Disclaimer: I do not own My Hero Academia
XXX
Sleeping soundly by Kaminari's surprisingly odorless feet, Mineta was curled into a cute little ball while vividly dreaming of the huge knockers endowed upon Momo's chest. His mouth was slack, a trickle of drool streamed from the right corner of his lips and puddled just beneath one of his blushing baby cheeks. In his dream, Momo was dressed in her provocative, skintight hero costume. The deep red and black leotard hugged against her voluptuous curves while contrasting nicely against her creamy complexion. She wore her hair down, allowing her silken, black tresses to gently cascade down her small shoulders and collect between the curvature of her breasts.
They were inside Mineta's room, he had told her he was trying to replace the battery in his vibrating bed but didn't have the right tools to access it. Being the true hero that she was, she agreed to inspect the bed and create the correct tool to get into the battery box. He watched, enraptured, as she bent down at the waist next to his bed, examining it while Mineta took it upon himself to examine something much more important. He always wondered what kind of underwear she wore under that getup and now he had his answer, a simple, lacy black thong.
A little gush of blood may have made its way out of his nasal passage at this point, forcing him to quickly wipe it away with his hand. He watched her for a little while longer until finally she stood and turned to face him. A small pout formed over his lips at the loss of the very stimulating visual of her rounded ass cheeks hugging the skimpy material of her thong but instantly perked back into a pleased smile when his eyes returned to her chest.
"Now Mineta, I'm fairly certain your bed doesn't have a battery box like you said it did." She looked at him with one eyebrow quirked questioningly while tilting her head just a little to the side. Her hands rested along either side of her hips and she waited patiently to hear what his excuse might be.
He knew he was busted; he could feel his heart pounding in his chest but more than anything he just wanted to extend this moment a little longer. Suddenly, a sly smile twisted over his features, as a nefarious idea formed inside his tiny little skull.
"Maybe the box is on the other side of my bed. In fact, I'm pretty sure that's where it is! You should crawl across it and check." He did his best to maintain a neutral expression lest she should catch on to his ruse.
Laughter filled the room and he watched, dismayed as she giggled at his suggestion before kneeling by the bed to pick up the detached plug. "I'm pretty sure we both know there isn't a battery box. It just plugs into the wall." She then took the plug and slowly inserted it into the nearest outlet before turning back to him. "If you wanted me alone in your room, you could have just asked."
"I-I could?" This must be a trap. He felt certain.
She laughed again before pressing her teeth into her bottom lip, her expression turning serious. She pointed to her cheek as if suggesting there was something on his face. "You've got a little red smudge on your cheek there. Is that blood?" She sauntered over to him to inspect it, her hips swaying suggestively as she moved.
Mineta wasn't sure why there would be blood on his cheek, but then he remembered how he wiped the blood from his nose and must have left some along his skin. He was lost in thought for a moment, trying to determine how best to remove it without dampening the mood when he felt light pressure on his shoulders. A soft gasp escaped from his mouth when he realized her hands were on his shoulders and she was bent down low to make eye contact with him. Her breasts were squished together deliciously between her arms and right below his gaze, begging him to reach out and touch them. He went to do just that but stopped when he realized her face was getting closer and closer to his own, her lips parting lightly to reveal a pink tongue.
So startled was he that he froze, not even breathing as he waited for her to kiss him. When she finally reached his face, she angled her mouth away from his which confused him until he felt something warm and wet press against his cheek, slowly drawing its way up to just under his eye.
Mineta gasped awake, his eyes shooting open as something wet and slimy seemed to be dripping onto him. With squinted eyes, he tilted his head up to see his friend still soundly asleep, the drool from his mouth making its way down his chin and splashing right on top of Mineta's cheek bone.
"Eewww!" The boy swiftly rolled away before another drop could land on him. Once he was safely distanced from the world's most disgusting waterfall, he roughly wiped his sleeve against his cheek until the skin was red and prickly from the hard friction. He glared at the still sleeping blond as he went to grab a chair from the dining area so he could set it next to his friend. He climbed up and while on his tippy toes he cupped his hands around his mouth like a megaphone and screamed as loud as he could, "You stole the most important dream of my life from me! Now I'm going to steal you're hearing you thieving bastard!"
"Ahh!" Kaminari's eyes opened and his whole body flinched violently within the restraints of Sero's tape. He was breathing harshly, eyes darting all around in alarm until they finally landed on the smug looking boy standing just below eye level. "That was not cool. You gave me a heart attack!"
As his breathing decelerated and the sound of blood rushing past his hears died down, Kaminari tried to raise his hand but it wouldn't budge. That was when he noticed the tape holding him in place against the wall. "What's this about? Could you cut me down please?"
"You kept trying to walk outside. Sero did this for your own protection." Mineta offered in a bland, mater of fact tone as he grabbed a pair of kitchen scissors and began cutting the confused boy from the tape. As he worked on freeing his friend, Mineta was quick to fill Kaminari in on what had happened since he spaced out.
"Okay, so where exactly is everyone? They didn't leave already did they?" The spikey blond-haired hero eyed the sink of dirty breakfast dishes suspiciously as he spoke, a feeling of dread forming in the pit of his stomach.
Mineta also noticed the dishes, and the peculiarly quiet atmosphere that was very unusual for their shared living space. It was never quiet, not even at night. Someone was always making some kind of noise. To be sure, he cupped his hands around his mouth once more and yelled, "hello? Is anyone there?" His question was met with utter silence, and he turned to Kaminari, their eyes wide as they realized what must have happened.
"They… forgot about… us…" Mineta stuttered as he woefully stared at the front door. "H-hey! Where are you going?" He noticed Kaminari was heading toward the doors leading outside and was almost afraid to hear what his friend's answer would be.
"We gotta find them. Let's go!"
XXX
The final rays of sunlight painted the sky in a breathtaking arrangement of soft reds, glowing oranges and blushing pinks. As day transitioned to night, so too did the lively ecosystem of the jungle. The evening air came alive with the constant, low hum of insects, the territorial shrieks and growls of unknown species of mammals, and the soft rustle of leaves that seemed to be getting closer and closer with every passing minute.
After the recent incident involving Jiro and the murderous crocodile monster, the remaining students of class 1-A were on high alert. Every sound was suspicious, any movement could have been deadly. They had their quirks and training to rely on for protection, but what good was that in a world full of unknown creatures and predators who have perfected the art of camouflage? Not to mention, the dwindling size of their group created a deep-seated feeling of vulnerability amongst them that had previously not existed.
As they continued to weave through the labyrinth of the forest, Shogi stopped completely. He tilted his head back so he could attempt to peer through the green canopy and gauge how close they were to nightfall. The slowly cooling temperature told him the sun was likely setting, and the world would soon be cast in darkness once again. The rest of the group stood around him, curious to know why their new comrade suddenly stopped.
"Its almost nighttime." He said as his gaze met with Iida's.
"No shit Sherlock. Get to your point." After Shogi neglected to warn them of some of the more dangerous animals in the forest, Bakugou had lost all patience for the scientist. As far as he was concerned, Shogi was nothing more then a liability and in the way.
"Nighttime is… well its dangerous. There's a lot that goes on after the sun sets." He looked over to Iida, hoping to get some support from the engine hero. "It would be wise for us to make camp and continue tomorrow at daybreak."
"Oh, so now after one of our classmates got mauled by a fucking halfdead looking crocodile, now you want to fucking warn us?" Sparks ignited from Bakugou's palms as he ranted at the scientist who was now shying away from him.
Unable to make eye contact with the furious blond, Shogi directed his response to Iida. "I am very sorry for what happened to your friend. I would like to stop anything like that from happening to anyone else so I'm telling you it would be a mistake to continue right now."
While straightening his back and squaring his shoulders, Iida considered Shogi's advice and addressed the group. "I must concur with Shogi. We don't know what's out there and with decreased visibility it would be careless for us to continue at this rate. Shogi? How did you stay safe during the nights? Do you have any experience you can offer us as we prepare to make camp?"
"Well, I learned early on that its best to sleep in an elevated location."
"You mean like in the trees?" Izuku cast a quick glance upward, already trying to determine what the best method would be to sleep without falling.
As if reading Izuku's mind, Ochaco voiced their joint concern. "How exactly are we going to do that without falling? The lowest branches are high enough that we'd break bones if we fell."
"Sounds like its right up your alley then, huh Deku?" Katsuki teased the greenette, a smirk firmly in place as he spoke. A few snickers sounded from the rest of the class at his joke, meanwhile Deku puffed out his cheeks in annoyance.
Sero eyed the darkening trees closely before beaming a confident smile as an idea formed in his mind. "I've got it guys! I can use my tape to make hammocks. The branches are large enough that I could attach two to the underside of each one."
"That's a great idea bro! I've always wanted to sleep in a hammock." Kirishima met Sero's smile with an equally dazzling one of his own.
"I agree. And since I'm pretty small, Shogi and I could obviously just share a hammock so that's one less you need to make!" Mina squealed in delight as she imagined snuggling with the sexy scientist all night long.
"I cannot condone co-ed sleeping arrangements! And I must agree that making hammocks in the trees is an excellent idea." Iida nodded his head in approval while giving a thumbs up to Sero.
Although it was a solid idea and Bakugou knew this, he refused to acknowledge it as such. "Better than nothing" he mumbled under his breath, unwilling to give it any more credit then that.
The sound of knuckles cracking temporarily overrode the slowly increasing volume of wildlife as Sero pressed down on the joints in his fingers. Ochaco crinkled her nose and covered her ears with her hands, the sound sending goosebumps over her skin. The students watched in awe as Sero propelled himself with his tape and got to work forming hammocks for everyone. It took him about twenty minutes to create eight banana shaped beds of tape, all of which hung precariously from the tree branches.
"I said I don't need one" Mina whined as she stuck her tongue out at Sero who was heavily huffing from overexerting himself. Excess sweat dripped from his body while he admired his handy work, ignoring Pinkie's protests.
Shogi felt very uncomfortable by the pink teen's advances and was thrilled the tape boy made him his own bed. Was she cute and spunky? Sure. Was she way too young and inexperienced for him? Yes, yes, she was. Catching the look of disappointment on her face, he tried to offer some comfort, so she'd be less upset. "You don't want to share a hammock with me. I toss and turn in my sleep and one of us would probably end up falling out." He gave her a quick, closed eye smile before going back to inspecting the hammocks. "How will we get up there?" he asked curiously.
"Sero, Ochaco, and I can help with that" Izuku offered. The sound of snapping twigs startled him, causing Izuku to jump while whipping his head to the side so he could investigate the source of the disturbance. He watched as Kacchan shuffled his feet and kicked at loose rocks on the ground with his hands shoved in his pockets. He was grumbling something about the extras but Izuku couldn't quite make out what he was saying. He returned his focus to the rest of the group. "Let's eat and get ready to turn in for the night. If tomorrow is anything like today, we're going to need our rest."
Several heads nodded in affirmation as Izuku slid his bag from his shoulders so he could dig out some food and his water canister. He pulled out a bag of almond fish and tore it open. It wasn't exactly his favorite thing to eat but it was nonperishable and high in protein, making it a good choice for his circumstances. Ochaco sat next to him on the ground and immediately leaned into him so she could rest her head on his shoulder. She had a half-eaten pocky stick in hand and offered a second chocolate coated stick to Deku. He gratefully accepted it before offering her a handful of his dried fish and almonds. The rest of the students dug into their own snacks which varied from protein bars, to seaweed crisps, to chocolates and candy.
"I hope the others made it back to the dorms okay" Mina commented as she slowly chewed the food in her mouth. She was extremely worried for Jiro and everyone trying to get her back to safety.
"I'm certain they made it back just fine" Iida offered. Todoroki, Yaoyorozu, and Tsu were all extremely capable. His concern rested in her recovery more then anything else. She was probably in shock and lost a lot of blood, not to mention the broken bones she likely sustained. She had a long road of recovery ahead of her, but he didn't feel it necessary to burden anyone else with those possibilities. It was important for them stay remain focused on the mission at hand!
With the moon fully position in the sky once again, the students couldn't help but to feel unsettled by the return of the eerie red glow it cast over their surroundings. They couldn't see the moon through the dense foliage overhead, but still the red hue managed to seep through cracks and spaces between branches and leaves, fully enveloping them in its creepy glow.
"Its seriously getting late. We really need to move up into the trees, like now." Shogi looked nervous, his eyes darting sporadically from location to location, as if he were half expecting something to jump out at them at any moment.
"I can agree to that. I'm beat!" Sero stood up and walked over to Shogi, offering to help him to one of the hammocks. The scientist hesitantly wrapped his arm around Sero's side who in turn did the same. He pointed his freaky elbow joints to the trees and released his tape so he could hoist them both up to safety.
White material shot from his elbows as usual but instead of shooting to the intended branches to pull them up, it quickly lost momentum and flitted leisurely back to the ground like a feather in the wind. Sero's bright, toothy smile faltered and he watched, dismayed, as Mina grabbed his tape, bringing it close to her face for inspection. She studied his tape, rubbing the material between her thumb and index finger before casting a nervous glance to Sero.
"So, you might not want to hear this right now but um… it's not sticky at all and its flimsy too." To demonstrate, she pressed her fingers on both sides to show they didn't stick and then she easily shredded it into confetti like pieces.
Dumbstruck, Sero blinked at her demonstration before frowning deeply. "Wh- no, just no. That's… that's impossible." He, along with the rest of their classmates, grabbed a piece off the ground and repeated Mina's demonstration. His eyes widened, and few gasps could be heard from the others as they all confirmed it to be true. He raked his hand threw his damp hair in agitation before trying to shoot out tape a second time. He watched, absolutely horrified, as his "tape" once again drooped slowly to the ground. He woefully grabbed a handful of the material while whispering, "what kind of hell is this?"
"That's not possible" Izuku stated as he sifted through the long row of "tape" that hadn't been shredded yet.
"That's just great. Congratulations, you've been reduced to a fucking toilet paper factory. You and the q-tip are equally as useless now." Bakugou thought for a moment before adding with a smirk. "I guess not as useless since we now have unlimited toilet paper."
"Kacchan! You're not helping!" Izuku glared at the blond before returning to scour the paper product Sero created while rapidly mumbling about different circumstances that could have led to it happening.
"Shut up nerd. Who said I was trying to help?" Bakugou angrily shouted as he prepared to let off small blasts from his hands, only those small blasts weren't really blasts at all. Instead what came from his palms were something akin to the little sparks of fire that spring from a sparkler stick. Bakugou's face reddened with rage as he pointed his hand at a tree and tried to let off a blast big enough to be considered an attack. Once again, just sparks… and some smoke. "WHAT THE FUCK!" He was livid, trying to release blast after blast but producing nothing significant.
The rest of the students were beginning to feel some concern now for their own quirks. Kirishima tried his next but was only able to harden one area of his body at a time, and it really wasn't even that hard. Ochaco couldn't get anything to lift more then a few inches from the ground and Mina's acid was as potent as the juice from a lemon. As Deku watched all this unfold, his mumbling quickened while the gears in his head tried to keep up with the strange phenomenon. He was struggling to concentrate over the panicked gasps and shouts from his classmates and was about to tell them all to calm down so he could think when a loud sputtering sound startled everyone. He swung his gaze over to the source and found Iida had tried to use his engines, only to have them sputter uselessly as he stood there with his head cast down in shame.
"Hey you fucking nerd! Try your quirk!" Kacchan yelled at him while unimpressive sparks continued to sizzle in his palms.
"Um, o-okay!" Izuku wasn't sure he wanted to know if his quirk worked or not. He searched the area before finding a large, moss covered boulder. He activated his full cowl, and as he felt the power surge through his veins, he attacked the boulder with his shoot style, landing one swift and powerful kick to the side of the boulder. A loud boom filled the air as the boulder exploded into tiny pieces, while effectively coating the area in dust and debris. He attempted to use his power at roughly 20% but the output felt more like 10% to him.
'Wait that's it! Our abilities have been reduced to 10% output.'
'But if that's the case, why?'
Izuku frowned as he considered the implication of his theory before Kacchan's enraged shouting caught his attention.
"What in the actual fuck? Why can you still use your quirk but the rest of us can't? This is bullshit!" His little spark display was popping wildly in his hands as he threw his little tantrum.
"Well, I have a theory…" Izuku began.
"Would you mind sharing your theory with the rest of us?" Iida was curious to know his thoughts considering he had no clue himself.
Hesitantly, Izuku considered how much he should actually tell them. He couldn't give too much away about AFO. "I think our abilities have been reduced to roughly 10%. I have no idea why though." He shrugged, frustrated that he couldn't determine any more than that.
Ochaco tilted her head to the side, resting her cheek in her hand. "If that's the case then why are you still able to use your quirk so well?"
"Yeah!" Mina agreed.
"That's because when I use my quirk at 100% it breaks my body, so I've actually only been using anywhere from 5 to 20% of my power to begin with…" His friends gasped in shock, staring at him like he had three heads.
"5 to 20%?! That's all you've been using? Are you fucking serious, Deku?" Katsuki knew the nerd wasn't using all his potential but he didn't realize this whole time he was utilizing such a small amount. "So basically, until we figure out how to get our quirks back to normal, you're the only one who can actually do anything. That's just fucking great."
"That's pretty crazy" Ochaco added, as she stared at her best friend in awe.
"But wait, yesterday Kaminari and Momo were still able to use their quirks and when we first met Shogi, I was able to use my quirk. What gives?" Kirishima asked no one in particular as he tried to make sense of what was happening.
"Perhaps it has to do with exposure?" Iida offered. "Kaminari and Momo were still inside of the dorms when they used their quirks. And we had not been outside for very long when we first met Shogi. But then again, we were outside for hours when we needed to defend Jiro earlier. Hmm…"
"If I may, I have a theory" came a timid voice from the back. Everyone instantly gave Shogi their attention as they waited expectantly for him to continue. "My quirk isn't anything special, but I've also noticed it diminishes but only at night."
"I'm fucking sorry but are you telling me you knew this could happen and once again didn't fucking think to tell us?" Bakugou was back to shouting again, this time actually coming at Shogi with murder written all over his face. Kirishima had to jump in front of him to slow him down.
Shogi instantly backed up with his hands out in front of him. "I-I'm sorry. I didn't think much of it. I thought perhaps it was just me or that it had something to do with the device transporting me here."
"You listen here q-tip. If we have one more situation where you conveniently forgot to tell us something, we're leaving your ass and we'll get the device on our own. You fucking understand asshole?" At this point Deku had jumped in to help Kirishima prevent Bakugou from killing the man who was slowly shrinking away from the enraged teen.
"Bakugou, as class rep I must insist that you cease threatening the civilian. A pro hero should never act in such a manner!" Bakugou barred his teeth, growling in response to Four Eyes before shoving Shitty Hair and Deku off of him. He crossed his arms over his chest with a huff while glaring menacingly at the poor scientist who looked like he would like to be just about anywhere else at the moment. Iida sighed deeply, feeling frustrated by his inability to use his quirk and disappointed in his classmate's behavior. "Midoriya, since you are the only one able to at this point, would you mind helping us to the hammocks?"
Izuku beamed at the engine hero in response, relieved to know he could still be of assistance in their dire situation. "Sure thing! Shogi, let's get you up there first." He knelt low to the ground and motioned for Shogi to climb on his back. As Shogi did as he was told, Izuku locked his arms around the scientist's legs, securing him in place. He crouched low to the ground before springing up toward the trees, smiling lightly when he heard Shogi chuckle in excitement from behind him. He grabbed onto the first branch carrying hammocks and pulled himself on top of it. The bark was rough under the pads of his fingers but he payed it no mind, instead wholly focused on the task at hand. "I'm going to take the Hammock next to yours. I think we should go over your journal so we can be better prepared in the morning" he said to Shogi as he lowered him from the branch into the hammock.
"Oi! No way are you sleeping next to that forgetful asshole. We barely know him!" Kacchan was angrily pointing up at the pair, screaming louder then necessary. He didn't understand why Izuku was still being so nice to this idiot whose forgetfulness had gotten them into trouble multiple times now. If you pair his forgetfulness with Deku's complete disregard for his own safety, you have a disaster waiting to happen. No, someone needed to keep them from getting too close and Katsuki was willing to take that bullet.
"That's ridiculous Kacchan. I need to see his journal so-"
"Then he can fucking give it to you for the damn night!"
Shogi's eyes darted between the scary blond and the sweet boy perched on the branch above him. They seemed to be in the middle of a glaring contest at the moment with neither giving in to the other. He pulled his journal from his pocket and offered it to Izuku. "Here, you can have it for the night. I don't want to cause any more problems. If you have any questions, we can talk about it in the morning, okay?"
Frowning, Izuku reached down to take the offered book. He shook his head in exasperation before offering a sympathetic look to the scientist who seemed to be on the receiving end of his childhood friend's bad attitude. "Thanks, I guess" he said before lowering his voice to just above a whisper. "Sorry about him. He takes some getting used to, but I believe he has everyone's best interest at heart." Shogi simply smiled in response, not quite believing what Izuku said but hoping it to be true anyway.
After pocketing the small, worn journal, Izuku leapt back to the ground to help the rest of his classmates up to safety. Ochaco gave him a tight hug, Iida apologized repeatedly for his failures while in a time of crisis, and Mina demanded to take the Hammock next to Shogi. Izuku had to laugh when Kirishima declared him to be the manliest bro of the evening while patting his back. Sero didn't say much at all, seemingly still distraught over his beautiful tape being reduced to something one would use to wipe his ass with.
Finally, it was Kacchan's turn, who was still fuming while Izuku waited awkwardly for him to accept his assistance. It took a long time for them to find common ground, an understanding that Izuku simply idolized his friend and hoped for them to stand together as hero's one day. He was not trying to prove his superiority over the blond, but instead was simply working hard so he could earn that spot next to him. Izuku offering any form of help was still very touchy between them and the greenette could see Kacchan's reluctance radiating off of him through his tight expression, rigid stance, and clenched fists.
"Just do it already!" Mina screeched down to them, giggling as though there were a second meaning behind her words.
Kacchan was not amused. "Fuck off Pinkie!" He hollered back to her while stomping over to Deku to climb on his back. "I could climb the tree if I wanted to, but I should conserve my energy for the next disaster that happens" he grumbled as they flew through the air toward the last set of Hammocks. He lowered himself into his bed and watched with a scowl as Izuku did the same. The nerd smiled sweetly at him before lounging back to study Shogi's journal with a flashlight. The blond settled back into his own hammock with his hands resting behind his head as he gazed up into the leafy, green canvas of trees.
The loud cacophony of noise emitting from all directions was maddening and he was sure he wouldn't get much sleep that night, if any. Though admittedly he did feel unusually exhausted, likely from the intense stressors of the day and the soothing sounds of the nerd's soft snores was slowly lulling him into oblivion. Maybe he would be able to get some rest after all. As his eyes grew heavy with sleep, Katsuki vaguely noticed a small bunch of luminescent mushrooms growing right above him. He could have sworn they weren't there before, but then again what did he know?