Time passes swiftly when preparing for UA. The four begin their true journey through training, learning more about each other and themselves as they go. Ochako muses on the fact she's a disaster bisexual. Himiko is reminded that she's not alone anymore. And Izuku takes a nap.

Three Months

Ochako gasped as she slammed her back into the barrier behind her. She rubbed at her eyes, hoping to clear up some vision from the smoke clouding them. Though she knew it an exercise in futility, she tried to listen in for sounds of another attack, but the distant sounds of shouts, screams, and the burning of flames kept her from being able to make anything out. Another muffled boom sounded nearby, sending sand spraying into the air as a static sounding buzz came out in reply.

She swiped at her brow, trying to brush off some of the dirt and sweat, but only succeeded at spreading it further. Inwardly, she cursed as she'd lost track of one of them. While she knew where the other two were, the most dangerous of them all was still on the loose and hunting. She carefully looked to her left, her right, and up just in case, as three of them could fight in three dimensions.

"Tag, you're it!" a cheerful voice shouted as she felt a slap on her rear end, making her jump and yelp loudly. She glared at the smirking blonde, the wide fanged grin showing as Himiko giggled, before dashing off madly towards the sounds of Katsuki exploding the sand near Izuku as the two boys tried to keep track of who was it and who wasn't.

"Quirk tag is more competitive than I thought it'd be," Ochako muttered to herself. Taking a moment to catch her breath, she clenched her fists tightly and tapped herself to lower her gravity. With a powerful leap, she jumped over the pile of trash behind her and shouting as she went, using the top of the pile to swing around and launch herself towards the trio that were now throwing sand and trash at each other to keep the other back.

Four Months

"'Chakooooooooo," Himiko whined, flopped across the couch at the Bakugo residence. Ochako arched an eyebrow at the blonde, comfortably curled up on the armchair with a book in hand. "'Ckako I'm bored, entertain me!" the blonde commanded.

"We're studying, Himi. We have to pass the written tests too, you know."

"We've been at it for four hours! The boys already fucked off to do other shit, why can't we?"

"They're cooking dinner, Himiko. That's not 'fucking off to do other shit', that's important. Very important, because I'm hungry."

"Hi hungry, I'm Izuku," came the shouted dad joke from the kitchen, the annoyed groan from Katsuki echoing out a moment later. A loud smack was heard, followed by Izuku cursing and Katsuki guffawing in turn. A second later another smack was heard, the reversed sounds coming out from the kitchen in return.

"Don't make me come in there!" Ochako raised her voice, unable to keep the smile out of her tone at the now familiar sound of the two boys fighting over something or other.

"Yes ma'am!" Izuku shouted back.

"God you're so fucking whipped Zu," Katsuki remarked, the eye-rolling audible from the living room.

Ochako's cheeks pinked a little, but she was mostly immune to the various teasing Himiko and lately Katsuki had been throwing towards her and Izuku. Not that she was ignoring it, she knew there was a very good reason the two had been so pushy and she knew it was ridiculously obvious, but she wasn't about to actually say anything. Not yet. Like she told Himiko, she wanted to get into UA first, anything else had to wait.

But damn were those two making it difficult. Izuku had taken to wearing even tighter clothing since their training had kicked up, compression shirts especially because he mentioned it helped with his chronic pain (not that he'd explained what exactly that pain was, but she was patient. She knew he'd open up eventually), and it was very noticeable what the training was doing to his musculature.

Himiko hadn't slouched either, her already toned form becoming tight like a dancer or a swimmer, an athlete known for their speed and agility. And it was hard not to notice when they lived and changed together! Sometimes she cursed being a bisexual disaster, at the same time thanking the gods she was because she was surrounded by eye candy and both loved and loathed it at once.

Annoyingly, while she knew she'd gained her own fair share of muscle and she was just as capable as the others, there was still that small layer of fat that stubbornly refused to leave. Toshinori did keep reminding her that that was, in fact, healthier in the long run for her. Being so visibly toned your abs were well defined was a sign of dehydration for most people. Izuku only got a pass because his Quirk caused his body to handle body fat differently than most people.

Not that she was unhappy with where she was. Though the training was brutal and painful, there was something to be said for being able to see and feel the results as she went. She could run farther, lift more, and her Quirk was developing along with her body. She could see the results and it felt great. But it was so very very very tough to deal with how clingy Himiko was at all times, and when she trained against Izuku and was pressed up against him because she had him grappled or he had her in a hold…yeah, the stuff dreams were made of.

Physical attraction wasn't her issue though. It wasn't like she hadn't seen hot people before. It was how nice Izuku was, how smart he was without making her feel stupid. He was often quiet, almost shy, yet when he spoke to Katsuki he became far more confident, more teasing, more able to stand up for himself and she hated how much she loved seeing that side of him. A side that he was showing more and more about her and Himiko, the girl she already knew she had feelings for.

Himiko made no secret of how she felt about Ochako, even if she hadn't said the words exactly. She'd blossomed so much ever since she got her new dad, and now she was seldom afraid to just be herself. Ochako loved that about her, how much she teased, how funny she could be, how confident she was in who she was when she was around people she trusted. But that was confusing, having feelings for two different people, even knowing at least one of them shared her view.

Izuku was much harder to read, he was so practiced at keeping his true feelings hidden that it was very difficult for her to figure out what he thought about the two of them, if his blushing was just his unfamiliarity with how forward Himiko (and sometimes herself…what, it was cute how flustered he'd get!), or if he had some feelings in return. It was…frustrating, but she was waiting anyway so she'd have to see what happened after the exam. Who knew what the future would hold for the four of them?

"Whatcha thinkin' about, 'Chako?" the questioning voice of Himiko broke her out of her musings.

"Huh? Oh…nothing important," she waved Himiko off with a soft smile. Any further conversation was interrupted by Katuski, yelling at them to get their asses into the dining room because dinner was ready. She set her book down and stood up, stretching slightly as she wandered into the kitchen with Himiko, ready for another day in her new normal.

Five Months

"Ouch," Izuku muttered, holding one hand up to his temple. The three teens and their mentor turned to look at him worriedly.

"What's wrong?" Toshinori asked.

"It's nothing. I've just been getting annoying headaches recently," Izuku said dismissively.

"Headaches? Perhaps I'm working you four too hard, hmm."

"No, no, it's not that! This is normal for me, they think I have a sinus issue or something," Izuku quickly spoke.

"Yeah, nerd's been having headaches and eye strain since we were little. Never could nail down what actually caused it. Fucking annoying."

"Hmm, very well, if you're sure. But if this is making it worse, be sure to speak up. I want you to stay in tip top shape after all!"

"How much more we got?" Himiko groaned, slumped.

"Maybe another month or two?" Izuku offered.

"You're doing great, kids! I'm impressed! We're nearing the home stretch for this beach, so don't you be discouraged now!" Toshinori exhorted, smiling widely at the teens while he stood there, hands on his hips.

"Feels like we've been doing this forever," Himiko grumbled, but her tone lacked any bite to it.

"I know, I know. But that's part and parcel of being a good hero, training! And you're doing excellent at it! You're also coming along very well with your Quirks, Mirai's training is certainly leaving its mark. I have high hopes for all of you when it comes to the entrance exam."

"Yeah well, I was gonna be number one either way, but won't say no to some more training to assure my victory," Katsuki said.

"Sometimes I wonder why I put up with you," Izuku deadpanned in response to Katsuki's arrogance.

"'Cause no one else would put up with you for eighteen years," Katsuki shot back. As the two boys began bickering again, the other three simply tuned them both out, well used to their somewhat weird antagonistic relationship.

"So what happens after we finish this beach up anyways? I know you're gonna give Izu the Quirk, but what else will we do for the last couple months before the exam?" Ochako asked.

"Well, we don't have any more convenient beaches to clean, so we'll be moving to a slightly more structured form of training comparatively. Once you're in the right shape, it's much easier to keep it so long as you keep up with proper diet and exercise. We'll have to adjust your diet once more, and you'll start doing more things like distance runs and weight lifting, but I believe we'll focus further on your Quirk's. Mirai has some more exercises he wants you to practice."

Toshinori gestured to the greenette, the young man currently embroiled in an argument with Katsuki about…what wine to use when cooking Italian food? Ochako wasn't entirely sure and at this point was too afraid to ask, much less how they somehow got on that topic in the last thirty seconds. "As for him, we'll need to focus pretty heavily on One For All and how to properly wield it, and especially how much it'll impact his existing Quirk."

The girls nodded. As a momentary silence fell across the beach, (not including the boys now debating something involving jet engines), Himiko squirmed for a moment before reaching into her bag and pulling out a framed souvenir photo of All Might.

"Hey Toshinori? Um…my dad, he's like…a huge fan. I know we're not supposed to tell anyone you're training us but I just…I haven't seen him for a while and he's done so much for me, so, could you, um-"

"Sign that? Of course! From what little you've said of him, he sounds like an excellent father, I'd be happy to sign!" Toshinori smiled as he took the photo from Himiko and the marker she had in hand, swiftly scrawling his signature across the bottom. Himiko's smile was much softer than it's normal smirk when she looked at the photo and gently put it back in her bag.

"Yeah. He's been so good to me, ever since he took me in. I don't know where I'd be without him. Things were…pretty bad, for a while, after my parents kicked me out. But he found me and did so much for me and then I got to meet Ochako, and then the boys, and you, and he's just…the greatest. Thanks, Toshi, it'll mean so much to him."

"I hope I can meet him one day and then I can thank him for raising a wonderful hero to be," Toshinori replied with a soft smile.

A gentle punch hit Himiko's shoulder, making her turn to glance at the smirking face of Katsuki and worried smile of Izuku. "Yeah, maybe he can swing by sometime. And Cheeks parents too, Mom and Pop would happily host a dinner or some shit."

"Why don't you ask them if they can make it out here sometime?" Izuku asked. "We've got plenty of time before the exam, so it's no rush. Or if it's too much, maybe we should see about going to visit your home? I'm sure you miss it."

Ochako shook her head with a sad smile. "I do, but…we wouldn't have any room to really host. Himi's dad isn't well off either. But maybe they can come out here?" she asked, turning to look at Himiko for her opinion.

Himiko looked up contemplatively. "Your parents, maybe. I know Dad said he was going to be doing a lot of traveling while I was out here, so I'm not sure if he's even going to be home anytime soon. Especially once I got the blood situation cleared up, he said he trusted I had that handled and would be working harder than ever."

"Well, still. No harm in sending an invite, right?" Izuku said.

"Y-yeah, that could be fun! I'll talk to mine about it tonight!" Ochako smiled.

"Okay, yeah, I was gonna call Dad anyways, I'll see if he can make it," Himiko added.

Six Months

"It's too bad your father couldn't make it, Himiko, but we're happy to have him over any time," Masaru said quietly to the blonde girl as he set the table.

Himiko handed him another set of cutlery from where she was helping, long used to the layout of the drawers and cupboards in the Bakugo residence. "It's fine. I expected he'd be busy. He was really sorry but said he had a really big project at work he had to finish."

"Still, I'm sure it's disappointing. I'm glad you're here though."

Himiko turned to look at the brown-haired man, blinking rapidly in confusion. "Huh?"

Masaru smiled gently at her. "You've been a wonderful friend to our boys. Mistuki and I were so happy when you and Ochako met them and got along so well. It's nice to see them spending time with someone other than each other."

"But, what about that one friend Kastuki mentioned, Tsubara?"

"Tsubasa. And while he was Katsuki's friend, they weren't very close. Katsuki is…an acquired taste, Mitsuki likes to say. Both he and Izuku were off putting to the other kids in different ways. Izuku had…issues with his past, as you know somewhat. And Katsuki is, well, Katsuki." Himiko nodded along with Masaru as he spoke. "But the two of you changed things. The two of you not only are their friends, you challenge them. And they appreciate it more than you realize."

Masaru quietly set the plates down on the table as he spoke, his voice falling even softer than before. "I think Katsuki had almost given up on pushing Izuku. Izuku gave up on his dreams a long time ago. But somehow the two of you managed to push Izuku just that little bit further, enough that he took that first step. And Katsuki…he needs a bit of a tempering influence. I can see it, in the way you challenge him and his assumptions, in how Ochako refuses to back down. He respects that. And what he respects, he listens to."

"But he listens to Izuku too, isn't that good enough?"

Masaru shook his head sadly. "The boys are a little too connected at times, we feel. Katsuki is very protective of Izuku, not that he likes to show it. And Izuku would be the same, if anyone hurt Katsuki. Izuku still feels guilty over what happened, and Katsuki just worries for his best friend. They need to be able to make other friends, form other bonds. Not that we want them to stop being friends either. We just want them to make room for other people. And they did…with the two of you. And hopefully more when they get into UA."

"You're pretty confident they'll get in," Himiko remarked after a few moments of silence.

"Oh of that I have no doubt. Nothing stops Katsuki when he puts his mind to it. And Izuku is just as stubborn, if in a different way. Those two are going to succeed. And so will you and Ochako. You're cut from the same cloth, and I look forward to seeing you all as heroes in the future."

Himiko paused for a moment to calm her shaking hands and blink back the tears threatening to fall. The only people who had ever believed in her before were her dad and Ochako, until she met the boys. To hear someone else, someone else's parent, a father who didn't abandon his child when times were tough, believe in her was overwhelming. She'd barely had time to speak to Masaru before, his wife and son often overshadowing him in conversation with their bombastic natures and aggressive gestures of affection.

But here he was, thanking her for befriending the two boys when in all honesty it had been as easy as breathing. Two people her age who weren't afraid of her or her Quirk, who found it fascinating. Two people her age who didn't look down on her for being adopted, or not coming from money, or not really being great with personal space. Like it was some great personal hardship for her to befriend them, when really, she was so thankful they'd accepted her.

Not only them, but their parents, Mitsuki and Masaru had welcomed both her and Ochako in with open arms. Toshinori, the Number One Hero All Might, never once flinched around her when she opened another blood bag and downed it, nor found her mannerisms or weird questions off putting. Being here in Musutafu was a breath of fresh air. But she still had trouble believing it, believing people could see her for who she was, so she felt compelled to ask.

"You…really don't mind my…everything? I know I'm not…normal," she muttered, unable to meet the older man's eyes.

"The only thing I see here before me is a young lady, with a bright future, who has helped my sons be the best men they can be. Never let anyone tell you your value, Himiko. Only you get to decide that."

"...thanks."

He smiled at her once more. "Looks like we're all finished up in here. I'll let the boys know and we can start serving everyone. You go ahead and get Ochako and her parents."

Seven Months

Yagi hummed to himself as he parked his truck in the nearby parking lot. He'd been absent for a couple of weeks, having to fly across Japan to help deal with a major catastrophe brewing in the north, a black market kidnapping ring run by a group of very dangerous villains. At this point, he had no worries about leaving the young adults to their own devices, they had been doing an excellent job at pushing themselves without him watching their every moment. If they had followed his schedule, they'd be done in just another couple of weeks, so he couldn't wait to see how far they'd gotten.

As he rounded the corner to the beach, his eyes went wide in surprise. Every corner of the beach was pristine, sparkling clean with the waves gently lapping at the sand. Not a speck of trash to be seen, not even the areas he hadn't marked for them to clean! A giggle brought his attention to the right, making him turn to see the four teenagers.

At the top of the last pile of scrap metal waiting to go to the dump Katsuki stood, arms crossed across his chest and a proud smirk plastered on his face. Laying down, almost lounging on the flat piece just to the left of him was Himiko, the blonde teen giving off a smirk that looked like a cat who had gotten into the cream. Sitting next to her, smiling wide and eyes shining, Izuku was slouched forward, his elbows resting on his knees as he looked down at Yagi. Rounding out the four was the standing form of Ochako, her arms on her hips and pride radiating from her.

"Oh, my…goodness!" Yagi exclaimed, puffing up into his muscle form in surprise. "Why, you cleared the entire beach ahead of schedule, even the parts I didn't mark!"

"Plus ultra, right?" Ochako said, her smile growing even wider.

"Fuck yeah Cheeks!" Katsuki cheered.

Yagi nodded, his own smile threatening to split his face in half. His voice boomed as he spoke, internally glad no one was ever around the beach this early. "You four continue to surprise and impress me! Well, young Midoriya…you've done everything I asked of you. As have the rest of you. And that means, today is the day."

Izuku blinked rapidly, his stricken expression making it clear he'd actually somehow forgotten what the end goal was. He gulped, but a gentle shove from Ochako on his back made him look back at her with a soft smile. She beamed down at him as Himiko poked him in the side, her own grin appearing in his view. A loud clang sounded out as Katsuk hopped down onto the surprisingly stable piece of metal the other three were resting on, his hand squeezing Izuku's shoulder tightly for a moment, before shoving the greenette forward.

Expecting this, Izuku managed to avoid falling onto his face, landing heavily on the sand as he sent a mock glare back up at the blonde boy who was failing to hide his snickers. Shaking his head, he took a deep breath and turned back to his mentor. "O-okay. I'm ready."

Yagi placed his hand on Izuku's shoulder, squeezing tightly as he reached up and gripped one of his hairs, yanking it out. "You have done everything I asked and more. I am proud to have witnessed the growth you've undertaken these past months. You are an exceptional young man with a heroic spirit, and I am looking forward to seeing you and your friends surpass me. Now, today is your first step on your new path forward. So…eat this!" he shoved the hair into Izuku's face.

"...what?" four voices shouted.

After Toshinori had explained the reasoning and the four of them were able to set aside their disgust (well, the three who didn't have to do it. Izuku was still displeased), he swallowed it down, grimacing the whole way as he drained the water bottle Toshinori offered. He'd informed Izuku and the rest it could be a few hours before he felt anything, so he suggested they head home and relax for a while.

"The moment you feel it, be sure to call me and I'll come pick you up so we can do some work with it," Toshinori had stated. "For now, I need to set up a room at UA for practice, as well as do my normal day job. Lives to save, villains to stop, you know the drill! I'll be awaiting your call, young Midoriya!"

With that, he'd driven off as the four teens collectively decided to just hang out at the Bakugo residence, where the girls had been staying so often that the guest room had practically become their bedroom at this point. They were so familiar with the house that they didn't bother with niceties (which Mitsuki had insisted on either way and practically beaten it into their head to consider it a home away from home), causing Himiko to wander off into the kitchen looking for a snack while Katsuki went downstairs to the small home gym they'd setup.

Ochako settled on the couch, leaning back against it and grabbing the remote, channel surfing to see if she could find something to occupy her. Izuku had taken the seat next to her, but he wasn't paying attention to the television at all, mostly scribbling in his analysis notebook as he always did.

After a little over fifteen minutes had passed, Ochako having settled on some old movie playing on reruns, she noticed that she hadn't heard the scribbling of Izuku's pencil for quite some time. Glancing to her right where he was sitting, she caught him staring down at his notebook in consternation, his eyes narrowed. Himiko had perched on the other end of the couch, quietly munching on some chips as she met Ochako's gaze. The blonde girl jerked her head towards Izuku, silently telling Ochako to say something.

"Izuku? Is something the matter?" Ochako asked.

"Huh? Wha?" Izuku started, jolting up and staring at her with wide, confused eyes. After a moment he realized what she'd asked and let his tense shoulders relax a little. "Oh…no, not really. Just…nervous, I guess. And my headache is back again."

"Well…why not try taking a nap? It's not like we're doing anything important until it kicks in," Himiko suggested.

Izuku pondered for a moment, nodding a little at the thought. "Yeah, that sounds like a good idea. Okay." As he began to stand, a hand gripped his wrist and pulled him back down onto the couch with an oof. "What? I was going to go take a nap," he asked, confused why Himiko had yanked him back down.

"Just nap here, dummy. We'll keep you safe!" she smirked at him, fangs glinting.

Izuku glanced over at Ochako, the brunette giggling behind her hand with a playful gleam in her eyes. "Yep, listen to Himiko, we'll keep you nice and cozy."

Izuku, almost inured to their teasing, just rolled his eyes with an indulgent smile. "Fine, fine, whatever. Wake me up in a couple hours."

"You got it capn!" Himiko said, saluting. Ochako shoved him with her shoulder as she grinned at him. With a sigh, Izuku leaned back against the couch, almost sinking into the plush softness. He couldn't deny this couch was excellent for taking naps, his Uncle had apparently been insistent when they bought it that all their living room furniture was nice and cozy, specifically for naptime.

He expected it would take him time to fall asleep, he was never really easily able to sleep, but for some reason it seemed to sneak up on him rapidly. The exhaustion from the mornings rushed work, the anxiety over what he'd accepted, the pressure behind his eyes from his annoying headache, all of that and more contributed to a level of tiredness he rarely felt all at once. He found himself drifting off to sleep within minutes, the quiet hum of the television and soft chatter of the two girls becoming a lullaby sending him off into dreamland, his breath evening out and slowing, his muscles relaxing and sinking into the couch. He fell asleep gently, softly, feeling safe and warm and comfortable…

…and woke up underwater.