Important conversations everywhere! All For One is revealed. Izuku makes some questionable decisions. Eri has picked up some new habits from her favorite blonde bomber. And Eri picks some new family.
The end of the beach day was surprisingly calm. Momo had insisted on taking the class out to eat, telling Izuku, Katsuki, and Sato that they spent far too much time cooking for the class and deserved a night's break. Unsurprisingly, the first restaurant Momo picked as a 'quaint little spot' turned out to be a fine dining establishment that twenty-one rowdy, damp, teenagers in shorts and t-shirts plus one small child in a cute summer dress were far too underdressed for…except that Momo just said her last name and suddenly the maitre d's attitude was gone.
However, once Momo's back was turned to deal with said staffer, Izuku was very insistent everyone behave decently, mostly for the sake of Momo not getting in trouble since she was the one who got them in there. So they had a nice dinner, with a lot of food that confused half the table, and had Himiko very very closely watching what Ochako ate…which frustrated the brunette but she realized it was just out of love and didn't get too bent out of shape.
The only real dramatic moment was when Shoto stole the bill and slammed his father's credit card down, leading to a very quiet argument between Momo and Shoto about who would pay, while Ochako tried not to faint once she heard the total cost. Eventually Izuku got them to agree to split it, because while he understood Shoto's desire to fuck with his father, he also understood that Momo genuinely wanted to do something nice for her friends. Granted, the only reason Izuku allowed Shoto's pettiness to impact Momo's generosity was Shoto very quietly admitting he wanted to help the class too while getting back at his father…so that was acceptable.
But finally, they were back at the dorms, Eri settled on the couch with Mina, Toru, and Tsu to watch more episodes from the magical girl anime Himiko had gotten her addicted to. The chaos quartet were heading to the Headmaster's office to finally get some answers from Toshinori, although the trio agreed they needed to have a 'discussion' about the date later…but for now, to the office.
They entered with little fanfare, just the four of them, Nezu, and Toshinori in his small form. Katsuki stole one of the armchairs once more, sitting back in it as if he had no cares in the world as Izuku rolled his eyes and squeezed into the loveseat with Ochako and Himiko once more.
"So…what's the deal, Toshinori? Why the ghosts in Zu's head flipping out?" Katsuki asked with little preamble.
Toshinori sighed, sharing a look with Nezu as the white-furred mammal pressed a button on his desk. The blinds came down in the office, the door made a loud locking noise, and they heard a small hum begin from a floating cube to the far side of Nezu's desk.
"Forgive me, we wanted to be certain nothing got out of this room," Nezu explained.
"...okay this is really freaking me out," Himiko said quietly, not liking the feeling of being trapped. Izuku placed his hand on her back and rubbed it, trying to help ground her as he felt her anxiety rising up.
"Is it really that bad?" Ochako asked, concern in her voice.
"...in some ways, yes, young Uraraka. It is very bad," Toshinori replied.
"Stop beating around the bush, please. Just tell me," Izuku asked. He could feel the vestiges in the back of his mind listening, waiting, a sense of anticipation and worry flooding through his system that he had to work to tamp down on.
"I have been remiss. I did not tell you the origin of One For All, and its ancient mission from the Dawn of Quirks. I believed that I ended that fight six years ago…but I don't think I did. And that means…I've put you in grave danger. Izuku…I am sorry." Toshinori got up and bowed low to the greenette, the four teens gaping at the contrite hero in confusion.
"Toshi, please…just…explain what's going on," Izuku begged, standing up and moving over to his mentor, trying to lift him up from his position.
Toshinori sighed, looking down at the green-haired boy with worry and pride echoing in his eyes. "Very well…but you may wish to sit once more."
…this was not good, Himiko was certain. She remembered what Izuku had told her about, how the damage to his Quirk energy storage organ would cause leaks…and right now, she was forced to abandon the couch and pull Ochako away (even though she didn't want to), while green energy began to flood off of her boyfriend. It rolled down his shoulders, dripping from his fingertips, slowly trailing down his chest. Though the sheer rage was clear, his face was blank, emotionless,...robotic.
Not that Katsuki was much better. The blonde's hands were literally on fire from the number of explosions that had been sparking in his hands, but he seemed not to notice nor care. Nezu had very calmly requested Katsuki stop setting things on fire in his office, which the blonde was barely able to grant. The twisted snarl on his face had yet to leave, his eyes burning with an intensity Himiko had never seen in the year she'd known him.
Granted, Himiko was…rather unhappy. But learning to control her temper was something she'd spent a lot of time working with her father on, considering when she got mad she wanted to cut people. So she found herself in a very unenviable position of being the most calm member of the quartet…because while neither Izuku nor Katsuki were speaking, Ochako had a lot to say.
"An' another thing!? How in the hells did ya fail to fuckin' kill the bastard? If ya fuckin' squished his goddamned skull how's he still alive?! That's some bullshit! An'-" Ochako had lost her cool five minutes ago and hadn't stopped shouting since, having long given up on hiding her accent.
Finding out Izuku now had a 200 year old nemesis with thousands of Quirks at his disposal was…upsetting. Finding out that he was the one who would have led the program to create the Nomu was…more upsetting. Finding out that this All For One had killed six of the prior wielders of One For All, and had been the one to cripple All Might in his prime was also upsetting.
The problem Himiko was having right now was that everyone in the room was upset for different reasons. She was upset because Toshinori waited till now to tell Izuku. He should have told him at the start. Ochako was upset because of that but also apparently because she wanted to know how and why he didn't 'double tap' as she put it (turns out Ochako liked old American movies, who knew?). Katsuki was upset because now he had a third target he wanted vengeance on, to add to Nine and the Doctor, but this one he might hate more than the Doctor since he'd had 200 years to be a monster and had been doing this sort of shit since then. And all three of them were upset that this meant Izuku would have to someday face off against this…thing.
Izuku? Izuku didn't care that he now had a nemesis. He didn't care that it would become his fight. That part wasn't even registering with him. No, no his issue was with the very concept of this person, his very existence. That he'd killed people he'd come to care for. That he'd been the one to harm his beloved mentor. That he was the one who helped turn Tsubasa into what he had become, and was the ultimate one behind the League…where that bastard Nine was.
And that might be what was pissing Himiko off the most. Because Izuku was completely ignoring the danger he was in now…which, okay, that was basically his entire mindset but Ochako and her had been working so hard to break that! But nope, they were now right back to the starting line. And all of this because Toshinori hadn't told them?!
No, no…she had to be honest with herself. Would this have changed Izuku's choice? She took one glance at the still teen, the green glow emanating from him like radiation…and knew the answer in her heart. It wouldn't have made him pause for a moment. But still, she wished he'd mentioned it before! However, she felt no need to say anything, because Ochako was still saying everything she was thinking anyway. She could just sit back and watch her girlfriend go off, and idly muse to herself that it was both terrifying and attractive. And fester in her own anger and fear, but she was going to just set that to the side nice and simply for now.
"Miss Uraraka?" Nezu said when she stopped to take a breath, breaking her stride and making the very angry brunette round on him.
"What?!" she hissed, not even realizing she was snapping at the principal…something Himiko wanted to cut in front of before she said something that would get her in trouble.
Himiko got up and walked over to Ochako, very gently grasping her arm and ignoring the flinch from the brunette. She squeezed softly, then trailed her hand down Ochako's arm to slide over the brunette's clenched fist, gently encouraging her to open her palm. Once Ochako had obeyed that much, she entangled their fingers together and pressed a kiss onto the pink spot on her girlfriend's cheek. "'Chako, sweetheart…please hear him out?" she asked softly.
"Ya can't tell me ya aren't as pissed as me!" Ochako said, turning to glare at her.
"I am. But yelling about this isn't doing us any good. I need you, hun, to help me with the boys…because one or the other is going to blow up this office if we don't calm them down." Yes, Himiko was absolutely manipulating her girlfriends naturally caring nature, yes, she was going to be that bitch and make her focus on someone else so she'd calm down, and yes, she was going to cry about doing that later, but for now, she had to keep Ochako from saying something that would get her in trouble. The look she got from Nezu had her thinking he knew what she was doing and was silently commending her.
Ochako took in a deep, bracing breath. Himiko could feel her hands trembling, trying to clench, but she reached out and took Ochako's other hand in her own as well to keep her from digging her nails into her palms and waited, knowing what buttons she was pressing and knowing how effective they were. Ochako's shoulders slumped after a moment. "...fine."
"Your anger is understandable, Miss Uraraka. I do not hold it against any of you. But, I know you are all intelligent, resourceful hero students, and I know you know that lamenting the past is not going to fix the future."
"Then what will, cause Izuku facing this monster is a fucking awful idea!" Himiko shot back, belatedly realizing maybe she did not have the control over her own temper she thought she did.
"He won't, young Himiko. I still have the embers of One For All in me. I will find him and finish what we started. None of you should worry about this, or him. I will end this, once and for all," Toshinori swore.
"...at what cost?" came the first words whispered from the corner of the room where Izuku was seated. All the heads in the room swiveled about to look at him, the green rivers still draining from him like he was sitting beneath a personal raincloud. Izuku looked up to stare directly into Toshinori's eyes. "The last time you faced him, he put a hole in your side. What will you pay next time?"
"Young Midoriya-" Toshinori began, but Izuku cut him off.
"He made the Nomu, him and the Doctor. Nine's by his side, leading whatever group he wants. That's too much even for you, All Might. You'll get killed, and I'll lose someone else I care about. That's not acceptable."
"Which is precisely why I will not allow him to do this alone again, Midoriya. You are correct. It is time All Might accepted help. And so you will, Toshinori…right?" Nezu interjected before Toshinori could argue with the teen, which Nezu already knew was an exercise in futility. Izuku would not surrender his point, and nothing the hero said would change his mind on that. So he would intercept it and divert it before he tried to claim he should help the pro hero…a prodigy of a hero student was still a student, and Izuku needed to remember this.
"But it's All For One! Unless we tell people what's going on, they'll just get caught and have their Quirk taken!" Izuku shouted hotly, leaping to his feet.
"Then I tell the ones I intend on taking with me," Toshinori said quietly, silencing the teenager as he stared at the hero. "About All For One, that is."
"What about One For All?" Ochako asked.
Toshinori shook his head. "That, is no longer my secret to tell. Young Midoriya will decide when and who he tells, nothing more, nothing less."
"Although if I could suggest…I would at least tell Aizawa. Not only will he be incredibly valuable against a foe such as All For One, but he would be better able to assist with your training if he knew," Nezu said, clasping his paws in front of him as he leaned against the desk.
Izuku paused, for the first time in quite some time calming down enough for the green to stop falling from his form, the glow in the room dimming to a much lower level. Pulses of green were still visible beneath his clothes, and his eyes continued to glow, but the slowly falling waterfalls of energy splashing on the ground dissipated into the aether. He took in a breath, then another, realizing now he was nearly hyperventilating by this point, he'd gotten that worked up.
Izuku rubbed at his eyes, hissing as he realized his hands were still heated up and feeling a tinge of pain. "...yeah. You're probably right. But he's going to yell at us for not telling him."
"Oh I'm sure it won't be that bad, Izuku!" Toshinori said with a wide grin. "Besides, young Uraraka did enough yelling for the day, I'm sure it's over."
Katsuki lifted his head from where he'd been sitting, tugging on his air to gain control over his emotions and glared at the blonde hero. "Great. Now we're cursed."
"You're all worrying too much!"
Thirty minutes later, Izuku, Katsuki, Himiko, and Ochako were all staring at the Symbol of Peace with the most deadpan 'I told you so' looks possible, as Aizawa had not stopped haranguing everyone in the room for the last fifteen minutes, ten minutes of which was directed solely at Toshinori. The blonde hero was, at this point, half-cowering away from the erasure hero, realizing that Aizawa had some very strong feelings about the fact that now some of his students were targets of the villain boogeyman.
After another five minutes of this, Nezu held up one hand to try to halt the hero's continued ranting. Aizawa noticed, turning to glare at Nezu but quieting down enough to hear him out.
"Your concerns are noted and understandable, Aizawa. But as I told Uraraka when she did the same thing you just did, rehashing the mistakes of the past will not save the future." At Nezu's comment, Aizawa glanced back and gave Ochako a nod of recognition. Then he sighed, rubbing the back of his neck and rotating his shoulders to crack them.
"Fine. Took you long enough to tell me. Explains a lot about the Problem Child and all his weird abilities. But yes, when you find this All For One, I will be there. I need more coffee," he muttered, sighing deeply.
"I have tea!"
"Tea is not coffee, Nezu."
"It still has caffeine!"
"Silence your blasphemy."
Nezu merely chuckled. "Well, I do believe that's all we-"
"Actually…" Izuku interjected sheepishly, making everyone turn to look at him. He took a deep, bracing breath. "This…has nothing to do with All For One, but…I needed to speak to you all about this. I…need some legal advice?"
"What did you do now, Problem Child?!" Aizawa asked, exasperated.
"I didn't do anything illegal I swear!"
"The fact you have to clarify that is concerning babe," Himiko replied to his protests.
He gave her a wounded glare before turning back to the rest of the room. "So…at the beach earlier, I took Eri for ice cream, right?"
"...yes, and?" Ochako asked. She remembered that, and remembered Eri came back super happy and cheerful and playful. Izuku had seemed a bit less ecstatic, but she hadn't noticed anything terrible.
"Well, while we were waiting for our ice cream, a young woman with her child came by…and she saw us, and she um…she assumed and asked me how old my daughter was. And well, Eri was all 'Does this make you my new dad?' and I didn't know what to say so I kinda blew the lady off politely and almost ran away with Eri soon as we had our ice cream but Eri asked again and I had to think about what to say and-"
"Izuku breathe!" he got from five angles, the only one not informing him he was getting more and more manic in his speech was Nezu, the furred hero looking at him with twinkling black eyes, his expression hidden behind his steepled paws.
Izuku shook his head to clear it, staring down at the floor. "I told myself I'd never lie to her, so I told her the truth. I…I know everyone jokes I'm like her dad, and I…honestly, I keep thinking of her as my daughter in my mind, I just refused to accept it. I'm too young to be a dad, you know? But I couldn't look at her and say no…but even then, I'm not stupid. I don't have a job yet, I have no place to live specifically, I have no clue how to raise a kid much less one who is traumatized. And I doubt the law just allows something like this."
He looked up now, making sure to meet Nezu's eyes as he spoke with determination. "But I still see her that way, and I told her as much. I told her that I love her as a father loves his daughter, because that's true…and I told her I wasn't sure if I could be her dad, by law. She told me that Sensei told her she's allowed to make decisions, and so she decided I was her dad no matter what. So…yeah. I…I don't know what to do with this. I want what's best for her, and I doubt that's me…but I also don't want to give her up. So…I need your help."
Into the silence that followed his words, Ochako spoke up. "...Izuku…did she say what she thought of us?" Ochako asked, gesturing to herself and Himiko.
He shook his head. "No…we didn't talk about anyone else. I was going to talk to you two about it before mentioning it here, but since everyone else was here, I figured…" he trailed off as he spoke.
"Hmm. Well, Midoriya, you will likely not be surprised that…yes, we all already knew how you and Eri felt about the other. I have been looking into what the proper procedure would be. There are…a number of factors to take into account. The biggest one is…Eri does not legally exist. I've looked. No records of her are out there. Likely the Yakuza kept her from being registered properly. So the first step would be establishing a legal identity for her. And then the adoption process." Nezu got up and walked around his desk, paws clasped behind his back as he spoke.
"As you perceptively noted, you lack many of the requirements to adopt. A stable income, a place of residence, etc. That said, there are some caveats we can take advantage of. For one, you have some advantages due to her lack of legal identity, no known blood relatives, and the fact you have been watching her…and I have much influence in certain circles. But this will be a process. That said…I do not believe it is a good idea to perform said process right now. I don't want to risk the Yakuza finding out anything important about her."
"I-I wasn't suggesting doing it now, I just wanted to bring it up because I don't know what to do…I kind of expected you would tell me it's a bad idea to be honest…" Izuku trailed off awkwardly.
"Of course not, Midoriya. You two are already pack bonded, it only makes sense for you to take care of her," Nezu tried to reassure him with a toothy grin.
Aizawa grunted. "I do think it's a bad idea, because you're right…you're smart enough to recognize the drawbacks of you taking her on. That said, she adores you, and I meant what I said to her when I said she is permitted to make her own decisions. So the logical thing to do is figure out how to make this as least awful for the two of you as possible. But the rat's right, do not do it now."
"No, of course, I know!" he reassured the others.
"Izu? You sure this is what you want?" Himiko asked him quietly.
"...do you not like it?" he asked her nervously. "I…I know I should have asked you two first, we're together and all that, but-"
"Izuku, everyone knew you were her dad before you did," Ochako deadpanned, coming up on Himiko's other side. "We've been expecting this. You act like you're the only one who sees her that way. Trust me…she's our daughter."
Himiko smiled wide. "Yep. Well…assuming she wants us as her moms too. We can't do worse than her prior one," Himiko grumbled, her own experience with poor maternal units making her facial expression twist at the reminder.
"I get to be the uncle then? Fuck yeah. But you get to tell Mom and Pops they are grandparents," Katsuki said.
Izuku froze, an expression of terror plastered on his face, as the other three teens began to laugh at him, Toshinori chuckling right along with them. Aizawa just sighed, ready for a nap, as Nezu hummed to himself and returned to his desk. He decided now was a good time to start the paperwork he would need for Eri, just to be prepared for the day they took care of Chisaki and his organization…because he was fairly certain Eri would need someone, and soon.
"Report," the voice of Skeptic came across the line into her ears. Sitting atop a small cafe, leaning against the back wall, she casually sipped at her coffee.
"Confirmed, sir. Izuku Midoriya, age 18, first year hero student at UA has a small, silver-haired child of approximately six years of age. She has a horn on the right side of her head. I am confident she is the child the Shie Hassaikai are looking for, she matches the description on the bounty."
"Excellent. And how did you encounter them?"
"Beach. It appears that Class 1-A from UA were having a beach day of some kind. He was off with the girl getting ice cream. I asked how old his daughter was. I believe he was caught off guard by the statement. The child asked him if he was her new father, but he did not answer her, instead he answered six and swiftly left."
"Hmm, but he did not dispute the claim of fatherhood?"
"No sir. But that could have merely been to avoid saying too much personal information. Or he simply had not considered it. I am unsure."
"And he didn't suspect you?"
"Of course not, sir. I relied on the Mark VII to create a false child. No one would suspect a young mother on the beach with her child."
"I was not questioning your methods. I merely was confirming. Very well. It seems they are being less cautious with the child now. You know what to do?"
She nodded, even knowing he couldn't see. "Of course, sir. I will continue my observations."
"When the opportunity comes, strike first and strike fast. We cannot allow those Yakuza fools to have this girl, whatever purpose she serves for them."
"Yes, sir. For our liberation!"
"For our liberation. Dismissed."
She flipped the communicator closed and stood up, taking a moment to stretch. With a snap of her fingers, a metal case next to her shimmered into view. She tapped a button on her wrist, her clothing shifting and forming into a nicely tailored suit. A pair of sunglasses appeared on her face as the metallic case became a briefcase. With a roll of her shoulders, she snapped her fingers once more, shimmering for a moment before vanishing and reappearing in the alleway below, stepping out of it and joining the throngs of workers heading to and from their workplace.
"Well. That was…a lot," Himiko said, as the four of them were walking back to the dorms.
"...fucking shit," Katsuki said with a deep, annoyed sigh.
"You said it, Kats," Ochako murmured. She turned to look at her boyfriend, the green-haired boy staring down at the ground as they walked. "You alright, Izu?"
"Honestly? No. But nothing to do about it right now," he replied.
"Yeah. You're right. Ugh…alright. I like you all, but I need fucking space. I'm going to my room when we get back and no one fucking bother me, k?" Katsuki said, shoving his hands in his pockets and hunching his shoulders.
"No worries, I getcha Kats. Should we tell the class to stay out too?" Himiko asked.
"Nah. Shit. Ugh, I want to talk to Ei but-"
"Then do it," Izuku interrupted, looking over at his brother.
Katsuki blinked, staring back at Izuku. "Are you fucking stupid? I can't. He doesn't know about all this One For All bullshit and if I tell him about that All For One prick, he's gonna want to know why we were told about it!"
"I know. So we're going to tell them. The class. About One For All."
Silence followed Izuku's proclamation, as three pairs of eyes stared at him in sheer unadulterated confusion, as if he had spoken a foreign language or declared All Might the worst hero in existence. Until…
"Are you fucking stupid?!"
"Izuku, what the fuck?!"
"Oh my god you have to have hit your head, let me check for a concussion!"
Three voices shouted at once, making Izuku wince as he leaned away from their fervor. He quickly waved his hands to try and get them to quiet down so he could explain.
"Look, me being here puts them in danger! If we're gonna be in a class for years, they deserve to know what they're getting into!"
"But telling them puts them in more danger!" Himiko exclaimed.
"Does it? What's the difference in danger levels, Himi?" Izuku said quietly, the intensity in his voice making her pause and look at him in a new light. "If anyone, anyone, finds out I'm the wielder, will they care if my loved ones know about it or not? Do you think All For One will give two shits if they know the origin? Or do you think he'll hurt and torment them regardless of what they know?!"
"Izuku-" Ochako began, but he cut her off with a quick swipe of his hand to the side.
"It doesn't matter whether they know or not! My very existence is a danger to those around me now! And I'd just happily leave if I could, but I can't just abandon Eri, and I'm pretty sure if I tried one or all of you would murder me before All For One could!" None of the trio disputed that last part, so Izuku continued on. "So isn't it better for them to know what danger they face and what I've gotten them into, than to be thrust into it without any knowledge or warning?"
"But that just makes for more possible leaks! More people could find out!" Ochako protested.
"Hold on Cheeks…Zu might have a point," Katsuki murmured contemplatively. "Whatever he does, they are in danger. But don't we trust them? I mean…you three are doing some crazy poly bullshit, which means you trust them, doesn't it? Wouldn't you have told them?"
"I, I mean…eventually, if it worked out?" Himiko asked more than answered.
"But we're still risking their lives, Himi. I'm…I'm just not comfortable doing that without them knowing. I'd rather take the risk of it getting out than them being forced to be around me and getting hurt someday and not know why. Toshinori said it is my decision now…so this is my decision. I'm telling them when we get back," Izuku said firmly.
Ochako shared a glance with Himiko, the blonde shrugging at her girlfriend. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, looking back to Izuku. "Alright. If this is what you want to do, we'll be with you."
"I'll stick around till the fucking shit's done and over with. Then I'm going to my room," Katsuki growled.
"...yeah. Okay. Thanks, guys," Izuku said softly.
"Always, babe," Himiko replied, gently nudging him with her hip.
Izuku nodded, taking a deep breath. Time for the third important conversation of the day…maybe fourth? Did the conversations in Nezu's office count as one or two? Or three? Nevermind, he was getting lost in his mind. Just another big deal conversation to go…surely this was it, right?
Yeah, totally the last important conversation he had to have. He was surprised, to be honest…the class took the reveal pretty well. By that, Izuku meant they were all currently staring at him in consternation. Except Shinso. He wasn't sure what that expression was, but he was pretty sure it was 'I am done with your shit', or something along those lines.
He looked around the class. Sheepishly he held his hands out. "Um…would someone say something, please?"
"Dude…um…I don't know what to say," Sero replied.
"I…I'm sorry you're all in danger for knowing me. If you would prefer I left the school, I would completely understand," Izuku said softly, something that had Himiko, Ochako, and Katsuki immediately glaring at him after what he'd said earlier about not leaving.
"I couldn't care less about that, Midori, we're going to be heroes, being in danger is our job. I just can't get past the whole you have All Might's Quirk!" Mina said, leaping to her feet and waving dramatically.
"She's got a point dude. Yeah, okay, most of us weren't planning on facing some 200-year old supervillain, sure, but we were gonna fight villains. So you know…it's kind of normal?" Denki replied with a shrug.
"As you said, you only learned of this knowledge today. You had no forewarning of his existence. We cannot blame you for that," Tokoyami added.
"So wait, which part of your stuff is your Quirk and which part is All Might's?" Sato asked, curious.
"Um…the energy absorption and control are me. One For All itself is just a body enhancer, just a really powerful one. But it also kind of powered up my Quirk, made it a lot safer for me to use. I…also somehow got access to the prior wielder's Quirks, that's where Danger Sense, Gear Shift, Blackwhip and Float come from. There are two more I haven't gotten yet."
"...so…you will eventually have eight total Quirks?" Momo asked softly.
Izuku did a quick head count. "Ah. Yeah?"
Momo blinked at him. "Well. At least you'll be a match for Nine then, yes?"
Izuku snorted at how casually she said that, finding some humor in the thought. "I'm not entirely sure but I think his name means he has Nine. He used like five at the USJ, at least. May have had some I didn't notice."
"Yeah, but you got the Izuku power, that makes up for that ninth one!" Toru said brightly.
"Izuku power? What?" he whispered to himself, confused.
"You know, that thing you do with the analyzing and plotting and sort of crazy ideas!"
"She's got a point, Izu. That probably makes up for most of his abilities!" Himiko said with a grin.
Izuku sighed with a rueful smile. "You're…all taking this rather well."
"I'm not going to say I am not at least a little scared of this All For One and his very existence…but I still don't see it as a greater threat than our general career in the end. If he comes for us, we stand together, and we deal with it as we must," Shoji said quietly, the first input he'd given since Izuku had gathered everyone to talk.
"Yeah! Besides, you're helping us with our Quirk's all the time! Imagine how cool it'll be in the future to say we trained with and were trained by the next All Might!" Denki said with a wide grin.
"I'm gonna be the next Number One, even above the Chosen One here!" Katsuki snarled, but with little bite to it. Eijiro patted him on the arm appeasingly, smirking at his boyfriend when the blonde turned to glare at him.
"Honestly…I meant what I said at the Sports Festival. I want all of us to be Symbols, not just me. I think All Might had the right idea, but the wrong execution. Putting everything on his shoulders was a mistake. It led to the condition he's in. He took too much on himself and it's hurting him in the end. I…I know I'm bad about that too. I know it's something I have to work at, I tend to get stuck in my head and think I have to do it all alone. But I'm working on it. And I want you all to be there, right beside me, so that when the time comes…we stand together, and keep people safe and happy," Izuku said softly but with conviction, meeting the eyes of each and every one of his classmates one by one.
Eijiro sniffled. "T-that's the manliest thing you've said yet!" he practically wailed, leaning on Katsuki as the blonde facepalmed at his boyfriend's theatrics.
Izuku just chuckled to himself, while the rest of the class mirrored the sentiment if not the wording that Eijiro had given. They all felt something stir in them when they saw and heard the faith and conviction in Izuku's voice, how much he was trusting them, and how much he believed in them. Even with them knowing how powerful he was, and how much more powerful he would become…the fact he wasn't looking down on them and believed they could stand at his side meant more to them then any of them felt they could express.
Izuku couldn't help but find some of the joy that was robbed of him earlier by the news coming back into his heart. The fact they took the reveal so well meant a lot to him…and internally, he swore he would never let All For One or his lackeys succeed. He realized most of them missed one important thing in his explanation…that at the end of the day, only he could truly face All For One, since the villain could not take his Quirk. But he'd need their backup to keep the rest of the crew off him when it came down to it. If they could manage that…he'd take care of finishing the bastard off.
In this, he felt approval from the Second and Third user for the first time, the knowledge that he was standing firm in his choice to end All For One. If his mentor felt that was the best choice, if all of the Vestige's he'd come to trust felt it was, he trusted them. All For One was too dangerous to be kept alive…so he'd do what needed to be done when the time came.
Okay, Izuku was wrong about important conversations, he had one more to go. He'd made sure that Eri was safely playing games with the boys for a couple hours while he handled this conversation, until he could come get her. As for the conversation: Talking with Himiko and Ochako about the day and their future plans with the girls. Except Ochako had told him she needed to tell him something first…which he thought he knew what. The nerves she'd been feeling around him all day had clued him into something involving him, and he could think of only one thing.
"Izuku…you already know what I'm going to say, don't, you?" she said softly as she sat next to him on the bed, Himiko hovering by the desk nervously.
"I have a suspicion. Is it to do with what I saw in your nightmares?" he asked, watching as she nodded slowly.
"I told Himiko earlier…so I'll tell you. I…I think I had an eating disorder when I was younger. I, I don't think I still have it, but some of the habits and thoughts, I still get them? And um…I promised Himi I'd get help. So uh…you, you see Hound Dog sometimes, right? What's that like?"
"I mean…whew, okay. I'd like to know what those habits you mentioned are, but um, if you wanna keep that to yourself it's okay I won't pry. But as for him, uh…well, he's a lot nicer than he comes off at first. He's very calm and reasonable when you talk to him. I've uh, had a few therapists in my life and he's up there with some of the best ones. I think it's because…like, being a hero as well helps with having a sense of what sort of stuff we see, you know?"
Ochako nodded, encouraging him to go on. He could feel her trepidation and shame, but that she was trying to push past it and so he decided not to address that and just be as encouraging as possible. "Setting up an appointment is very easy too, you just swing by his office before class and he'll be all for it. He's always there early. But uh, he'll mostly just have you talk. He asks a lot of questions, but I think it's really helpful because when he asks them it kinda makes me rethink my answers I guess? Sometimes I notice things I didn't before."
"D-do you think it's a good idea for me?" she asked softly.
Izuku couldn't help but notice that for all her attempts to push the shame down, it was rearing its ugly head in her chest. He cursed himself for not realizing she had never actually dealt with her shame over her upbringing, and this nightmare and him seeing her that way had her worried he'd think less of her. Gods, he wanted to just grab her and shake her and shout that he'd never think less of her but he wasn't stupid enough to think that that would work. No, he had to get her there on her own.
"I don't think I get to make that decision," he replied softly, reaching out to take her hand. One hand entangled with hers, the other laying overtop and cupping her hand between his two, gently squeezing as he spoke. "What I can say is he helps me. And I think he could help you. He won't judge you, Ochako. No one will. No one judged me, after all. I know it's hard, and it's embarrassing and scary, but I think it's worth it."
Ochako slumped, letting out a huff. "I hate this. I hate this so fucking much. I, I got over it! I know I did! I shouldn't be seeing this again, but it's all there! It all came back because of that stupid thing!"
Himiko finally took her seat, on the other side of Ochako, leaning into her girlfriend and speaking quietly. "But you didn't, hun. You said it yourself…you still don't always eat as much as you should. You get bent out of shape if someone 'wastes' food. That means you didn't get over it."
"I should have!" she replied hotly, clenching her free fist only for Himiko to grab it and gently uncurl her fingers. She growled under her breath, refusing to look up at either of her partners. "This is so…so stupid! I'm at UA, I shouldn't be like this!"
"Be like what, Ochako?" Izuku cajoled.
"Like…like this!" She wanted to gesture at herself, but she didn't want to yank her hands free from her boyfriend and girlfriend, so she settled for a general gesture towards herself, pulling their hands along.
"You mean absolutely stunning, powerful, driven, and one of the people I love most in this world?" Izuku asked.
"Stop trying to butter me up, it won't work," she muttered.
"But he's right, 'Chako. We love you, for you. I listened to you when you helped me with my Quirk, with how I felt about my father, with my feelings for you and Izu. Izu listened to you about his past, about how he feels about himself now. So why won't you listen to us? We're not experts. We can't fix this for you. But we're here for you! So please…let us help you get help."
"It's nothing to be ashamed of, isn't that what you say to me? I go to Hound Dog. Why would I ever think less of you for doing the same? You're the winner of the Sports Festival! If that's not impressive, I don't know what is!"
"We tied…that means I'm not the winner. I'm a winner."
"And how is that not impressive? Ochako, I don't know if you ever looked it up, but we got more views than the Third Year finals! That hasn't happened in fourteen years! And you got scouted by Miruko, her very first intern ever! Seriously Ochako, you tell me all the time not to be overly humble…I need you to take your own advice," Izuku said with fierce determination, willing her to listen to him.
"Ugh," Ochako groaned, her head dropping on her chest as she glared down at the floor before her. "I know, I know you're right, but…ugh!" With no preamble, she fell backwards on her bed, the two others being dragged back by the grip they had on her that she had suddenly tightened as she fell back. She stared up at her ceiling, eyes slowly roving over the glow-in-the-dark constellations that they'd helped her put up. "...when I go, will…will you two come with me?" She asked in a tiny voice.
"Of course."
"Absolutely!"
She sniffled, closing her eyes as she felt the warmth of affection glowing in her chest, remembering who she was with. She let out a deep breath. "Okay. I'll go tomorrow then."
Izuku squeezed her hand and released it, rolling over to give her a soft kiss on her cheek. "Thank you."
She wrapped her arm around him and snuggled her head into his shoulder. "Thank you."
"Don't leave me out of this!" Himiko cried out in mock outrage, shuffling closer and burying her face into the crook of Ochako's neck, gently kissing it and giving the brunette shivers.
"Wouldn't dream of it," Ochako reassured her, her other arm tightening around the blonde and squeezing her tightly.
Silence reigned in the room for a few minutes, before Ochako groaned and spoke. "Okay, so…setting aside my issues, um…today?"
"Today sure was a day," Himiko said.
"...yes, thank you for that helpful commentary," Ochako deadpanned.
"Don't start with the sarcasm, that's Izu's thing," Himiko replied, her voice muffled as she snuggled closer into Ochako's neck.
"When did that become my thing?"
"Just now!"
"...you would think I'd expect that response by now."
Ochako giggled. "Himi is our chaos queen, we just have to accept it."
"Ooh, I like that, 'Chaos Queen!' I should get that on a t-shirt or something!"
Izuku groaned. "Oh no, you're giving her ideas, you know how dangerous that is!"
"That's cause I am dangerous, baby!" Himiko said.
"Before we get too sidetracked, seriously…what'd we think?" Ochako asked, trying to push her partners back to the correct discussion.
Izuku hummed for a moment. "Well…I mean…I had a good time. Tsu was…very sweet. And Toru was well…Toru. But I guess it's a good thing I like Toru being Toru then."
"Kyoka is very shy and nervous about this whole thing, but she was super fun to kiss. And Tsu…yeah, she's a wily one."
"Flustering Mina was very fun, I'm not going to lie. And you were right Himi…making out with Momo was excellent," Ochako giggled as she said that.
"Hmm, I gotta get me some of that!"
"Alright hold on, let's not get too far ahead of ourselves Himi. I think we all had fun, but is that enough?" Izuku asked.
Ochako shrugged. "Well I can't say I love them like I do you two. But I do like them. And I think I'd like to see where this goes."
"Yeah, I'm with Chako. It's not the same for what I have with you two but…I mean, I'm not gonna lie. I totally am crushing on Tsu right now, like, a lot. She's so fearless!...and oh my god she tastes so good," Himiko whispered the last part, Ochako feeling a small bit of drool leaking from Himiko's mouth. As she grumbled, she felt Himiko lick it back up, sending a tingle down her spine as the blonde continued. "And Kyo is adorable! So I'm for it!"
"Tsuyu showed me something beautiful. It was…very romantic, honestly, how she presented it to me. And I realized while she was pulling me along underwater, not once did I fear even as we went deep into a cave. I just…trusted her, with my safety, without a worry. So yeah. I can see that. As for Toru…it was hard to separate my feelings from hers today, she was that overwhelmingly happy. But I enjoyed my time with her a lot. So…yeah. We should do this again…without the class, that is."
"It was cute seeing Kats and Ei being all blushy though. Whatever did you say to Eijiro anyways, 'Chako?" Himiko asked.
"Oh…just let him know I had his back if Katsuki messed up, and had his spine if he messed up."
Izuku blinked at the nonchalant way Ochako said that. Himiko lifted her head from Ochako's neck to look over the brunette's prone form, meeting Izuku's eyes, the two of them sharing the thought that damn, Ochako was hot when she got all feral.
"Well, either way…so we're in agreement?" Izuku asked.
"Yep!"
"Yeah. I think this could be fun!"
"Well…that settles that. That's all the important conversations for the day, right? I've finally met my quota? Please tell me I met my quota, I don't think I can take any more," Izuku pleaded with…he wasn't sure what, but with something.
"I think so? I don't think we need to talk to Eri about you being her dad any further, since you're going to wait anyways. For now…just be her dad?" Ochako said.
"Although you can totally be my daddy!" Himiko said with a wink, both Ochako and Izuku groaning at her. Ochako shoved her playfully, the blonde rolling over with a giggle.
"Please, don't, that's gonna make this so awkward if she calls me that," Izuku pleaded.
"Aww, fine, fine. Maybe I'll try something else…" Himiko said contemplatively.
"Okay! Before Himi goes too far down that rabbit hole…didn't you two want to check with the whole, um…mom, thing?" Izuku asked quietly.
Ochako shook her head no. "I think it's better if she brings it up, if she wants it. Maybe she doesn't want another mom, after what happened with hers. I'd rather let her ask if she wants us."
"But I'm not sure if she'll ever think to bring it up. She didn't say anything to me until that lady asked after all," Izuku pointed out.
Ochako bit her lip. "Well…I guess you have a point. Um, perhaps we just ask what she considers us? If we don't bring up a parental unit, she can pick whatever title she wants for us!"
Himiko rolled over onto her stomach, pillowing her head on her arms as she looked over at her partners. "That could work. Just let her say what she wants, and that's what we are."
Izuku nodded. "Yeah, I suppose. Well…Katsuki wanted to be alone tonight. So I'll go get her and we'll go to bed after?"
"Yep, go on, we'll wait!" Himiko said with a soft smile. Ochako nodded, smiling at him as she stood up and began her nighttime ritual. Izuku sat up, cracking his neck quickly, before getting up and leaving the room, off to fetch Eri for one final 'small' conversation…or so he hoped.
"Daddy!" Eri cried as Izuku stepped into the common room and she spotted him, mid-celebration for another victory. One controller in her hand, she was standing on the couch, jumping up and down as Denki wailed at another defeat, his boyfriend patting him on the head with one hand while reading with the other and steadfastly not looking at the blonde. Of course, all common room activity stopped when she shouted that aloud, everyone now staring at Izuku blankly.
He let out a rueful chuckle. "Yes sweetie?"
"I won again!" She happily told him with a wide smile.
"That's awesome Eri! But it is bedtime, so you're going to need to stop for the evening, okay?" he said softly, still ignoring the stares his other classmates were giving him. He was done with 'important' conversations for the evening…they could figure this one out on their own.
"Okay," she said with a pout. She turned back to Denki and handed the crying boy the controller, patting him on the shoulder. "It's okay Den, I'll come kick your ass tomorrow!"
Izuku could swear he heard a record scratch in the room when Eri said that to the blonde…and a second one when no one else reacted to it. He strode across the room in three steps, looming over the couch where Eri was standing and stared down at the blonde on the floor. "Denki? Why did she say that?"
"Say what?" he mumbled, the blonde having just shoved a handful of chips into his mouth.
"Why did she curse, Denki?"
"Oh, she's been doing that all week," Sero remarked, scrolling through his phone.
Izuku's voice was soft as silk but there was an undercurrent of steel through it. "And no one thought to tell me?"
"We figured you knew! I mean, she said she was trying to be 'just like Kacchan!'" Mina replied as she hung over the back of the couch, looking up at him.
Izuku blinked at the information, his face carefully blank. "I see. Thank you for the answer. Come now, Eri. We're going to bed."
"Okay! Goodnight!" She called out cheerfully, reaching her arms out in a gesture for Izuku to lift her up, which the greenette did. As they walked, she very cheerfully recounted her evening exploits of beating the boys over and over again at Hero Fighter IX, complete with sound effects and wild gesticulations that nearly clocked him a half dozen times on the walk to Ochako's room.
For his part, he kept mostly silent, just giving her affirming noises and nods to confirm he was listening. He was going to 'address' the cursing with Katsuki tomorrow. And he knew he'd get pestered about the 'daddy' thing, but once again, he simply did not have the energy to go over it right now, so this was a problem for Future Izuku. Idly he mused that Future Izuku always ended up hating Past Izuku once he became Present Izuku…but that was also Future Izuku's problem.
And then, into Ochako's room, where the girls were already in pajamas and ready to assist Eri into hers as Izuku took his into the bathroom to change. After exiting in the shorts and tank top he preferred to sleep in, he waltzed in just as Eri had gotten into her newest onesie and was happily babbling about her wins to the girls as well. After a little while, she managed to tire herself out, still smiling but yawning deeply as she did. She snuggled into Ochako's side, the brunette wrapping her up close as she booped the little kid on the nose.
"Hey, Eri?" Izuku asked, getting her attention.
"Yeah dad?" She replied, clearly still getting used to using the term and not having any idea how much his heart skipped a beat every time she said it.
"If I'm your dad, what do you think of Himi and 'Chako as?"
Eri yawned once more, closing her eyes as she snuggled into Ochako's side closer, it was clear that the day's excitement had drained her and she was starting to fade. One arm wrapping Ochako's midsection, she mumbled into Ochako's shirt. Izuku smiled indulgently and climbed onto the bed, settling down on Eri's other side as Himiko came up behind him and looked over his shoulder, her chin resting on his shoulder. "I couldn't hear that, could you repeat it?"
"'Chako and Himi should be my mommies. If I can get a new dad, I want a new mom too," she mumbled. Izuku could feel Himiko freeze behind him, and was watching as Ochako flushed. For all their bold statements about it back in Nezu's office, he could tell they hadn't actually thought it would be a thing, and they weren't at all ready for Eri to say something like that to them. But they had no more time to hear from the child, as her soft, quiet snores were echoing into the silent room already, latched onto Ochako like a koala.
Izuku softly nudged Himiko back, the blonde releasing him as he got up and started to rearrange everyone as gently as possible. Between Ochako's Quirk and him using Gear Shift to move a half dozen things at once, he got the four of them settled into bed with Eri right where she loved it best, in the midst of them all. Izuku gently kissed her on the forehead, soft kisses upon the lips of his girlfriends, watching as they shared one of their own. Something to deal with in the morning…for now, it was time to sleep.