Their walk to the car was short and simplistic.
There was no banter, no jokes, not even a conversation between the two. Not a single glance was exchanged until Melissa found herself sitting in the passenger seat next to Inko, with not a clue on how to break the silence.
The only reason Inko had to go along with her was the fact that she was acting in the best interests of Izuku. Just that one reason alone made her an incredibly valuable asset if she needed to start bargaining. She knew the woman could pull her weight if need be.
But in truth, she didn't have to come at all. She could've waited until daytime to start traveling. Not only would it be more practical, but she could also bring along Izuku if he wished to go. Tomorrow was his rest day, so he'd have ample of enough time to tag along for the party if he got a full night's rest.
She was impatient. She was well aware of that. She had been getting more and more impatient as time went on.
There was so much that she could explore with Izuku. He didn't have as much knowledge as her, but his drive well exceeded her own.
So much potential.
And yet nearly all of it was being snuffed out by a couple of hot shots who think having a Quirk makes them special.
She sighed. She'd leave the matter of dealing with that asshole for another day. Now wasn't the best of times.
"I'm… sorry for dragging you out of your house like this Inko, but this is important. It's for Izuku."
"It's not a problem," She laughed it off. "Whenever I'm feeling stressed out I like to go on late-night drives. It helps whenever I've had a long day at work, so it's fine. If anything, I feel better now."
She started the car engine and rolled down the window so that the both of them could feel the night air breeze through the car, even as they went well below the speed limit.
"My friend's place is right next to Aldera, so I don't think we'll have to go far. You know where Bongo Road is, right?" Inko nodded. "Good, it'll be a short trip then."
The car rolled out of the parking lot as they started to travel down the road. Bongo Road was just down the street from Aldera, which was only a six-kilometer walk from their apartment. Which would make the car ride very short.
Needless to say though, both of them preferred taking the car over walking. Who knows what type of crook would be willing to test their luck against the two of them? Inko's Quirk was fairly weak, so she likely wouldn't be able to defend herself. And Melissa's was…
"Come to think of it, you've never really told us what your Quirk was, Melissa-san." They sat at a traffic light, as they waited for the light to turn green. "Or does Izuku already know?"
Melissa looked startled, if not a bit weary at the mention of her Quirk. Inko, seeing this, smiled, and plead for her forgiveness. "Oh, sorry dear… I didn't meant to be so sudden. I guess I didn't realize that such a thing is personal to some people…"
"No, no… it's fine. It's just that I usually make it a point to not talk about it. It brings up some… unhappy memories," Briefly, she looked out the car window, almost as if to take her month off of the conversation. "Although, I guess it is a bit strange that I've never told you."
The traffic light turned green, and the car began to accelerate. They were already halfway toward their destination. In a few short minutes, they'd be at the front door of someone else's home.
"Not at all… I didn't know what my husband's Quirk was until we were in our second year of college. I went an entire year of dating without really inquiring about it either. It just kind of… came out." She blushed at the memory.
"...Came out?"
"It, um… let's just say that when I found out, it was at a rather private, and frankly inconvenient situation."
"Oh… I see." Melissa nodded, understanding what she meant.
"O-Of course, it was only shortly after he asked what was mine, but still… I was a little shocked at first to learn it was just fire breathing."
"Fire breathing?" God, that makes it sound like it hurt… She winced. "Sound's cool." She leaned back against her seat. "He really is lucky you know. With a Quirk like that, I'm sure he'd make a great hero… if he isn't one already."
"He works abroad to pay our bills. He never specified what his job was though… he just said it was something to do with physical labor. He says his Quirk is fairly involved with his line of work. He says it's not the most useful Quirk in his line of business, but salaries don't lie." She chuckled.
"Useful…?" Melissa thought long and hard about her next choice of words.
She didn't consider herself to be a particular 'useful' person to be around. No genius actually considered themselves a genius, after all. She did what she needed too to get by, and that was it. Nothing more, nothing less.
The only reason she was able to help Izuku was because they had similar interests, and their passions aligned with each other. They were effectively working towards the same goal, even if Izuku himself didn't realize it.
"Do you think," She gulped. She really hoped this wouldn't backfire on her. "That what type of Quirk you have, is what determines your usefulness?"
"Pardon?"
"I'm sorry if that came out wrong, but I'm just saying… a lot of people have that kind of view. I'm just asking for your input. Since… a lot of people would actually think that I'm very useless."
"You're not useless Melissa, who in their right mind would-"
"Completely useless. I don't have anything that they deem 'beneficial.' Do you get what I mean? Back when I was a kid, I couldn't really go a day anymore without being reminded of how I'm weaker than everybody else."
Melissa had to give Inko credit. She at least tried to hide her shock. The car didn't slow down until they reached the place of their destination. Inko tried to hide all visible signs of her surprise until the car engine turned off.
She glanced at Melissa, a look of sympathy on her face. "I… didn't know you were Quirkless, Melissa-san."
"I didn't tell Izuku because I don't want him to know. It's kind of an officially guarded secret, legally. Not many people know, outside of a select few classmates and acquaintances of my father. I'm only telling you because you're an adult, Inko. You can understand anything I say in ways most people my age can't. Izuku's smart, but… I don't want him pitying me."
"I…" For a brief moment, Melissa noticed something about Inko's expression. Her facial muscles look strained, almost as if she was hiding something from her. Almost as if she had a disagreement with what she just said.
"Oh… I'm sorry, was that too much? I kind of have a habit of rambling on like this… I feel like I should know better," she chuckled.
"I'm fine, dear." She exhaled a very deep sigh before continuing. "Just shocked, that's all. It's not every day that you get to meet someone that's Quirkless, after all. For what it's worth, I think It's fine if you only want me or a few other people to know."
"If you asked me, you seemed more then 'shocked…' You sure you're good? Most people who know don't react this way. You aren't going to treat me differently, are you?"
"Of course not." She said bluntly. "I don't let something as silly as a Quirk let me treat people differently. There's more to people then genetics." Melissa had to give it to her. When she wasn't busy flooding a room with tears, she was fairly good at gaining back her composure.
"Really? Everyone else usually does…"
"And they're wrong for it. It isn't a Quirk that defines the usefulness of a person, as it's little more then a tool. You could argue the same for any type of natural born talent. What makes that person 'useful' is how they use those tools. And you are."
"I'd be tearing up right now if it wasn't for the fact that I don't like people watching me cry…" She sniffled a little bit. "Thanks. I… think I really needed to hear that as of late.
"Oh, don't think much of it. You're still great at a lot of things, and not having a Quirk doesn't mean that you're any less capable than I am. Or Izuku, or Bakugo."
Melissa snorted. "You knew we were talking about him?"
"I didn't listen in on it, I merely minded my business, dear. That's all." Melissa eyed her skeptically. "For the first few seconds." Melissa laughed. "You weren't exactly quiet, I just pretended not to hear."
"You do know that he's bullying your son, right?"
"Oh, I do. But there's nothing that I can do to prove it. Izuku doesn't tell me exactly how he's doing it, nor does the school report on it. I just know that something's up. I tried going to his parents and they had the same suspicion. Knew something was wrong, but couldn't find out why." She turned away, and before Melissa could inquire further, the sound of rubber being clenched against skin sounded throughout the car.
Even if she couldn't get a direct look at her face, Melissa still felt like she would be terrified, if she did.
Oh wow, she's pissed… Not that she could blame her. After all, she was too. It was why they were here, to begin with.
She turned back, after a few seconds. "...Regardless, I don't think having a Quirk is what determines a person's worth, even if it makes achieving certain goals harder for them."
She could only laugh. It was the only thing she could do once she realized the situation she placed herself in. "I know I'm probably being paranoid. I could likely get away with telling hundreds. No one would care… I know they wouldn't. But even then, I still don't want people to know."
"You're afraid that they would treat you differently, even if you would still remain friends?" Melissa nodded. "I had a friend like that at elementary school. It's funny because he was just like Izuku… he always tried to help people.
"Where is he now? You make it sounds like you don't know him anymore…"
"My guess is as good as any's. We… stopped talking once I graduated from middle school. We always used to stop by the river near Aldera whenever we had the time. We'd always chat about whatever was going on in our lives. He wasn't a very exciting person to hang out with, and I'm willing to bet money that he thought the same of me, but we were best friends."
"Oh, lemme guess… he was Quirkless too?"
"He was. Funny enough, that was the last thing he told me before we stopped hanging out. It led me to believe that he was being bullied, and didn't want anyone else adding to that pain. One day… he just stopped coming. I tried tracking him down, but I wasn't successful. If I had to guess, he might've went overseas."
"I bet you must've been heartbroken… I mean, Izuku's my only friend so if we broke things off… Well, let's just say that I wouldn't exactly be happy."
"Oh, rest assured, I was. Eventually, though, I got over it."
"Do you wish he wasn't Quirkless?"
"That's a tough question… Being Quirkless is… not easy. It never is. It's not something that I'd wish on anyone's child or future generations, because of all the baggage that comes with it. I wish… I don't know… I guess if I had to put it into words, I wish he didn't have to go through that."
"Oh, I see… Do you wish he was born luckier? Because I guess that's understandable. But maybe the reason you two knew each other was because of the fact he was Quirkless. Without that factor, I don't think you two would ever meet."
"Hmm… interesting way of putting things. Still, though, I think a lot of people wished they were born luckier the moment All Might made his debut."
Melissa grinned very bitterly at that. "How could something so true be so terrifying? If everyone was as strong as All Might, the world would be screwed."
"Indeed. It's sad, but there can only be one All Might," She added, with a slightly melancholic tone. "Just like how there can only be one you."
"Do you think Izuku could become as great as All Might?"
"No. I think he'll be better. In his own way. Everyone's still human. Just because you're blue in an entire sea filled with redfish doesn't mean you're less competent than everyone else."
Melissa grinned. "Yeah, I've all but gotten used to it at this point, fortunately,"
The two sat in silence for a while. The car's engine had been stopped for several minutes. "We're a couple of chatterboxes," Melissa added, slightly chuckling.
"No objection's there," Inko grinned back.
They both exited the car and onto the dimly lit sidewalk. "I promise, it's not as shady as it looks."
The house that they stood in front of looked fairly run down and looked like it was barely held together. Inko was confident that if she sneezed, she could blow the entire house down.
The yard looked… desolate, with barely any signs of grass life. The shingles on the roof were hardly the most deteriorated part of the structure, but by no means were they in good condition. Several shingles were missing, exposing the roof to the air and consequently, the elements.
The worst part about it was the walls that held up the damn thing. The wooded walls which held up the structure, supported by the iron bars and plating did their job fantastically, considering the state everything else was in.
It was a miracle the house was still standing. Inko refused to believe someone lived there. She looked over to Melissa, who looked fairly relaxed and didn't seem to bat an eye at how strange the house looked.
"...You're telling me that someone lives here?"
"Yep."
"...You sure we're looking at the right house? I hardly feel safe ringing just the doorbell. I can't imagine anyone calling this their home…" She clutched her purse. "Something about this seems fishy."
"That's what I said when she first invited me over," She walked over to the front of the door. "But trust me, it's not as bad as it looks." She said while a cloud of debris coated her in soot after she rang the doorbell. "Mostly."
"She?" Inko began. "How long have you two known each other?"
"A couple of months. We were mostly just acquaintances," After waiting a few moments, she appeared to grow impatient. Her foot making a fast a fast tempo against the ground. "...Usually it doesn't take this long for her to answer."
"Maybe she's just asleep? It is close to midnight after all." The tip of her boot pounded against the ground. Melissa withheld a breath and sighed.
"Tired? She doesn't get tired. Not at this hour at least."
"Night owl?"
"She's just as productive during the daytime as she is at night. She's a bit different than… people like me. Once she has her sights set on something, nothing can stop her."
A bad feeling was starting to develop in Inko's stomach. Just who was this person that Melissa held in such high regard? "Is she your age?"
"We attended the same elementary school for a while. She's um… good with gadgets. More so than I am. Perhaps she's what people call a 'genius.'"
"Can she help Izuku?"
"Help him?" She snorted. "...You could put it like that." Melissa's smirk widened, as she heard feet pitter-patter from behind the door. "Any minute now."
"Moshi-moshi!" A loud voice blew through the intercom that was set up right next to the doorbell. "Hatsume residence, speaking!"
"Mei, open the door."
"Who is it?"
"Mei, you know who I am… Stop the games, we need to talk."
"I'm afraid that I know a lot of people around these parts… you'll have to be more specific."
"I'm the only one who calls you by your given name."
"..."
"..."
Inko looked at Melissa, who could only shrug. The door unlocked and out came a girl who looked roughly as old as Melissa, covered in soot, grease, and what looked to be splotches of oil. Her coral pink dreads being the only thing that wasn't covered head to toe in grime, was easily the most distinguished feature that Inko could pinpoint about her.
…Beyond the lack of any hygiene on her part, of course.
The best thing that Inko could say about her was that her smile was very wide. But that was probably because she was used to being chipper.
Melissa gagged. "Peehew! When was the last time you've taken a bath?"
"Oh, little old me?" She sniffed her right underarm. "Uh… last Tuesday I think. I know I smell kind of rancid, but this baby of mine warrants that I spend every bit of my attention on it. Hygiene isn't that much of a priority at the moment."
"B-B-B… Baby?!" Inko stuttered and gasped. "But you're… Goodness, you can't be any older than fourteen!" She nearly fainted, before Melissa caught her.
Melissa half-sighed and half-chuckled. "Yeah, um… don't worry about that part, Inko," She said, before whispering to Mei. "When will you stop referring to your inventions that way, Mei?"
"I don't get it… my babies are my babies? There's nothing more to it than that!"
"That's… you know what? Fine, whatever." Melissa turned towards Inko, who looked like she aged an extra thirty years just from that one misunderstanding alone. "Don't think too hard about it. Mei uses a lot, and I mean, a lot of weird phrases when referring to her… inventions. It wouldn't be the first time that someone got the wrong idea."
"I see…"
"Don't beat yourself over it," Inko walked up to the doorstep, as Mei motioned for them to come on in. "Mei's… weird. You should've seen the look on my father's face when they first met," She chuckled. "He was so confused."
They walked into the building, and neither Melissa nor Mei seemed phased by the lack of any additional furniture in the living besides a sofa and a table. The house was bare and felt like it hadn't been cleaned in years.
Inko cringed, as she noticed how a coat of dust coated some of the kitchen wear on the counter. Her housewife instincts are screaming at her. Hygiene was not one of Hatsume's priorities, let alone cleanliness.
Everything else more or less fell in line with what she expected a mixture of Japanese and Western-styled housing to look like. Barring the clear lack of effort given to the building's maintenance.
She was skeptical about whether it'd be a good idea to remove her high heels. The floor looked like it hadn't been mopped in months, with bits and pieces of electronics and gears positioned all across the floorboards. Unorganized, and messy.
She decided to keep her footwear on, as she walked over to the couch. "Is it okay if I sit?"
Mei waved her hand. "Knock yourself out. You can take off your shoes if you want to!"
"Thanks, but I think I'll pass on that last part…" She didn't hesitate, leaning back against the only seating present in the living room. From what she could gather, Melissa and Mei had already moved into a different room, leaving her alone to contemplate her thoughts.
She likely wouldn't be of much help in assisting… Melissa's negotiations are to take place. So she decided to stay put and wait. Waiting was always something that she was good at anyways.
"So, what will it be? You texted me saying that you needed something on your way over here."
"I need equipment. It's for a friend. He's trying to become a hero."
Mei looked at her suspiciously. "Oh, well then your problem is solved. Just get him to train his Quirk. Wait until U.A. and maybe then we can talk about making Support Gear."
"Key word being 'trying.' He won't get far on his own. His Quirk is incredibly weak. I… well, we need alternatives."
"How bad?" Mei grabbed a notebook that was sitting on her desk. Only a quarter of it was blank and available for more use. Melissa smiled. Noting that she seemed busier than ever.
"Non-combatant type. He would be effectively Quirkless in a hostile situation. I and his mother are helping him train his body, but we're afraid that it won't be enough. There are natural limits to the human body, after all."
"I can't lend you any of the babies that I've been working on, you know that, right? Can't risk someone stealing my ideas."
"I know that!" She snapped, catching the girl off guard. "All I'm requesting is that you help me build some equipment for him. I won't be borrowing any of your ideas, Mei. I promise."
"Promise?"
Melissa smiled and held up her pinkie. "Of course! Pinkie promise!"
Mei snorted. "No one does those anymore…"
"I still do." Melissa smiled. They briefly locked their pinkies, before unhooking them.
She and Mei had known each other since she had first moved to Japan. First, they were just acquaintances who just happened to cross paths occasionally when searching for parts to utilize for support gear. But before long, they were fast friends.
They had hit it off ever since. Lending each other notes, giving each other feedback when needed, and even occasionally going out for lunch when they had the time.
She wasn't quite as close with Mei as she was with Izuku, but she was one of the only people who didn't look down on her, and that was something that she loved her for. She wished there were more people like Mei in this world, even if she was rather quirky at times.
"So, where do we start?"
"You got a rough idea of what you want to focus on first? Would make it a lot easier to know what we're gonna be developing first."
"Alright, how about firepower? Since most Quirks seem to revolve around that, we'll need a way to level the playing field." She brought out her phone and showed her a picture that she had saved on the internet. "Something like this."
"Brass knuckles? Hmm… those are pretty hard to come by, but I can just make them myself. As for the antiperspirant… why does he need that? That's just deodorant."
"It's a… long story. Let's not focus on that though," She zoomed in on the arms. "I thought about incorporating some sort of gauntlet technology that allows him to reinforce his body for added benefit, but I don't have the materials for that. At least, not back at my shed. Do you think you can come up with something for me?"
"Hmm… gauntlets?" Melissa nodded. "And all you need is firepower?" Melissa nodded again. "How about an exoskeleton?"
"Too bulky. How about we go with this?" She walked over her to personal workspace before pulling out something from her desk. "This will solve most of your problems."
"A spring?" Melissa scratched her head. "That's… don't you think we're gonna need something a bit more developed?"
"It's a lot more versatile than you think it is. With a little bit of elasticity, we can go a long way from his body's natural limit."
And then it dawned on Melissa. The springs were only the cog in a much bigger machine. "Oh… So you wanna go that route?"
"Yup! Robo-boots! Jumping stilts, whatever you wanna call them! It shouldn't be hard to create, since I have most of the materials available. After that, we just need to design the blueprints and do a little bit of testing. Then it's smooth sailing."
"It's not terribly complicated, is it? I have a lot of hands-on experience from working with Papa, but I'm still not as good as you."
"Stop being ridiculous, Mel!" Mei swung an arm over Melissa's shoulder, nearly causing her to lose her balance. "I've seen the stuff you've created. You're a genius."
"I think you give me far too much credit… but alright, when do we start?"
"What do you mean? We've already begun!" She was already at her computer desk before Melissa could say anything. "I can order online anything we're missing. You can handle the blueprints, and after that, we can both build it together."
"Oh… I didn't realize it was that simple."
"We also have to manufacture the brass knuckles ourselves, but I have a few bits of brass stored around here somewhere… I'm sure I can take care of that myself."
"That's… great! How long will it take to build then?"
"Mhm… around one and a half-ish months. Give or take. Especially including the knuckles. I don't know how to weld or work with brass or metals all that well, so I'll have to ask my big bro."
"Um… I don't have to pay for anything, right?"
"Only for the brass knuckles! I'm afraid that we might not have enough brass for that…" She said, after closing one of the cabinets above her desk. "There are only a few pieces left. I guess most of it was used up…"
"...But I'm broke."
If Mei heard her, she pretended not to care.
When Izuku expected to awaken, he expected it to be to the smell of eggs, and bacon, and to the sound of the news station briefly recapping the week's events.
The sound of someone knocking on his door, however, was certainly out of his realm of expectation, and what was even more of a shock was the fact that he seemed to be the only one in the apartment. His mother and Melissa should've been back by now, what could've been keeping them, he wondered.
Slowly, he rose from the couch that he had been sleeping on. Schrodinger had been sleeping on his stomach, so he had to be extra careful not to wake him. He checked his phone for the time.
Seven forty-two. He usually never woke up that late, but after the hell that he went through yesterday… it looked like that was going to become the norm. At least he was woken up from his nightmare.
He moved away from the couch and towards the door. Clearly, Melissa and his mother hadn't returned yet, for whatever reason. He assumed that their 'business' hadn't finished concluding yet. He desperately hoped that it was them who was knocking on the door.
He slipped on his slippers, before unlocking the door. He turned the handle slowly.
"Um… do I know you?"
The person who looked back at him seemed to be the same age as him, only slightly shorter. She had vines for her hair and was dressed in tights and a simple white t-shirt. Something about her seemed awfully familiar, and he couldn't figure out why.
"You mean you don't remember?" The girl looked quite perplexed, if not slightly upset.
"N-No… I don't. I don't think we've met before."
"I'm the person that you saved that day. The one you rescued from that burning building, remember?"
It took a while before the gears started to turn in his head, and before long, he was doing a double take. "Wait… you're that girl?!" How did she even get my address? That was certainly something that he'd need to ask her about.
"Indeed," she bowed. "If I may introduce myself…"
"The honor's your's…"
"Shiozaki, Ibara. I am deeply indebted to you… what's your name?"
"Midoriya Izuku…" The girl smiled. Only then did Izuku realize he was very much awake, and not dreaming. "Why are you here?"
"I've come to thank you. If it weren't for you… I don't think I'd be alive. However reckless and stupid that stunt of yours was, it did save my life. For that, I am grateful."
"Um… is that all?"
"Essentially, yes. I can't in good conscience leave such a good dead go unthanked. Even if it's not much, it's the least that I could do."
He paused for a few seconds. The least, huh? "Then… would you like to come in…? I mean, I'm sure there's a lot we can talk about. If you came all this way to thank me, it's the least I could…"
Ibara's eyes widened. "Are you sure that's wise? I doubt that your parents would agree."
"My mom's actually away for the time being, and my dad is working overseas to support us." He smiled. "So… how about it?"
Ibara looked skeptical at first. If not slightly flattered. "I am… I'd be honored to take up such an offer," She beamed. "You've already done so much for me, so if honoring your request is what you'd recommend, then I can't simply refuse. It would be my pleasure."
He motioned for her to come inside as he darted towards the kitchen. Hastily readying a tea-cup. "What type?" He asked, hand already on the cabinet which kept all the tea.
"Hmm… Jasmine is acceptable."
"V-Very well then,"
"You said your father works overseas, correct?" He nodded. "Hmm… I assume that isn't exactly common for her to do."
"It appears so… I think they're off running a few errands, unfortunately."
"They're?"
"Oh, she's with a friend of mine. She's been… helping me out lately. Either way, I suspect they'll be back any minute now."
After a few minutes of letting the water boil, he poured the steaming fluid into a cup along with the tea bag. He approached her at the living room table, a packet of sugar in hand. "Um…w-would you like sugar with it?"
"Only a little bit. I'm not a very big fan of it in my teas."
"Alrighty then," He sprinkled some of the contents of the packet before pouring himself a cup. "Jasmine tea's not really my favorite, but I can understand why'd you like it… a friend of mine introduced it to me a week ago. It's actually super good in my good opinion," He said, before dipping his tongue into the beverage. "Oh! That's hot, yikes!"
Ibara grinned slightly. "You appear to be fairly nervous, Midoriya-san."
"W-Well, we usually don't get visitors… especially ones my age, and…"
"And?"
"Well, I don't really get along with… most types of people."
"Yet even still, you'd risk your life to save someone you don't even know?"
"Well, it's not like I could just let you die… when I heard your cousin shout about how you were trapped in that building, I just couldn't stop myself from running after to help you."
"Why didn't you use your Quirk?" Her tea had long since turned lukewarm, allowing her to take a large sip. "Oh, that is very good…"
"Y-You sure do like asking a lot of questions, do you?"
"It's natural to have a few when you're talking to the person who was responsible for my survival," She sipped some more of her tea. "I'll ask again… is there a reason you didn't use your Quirk?"
"Um, well… it's a bit complicated, you see-"
"Is the circumstances for its activation extreme? Not many Quirks are like that nowadays. I'm guessing you have rather poor control over it if that's the case."
"Well… I guess you could kind of word it like that, but you're still a bit off." He took another sip of the tea but that was once scalding. "I think I'm warming up to the jasmine flavor, actually… it's very good." He smiled, before setting the cup down. "I'm sure that you've heard about what happened to everyone else on the floor, right?"
And suddenly, the temperature of the room dropped.
"I am very much aware, Midoriya-san," If nothing else, Ibara seemed to have a slightly downcasted expression on her face. "A few poor souls, trapped on the second floor… they never made it out in time according to the news report."
"The worst part about is that I probably could've saved them." If I had a Quirk.
"You saved me, is that not good enough?"
He wanted to tell her no so badly at that moment, but he just couldn't force the words out of his mouth. After all, Recovery Girl and Melissa's words reverbed throughout his mind. He promised them that he wouldn't entertain this line of thinking anymore.
"Yeah… yeah, I guess it is. I just can't-" He paused. "Actually… I'm sure you understand, right? You have the nightmares too I assume…"
Ibara nodded her head silently. "I do."
"I can barely sleep sometimes. It really is a miracle that I'm able to still get six to seven hours, and that's on a good day."
"Have you considered talking to Recovery Girl?" He tilted his head in confusion. "She was really adamant about treating everyone that survived the incident," After a few more sips, she finished her tea. "She even has counseling sessions, why didn't you go?"
"Oh, you mean that?! Come to think of it, she did mention something similar after I finished my latest checkup a week ago. I know they probably don't cost money, but… I just don't see it as necessary."
"Why not? Aren't you suffering?"
"I am! And I don't know when that will end, but-"
"But?"
"I am confident that I'll be fine." The two stared at each other silently for a few seconds, as Ibara's expression slowly grew more concerned.
"Fine? Is… are you pulling my leg by any chance, Midoriya-san?"
"I'm not. I've been doing fine, aside from the nightmares. And I'm sure those will go away in time. I don't need any therapy. I'm not even sure if they'll resolve any of my problems."
"It's not meant to resolve anything, they're there so you can heal."
"And I'm healing just fine. I don't need any help."
Ibara sighed. "Goodness… I didn't expect the boy who rescued me to be so stubborn…"
"If I wasn't, you likely wouldn't be alive right now," He grinned. "Look… I'll consider going to her sessions, but that's it, okay? I don't think it's fair to force me to go… I believe that therapy is most effective when the patient actually wants to seek help."
"But you're hurting, you-"
"I said I'm fine, Shiozaki-san." Ibara tried not to flinch at the mention of her surname, but the best she could manage was not to wince. "To tell you the truth, I'd say that you're the one who needs it the most."
Ibara thought back to the utter catastrophe that she had found herself a little more than a week ago. How she was reduced to little more than a damsel in distress until Izuku came in to save her.
She could never really get the image of his blood leaking onto her clothes out of her head, along with his lifeless body either, so if anything, he had put up a rather decent point.
Why was she sitting here trying to help him when she barely has her own problems sorted out?
"I'm doing just fine. The therapy sessions are working, and-"
"But… you still have the nightmares?"
"I do, but they've become less and less frequent as time goes on. Healing from an event that traumatic takes time, according to Recovery Girl."
He smiled. "I suppose can't disagree with that."
She got up from the couch and sighed. "Look, I know I can't change your mind on this, but… at least consider it," She handed him a card that was tucked away in her skirt pocket. "This is her business card. Her agency is all the way in Tokyo, but if you phone them, I'm sure she'd be happy to set up an appointment right away."
"But I'm not going-"
"I know, I know… you don't want to go, but in the case that you changed your mind, the door will always be open for you."
"You said I can think about it, right? Is it because of Recovery Girl?"
She didn't immediately answer, as her hand was already on the doorknob. He would've shown her out, but… something told him that it was better for her to leave on her own.
"Interpret it however you wish. Once she has her eyes set on a patient, she'll do everything in her power to help them. You are no different," She opened the door, "The lord repays all good deads, Midoriya-san. Even if you don't think he's watching over you, he is," And with one final smile, she bid him goodbye. "Have a blessed day, Midoriya-san."
She closed the door, and left him alone, in silence. Schrodinger curled up right beside the couch again, just waiting for him to lie down and nap some more.
He sighed but smiled. "Sorry… I've got some work to do today. I can nap later." The cat purred as if to express that it understood him. With Recovery Girl at the back of his mind, he walked towards his room which was a few hallway spaces to the right.
After opening the door, he brought out a few dumbbells from under his bed. Where he always kept them. Out of sight. He lifted the only two pairs of dumbbells that he owned up towards the middle of his torso.
He breathed in and curled inwards.
Then breathed outwards, and let the dumbbells sink towards where his pelvis was.
Three pounds really wasn't all that much, especially for someone around his age, but it was the most he could work with before he tired himself out after a few reps.
He repeated the motion until he felt his arms nearly buckled under their own weight.
Three sets of ten were basically all he could manage under normal conditions. But that was only if he didn't bother pushing himself. He had made it to four sets instead. A new record, but by no means was it something that he felt comfortable with staying at. He hoped he could make four sets the norm in a week or two.
He placed the equipment back under his bed, before deciding to freshen up. The workout did very little to quell any of the anxieties and tension that had developed while conversing with Ibara. Perhaps a bath would do?
He entered the bathroom, undressed himself, and looked into the mirror.
His eyelids sagged and burned whenever he tried closing them. His eyes were bloodshot, and his hair was a frenzied mess. He had gone to bed on time and even made sure to wash up before sleeping. He was sure he had gotten enough sleep, so why did he feel tired?
Ignoring it, he dipped a toe into the tub. It wasn't cold like before. He needed it to be warm enough to relax. Scalding even. Anything to take his mind off of what happened several minutes ago.
Eventually, his entire body was submerged in the tub. With only his toes and head sticking out.
The water felt colder than he thought it was. He had made sure that the hot water nob would be turned on full force until the tub was filled. He usually did it lukewarmly, but he needed something more if he wanted to destress.
A thick coat of steam coated the air of the bathroom as he felt his consciousness drift back and forth. His eyelids shuddered open one moment and then closed the next.
Surely…
No one would mind if he dozed off a little, right?
When he opened his eyes again, Izuku quickly realized that he wasn't in the bathtub anymore.
The air smelt of iron, and burnt wood. Almost as if the atmosphere itself was on fire. He tried breathing, but his lungs could only take in the thick, hot, and dense smoke that seemingly clung to the walls like a spider to its web.
He quickly realized it was the fire that he was breathing
He panicked. After a good while, he stopped wailing his arms about. It didn't hurt. He was fine, for now.
He tried to scream, but nothing came out.
He tried running, even if it felt like his feet were touching clouds, he put every ounce of his strength into running. Not like it would make a difference. He couldn't move effectively at all, and his brain was to foggy for him to even think up of a better solution. He was limited to moving at a snail's pace.
He slowly advanced through the mysterious space that he found himself in. The walls were seemingly made out of wood, and plaster. Was this his apartment building? Was it burning down?! Before he could continue those thoughts, the ceiling collapsed.
He must have been on the highest floor because he could stare right into the night sky.
Although… he would hardly consider what he saw a sky.
Instead of stars, there were faces. Lots of them. So many that it almost made his head spin from trying to look at them all. There were likely as many faces as there were stars.
They were looking at him. Half of them were melted, and the other half were missing facial features. Eyes falling out, and skin sunken in, almost as if they were wrinkled from old age.
It was horrific. He wanted to scream for help. As loud as he could, but the best he could manage was a small, barely audible whimper.
He thought he was hallucinating. If his apartment was on fire, then the smoke must have been going to his brain! There was no way what he was seeing was real. It was far too real for a dream!
Then he heard the voices. Then he heard the voices, all screaming out at once. There must have been more than a dozen because it was all he could hear among the crackle of the wood and its cinders.
I'm sorry. He curled up into a ball and prayed that things wouldn't get worse.
The voices only increased in volume. They screamed at him from all angles.
"Useless."
"Weakling."
"Fodder."
"Incompetent."
"Defective."
He wasn't good enough back then, and he wasn't even now. So he apologized. I'm sorry.
"Quirkless."
I'm sorry.
"All you need is a jump, right off the roof! That'll fix your problems. Maybe you'll have a quirk in your next life."
"I'm sorry!" He screamed, finally managing to get his vocal cords to work.
The night sky, once covered in faces, and black, turned a deep red, as reality seemed to collapse in on him.
"I'm… so sorry…" He couldn't save them all.
He realized that they were all dead. They weren't even real. There was just fragments of his imagination, subconscious, leaking out and tormenting him.
It still hurt all the same.
Tears leaked out, as he shuddered, rocking back and forth.
"Deku."
That's not my name! He cried mentally.
"Deku."
"That's not… that's not my name…" He whimpered. He wanted this to be over already. He almost ended up pleading before something sharp ran through his sides, sending shockwaves of pain through his nerves.
It twisted, and twisted, and twisted until there was nothing more than a hole in his sides.
He couldn't scream from the pain. It was almost as if he there was something that stopped him from even wanting to acknowledge it.
It twisted some more, before something large, and heavy collapsed from the ceiling and down onto him.
The last thing he could recall, before his vision faded into white, was catching a glimpse at the dirty blonde hair and scowling face that glared daggers into his skull… and one final line.
"Deku!" The person screamed, and he felt his consciousness go elsewhere.
The next thing that he awoke to was screaming, and the sound of running water.
It was a different kind of screaming than the kind that he had just had the pleasure to experience. It was loud, full of emotion, and… oddly heartwrenching.
Someone calling his name.
"Izuku!" A pair of hands grasped his shoulders and pulled him upright. Why was he wet?
More importantly, why wasn't everything on fire?
"Izuku! Are you okay?!"
He tried to speak, but nothing came out.
It was only then that he realized that his throat was clogged with water. He spluttered and he coughed. Eventually, someone patted him on the back, and the worst of it was out.
He could finally breathe without his lungs grasping, pleading for oxygen. He was safe. He realized that it was just a dream.
A horrific, nightmarish, incredibly lucid, dream.
Knowing that did little to quell his beating heart, or the adrenaline pumping through his system.
"Just.. breathe, okay?"
"...M-Melissa?" He would've felt embarrassed that she was basically right next to him, had he not realized that he was basically naked. What on…
"Please… just breathe." And he did just that until he recovered enough to the point that his heart rate went back to normal.
"What happened? How long was I out for? I was just taking a bath, and then suddenly-"
"You fell asleep? Yeah, I figured. Me and your mother came back a couple of minutes ago, and wondered why the water was running… Only to find you halfway submerged in it."
"I almost drowned?!" He damn near jumped out of the water before Melissa calmed him.
"I'd… recommend for you to not move… after all, you aren't really-"
"Right!" He stayed put and covered only the most important areas. Thankfully, the steam was thick enough to the point that it gave him enough privacy. "Sorry, you walked in on me like this… the last thing I remember is shutting my eyes, and then…" His mind flashbacked to the horrific nightmare that he had just experienced.
It was probably best that he kept that part secret.
"You blacked out?" He nodded. "Are you getting enough sleep? I've never heard that happen before."
"It happened to me a couple of times in grade school. The only difference now is that I accidentally kept the water running."
"You must've been tired… maybe we should call off your training for the day," She moved away from the tub and handed him a towel. "Dry yourself off, maybe we can just go for a walk instead."
"Mom isn't worried, is she? You said that the both of you walked in together, so I thought-"
"Um, don't worry about that… she's on the phone with someone. For now, just clean yourself up… you look ragged." She said, before exiting the bathroom.
Even with all of the dirt and grime washed away, his eyes were sunken. It looked as if he hadn't slept for a day or two. He quickly realized that it was probably better that he took a small nap after dressing himself.
But then… I wouldn't be able to walk with you… He blushed.
By the time he finished bathing himself and conditioning his hair, the water had already turned lukewarm. The blush that had crept it's up his face was now in full effect.
The only thing keeping him from losing his mind from acknowledging the fact that Melissa had been a hair's breadth away from seeing him in his birthday suit was the fact that the nightmare was still fresh in his mind.
The more and more he thought about it, the less flustered he became, until eventually… he felt nothing. Nothing other than the steamy hot air of the bathroom condensing into water droplets onto his forehead.
At least I'll be able to walk with you… He smiled. Had Melissa not been there for him, he would've probably drowned right then and there. He'd enjoy thanking her for that.
A warm feeling blossomed within his chest, as he quickly began to wrap himself in his towel.
He didn't think much of it at first, but little did he know that it was the start of something beautiful.
Izuku tried telling himself that he was fine. That everything was going to be okay and that things will play out in his favor.
They didn't.
He could barely manage to dress himself without collapsing onto his bedroom floor.
His skin color didn't look any better than what it looked like a few minutes ago after he exited the shower.
His hands were shaky. His knees were shaky. His foot tapped against the floorboard as he waited for Melissa to finish dressing herself in the guest room, for the eventual trip to the entertainment section of the city.
She… sure is taking a while. He thought.
Although to be fair, he didn't really ever bother combing or doing his hair.
He wanted to throw up every time he thought about taking a step outside.
The subway line they would be passing through would be traveling through the area which was hit the hardest by the disaster that a quarter of the city found itself in over a week ago.
He wasn't mentally prepared enough to confront a sight like that.
He felt like he never would.
He breathed in and out. Aerobics was the only thing that he felt that he was above average in, aside from his stamina. It did little to quell his stomach, but it was the only thing that was helping.
Every time he closed his eyes, he could hear their screams, their cries. The people that he couldn't save.
Was this what it felt like to be haunted? He wondered. Maybe it was just their spirits deciding to torment them for fun after not being able to move on to the afterlife. As silly of a concept that was, to him, the probability of such a thing being true became more likely day by day.
He wasn't particularly religious. Neither was his mother, despite her side of the family having come from a religious background.
From what he understood, and from what she had told him, his great-grandfather was an incredibly religious man who sometimes liked to drag along his mother for mass simply on a whim. It was the most he knew about the man, as Inko didn't seem to remember much either, other than a few key details.
Well, it's something to keep in mind I guess… she did suggest that I go with her next Sunday. Maybe it'll work? He wasn't a believer, but he'd do anything at this point.
There was a knock on his door before he had the chance to contemplate it further. He opened the door and standing in front of him was Melissa. Dressed in a blue sundress and white sandals.
She had a beaming and bright smile on her face, and Izuku felt like he was being assaulted by the power of the sun itself.
She was cute. Really cute. So cute that it almost made his brain short-circuit.
"Don't I look… dashing?" She giggled, before twirling around.
You look amazing. He wanted to say., but he settled on something for more tame. "W-Why are you acting like a princess all of a sudden?" Even with his embarrassment, he couldn't stop himself from laughing at how exaggerated the motion was.
"Well, it's good to see that you find my appearance funny…" She pouted before he averted his gaze. "Um… why are you looking away? No point in looking my best if people just get nervous any time they look at me…"
In his opinion, Melissa looked great.
Fantastic even.
Perhaps even beautiful, but that may be a bit mature for his liking…
But he wouldn't dare say any of that to her face. Less he wants to turn himself into a steaming tomato.
Oh, who was he kidding, he was already doing that, wasn't he?
Ignoring the mischievous grin that his mother was giving him from across the kitchen as she watched his interactions with the girl, he hurried to the door. "Let's… head out now. We'll miss our train if we don't hurry." Melissa followed after him, and right before they were about to open it, Inko called out to them.
"You two going back to that old campus again?" She asked while doing the dishes. "I thought that today was supposed to be a rest day?"
"It is!" Melissa replied back. "We thought we'd take the rest of the day off for ourselves. No studying, no tutoring, just us haveing some fun to ourselves."
"Wait, what?"
"What? I thought you wanted to relax for a bit and go to the arcade or something," She paused. "You don't want to hit the arcade?"
"You go to the arcade?"
"Of course, I go to the arcade!" She laughed. "Come on, let's go!"
"But-" Before he could abject, she opened the door and dragged him out of the house. "Wait, hold on… I thought we were gonna study tonight?"
"Aren't you a bit exhausted from that…? It's not like missing a day or two will make a difference. We can always study extra hard next time."
"Well, yes, but-" She was already well on her way to the elevator by the time he found a good reason to hold against her. Oh, and of course the elevator works… He clicked his teeth and hurried after her.
"Don't you want to relax? We haven't really enjoyed ourselves for all of the time that we've known each other. Why not start here?" She walked into the elevator, and Izuku trailed after her."
"I mean, I do, but… I still want to do the studying. I need your tutoring if I want to actually get into U.A., in case I can't get into heroics."
"Why not general education?"
"You think the Support Course is going to allow a general ed student to use their military grade level multiple million dollar expensive equipment?" They stood in silence for a while. "You see my point? If I'm going to do this, I'm going to take every precaution available. I can't go cheap on this."
"It's good to give your mind a rest every once in a while though…"
"I'll take a break after exams hit. But for right now, I don't intend on stopping."
"Ugh," She groaned while massaging her temples. "You're so darn stubborn sometimes, you know that?"
"I do," He chuckled before she lightly elbowed him on the shoulder. "Ow…"
"It's not funny… for all of the brain matter in that noggin of yours, it feels like you don't understand where I'm coming from…" A chime rang through the air, and the elevator doors opened. "Ah… forget it. I guess we'll do it your way then."
He wanted to cheer, but he reigned the desire in, and instead, settled for a simple smile. "I'm glad you see things my way…"
"Yes, well, if I didn't, we'd be here all day, doofus," She chuckled, and they exited out of the residential district, with hopes of making the most out of their day.
In all honesty, he didn't really think that a walk would honestly help with helping him forget about the nightmare that he had experienced. He always took walks, and they only ended up with him slightly less paranoid whenever he was stressed out. What would make this one different?
"Which restaurant do you think we should go to? No fancy places, just somewhere with good food." The answer was staring right at him all along. And with the most blinding smile, he had the pleasure of witnessing to boot.
"I-I don't know… maybe we can hit up a few food stalls downtown? They have some really good food there…"
"Oh, oh! I know! There's this one food place that I like to go to every month when I have the time. They're the best! You got to try it with me, come on!"
He didn't have much of a chance to abject before she tugged on his arms and dragged him across the street, over towards the nearest subway platform. "A-Alright!"
He wondered what had her in such a good mood all of a sudden. She was never usually this pushy with him.
…Or that touchy, but in all honestly, he was dealing with Melissa, who he acknowledged to have pretty radical mood swings from time to time.
Was the food that good? He wondered.
Maybe she just wanted to eat out with him? Perhaps she was stressed out from all the tutoring they had been doing for the past week and then some? No matter how he thought about it, he couldn't figure out her motives.
She was always a strange person, something felt different about her compared to yesterday.
The train swooshed past the platform as a small breeze blew through the station.
The station wasn't all that populated, and only a few people had gathered on the platform to wait for the train. Even less came out of the subway cars.
They stepped into their car after paying for their ticket.
"The subway's here are so clean and compact compared to Philly's…"
"Oh, you mean Philadelphia?" He recalled seeing a couple of pictures on the internet of New York's. Needless to say, he wasn't that impressed.
"Yep!" They found themselves a seat near one of the rear windows. "It's a little bit simpler back home too. We only have two lines, and there's one that has elevated track, like how you see in Tokyo, except… kind of smaller."
"Oh yeah, you told me about those yesterday… what were they called again? The Broadway and the Eel…?"
She huffed. "It's pronounced Broadstreet and El, silly."
"...Did you have to clarify that in English?"
"You've been practicing your grammar, have you? Having a full conversation in it shouldn't really be a problem for you at this point."
He chuckled. "Says the American who's only been here for two years…"
"Not funny," She pouted, before continuing. "Anyways, the Broadstreet line was especially dirty. There are a lot of assaults and drug dealings which take place on it too. A real shame if you ask me."
"Did you ever experience any trouble?"
"Not really… there was this one guy who raised his voice at another guy crossing between cars, but that was it. I and Uncle Might moved cars before it really became a problem," She stared at the train car that they rode in as it sped through the subway tunnels. "It's really different here though. I've yet to see anything jump off."
"Well, that's probably because of All Might. No one's really willing to try anything when they could be a hair's breadth away from getting Detroit Smashed into the sidewalk."
"Didn't the crime rate go down this year too?"
"I think it has, yeah. I guess All Might really is the greatest…"
"Quit being such a fanboy," She shoved him, but it didn't stop her from grinning. "Like, seriously. He's all you talk about."
"But he's the greatest!"
"In Japan, yeah."
"Melissa, this is not a hill you want to die on…"
"You ever hear of Star And Stripes?"
"...Crap."
"Yeah. All Might has nothing on her."
"But, well… we've never seen All Might go all out, and he's far more charismatic than her, so objectively speaking-"
"No."
"What do you mean no? Everyone in our generation knows that All Might's the best there is!"
"Well, you've never been to States. Everyone there adores Star. She's like… the most popular hero in America."
"Well, All Might's the most popular hero in the world. That counts, doesn't it?"
"Only because every other country has weaker heroes… Japan has like… some of the strongest Quirks in existence. Of course, everyone's going to be hyper-fixated on them. You should take a trip to America. There? We see things a bit differently."
"Why would I when I know I'm right?" He smirked."All Might has more experience and wins under his belt."
"But Star has stopped the most conflict…"
"So has Endeavor, but he's still Number Two."
"You…" She growled. "Why do you get your stubbornness from?" She sighed, giving up. "Are all Japanese people like this?" He didn't even bother answering as he turned his head downwards. "Thought so… you're just weird."
Eventually, their train arrived at their destination, and they hopped off. Right into the busy streets of Shibuya.
"Um… have you ever been to Shibuya, Melissa?"
"Only a couple of times. I've mostly just stuck to seeing pictures and videos of it on the internet. It never looked this busy though… I'm assuming that it's just a new trend that's been going around. This is the place where those originate, after all."
Izuku too, could count on his fingers the number of times that he had traveled to Shibuya. It was technically a fairly small ward compared to Musutafu. And yet it felt even more 'alive' than Musutafu ever did, even accounting for its bustling nightlife.
It really was a city that never slept, after all.
The last time that I remember being here was when I got that book from Yanagi-san… I wonder if we can visit that store today?
Preferably, maybe she could recommend some more books for him now that he was nearly done covering the basics of Algebra. And who knows what the store had in stock for Melissa.
It took a bit of searching, but eventually, they arrived at a food venue.
"I'm kind of a regular, so let me do the work," She stepped in front of him. "One large cheesesteak with extra mayo, please!" She stared back at him. "Don't worry, we can split it."
"Oh, um… thank you." He already had his hand on his wallet by the time the order was finished. "How much?"
"Don't be silly! It's my treat! You don't have to pay a dime," She smiled and handed him his half of the cheesesteak while handing the man behind the venue a few bills. "Thank you!"
"Your most welcome, miss." He replied back, in English, before they walked away.
"Is there a reason you two spoke English to each other?"
"Yeah. His family runs a shop over in Philly that I used to frequent a lot when I lived there. It's kind of a thing between us whenever I come here. Sometimes we even go for a short chat during his break."
"Oh… that's interesting. Is he from Philly too?"
"Yep. We just so happened to be on the same flight. When I recognized him here for the first time, I went crazy. I bet you can imagine his reaction as well."
"It's called the city of brotherly love for a reason, after all."
She nodded. "Indeed."
And so, they went on with their day. Izuku wasn't quite sure how a cheesesteak would taste. Especially one with mayo. "Um… what does it taste like?" He asked her, as they sat on a bench in the middle of a park.
"Oh, it's good! Trust me. Just take a bite."
"But… it has mayo on it."
"You don't like mayo…?" She frowned. "I guess that's my fault. I probably should've asked what you would've preferred."
"N-No!" He shouted, catching her by surprise. "That's… not what I mean. I've never really had anything with mayo, other than sandwiches…" He grinned sheepishly. "Honestly, I'm kind of nervous, actually."
"I didn't know you were this picky with your food, Izuku." She laughed.
"I-I'm not picky! I'm just skeptical… what if it tastes weird? Beef and mayo sound weird…"
She giggled. "Skeptical is just another way of saying you're picky," He looked at her blankly, but didn't refute her as he realized she had a point. "Just take a bite, trust me, you'll like it!"
"Well…" Truth be told, he really didn't have much experience with American dishes, let alone their seasonings and toppings. This was completely new territory for him, as he could count on one hand the number of times his mother had put mayo and other toppings into his sandwiches.
For him, mayo never really went well with pickles… or traditional Japanese cuisine, so he had never bothered using it. He was more familiar with pizza of all things, something that he hadn't had in years, then mayo.
Even when he raced the sandwich beef hybrid to his mouth, he couldn't bring himself to try it out. It's no use… I'm too nervous.
"Okay, so since you won't do it yourself…" Before he had a chance to abject, she shoved a piece of her own sandwich into his mouth for him to enjoy. "Just eat and chew. I spent like… eight hundred yen on that. I'd rather you not waste my money."
"Um, Elissa-" He said, mouth full of food.
"Didn't your mother teach you not to talk with your mouth full?" She smiled mischievously. "Come on, chew! Let it sink into your tastebuds."
He did as he was told, and let the flavor dance around in his tongue.
It was fairly good.
Perhaps one of the most delicious meals he ever had the pleasure of eating. All for what would be the equivalent of around six dollars or so in American currency… but there was just one problem.
After he had finished swallowing, his cheeks started to drastically increase in temperature. Did she really just… He wasn't sure if she was aware of what she did. She looked rather aloof. "Um… Melissa."
"Yes? It's good, isn't it?"
"Y-Yeah, it is… but-"
"But?"
"D-Didn't you already bite off of that?" She froze.
Being a puddle on the ground had never seemed so appealing before to Izuku.
"I… um…" Melissa's cheeks were almost as red as his. "That appears to be the case…"
"Yeah…" An indirect kiss… He wanted to crawl into a hole at that very moment and stay there for the rest of his miserable life. And right after what happened in the bathroom too…
His luck was really poor, wasn't it?
"Sorry about that," Melissa whispered to Izuku, as they finished their meals in silence.
A warm feeling blossomed within his chest, as he quickly began to immerse himself in the flavor of his food.
He didn't think much of it at first, but little did he know that it was the start of something beautiful.
A/N: Sorry for the nearly two-month-long wait! I've been in a bit of a depressive slump ever since the beginning of April, which has kind of hindered my ability to write and draw. I'll see if I can get the next chapter out sooner since this fic's two-year anniversary is coming up.
I'm kind of glad that even though the update schedule for this fic is rather inconsistent, you guys still keep coming back. That… not only makes me proud, but it keeps me motivated to keep coming back to this even when I'm at my lowest.
No matter what, I won't be abandoning this fic. You can take my word on that and hold me to it.
But goodness me… I sure do love traumatizing my protagonists… For any of you curious, Deku's mental health is only going to get worse here, so you might as well start grabbing the popcorn if you didn't have it on deck already. I have lots of content planned for him.
And for any of you wondering… no, Deku and Melissa don't have feelings for each other… yet. At this stage in the story, I don't intend on having them feel anything more than simple childhood innocence, bordering on minor sexual attraction for each other.
(Gosh, that last part sounded weird…).
Anyways, as weird as that sounds, we're still a ways away from hitting any… romantic ground and territory further beyond that. Maybe by chapter thirty, the point at which I plan for them to seriously start seriously prepping for U.A., they might finally start catching feelings for each other.
I honestly don't plan on them professing their love until after the Sports Festival. And at it's absolute worse, that could be extended as far as the I-Island Arc. I'll probably drop some teases and hints in between, but I don't think I'll ever go more than that before either Deku or Melissa confess to each other.
But, romance isn't the only thing that I find interesting about relationships. Sometimes, platonic love can be just as strong, if not even stronger than its romantic counterpart. That is the direction that I'm going with their relationship for now.
The warm feeling in Izuku's chest, and the 'start of something beautiful' is not foreshadowing them falling in love. They both love each other… just not in that sort of way. Friendship is something that isn't really explored in the weird world of BNHA fanfiction. Everyone is more or less concerned with at what point does their favorite ship begin to set sail. And I feel that's very unfortunate.
Which means that there's potential for me to explore ground that I feel like few have ever touched, There's a lot of room to explore how strong that type of love can be regarding two dorks who care for each other immensely. Not even to the level of brother and sister, but soulmates. Keep in mind that this is all before we transition into something more developed.
Honestly, there are not many fics focused around Izulissa, or even them interacting as friendsl. So when it comes to romance and their relationship with one another? I'll try my damnest to make it believable and entertaining. All I ask is that you guys be patient with me until we get to the point. But even then, I'll try my best at making their relationship feel as natural as possible.
My Keystone exams are coming up, which are essentially structured in such a way that if I don't pass them, I won't be able to advance to the next grade (kill me, I fucking hate living in Pennsylvania) so I probably won't update for a couple of weeks, but in the event that I won't be fucked over by excessive cramming, I'll see if I can cook something up for you guys. My birthday is coming up in a few days, so you likely won't be seeing any content from me after the beginning of June.
Either way… I'll manage. Somehow. I'll catch you guys next chapter, goodbye for now!