So wow, I am constantly amazed by the reception this story has received. When I checked the story stats for last week's chapter I was blown away to see that over nine-hundred people had read this in a single day. Wow that's just amazing, thank you to all who have faved, followed, or reviewed. And even those who silently read I appreciate you as well and hope that you are enjoying this story, because I enjoy writing it.
Childhood Frog
Chapter Four:
Over the next couple of weeks the pair of aspiring heroes diligently continued their schedule. They would meet in the park roughly an hour before school to train. Izuku, and even Tsuyu to an extent, initially found the work difficult. The first couple of days saw the two ten year olds ready to collapse by the time they arrived to school. However as time went on they gradually began to acclimate to the routine, and slowly adjusted their workout.
Additionally they had also informed their parents that they wanted to start eating healthier, and had helped devise new shopping lists for their respective households. To Izuku's delighted surprise his mother also seem to decide to follow his example in eating. While she was still a little on the heavy side, she did seem to benefit from the healthier food choices.
When Izuku's mother learned about his training plan she couldn't help but be a tad worried. Inko knew her son's lifelong dream was to be a hero, and she wished she could encourage him, but...The green haired woman was at least happy that Izuku seemed more upbeat and that he had a friend.
Tsuyu became a reoccurring presence at his house after school. The pair would usually work on homework together, and if Inko asked her to stay for dinner they would hang out. Normally they'd watch movies or play video games, or Tsuyu would listen to him ramble about the latest entries from his hero database. Things were going pretty swimmingly for them, they were getting along and having fun. It was during the end of their second month of friendship that their standard routine changed slightly.
The day started out about as regularly as the ones prior to it. Izuku, garbed in his work out clothes arrived at the park a few minutes after Tsuyu. Spotting her by the bench where they usually left their bags, he saw that she was already in the middle of stretching. "Good morning, Tsuyu." He greeted her with a friendly smile. Thankfully during the past two months he had managed to get over his stuttering problem around her. Plus he had even grown accustomed to calling her by name.
The frog-like girl looked up from her pre-workout stretching to see her best friend's approach. Smiling widely she waved at him. "Good morning. Gero." She returned his greeting with a smile as he neared her. Like him she was also wearing clothes best suited for exercising, she also had her hair tied up in a pony tail.
Izuku silently placed his backpack next to hers and adjusting his head and wrist bands. Grabbing his water bottle he took a quick drink before placing it by his bag and beginning his own stretches. The frog-like girl's dark eyes shined lightly at seeing the at ease expression on her friend's face.
While he was still a bit on the shy side, he seemed a fair bit more lively, at least when she was around. The teal haired girl smiled in silent victory as she resumed doing her own stretches. 'Izuku seems to have stopped stuttering around me as well.' She happy to note. The only few instances where it threatened to make a return, were the few times she said or did something to embarrass him.
Against her will Tsuyu felt her lips curved up into a grin as she recalled an event from last week. There had been a villain attack while they were on the way home from school. And Izuku being Izuku had decided to go and watch it to jot down more notes, and her being her opted to stick with him. When an on-duty hero, a young man with super speed who went by the name Quickster, saved the day, he allowed young children to take photos with him. When it was her and Izuku's turn she had latched onto the curly haired boy's neck in a tight hug, which had made his face resemble a tomato.
Coming out of her recollection, Tsuyu frowned as she remembered the important news her mother had told her this morning. "Izuku?" The frog-girl called out his name as she looked over to him.
Stopping mid-stretch Izuku returned her gaze. "Huh?" The usually shy boy tilted his head in question.
Tsuyu kept her dark eyes locked on his as she explained her important news. "I wanted to let you know that my mom said she was going back to work today." After giving birth to her baby sister, Asui Beru had been on maternity leave for roughly four months. "So I'll have to pick up my little brother from preschool, and my little sister from her babysitter."
At her to the point explanation the Quirkless boy gave a hesitant nod to show that he was listening. "Oh." He uttered, not expecting this. "I guess that means we can't walk home together..." The boy stated before looking away, trying to hide his disappointed expression.
Tsuyu mirrored his frown, also not pleased with the idea of not walking home together. Suddenly an idea popped up in her head, and it caused her mouth to curve up into a wide smile. "If you want, you can come to my house?" This was the first time she had tried inviting him to her home. "That is if you don't mind coming with me to pick up my younger siblings?" This would also be the first time he was meeting her family.
Truthfully Tsuyu would have asked Izuku to come over to her house two months ago, however she felt that he hadn't been ready. The teal haired girl knew that her friend was on the shy side, it took some effort for him to become comfortable around new people. 'Though maybe it's just with girls?' Tsuyu had considered, as Izuku didn't seem quite as nervous around most people of his gender.
The green eyed boy's face momentarily conveyed worry before relaxing slightly. This would be his first trip to her home so he was a tad nervous, because Tsuyu was his closest friend and he wanted her family to like him. "Th-That's a great idea, Tsuyu. I-I ha-haven't met your family yet, so this'll be fun." Izuku smiled, as he managed to keep his stutter to a minimum.
Tsuyu offered her friend an appreciative look, she found his effort to put aside his nervousness admirable. "You're very brave, Izuku." The tips of Izuku's ears became slightly pink at her compliment. "But if you're not comfortable coming over to my house yet, you don't need to force yourself." She told him understandably, while finishing her arm stretches.
This seemed to surprise the boy, who stopped his stretches completely. "N-No, not at all!" He exclaimed before lowering his voice. "I want to come over." Izuku firmly assured her, despite his nervous expression.
Dark eyes slowly blinked before her lips curved into a wide grin at his tone. "Okay then, after school we'll go get my little brother and sister, then go to my house." She told him before changing the subject. "Are you ready to start the workout? We don't want to be late for school."
Izuku, not wanting to stall, nodded. "I'm ready. Let's go." He told her before the two began their laps around the park. Over the course of the nex half hour the two ten year olds performed a variety of physical exercises designed to increase their strength and stamina.
After running Tsuyu suggested that they make use of some of the playground's structures to further their training. "We could do pull ups on the monkey bars."
Izuku stared at her for a moment as he considered her proposal. They hadn't deviated too much form their initial routine, and he felt that her idea was a decent way to add a little more variety. "Okay." He told her as they approached the metal structure that made up the monkey bars.
Tsuyu hopped up to the highest bar with little to no effort and grasped it. She looked down at her friend, waiting for him to take his place. Izuku offered a nervous smile before hardening his eyes in determination. Bending his knees he leaped into the air and managed to catch the bar just below Tsuyu's. Looking down he saw that they were a couple feet in the air, thankfully if he slipped it wouldn't hurt too much due to the soft woodchips beneath them.
Gritting his teeth Izuku used his arms to pull himself up and managed to get his chin over the bar. 'One...' He silently began counting before dropping back down and nearly letting go. When he felt that he was still secure he took a deep breath and did another rep.
Face red Izuku managed to make it to ten reps before dropping down. The curly haired boy clenched his teeth at the impact of his feet hitting the ground. Taking a moment to let the discomfort fade Izuku breathed out before standing up straight. The green haired boy wiped some of the sweat off his brow before looking up at his friend.
Tsuyu allowed herself to hang from her spot for a moment before also dropping down. "How about a quick break?" The frog-like girl proposed, like Izuku she was also sweaty and short of breath. The curly haired boy nodded at her suggestion and the went over to the bench where their bags were.
Pulling out their water bottles they allowed the cool liquid to parch their thirst. The pair spent the last fifteen minutes of the remaining time doing sit-ups and push ups. Once they were satisfied with their workout the two ten year olds retrieved their bags, used the public restroom to change, and made for their school.
School proved to be a fairly standard affair that day. The teachers were, as usual, mostly unaware of Katsuki's cruelness to his peers, namely Izuku. Tsuyu had found over the last couple of months, that being Izuku's lone friend resulted in Katsuki targeting her. Unlike her curly haired friend however she refused to let the blond intimidate her.
Tsuyu's eyes narrowed as an enraged Katsuki advanced on her. His teeth are clenched and his palms are sparking as he snarled at her. "You want to try that again, Frogger?!" He challenged aggressively while holding his right hand up, poised to strike her. "Don't think you can get away with crap like that, just because you're a girl!" His red eyes flare in agitation.
The events leading up to this scene are relatively simple. Against her wishes, Tsuyu had watched Katsuki belittle and berate her friend for the last two months. Normally her instincts would compel her to lash out at the boy, to make him leave Izuku alone. Sadly there was an annoying force that made her stay back, Izuku's insistence.
The green haired boy has stuttered his polite request once six weeks prior. When she had been preparing to strike an oblivious retreating Katsuki with her tongue, Izuku had stopped her. The usually timid boy had implored her not to attack his old friend/bully. "I don't want to see you and Kaachan hurt each other." He had told her, afraid of seeing his friend being retaliated on.
The frog-like girl had relented and agreed to her friend's request, until today that is. Tsuyu doesn't know exactly what happened, all she know is that the scene she came upon was not one she liked. Katsuki holding Izuku by the collar of his shirt, and him shaking her friend back and forth while demanding something of him.
Without even thinking her tongue had slipped from her mouth and shot out, striking Katsuki in the head hard enough to knock him over. The spiky haired blonde looked up, slightly dazed in surprise, but recovered quickly. Jumping back to his feet he looked over to the entrance to see Tsuyu's tongue retracting.
Which is how Tsuyu had arrived at this moment. Her large hands curled into fist, the teal haired girl was ready for any attempt the blond might try. Out of the corner of her eye she caught sight of Izuku regaining his wits. Her green haired friend's face paled at seeing Katsuki bearing his fangs at her. "K-Kaachan!" The Quirkless boy cried out, stumbling to put himself in between his former friend and Tsuyu.
Izuku didn't have time to think, all he knew was that he didn't want Katsuki to hurt Tsuyu. Standing in front of the spiky haired boy Izuku did his best to keep his expression from faltering. "L-Leave her alone!" He ordered the other boy, who's expression became savage.
Suddenly there was a meaty smack, and the side of his face seared in pain. Izuku's feet left the ground as his shoulder collided with a desk and he hit the ground. From above a scowling Katsuki glared down at the Quirkless boy who dared to stand up to him. Tsuyu's wide eyes watched the stunned Izuku wince as he looked up his attacker.
Her wide frown turned into a snarl as she advanced on the blond, ready to strike back for the attack on her friend. However before she could claim retribution for Izuku she was interrupted by the sound of the classroom door sliding open. "What is going on in here?!" The teacher's usually soft voice, became shrill as all the students flinch.
Things snowballed from there, a random student that Tsuyu didn't know the name of informed the teacher of what happened. The teacher glared at the involved parties before ordering Tsuyu to escort Izuku to the infirmary.
Tsuyu led a silent Izuku down the hall by hand, the frog-like girl's lips were set in a frown. Dark eyes glanced over her shoulder to take in the appearance of her friend, she could see that his cheek was already starting to swell. The ten year old girl wanted to say something to him, ask him if he was okay, or why he chose to stand between her and Katsuki. Sadly at the moment words eluded her, Tsuyu inwardly sighed before hastening her pace ever so slightly.
Izuku's brow knitted as he watched Tsuyu's back, he can see the tenseness in her shoulders. Even though he's the one in pain he wanted to ask if she was okay. However he didn't break the silence, he instead allowed her warm hand to lead him.
The nurse was a twenty-something woman with strawberry blonde hair, and light blue eyes. Her Quirk was called Rewind, when she concentrated on a specific area she could reverse damage done it by rewinding time. With such a unique Quirk many would wonder why this woman would choose to be a nurse for an elementary school. Sadly her powers, as unique as they were, limited her to only being able to rewind up to fifteen minutes.
When the kind nurse saw Izuku's condition she released a surprised gasp before telling him to take a seat. Tsuyu, her expression impassive, watched from the side as the nurse placed a hand on her friend's cheek. In a matter of seconds the injury receded and any indication that Izuku had been hurt disappeared.
The school nurse smiled warmly at the green haired boy. "Is there anything else that hurts?" She asked, prepared to use her Quirk again. At the young boy's nod she asked him to show her where he was still hurting. When he indicated to his left shoulder she nodded and placed her hand on the inflicted area, in an instant the pain disappeared.
Izuku offered a thankful look. "Th-Thank you." He said nervously, slightly taken back by the nurse's sweet demeanor. The school nurse simply smiled and sent the two ten year olds back to their class.
The trip back to their classroom played out slightly different than the one to the infirmary. The moment the door slid shut behind them Tsuyu spoke. "Why'd you do that?" She blurted out, causing Izuku to whip his head around to look at her. When his expression conveyed his lack of understanding the teal haired girl elaborated. "Stand in the way. Why did you let Bakugo hit you?"
Green eyes brighten slightly as understanding dawns on the Quirkless boy. When Tsuyu's eyes continued a silent plea for her question to be answered he opened his mouth. "I didn't want Kaachan to hurt you." He told her simply.
Tsuyu's feet stopped moving as she stared at him, prompting Izuku to stop walking an instant later. The two silently regarded one another for a moment as Tsuyu organized her thoughts. Truthfully the teal haired girl wished her friend hadn't felt the need to get hurt on her behalf, but at the same time she could appreciate the sentiment.
Izuku averted his eyes after he felt that she had been staring for too long, it was becoming awkward. Tsuyu realized this quickly enough and broke the silence. "I don't like seeing you get hurt." She felt the need to preface. "But it makes me happy to know that you'd do that for me." Tsuyu couldn't lie even if she wanted to.
Izuku's mouth formed a shy smile as he took in her appreciation. Even though she had expressed her desire to not see him get hurt, the green haired boy knew that he'd protect her again without hesitation. The Quirkless youth hadn't realized it yet, but it was just a natural instinct for him to protect people.
The rest of the school day was fairly mundane, the only thing of real worth noting was Katsuki glaring daggers at Izuku and Tsuyu. Even though the teachers usually ignored the spiky haired boy's bullying they couldn't let his attack on another student go unpunished. 'Three days of staying after school, this sucks!' The scowling blond snarled to himself.
Once school let out the two aspiring heroes left to pick up Tsuyu's younger brother. The walk to his kindergarten wasn't very long, they passed by the park they usually trained at and a couple blocks later they were there. Izuku was able to spot Tsuyu's younger brother, Samidare easily enough, he and his sister shared some very defining features.
When the frog-like four year old walked up to his big sister he noticed the unfamiliar boy. His eyes scanned the older boy, realizing that this must be the friend that Tsuyu had mentioned at the dinner table on occasion. "Nee-chan, is this that guy you always talk about?" He asked his sister.
Izuku rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly at Samidare's questionm. 'I wonder if being up front is hereditary...'
Tsuyu cleared her throat before answering. "Yes, Samidare this my friend Midoriya Izuku."
Izuku offered a small smile at Tsuyu's little brother, he looked very much like his frog-like friend. His wide lips were set in a straight line as his dark eyes scanned the older boy. Izuku also noticed the blue markings on his cheeks.
Samidare smiled mildly after a moment before greeting the older boy. "It's nice to meet you, Midoriya-san." He said, surprisingly more articulate than what the green haired boy would expect from a four-year old. Looking at Tsuyu's little brother Izuku received the impression of a very reserved boy.
Izuku, realizing that was staring, nodded. "Y-Yes, it's nice to meet you too." He told the younger boy, who's expression became relaxed. Tsuyu smiled, she could see that her brother had no issue with her friend, she was happy.
The two older children led the way to Tsuyu's home, Samidare recounted his day in kindergarten to his older sister. When they arrived in the general neighborhood Tsuyu lead them to a house that was a couple doors away from hers and knocked on the door. It opened to reveal a kind old woman who greeted the frog-like girl with a warm smile.
"Little Satsuki-chan just went down for a nap, but I'm sure she's ready to go home." The elder told the three children as she gently passed the sleeping Satsuki to her older sister.
Tsuyu thanked the older lady before turning to leave with her brother and friend in tow. Arriving to her house she asked her little brother to pull the keys out of her pocket, their parents weren't home yet. Samirade nodded as he fished them out and handed them to Izuku. "I can't reach." The four year old informed the older boy who accepted the keys.
Turning the lock Izuku held the door open and allowed the Asui siblings to enter their home before following them. Closing the door he slipped his shoes off and looked up to take in Tsuyu's house for the first time.
The Asui residence was nice, the entrance led into a standard living room that had some furniture. In the center of the room were two sofas which were divided by a small coffee table that had a few of books on it. Izuku noticed an entrance to what appeared to bled into kitchen. On the other side of the room was an opened door, Izuku assumed that Tsuyu's and her siblings room probably led down that hallway.
To his surprise there's no sound within the house, save for the slight noise he and the Asui siblings made in their entrance. 'Tsuyu's parents must be at work or something.' The green haired boy thought to himself, feeling that conclusion made sense.
Izuku's eyes found Tsuyu reentering the living room, he hadn't even notice her disappear. Considering that she was no longer carrying her little sister he assumed that his frog-like friend had put Satsuki in her crib. Tsuyu's dark eyes found him, and she smiled. "Izuku, I'm going to make a snack for Samidare, then we can start on our homework." The teal haired girl informed her friend, who had no problem with this.
"O-Okay." The green haired boy answered before following her into the kitchen. Seating himself at the kitchen table he started pulling out his school supplies, as he watched Tsuyu put together a quick lunch for her little brother. Izuku was surprised to see just how natural his friend appeared in the kitchen. He hadn't tasted her cooking yet, but from how confident she seemed in the kitchen he assumed whatever she made would be delicious. 'Tsuyu must make meals for her little brother all the time.' He figured.
Once Tsuyu was done she handed her little brother his snack and joined Izuku at the table. The two ten year olds worked diligently on their school work as Samidare left them to go watch TV in the living room. They went uninterrupted for about thirty minutes when the front door opened, and in came Tsuyu's mother.
"Okaa-san." The two heard Samidare greet his mother. "Welcome home."
A moment later a woman in her mid thirties entered the kitchen. Izuku instantly saw the resemblance between mother and daughter. Ever the polite one Izuku was quick to greet her. "Hello Asui-san, my name is-." He was cut off as Beru spoke up.
"Oh you must be Midoriya-chan!" The older woman's jovial tone matched her wide smile. The long haired woman walked over to the two ten year olds. "I'm Asui Beru, but please call me Beru."
Averting his eyes Izuku nodded while offering a reply. "Ni-Nice to meet you B-Beru-san." Despite the slight nervousness he felt he was happy to meet Tsuyu's mom.
The thirty-five year old woman smiled warmly. "You're a sweet boy, Tsuyu-chan has told us so much about you." It was at this point that both ten year olds flushed horribly at the information being supplied by Beru. Inwardly Beru couldn't help but be overjoyed that her daughter had managed to make a friend. When she and her husband decided to move here she had been afraid that Tsuyu would have trouble making new friends. 'It's nice to see that fear was pointless.' Beru thought to herself before making for her bedroom.
The young aspiring heroes glanced at each other, cheeks tinted. Quickly Izuku averted his eyes as he became embarrassed by their little staring contest. Tsuyu kept her eyes on him for a few moments longer before smiling widely. "Izuku, do you talk about me too?" She asked, causing the green haired boy to sputter. Tsuyu felt warmth in her chest when Izuku eventually managed to answer her question positively.
The rest of the evening passed by in relative peace. Around the time the children finished with their homework was when Beru started making dinner. "We'd love it if you stayed for dinner." Tsuyu's mother had told Izuku as he packed his school supplies.
The green haired boy seemed to consider Beru's words before nodding. "Th-That would be nice." He told her.
While Tsuyu helped her mom in the kitchen Izuku passed the time by playing a card game with Samidare. As they played Satsuki woke up from her nap and was a curious individual. When she saw this unfamiliar boy she had wanted his attention. Which caused the green haired boy to entertain her by making silly faces in between turns of his and Samidare's game.
Just before dinner was placed on the table Ganma, Tsuyu's father, arrived home. Izuku could admit that initially he was intimidated by the man. Ganma's features were noticeably harsher than the rest of his family, and it always looked like he was glaring at him. However when the thirty-nine year old man actually spoke his voice gave off the impression of someone who was a giant teddy-bear.
The older man patted him on the shoulder and welcomed him to the family. The twin blushes he received from Izuku and his daughter made give a hearty laugh.
Dinner was a rather interesting affair. Izuku was used to quiet dinners with his mom, not that the noisy atmosphere at the Asui dinner table was bad. In fact it was nice to hear the family members converse as they ate, recounting their individual experiences throughout the day. After the family plus Izuku had finished eating Ganma began washing the dishes as Beru offered to walk Izuku home. Tsuyu wanted to come along, but sadly choose to remain at home to put her baby sister to sleep.
"It was very nice having you over." The long haired woman told Izuku as they neared his house. "It makes me happy to know that my daughter has such a good friend." The green haired boy's ears began heating up. "You're always welcomed in our home, Midoriya-chan."
The Quirkless boy stuttered a thank you to the older woman as they arrived to his home. Midoriya Inko stepped outside just as Izuku entered their home. Izuku vaguely heard the two mothers exchange friendly greetings as he went to his room to get ready for bed. Tomorrow would be another full day of training and school.
I hope you all enjoyed a longer than usual chapter. I was surprised at how long this chapter ended up being, but I had a lot I wanted to cover. Anyways once again thank you for reading and hopefully the next chapter will be out soon.