of course, but he would go along with her. It was obvious she wasn't comfortable being completely real in front of All Might and Bakugo, he would have to talk to her later.
"All Might cleared me by his word...and taking me to the National Hero Gala. That's another thing Uraraka..." Here came the awkward part.
"Hm?" She leaned in closer to the boy causing his face to light up, "What is it Deku?"
"We uh," Izuku pulled on his collar, his face quickly becoming flushed. He had almost forgotten about this - the fact that they would have to be each-others dates. Of course it didn't bother him, and if he had to guess it didn't bother her either, but the idea of them dating was a bit much for him to handle. "We have to go...as a couple..."
Her face lit up almost as fast as Izuku's did, and she immediately shot back into her chair, "Uh...Uh...W-Why?" She wasn't particularly upset about it - but the notion was rather sudden. That and she had just gotten back to a state of normalcy with him - she had a big feeling that things might go back to how they were after the closet situation now.
Of course Izuku immediately thought the worst. His mind threw out their previous "close-calls" - such as the closet, their various sleeping accidents, or even their impromptu training session fails. Instead, he snapped to the idea that Uraraka was not interested in him like that. It made the most sense - and now he felt extremely self conscious about this entire thing.
All Might recognized the growing tension and stepped in, "Well - we needed a good excuse as to why you three will be absent from the lock-down. And the only way either me or Midoriya could have another plus one, is if it is in the form of a date." He talked in a rather - testing tone. His eyes darting from each teen trying to gauge their reactions.
"Oh," Uraraka gulped and shook her head a little, "Alright then, it's not like anyone has to find out. We can just have a...um...friendship date! Right Deku?"
Even though he knew why she was doing this, just to escape the idea of being romantically involved with the likes of him; it still hurt him ever so slightly when she tried to shift the idea of them dating to a more platonic stance. Of course he wanted more, but pretending like that was an even a possibility was simply idiotic. In all reality the idea of a friendship date delighted Izuku, he didn't really feel like opening up the can of worms that was his feelings for Uraraka - but unfortunately the plan called for the exact opposite of what she proposed, "Actually Uraraka, we're going to have to convince the whole class that this is a real date..."
The blush on both teens face were very visible. Bakugo snickered at the show, while Toshinori internally cringed, "I'm sorry..." Izuku added before closing in on himself. This whole thing seemed so, forceful, he hated it.
Uraraka's eyes snapped up to Izuku's face, "N-No! Deku you don't have to apologize-"
Suddenly cutting the girl off - a loud chuckle could be heard coming from Bakugo, "Ah this shits going to be funny."
"Bakugo!"
"Kacchan!"
As he cracked up laughing, All Might smiled at the three teens, it was nice to see their bond was forming rather nicely. Thankfully his test from before didn't leave too much of a sour taste in their mouths. He supposed that real feelings were being hidden under masks - he knew the idea of a mask better then anyone. But for now - he would have to let it be. His real job came next.
As the blonde came down from his laughing high - he smirked again at the two teens embarrassed faces. He seemed to remember a crucial detail as he let his grin come down, "But wait," Bakugo looked to All Might once more, "What about me? What's gonna be my excuse for leaving?"
"You're going to be visiting your mother, at least that's what the class is going to think." All Might scratched the back of his head, him and his predecessor hadn't gotten that far earlier - but in retrospect it wouldn't be that hard to come up with an excuse. "In reality you'll be coming with us to the gala. Unfortunately you won't be able to attend - but you'll stay in the hotel with us."
Cracking a smile, the explosive blonde leaned back in his chair, "That's a relief! Getting all formal isn't really my thing anyway, especially after that island cluster fuck." Bakugo wasn't lying - their trip to I-Island was definitely a mess.
"You three are going to have to deal with figuring out how you will tell your class everything. Don't worry though, the school is planning on shutting down for a week before the lock-down so you'll have plenty of time to handle it. As long as you make your excuses as realistic as possible. It needs to be completely believable."
"That's a relief," Izuku scratched the back of his head, "At least we'll have some time to relax before we're on the run from the entire Japanese government."
Ochako and Izuku shared a shaky laugh while Bakugo simply cringed at his words. The reality of what they were about to do, it was slow in hitting them. "This is going to be some risky shit huh?"
All Might silently nodded as he brought up yet another bunch of files from out of his desk, "Indeed it is, but for now you three should return to your dorms and leave the more grueling part to me. Hopefully the school will be understanding."
The three nodded as they stood up and moved to leave the office.
"Oh and Uraraka if you could stay behind for just a moment. I would like to speak to you privately."
Izuku and Bakugo walked through the door of the office while Uraraka stayed behind. She wore an uncomfortable gaze as she awkwardly stood in the middle of the office.
Toshinori sighed and stood up from his desk. He then walked over to Uraraka with a look of determination, "Young Uraraka. I wanted to apologize again. And...to let you know that I truly do trust you. I just..." he gazed to the left and bit down on his lower lip, "I have a heavy past that involves treachery. So I can be a bit paranoid when it comes to these things, I hope you can find it in your heart of forgive me."
He bowed once again and this time Uraraka spoke up, "No. All Might - I do forgive you. And I do understand - you had no choice. You had to be certain." She looked off to the side as the older man raised his head, "It was just a bit...scary. To go through that, but I'll be fine."
She would be fine. She had to be. Now, it seemed with these past few months her role as a hero and her duty as Deku's friend - they all mattered so much. She wasn't about to let anyone down.