AN: I came up with the cliffhanger ending 10 minutes before posting this lol. Enjoy! Also remember I do not own any of the songs mentioned (the information for said songs and artists is at the end).
"Here you go, Midoriya. Your own personal behind-the-ear microphone." Jiro said with an easygoing smile as she held out the sleek black device. "Hatsume from the support department made the two of us these after you told her you would be singing in the festival. They are seriously the coolest things I've ever seen. I tested mine a little while ago, and the sound transmits amazingly. They're wireless, have a battery life of like twelve hours, and connect to any stereo system with Bluetooth. I've never owned something this high quality."
The greenette could tell she was trying to hold back how excited she truly was about them. Her eyes were shining as she waited for him to take his.
"Amazing! This was really kind of her." Izuku commented as he took the ear-mic from Jiro and put it over his ear. Putting it in the back of his mind to thank Hatsume as soon as he saw her next, he adjusted the small arm that held a miniscule yet powerful speaker an inch from his mouth. She really worked too hard for her own good. "I take it the microphones you set up on stands over there are for Kaminari and Yaoyorozu then?"
"Yep! Anyway, let me show you how to turn these bad boys on. There's a few different modes they have—"
After spending a minute being shown how to turn his ear-mic on and off among a few other things, Jiro connected their ear-mics to the speakers set up on the stage. In the center of the gymnasium Mina was having the rest of the dance practice a few moves that still needed work while the staging team sat with Eri near the open area at the front of the stage. Izuku could see Eri sitting next to Todoroki, leaning against his left side, listening to Kirishima go on about something or another. When he noticed the small smile on her face his heart nearly melted.
He loved that little girl's smile more than anything.
When he felt a tap on his shoulder, he turned around to see Jiro looking at him with understanding eyes.
"I haven't tested the sound in here with these microphones yet. Want to sing a quick duet? That way you can get a feel for the sound too."
Izuku nodded. "Sure! Are we going to use one of the ones for the festival, or...?"
She shook her head. "Let's mix it up a bit. Pick something we both know and can sing without instruments, preferably something softer so we can try bending our voices to see how the sound carries."
"So a love song maybe? Those usually fit your description."
"That's fine with me. Have one in mind?"
He thought for a moment. "Do you know the acoustic version of You're the Reason? The original was on this American television show, but..."
"I vaguely remember it. Victorious, right? A cousin of mine loved that show. I don't remember how that particular song begins though, so can you start us off?"
He nodded, suddenly shy as they turned their ear-mics on. After a moment he cleared his throat. The noise echoed out of the speakers, capturing everyone's attention for just a moment before they went back to what they were doing. They would have to get used to random sounds, music, and such being played for a short while. They were practicing after all.
"I don't want to make a scene," Izuku started quietly. "I don't want to let you down. Try to do my own thing and I'm starting to figure it out that it's alright, keep it together," he grew a bit more confident as Jiro began mouthing the words before jumping in, "wherever we go. And it's alright- oh, well, whatever, everybody needs to know."
Now they were both singing, each of their hands straying to the device in their ear and adjusting the mic as they went into the first chorus.
"You might be crazy, have I told you lately that I love you? You're the only reason that I'm not afraid to fly." Jiro's eyes slipped closed first, Izuku's following shortly after. It helped them focus on their singing, the lack of visual information leaving their minds to bring their hearing to the forefront of their senses. "And it's crazy that someone could change me. Now no matter what it is I have to do, I'm not afraid to try, and you need to know that you're the reason why."
The other students, and Eri, listened in awe as they harmonized perfectly. Their voices complimented each other's flawlessly as said voices played from the speakers and filled the room.
"I don't even care when they say you're a little bit off. Look 'em in the eye, I'd say 'I could never get enough'. 'Cause it's alright, keep it together wherever we go. And it's alright- oh, well, whatever everybody needs to know."
Izuku opened his eyes a fraction to see that everyone had stopped what they were doing to listen to the duo sing. With timid movements he moved a little so he could glance at Bakugo, who was sitting at the drum-set with his eyes closed as he listened.
"You might be crazy, have I told you lately that I love you? You're the only reason that I'm not afraid to fly. And it's crazy that someone could change me. Now no matter what it is I have to do, I'm not afraid to try, and you need to know that you're the reason why."
Jiro, on the other hand, found herself too wrapped up in the music to be curious about how the others were reacting. This meant she didn't take notice of where Kaminari stood a few yards away from her, his guitar strung around his neck as he gazed at her fondly. If only he knew this song made her think of him... just a little bit.
"If it was raining, you would yell at the sun. Pick up the pieces when the damage is done. You say it's just another day in the shade, but look at what a mess we made…"
They sang the last few lines of the song only for the room to burst into applause once they finished. There were few whistles among the clapping as well, and the attention which would have had them blushing at an earlier point in time slowly coaxed out elated laughter from the singers.
"That's quite enough." Jiro spoke into her mic, amused. The grin on her face was apparent to everyone around her. "We're actually going to start practicing now. What we just did was a warm up; now is when the real struggle begins."
And so the band and dance teams got to work.
Mina began running through the routines in order of what needed the most work to the least amount of work. While she helped people one on one throughout each repeated sequence, the band team did a run through of every song in the order they would be playing them in for the festival. This meant the first few songs focused on Jiro and Yaoyorozu singing, while Izuku and Kaminari took over near the middle and end. After singing every song once, which was a feat in of itself, they began tackling the biggest problems that were noticed.
Jiro stood in front of her classmates, a notepad in her hand where she'd written down comments in between songs.
"Tokoyami, I think some of your strings are a little tight. A few of the notes sounded higher than they should be. Re-tuning them before each major show on festival day would be wise. Kaminari and I will be doing the same."
"Duly noted. I will make sure to tune my guitar before the next practice as well," he assured.
"Yaoyorozu, you can sing your parts a little louder in tracks one and two. I know you're doing the backup, accenting parts, but the beauty of them can only stand out when the audience hears your voice with mine. It's difficult to focus on singing and playing an instrument, but I know you can do it."
The tall girl smiled back at Jiro, eyes bright. "Of course! I'll work on being a bit louder next time, do not worry!"
"Kaminari, you're adding in a few extra notes in Midoriya's songs."
The blond groaned lightly. "Yeah, I noticed. I got a bit distracted while singing with Midoriya and sort of changed my part on accident. I'll make note of the parts I did that in next time we play though them so I don't do it again."
"Great!" She then turned to the other blond in the group. "Bakugo, you're hitting the cymbals a lot harder than usual during the final track. May I ask why?"
"Deku's voice during the last verse before the final chorus of that song was pissing me off."
"W-what?" Izuku asked, mortified. "I told you, Kacchan, my voice doesn't really go well with that part, so—"
"Whatever, nerd. Earphones, I'll make sure to lessen up on the cymbals after you've helped Deku get that part down better."
The girl in question sighed. "We'll work on it, Bakugo. Anyway, Midoriya, I was going to say you did really well on your two songs. Other than working on perfecting the part Bakugo is talking about I'd say all you need to worry about is adding in some moves while singing like Mina showed you."
"Right!"
The group worked on a few of the songs' parts for roughly half an hour longer. After about two hours of total practice, everyone agreed to take the popsicle break Kirishima had planned for hours prior.
"Line up everybody! Get your delicious frozen treat over here," the redhead called as he strung out the huge pack of ice pops like a giant rainbow accordion in front of him. Eri gazed up at it in wonder. "You guys deserve it after all of your hard work!"
He was met with an overwhelming response.
"Thanks, Kirishima!"
Despite it raining outside, it was still rather warm out. And just like he'd stated singing and dancing was hard work. With the generous help of Todoroki (aka using his right side to freeze the purchased ice pops), those on the staging team handed out said popsicles to everyone before setting up for the dance party they were going to have.
"Dance party?" Eri said puzzled from where she sat once again on Izuku's lap. In her hand she held the wrapper from a green-apple ice pop, fingers slightly pink from how cold it had been. "I thought you guys were practicing for the festival."
"We've been practicing almost non-stop," Uraraka explained. "So we thought we should take a break tonight and have fun. It'll be even more fun with you here!"
The child seemed less than enthused.
"But I don't know how to dance," she said quietly.
Tsuyu came to the rescue first.
"You don't have to know how to dance to have fun at a dance party, ribbit. It's more about moving around to the music and having fun than actually dancing. A lot of us will probably just jump around, honestly. We've been practicing serious dancing for over a week, so it'll be nice to just move however we feel like."
"Eri-chan, you can always dance with me if you want!" Mina assured from where she finished her third popsicle. "We can spin around in circles until we almost puke!"
"Or not." Uraraka broke in with judgmental look, the mention of puking rubbing her the wrong way.
Finally Izuku decided to speak up.
"You can do whatever you want to, Eri-chan." Izuku said with a soft smile. "No one here will make you dance, but I know a lot of us here would love to dance with you if you want to. Do you want to share a dance with any of us?"
There was a small stretch of time where no one around them spoke. In the background Jiro was setting her computer up to the speakers and getting the party playlist pulled up. Once roughly a minute had passed Eri finally looked up, a determined look in her eyes.
"Can I dance with you first, Deku-san?"
His smile lit up the room around him.
"Of course! I know a good song too, since Mirio told me you two watched Zootopia yesterday."
Eri's eyes widened. "Which song?"
He merely grinned as an answer. "You'll see soon, don't worry."
With that he whispered the title to Uraraka, who got up to make the request to Jiro. When she returned to the group she let them know it would be the first song up once everybody was ready to begin.
A couple minutes and a few popsicle wrappers later, they were.
"Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh," repeated four times as it out of the speakers, the volume turned up high enough to carry across the auditorium and overpower the voices of those wanting to sing along. Jiro did leave the two microphones set up on stage for anyone wanting to join in with the music though. She of course put her new prized possession (the ear mic) away, although Izuku left his in his ear and turned off. He planned on singing along with some of the music later if only for Eri's benefit.
"I messed up tonight, I lost another fight. I still mess up, but I'll just start again." Izuku sang while he and Eri linked hands. "I keep falling down, I keep on hitting the ground. I always get up now to see what's next." They began slowly moving so that they were spinning around in a circle, arms outstretched to make it as big as possible. "Birds don't just fly, they fall down and get up. Nobody learns without getting it wrong."
Around them several students were jumping around and jamming out to Shakira. Among them a few of the girls (Mina, Hagakure, and Uraraka) delightedly had a few of the guys spinning around like toddlers (Kirishima, Ojiro, and Iida). Aoyama twirled around the room leaving sparkles in his wake.
"I won't give up, no I won't give in 'til I reach the end and then I'll start again. No, I won't leave, I wanna try everything. I wanna try even though I could fail. I won't give up, no I won't give in 'til I reach the end and then I'll start again." Eri laughed as Izuku spun her around in a pirouette, her hair landing messily over her face for a moment when she came to a stop. "No, I won't leave, I wanna try everything. I wanna try even though I could fail."
Tsuyu, Jiro, and Yaoyorozu gradually joined in as the song progressed, a few of the guys like Sero, Koda, Kaminari, and Tokoyami (Dark Shadow wanted to participate) hopping in once they threw caution to the wind.
"Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh. Try everything! Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh. Try everything!. Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh. Try everything! Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh."
Surprising those around him, Izuku scooped Eri up into his arms after another impressive pirouette. With his strength he easily settled her onto his shoulders, walking around his classmates as they moved in their own ways.
"Look how far you've come, you filled your heart with love. Baby, you've done enough, take a deep breath. Don't beat yourself up, don't need to run so fast. Sometimes we come last, but we did our best."
As they moved across the room Izuku noticed Sato and Shoji were dancing in place, an all too trying hard Mineta moving between the two as if he was not being allowed to move closer to where nearly everyone else was dancing. He didn't think much of it though. He trusted his classmates to not be unnecessarily cruel to the short boy, unless Mineta was having another one of his perverted episodes again.
"I won't give up, no I won't give in 'til I reach the end and then I'll start again. No, I won't leave, I wanna try everything. I wanna try even though I could fail. I won't give up, no I won't give in 'til I reach the end and then I'll start again. No, I won't leave, I wanna try everything. I wanna try even though I could fail."
They had been weaving amongst the others, his classmates taking turns grabbing Eri's hands as Izuku walked by and doing a quick spin with her on his shoulders. It warmed his heart to hear her laughter as they moved from one person to the next. Everyone looked so happy.
"I'll keep on making those new mistakes. I'll keep on making them every day. Those new mistakes..."
As the song came to a close, Izuku squatted down to allow Eri to gently slide down his back. They joined Uraraka, Iida, and several others where they let themselves basically moved however they felt like it. None of them were trying to look good or dance well. They were having fun even at the cost of looking silly, but there was no one around to judge them.
"Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh. Try everything! Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh. Try everything! Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh. Try everything! Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh. Try everything."
The room erupted into excited, elated chatter for a few seconds before the next song on the playlist began. Izuku heard Jiro warn the others that she kept the music PG on account of Eri. He also heard her mention having time to play a T-rated dance playlist Mina put together after Mirio came to pick Eri up.
"All of the best dance songs are generally inappropriate, okay?" The pink-skinned girl said defensively. "We could play 'Toxic' again though… then Midori and I can do our dance from yesterday."
Izuku protested immediately, face scarlet. "No way!"
"Oh I'm just messing with you," she grinned cheekily.
He was not amused. Before he could say anything else though, the next song started up and around him people were reading to move once more.
"I'm at a payphone trying to call home, all of my change I spent on you. Where have the times gone? Baby, it's all wrong. Where are the plans we made for two?"
Just as Izuku turned to dance with Eri again, Uraraka and Tsuyu rushed to his side.
"Yeah, I, I know it's hard to remember the people we used to be. It's even harder to picture that you're not here next to me. You say it's too late to make it, but is it too late to try? And in our time that you wasted all of our bridges burned down."
"Mind if we have the next dance Eri-chan?" The brown-haired girl asked with a polite smile. "You can keep dancing with Deku-kun if you want though. Tsu and I don't mind waiting."
"I've wasted my nights; you turned out the lights, now I'm paralyzed. Still stuck in that time when we called it love but even the sun sets in paradise."
With a small nod the little girl reached out her hands, one for each of the female heroes in training before her. The older duo asked her something Izuku couldn't hear over the sound of the music. A moment later, however, Eri was giggling as she was made weightless.
"I'm at a payphone trying to call home, all of my change I spent on you. Where have the times gone? Baby, it's all wrong. Where are the plans we made for two? If 'Happy Ever After' did exist," Uraraka was now lightly spinning the younger girl in the air just a bit above herself, Tsuyu hopping along underneath where she floated, "I would still be holding you like this. All those fairy tales are full of it. One more stupid love song, I'll be sick."
Before Izuku's heart could melt any more at the adorable sight, he felt rather than saw someone grab his wrist. It was only after a few seconds that he realized Hagakure was standing in front of him. She was wearing a simple T-shirt and shorts, but from the angle of her shirtsleeves he could tell she was flailing excitedly.
"Dance with me, Midori?"
"Um, sure thing, Hagakure-kun! What about Ojiro-kun though?"
"Oh, you turned your back on tomorrow 'cause you forgot yesterday. I gave you my love to borrow, but you just gave it away. You can't expect me to be fine; I don't expect you to care. I know I've said it before, but all of our bridges burned down."
"Kiri was getting really into dancing and accidentally stepped on his tail, so he's sitting out for a few minutes until it stops hurting. He told me he was fine and to keep dancing though. Todoroki-kun is keeping him company right now and icing his tail, so let's dance!"
"I've wasted my nights; you turned out the lights, now I'm paralyzed. Still stuck in that time when we called it love but even the sun sets in paradise."
Izuku wouldn't have called what they ended up doing dancing per say. All they really did was jump up and down a bit while circling each other, occasionally locking arms for the heck of it. Still the sound of their laughter rose above the sound of music around them. He didn't even notice Bakugo watching him silently from the side of the stage where he was the only one not dancing.
"I'm at a payphone trying to call home, all of my change I spent on you. Where have the times gone? Baby, it's all wrong. Where are the plans we made for two? If 'Happy Ever After' did exist I would still be holding you like this. All those fairy tales are full of it. One more stupid love song, I'll be sick. Now I'm at a payphone."
The rest of the song played without much change in energy. Hagakure went back to Ojiro after thanking the greenette for dancing with her, and soon after Izuku found himself dancing with Kaminari and Mineta to "A Thousand Miles".
"Making my way downtown, walking fast, faces pass and I'm home bound. Staring blankly ahead just making my way, making a way through the crowd."
Nearly everyone dancing then struck an obnoxious pose, striking another after every piano part in between the next few sentences.
"And I need you." Kaminari pointed at Mineta, his other hand on his heart as if love-struck. "And I miss you." Mineta threw out his arms towards Izuku, who put both palms up in air as if lost as to what to do. "And now I wonder..."
"If I could fall into the sky, do you think time would pass me by? 'Cause you know I'd walk a thousand miles if I could just see you tonight."
After that, Kirishima and Mina pulled him into the most dramatic version of "I Need a Hero" he'd ever been part of.
"Where have all the good men gone, and where are all the gods?" Mina sang into one of the microphones. She pretended to faint into Kirishima's arms as she continued singing. "Where's the streetwise Hercules to fight the rising odds? Isn't there a white knight upon a fiery steed?" She suddenly pushed herself up out of Kirishima's arms in order to grab the other microphone. Tossing it to the spiky-haired boy as she finished the verse, she pointed at Izuku and did a twirling motion with her free hand. "Late at night I toss and I turn and I dream of what I need..."
"Hit it, Midori!"
Izuku blinked. What was he hitting, exactly?
"I need a hero!" Mina and Kirishima belted, the former rushing forward and grabbing the greenette's hands. "I'm holding out for a hero 'til the end of the night. He's gotta be strong, and he's gotta be fast, and he's gotta be fresh from the fight." Izuku fell into a fast sort of tango with the girl. They didn't keep it up for long though, Izuku gradually changing the style to something more akin to swing. "I need a hero. I'm holding out for a hero 'til the morning light. He's gotta be sure, and it's gotta be soon, and he's gotta be larger than life! Larger than life..."
Then there was the Linkin Park song that came on... it was one song he would never be able to listen to the same again.
As soon as the familiar tune had started playing from the speakers, Todoroki was grabbing Izuku's hand and pulling him with him to the microphone.
"Sing backup with me?" The fire and ice user asked politely, yet firmly. The serious look on his scarred face caught the shorter boy off guard.
"O-of course, Todoroki-kun!"
He flipped his ear mic back on just as Todoroki brought one of the wireless microphones to his own face. Neither of them had a second to spare before the words came up.
"I'm tired of being what you want me to be," Todoroki began without much emotion. "Feeling so faithless, lost under the surface. I don't know what you're expecting of me, put under the pressure of walking in your shoes."
"Caught in the undertow, just caught in the undertow." Izuku sang supportively. He would need to ask his friend how things with his dad were going some point soon.
"Every step that I take is another mistake to you."
"Caught in the undertow, just caught in the undertow."
And then they were both singing together, their voices slightly mismatched but still heard over the music somewhat pleasantly to the ear anyway.
"I've become so numb, I can't feel you there. Become so tired, so much more aware. By becoming this all I want to do is be more like me and be less like you."
As they went to continue, however, neither of them anticipated Bakugo storming up to them angrily.
"You two call that alternative metal? That's not even alternative rock!"
"Can't you see that you're smothering me? Holding too tightly, afraid to lose control. 'Cause everything that you thought I would be has fallen apart right in front of you."
The explosive blond grabbed the only other free microphone and jabbed a finger at them each in turn.
"I'll show you how to not ruin Linkin Park, Half-n-half bastard, Deku."
"Caught in the undertow, just caught in the undertow. Every step that I take is another mistake to you. Caught in the undertow, just caught in the undertow." And then Bakugo joined in singing, his voice coming out low and gruff as he sang just like when he yelled. "And every second I waste is more than I can take!"
"I've become so numb, I can't feel you there. Become so tired, so much more aware." The trio sang as one, their combined voices startling the class. Kirishima couldn't help but record the once in a lifetime show from the back. "By becoming this all I want to do is be more like me and be less like you."
"And I know I may end up failing too. But I know you were just like me with someone disappointed in you!" Bakugo had no chill as he more or less roared the lyrics out. Izuku couldn't help but wince at the style, since he remembered the soft way the other had sung just last night.
"I've become so numb, I can't feel you there. Become so tired, so much more aware. By becoming this all I want to do is be more like me and be less like you."
Honestly, singing with Todoroki and Bakugo was extremely fun for Izuku. He felt like he hadn't bonded with the two of them like this outside training (the night before with Bakugo being the exception) in a long time. They also sang decently well together, genre permitted.
Suddenly Bakugo was waving at the other two singers, gesturing for them to stop singing before pointing at himself.
"I've become so numb," Bakugo sang before pointing at Todoroki. Heterochromatic eyes shined in understanding.
"I can't feel you there." He continued before the blond was pointing at Izuku.
"I'm tired of being what you want me to be," the greenette finished.
The trio repeated this one more time before the song finished. Once the song did end, Bakugo mumbled something about them being mediocre before stomping off somewhere else.
Izuku could only stare after him. Was it him, or had Bakugo looked a little jealous when he first joined them?
From there on out, class 1-A basically went with the flow with things and had fun. Some sang with the music, some grabbed microphones and put on more shows for the other students and Eri, and some merely danced. The only one who didn't seem to keen on joining everyone else was Bakugo, but that was quickly remedied by Mina pulling him in with the rest of the Bakusquad and Sero challenging him to a one on one dance off.
Sero's plan of provoking Bakugo blew up in his face— literally— when the blond's "freestyle" meant setting off small explosions to propel him in the air.
Mistakes had definitely been made.
As for Izuku, a few of his friends drug him into more dances. At one point Aoyama had stolen him away from Tsuyu and Uraraka to join him in dancing to "I Gotta Feeling". Despite them becoming good friends over the past few weeks though, Izuku still had to endure the sparkling hero in training spinning him like a top.
"Aoyama-kun, p-please stop!" Izuku begged when he began feeling nauseous.
The other boy immediately halted the dramatic spinning, noticing he'd gotten carried away.
Izuku also shared more dances with Eri when she wasn't with Tsuyu, Uraraka, Kirishima, Mina, and Todoroki. She had taken to them amazingly fast. Her getting so close to Todoroki would have startled Izuku had he not remembered their bonding moment a few nights before along with the fact Todoroki was secretly good with kids. He had even joined Izuku and Uraraka to serenade the girl in a beautiful rendition of "Battle Scars" by Paradise Fears.
"This is an anthem for the homesick, for the beaten," Izuku began by himself, "the lost, the broke, the defeated. A song for the heartsick, for the standbys living life in the shadow of a goodbye."
And then Uraraka had made it to a microphone, hesitantly joining Izuku for the next few lines. Her confidence would grow after they'd made it to the chorus.
"Do you remember when we learned how to fly? We'd play make-believe; we were young and had time on our side. You're stuck on the ground. Got lost, can't be found. Just remember that you're still alive."
Todoroki grabbed the last microphone with plenty of time before the chorus to spare. When he readied himself to join in he couldn't stop a small smile from gracing his face; Uraraka was giving him a thumbs up looking happier than could be at the other boy's arrival. It was such a small gesture, and yet it meant a lot.
"I'll carry you home," their voices sang together. In the same moment Izuku stopped making circles with Eri and lifted her up in the air. She laughed as he held her aloft in the air, spinning her around slowly as she spread her arms out like a bird. "No, you're not alone. Keep marching on; this is worth fighting for. You know we've all got battle scars. You've had enough, but just don't give up. Stick to your guns, you are worth fighting for. You know we've all got battle scars. Keep marching on."
Not wanting to make her dizzy, Izuku gently placed the girl back on the ground. Eri immediately tackled him with a harsh hug. A few of his classmates laughed as he had the breath knocked out of him, which came out as a small yelp in his microphone. He didn't sing for a verse so he could just focus on hugging the girl in his arms.
"This is a call to the soldiers, the fighters, the young, the innocent, and righteous. We've got a little room to grow, better days are near. Hope is so much stronger than fear." Uraraka and Todoroki made up for Izuku's break well. "So if you jump, kid, don't be scared to fall. We'll be kings and queens in this dream, all for one, one for all. You can light up the dark, there's a fire in your heart burning brighter than ever before."
"I'll carry you home. No, you're not alone. Keep marching on; this is worth fighting for. You know we've all got battle scars," Izuku jumped back in and the trio continued on once again. "You've had enough, but just don't give up. Stick to your guns, you are worth fighting for. You know we've all got battle scars. Keep marching on."
Once they finished that song, he and his classmates danced to several songs like "Call Me Maybe", "Hot 'n Cold", and more. Todoroki had even been coerced into using is quirk yet again during the Katy Perry song. The sound of class 1-A's laughter overpowered the music easily when he'd created fire and ice when the words "hot" and "cold" came up solely for Eri's entertainment.
Izuku would need to thank Todoroki for that. He would also need to get a copy of the video Kirishima took for "quirk analysis" purposes.
Eventually though it was time for Eri to go home. As much as it pained them so to see her go after having so much fun, Mirio wishing he could have stuck around longer after taking part in a couple songs for ten minutes longer than he'd planned, they needed to meet Aizawa at the gate for a ride.
"We'll try to visit Tuesday or Wednesday after classes," Mirio promised with his usual shining grin. "Thank you for having her tonight, by the way. It was nice to be able to catch up with my friends."
"It was our pleasure." Izuku responded while some of his classmates hugged the little girl goodbye. Kirishima and Mina were even shedding dramatic tears, saying they would miss their "horn buddy". "See you in a few days, Eri-chan. I hope you had a good time."
Eri tilted her head in surprise. "I had more than a good time! It was great; I had so much fun, Deku-san. You and everyone have been working so hard for the festival, but despite all of that stress you still did all this for me. I didn't even do anything to deserve such kindness either. Thank you all so much."
Her eyes began to fill with tears, and Mirio and Izuku never wrapped someone in their arms so fast in their lives.
"Oh, Eri-chan. Please don't cry." Mirio requested quietly. "People don't need to do anything to be worthy of kindness."
Izuku agreed with the third-year's statement. "You deserve to be happy like anyone else. This was just as fun for us as it was for you too, and you don't worry about us getting ready for the festival. Like I said earlier we all needed a fun break after all of the practicing we've been doing."
"I can't wait to see all of you perform." She said, cheeks wet. "Your performance is going to be amazing."
"We can't wait for you to see it either," Izuku beamed.
After saying goodbye, class 1-A was brought back into action by pumped up Mina.
"We can't end the night on such a somber mood! Jiro-kun, switch the playlist over to mine, would you? It's time for us to really party!"
Iida cut in with his loud voice, arms doing that chopping motion he tended to do when he was in his class rep mode.
"Ashido, it is getting late. It will be time for curfew in half an hour. I think we should be heading in for the night," he advised while adjusting his glasses.
Mina wasn't having it.
"No way, class rep! We have a solid twenty-five minutes before we need to head out. We can fit in at least six songs before then."
"But by the time all of the songs are over it will still take a few minutes to—"
Whatever else he had been about to say to sway the girl's mind was lost when Jiro pressed a button on her laptop. The purple-haired girl merely sent a thumbs up to her friend as a familiar dance tune had several students singing along. Mina for one grabbed the wireless microphone from one of the stands and belted out the lyrics with the music. Shortly after, Hagakure grabbed the other one where she shared it with Kaminari and Jiro.
"Come on, come on, turn the radio on. It's Friday night and it won't be long. Gotta do my hair, put my make-up on," Mina ran a hand through her hair dramatically, Kaminari copying the movement and sending Jiro into a flurry of giggles as he swung his hips flirtatious like her too. "It's Friday night and it won't be long 'til I hit the dance floor, hit the dance floor. I got all I need. No I ain't got cash, I ain't got cash," all four of them (although you couldn't see Hagakure's hand) pointed towards the other students, "but I got you, baby."
"Baby I don't need dollar bills to have fun tonight. I love cheap thrills!" Most of the class shouted along with the chorus, albeit making the song just sound louder rather than better (but nobody cared about that). "Baby I don't need dollar bills to have fun tonight. I love cheap thrills!" The only one who wasn't singing was Iida, who crossed his arms dejectedly after being shot down by the rest of the class. His pride as class rep ached. "I don't need no money as long as I can feel the beat. I don't need no money as long as I keep dancing."
Uraraka and Izuku noticed their friend moping, and after sharing a glance they each grabbed one of his hands. Before he could protest Uraraka had made him weightless.
"Come on come on, turn the radio on. It's Saturday and it won't be long. Gotta paint my nails, put my high heels on. It's Saturday and it won't be long 'til I hit the dance floor," and then Iida was being lifted into the air, "hit the dance floor. I got all I need. No I ain't got cash, I ain't got cash," Izuku and Uraraka slowly started skipping around in a circle, Iida's initial protests dying down into a grateful smile, "but I got you, baby."
"Baby I don't need dollar bills to have fun tonight. I love cheap thrills! Baby I don't need dollar bills to have fun tonight. I love cheap thrills!" Soon Uraraka had made Izuku weightless too, and after the two boys were carried for a bit they returned the favor by lifting the laughing girl into the air to give her the same treatment. "I don't need no money as long as I can feel the beat. I don't need no money as long as I keep dancing."
The trio danced with each other until the song ended, all smiles and laughter even as they were pulled away to dance with others.
Songs like "I Kissed a Girl", "Hips Don't Lie", "SexyBack" and "Love Drunk" played next.
"I used to be love drunk, but now I'm hung-over. I'll love you forever; forever is over. We used to kiss all night, now it's just a bar fight, so don't call me crying. Say hello to goodbye."
When the last of the four songs played, a few students belted the lyrics while head banging and jumping around the stage. Everyone seemed to be getting a bit too rowdy for Iida's taste. He turned to Izuku to see if he could get some of them to calm down, but his eyebrows shot up into his hairline when he was the shorter boy dancing flawlessly with Uraraka and Tsuyu while singing into his mic.
"'Cause just one thing would make me say I used to be love drunk, but now I'm hung-over. I'll love you forever, but now it's over."
When had he even turned it on? How hadn't he heard his friend's voice over the recorded music?
"All the time I wasted on you, all the bullshit you put me through."
Did Izuku just curse? Iida was sure he was about to have a heart attack.
"I'm checking into rehab 'cause everything we had didn't mean a thing to you..."
Then, what would be the last song of the night, Mina and Kaminari grabbed the microphones in order to sing over "Give Me Everything" and improvise their own lyrics.
"Me not working hard? Yeah, right, picture that with a Kodak. Or, better yet, go to U.A, take a picture of me with a Kodak," they grinned as the other students roared in approval. "Took my life from negative to positive I just want y'all know that. And tonight, let's enjoy life. Mina, Sparky, 1-A, tell us right."
"Tonight, I want all of you tonight." They sang together. "Give me everything tonight. For all we know we might not get tomorrow; let's do it tonight."
"Don't care what they say," Kaminari soloed, "all the games they play. Nothing is enough 'til they handle love (let's do it tonight). I want you tonight. I want you to stay. I want you tonight."
Then Mina took over, the boy's voice dropping out as he wrapped an arm around Jiro with a blush. He wanted to ask if she'd sing with them.
"Grab somebody sexy, tell 'em hey. Give me everything tonight. Give me everything tonight. Give me everything tonight. Give me everything tonight."
As Mina continued the next part by herself, Izuku felt a tap on his shoulder. He had been so focused on watching those singing with the music that he hadn't noticed Todoroki's approach.
"Midoriya," dual-colored eyes met his own green ones.
"Yes, Todoroki-kun?"
"Take advantage of tonight 'cause tomorrow I'm also doin' bad. Perform for a princess. But tonight, I can make you my queen and make love to you endless."
"Dance with me?"
Izuku smiled, oblivious to the pair of red eyes staring at him from afar. With a nod he took Todoroki's splayed hands before leaning back and spinning around together for a bit.
" This is insane the way the name growin', money keep flowin', hustlers move aside. So, I'm tiptoein', to keep flowin'. I got it locked up like the pro Midnight."
The greenette burst out laughing, which brought another sincere smile to Todoroki's face.
"Put it on my life, baby. I make you feel right, baby. Can't promise tomorrow, but I promise tonight, dale."
"Excuse me," Jiro and Kaminari joined Mina suddenly, their faces close as they both sang into the same microphone. "And I might drink a little more than I should tonight, and I might take you home with me, if I could tonight. And, baby, I'mma make you feel so good tonight, 'cause we might not get tomorrow."
Todoroki pulled Izuku close to his chest after a spin almost went out of control. It was the last straw for the boy silently steaming several yards away though.
"Tonight, I want all of you tonight. Give me everything tonight. For all we know we might not get tomorrow; let's do it tonight."
Just as the two boys were about to break apart and try another type of dance, Bakugo wrapped a possessive arm around Izuku's waist.
Izuku's eyes widened at the gesture. He glanced between Todoroki, the hand on his side, and finally at the glaring face now practically right in his own before letting out a shrill yelp.
"K-kacchan? What are you doing?"
"I'm also curious as to what's going on," Todoroki agreed with an eyebrow raised. They hadn't been dancing together for very long at all.
"Don't care what they say, or what games they play. Nothing is enough, 'til they handle love (let's do it tonight). I want you tonight. I want you to stay. I want you tonight."
Bakugo showed Todoroki his middle finger in lieu of answering. At the boy's eye roll and Izuku's "that's mean, Kacchan", he finally spit out an explanation.
"You call that dancing, Icyhot? I'll show you what it's supposed to look like. Deku, follow my lead."
Izuku's had to bite back a squeak. "Follow your lead? But what about Todoroki-kun?"
The only answer he received was being pulled dangerously close into Bakugo's personal space. Said owner of the space growled lowly as he fought to grab both of Izuku's hands.
"Grab somebody sexy, tell 'em hey. Give me everything tonight. Give me everything tonight. Give me everything tonight. Give me everything tonight."
From his classmate's perspective it seemed like Bakugo was trying to drag a struggling cat across the stage. Izuku looked completely terrified and unwilling to dance, and with the blond snapping at him it seemed like it wouldn't get better anytime soon.
"Will you stop freaking out for two seconds and just follow my lead like I told you to?"
"If you stopped grabbing me hard enough to leave bruises and actually told me what style you're going for then maybe I'd actually be able to listen to you," Izuku argued back. His eyes flashed emerald with defiance.
After a small staring contest, Bakugo begrudgingly loosened his grip. Only then did Izuku calm down enough to get his heart rate under control. Having Bakugo's hands on him right now was doing things to him…
"Reach for the stars, and if you don't grab 'em at least you'll fall on top of the world. Think about it 'cause if you slip I'm gon' fall on top yo girl (ha ha ha)."
"Freestyle," Bakugo said over the music.
Izuku tilted his head questioningly. "That could mean anything."
"Just trust me, would you? Damn nerd…"
" What I'm involved with is deeper than the mazes. Baby, baby, and it ain't no secret. My granny's from Hosu, but I'm from Musutafu, and I don't get money like Best Jeanist."
The greenette rolled his eyes. Why was the explosive blond so dramatic in everything he did?
"Alright, Kacchan."
" Put it on my life, baby. I make you feel right, baby. Can't promise tomorrow, but I promise tonight, dale."
One hand landed on Izuku's side while the other grasped his own hand. Before he knew it he was being pulled in various directions as Bakugo led him in a dance similar to the tango, ballroom, and waltz all at the same time.
"Excuse me. And I might drink a little more than I should tonight, and I might take you home with me, if I could tonight." He was pulled flush against the blond's chest, his face lightly meeting the black fabric of the other boy's shirt before he was pushed away again. "And, baby, I'mma make you feel so good tonight, 'cause we might not get tomorrow." They added in some complex footwork, to which Izuku had to really focus to keep up with. When and where Bakugo had learned to move like this was beyond him. He wasn't nearly as good as Mina, sure, but it was still impressive.
"Tonight, I want all of you tonight. Give me everything tonight. For all we know we might not get tomorrow; let's do it tonight." Izuku was spun around yet again, but this time when he was grabbed he found himself being dipped. His spine curved into an arch as a strong arm held him aloft in the air. Ruby eyes stared into his quickly reddening face for a moment just before he was pulled back up. "Don't care what they say, or what games they play. Nothing is enough, 'til they handle love (let's do it tonight). I want you tonight. I want you to stay. I want you tonight." Some side to side movements were introduced then, Izuku easily following the other's flow into a hand-grab that sent them pushing and pulling away from one another, swapping opposite hands before repeating the moves again.
"Grab somebody sexy, tell 'em hey. Give me everything tonight. Give me everything tonight. Give me everything tonight. Give me everything tonight."
Izuku grinned as the song was finishing up. Sure he was sweaty, tired, and a nervous wreck because he was dancing almost hip to hip with Katsuki Bakugo of all people, but he was having fun dancing with his one and only crush.
Moreover, Bakugo was sending a grin of his own right back at him.
"Excuse me. And I might drink a little more than I should tonight, and I might take you home with me, if I could tonight. And, baby, I'mma make you feel so good tonight, 'cause we might not get tomorrow…"
This is bad, Izuku thought to himself as the last dozen seconds of the song played. I think I'm falling even deeper in love with him.
"What… what did you just say, Deku?"
Fear akin to what he'd felt the day Shigaraki approached him in the mall fell over him.
Had he just spoken out loud?
In order of appearance:
You're the Reason (acoustic) by Victoria Justice (Victorious)
Try Everything by Shakira
Payphone by Maroon 5 featuring Wiz Khalifa)
A Thousand Miles by Vanessa Carlton
I Need a Hero by Jennifer Saunders (Shrek 2 was my inspiration lol)
Numb by Linkin Park
Battle Scars by Paradise Fears
Cheap Thrills by Sia
Love Drunk by Boys Like Girls
Give Me Everything by Pitbull featuring Ne-yo, Afrojack, and Nayer (videos used for dance representation for class 1-A's silliness (put the links after the url for youtube): watch?v=UH6CAAALnnY, watch?v=vf9wzENSjaw )
Mentioned:
I Gotta Feeling by The Black Eyed Peas
Call Me Maybe by Carly Rae Jepsen
Hot 'n Cold by Katy Perry
I Kissed a Girl by Katy Perry
Hips Don't Lie by Shakira
SexyBack by Justin Timberlake