Chizome is teaching!...oh no. Izuku explains his fears. He learns something to assuage his fears! He has a nightmare and someone comes to help. Someone else is now here to train them! And...who the hell is Escapade?
I'm going to try to focus on posting every Friday, so I can hopefully build a backlog up just in case I have an off week. But I hope ya'll enjoy chapter 37!
"Hey kiddo," Chizome replied to his daughter with a smirk. His eyes roved over the class of very confused hero students now pinballing their heads back and forth between Himiko and Chizome, not seeing a single bit of resemblance.
"...you're gonna be teaching us?" she asked in a voice filled with confusion and hesitance.
"Yeah. New program Nezu added, for 'reforming' vigilantes. And yes kids, I'm an ex-vigilante. Names Chizome Akaguro. I'll be whipping your asses into shape when it comes to using bladed weapons, as well as work on fighting with bare hands and quirkless. You can't rely on it every time. Learned that one the hard way when I faced something with no blood to drink."
"Himiko, that's your dad?" Denki hissed, keeping one eye on the black-haired man and the other on the blonde.
"He was a vigilante?!" Sato asked, incredulous.
"Yes, and he lost his arm saving my brother's life. Sir, I am indebted to you!" Tenya said, leaping to his feet and bowing at the waist.
Chizome tilted his head at the blue-haired boy. "Ah, you must be Ingenium's kid brother. He spoke of you. Don't bow to me, kid. I was there for the Hero Killer, it was luck we both made it out of there alive. He saved me as much as I saved him. But that's not why I'm here. Let's make something clear…I'm here to teach you how to fight and defend yourself, as well as the civilians around you. I'm going to fight dirty. I'm not going to pull punches. Because villains won't. Got it?"
The class, still rather confused and hesitant, nonetheless agreed, seeing as Aizawa was standing behind him nodding along with the man. Chizome looked over each and every one of them, his gaze stopping on Ochako for a moment and giving her a tiny nod of recognition, and then an arched eyebrow at the nervous green-haired boy. He nodded. "Good. Get your gym costumes on and meet me at Training Room Delta. We'll be doing spars to gauge your capability first."
Without waiting for them, he spun around on his heel and stomped out of the room, Aizawa just looking at them. "Well? What are you waiting for? Get changed," he ordered, following the other man out of the room. The students hurried to follow along, albeit most of them were hanging back slightly as Himiko still seemed in partial shock. Izuku gently pulled her to her feet and started pulling her along, not wanting anyone to get in trouble.
"I'm guessing you didn't know about this?" Katsuki asked in an overly casual tone as he walked next to the trio, the rest of the class trying (and failing) to not look like they were listening.
Himiko swallowed. "N-no. He hadn't even told me he got the new arm yet. I mean, I knew he was getting one, but didn't know when. We haven't had much time to talk lately, with Hosu and everything happening."
"Well. At least he knows what the fuck he's doing. Don't know why I need it though, I don't use weapons besides me," Katsuki murmured.
"Likely because we cannot always rely on our Quirks. Sensei's said that a number of times after all," Ochako mused. Much of the class had to agree, but Ochako noticed something odd in how pensive Izuku seemed to be.
"Izu?" she asked him quietly, trying to get his attention.
"Huh?" he replied, blinking in confusion as he looked up at her.
"You're out of it. Does this have to do with this morning?" she asked, her voice low so others wouldn't hear it.
"...yeah. I'll explain after class, I promise," he murmured back to her.
"I'll hold you to that," she said, gently punching him in the shoulder.
He scoffed at her in mock outrage. "Partner abuse, I see how it is."
She rolled her eyes at him. "Oh shush you big baby."
Izuku's jaw clenched as she saw that, his eyes narrowing as he turned to look at Katsuki, the blonde talking quietly to Eijiro. Ochako tilted her head to the side as she followed his gaze. "Izu? Something wrong?"
"Oh, nothing much…just have to ask Kacchan a quick question that slipped my mind. Oh dearest brother of mine!" he called out, the entire class gaping at the very unusual phrasing coming out of the greenette's mouth, along with the brilliant, sunshine grin.
Katsuki's eyes went wide and his shoulders hunched, shuffling slightly away from Izuku's direction. "Uh…sup, Zu?"
Izuku's grin didn't fade as he spoke through gritted teeth. "You know, Eri said something very interesting last night, and apparently she's been doing it for quite some time."
Katsuki swallowed, casually taking one step to put Eijiro between himself and Izuku. "Uh…yeah? That's…that's cool."
"Oh, cool isn't the word I would use, nor is it the one she used. You wouldn't happen to be aware of her learning any…less than savory terms she shouldn't be using at her age, would you?"
"L-look, it's not my fault she picked it up, she's like a fucking sponge! She absorbs everything around her!" Katsuki protested.
"Oh you're absolutely correct, that she does. But I don't think she'd have taken that on if it wasn't for her Uncle Kacchan, who she loves oh so dearly, who is always doing that around her," Izuku's grin had spread wider, almost inhumanely so, the rest of the class edging away from the greenette as they neared the locker rooms.
"I, uh…we gotta get changed for class, talk later Zu!" Katsuki shouted, bolting towards the locker room.
"Oh yes…yes, we will," Izuku replied softly, continuing to walk at the same steady pace he had been.
Ochako rolled her eyes at their weird relationship, giving Izuku a peck on the cheek and walking into the girls locker room to change. Himiko mirrored the gesture, before grabbing Ochako's hand and following her into the locker room. Izuku simply walked along, feeling just a little bit better about today now that he got to put the fear of god into his brother.
"...okay, that could have gone better," Izuku mutters, rubbing at his sore back as he sat against the gym wall. The class had just spent the past two hours getting their asses kicked by a potentially insane ex-vigilante who also happened to be the father of his girlfriend (and part of him wondered if he got singled out for that, it really did feel like he got more beaten than the others).
"You did fine, kid," the drawled voice of Chizome Akaguro said, making him scramble to his feet and stand at attention as he spun about to face the man.
"Sir, thank you sir!" He replied sharply.
Chizome rolled his eyes. "Cut the crap. Stop panicking just because you're dating Himiko."
Izuku blinked at him. "You're not going to threaten me?"
"If I wanted her to knife me in the back, sure, but I'd rather not have my daughter arrested for killing her adoptive father because he's being overprotective."
Izuku blinked at him. "Then why are you being harder on me than the rest?"
"You absorb kinetic energy. Your Quirk makes you more physically durable than most of your class. To impact you the same way, I have to hit you harder. Simple as that."
"Ah, yes, right," Izuku muttered, feeling very uncomfortable in his presence…not because of what he'd done, but the fact he was the really terrifying blade instructor who happened to be his girlfriend's father.
Chizome sighed and took a seat against the wall. "Got a question for you kid."
"Um…what?"
"Himiko said you read the binder, yeah?"
Izuku swallowed. Technically he had, but he kind of hadn't? But he wasn't sure how to explain that, so he'd just agree with what Himiko said and go along with it. "Uh, yeah. Yeah, I did."
Chizome nodded, looking off into the distance absently. "And?"
"And what?"
"What's your opinion?"
Izuku blinked. "Um…to be honest sir, I don't think that's my place? Himiko was the one most affected."
"Yes, but she happens to like you and trusts you. So tell me what you think. Be honest."
Okay…sure, he could tell the truth to the man. Only problem was…he wasn't sure what he thought? The entire thing had been such a clusterfuck, and with Hosu right after, he'd not really processed it as much? He just tried to be there for Himiko as best he could…but he figured he may as well answer the man.
"Uh…to be honest sir, I don't really know? Sort of? I mean…the people you uh, killed…well, seemed like they were really bad people, and I can't say I feel a lot of pity for them. But I still want to be a hero, and like…that's still not right, to me. I think from everything Himi said, and from all the details you had in your book, you would have made a great hero. If you didn't give up on it." He winced at the last thing he said, having not thought before speaking.
"Yeah well, too many fake heroes out there for me to be up to being part of their hypocrisy," Chizome muttered.
"Sir, it's not my place to say…actually, no, it is my place. You asked. Don't you think that's reductive? There is no career where there aren't 'fake' people in that job. People with lack of motivation, or a poor one, or even are in a job for a selfish reason. That's what it means to be around people. And honestly, if a hero has a shitty reason but is still out there saving lives, I'd rather they were than that life not being saved!"
Izuku had no idea why he'd gotten so heated by the subject, or where the sudden surge of annoyance and anger had come from, but dammit that attitude annoyed him. Sure, lots of heroes were either in it for fame and fortune, and some heroes were likely corrupt as all hell. Some heroes (cough cough Endeavor) were abusive assholes! But did that change that they actually saved lives? Wasn't it better to be saved by an asshole or someone with less than pure motivations than to not be saved at all?
Chizome's low chuckle made him freeze, realizing he'd just snapped at his girlfriend's father, an ex-vigilante who he now had personal experience with his talent with bladed weaponry. 'Now now Izuku, don't think about the fact he's going to kill you, think about how good you'll look in a casket!' Nana's cheerful voice sounded in his head.
'Not helping!' he hissed back at her mentally.
'Yeah kid you're on your own. Good luck with him. But if you survive, give the guy a high five from us, dude did good,' Second said, a note of amusement in his mental voice.
'I swear I will come in and dropkick you next, Second!'
'Bring it, broccoli boy!'
"Stop panicking, I can see the fear in your eyes. You make some good points, even if I don't agree. Well…didn't. Himiko opened my eyes to a lot of my black and white thinking," Chizome said, interrupting Izuku's internal argument with the vestiges.
"So you agree with what I said?"
"Not so much. I just think you have a point. But I don't think it's acceptable, either. Especially not when the HPSC is as corrupt as it is."
Izuku paused at that comment, remembering something Keigo had told him long ago that he'd somewhat shut away because he wasn't sure how to take it. Then again…it was funny how he'd never actually doubted Keigo about what he said. He just wasn't sure what to do with it. Somehow, the idea of the commission purchasing a child and trying to turn them into an assassin…did not surprise Izuku. It just made him uncomfortable…which he supposed was what Chizome was getting at. He was uncomfortable, and perhaps he should be, because if you ignore the bad or rationalize it, you're just perpetuating the issue.
"...I think I get it. You're saying that just because that's how it is, it shouldn't mean we don't look ahead to something better, right?"
"Eh. Not so high minded as that, but sure kid, that's better than what I got. I just think it's bullshit what people will accept as okay. Yeah, it's good that heroes save lives, I'm not trying to say it isn't. But the fact they can do it only to be liked, and the commission encourages it by making everything into a media spectacle? That's a shit society. I want a better, more just one."
"So did Tosh-I mean, All Might. But if you saw what I said at the festival, I don't think that's good enough anymore. I think we put too much on his shoulders. One man shouldn't carry the worlds hopes. It should be every hero, every single one of us. We can hold the line," Izuku's voice was low but passionate, determination evident in his tone and the way his gaze sharpened as he looked off towards his classmates still sparring.
"So you said. I guess we'll have to see how well your ideals hold up in the real world. We saw how well mine went," Chizome let out a self-deprecating chuckle, holding up his prosthetic arm. "Alright. Enough rest. I know for a fact you can make blades with that Quirk of yours. It's time you learned how to use them and stop swinging like some bad baseball player!"
'Oh no, not again,' Izuku thought with a mental whine, ignoring the chuckles echoing in his mind from the peanut gallery stuck watching from inside.
"Okay. Now that we're all half dead, the fuck was that Izu?" Himiko asked her boyfriend as she collapsed on the common room couch, most of the class scattered about the room in various states of pain and ache.
"The fuck was what?" he asked in return, eyes half-lidded from exhaustion.
"This morning. Why'd you run like a bat out of hell?"
He groaned internally, because now the entire class was watching him. He could feel the surge of worry and protectiveness flooding the room, and realized Himiko was using that against him right now to keep him from downplaying it. Dammit, when did she get so good at manipulation? He pressed his palms into his eyes and sighed loudly.
"Yeah, okay, fine. Look, uh…this is gonna be confusing for everyone who wasn't there, but bear with me. I absorbed the nightmares from you guys, right?" He waited for the agreement, Himiko and Ochako nodded, Tenya and Shoto agreeing quietly. "Well…it didn't absorb…right, I guess? I don't know the word for it. It…crystallized in my mindscape. Big black tower of obsidian sort of thing. And-"
"I'm sorry, your what?" Momo asked, confused.
Izuku paused, realizing that though he'd explained One For All, he never actually got into the full mechanics of it. "Ah. Um…so I mentioned the past holders, yeah? Well, uh, they kinda…still live, sorta, in my head? And I can go in there and see them. So there's like, this whole inner world I have."
"What's it like?" Denki asked excitedly, his legs crossed under him as he leaned forward.
"Uh…a massive lake where you can't see an end on the horizon. That's my Quirk energy. There's a big tower in the middle that rises from the lake, that's where the vestiges stay. One For All is a big, glowing orb in the sky, like a very dim sun or moon? And everyone I care about has a celestial body in the sky. Like…'Chako's is a pink singularity, Himi's is a bubbling yellow sun, Kacchan's is a supernova, etc. You all have one. That's how I can tell if you're in trouble, it shows up there. As I got the other Quirks, they took spots too…a whirlpool, a coral reef, clouds, etc. And now, this big black tower out of nowhere," he sighed.
"Alright…that's a lot to process, but whatever. What's the tower do?" Mina asked quietly.
Izuku shrugged. "That's the problem! I don't know! When I was there, it…it made me like…ugh. It dampened my emotions or something? I just…I was getting annoyed but not angry. Found some things mildly amusing but not funny. I felt like some sort of…half me. Not even half. I just didn't feel much. I didn't even feel bad about kicking Daigoro into the lake!" He exclaimed, throwing his hands up in the air in frustration.
"Wait, kicking who, when, why, what?" Sero asked, blinking at the greenette.
"Daigoro, Fifth wielder, user of Blackwhip. He likes to tease and I just…kicked him into the lake. I mean, they don't feel pain but still, that's not me. I don't just hit people when they annoy me…but I did! So yeah, it bothered me. I just, I got a little bit scared and went off to focus. I'm…I'm scared. I woke up and hated that feeling. I don't want to be emotionless. I-I can't afford to lose that part of me. So, yeah. That's what happened this morning."
"...you only suffered that because of us. Because we got caught in the nightmares," Shoto said quietly into the silence following Izuku's words.
"No!" Izuku protested. He shook his head rapidly. "No, I got lucky I was immune to it. That's all. Just because of how my Quirk works, I was able to escape its effects. I took it because I couldn't fight the Hero Killer alone, I needed you guys with me. It's not anything you guys did wrong."
Izuku could tell without even looking at them how little the four who were with him in the alley agreed, but he didn't get a chance to address it before Mina spoke up. "I don't really think you need to worry though, Midori. You've been normal since Hosu! I mean, other than being upset and stuff, but I think everyone agrees you had every right to be upset after what happened."
"But I haven't," he whispered, his shoulders slumping as he stared down at the carpet. "Is it like me to snap at you just asking a question? For me to just…decide on a beach day without discussing it with anyone? To pester Mei into coming with us? I was really annoyed at you, Mina! But that's not me! I don't stay annoyed for something that's honestly super minor! And I totally freaked out when Nezu and Toshi told me about All For One!"
It was like something was squeezing his lungs shut. This…this wasn't right. Why weren't they listening? Why didn't Nezu listen? Or Aizawa? Or anyone? Everyone keeps acting like this was fine, like this was normal, but it wasn't! Why didn't they get that? He clenched his right fist tightly, feeling the muscles locking up as the air hissed out from his clenched jaw.
Momo spoke up contemplatively. "I don't know, Izuku, it seems like you may be reaching. You being emotionally unstable due to the events of the past week is understandable. I think you are looking from too negative a stand-"
"I'm fine with killing All For One!" Izuku shouted, leaping to his feet without even realizing it. It was only after the room fell into dead silence, the only sound he could hear his own strangled panting that he realized what he'd just said. He couldn't make himself look up at his classmates, couldn't bear to see the disgust in their eyes…but he couldn't stop himself from continuing.
"Shouldn't I care? I know he's too dangerous to be kept alive. All Might tried to kill him six years ago, and he'll do it again if he finds him. I know that logically it's the right choice and that doesn't bother me. What bothers me is that I'm not conflicted about it! It's fine in my mind! Even now, nothing about it is registering more than that it's the best option for the world! Don't you guys see? This is what I'm afraid of, being like that for anything!"
"Izuku-" Himiko began quietly, reaching out for his hand to try and get him to sit back down, but he avoided it, stepping back and away from her.
"No! No one's listening! I can't trust this!" He snarled, taking another step away from the group. He was getting so worked up because no one believed him!...or wait…was he getting worked up because of that, or because of the obelisk? Was even this part of that? How much of him was even left at this point, had it infected him to the point he couldn't tell the difference already?
'Izuku, stop. We've figured some things out, you don't need to fear that, okay?' En's calm voice appeared in the back of his mind, making him freeze for a brief moment.
'What?' he thought back, confused. 'Just now?!'
'No. About twenty minutes ago, we were trying to make sure we could explain it to you without you going off like you are now,' the deadpan tone from Hikage came across a moment later.
'Fine, whatever, tell me now!' He shot back, desperate for some kind of answer.
'There is a lot to explain, but we genuinely do not believe it is impacting you outside of your mindscape. You're panicking over something that is not happening. We believe this crystallization is a form of whatever Quirk created those nightmares, so it would logically have something to do with nightmares. We would suggest you try to figure out what Quirk it was, and we work from there. But so far, we are fairly confident it is not impacting your emotions outside. And next time you come in, we can shield you from its influence. You're safe, Izuku. It'll be okay,' Yoichi said soothingly.
It…wasn't enough to completely calm him, but it was enough for him to pause and try to rationalize what Yoichi was saying. He trusted the vestiges, truly trusted them, and he didn't think they were the type to lie to him to make him feel better. Still…this seemed too good to be true.
'I mean, it is doing something still. We're not sure what yet, we're just sure it's not what you think it's doing,' Third chimed in.
'That isn't helpful, Third, we just got him to start calming down!' Nana scolded.
He could feel the shrug from Third in his mind. 'Kid would just work himself back up if we don't cover all the bases. Better to say everything up front than to let him go off on his tangents and assume shit.'
'I can hear you, you know,' Izuku muttered internally.
'I know, that's the point,' Third replied.
Izuku mentally threw up his hands in exasperation…but took Third at his word. Okay. Still a mystery, but not the effect he had expected. Fine. He'd deal with the fact he was for some reason okay with killing All For One later. For now, classmates who were very much worried about him and he just now noticed had all subtly gotten into action poses since he'd leapt to his feet, as if prepared to react to him doing something.
He sighed audibly, the tension draining from him as he slumped. "...vestiges confirmed it's not doing that to me," he muttered, able to feel the way people's worry and fear all started to drain away as he took a non-threatening posture. "But they said it's still doing something!...just not that."
"But…?" Ochako asked, trying to get him to explain further as she took a tentative step closer.
"...but they don't know what," he whispered back, staring at the floor.
"Then what are you doing? Because panicking about it doesn't do anyone any good, Midoriya," Shoji said calmly.
"He's right, you know. You've told us before that panicking over the unknown is a futile exercise, because it does no one any good," Himiko said.
"It's 'exercise in futility'," Izuku corrected.
She waved him off. "Yeah whatever. Not my point. Did you talk to anyone about it?"
"Sensei and the Principal. Principal Nezu said he didn't see any major discrepancies in my actions, so I shouldn't worry right now," he muttered.
Ochako's blank face made him hunch his shoulders as she stared at him, speaking in a deadpan tone. "So instead of listening to the smartest person any of us knows, you decided to come back to the dorm and panic about it? Babe, I love you, but seriously."
"Look, I get it, but I just…I'm scared, okay? Am I not allowed to be scared?" Izuku said, holding his arms out wide in emphasis.
Himiko stepped up next to him and gently pushed his arms down, before wrapping him up in a hug. "Of course you are. No ones telling you not to be afraid, we're telling you to listen to us instead of that fear. That's all. It's nightmare stuff, it makes sense it'd involve fear."
He felt himself relax into the arms of his girlfriend with a sigh, the last dregs of panic that had been building up within fading away as he knew they were making good points. "I know, I know. Okay. Okay." He slapped his hands to his cheeks and rubbed them a few times. "I'm just…gonna take it easy today. Right. We'll figure this stupid thing out and I'll find a way to destroy the tower or something. I'm sorry for freaking out on everyone."
The class as a whole was pretty quick to dismiss his apologies, mostly wanting to encourage him that it was okay and they'd keep an eye out if anything weird happened, which made him feel a lot better. More eyes meant more chances to find out what was happening with him.
Ochako was hugging him tightly, making sure he knew how much she supported him. She'd been a little bit harsh and she knew it, but sometimes, she'd learned you had to be harsh with him to get it through his meter-thick insecurities. Still, she figured he needed to try to rest for the evening…and if she was being honest, so did she. Himiko's father did not go easy on any of the class…but she was very much aware he'd given both her and Izuku 'extra' training.
An outsider might assume that was some sort of overprotective father being aggressive to his daughter's partners, but no. She knew better. It was an overprotective father wanting to be sure his daughter's partners could protect her if something went wrong! Yeah, same result in the end, she was pretty sure her bruises had bruises now, and she could definitely use a good long soak. Maybe with her partn-Nope she was not going there!
Ochako slapped herself on the face as it burned, immediately freaking out and canceling her quirk a second later as she realized she'd started to float again. And she'd been doing so well about that. She was not ready to deal with those thoughts, no matter how often they came up. It was bad enough the times Himiko and Izuku were in their underwear in front of her. She didn't need to consider the full show, as it were.
She wasn't ready for that level of intimacy, and she knew Izuku wasn't. Even Himiko she was pretty sure was not ready to go that far…she tended to be a little more amped up than either her or Izuku, but the blonde still had her lines she didn't want to cross yet. She sighed to herself, still half latched onto her boyfriend as her girlfriend was plundering the fridge for some snacks. Izuku hadn't even noticed her almost floating away, talking softly with Koda about something she wasn't really listening to. Too tired, too sore, she was ready for bed. And as soon as Himiko returned with snacks for them and Eri, that was where the trio was headed.
The only thing that kept Izuku from screaming awake was the fact that part of his mind remembered he was in bed with his girlfriends and daughter, but for the second day in a row he woke in a state of panic. This time, not due to conversations with the vestiges, no. This time, a nightmare, one that he blessedly didn't really remember. It was all a blur and honestly, he was okay with that because the remaining feelings burning in his chest were ones he could do without.
He swallowed thickly, cautiously sitting up in bed. The cool night air made him shiver as the sweat soaking him was hit by the breeze from the AC. He glanced over at the alarm clock he'd given Ochako as a birthday gift the year before, a small chibi style Thirteen statue where the time displayed on the front of her helmet. Three in the goddamned morning and he had classes…he ran his hand down his face, upset and annoyed at himself. Okay. He wouldn't run off like he did the day before, but he needed to at least go downstairs and try to relax before returning to bed.
As he had the day before, he slipped out of bed with help from his Quirks, throwing a tank-top on just in case he ran into someone. He needed a glass of water desperately, his throat dry and scratchy from the soundless screaming he had been doing in his sleep. He stumbled downstairs to the common room, avoiding the elevator since the little 'ding' noise it made could awaken someone.
Stepping into the common room, he turned to look at the kitchen only to be temporarily blinded as the light was already on. He nearly leapt out of shock when he noticed someone sitting at the kitchen table. Well, 'at' was incorrect, they were sitting 'on' it, casually scrolling through their phone. As he blinked in a weak attempt to clear the spots from his vision, the figure on the table held up a hand and said "Yo".
He recognized that voice. "Kyoka?" he managed to get out, his voice cracking from the dryness. Kyoka hopped off the table, walking over to him and offering him a glass, his gaze finally focusing enough to see the water in the cup she was holding out to him. Not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, he drained the glass in one go, letting out a sigh of relief as his throat finally seemed to feel less like a desert.
He shook his head after a moment, looking down at the punk girl. "What're you doing up?" he asked, his voice still rough from sleep.
She waggled her jacks in response. "I heard you. Figured I'd check in on you. You uh…seemed pretty freaked out today."
He groaned in self-annoyance. "I woke you up? I'm so sorry Kyoka! I didn't mean to!"
She rolled her eyes at him and let out an annoyed sigh. Grabbing his arm, she pulled him to the kitchen table and pushed him towards a seat. "Don't apologize, Green. I get woken up a lot. It's not just you."
When he had sat, he'd immediately pressed his hands to his face in frustration. He peeked through his fingers at her, elbows supporting him as he leaned forward on the table. "Didn't they soundproof your room?"
She shook her head in negation. "Nah. Soundproofing messes with me even worse. Everythings muffled and it gives me an annoying sense of being trapped or whatever. I'm just really good at ignoring noises. Like how other people ignore cars driving by or dogs barking or whatever."
"Still. I'm really sorry Kyoka. It's okay though, this happens, I'll be fine in a bit. I'm not going to run off again," he assured her as he lowered his hands to look at her.
"I know, and I know it happens. Like I said…I hear things," she said with a shrug. "But uh, it sounded pretty bad, Izuku. D-do…do you want to talk about it?" her voice trailed off as she asked, almost embarrassed, her cheeks flushed.
He sighed, looking down at the table and clenching his fist. "I-I would if I could. I don't really remember it."
"I see," she murmured, clearly unsure where to take the conversation from there. Her jacks tapped against each other for a moment before she noticed she was doing it, hurriedly forcing them down again. "You uh…you know I'm here for you, right?"
He turned to look at her and gave her a crooked half-smile. "Yeah. I know. You all made it pretty clear, heh. I feel the same in return, you know. Anything you need, I'll do what I can to make it happen."
She shyly tucked her hair behind her ear as she looked down at the table. "Y-yeah, I mean, we all know that. You're like, too much of a goody two-shoes not to."
"Goody two-shoes? Seriously? Is that what you think of me?" the amusement in his voice making it clear he wasn't actually upset by the comment.
"I mean, you kind of are like, super heroic. Finding out you got All Might's Quirk made a lot of sense, with how much you are all for smiling in fights and making people feel better and all that."
Izuku snorted. "I've got a long way to go to be like him…but I don't think I ever will be, and honestly? I don't think he wants me to be. I meant what I said at the festival…I want us all to be pillars. I don't think what he did is sustainable. And he doesn't either, not anymore. What I do want to learn to be is to be as heroic and selfless as he is."
"I think you need to back the selfless part down, dude. You go too far…like, most of the time."
He tilted his head at her. "You really think so?"
She gave him a stare that clearly read 'Really?' She rolled her eyes and sighed. "Yeah, yeah I do. Ida told us all about the Hero Killer fight, you know. You took their nightmares? And you stole the stuff on his shoulder he said, right after waking up from the nightmares knocking you on your ass. And then you go be all stupidly heroic and fly that Nomu into the sky…oh shit, I'm so sorry!" she blurted out an apology as she realized what she was saying, but was cut off by a sad chuckle from Izuku.
"It's okay, Kyoka. I'm…well, I'm not over it and I don't think I ever will be, but I'm dealing with it. Kacchan's dealing with it."
She rolled her eyes again. "Yeah, 'dealing' with it by making out with Kirishima loudly."
Izuku blinked at what she said, realizing something important. Considering Ochako's room was significantly closer to her than Katsuki's, it wasn't hard for Izuku to put two and two together. "Wait…you can hear when we make out?"
Kyoka's eyes went wide as her face went bright red, realizing what she'd admitted out loud. "I uh…umm…I"
Izuku arched an eyebrow at her, feeling a little bit better from the conversation…which meant he felt well enough to tease her a bit. "So, on a scale of 1 to 10, how hot do we sound?" Kyoka made…a noise, of some kind, in response, almost like a tea kettle. Izuku put one hand up to his chin and stroked it contemplatively. "Huh. Never thought I'd hear the verbal equivalent of a keysmash out loud."
He couldn't help but yelp as Kyoka's jack stabbed into his arm and sent a burst of her heartbeat into him for a brief moment, the purple-haired girl now glaring at him with flushed cheeks. He chuckled nervously. "Okay, I deserved that."
"Y-yeah, you did!" She shot back with a huff, looking away from him and crossing her arms.
A comfortable silence settled over the two of them for a moment, before he cleared his throat, figuring since she was here he'd bring this up. "So…in all seriousness, I'm sorry for putting you on the spot the other day."
"Huh?"
"With the whole beach date thing. You um…seemed more nervous than the others. So I'm sorry for just, making it public like that."
Kyoka shrugged her shoulders without making eye contact. "I mean…not sure if I'd have gone for it without that, or Momo pushing me. I um…I was pretty nervous. I mean, I'm not pretty like-"
"If you say you're 'not pretty like the other girls' I swear I'll…well, okay, any threat I'd make would sound too mean, but I will be very disappointed in you if you say something so stupid," Izuku interrupted her with narrowed eyes. Sheepishly, she managed to lift her gaze enough to meet his, emerald meeting purple. He continued. "I'm not trying to flirt or anything, but you are genuinely beautiful Kyoka. Not that that should be what matters but you are. So don't say nonsense like that."
She stared at him for a moment, eyes wide, before letting out a huff and slumping in her chair. "God, you and Momo are too much sometimes. Can you maybe stop being so stupidly nice and genuine for once? I can't argue with you when you get like that!"
"Good! I'll just have to keep doing it then!"
She rolled her eyes. "Ugh, spare me."
His answering smirk was softer than expected, gently nudging her shoulder with his as they say next to each other. He waited for a moment, before deciding to bring it up since they were there. "You know…Himi enjoyed her time with you the other day."
Kyoka's jacks waving wildly was the only indicator he got that she was flustered since she now was refusing to meet his gaze once more. "Y-yeah?"
He nodded. "Yep. You should talk to her about it sometime."
"...and if I want to talk to you about it too?" She whispered.
Izuku gave her a sidelong glance. "I'd ask you what you wanted to say."
There was a pause, before Kyoka shrugged. "I…I talked to Momo about you guys a lot. I um…she's very kind too. We kind of bonded over, you know…liking you guys, and figured nothing would come of it. I was planning on asking her out actually, but then you had to go screw that up," Izuku could tell from her tone and the gentle emotions flowing off of her that she wasn't angry at him. He just smiled and kept listening. "But…yeah, I mean…Himiko saved me at the exam, you know. And she's so cool and, and…"
"The fangs are hot, right?"
"Oh god, so hot!" Kyoka replied with a groan, throwing her head back as Izuku chuckled. She shook her head. "Anyways…yeah. I guess I really kind of like her, and Momo…and um, when we played, I just…saw a different side of you I guess? And I kind of liked it?"
"I'm flattered by that, honestly," he replied softly.
She shrugged again. "I mean…that's pretty much all there is to it? I um…you, Himiko, Momo, you're all very likable I guess."
"I'll be honest, I don't see it about me, but I'll take your word for it."
She turned to glare at him. "You don't get to say that after lecturing me about saying bad things about myself."
He held up his hands placatingly. "I didn't say anything bad!"
She kept her glare on him for a minute, before rolling her eyes and sighing. "Alright Green, whatever you say."
He chuckled, letting a comfortable silence fill the room once more. After a minute, he broke the silence. "Thanks, Kyoka. I…I feel a lot better, honestly."
"I'm glad," she replied softly. "You gonna be okay?"
His instinctive response was to proclaim of course…but he stopped himself from just giving a rote answer and decided to think it over before saying anything. After a moment, he nodded to himself. "I think so. I really do feel better. Not like I can control having nightmares…but honestly, I think I'll be okay. You're really sweet, Kyoka…and I really appreciate you being here for me."
"Don't thank me for that Green, I just wanted to help."
"Well, you did. So thank you."
"You never listen," she complained, sighing in exasperation. He let out a sad laugh, but his eyes were sparkling with humor when she met his gaze once more. "Whatever. If you're doing okay, I'll head back to bed then."
"I should too. But uh…before I do," Izuku began, trailing off awkwardly as he and Kyoka stood up. She turned to look at him, confused. He rubbed the back of his neck for a moment, deciding with her, it was best to be blunt. "Would it be okay if um…if I kissed you?"
Kyoka swallowed, eyes going wide as heat rose in her cheeks. The fact he'd just outright said it had her heart pounding in her chest so loud she worried it was echoing through her jacks. This felt a little too fast, but also…she didn't want to say no. Not trusting herself to speak, she just nodded once, watching with breathless anticipation as his hand cupped her cheek gently, tilting her head up. Her eyes fluttered closed as she felt his breath softly brush against her face, his lips following a moment later to gently press against hers.
One of her hands rose up to grip his arm, her jack wrapping about the other one instinctively. Part of her wanted him to hold her there forever, while another part couldn't help but compare Himiko's almost aggressive push versus the gentle touch he was giving her (and having no idea which she liked more). But all too soon, it ended as he stepped back, letting go of her arm with a gentle smile.
He cleared his throat. "Sorry, I know that was a little out of left field, but…well, Himiko kept talking about you and how much she liked kissing you, I kind of wanted to know for myself."
"N-no, don't apologize, I um, I liked it too," she managed to squeak out, still a little dazed.
"Well um…can I walk you to your room?" he asked, holding one hand out.
She blinked at him. "Uh…sure, yeah. Okay." Yep, not her most articulate moment but she didn't care right now, as she felt his larger hand slip into hers and start to gently pull her along. It didn't exactly take long to reach her bedroom, Izuku giving her hand a quick squeeze before letting her go.
"Goodnight, Kyoka," he said with a soft smile.
"Goodnight, Izuku," she replied, equally as softly. She opened her door and stepped inside, turning half back to flash him a quick grin, before shutting the door and letting out a deep breath as she leaned back against it to catch her breath and calm her racing heart. She heard him leaving, the sound of Ochako's door opening, him stepping inside and getting ready for bed. She shook her head, dismissing the thoughts and deciding it was best not to dwell on this right now…she could deal with it in the morning.
Three days of torture at the hands of Chizome Akaguro had the class practically dead to the world by the time Aizawa told them they had a new instructor coming in to work on hand to hand combat as well as reaction time. As for Chizome, the class was informed he'd been on campus until after finals, so if they wanted extra practice, they could choose to sign up for it…which Izuku knew he would because forming energy weapons was something he felt he should work on more. Also, he could tell Himiko was genuinely happy seeing him spar with her dad and getting along with him, and for her happiness, he'd accept an ass-kicking every day of the week and twice on Sunday.
The morning of the next day of training had Izuku coming down to breakfast, only to find Katsuki had already thrown something together for the class, for reasons no one could tell save he was in a good mood…Izuku figured Eijiro's soft smile and sighs as he sat at the table watching Katsuki work had something to do with it.
Of course, the shy grin he got from Kyoka didn't hurt either when he walked past her, giving her a wink that made her flush…only to flush more when Himiko sauntered past and winked as well. He'd of course told Ochako and Himiko about his interaction with Kyoka in the kitchen…Ochako had rolled her eyes goodnaturedly at him (and then proceeded to make sure he really was okay after the nightmare), but Himiko had been all for the two of them tormenting the punk girl with flirting…which he agreed to.
He noticed Tenya coming into the room later than normal, his normal running shoes not on. "Already finished your run?" Izuku asked.
Tenya shook his head as he opened the fridge up. "No, I decided against it this morning. We have a lot of training to go, I did not feel it necessary right now."
Izuku shrugged, not sure he agreed but not going to critique his friend. "Anyways, who do you think our new trainer is?"
Tenya paused, before shrugging and taking a drink of juice from his carton. "I am not certain. Mr. Akaguro was quite…strict. I wonder if the next one will be the same."
Ochako hummed, staring at her phone with narrowed eyes. Izuku glanced over at her. "Something wrong?"
"No…but I think I know who it is," she said with a distinctively annoyed growl in her tone.
Izuku blinked. "Uh…should I even ask?"
In response, his girlfriend passed her phone to him, the screen opened to a text conversation under the label 'BadassBattleBunny' with the words "Best get ready kit, ass-kicking times ahead!" the most recent message sent that very morning. Izuku stared at the screen in consternation.
"...she's coming here to teach us all hand to hand combat?"
"That's what it sounds like."
Izuku stared at his girlfriend's phone for a moment before sighing. "Well…shit."
Izuku idly wished his girlfriend had been wrong…but he didn't have much idle time to wish that, when being flung across the room at high speed into the wall, bent in half from a kick into his midsection that yes, he had shielded and yes, Miruko had broken. He slammed into the wall with a grunt, but had no time to react as she came rocketing towards him. Eyes wide, he tried to think of what he could do to avoid the incoming strike and came up with really dumb ideas.
A Repulsion field behind him, angled down, launched him towards the floor. He triggered Float to prevent him from crashing into it, launching to the ceiling with Blackwhip and yanking himself along, barely dodging beneath her kick. Not that it did much, because she had already hit the wall and rebounded back at him with a feral grin. He knew he had only one chance, and that was going to be something real dumb.
He dropped Blackwhip, mentally calculating how much he could take as he formed another barrier in front of him as she shot towards him. He had no time to plan, to think, the rabbit hero's foot crashing right through the barrier…but it was what he wanted. Even as it hit him in the abdomen (again!...he was going to have a helluva bruise he was sure), the remaining shards of the barrier, instead of dissipating, froze for a brief second before zipping towards the rabbit hero's extended leg and quickly wrapping about it.
Her expression shifted to confusion for a brief second…which was all Izuku needed even as he flew across the gym once more. Gear Shift applied to the barrier, he slammed her down to the ground, burying the barrier into the concrete to hold her in place. He hit the ground, rolling across it rapidly as he tried to stop his momentum, a quick launch of Blackwhip managing to halt his headlong crash course. He leapt to his feet, ready to launch himself at the stuck Miruko…and then his shoulders slumped.
"Oh come on!" he groaned, seeing her already bounding towards him, the barrier he'd put around her leg already broken. "Well…shit," he swore, just in time for her leg to hit the side of his head and his consciousness to follow along with the broken barrier…gone.
He woke up a couple minutes later, staring up at the ceiling as Himiko hovered over him worriedly. He heard the sound of arguing a short ways away, but couldn't quite pick out who as he blinked in confusion.
"You okay Izu?" Himiko asked.
"...I have a new sympathy for 'Chako now," he muttered, slowly sitting up with Himiko's help. He looked to the arguing voices, seeing a seething Ochako tearing into a mildly amused Miruko. As the bunny hero noticed he was awake, she broke off her argument with Ochako and strode over, the brunette glaring and stomping after her.
"Good, you're up. Alright kit, here's your problem. You're too slow to pick your moves, and too reliant on all those fancy powers of yours. When you have an emitter Quirk like that, you have to plan five steps ahead for using those while building into yourself the instincts for using your physical prowess. You have to react quicker and plan out your moves with those. Not everyones gonna slow down enough for you to make decisions. Think about that, I gotta test the blonde kid with the electricity powers now." Still ignoring the fuming Ochako, she walked off, calling out to Denki, the blonde boy looking at her with terror in his gaze and sympathy from his friends.
"God she's such a bitch sometimes," Ochako muttered, Izuku and Himiko blinking at her in surprise. She looked at them with a stern look. "What? That's how we talk to each other!"
"On one level, it's kind of scary…but on another, it's kinda hot," Himiko mused, Izuku nodding along with his blonde girlfriend. Ochako's stern expression faded as she waved the two of them off with a grumble and a pout.
"Whatever. She'll be beating up the rest of the class for today until she's satisfied. You'll be left alone the rest of the time, Izu, so you're good now," Ochako said.
"Eh…I'm not actually that bothered by it, you know. She had some good points," he replies, trying to make his girlfriend feel a little bit less annoyed.
"I'm not mad at her for most of it, I'm mad cause she didn't need to kick you in the head to win. She almost gave you a concussion, the only reason she didn't is you're so thickheaded!"
Izuku snorted. "Thanks honey, really feeling the love here."
She rolled her eyes and plopped down next to him. "Oh stop whining you big baby."
Himiko flopped down next to them with a sigh. "I am not looking forward to my turn."
"I thought you wanted to be up close and personal with those thighs?" Ochako teased.
"Not if they are gonna punt me through a wall!" Himiko protested.
"Those thighs are made for kicking and that's just what they'll do," Izuku sang quietly, giggling to himself…only to freeze when he noticed Miruko's ears twitch just as she dropped Denki, the blonde boy groaning in pain as he lay against the wall. Miruko turned back to look at the trio, her grin only growing wider as her eyes locked onto Himiko's.
Himiko looked at her partners with wide, fearful eyes, silently begging for help…only for them both to wince as the bunny hero approached. "Ah…fuck me," she muttered under her breath.
She walked along the street before UA, coffee cup in hand and baseball cap pulled low. Her sunglasses kept it from being obvious her perusal of the UA gate and walls, her casually noting exact heights and various sensor locations. She checked her watch, timing it to the moment the bell rang and she was able to glimpse, from a distance, students making their way between the various classes and dormitories for whatever reason.
As a trio of students left, she fell into step behind them, the three laughing and carrying on without a care in the world. Of course, she recognized UA's Big Three on sight, making certain that the timid one wasn't glancing back at her. To keep the guise up, she sipped at her coffee once more, glancing down at her phone and tapping on it, looking like any other self-absorbed person out for a walk.
Her earpiece, cleverly hidden by her short brown hair, was finishing its attunement protocol, filtering out sounds outside of the trio's voices. Recording software active to capture all commentary for later perusal. Finals were coming up for the first years, huh? The quartet she had her eyes on were all first years. Curious would want to know, her best chance for an interview would be before finals. She made a mental note to give her the timeline.
Of course, if she could get them outside of the campus she had a shot. They'd already taken the child to that beach day…all she needed was a smaller gathering to get her shot. Ah, more information from the trio she was following. Hmm. The 'Big Three' were going to be heading to work studies soon? That implied most of the third years would be. Less students on campus. Perhaps she should make the move on campus?
She broke off and quit following them as they made it to their destination, a small cafe a few blocks away from UA. She got what she needed for now. A quick jaunt into an alleyway and her clothing had changed, now a nice summer dress and a wide-brimmed hat, long blonde hair tied back in a ponytail, bright blue eyes visible, looking for all the world like she was headed to a date.
As she smirked to herself, sending the recordings to Curious and Skeptic, she tilted her hat and sent a wink up into the sky. Soon, it would be time for another great Escapade, starring yours truly!