Trigger Warning: Description of self-harm
Aki's eyes darted towards the clock hanging on his wall. He watched as the hour hand shifted to the second hour of the day. With a tired groan, he scratched his eyes before sitting up, grabbing his jacket and phone. There was no sound coming from outside of his door. His aunt was probably asleep. Quietly, Aki opened the door to his room and stepped out, towards the entrance.
He grabbed the pocketknife he saw on the way.
Himiko's eyes glued impatiently to the clock hanging on the wall of the bar. She watched as the hour hand shifted to the second hour of the day. With a delighted squeal, she jumped out of the chair she was sitting on before grabbing her sweater and snatching the phone away from Twice's hand, earning her two different responses. Behind the bar, a black mist in the shape of a bartender spoke up.
"Where are you going at the dead of night, young Toga?"
"That's not an appropriate question to ask a young lady, Kurogiri-chan~." Himiko answered nonchalantly as she loitered around the first aid box, stuffing bandages and antibiotic sprays into her bag.
"You are taking our medical supplies. So, I believe it is within my right to have concern over your whereabout."
"Heh~." She pouted. "I'm seeing a friend."
"What the hell are you two planning with that much medical supplies?" A man with burns and stitches splattered all over his body asked with a tinge of curiosity in his voice.
"Don't talk with food in your mouth, Dabi-chan~!" Himiko looked back after she opened the door. "This is for him. Not me."
With that, Himiko closed the door, leaving a quiet bar with its occupants still looking towards where she left.
"Pitying that guy she's going to meet." Dabi mumbled as he threw a card on the table.
"Young love. That's her poison." Genichiro replied, before throwing his card onto the table, over Dabi's card. "Tomura, where are we with the preparation?"
"Not now! I'm gaming!" Came a shout behind the door.
"Aki-chan~!"
Hearing his name, Aki lifted his head from his phone and found a pale, ash-blonde color hair running towards him with a visible blush on her cheeks. Within seconds, the girl came close to Aki and jumped onto him for a hug, only to be met with a hand grabbing her face.
"Himiko-san." Greeted Aki as he put his phone into his pocket with his free hand.
"C'mon~ Just a hug! Don't be so grumpy this early in the morning!" Came a muffled voice as Himiko tried to pry Aki's hand off her face.
"I'm seeing someone." He replied. "Also, lose the knife in your hand. And the one under your skirt."
"You looked up my skirt?!" She gasped dramatically. "Who knew you are such a pervert, Aki-chan~? But I still love it~."
"You tried this last week, remember?" Aki loosened the grip on his hand, giving Himiko enough wiggle room to jump away.
"Oh, right." Himiko tilted her head in realization before she reached under her skirt and dropped the knife attached.
"You do realize that I give you my blood willingly, right?" Aki raised his eyebrow, looking at the excited girl in front of him.
"But you still aren't covered in blood~!" She stuck out her tongue.
"And I won't. Did you bring the bags?"
Himiko pulled out several empty blood bags. Humming with satisfaction, Aki pulled out the pocketknife he brought before pulling down the sleeve of his jacket.
"Ready?" He asked.
Seeing the girl in front him nodded impatiently with thirst clearly visible on her face, Aki put the blade to where the blood vein is most visible on his wrist before making a swift, firm slash across it.
The moment red liquid flown out, Himiko immediately grabbed Aki's wrist, put her fangs onto where the blood came out and started sucking, causing Aki to flinch slightly from the sudden combined pain of losing blood and being bitten.
Seemingly in a trance, Himiko pushed Aki down against the floor and climbed on top of him, mouth still making out with his wrist. Aki would have pushed her off, but the blood lost was too much for his head to think properly. On top of that, it was probably not wise to push Himiko away from her meal.
After staying in the compromising position for half an hour on the thankfully empty street, both teenagers, mainly Himiko, regained her clear mind and started treating Aki's injury.
"Did you eat sushi? Your blood tasted a little... fishy." Himiko asked softly as she wrapped Aki's wrist in bandages.
"You sure it's not the eyes? People's been talking about that lately. A lot." Aki chuckled as he tried to fight the headache.
Himiko laughed a little at the joke. "The 'Fish Eyes' thing? Whoever said that is a jerk. Your eyes look fine! A little dead inside, but fine!"
"... He is kind of a jerk."
After she had finished wrapping Aki's injury, they sat together. They watched the quiet, empty street around them, shoulders leaned against each other with their backs against the wall. The comfortable silence of the night created a private, intimate atmosphere, as if during that moment, the world belonged to them.
To Aki, the comforting silence let him recover from the throbbing pain he felt on his wrist while thinking about the final exam he just had, and what Emma told him. 'Prepare for what is to come'. He felt uneasy, not understanding what was being implied. His mind shifted to Ashido and Komori's panic attack, Yui and Setsuna's faces when they saw him, Ochako and Ibara's over-protectiveness... the way they reminded him of his paren- Aki immediately shook the thought away from his head, letting the pain occupy his mind instead of the memories.
To Himiko, it was one of the rare moments she could be away from... everything. The taunting, jeering inside her head. Her parents. Her classmates. Her Quirk. All of it... was gone. The only thing she was focusing on now was the shoulder she was leaning on with hers. The warm, comforting shoulder that helped and accepted her even when she attacked him. The way he cared for her even if it means he has to hurt himself... The feeling in her chest that was similar to the feeling of love she always felt, yet somehow very different... She didn't understand what it was, but she knew she didn't want this moment to end.
She didn't want to be away from him.
Just as Himiko was about to say what was on her mind, Aki's voice stopped her. "So, how are things with your social group?"
"My social- Oh, right!" Himiko realized, maybe a little too weird in her tone, but Aki was in too much pain to notice. "It's... going great. We have this big project coming up during summer, so I'm afraid you're going to miss out a little of your precious Himi-chan's time~!"
"Oh no, however shall I recover from such a tragedy!" This time, Aki dramatically gasped, earning a little giggle from Himiko. "But since we're on that topic, I'm going to be away for a little while, too."
Before Himiko could follow with any question, Aki quickly continued. "I'm going on a short vacation on I-Island and immediately after that, my school's having this summer camp-" He didn't notice Himiko's slightly flinched. "-that I'm not attending because, well, I kinda failed the final exam. So, remedial classes all the way, baby!"
Aki's fake excitement made Himiko busted out giggling, though the hero student chose to ignore the sigh of relief that came from the blondie next to him. Aki also smiled a little bit before looking up at the empty night sky above, an action which Himiko noticed and mimicked. Again, they continued to enjoy the silence of the night with each other for a while before Aki spoke softly.
"... You know you can always stay at my place, right? We have an extra room-"
"Not this again, Aki-kun." Himiko's groan interrupted him. "I told you, I'm fine! The social group gave me a room to stay and I-"
"Yeah, well, I'll keep bringing this up as long as you're still... in whatever situation this is." He cut her off. "Himiko-san, you're a runaway. I'm not asking you to tell me why, but I don't see any missing report being filed! Were your parents-"
"DON'T TALK ABOUT MY PARENTS!" Himiko shouted, her breath accelerated and turned rougher. "THEY DIDN'T GIVE A SHIT WHEN I WAS STAYING IN THEIR HOUSE, THEY SURE AREN'T NOW!
Aki, although didn't react much from the sudden screaming, winced slightly at the sight before finally releasing the breath he didn't know he was holding.
"... We should leave. This must have caught some attention. You got the blood bags?" Aki mumbled as he stood up.
Himiko only replied with a nod before she turned and walked towards the opposite direction from Aki.
"I'm sorry for bringing it up again, Himiko-san." Aki called out, making Himiko stop in the middle of her track. "But... just think about it, okay? I just want you to be safe."
Before Aki could turn and leave, Himiko quickly ran over and leaped in to hug him. Although surprised and quite frankly, a little uncomfortable at the sudden contact from another girl, Aki stayed still and let Himiko hugged him until she finally let go.
"... I'll see you after your remedial classes, Aki-kun."
"... I'll see you after your big project, Himiko-san."
"On a date?!"
"I'm seeing someone."
Himiko clicked her tongue.
"Summer festival?" Came Setsuna's voice through the phone.
"Yeah." Aki replied. "My aunt told me about the fireworks festival that is being held near the local shrine. And, well, I think it would be nice if we... could all go together. I'm texting Yui later."
There was no response from the other line for a little while and before Aki could voice his concern over the quietness, he heard the voice of the other party he was waiting to ask later. "Mm."
"Yui? Oh, right. You guys are having a sleepover. So, you'll go?"
"Mmm!"
"Great! What happened to Setsuna?"
"Mm."
"Why would she be squ- You know what, doesn't matter. Is she coming?"
"M- YES!" His other girlfriend's voice was heard from the distance.
"I'll see you guys later, then!" Aki yawned. "I need to sleep first."
"Mm?"
"I'm fine. Just couldn't sleep last night..."
"Mm~?"
"Y- Yes, hearing your voices helped. Love you! Bye!"
Aki quicky ended the call with a blushing face. He knew Yui was straightforward, but shameless flirting was more of Setsuna's thing, so occasionally, Yui still caught him off guard. More so since she's been spending time with Setsuna a lot lately.
Smiling, Aki slowly slipped into the realm of unconsciousness.
"And I don't suppose your negotiation conditions have changed?" Nezu spoke with his usual cheerful tone.
Whatever the reply Nezu received, it seemed the principal of U.A had already expected it, thus the smile was still clear and visible on his lips as he ended the call.
"... Still nothing?" A feminine voice that has been staying quiet, asked.
"Sadly, Madame President still refused to budge from her... conditions." Nezu laughed, although the other party couldn't find any humor in it.
"..."
"What's on your mind, Shiretoko-kun?"
"I- It's- I've been trying to rationalize this whole... situation and it still-" The other person, who is now identified as Shiretoko, spoke in a tired tone. "-it still doesn't make any sense!"
Nezu watched as Shiretoko ranted. "He wore the same face, same first name- Hell, he fights the same way!" The woman slapped the file she was holding with her free hand. "I mean- his last name was changed when Kaina took in! And- And his Quirk! If what is written in here is true, then maybe-!"
"Maybe Tsutsumi-kun came back?" Nezu finished, stopping Shiretoko. "As you have seen, Shiretoko-kun, Mochizuki-kun's Resurrection brings him back immediately after a fatal injury. Your theory is based on a 9-years gap."
"But you said we don't know anything about that Quirk-"
"And the fact that Mochizuki-kun has no idea who Usagiyama-kun is apart from her Hero's identity. He also only recognized me as U.A's Principal, not-"
Nezu stopped in the middle of his speech as he noticed the face of his ex-student. Letting out sigh, Nezu changed to a softer tone. "I know you missed him, Shiretoko-kun. We all do. But as long as you keep burying your feet in the past, you won't be able to move on."
"... Do the rabbit and the dragon-" The emerald-hair heroine asked.
"Usagiyama-kun and Tatsuma-kun have their doubts." Nezu confirmed. "But as soon as the Sport Festival ended, I made sure all of you wouldn't do anything rash."
"Sure didn't stop them from sending out those internship requests..."
Nezu laughed. "I'm afraid even I can't stop those two when they're determined! It's already hard enough as is when Sosaki-kun kept pestering me for answers with her telepathy after the festival!"
Shiretoko snorted. "Wait 'till Kaina-san hear about this whole thing."
"Not unless I wish for Tartarus to enhance their security again! The 'Centipede Incident' has proven too much for the guards too handle!"
"Yeah, that was a hard day..." Shiretoko mumbled as she sipped the tea. The young Heroine stayed quiet as Nezu continued working on the paperwork while she continued read through the file on her hand, for the 10th times since she got it.
"So, can I trust the Wild, Wild Pussycats to be professional around my students?" Nezu spoke, not looking up from the paperwork on his table.
"Wha- Oh!" Shiretoko looked up, replacing the frown on her face with her usual bright smile. "No worries, Sensei! We've come to lend a paw and help!"
Nezu smiled and nodded proudly. "I have faith in you, Ragdoll."
"Got your wallet? Your phone? Your keys?"
"Ye-"
"You know the way there? Do you want me to drive you instead? Do you need me to make some calls? I think the shrine owner owes me some favors-" Tomoe
"Everything will be fine, Tomoe-san. Calm down." Aki clapped his hands together to get his aunt's attention. "You sure you don't want to come with? The girls would love to meet you."
"Nah~, you kids deserve some alone time after your exam!" Tomoe skipped over and hugged Aki. "Besides, someone's got to stay and watch over the house!"
"Yeah, that's what I'm worried about..." Aki quietly mumbled as he put the fire department's number on speed dial. "All set! I gotta go now! Love you! Remember to pack for your Europe trip."
"Love you, too! Ooh, tell Ochako-chan to come over! I'm cooking dinne-"
"Ochako-san, do you mind coming over to cook and eat with my aunt?! Please?!" Aki yelled on his way out of the apartment.
Tapping on his phone, Aki waited among the constantly moving crowd. The excitement amongst the people was noticeable. The yukata, groups of friends, families handholding; everybody was having fun.
As Aki was doing his people-watching a voice he's been waiting for called out to him.
"Mochi-kun!"
Aki turned towards the voice and opened his mouth to greet his girlfriends, but the sight left his mouth hanging open. Setsuna's messy, seaweed-like dark green hair was properly tied up into a ponytail, with her bang styled neatly to the sides. She wore a forest green yukata with leaves pattern that went well with her hair, along with the sharp, toothy smile on her face the moment she saw Aki's reaction.
As for Yui, her hair along with her expression was as always, neutral. But her violet yukata with flowers pattern brought the atmosphere of a mature Japanese woman, which made her stood out amongst the crowd. Especially the moment she saw Aki's mouth hanging open, a small smile appeared on her lips.
"Look at that, Yui~." Setsuna cheekily said. "It appears our ready time was worth it, after all!"
"Mm." Yui nodded, satisfied with what she was seeing.
Shook his head out of his trance, Aki tried to speak, but the only thing his mouth could come up with were incomprehensible blabbers.
"You, uh, you guys, uh, are, uh, you guys are, uh-"
Yui eventually had to pinch Aki's cheek to calm him down.
"You guys are very beautiful. Those yukatas suit you beautifully." Aki complimented.
Grinning happily, Setsuna tiptoed and kissed Aki on his cheek. Yui, although remaining neutral, pulled Aki's collar down to her level and kissed him on the other one. To reply, Aki also leaned down and kissed his girlfriends on their cheeks. Eventually, the three of them finally joined the crowd for the festival while crossing arms, with Aki in the middle.
"I'm staying away from the candy stalls." Kinoko groaned. "That was too mush sweetness!"
"You are to cease those terrible puns, or else I shall leave you to your lonesome on this celebration of oversize firecrackers." Reiko replied, making the mushroom girl pout.
"Reiko, be nice." Itsuka reprimanded. "Kinoko, maybe hold back on the puns a little bit."
"... Very well. I shall compromise if those are the terms."
At the side, Ibara didn't join in. Instead, her eyes were following the trio in front of them. She mindlessly chewed on the cotton candy she had bought. They looked... happy together. Despite it being a relationship with three people, neither of them looked forced, or jealous. She saw Aki physically hold Yui back from devouring the whole Tomato stall by hugging her while Setsuna just stood at the side, holding her stomach from laughing too hard. She then saw Aki help Setsuna haggle with some children for a Godzillo mask while Yui was paying for her Mt. Lady and Aki's Edgeshot mask. Then, she witnessed Setsuna and Yui snapping pictures of Aki giving a crying kid a toy he won at the shooting stall. Finally, she saw all three of them posing for a picture with the festival's mascot.
Never once did she see them unhappy.
She didn't like the ugly feeling that was slowly rising in her chest.
"Ibara, you mush help me get this plushie!" She snapped out of her thought when she felt Kinoko grabbed her hand and pulled her to where Reiko and Itsuka were.
"Do you perhaps know why is it that Pony couldn't join us on this celebration?" Shaking her head away from the thought, Ibara asked the girls that were around.
"Monoma invited her over for dinner with his family." Itsuka answered while her focus was still on cutting the candy shape.
"I imagine she did not show any hesitation on accepting the offer?" Reiko inquired as she sped up on cutting the candy.
"She was quite excited- Stop trying to distract me!" Itsuka yelled out while Reiko just whistled.
"Guys, we are a team!" Kinoko stopped them. "Put a cap on it!"
Watching the interaction, Ibara couldn't help but giggled.
"Tetsutetsu, do it gently!" Yosetsu yelled, watching from the side.
"But quickly." Sen put in his two-cent. "Otherwise, you're going to tear it!"
"... Are we still catching goldfish?" Kosei tilted his head, confused by his classmates phrasing.
"YES!" "YES!" "SHUT UP!" The other three yelled.
"Why are you guys so determined to win this?" Kosei asked. "The money we spent on this could have bought each of us two goldfishes!"
"It's not about the money, Tsuburaba!" Tetsutetsu glared at him. "It's about proving that we, will not lose, to this child's game!"
A chorus of 'Yeah!' were heard from the other two.
"God, I miss Kendou and Mochizuki..." Kosei mumbled.
"Honenuki-dono, are you certain this is the correct equation?" Jurota adjusted his glasses. "If I remember correctly, this was supposed to be longer."
"It is." Juzo agreed, but then he pushed his note towards Jurota. "But Vice Prez showed me this one. It's a little confusing at first glance but if you take out this and this," He pointed at the crosses, "You will always get the result. Those only make things easier if you do the calculation by hand. With a calculator, it's just unnecessary."
Nodded in understanding, Jurota quickly jotted down what Juzo told him. Behind them, in another booth, Nirengeki and Manga were watching anime together while enjoying the food they ordered. While Maga was noting down idea for his Quirk and self-made manga (a secret he'll bring to the graves), Nirengeki was just simply enjoying the anime. It was a rare opportunity. Thanks to the Fireworks Festival, the family restaurant they were in wasn't crowded, so they were allowed to stay.
"Come on, Jack Mantis~" Shihai taunted as jumped between shadows. "You've gotta be faster than that if you wanna hit me~!"
"Screw you, Edgelord!" Togaru shouted, swinging his blade where Shihai was before the Black User disappeared. Groaning in frustration, Togaru swung his blade at Hiryu, who blocked it with his scaled arm. "Dragonland, your scales are getting soft! Buckle up!"
"Come on, man!" Hiryu groaned as he focused on hardening his scale. "It's the holiday! I wanna go see the fireworks..."
"Do you want to get stronger?!"
"Well, yes-"
"Then focus on hardening those fucking scales!" Togaru yelled. "At this rate, none of us are catching up to the Ninja!"
"You know, you could have just asked him for a fight, right?" Shihai rose from the shadows. "Pretty sure Mochizuki wouldn't mind spending some time away from his girlfriends to kick your ass~."
Togaru only replied by swinging his blade at where Shihai was.
"And I'm pretty sure they'll have you guys focusing on improving your Quirks." Neito pointed out as he put on his shoes.
"B- But that's exactly why you should come, Neito! You and Aki!" Pony tried again. "You understand Quirks better than any of us, and- and it's not like you guys didn't pass."
"I passed because Mochizuki-kun did most of the heavy lifting." Neito smiled sadly. "Meanwhile, I could barely get one hit it before Dogen-sensei knocked me out and ki-"
Neito stopped and took a deep breath in, a sight which pained Pony. "I know he's fine but it... It was my fault, Pony! He got stabbed through his neck, and I- I could only watched-!"
"Hey, hey," Pony grabbed Neito's hands, "I'm sorry I brought it up, Neito. I was just worried."
"... Yeah, I know." Neito nodded. "Sorry for getting so... emotional."
"Don't be." Pony shook her head, before an idea popped inside her head and a smile appeared. "Hey, I know how to cheer you up!"
Pony pulled out her phone and typed dangerously fast.
"Should we be worried when we meet your aunt?" Setsuna asked.
"She told me she knew the shrine owner..." Aki mumbled. "I didn't know she saved his life... and his family."
"Yeah, well, I'm pretty sure if you ask for the shrine itself, the man would've handed you the papers to sign..."
They looked around the spot that the shrine owner reserved for them. When Tomoe texted Aki about the spot she reserved for him, Aki imagined it to be a small spot for the three of them to squeeze together and enjoyed the fireworks with the crowd...
None of them were expecting a private space by the lake, with fabric sheets and drinks prepared for them along with a clear view of the fireworks.
"But man, this spot is huge for the three of us!" Setsuna looked around as she sat down. "I mean, we could fit the whole of 1-B here comfortably!"
"Now that you mentioned it," Aki mimicked the action and looked around, "Maybe I should talk with Itsuka-san and organized a class outing. Maybe after you guys came back from the Summer Camp, yeah. We- we could invite 1-A and a friend of mine-"
"Mochi-kun, honey." Setsuna pinched his cheek. "Leave the future for future Aki, okay?"
"Hm?" Yui, who was hugging Aki's arm in silence the whole time, tilted her head.
"Couldn't hurt to take that remedial class, right?"
"Nah, it sucks." Setsuna grinned, before she stood up. "I'm going to get us some snacks. You want anything, Yui?"
"Mm!"
"Right..." Setsuna chuckled. "Don't know why I asked."
"You didn't ask me." Aki pointed at himself.
"Yakisoba?"
"... Touché, dino nuggets." Aki squinted his eyes at Setsuna, who just rolled hers and left.
Yui continued hugging Aki's arm while the owner of said arm leaned his head onto hers. The two stayed in the cuddle position comfortably for a while, before Aki broke the silence by speaking softly.
"... I'm sorry."
Before Yui could voice any concerns, Aki explained. "The Final Exam. I... I kept worrying you guys by doing all this... reckless things. I... I spent a lot of time doing all this, not worrying about anything because I thought it doesn't affect anyone. And- And now, I have you, Setsuna and everyone-" He stuttered, something Yui hasn't seen for a while. "-and I saw your faces after that exam and I just... I just don't want you guys to feel that way again. Ever."
He continued. "I can't stay completely away from danger, and neither can you guys, since that is the nature of our work. But I... I won't use my Quirk as an excuse to go and... hurt myself. Unless necessary, that is."
"... Is that a promise?" Yui asked. Firmly.
"... Pinky promise. My Quirk will only be my last resort. Because I have you guys now."
With his free hand, Aki showed his pinky finger. Without a second to lose, Yui grabbed it with her own pinky before she turned around, wearing an emotional expression as she looked into Aki's eyes.
"... We really should do with Setsuna around."
Aki chuckled, pointing at the dismembered ear on his left side. "I'm pretty sure she's speeding back here. Or this is an important piece of evidence of a crime scene."
Yui chuckled, before she fell back into Aki's lap, still locking eyes with him.
"I love you." She whispered.
"I love you, too." He whispered back, before an idea popped into his head. "Yui, could you... close your eyes for a moment?"
Yui raised her eyebrow curiously, before complying with Aki's request. She closed her eyes and waited. She kept her eyes closed, but nothing happened. Getting impatient, Yui opened her eyes-
-And felt Aki's lips crash into hers.
"Urgh, that crowd was unbelievable, I mean-" Itsuka threw her hands in the air in exasperation. "-The only crowd I could even compared this to, was the Sport Festival!"
"It appears we have underestimated the interest people have on this celebration..." Reiko groaned, tired from escaping the crowd of people.
"That was an undershiitakement..." Kinoko leaned onto Ibara for support.
"I may know a spot, but I am not certain we are permitted to enter..." Ibara suggested.
"That's our only choice left. Might as well check it out." Itsuka stood up, dragging a half-dead Reiko with her.
Before Reiko could voice her protest, a figure quickly sped by them.
"Was that... Setsuna-san?" Ibara squinted her eyes, trying to get a clearer look at the figure that was slowly getting further and further away.
Before anyone could answer, they heard another familiar voice call out to them.
"Kendou! Shiozaki!"
Itsuka and Ibara turned around, finding Tetsutetsu, Yosetsu, Sen and Kosei running towards them along with Pony and Neito following them behind, carrying food bags.
"Wha- What are you guys- More importantly, was that Setsuna?"
"Yeah." Neito ran up to Itsuka, trying to catch his breath. "We saw her standing still, before she dropped these bags-" He gestured towards the bags in his hands. "-and booked it. Pony and I tried to catch up, and that's where we found these guys."
"We were about to go home, since we couldn't find a spot for the fireworks." Sen explained. "Then, we saw Tokage passed by before these two ran by us, so we followed."
"I've never seen her run that fast! Even in training!" Kosei complained, gasping for breath. "Something serious must've happened!"
With a quick look of understanding, Itsuka commanded. "Pony, you're our fastest runner. Go after her." Pony nodded, before dashing towards Setsuna's last seen location. Itsuka then looked towards Neito, Kinoko and Reiko. "Yui and Aki were with her. You three know them best. Find us a possible location." They nodded before pulling up their phones, pinging Aki's cell and cross-matching location.
"The rest of us, we look around. See if there's anything going on but pay attention for any updates!" The rest nodded before scattering.
After moving his lips away from Yui's, Aki waited for any reaction from his girlfriend because as of now, the black hair beauty only reaction was widening eyes. As seconds went by, he became more and more worried. Was it bad? Did she not like the kiss? …. Did she even want to be kissed? Did he-
The spiraling thoughts stopped as Aki felt a set of lips crash into his. Yui wrapped her arms around Aki's neck, holding him into the kiss. After realizing what had happened, Aki hugged Yui around her waist, closing his eyes and enjoying the moment.
The couple stayed in the moment for a whole minute before a loud voice snapped them out of it.
"JERKS!"
Lips still locking, they glanced towards the direction of the voice and found their other girlfriend was sprinting towards them with the most bloodthirsty eyes they'd ever seen.
"WHY. THE. HELL?!" Aki and Yui pulled away from each other as Setsuna got closer. "ARE. YOU. HAVING. A. MOMENT. WITHOUT. ME?!"
"I- I- I- I- I- It just happene-"
"While I was busting my ass through that crowd to get you-" She pointed at Yui, who looked away and whistled. "-your blood tomatoes and yakisoba, you guys made a promise and kissed?!"
"Setsuna-"
"Had I not left my damn ear, you guys would just continue to make out until, what, the fireworks started? Can't you just wait-"
"I love you."
"I love you."
Aki and Yui spoke simultaneously, stopping Setsuna during her rant. The Lizard user looked at her boyfriend and girlfriend like they just grew another head. Setsuna and Aki gauged her reaction carefully as they whispered to each other.
'What are the chances of her biting our noses off?' Aki whispered to Yui, who showed six fingers. At which Aki just shrugged and turned back to Setsuna.
And both him and Yui got tackled by Setsuna.
"So that's what the ruckus is about..."
Yosetsu slapped his face with his hand, letting out the breath he didn't know he was holding. An action many of the present members mimicked after the panic search ended.
The ones who weren't relief at the sight of Setsuna tackling Aki and Yui were... handful. Reiko, Pony, Neito and Kinoko were recording the scene with their utmost focus. Reiko and Neito's sinister grins were concerning, but Pony and Kinoko's wholesome smiles were balancing out the atmosphere so nothing to be worried about. Itsuka was peeking through her fingers, which were busy not doing a good job covering her eyes.
"... This is the emergency you called us over?" Nirengeki pointed at the sugar-filled scene while Manga jotted the idea down with the speed of God.
"Anything that got me away from this-" Hiryu pointed at Togaru, who sneered in response. "-slave driver is good enough for me."
"... Is Kodai picking up the Vice's rizz or is it the other way around?" Kosei wondered, not forgetting to cover his nape that would likely get slapped by the class's priestess. But, to 1-B's surprise, Ibara was just... staring blankly at the scene. As a matter of fact, her eyes were so... empty that it sent a shiver down everyone's spine.
"I- Ibara?" Itsuka braved herself and asked.
"Eh- Eh, oh, Itsuka-san." Ibara quickly snapped out of whatever thought she was lost in and turned towards Itsuka. "Apologize, I seem to be distracted for a moment there. How can I help?"
"Are you... okay?" Itsuka put her hand on Ibara's shoulder.
"Absolutely!" Ibara smiled. A smile that everyone thought was too forced. "Why do you ask?"
No one had the heart to answer her.
"Pinky promise?" Setsuna whispered softly, raising her pinky.
"Pinky promise." Aki laughed, connecting his with hers.
Not letting go, Aki pulled Setsuna into a kiss. The lizard girl closed her eyes and enjoyed the sweet feelings on her lips. They stayed for a few seconds before Setsuna pulled away, with blushes visible on her cheeks.
Chuckling slightly at sudden change in character, Aki softly spoke. "I think it's Yui's turn now. I don't think she could wait any further."
Immediately, Yui grabbed Setsuna's cheeks and pulled the girl into another. While watching Aki heard some noises coming from the forest behind them. Curious, Aki walked over to check.
"... Your horns are out, Pony-san."
"Uh... 日本号和わかりません！" She replied, not showing her face from the bush.
"I can speak English, Pony. I taught you Kanji."
"Uh... me no understand, English!"
Letting out a tired sigh, Aki scanned the area once more.
"Kuroiro, stop hiding in my shadow. Ibara-san, your vines don't turn you into a tree. Kinoko-san, you mush understand that you can't turn into a mushroom by standing still."
"Lies and libels!" The Mushroom User jumped out. "You'll hear from my lawyers!"
"Are they mushrooms too?"
Kinoko only pouted in response as the rest of her accomplices got out of their hiding spots.
"Didn't expect to find everyone here." Aki whistled as he looked around, silently head counting everyone he was seeing.
"We saw Tokage and followed her over-" Neito pointed Itsuka and Yosetsu's groups. "-with these guys."
"We were called here to help by Reiko-dono since we were in the area." Jurota raised his hand.
"Same over here." Shihai raised his hand.
Nodded, Aki looked over to Yui and Setsuna, who were looking in his direction, and looked back to the rest of his classmates.
"Well, since you're all here, wanna join us to watch the fireworks? This much space is too big for the three of us, anyway."
While everyone seemed delighted with the idea (especially Pony, judging on the way she was jumping around Neito), Ibara interjected. "We- We wouldn't want to intrude on your private time, Aki-kun..."
"I'm asking, ain't I?" He grabbed Ibara's hand and pulled her gently to where Yui and Setsuna were. "You guys, too! Come on!"
As Aki and Pony were dragging a red-faced Ibara and a surprise-faced Neito respectively, the rest of the class followed them behind, chatting amongst one another.
"We kissed for less than a minute and you brought back 17 people." Setsuna widened her eyes, waving at the rest of her classmates who waved back sheepishly. "You really are something else, Mochi-kun~."
"Roasting your own preference in men?" Aki approached to kiss Setsuna and Yui after letting go of Ibara's hand, a gesture that made the vine girl's face turn solemn, before it quickly reverted.
"That was a compliment~~~!"
"For Christ's sake, get a room!" Kosei clicked his tongue irritatingly.
This time, Ibara swiftly bind Kosei in her vine trap with a blush red face, not forgetting to chastise him for using God's name. Aki did not fare any better since his face went supernova, especially so when Yui and Setsuna went double-down on the teasing. Yui's 'teasing' was debatable, though. Reiko was sure the stoic girl was dead serious.
"Here I thought our Vice Prez was getting more confident." Juzo chuckled, watching the scene.
"Baby steps." Sen shrugged.
"He's already got two cute girls while being a social mess!" Yosetsu pointed. "Any more than this, we're going to graduate single!"
"..." Shihai kept quiet, eyes lingered towards a certain classmate of his.
"Afraid not, Kuroiro-dono." Jurota put a hand on the suddenly quiet boy's shoulder. "Komori-dono is just good friend with them!"
"I- I- I- I- don't know what you're talking about there, apocalypse beast..."
"If anything, you should be more worried about-"
Their eyes darted over Reiko, who was pulling Yui apart from Aki, ignorant of Kinoko looking at her with a joyful expression, blushing slightly.
"-that." Jurota pushed up his glasses, not forgetting to encourage Shihai by a couple pats on the back, something that was very much needed.
"Who the fu- fish took the last chicken wing?!" Togaru screamed, looking around for the culprit.
"We have chicken wings?!" Tetsutetsu turned to Togaru, who ignored him and focused on finding his future victim.
"Printer! Did you take it?!" Togaru glared at a smirking Neito.
"Indeed! It was me, Kamakiri!" A shit-eating grin appeared on Neito's face. "I took the last chicken wing! Now, you'll have to go and buy another bucket!"
"Not if I dig that goddamn wing out of your stomach!"
"Hey! Hey!" Itsuka, seeing the escalating situation, jumped in. "There will be no maiming each other... today. Settle your feud at the Summer Camp!"
"The Printer's not going!" Togaru growled.
"Then go buy another bucket! You are not killing anyone next to a shrine!" Itsuka ended it. Togaru clicked his tongue and walked away.
"It was no doubt that I will emerge victorious-" Itsuka chopped Neito's neck, stopping him from performing a petty speech. The 1-B's big sister let out an exhausted sigh, before turning around and finding Aki walking towards her.
"Rough day?" Her Vice President asked, handing her a popsicle.
"I thought it wouldn't be." Itsuka accepted the popsicle, eyes darting over Pony putting an ice pack on Neito's neck. "Monoma here sure didn't let me slack off."
"You know he was just being dramatic." Aki chuckled dryly.
"Great, 'cause you'll be the one dealing with him while yours only-" Itsuka grinned. "-is away for her Summer Camp."
"... Actually, can I come with?"
"Aww, can't be away from me, can you~?" Itsuka grin turned cheekier.
Aki, feeling challenged, walked closer to Itsuka and stared straight into her eyes while his lips turned into a smirk. "Well, how could I~?" He tried his best to channel his best impression of Himiko and Setsuna combined. "Being away from you... how could I imagine a- gasddibwiugqewew!"
Aki felt his head being grabbed and squeezed. Hard.
"You spent way too much time with Setsuna!" Itsuka reprimanded him, although her tone was dead serious.
Aki tapped Itsuka's embiggened hand repeatedly to signal surrender, but the red head did not lose her grip, focusing on her speech instead of the vigorous thumping she was feeling in her chest. After she was satisfied, Itsuka released Aki.
"You play flirt first and squeezed my head when I do it? How is that 'fair'?" Aki grumbled, shaking his head off the pain.
"... Just because." Itsuka stuck out her tongue.
"... Double standards." Aki whispered.
"What was that?"
"Nothing." Aki finally stood up. "Actually, I want to talk to you about something."
Itsuka raised her eyebrow, and Aki took that as a sign to continue. "I, uh, I made a promise with Yui and Setsuna about not being too reliant on my Quirk a-and be more careful with myself." He took a deep breath, before continuing. "It's a little hard to share with everyone but at the very least, I want to tell you."
"... Why me?"
"... Just because." He grinned. Before Aki could react, Itsuka jumped over and pulled him into a hug. Strangled, more like, but Aki kept that opinion to himself and let Itsuka continue squeezing the life out of him.
This time, she let go when Aki finally tapped her back.
"Mm?" Yui tilted her head.
"What is it, Yui-san?" Ibara asked, taken aback slightly by the stoic girl's sudden action.
"She's worried about you." Setsuna translated. "And frankly, we do too."
"W- We?" Ibara stuttered.
"Mochi-kun." Setsuna elaborated. "You've been acting weird ever since the Final Exam-"
"A-A-A-A-Aki-kun noticed?!" Ibara went into full panic mode.
"Well, duh." Setsuna's eyebrows creased. "He's dense about other feelings towards him, not a total rock. He didn't say anything 'cause he thought he was the one who upset you. Come on, you were oddly quiet at the sleepover, too! You can talk to us!"
"Mm-" Yui nodded, before a look of realization(?) dawned on her face. "Mmm~!"
"It is most certainly not Aki-kun's fault!" Ibara tried to ignore Yui, who raised her eyebrow. "It's-…. It's not..."
"... But it is related to him?" Setsuna caught on.
"... Ye-"
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Before Ibara could share, they all turned at a scream rang through the field.
"What's going on?!" Itsuka and Aki came running, before turning towards the commotion. Immediately, at the sight of Aki, Hiryu ran and hid behind the confused Shinobi.
"Tell him to stop, Mochizuki!"
"Rin? What-"
Before Aki could finish his question, a mushroomified Tetsutetsu walked out of the wood, looking around for his target. Anyone he approached took a step back from the horrifying appearances of the silver hair boy. His steeled-up skin was covered in different types of mushrooms. They spreaded all over his body, from legs to his head. Even his sticked out tongue has mushroom grown on it.
"Come, Hiryu~!" Tetsutetsu fakes groaned like a zombie. "Joinnnnn ussssss. It'ssss warm here."
A yelp came out of the braided hair boy as he hid further behind Aki's back. Even Itsuka was slowly moving behind Aki. The human shield himself was trying too hard to keep a neutral face instead of rolling on the ground laughing.
"Where's-" He snorted, suppressing his giggle. "Actually, why?"
"Komori sneezed." Tetsutetsu shrugged, at which Aki shrugged in understanding, before asking.
"So, where's Komori?"
Tetsutetsu pointed into the woods. Then, a human-shaped toadstool came out, took a which scan around before limping towards Aki, followed by another mushroom zombie.
"Aki-kun~!" The red toadstool, who Aki guessed was the culprit. "Reiko is being mean~!"
"I most certainly was not." The other mushroomified zombie, who was now identified as Reiko, grumbled.
"... Do I even want to know?" Aki squatted down, locking eyes with Kinoko and Reiko.
"We were discussing the Summer Camp, right? Like what to expect, what to prepare, who's going to train us and all that-" Kinoko explained, before she was cut off by Reiko.
"The discussion was heading towards a smooth road. Then, emerge from the darkness, this one pulled out another one of her... abhorrent wordplays-"
"They were good puns!" Kinoko argued.
"They were absolutely not, something you are allowed to refer as 'good puns'." Reiko blankly stated.
"Okay, okay, I got the gist now." Aki rubbed his eyes. "But why the second season of 'The Walking Mushroom'?"
"See, now that-" Reiko pointed at Aki. "-was a good usage of jest."
"'Second season'?" From behind, Itsuka asked.
"It's a long story." Aki said, shrugging his shoulders. "Just know that a second year is pissed, and a third year is afraid of us now."
"Why-" Itsuka was about to ask, before she raised her hands in defeat. "You know what, continue."
Kinoko nodded. "And this one-" She pointed at Reiko. "-use her Quirk and threw tree branches at me!"
"Reiko!" Aki turned, flabbergasted by Reiko's action.
"... She had it coming." The Poltergeist User mumbled, not daring to meet Aki's eyes.
"Even so," Aki ignored the offense noise that came out of Kinoko, "You can't just throw tree branches at someone!"
Clicking her tongue, Reiko turned to Kinoko and bowed. "I apologize, Kinoko-san, for acting rashly towards your... amazing puns."
Kinoko slightly pouted, before she smiled brightly and nodded. "Seems like I have no choice but to forgive you!" She turned towards Tetsutetsu. "The mushroom will disappear in 15 minutes!"
Tetsutetsu flashed a thumbs-up before he returned to chasing Sen. Before anything else could start, again, the class heard loud explosions beyond the lake. Fireworks in all shapes and colors were fired on the sky, along with people's cheering as they exploded. The whole class ceased what they were doing and paid attention to the sky that was being brightened by beautiful explosions. Letting out an exhausted sigh, Aki dropped down to the ground, eyes moving towards the lake.
"... I guess summer has officially started."
"Hahaha! I must go now, but I'll see you in two days, Melissa!" All Might laughed.
"Yep!" Melissa smiled. "I also need to prepare to surprise someone tomorrow!"
"Hoh? May I ask who the lucky person is?" All MIght grinned at his niece through the screen.
"It's actually one of your students." Melissa didn't pick up on the teasing and kept her innocent smile. "Mochizuki Aki. Are you familiar with him?"
"Young Mochizuki?" This time, it was All Might who was surprised. "He's a student of class 1-B. How do you know about him?"
"A friend of his intern with Papa. We talked and she told me he is coming to I-Island! So, I'm coming to airport to amb- meet him tomorrow!"
"I- I see!" All Might nervously laughed. "Well, you kids have fun all right!"
Melissa nodded.
"But not too much fun-" All Might wasn't able to finish, as his niece cut the feed. Letting out a sigh, All Might deflated, coughing out some blood before mumbling.
"Young Midoriya must have it rough."
A/N: 7.5k words... My eyes are falling out of their sockets.
Anyways, I finally have a chance to make those 1-B's tags valid, so what's a few hours of sleep, am I right?
Usually, the interval is 2 months/chapter for each fic, but I'm... running out of ideas how to end the Slenderman Arc on the other one. I planned Sero Hanta and Blair Witch for the next arc of the other fic, but can't when I'm stuck, so... that'll have to wait!
Next chapter might take a while though, since I'm trying to squeeze the whole of I-Island into 1 chapter, like a movie. So expect it in like... idk, months?
I also have a new fic idea, but I don't wanna be overwhelmed so tell me if you want it, alright? Quirk-Zombie Apocalypse, btw. Maybe I'll drop 1 chapter and see how well received it is.