Disclaimer: This is purely a fan work and I own nothing


Tokoyami blinked in shock. "I'm surprised you remembered to come."

Asui Tsuyu tilted her head in surprise. "Kero? It's the first weekend of the month. You and I always come to the goth store so you can buy candles for your rituals."

"When you put it like that, it sounds silly," the dark hero replied, a bit flustered.

"We always do this, kero." Asui said. "Why would it be different?"

It was true; ever since the two of them had become friends at UA, Tsuyu accompanied Tokoyami to the, "goth store," as she put it, as they changed out their line of morbidly-scented candles. Tokoyami claimed that meditating with them helped him keep in control of Dark Shadow. Tsuyu thought the candles had nothing to do with it, but she humored her friend. He was good company, anyway.

Her friend scratched the back of his head as the two entered the mall, "well, I wasn't sure if you'd still do that now that you're spoken for."

Asui smacked him lightly on the back of the head lightheartedly as they approached, "Blood Bath and Beyond," rolling her eyes. "Just because I'm dating Midoriya doesn't mean I stop hanging out with any of my friends. Gender irrelevant. You should have a little more faith in me."

He smiled at his frog-like friend as they reached the candle section. "True. My apologies, you never struck me as the type to allow someone to dictate your comradery. What do you think of this one?"

He held up a candle to Asui, called Vampiric Bloodlust. She sniffed. "It's just strawberry with a silly name."

"Perfect," Tokoyami replied, placing it in his basket. "Besides, I just didn't want to cause a rift or anything."

"Kero," she croaked, "Midoriya and I aren't the jealous types. He's hanging out with Uraraka today anyway, getting ready for that talent thing tonight."


"It's so beautiful out today, thanks for agreeing to read outside with me," Uraraka gushed to her best friend.

Midoriya smiled. "Sure thing. I need to catch up on this anyway, I'm a bit behind on this Shakespeare stuff."

The gravity-based hero winked with a smirk. "Too much time with the girlfriend and not enough time with the books, Deku?"

Deku laughed, flipping a page. "Hardly. Everything else I can handle fine, I'm just not a big fan of these old plays and stuff. I get through a page and then I just...need to do something else. Though I guess I do sometimes text her as a distraction."

"I don't know, I like Shakespeare," Uraraka replied. "Did you get to the part where Ophelia drowns herself?"

He nodded, skimming the paragraph. "Literally just read it. I'm surprised you like this sort of thing, Ochako. It's all just tragedy and kind of depressing."

She shrugged. "I think that's what makes it beautiful. It's bittersweet and forlorn." Her face fell a bit. "Kinda makes you think about your own missed opportunities and downfalls."

He looked up from his book to see she looked rather sad. "You okay?"

She snapped the look off her face and shook her head. "Never better, Deku. Come on, finish up this part; we have to meet Iida for rehearsal."

She would never admit it to either of them, but as excited as she was about Deku and Asui being an item, it did hurt a little. Most of her friends could see she had feelings for her best friend, so the news had been a blow to her. But still, Midoriya and Tsuyu meant the world to her, and seeing them so happy together, made her happy. It was a complicated feeling, to be sure. But their friendship meant the world to her, regardless.

Deku's head was elsewhere. Oh boy...rehearsal. He moaned, internally. I can't believe she managed to rope both me and Iida into this stupid contest.


He remembered back a few weeks ago, Uraraka had approached Iida and himself at lunch, waving around a flyer for the UA talent show.

"We totally need to enter, guys!" She exclaimed.

"But...the whole school is built around Quirks, why would we need a talent contest? Seems kinda...weird." Izuku replied.

"That is where you are wrong, Midoriya!" Iida scolded him, intensely, "The talent contest is strictly Quirkless! It's a lighthearted festivity meant to lift our spirits as we hone our Quirks to quell the villains of the world."

Having a way with words is definitely NOT your talent, Iida, Izuku had thought, but laughed. "Well that's great, but why would we...?"

Iida and Midoriya both noticed Ochako biting her lip, and looked at the flier more closely; the prize was a decent cash sum. They exchanged glances and gave their friend soft smiles; this was to help her family.

"We're in, Uraraka." Izuku assured her, "We'll be glad to help you out."

"Indeed," Iida agreed.

Of course, in the weeks that followed, Ochako had become fiercely competitive, dragging off Iida and Midoriya randomly to rehearse. The competition was later this evening though, so at least the end was in sight.

As they sat on the bench reading, Midoriya finally managed to get to a good break in Hamlet, placing a bookmark in his book. "Ugh. So dry. I understand Shakespeare is really important to literature and all that, but it's just so hard to digest-WHOA!"

Uraraka had already grabbed his hand and was pulling him towards the gymnasium space for rehearsal. "Yeah, it took you long enough! We're going to be late for Iida!"

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" He answered as they began running together.


Tokoyami and Asui left Blood Bath and Beyond, both of them carrying a few bags of candles each.

"Do you really need this many to summon the spirits to your aid?" Asui asked.

"If you don't do it right, they get really angry," her friend answered, "Trust me. Better to be over-prepared than under-prepared."

"I'll take your word for it, Kero," Asui replied.

"Would you want to join me for the ritual?" Tokoyami asked, "I never really asked before, my apologies."

She shook her head with a small chuckle. "I am a hero of science, kero. Besides, I want to watch that talent thing tonight. A bunch of our classmates are performing."

"I had forgotten all about that," the bird-like boy replied, "Not my cup of tea. What are Uraraka, Iido, and Midoriya doing for it?"

"Not sure," Tsuyu shrugged, "Ochako swore them to secrecy."

As they passed a small karaoke cafe, they looked inside and paused to see Mina and Hagakure on stage, singing some poppy number. At a booth in the back, Jirou and Yaoyorozu were watching them. They were...okay. Not awful, no, they could carry the tune decently, but they weren't anything to write home about.

They seemed to feel differently though, as after their number, they high-fived, Mina exclaiming, "We have this in the bag! We're a shoe in to win." She looked up to see Tokoyami and Asui, and waved to them excitedly. The two waved back before continuing on, Asui reminded of a conversation they had in the locker room the other day.


All Might had given them quite an intense training mission, a three on three battle in a suburban area. She had been paired with Sero and Bakugou; not exactly a group that meshed well together. They had just barely managed to eek out a victory against Mineta, Ojiro, and Uraraka, but mostly because Mineta had been more focused on being a scummy perv than actually fighting. She was happy to be done for the day, but as she was changing she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned around, but no one was there.

"Um...Hagakure?" She asked.

"Yeah!" The invisible girl replied from directly in front of her face, causing Asui to backup a little.

"You startled me there, kero" Asui breathed, relieved.

"Whoops! Sorry, I forgot that when I'm not wearing clothes I'm unnoticeable." She giggled.

...how do you forget THAT? Tsuyu wondered, but replied, "What did you need?"

"So Mina and I had been wondering something," Hagakure began, but at the mention of her name, Mina looked over, embarrassed.

"No, don't actually ask her!" Mina objected.

Despite her best interests, Asui's curiosity was peaked; nothing ever made Mina sound flustered.

"Kero? What is it?" She asked.

"So we all thought Deku looked kinda scrawny," Hagakure explained, "but, like, I bumped into him the other day, and his arm muscles felt like, really stiff. Is he like, swole?"

Heat rose to Asui's face. Were they really asking her what Midoriya's upper body was like? She certainly remembered being surprised the first time she saw his body, but...

Jirou snickered from her locker, "Those two are like the purest cinnamon rolls in class, come on guys. They probably haven't seen each other shirtless."

Asui was glad that she a side effect of her quirk was keeping her calm poker face under most all conditions. But, the redness in her cheeks was evidence enough that this was embarrassing.

Oh, I've seen plenty more than just that, Jirou, she couldn't help but think.

She was saved from the situation as Yaoyorozu waved the two of them off, "leave her alone, you two vultures, you're embarrassing the poor girl."

Mina and Hagakure giggled as they walked back off to their lockers, leaving Asui to croak a, "Kero," of relief.


Asui and Tokoyami continued on their walk through the mall. "You didn't enter?" Tokoyami asked.

"It's hard to figure where my Quirk begins and ends since it's a mutation. And I don't exactly have a singing voice, kero," Asui replied, dryly. "Frog is about the most unique thing about me, otherwise I consider myself pretty plain."

Tokoyami allowed himself to chuckle. He happened to know for a fact Midoriya didn't see her that way.


The same day that Asui was being grilled about Deku's physique, Izuku was also being pressed into a conversation he'd rather have not had. He had teamed with Kaminari and Yaoyorozu, and between the three of them, had been able to easily dispatch Kirishima, Satou and Kouda.

"Hey man, I kinda saved your butt back there, huh?" Kaminari asked, with Mineta in tow.

"Haha, yeah, thanks." Izuku laughed, remembering Kaminari grabbing Kirishima at the last minute, saving him from getting smashed in the face. "I owe you one."

"So then maybe you'll tell us something?!" Mineta asked, practically wetting himself with excitement.

I don't like where this is going, Deku realized.

"What are Asui's boobs like?!" They both asked in unison.

There was an awkward pause as silence hung over the locker room; everyone had heard the question and immediately had become uncomfortable. Slowly, Izuku's mouth twitched into a frown.

"You know," he said, slowly, "I know we're friends and all, but if you ever ask me that again, I won't hesitate to shatter my arms to punch you to the moon."

The class pervs raised their hands in surrender and slowly backed off, apologizing profusely

"AAWWWWW YEAH DEKU, YOU DEFEND YOUR GIRL!" Kirishima cheered, nudging Bakugou, "Did you check that manly manliness right there?!"

"I swear to God, Kirishima, if you keep complimenting Deku to me..." Bakugou scowled.

As things settled in the locker room, Tokoyami approached Izuku, patting him on the back. "I appreciate the loyalty and respect you have shown my friend, Midoriya."

Deku's friendly demeanor returned as he scratched his nose, a bit embarrassed about what had transpired. "Tsu means the world to me. I wouldn't do that to her, no worries. She's...she's really special."

The dark hero gave a small smile. "I'm glad you feel that way."


Meanwhile, back in the present, Izuku and Ochako found Iida waiting for them outside of the gym. "There you two are! I was starting to get concerned."

"Sorry, Iida, I had to get current on Hamlet." Midoriya replied with a sigh, "It's hard to get through."

He nodded. "I understand, it is indeed a chore to get through. But I'm glad you are not behind in your studies."

"WE DON'T HAVE TIME FOR THAT!" Ochako erupted, making them both jump. They forgot how intense she got sometimes. She dug into her backpack and pulled out two bags, one for each of them. "Now that we've got the moves down, we need to make sure we can do them in our uniforms."

"Uniforms?!" Her two friends exclaimed together.

"Uraraka, I urge you to reconsider!" Iida begged, "we barely have the moves, 'down,' as you say, and when you add in such restricting clothing -"

She shot the class rep a death glare, and he went silent.

Izuku looked in the bag and gulped. What are friends for, I guess...


As the evening fell, Tokoyami parted ways to perform his ritual (which was really just lighting all these candles and reciting a chant he found on the internet), so Asui made her way to the talent performance. She was surprised how big of a deal this ended up being for a school full of powered people. But, people always wanted to be more than just their Quirks, she supposed.

The Faculty seemed to be all about it; Midnight, All Might, and Aizawa were all judges. Aizawa even had Stanley at the table with him. Not long after she sat down, Jirou and Yaoyorozu entered the auditorium and quickly found spots near their frog friend.

"Here by yourself this evening, Asui?" Momo asked.

"Kero," she replied, "Tokoyami is doing his weird goth spirit rituals, and Midoriya is part of Uraraka's act with Iida."

"I was wondering why he was hanging out with her so much," Jirou said nonchalantly. "I was almost worried for you."

"They always hang out. They're best friends," Asui replied with a shrug. "I trust Deku. He wouldn't do that."

Yaoyorozu smiled. "You're right. Midoriya is trustworthy."

Jirou nodded, grinning sheepishly. "True. My bad. That kid's nuts for you."

The show began as Present Mic introduced the first act, which was Kirishima attempting to perform a magic act with Bakugou as his assistant. Attempt is the best word for it, because the second Kirishima called Bakugou his, "lovely assistant who volunteered to get cut in half," Bakugou blew up the box for the sawing trick, and stormed out of the building.

All Might and Midnight rated the performance a 1. Aizawa gave them a 2, since it got a chuckle out of him. Stanley didn't rate the performance, because he's a fruit.

A few students from class 1-B went next, performing a vaudevillian slapstick routine, while Shinsou played the piano for background music. It fell flat, she thought. The judges agreed, as they got 4s all around.

"Tough crowd," Jirou observed, causing Asui and Momo to nod in agreement.

Mina and Hagakure sang the same pop song they had performed in the cafe earlier, though it failed to impress the judges anymore than the class 1-B students. They pouted and stormed off the stage at their lackluster scores.

The highest rated act was a group of third year students who were Mimes. And that was it. They just did Mime stuff.

"That...was...BEAUTIFUL!" All Might had cried, blowing his nose, and then using Stanley to wipe his eyes.

"You are truly artists that we can all appreciate in these trying times." Aizawa said, holding up a 10.

Midnight was left speechless at it, holding up an 8.5 while blowing her nose.

"I never would have pegged Mr. Aizawa for having an appreciation for mimes," Asui remarked.

"To be fair," Momo replied, "They were truly amazing. I can hardly put that performance into words."

Midway though the show, Kirishima, Mina, and Hagakure joined them, back in their casual clothes. Bakugou, of course, went back to the dorms. And just in time, as Ochako, Izuku, and Tenya took the stage. As a spotlight came on for them, Class 1-A's jaws dropped; the three friends were dressed in matching tuxedos and tophats, with canes and spats.

Holy. Crap. Asui thought, picking her jaw up. Deku never told me he looked that good in a suit.

The song, "Uptown Girl," came on, and the three performed an intricate modernized dance number routine in perfect sync with each other. The three of them had even learned the trick where you roll a hat down your arm, across your shoulders, down the other arm, and in to the opposite hand. Towards the end of the song, the three of them, in a triangular formation, threw their canes to one another and kept dancing, ending with Iida and Midoriya locking arms with each other, and Ochako hopping up into their arms with a dramatic pose.

It was definitely unexpected.

"Who plays Billy Joel music in 2118?!" Mina grumped as they received high scores from the three judges. Stanley, once again, gave no score, because he is a fruit.

Everyone else in the crowd seemed to disagree as the group received strong applause. Ochako was in tears as she hugged her friends.

A few more acts rounded out the night, but nothing topped the mimes. In the end, Uraraka's team only took home second place, which still included a monetary prize, but not nearly as much. Backstage, Ochako tried to divide the money up between the three of them, but Tenya and Izuku refused.

"Keep it," Deku said, pushing her hand away, "This was your win."

Iida nodded in agreement. "I would have never known I could followed a choreographed dance routine without your teachings. Truly, I have learned something."

Ochako cried once again, hugging the two of them. "You guys are the best!"


As they retreated back to the dorms, they noticed it was late and the common room was empty. Deku couldn't help but feel a little disappointed; he was hoping to catch Asui before she went to bed since he didn't see her today. He knew they both had plans, of course, but he couldn't help himself from hoping. He bade his friends goodnight and made for his room, looking at his phone.

-Hope you liked the performance. It was super embarrassing!

As he flicked his light on, he sighed in relief to finally be back in the comfort of his own room.

Tap tap tap.

He furrowed his brow as he looked around. What was...?

Tap tap tap.

He walked over to his window, and pushed open the curtain to see Asui, clung to the side of the building, knocking lightly on his window. He smiled as he pushed the window open, letting his girlfriend in.

"You're going to get in trouble if anyone catches you sneaking in here at night." Izuku teased, but the lopsided grin on his face made it clear he was happy to see her.

She straightened out her nightgown as she stood up before hugging him tightly, "Frogs are excellent at camouflage. Besides," she leaned in for a smooch, "I missed you."

They talked about what they had done with their friends today; laughing at all the emo candle names until Midoriya began to yawn.

"You must be beat." Asui laughed.

He nodded. "I probably smell awful. I'm going to shower and get some sleep."

"I was being nice and ignoring it," she replied, sticking her tongue out playfully. "I'll be here when you get back."

He blushed. "You're going to stay tonight?"

She nodded, "I didn't get to see you all day, so you're mine tonight."

He turned a deeper, red, but smiled widely and nodded. "Sounds good to me."

"Deku, wait!" She called, before he shut the bathroom door behind him. He turned, and she asked, "Can you...can you put the tux back on?"

He turned crimson, but winked and nodded. "You got it."