Little bit more of a light hearted chapter - the next one might be another week or so out depending on how fast I can write it. Also - I may be getting over my head here but I am going to utilize the idea of a slow burn for so much. So don't think this story is anywhere near completed - who knows, I might just keep giving my own take on canon stuff from here on out. So be excited for that and enjoy this chapter! It made me laugh a bunch writing it!
The beauty in friendship, at least to Ochako, is how much you can share with one another. With Deku, she could share just about anything. Their true hardships, their emotions, they could confide in one another. It was just, they had a deeper emotional bond that was hard to explain. In other words, he was definitely the closest person to her out of anyone she knew.
However, with him being a boy, and with her having undeniable feelings for him; there were some things that she could not simply share. For the sake of their friendship, and her dignity. That being her undeniable love for him.
So, as she sat next to her other three closest friends, the fear she had for her very soul was inexplicably large. Why this fear, one may ask?Those three friends happened to be girls. More precisely, those three friends knew of her large crush on Deku. Even more precisely, those three friends were Momo, Mina, and Tsu.
Oh, and one more important thing to mention. Deku just happened to be hiding underneath her bed!
So yes, Ochako was experiencing a fear that was both terrifying and petrifying. But she needed to power on, as Mina was currently smothering her with questions and if she ignored it any longer it would look weird.
"OCHA BABE! I AM SO HAPPY FOR YOU!" Mina screamed as she tightly hugged her. The bubbly pink skinned girl, she noticed, was nearly imploding with happiness. Her smile was ear to ear and somehow she could make out a gleeful blush on her already pink complexion.
She was nearly certain she could hear a faint whisper that her "ship has sailed." But she didn't bring it up, choosing to focus on the possible answers she will have to give. And more importantly, the topics she will need to avoid.
She could feel Mina's hands detach themselves from her back, only for them to reattach on her shoulders. She gave her a small shake before practically screaming, "So what happened!? Give us the story!? How did he ask!?"
Her life seriously couldn't get any harder.
Actually, she took that back. Her life did in fact get harder - because as she looked around she saw her other friends looking at her expectantly. Momo she could maybe expect this from, but Tsu was usually a little more considerate of her feelings. Where was her usual good-nature'd comment?
"Remember Ochako, you don't have to share anything you're not comfortable with kero..."
There it is! THANK YOU SO MUCH TSU-
"...but, I am very curious! How'd he ask?"
She was absolutely doomed.
What else could she do here other then break down? The day had already been an emotional one, another round of tears wouldn't hurt. Just as she was about to implode, a thought came to her mind. She was supposed to be convincing them that all of this really happened! How could she be such a dunce?!
Deku overhearing her talk about him like that will be fine! It'll just sound like she's trying to follow their plan! It's apart of their plan to convince the whole class anyway. The only problem she had was figuring out what to tell them. "I-um, ok where do I begin?" She nervously tilted her eyes down, racking her brain for any type of believable story. That's when it hit her. As she felt their beaming faces looking at her, all of the pressure faded away when she remembered that Deku had literally already asked her out (Technically)! She could just use that!
"So, he came to my door a little while ago. He was, wearing that cute shirt that says dress shirt on it, even though it's just a t-shirt haha." She sounded so stupid to herself, but it wasn't that hard to recall the event. She didn't even have to lie, all of these thoughts were true. It's not like she was creating fake emotions here, she just had to relay how she actually felt when he did that. It might be a bit embarrassing considering he is hearing her talk about how his shirts are cute and whatnot. But, if she had learned anything that night - it was to not worry so much about feelings. He trusted her, she trusted him - she just had to continue that trust, and so what if he finds out she thinks his shirts are cute? He's her best friend for a reason! She'll tell him herself when these girls leave!
Ochako continued with a newfound confidence, "He had a handful of flowers, and his face was beaming. That, green hair of his was as messy as ever, and when he bowed down slightly that's when it happened. He asked me if I would want to go with him to the National Hero Ball. He said he wouldn't want to go with anyone else but me. It was really sweet."
Okay, maybe she could tone it down a bit
It took a few seconds for them to respond, just enough time for her to realize she was smiling like a big idiot. She unconsciously tucked her hair behind her left ear, as she watched the three girls practically squeal at the newly found information. She couldn't necessarily blame them. The way she made it sound, it was like Deku had suddenly become a Casanova overnight.
Well, he pretty much had become a Casanova - or at least gained the confidence of one. Sure, he may have been joking around, but the way he asked her to the dance seemed so genuine. In her mind, it felt real. It probably wasn't, and it might have been just him trying to be funny to make her feel better. Or maybe it was her taking a friendly gesture during a bad situation and spinning it into something it's not.
But he did say that he meant it before...
"Ochako, that is literally the sweetest thing I have ever heard! And the National Hero Ball?! That is such a prestigious event I cannot believe it!" Momo squeaked as she fanned her face.
Tsu simply smiled with a very knowing look, one that screamed, "I am so happy for you both," and somehow also, "I can't believe he actually did that." Ochako couldn't blame her, she was still a little shocked at how sweet Deku had been earlier. She definitely wasn't upset at his behavior - if anything she was happy that he seemed to eliminate that awkward feeling the two would sometimes get. She just wished she was better at handling him being so, so, suave? Was that the word she was looking for?
It didn't matter because compared to Tsu and Momo, Mina was an entirely different story. She had immediately fallen back on to the bed and let out a small squeal of happiness, "THAT IS AMAZING!" She screamed, her hands clenching tightly and waving around like a lunatic. Anyone who didn't know Mina would assume she was, in fact, a lunatic. But she knew better, this was just her personality. Ochako notices her eyes drifting over to her desk, where the flowers Deku had brought had been placed. "Oh my god! And there's the flowers!"
She sat up and lunged back over to Ochako, giving her a big bear hug once more and whispering congratulations and tokens of happiness into her ears. Ochako couldn't help but smile in return, it was nice having all of her friends fawning over her like this. Even if it was slightly "pretend" - it still felt nice.
"Oh my gosh!" Mina pulled back, keeping the same ecstatic look on her face, "I can't believe Midori actually grew a pair and asked you! I'm so proud of him! And he was such a sweetheart too, I'm gonna have to congratulate him later!"
Chuckling at her words, Ochako absentmindedly scratched the back of her neck, "Well, give him some credit. I just think with everything going on at school and with the league he's been a bit preoccupied to really think about stuff like this."
"Yah but come on, it's Midori we're talking about. When it comes to hero stuff he's on his A game but when it comes to girls? Oh jeez he is usually a straight mess!" Mina joked, getting a small nod of agreement from Momo followed by a grin.
A part of her was seriously ticked off and she couldn't figure out why. It was something about the girls thinking Deku didn't have any gaul. I mean, she could admit that he wasn't the most smooth when it came to stuff like that. A part of her still resents the whole Hatsume situation, she definitely remembered how he acted back then. Not that it was his fault, it just didn't really help his case.
But still! That was her best friend they were talking about, and just look at what he did tonight! Flowers, asking her to the dance in the first place (he didn't even need to do that), not to mention him comforting her! Deku, to her, was great with that kinda stuff!
She almost said all of that out loud, but she remembered the narrative she was creating. She needed to say something though, "Haha, I mean ya, but look at what he did tonight! He even brought me flowers!" She said with only a hint of passive aggressiveness. She couldn't help it.
"Exactly! Which is why I am so surprised and happy, I never knew the dork had it in him!" Mina explained, seemingly not getting the underlying anger in Ochako's words.
"I think what Mina is trying to say is Deku isn't one to put himself out there the way he did tonight. And honestly, we always assumed you would be the one to ask him out first Ochako." Tsu added. Ochako could tell she was trying to defuse the small amount of anger in Ochako's words - and it worked.
"Y-Yah, I guess you're right." She replied, still scratching the back of her neck.
"I mean seriously Ocha, you've been pining over him since the beginning of the year. Who knew he'd be the one initiate it?" Mina explained.
Laughing slightly at the girls words, Ochako sighed, once again admitting, "Yah, I guess you're right."
Wait, did she just-?
Oh shit.
A deafening alarm suddenly went off in Ochako's head. A code red that signaled danger, nothing but life threatening danger. She didn't know what to do, it was like her entire mind flipped the switch that signaled death and her life started flashing before her eyes. Mina had just openly revealed that Ochako had been "pining over" Deku since the beginning of the school year. And Deku was underneath her bed. LISTENING TO THE ENTIRE THING!
A long line of curses clouded her mind at the prospect of Deku figuring out her actual feelings. In fact, over the next 15 minutes that the girls chatted in her room, the only thing that was on her mind was if Deku heard it or not. It was truly impossible for her to tell if everything was perfectly audible from under the bed. And if it was, then would she have to fully confess once the girls leave? She didn't know if that was something she was capable of doing at the moment. She didn't know if she was ready for that!
It was like her mouth was on autopilot, answering the girls questions and talking to them like it was second nature. It was trivial stuff, when are they leaving, what dress she was going to wear, etc. But her conscious argued within herself, because Mina had said the words in a rather low tone. So it was possible that Deku hadn't heard everything from under the wooden bed frame and mattress. Hell, she was pretty sure a pillow alone could muffle the sound of a gun firing. Who's to say a mattress and bed frame couldn't block out some voices?
A part of her felt insane, she was trying to come up with an explanation that would help her. Something that would make her feel a bit better. Anything to persuade herself to believe he didn't just hear Mina. Hopefully he didn't hear. But if he did, it could be horrific.
Out of all the times for something like this to happen, right in the middle of a secret mission to protect one for all is the absolute worst! Her mind was jumping, worried that it could distract them and make them mess up their plans was one thing. But she hadn't even begun to worry about the other side of the situation, what if Deku didn't feel that way about her! If he found out from someone other then her, that she had been crushing on him since the beginning of the school year - and he didn't feel the same way; well that would be the absolute worst case scenario.
She hadn't even realized that the girls had left until she closed her door and snapped back to reality. Her eyes stayed glued to the wooden material that made up her dorm entrance. Her breath hitched at the prospect of where the next conversation could go, and she couldn't bring herself to pull herself away from the door. She almost wanted to leave. That's when she quite literally smacked herself.
No, for real. She smacked herself
And that fully brought her back. At least enough to rush over to her bed to see if Deku was alive. She immediately bent over and peeked underneath the frame, "Deku? Are you okay? They left, you can come out now." Her eyes squinted, searching for his green locks in the darkness.
A hand came jutting out, and a familiar soft voice followed it. "Y-Yah! I'm fine! I'm gonna try and get out now." He tagged on a small chuckle at the end of his sentence, causing her heart to throb just slightly. She watched as he slid out from underneath the bed, doing a small spin on the floor, and stopping and smiling up at her. Smirking at his joking nature, she lent a hand to him which he gladly took.
"I-Um, So! At least we know for a fact the girls know about it." Deku chuckled, running a hand through his messy hair. He sat down on top of the bed this time, and sighed, "That was a close call huh?"
Ochako nodded, trying to ignore the problem she was having so much trouble with only a few minutes ago. Surely he would have brought it up by now if he had heard it - but she didn't want to give herself false hope. He might just be dancing around the topic. Not that she'd blame him of course.
"S-So Deku, did you hear all of that?" She watched his reaction, waiting for any hint that he had actually heard what Mina said. His eyes perked up and suddenly made contact with hers, she nearly jumped back. "J-Just in case I said something that might be important, so you remember."
His eyebrows cocked and he began to rub the back of his neck in thought. She watched rather closely, afraid of something that would signify disaster. That's when she saw it, the faintest blush spread across his face. And when that happened, she physically leaned back waiting for him to speak.
"Um, nothing really in particular - most of it was pretty inaudible. But there was something that caught my ear."
There it was, confirmation that he had in fact heard what Mina said. He was about to ask her if she was actually pining over him the entire year. Then, she would say yes - and then he would shoot her down as nice as humanly possible. Their friendship was as good as ruined.
Suddenly Deku smirked, and he raised his head to look at her, "Do you really think my shirt is cute?"
Ochako nearly passed out.
Her head reeled back and she could feel the heat rising rapidly to her face. Damn that Deku, just as she thought he had known something - he pulled a fast one on her. Just as quickly as she faltered however, she snapped back and went on the offensive, "What? I have no idea what you're talking about Deku..."
His smirk only grew, "Oh no no no! You said that I was wearing 'that cute shirt that says dress shirt on it' don't try and deny it!"
Damn him! She almost broke her act and giggled but she managed to hold herself together, "Oh that? I was just saying that as apart of the story. I needed to sell it!" Now she was smirking. This new jokey Deku was something else, never before would he ever make a joke like that. But he was now, and she honestly liked it a lot. It felt like they were closer then ever.
She could see the slight hesitation in his face, before his smirk turned to a small scowl. He turned around dramatically and crossed his arms, "So that's how it is now? I see, and after I went out of my way to put this specific shirt on because I knew you liked it."
It was easy to tell what he was doing, but a small sliver of her mind still couldn't believe that Deku was capable of such acting. And if he was being truthful, she didn't want to make him feel bad at all. Especially after he had helped her so much before. So, even against her better judgment - she broke. "W-Wait, you seriously did that? Deku, I was just joking of course the shirts cute."
Her concerned eyes watched as he turned his head back towards her, his scowl forming a cheeky grin, and a silent laugh following shortly after. It was like her entire body turned an insane shade of red, "D-Damn it Deku!"
Soon enough she was laughing along side him. His infinite chuckles being too contagious for her to resist.
"Alright class listen up! I know the situation is a bit strange but you're going to have to deal with it for the time being." Aizawa's voice echoed throughout the living room of the dormitory. The class had found out about the off time just that morning, when a very tired pro hero dressed in a bright yellow sleeping bag was in their front door blocking their exit. "Just because you don't have classes this week doesn't mean training is going to be paused as well. We are going to be having daily training sessions around noon for a few hours. The main goal of these sessions will be to further develop your own styles, and your abilities."
It wasn't long before the entire class was chatting amongst themselves - everyone seemed to follow their teacher absentmindedly, training wasn't much of anything to complain about for the group of heroes in training. Bakugo's voice was particularly audible as he screamed at "Raccoon eyes" for bringing up "Deku and Round Cheek's shit" every five minutes.
Ochako breathed a sigh at that. The sigh itself was one of mixed emotions; part of her was relieved that everyone was aware of Deku and her's "date." But another part of her was starting to get a bit annoyed at how much everyone loved to talk about it.
It was easy to tell that Deku shared these feelings. After last night, there plan had been fully realized and all that was left was to ride it out. That, started in the morning, when both of them woke up just a bit earlier and ate some breakfast before going on a run. He had suggested it, since he was usually going on them by himself he thought she would like to join him. She had humbly accepted - excited to start a new morning routine that would only help her reach her goals. Now, she would like to say they ended up going, but the truth is they tried. Right when they got to the front door they had found Aizawa, clad in his yellow sleeping bag, and blocking their exit.
Looking back on it, they probably should have asked All Might who was in on the plan - because the amount of shock and fear they experienced when Aizawa had brought up the Hero Ball in America was astronomical. Thankfully, the moment had passed and he simply told them to utilize the gym in the basement if they needed to work out this early.
Surprise! They didn't end up working out.
Instead, she opted to hop on the couch and watch some TV - and Deku joined her. That led to some embarrassing teasing from their classmates. If she could float Mineta up to the stratosphere without getting in trouble she totally would. Of course, she instead chose to insist that just because they were sitting in close proximity - it didn't mean they were "cuddling on the couch watching TV."
Iida had jumped in and stopped the behavior pretty quickly, which gave her a good amount of relief. But even now, as she walked next to Deku, she could practically feel the eyes of every classmate on her. She didn't think it was going to be this bad.
Of course, the nature of their class, in particular the girls, had always been a bit devious when it came to romance. The very idea of shipping was one that was frequently talked about during sleepovers and girls nights. But she truly had not expected this much attention. Sure, maybe a few questions and joking remarks were normal. But not every single person staring at them. It was like their was something on their face and everyone wanted to say something but wouldn't.
She slowly noticed it alleviate as they made it outside and to the training grounds. Looking to her left where Deku stood, she could see that he also noticed the uncomfortable air dissipate. His face turned towards her, and he gave her a small grin and a look that screamed "I am so sorry you have to do this."
Shaking her head, she mouthed the words, "Don't apologize," before smirking and giving him a small bump with her elbow. He chuckled under his breath and she swore her heart stopped for a brief second.
It sucked that he had that affect on her.
She didn't know what it was, but it was like he held himself differently. Nothing too noticeable, but he seemed much less tense around her. That allowed for his true qualities to shine more, like that breathy chuckle he just let out. It was somehow enough to make her want to just grab him and never let go.
Ok, enough with those thoughts.
Moving on to what they were actually doing, she drew her attention to their Sensei - where he began to explain the exercise they were going to be performing. Apparently, he had advice for multiple students that could prove useful if they both worked together - and that idea was cemented when he heard Deku and Mina's name get called.
Before going up, Deku turned to her and shrugged in an overly confused matter which gave her a good chuckle. Watching as they both got some words of advice from Aizawa, she almost frowned as they walked away with each other. N-Not like she was jealous or anything, she just didn't want Mina to chew Deku out for "details."
It's not like she had any control over that, so she decided that worrying wasn't an option. Deku could handle Mina, probably, so she should probably just focus on her own partner (or partners?) for the time being. Wondering who she would be paired with, she watched as the next to names were called.
"Aoyama and Hagakure."
"I-I don't know about this Ashido," Izuku complained - watching as his friend bounced back and forth, "Maybe this isn't the best idea."
To be truthful, when their teacher suggested that Izuku worked on his fluidity in his fighting, he had thought that it was a solid piece of advice. He knew how experienced Aizawa was in combat, so when the man in question suggested he train through dance, he didn't think twice.
But now that he was about to actually follow through with it, he suddenly became very aware of his surroundings. They were out in the open, anyone could pass by at any moment. Most of the class was around the corner, practicing their own combat moves no doubt. And of course, Ashido was right next to him. Usually he wouldn't be so embarrassed about something like this - he wasn't when they had learned the moves for the Culture Festival a few weeks ago. But there was something about the...personal...aspect to this training that felt a little weird to him. Not to mention the fact that Ashido still hasn't mentioned anything about him and Uraraka. Which, to be truthful, was a little terrifying.
He watched as Ashido hopped in front of him, "Oh cut it out Midori! I've seen you dance before and no one else is around to watch right now. This will be good training, and even better practice for the dance you will be taking Ochako too..."
There it was
Mentally sighing, Izuku began to stretch out his scarred arm, "I know that but-"
"You know I'm proud of you Midori. I really didn't think you had that in you." She suddenly complimented, giving him a warm smile, "You made Ochako really happy last night, though I'm sure you already know that." She ended with a smirk and a wink.
He had to fight back the warmth rising to his cheeks after that one. He may have gotten more confident around Uraraka - but other people teasing him about it wasn't apart of that package. Dancing didn't sound that bad anymore - so to draw away from that topic, he brought it back to their assignment. "T-Thank you Ashido, but with this dancing. Are you sure-"
"Chill out!" Ashido exclaimed, falling back on to her butt and starting to stretch out her legs, "it's not like we're gonna tango or anything - we just want to build fluidity for a fighting style."
Taking that into consideration, Izuku followed her lead and began to stretch himself out as well. It was a very good realization, it wasn't like they were ball room dancing. They were training! "Yah, sorry about that. I guess this is just training."
"Exactly," Ashido smirked towards his direction, "I know it's a bummer and all - not being able to slow dance with mua." She cackled to herself as he chuckled lightly at the joke.
When the two finished up their stretches, Ashido bounced up and started to shuffle a little back and forth, "So, I've actually been thinking about this for a while now."
"R-Really?" Izuku asked, "But why?"
"Well, ever since the culture festival, I haven't been able to get your quirk off my mind. I don't know, there's something about the way it works that intrigues me."
Um...
Gulping, the boy began to grin a bit suspiciously, "O-Oh, really? Well that's a bit odd."
There was no way that Ashido was suspicious about One for All...right? Logistically, there wasn't. The two weren't particularly close and even if they were, it's not like they have ever fought closely. She would have no reason to suspect anything - but there was a small chance...he wasn't the best at hiding it. He learned that the hard way with Bakugo.
"Yah," Ashido move forwards and started to move around Izuku's body, stopping directly in front of him, "Well, I always thought that our quirks were so similar - or at least how we move with them."
His worries fading away, Izuku let out a breath and quirked a brow, "Really? How so?"
"Well," she looked up and brought a hand to her chin, "I'm using my acid to skate around all the time, and your quirk makes you move so fast it's like your skating on the ground too. I don't know, it's a bit of a loose connection."
As he thought about it, it actually made a lot of sense. When he ran with One for All, it was almost like he could slide around. Mina was basically on a pair of skates when she used her quirk, so the similarity suddenly became very clear. "No, actually I see it now. I guess our quirks are more similar than I thought."
Ashido smiled, and then began to bounce back and forth once again, "Well, anyways - I've been thinking about how you should fight. And I think a bit of western kick boxing might help you a lot."
"Western kick boxing?" Izuku asked, thinking over his previous research on fighting styles. He couldn't seem to remember hearing about it before.
"Well, you know normal boxing right? It used to be really popular in America." She changed her stance so her hands were in tight fists next to her head, and her left foot was in front of the other.
Nodding, Izuku copied her stance. His hands tightening into fists - his body locking into the firm position, he could tell why boxers used it. If he remembered correctly, boxing was fighting done in a ring using only their firsts. Gloves were a must, but there was no kicking.
But Ashido had said kick boxing. "You said Western kick boxing right? How are we supposed to use our legs like this?" Izuku asked, chuckling as he demonstrated how the more stable stance left out leg capability.
When he had trained his Shoot Style, he did an extensive amount of research. He actually remembered taking a look at the boxing stance they were doing - and he remembered how he almost immediately passed it off as not useful to him. If he wanted to implement kicking, a more lax stance would be needed.
"Yes I did!" Ashido exclaimed, loosening her stance slightly, "But the initial movements are very similar."
Izuku watched as the girl in front of him began to widen her legs, drops her arms slightly, and bounce back and forth on each leg. Her arms moved back and forth, up and down, almost matching her bodies fluid movements.
"As you can see," she sent out a few kicks and punches, "this style allows plenty of leg movement." Smirking, Ashido stopped her bouncing and placed her hands on her hips, "Now you try!"
It took him a few moments, but soon enough he was bouncing back and forth. He also threw out a few kick and punches, and he noticed how easy it was to flow into the motion of kicking.
"See what I mean?" Ashido exclaimed, "Now imagine how much faster you could fight like that!"
"You're right Ashido, this might actually be a good choice for my fighting style!"
"Now wait! I have a few more things to talk about! First off, your attacks," Ashido got back into her stance, and began sending off pointed punches, "When you punch or kick, you only ever do big wind ups. It's like you go for the finishing strike every time."
Izuku knew exactly what Ashido was talking about. He had gotten the same piece of advice from Uraraka a while ago, "I know, I've been trying to correct that but I've been having some trouble."
"Well your kicking might be harder to correct, but I think if you just adapt some boxing moves into your fighting, you'll be kicking some serious ass!" Ashido threw a few fast punches in a boxing stance.
"You think so?" Izuku asked, going back into the stance as well, "From what I've seen online, boxing is pretty sluggish."
Ashido stopped bouncing and raised her finger as if to say Izuku was wrong, "Not exactly. Boxing only looks sluggish because back when it was popular, quirks weren't a thing!"
She had gone on to explain how if he would integrate his quirk, he could get faster jabs and punches off easily. Essentially making him a lightning fast puncher. Izuku loved the idea, he was fairly certain that with the combination of his new fighting stance, and his faster punches, he would upgrade his fighting capability a ton.
The only thing he didn't understand was how Ashido knew so much about boxing and why she seemed to be an expert on integrating a quirk. So, he asked her. He was surprised to discover that she had done extensive research since middle school on different fighting styles, as her quirk was rather odd. Apparently, she needed a better way to add mobility to her arsenal without a piece of tech.
She had spent so long researching different styles that eventually, she realized that none were going to fit her particular quirk. So, she took up dancing and used it to create her own style. It really surprised him, not that he doubted any of his classmates were hard workers. He just never thought of Ashido being the type of person to do so much research. No wonder she knew so much about different styles and was always thinking about quirk integration, she spent so long doing it herself that she couldn't help but think about others.
In a way, the two were similar. Izuku was always taking notes and thinking about his classmates quirks - while Ashido was doing the same but with fighting styles and quirk integration.
After some further explanation and a few practice hits, Izuku was jabbing out 30 punches in a few seconds with ease. All have around the same integral force behind them that his normal punches would have, just ten times faster! It was outstanding what he could do now, "Thank you so much Ashido! I'm going to be so much more capable now!"
"Don't mention it! I'm glad my hypothesis was correct!" Ashido murmured with a large grin. After a few more minutes of practicing the new form, the two stopped and began to continue with what they were originally doing. Thankfully, the awkward tension Izuku was feeling had all but vanished. He felt genuinely comfortable with Ashido now, it's like they had grown closer within just a few minutes. He was glad, he considered all of his classmates good friends, but to be able to get closer to some of them was always a goal.
"Now, the way I use dancing for my fighting is going to be a bit different to how you use it." Ashido started, bringing a hand to her chin and casually pacing back and forth, "I slide like I'm on skates so I use more direct dance moves to help myself balance and flow freely. You however, are just using your feet to move around."
She stopped and clapped her hands together, "Ok! I got it - we're not going to be learning dance moves or anything fancy. Yet that is. But instead, let's focus on flexibility and free form!"
~ 1 Hour Later ~
Originally, when Izuku had heard the words "flexibility" and "free form" he assumed Ashido would be guiding him on some stretches to up his movement range, and maybe some rhythmic dance moves.
He was wrong - very, wrong.
For the past hour, he has been completing a Ballet like work-out. Which consisted of plies, spinning, and a lot of stretching his foot over his head. Now, normally this would not be that embarrassing. Sure, he may look like a wannabe ballerina, but it wasn't like anyone was around to watch.
That is, until 5 minutes ago - when Uraraka, Bakugo, Kaminari, Kirishima, Yaoyorozu, and Todoroki had finished their training. It was almost like they thought they were being stealthy or something, creeping around the side of the building like special forces spying on the enemy.
At first he tried to ignore them. But as he leaped into the air, spun around, kicked his legs apart, and landed in a split. The laughter was just impossible to drown out. He heard Yaoyorozu offer the rest some tissues, probably to wipe away their tears from laughing.
After a few more minutes of the torture, Ashido finally told Izuku to stop, exclaiming how he did so well and that he should practice the stretches and techniques she taught him in the beginning of their lesson daily for the best results. Izuku noticed how she tried her hardest to hide her cackling, but utterly failed at holding back the laughter
Well, at least she tried...
A few hours passed from their training sessions and soon enough he found himself around all of the boys in Class 1-A. The class had somehow split into gender groups and were having a "boys vs girls" night in order to have some fun on their impromptu break from classes. The boys had the living room for their planning while the girls congregated in one of their dorm rooms. It was, a little strange he had to say. As he watched his classmates come up with ways to prank the girls, the only thing he could think of was how desperately he wanted to talk to one of them.
Maybe it was a little strange, but Izuku wanted to talk to Uraraka. He wanted to hang out with her, he wanted to spend time with her. It feels like that's all he'd been doing these past weeks but he didn't really mind at all. He enjoyed being around her.
Maybe he shouldn't be so reliant on her company - it's not like the boys weren't having fun right in front of him. If anything, he should be trying to have fun with them. The whole idea of a prank night was very appealing to him - it sounded like so much fun and he didn't feel like ruining that for himself. It wasn't often the class had a chance to do things together - ever since the shopping mall and the Shigaraki encounter, not to mention Toga at the hospital, it was like they were destined to not do things normal kids might do. So, he told himself he would have fun tonight.
"I'm telling you shitty hair! The whip cream won't fucking work! And even if it does, that's so weak! WE GOTTA GO BIGGER!"
Well, at least Kacchan sounded like he was having fun.
Walking towards the formation of boys that had congregated around the couches, his ears began listening to the multitude of ideas that had arose between them.
"I say we get Koda to fill their pillows with ants or something! Freak them out like crazy!" Kaminari began laughing while Koda quickly shut that idea down. It seems like their kind friend was totally against using insects for the prank - which was, understandable. Izuku didn't think he would enjoy a pillow full of ants even in a joking context.
"Well if not bugs then why don't we get a ton of plastic balls and fill their rooms with it! I saw it in a YouTube video once!" Sero suggested, which got rounds of approval from everyone on the couches.
"But hold on," Ojiro suddenly spoke, catching everyone's attention, "How are we supposed to get that many plastic balls on such short notice?"
And the sulking began once more. Sato suggested baking them a cake that tasted terribly. Everyone seemed to like that idea but Kacchan once again shut it down for being "too fucking weak!" Iida tried to float around the idea of mental torture - something that no one expected from him of all people. Basically, he wanted them to do absolutely nothing and freak all the girls out by pretending like it was always about to happen. A solid idea in retrospect - but it would take too long and they didn't have such time.
"My idea of stealing all of their panties is still on the table!" Mineta screamed before Kirishima whacked him on the head.
It seemed for a few seconds that they were all out of options. It's not like Izuku could really think of anything better. With how little time they had and how big the expectations were, there wasn't much he could suggest.
"I think I got it!" Kacchan suddenly screamed, getting up and clenching his fists in front of himself tightly, "Lets scare their asses!"
Now that was something they could pull off. He didn't exactly know how they could scare a group of heroes in training that were prepared for much worse. But the idea was the most promising one yet!
"I think I can help with that." Tokoyami said, Dark Shadow popping out from behind him like a kid on Christmas Eve. It looked like he was literally built for scaring others - and Tokoyami had the perfect plan.
They started off by finding the power box outside - thankfully it wasn't too late so Shoji had little trouble sneaking around the outside to flip the switch. Within a few seconds the entire buildings light system was shut off - effectively rendering their entire class in a sea of darkness. The next step was actually Todoroki's idea - he thought that making the room colder would give off an eerie vibe. So, along with his quirk, he had released a chill into the air - almost making the place feel haunted.
Just as they expected, it only took a few minutes for the girls to come wandering downstairs - likely questioning why the power had suddenly gone out and why a coldness had creeped into the building.
That's when they would strike. All of them were hidden behind the couches, stalking the stairwell and elevators - while Dark Shadow kept to the shadows to creep up around them. Izuku felt it was a great plan, and waited eagerly with the rest, trying not to cackle and give away their position.
They waited, and waited, and waited, but for some reason nothing was happening. Where had they gone wrong?
Maybe it was the lights suddenly flipping on, or the faintest giggle that he recognized from behind them. But something screamed at his mind - something that said,
"THEY KNEW!"
Out of nowhere a loud shriek - one of absolute volume, echoed around them.
His heart almost exploded in fear. Nearly simultaneously, all of the boys turned around and screamed in an octave non of them knew they were capable of. Kaminari in particularly jumped up and released a bolt of electricity around him - both shocking the rest of the boys and knocking himself even further back. Ow
As he laid there, slightly charred from the blast, his eyes shifted towards the culprits. All of the girls stood proudly around a large speaker, laughing their ass's off, with night vision goggles resting on their foreheads. He couldn't help but single out one of them, wearing a light pink shirt, almost matching the rosy color of her cheeks from the chill in the air - was Uraraka.
He immediately chuckled as he watched her double over in laughter, he could ignore the little bit of pain he felt from the electricity.
She was just too perfect