While knocking on Deku's door, Ochako wonders if most girls are as nervous as her when going over to a boy's house for dinner to meet his parents.
Granted, those other girls aren't being faced with the prospect of eating dinner with a god, so at least they had that going for them.
Her friend is a demigod who uses magic. That is not a sentence Ochako ever thought she could use, but it's true. Her friend is a demigod. She knows it's true, but repeating it helps for some reason, though she's not sure why.
Deku is a demigod. Aliens exist. They always have. How many other people does she know that are aliens? Could she be an alien and not know it?!
Texting Mina this morning had been a mistake. For all the girl's claimed knowledge of aliens, it seemed most of her knowledge was only about the creatures from the 'Alien' movie franchise, which Ochako had gotten basically a thesis about when she asked.
As interesting as it was, after asking Deku, he confirmed he didn't know if any xenomorph-type aliens existed, so Ochako elected to move on from the subject.
Which, in retrospect, had been a mistake. Mina took an opening for a topic change and ran with it, pushing her more than ever to confess, claiming she was now '100%' sure Deku liked her. When Ochako asked how she could possibly know that, Mina just mysteriously replied, 'I have my sources.'
Ignoring whatever that means, Mina didn't realize there was another problem with that. If she hadn't said it enough, Deku is a demigod! Would he even…Ochako has no idea how demigods, aliens, or just…all of them! How do they do things?!
Do demigods…date non-demigods? Was that allowed? Ochako would like to think Deku doesn't think she's lower than him because she's human (as far as she knows), but maybe she can use tonight to make sure?
About Deku not thinking she's lower than him! Not about a demigod dating a human! No, she didn't mean that at all…but if it should come up…
The door swings open and Ochako is brought back to reality to see a short, kindly woman with green hair smiling at her. This could only be Deku's mother.
"Uraraka, sweety, oh you're early!"
"Hi, Mrs. Midoriya! It's nice to- oof!" Ochako was getting ready to shake her hand, but before she can, the woman pulls her into a warm hug. It feels like a hug from her own mom. How do they do that?
"There'll be none of that, dear. You call me Inko." The woman lets go, smiling, and looks down. "Oh, you brought something? You didn't have to."
Ochako lamely holds up the bag. "Well, it'd be rude to show up empty-handed…It's, um, Mochi." She tries to not make it sound as lousy as it probably is, but Ochako was only comfortable bringing something she knew would taste good, and, well…
"That's wonderful!" Inko cheers, carefully taking the bag from her hand. "And you just saved me from making dessert! Come in, come in!"
Ochako follows Inko into the homey apartment, her eyes quickly darting around the room. "He's not here yet," Inko chuckles.
"W-what?" Ochako stutters at having been caught so easily.
"Izuku told us you know the truth about his dad, and you're looking for him," Inko says with a knowing look in her eye, causing Ochako's face to heat up in embarrassment.
Deku's mom walks into the kitchen, placing the Mochi on the counter. "Loki will be here soon. He's going to pretend he's some grand being, don't let him fool you." She laughs a little, taking the Mochi out of the bag. "If he starts to pretend he knows everything, I know how to put him in his place."
Ochako doesn't like the look the woman gives her while she checks some food on the stovetop. "I can give you some tips if you want?"
"That's alright!" Ochako yells, waving her hands in front of her, face now aflame for a different reason. "I don't need any of that, I'm good! Thank you! Why would you think I would?!"
Inko rolls her eyes with a smile. "Sure, you don't. Izuku is in his room, probably on his computer wearing those headphones of his, if you'd like to go get him. It's down the hall to the right."
Ochako thanks her and turns to go, but one of her earlier thoughts stops her. She doesn't want to ask, but stupid insecurities won't let her go. And this may be her best chance. "Mrs- Inko, can I ask you something?"
She hums in response, stirring the pot, so Ochako continues. "I'm…sorry if this is offensive," Ochako begins carefully. "But you are fully human, right Inko?"
"Yes, dear." Inko covers the pot and turns, giving the brown-haired girl her full attention.
"And you mar- I mean, you dated Deku's dad, even though he's, you know, 'a god,'" Ochako whispers the last part, much to Inko's amusement. "And you're human? How did that- I mean- um-" Inko places a hand on Ochako's shoulder to silence her as the girl trips over her words.
"They can be intimidating at first, can't they?" Inko asks with an understanding look on her face. Ochako nods, looking down. "I'll tell you something Loki's brother told me a long time ago." She leans in, a conspiratorial smile growing on her face. "They aren't different from us."
Ochako's head whips up. "Huh?"
"You heard me. They're just like us. Sure, they can do a few extra things, but they're just like us. They're born. They live. They need to breathe, eat, and sleep. You won't find many differences. Where they're from doesn't change who they are. Or," Inko gestures from herself to Ochako, "who we are to them. Do you understand?"
Ochako lets the words sink in for a few seconds. She got what Inko was saying. Being an alien doesn't change who Deku is to her or who she is to Deku.
And she shouldn't change how she sees him. Ochako is still a bit hesitant, but this is the woman who has actually been in a relationship with said god or alien for some time, so maybe she should try? Hesitantly, she agrees, and Inko smiles.
"There you go. Now, dinner is almost ready, if you want to go get Izuku."
Making her way down the hall, Ochako figures out that finding her friend's room would've been easy even without directions, considering it was labeled. She knocks. And knocks again. Guess Inko was right about him wearing earbuds.
She opens the door slowly and giggles. Somehow, she is both surprised and not surprised at the amount of hero merch scattered around the room.
Deku is at his desk, watching some sort of video she can't hear. Ochako approaches and realizes he has two windows open on the computer. On one, Deku watches the video of some older gentlemen with silvery hair and a mustache speaking in front of a store.
In the other window, he's writing an email. She doesn't want to read it without permission so Ochako looks away, only catching the briefest sentence. If she had to guess, it looks like it is about quirks.
Ochako taps his shoulder, and Deku whirls around in surprise, taking one of his earbuds out. "And that's why, my dear viewers, Golden Tips Imperi-"
"Uraraka!" Deku pauses the video and closes his laptop, before taking out his other earbud. "S-sorry! I didn't think you'd be here yet."
'His cute stutter. So him, alien or not.' "That's alright, I got here early. Your mom told me to get you for dinner."
"Great!" Deku stands and almost immediately yawns, stretching his arms above his head, his shirt rising with it. Ochako's eyes travel downward to the little bit of his stomach exposed by the action before she corrects herself quickly.
'See? He's yawning, like anyone would! Maybe Inko was right about the alien part of him changing nothing? It certainly didn't do anything to his very toned stoma-'
Pinching herself does the trick to stop those thoughts before they can properly begin. "What's wrong, Deku? Too excited about getting a medal at the festival to sleep last night?" Ochako asks the first thing that comes to her head to give her cheeks the time to cool down, and give them something to talk about.
"What? Oh, no!" Deku laughs. "I just lose track of time watching videos sometimes. C'mon, let's go help mom set up for dinner."
The door slams behind Vlad as he storms out of the room, leaving the rest of the UA staff - minus All Might, who's not there - silent. Besides the sound of Nezu using a spoon to stir his tea. "I must say, that went better than I expected."
"It…wasn't exactly the note I was expecting this meeting to end on," Present Mic speaks for several others in the room, leaning back in his chair.
"And what were you expecting, Mic?" Nezu inquires, placing his teaspoon down.
"A little more dramatics, I guess?" The showman in Hizashi bursting out as he stands. "I don't know, I thought we were gonna be here forever! Witnessing this long drawn-out battle as Vlad fights to keep his job, but the ever steadfast Nezu, counters his every point, blow for blow!"
Mic's arm swings wildly as he talks, his volume growing with every sentence, much to the annoyance of the yellow caterpillar seated next to him. "I thought sides would be taken, man! Staff civil war, those who defend Vlad and those who didn't, arguing for hours as we go back and forth on the issue! Chairs flying, Shota canceling quirks left and right! That sorta thing!"
The music hero slumps back in his seat. "Not for you to just tell Vlad why and fire him on the spot."
"Are you more upset that I fired Vlad, or that you didn't get your big dramatic scene over it, Hizashi?" Nezu laughs to himself, rearranging a few papers in front of him. "Life can often be disappointing. But, a saying I have often heard is, 'everything happens for a reason.' It's possible that could apply here."
"Now." Nezu puts his paws together. "I assume I don't need to defend my position on why quirk discrimination and encouraging head-hunting between students is a fireable offense?" He asks rhetorically. Silence. Good. "Before we discuss consequences for those in 1-B who were involved, I believe we should have their new teacher here."
"You already found someone to fill the position?" Cementoss inquires. "And as he is part of the staff, shouldn't All Might be here for this as well?"
Nezu puts his paw up in a placating manner. "Not to worry, I have already discussed everything with All Might and gave him my permission to not be here, given the nature of what he is doing today."
"You!" Smack! "Blundering!" Smack! "Inconsiderate!" Smack! "Fool!" Smack! Smack!
"I'm sorry! I'm-ah! Sensei, I apologize!-"
Smack! "It shouldn't be me you're apologizing to, you idiot!" Gran Torino yells while he continues to assault Toshinori's ankles with his cane in Recovery Girl's office. "You take the boy out for his first lesson and don't think to tell me!"
"I believed I could handle it…" The number one hero defends himself pathetically, rubbing his sore body.
Recovery Girl scowls from behind them. "Did you even give the boy any advice?!" She shakes her head before kissing Tenko on the top of his head, healing his broken arm.
"O-of course I did! I told him to clench his buttcheeks and yell smash from the depths of his heart!!" Toshinori proudly declares. Only to deflate at the stunned looks of the two older heroes. An impressive feat since he was already deflated. "It's how I learned…"
"That makes this partly your fault too," Recovery Girl remarks harshly to Gran Torino.
The older hero sighs. "Fine. Toshinori, clearly, this boy isn't you. So, he can't be taught like you. I am to be there for all future One for All lessons, am I understood?"
"Yes, sir!"
The sound of new people entering the room has Shota looking up. The two men entering the room, let in by Midnight, cause noises of surprise throughout the staff, so much so that Snipe even backs up his chair a little.
"Hey," Wolverine greets them all with a single nod.
"Because he plans to be here for some time while his new X-Men facility is being built, and his centuries of experience as both a hero and in the education of youth, I have hired Mr. James Howlett, or Logan as he prefers, as 1-B's new instructor for the rest of the year."
The attention moves to the man next to Logan. He is tall and packed with muscle. The man has short black hair slicked to the side and experienced blue eyes. He wears black cargo pants, a yellow shirt, and a thick red jacket over it.
The hulking man bows to them all. "Greetings to you all. I am Piotr Rasputin, and I look forward to working with all of you," he says in a thick Russian accent, but in excellent Japanese nonetheless.
Rasputin straightens, a friendly smile on his face. "You all may call me Peter if it's easier. Or by my hero name." He shifts and every part of his skin they can see turns into a silvery metal. "Colossus."
"Along with Logan here, I have hired Mr. Rasputin as a sort of TA for him to help with classes," Nezu explains while the man turns himself back to normal. "He will also be available to all of you as a TA, should you need it. I know he'll already be of use to Midnight due to his extensive knowledge of the arts."
"Oh, yes." Midnight purrs, causing Shota to roll his eyes while she runs her fingers across Rasputin's shoulders. "I'm going to use him for a lot of things, don't you worry. Tell me, does every part of you become metal?"
Colossus shrinks back, clearing his throat. "Ms. Midnight I- thank you. You are very beautiful woman, but I am in a committed relationship."
"You just keep getting better and better."
"Midnight…" Nezu warns jokingly. She pouts but backs off.
"Yo!! Welcome to the show!!" Shota is as quick as ever to use his quirk on Mic to lower his volume.
"If you have any questions or need help with anything, please don't be afraid to ask." The space hero Thirteen tells them.
"Yes, welcome! If I must say, I've been an admirer of the equipment the X-Men use for some time," Power Loader says before addressing Logan. "Although, I do miss the yellow suit you used to wear. Any chance we see that?"
Logan chuckles. "You aren't the first person to ask."
"I'm glad to see we are all getting along!" Nezu claps. "But I believe it's time we move on to the next topic of discussion."
Ochako puts her plate in the sink, congratulating herself on getting through the meal, somehow. That had been her being mostly quiet, letting Deku do a lot of the talking, while she did her best not to stare at his dad.
Inko was right. He looks like any person you'd see on the street. But he wasn't. He was over a thousand years old and had been praised by people as a god. Another giveaway was his referring to other people as 'humans' or 'mortals' every now and then.
But still. God, alien or not, Ochako had been raised with manners and answered any of the questions he had by giving him her full attention. She couldn't exactly look him in the eye yet, but looking at his face was hopefully enough.
She's not sure what she expected from the meal, but Ochako thinks what surprised her most was just how normal it was. The food was normal. The questions were normal. Things like their friends, the upcoming internships, where she grew up, what exactly her quirk was, and what her parents did.
While she wasn't sure how glorious construction work and being from the Mie prefecture would sound to someone who's been to space - Ochako is not jealous, thank you - Loki still gave her a smile and let her talk about herself.
Things had gotten a little awkward when the festival came up.
"But no one was ready when you started using the ice powers, Deku!" Ochako exclaimed excitedly. "Could you always do that?"
"Um, n-no," Deku replies, looking down at his food. "My uncle taught me before the festival."
Loki hums. "Indeed, he did. Uraraka, just a hypothetical question. Would you discourage Izuku from using said powers if they were to do nothing but hurt him?"
Deku freezes while bringing his chopsticks to his mouth. "Loki!" Inko hisses.
"Okay, not appropriate dinner conversation, I understand," Loki acquiesced, chuckling a little.
Inko gave Ochako a side eye. "That's good. Or I can show Uraraka how I have the power to make a god sleep on the couch." They all laugh a little and the tension disappears, with Deku finally eating again. Still, Ochako wanted to ask him more about it later.
Dinner had gone by smoothly after that, until now at least. The meal is over and Inko had said she and Deku could watch a movie, while she retired to her room and Loki went back out. Problem is, Inko had left to get something and Deku had to use the bathroom so that left her with-
"I hope all this knowledge my son has dropped onto you hasn't been overwhelming," Loki says, cleaning up the rest of the table.
"It's…it's not something I expected to learn when I woke up that morning," Ochako answers honestly, filling her bowl with water.
"I would imagine." The god stands next to her, placing the rest of the dishes in the sink. "While we have a moment, may I ask you something?"
"Yes?"
Loki begins to wash their bowls, denying Ochako's offer to help. "You understand my son is a demigod, yes? Because of this, Izuku will be the target of many threats. Much of which will not be of your realm."
'Realm means planet.' Ochako reminds herself.
They stand in silence for a few minutes while Loki finishes the dishes. When he does, he turns to face her.
"If you wish to continue being his friend…or something more, as I suspect," Ochako feels her face start to burn but she doesn't look away," you must know you will be the target of these threats as well. Some of which may come from sources you'd never see coming. Are you prepared for that?"
For the first time, Ochako looks the God of Mischief in his studious green eyes. She didn't even have to think about her answer. "I am," she says, letting her determination course through her. "Any villain, alien or not, they're going to have to get through me to get to him."
"And if they come after you?" Loki raises an eyebrow.
"I'll make them sorry."
Loki studies her for a few more seconds before breaking out a huge smile. "I knew I liked you." Ochako almost trips while standing. He likes her?!!
"You have a passion about you that rivals some warriors of Asgard," Loki compliments. "I saw it throughout the festival, most notable in your match against the red-headed girl. It's nice to have confirmation." Loki looks up, shaking his head good-naturedly. "Sif would have a field day with you."
Ochako doesn't think to ask who 'Sif' is, since she's still getting over the fact that her friend's god/alien dad likes her!!
Movement in the hall grabs both of their attention. "Well, thank you for your answer, Uraraka. But I believe it's time for dessert and a movie now."
Shota checks the time while making his way to the front gates of UA. The meeting didn't cut too much into his pre-shift nap time, so at least he has that going for him. When he looks up, he's surprised to see Nemuri waiting at the gates. She had changed out of her hero costume and was now wearing a business suit.
Before he can ask what she's doing, a call from behind interrupts him. "Nemuri!!" Colossus jogs past him and pulls Nemuri into a hug and off her feet as he swings her around.
"I missed you too!" Nemuri giggles. Colossus puts her down and the two share a passionate kiss, Shota glancing away as they do so.
"I am happy to see you, darling. The meeting went very well," Colossus happily tells her. "But the hero Midnight is very forward…"
"That's alright, as long as she knows you're mine." Nemuri kisses his cheek. "Let's go. The art expo starts soon, and you know I like to get there early!" She drags him away leaving a dumbfounded Shota all by himself. That is, until his phone dings. It's a text.
Nemuri: We've been dating a while. I finally found a guy who loves art as much as I do!! And it turns out, he doesn't recognize me when I'm in costume! I'm going to keep this going as long as I can, don't say anything ;)
And Shota thought the year was long already.
The elevator stops and the doors open, allowing Loki to stroll onto the floor. He is unperturbed by the workers and occasional hero he sees around him; changing your appearance does that.
He walks straight up to the secretary's desk, who can't even be bothered to look up from her computer. "Can I help you?" She drawls.
"I'm here to see the President of the HPSC," Loki replied joyfully, leaning on the desk, and placing one of his palms against it.
"You have an appointment?" She asks, still not looking at him and sounding a little annoyed.
Loki clicks his tongue and feigns a sigh. "I'm afraid I do not. But I think she'll make an exception for me."
"Listen, buddy. I don't care who you are or who you represent, no one sees her without an appointment." She's not even bothering to hide her annoyance with him anymore. The secretary grabs a radio, probably getting ready to call security just in case.
Smirking, because this was always one of his favorite parts, Loki lets a small glowing green line travel across his body. It's quick, and does nothing, but it gets the exact reaction he wants.
The secretary stops and finally looks at him with wide eyes. "O-oh. I-I didn't realize- why didn't you tell us you were coming?"
"Wouldn't be a very good trickster if people knew what I was doing, now would I?" Loki chuckles a little, standing straight.
"N-no. Wait, that's not what I-" Snapping her mouth shut before she embarrasses herself further, the woman hits a button under her desk and Loki nods at her, smiling.
Opening the door, he's greeted by a large office, with bookshelves on either side. In the middle, a large wooden desk with a few computer screens sat, and behind it, a window to comfortably look over the city.
"My schedule is cl-oh," The President starts to berate, but cuts herself off when Loki turns back into himself as the doors close behind him. "I wasn't expecting you today." She's an older woman, sharp eyes, and dirty blonde hair wearing a blue business suit.
"Where would the fun be in letting people know I was coming?" He sits as gracefully as he can on one of the uncomfortable chairs across from the President.
"You and your fun." She hits a few keys on her computer. "There aren't as many as usual, but I do have a new list of employees and heroes we could use, if that's why you're here."
"Might as well, since I took the time to come down here." Loki sighs, looking around the office. "But that's not all." His finger glows and Loki points next to him where the illusion of a purple-haired boy appears. "Hitoshi Shinso. What do you have?"
"Hmm." The leader of the commission searches through files on her computer for a minute. "Shinso. Quirk: Brainwashing." Loki perks up. "General studies of UA. Applied for the Hero Course but failed the entrance exam. Besides that, unremarkable. You want him added to the list?"
"No, no." Loki waves her off quickly. "I wanted confirmation on his quirk. And his wanting to be in the Hero Course is even better. Tell me, how soon could he be transferred in?"
A few more keystrokes. "Based on the history of the few who have done so in the past, it appears Shinso could be in the course by the beginning of his second year."
"That doesn't work for our timeframe," Loki responds before the president is even done. "I need you to put pressure on Nezu and UA to expedite the process and his training."
"I suppose this is why we put so many wealthy benefactors so early on the list, yeah?" The woman glances up from where she's making notes on her computer. "Though I fail to see how strengthening our enemies helps us."
"You are still upset over the operation of handing Eri over to the heroes?" Loki asks calmly, despite not wanting to engage in this conversation again.
She hits the last few keys a little too harshly and looks up at him. "Your little convoluted plan to get the girl to your son nearly cost my brethren inside Overhaul's operation their lives. It could've easily been them killed instead of the other two."
Loki rolls his eyes, remaining relaxed. "But did they die?" He gets a lowly 'no' as an answer. "Then we have nothing further to discuss. As for why I want the heroes to train both Shinso's and Eri's quirks, I'm afraid that's above your pay grade."
The blonde opens her mouth to protest but Loki quickly says, "of course, if you feel you are entitled to this information, you are more than welcome to take it up with the big guy."
The president pales, sinking into her seat more. "You mean the big boss?…No…that's alright. I wouldn't want to bother him." Loki grins.
"Very good. Now, onto the next order of business. Internships. Take these names down. Tenya Iida. Tsuyu Asui. Tenko Shimura. Shoto Todoroki. And most importantly, Ochako Uraraka. Make sure plenty of our heroes offer them internships so we may keep an eye on them."
The President nods. "I'm sending the names to our people now. I'll make sure the Uraraka girl especially ends up with one of us." Loki nods his thanks, checking his phone.
"Ah, our third guest has arrived, and they're gonna need a switch for a little while." The woman tilts her head in confusion before there's a knock on the door. "Come in," Loki calls out. The door opens and Loki crosses his arms. "Nice of you to join us. How was being fired?"
Vlad King shakes his head, closing the door behind him. "About as pleasant as being fired can be, what kind of question is that?"
"Merely making conversation," Loki shrugs. "You're going to be reassigned tonight anyway."
"Speaking of that." Vlad scratches the back of his head looking sheepishly between the both of them. "Since I am switching assignments for the time being, would it be okay if I dropped this?"
Loki looks him up and down before seeing the anxious look on the president's face as well. "You both want to, don't you?" They nod. "Very well."
Both people look relieved before the President hits a button on her desk, darkening the window behind her. Loki leans back. It was always interesting to watch. They told him it was like if a human could change their hair color, and Loki would say he'd agree with that.
The shift is quick, so quick in fact, if you blink you might miss it. One second, he's sitting in front of the president of the HPSC and the hero Vlad King. The next second, he's sitting in front of two Skrulls.
"Sorry," the green, shapeshifting alien who was playing Vlad says sheepishly. "Sometimes it's just nice to see yourself." He walks over and sits in the seat next to Loki.
"I'll have Vlad King approved for an extended leave of absence." The President Skrull switches computers. "Once we have the next group of government officials and heroes ready to be replaced, you'll have to go with them so All for One can give you the captive's quirks." She stops looking nervous. "Do I dare ask why you had him get himself fired?"
"Above your pay grade," Loki repeats. "And you know we have other Skrulls at UA to pick up the workload." He stands and turns one of the screens around. "No interruption in our chain of intelligence gathering?"
"No. We remain undetected."
"See that you do," Loki warns.
"What Todoroki was talking about yesterday?" Izuku repeats Denki's question over the phone. "Closest thing I can guess is the Skrulls."
"Skrulls?" Denki asks. Izuku can hear him flipping through pages of a book. Probably something Thor gave him to learn about the other aliens in the galaxy.
"Here we go. Can seamlessly shapeshift into any organic being and replicate their physical appearance flawlessly," he reads. "Pretty sick. Kinda like what you can do. This book is saying they used to be a pretty big threat. Why?"
"You already answered your question." Izuku lays back in bed. "They can replicate people perfectly. Tens, dozens, even hundreds of them could secretly invade a planet and the inhabitants would never know."
Loki gestures to the two Skrulls who instantly shift back into their human forms. The god bids them farewell and leaves, smiling to himself.
"I mean…" Izuku stares up at the ceiling, clutching his shorts. "They could be anyone."