Chapter 31

In a seemingly normal office building hiding in plain sight in Jaku City, was All for One himself, wires inserted in small areas along his mouth, the only surviving feature on his scarred face, courtesy of his perceived 'final' battle against All Might. And yet thanks to the quirks he has accumulated over the centuries, willingly and otherwise, he is still able to see clearly the screen before him, its light being the only thing illuminating the dark room he is in. On the one monitor was his protégé Shigaraki and the other, his newest… associate the Green Goblin.

The mysterious doctor, the only other occupant in the room, stands by his side, his attention fully on the machinery he is using to monitor his masters vitals. All for Ones deep voice is emphasized by the darkness as he muses about Shigaraki's plight.

"All matters considered, with the Green Goblin's actions concerning I-Island and the arrest of the Hero Killer Stain, everything went almost entirely as expected. With Stain going viral, those who want to wreak havoc or who simply sympathize with him will seek out the league of Villains as a way to satisfy their urges. It would've cemented his position to fill the ranks of the league of Villains and unite them under his leadership."

"But?"

"But the green Goblin, Osborn's 'supposed underling', proved to be appealing in his own way."

The Doctor pauses in his work on the medical devices, but still presses the button to filter All for One's blood and redistribute the healthy blood into his body. "Has he really?"

"Yes. His bravado worked in his favor in garnering an equal amount of attention as Stain himself and humiliating All Might without so much as lifting a finger? That proved to be much more effective than Striking a blow. Even now those who follow me have informed me that nearly half of the criminal underworld have become supporters of the Goblin and since there were no visible connection between his 'Sinister Six' and the League of Villains, many have hesitated to throw their support to Tomura Shigaraki's cause." All for One explained, truly impressed by the newcomer.

The Doctor hums in understanding and points out, "I believe things would lean more towards Shigaraki's favor if you were to talk to them yourself Master."

All for One chuckles, amused. "Then you better hurry and fix my body, Doctor."

The doctor sighs, "If only we got our hands on the super regeneration Quirk five years earlier. Or at least from a stable subject."

The Doctor shudders when he says stable, unwelcome memories of dealing with a certain mouthy mercenary that had set them back more than he'd like to admit.

"Now that your wounds have healed," he continues, " I'm afraid it can't really do anything to help you."

A few moments of silence passed as the Doctor finished his treatment and began to remove the wiring and tubes from his master. He glances back at the monitor displaying Shigaraki. "So he's to unite the League of Villains… Can he really pull it off? Has he grown enough?"

"He has, but with the Green Goblin and Osborn now in the mix? Not enough. He may not know it yet, but he has a new rival to worry about and if he wants to stand a chance, he'll need to grow much faster and much quicker."

"Osborn and his Goblin, should they be allowed to continue? They, especially Osborn, are very likely to betray you."

All for One smirks, looking all the more disturbing with his featureless face. "As a wise man once said, keep your friends close, and your enemies closer. It's currently the easiest way to keep track of the pair. Besides, my curiosity is piqued. I'd like to know just what Osborn has planned and if/when he does betray me, and I wipe him from the face of the earth, I'm interested to see how his work will benefit me and my cause."

At the same time in a hidden bar amongst the city

Shigaraki carefully places a card from the deck he had on top of a little hosue he was making. Despite how careful he was being, he as also musing to Kurogiri, "The Master is good." He admits with no hint of malice at all, only admiration. "I tried so hard to find out where those idiots were going for their training camp for so long, and he figured it out in an instant. Guess he really showed me up."

"Master has a vast reach, even in places we wouldn't expect."

Shigaraki pauses placing a card on top as he connects the dots on what he's hinting at. "A spy? In UA I'm guessing?"

"Perhaps."

The pale man snorts as his assumption was all but confirmed, "How did he manage that?"

"Desperation can lead people down a dark path. The student's parents came to him, keeping them loyal? All he needed were a few threats to the students family and his grasp was firmly established."

"So all we need to do now is prepare a team. Do we have anyone on standby?"

Before the astral villain can answer, a bell rings as the door is opened and a gangster. Emerging from the darkness was a tall man, he's athletically thin with long straight black hair that frames his face well. He walks in with his hands in his pockets sneering at the bar, unimpressed. "Shigaraki!... You all been the talk of the town for the past few weeks. Your associate tells me need a little help am I right?"

"That depends on what you're offering."

The Gangster smirks, "Pragmatism, nice. I got a lot of options, most though, no matter how much your… 'message', resonates with them, they won't lift a finger unless a price is met."

"A hired gun?" Shigaraki growls.

"Of sorts. You can only get so much talent worthwhile in the volunteer pool. But your friend here let me know that money ain't an option thanks to your boss."

Shigaraki gives Kurogiri a look, who simply bows, "We're sorely lacking in numbers. Sacrifices must be made."

"And it was a hefty price indeed. Enough for me to get a few guys for ya. You'll see them soon enough, but I did find some volunteers who've I've had some dealing with in the past that'll be worth your while."

He gestures to the door with a small smirk as in walk two people. One was a scarred thin man with black hair and dull blue eyes, the bottom half of his face marred with burn scars. And next to him was a short blonde teenage girl in a school uniform with blood red eyes and a demented smile that clashed with her cutesy attitude.

The scarred man smirks, "So it's you huh? I saw a picture of you, but you look gross in person…"

The girl is bouncing in place with giddy energy as she exclaims," Wow, the hand guy! You're friends with the great Stain! Oh let me join, too! The league of villains!" She begged.

But Shigaraki was not impressed, "Kurogiri, get rid of these guys. Everything I hate all together in one set." He orders, looking down at the girl in disgust, "A Brat."

He casts his disgusted look to the scarred man, "And a rude guy."

"And ya think ya any different then us?" the gangster retorts, still unimpressed.

Shigaraki crushes the Queen of hearts card in his hand and allows it to disintegrate into dust.

"And who the hell are you supposed to be anyway?"

"Shaw. Shinobi Shaw. And let me make sure I got this right. You, you're uh" he snaps his fingers, pretending to have a hard time to remember Shigaraki, aiming to and succeeding in angering the latter. "Oh right you're the dumbass who got himself shot at USJ."

Shigaraki gets up in anger but is stopped by Kurogiri, "Don't let yourself be provoked, it's unbecoming of the leader of the League of villains."

Begrudgedly, Shigaraki sits back down, hoping to not show weakness. " Fine."

"Even if you don't like em, I still get paid one way or the other, In cash, just like we agreed." Shaw says with a shrug.

Shigaraki gives a nod to Kurogiri and said henchman bends down to pick up a satchel full of money under the bar. He tosses it to Shaw, who opens it and grins as his eyes lay onto the contents of the bag.

"Since I'm in a good mood, I guess I can introduce the two of em before I go."

He pats the blonde girls head, "This one looks like an adorable harmless high school girl right? Don't let looks fool you, she's the suspect of a series of murders where the victims all bled out. Ya ain't heard much about her cause the media's kept her face and name hidden, despite how hard she makes it for them." He smiles, appreciative of her bloody style.

"Toga here! Himiko Toga!" She holds her hands together dreamily, "Life's so hard. I just wanna make it easier to live in this dumb world! I wanna be Mr Stainy! I wanna kill Mr stainy!" Her smile widens and her pronounced canines become more visible,
"C'mon Handy-Man, please let me join your League of Villains!"

Shigaraki can barely keep himself from kicking them out after the psychotic display, "You gotta be kidding me, is she crazy!?"

Shaw shrugs, "She can hold a conversation at least, for the most part. 'Sides, like I said looks can be deceiving. She's damn well useful."

"And this guy—ain't done anything flashy, but guys had a hard on for Stain like no other."

Dabi glares at him and Shaw simply smirks, challengingly. "I don't like this, is your group really dedicated to the Hero Killer's mission? I can't imagine you are if you're gonna let this little psycho join you and you're in bed with a crooked thug like him."

"Pot meet kettle asshole." Shaw grumbles.

"At least she knows how to introduce herself." Shigaraki leans onto his knees, his hands flexing as if to get ready for a fight, "Don't just stare, tell me your name."

"… Right now I go by Dabi."

"No I wanna know your real name!"

"You'll know when you need to know. In any case," His dull eyes brighten ever so slightly, "My new purpose is to carry out the Hero killer's will."

All for One's protégé's patience begins to run dangerously thin, his knee bounces faster with as his frustrations grow. "That isn't what I asked you, patchwork. Grr, why is everyone so hung up on Stain?" he rises from his seat, "Every damn day, he's really pissing me off!"

The other patrons realize what's about to happen and quickly get on their guard.

Shigaraki rushes them with his hand raised, "You two are really pissing me off!"

All three get into fighting position but kurogiri acts fast and places vortexes in all their paths, nullifying their attacks. Shinobi shaw cackles as he watches the spectacle, unimpressed by the 'league of villains'.

"Please calm yourself, Tomura Shigaraki. If your desire is to be realized, then we must increase our numbers. Now that we're in the spotlight, our chance is at hand! I advise you to be more accepting."

His shadowy head raises like smoke form his body and wraps itself around Shigaraki's head to whisper in his ear, "You must use them and the ideology Stain has left behind."

But Shigaraki isn't having it, "I'm out of here!"

Shaw starts to laugh louder now, "What's so funny?" Shigaraki asks in annoyance.

"Oh I had a feeling you'd be a let down." He steps into Shigaraki's way with a smirk. "For some reason the Union agreed to your crazy offer so quick cause they seem to have some crazy high expectations for you. But personally? I knew you wouldn't be all that impressive. I mean really what have you yourself done other than get your ass handed to you by All Might and a bunch of students?"

Shigaraki growls and rushes his hands forward… and they pass straight through Shaw. He tsks, "Can't decay anything ya can't touch, right?"

"How?" Shigaraki wonders as he brings his hands back.

"I can control my density. I can pass through solid objects or," His hand suddenly grab Shigaraki's wrists in a fearsome grip, "Make myself hard as diamond."

"Let go of me!"

"Sure, and I'll leave and I'll taker these punks with me to meet someone worthwhile, like that uh, that Green Goblin fella?"

Shigaraki stops in his struggle for release. "Him?"

"Yea, guy put up a good fight on I-Island, had the whole world talking, I mean you saw how quick he had All Might begging? Now that's a guy worth doing business with!"

"He lost to him too."

"But he wasn't bleeding like you was he? All the scum hiding in the shadows and sidelines have been itching to follow someone ready to step into the light, someone who can handle it. Way I see it, it ain't you less you prove me, and by extension the rest of us, otherwise. But since you clearly don't want our help, I'll just take these guys for another walk and go to where our talents will be a little more appreciated."

Shigaraki finally wrestles his hands out of shaws grip, "Who even cares about him!? He's-He's nothing! Just like Stain he's nothing but an NPC! Someone to throw away!"

"Awwww, you're breaking my poor heart." The high pitched chilly voice rang out.

Shigaraki's blood boils as the cackling Goblin waltz into the bar from the open door. He tips his hood to the guests as he settles himself near Shigaraki, leaning on the bar. "And here I thought we were becoming friends!"

"Friends?! With you!? Don't make me hurl. Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you right now!" Shigaraki threatens.

Goblin, unconcerned, simply raises his hands in peace, "Because I am here to establish peace. I simply followed your masters orders!—"

"And mine! Don't forget you work for both of us, you and Osborn!"

Goblin nods in feigned agreement, "Yes yes we're well aware of the circumstances of our alliance, trust me my employer is smart enough to know not to over step boundaries with your master."

"And do you?"

Goblin gasps dramatically as he fixes himself a drink, "Me? Of course I do! I just like to have some fun when I'm out on a task! Unlike Mr Osborn and Mr For One, I'm not so influential as to be able to have a say in what the media says. It's the public themselves who dubbed me as a solo act with my 'friends'."

He then gulps down the martini he made himself and walks around Shigaraki, who tenses slightly as the goblin rests both hands on his shoulders and leans into his ear like a devil whispering sin into a victims conscious. "We all know you are the true leader of the League of villains! That is something I wont take away from you, I'll make sure everyone is aware that they follow you and you alone and they follow your command."

Shigaraki jerks away from the Goblins presence and nods. " So long as you understand your place, I'll let you live."

Goblin's grin widens significantly as he glances at Shaw, "Oh Mr Gangster! Would you please make sure that all your buddies are aware of that too! Make sure that every victory the league of villains gain is all done thanks to this man right here!"

Shaw smirks, "Sure I'll do so." He bids his good byes and begins to head out of the bar and whispers to himself, "I'll make sure they're aware of every victory… and every failure."

The next morning in UA

The cicadas fill the morning with usual music reminding all the students who're gathered in front of the buses with their homeroom teacher Aizawa that it is in fact summer time. Though, as the teacher is currently reminding them, it does not mean it is a summer vacation.

"Don't think these will be months of rest for you heroes-in-the-making. At this camp, we'll push you to go beyond your limits." Aizawa warns them, holding a meaningful glance to each and every student to convey the importance of the coming training. "You're aiming to become 'Plus Ultra!'"

"Yes Sir!" The students reply in unison, full of conviction.

But they seriousness dwindles away as the natural excitement returns. Uraraka, as always, runs directly to Midoriya, leaning close without realizing it. "I'm so psyched! I've been looking forward to this camp all semester, Deku!"

His face quickly flushes as his feet stay rooted to the spot but he leans back slightly, unable to to keep his eyes on her for too long. "Oh yea! It's definitely close huh?"

His eyes meet hers and his face reddens even further as he can practically feel her breath on his skin. So close.

Seemignly unaware , Uraraka asks, "hey what's the matter?" Concern written all over her face.

Then it clicks, how close their standing, his red face and her being so comfortable about it that she didn't even realize what was going on. She suddenly remembers Aoyama during their exam, Is it because you like him?

Now it's her turn to get red and she quickly takes several steps back and tries to distract everyone, herself mostly, " Uh, Let's hear it for camp! Camp! Camp!"

Kaminari and Mina both follow her lead and clap and chant along with her. Meanwhile Izuku takes a few breaths to calm himself while hearing Peter cackle beside him.

"That was just precious! Aw the innocence of youth." Peter fawns.

"W-w-what do you mean?!"

Peter shakes his head with a smirk, "Old saying, denial is not just a river in Egypt!"

"She-she's just excited for camp!" Izuku continues to deny.

"Yea and I'm the Queen of Sheba."

Put Pete'rs mood darkens significantly as his ears are assaulted by Monoma's annoying voice.

"I heard some of class A is taking extra courses! Does that mean they actually failed the final exams?!" He gasps dramatically, "That must be so embarrassing! Especially since you're supposed to be so much better than my class!"

Peter growls and takes a step forward but Kendo beats him to it, chopping him on his neck and knocking him out. Just as causally, she grabs him by the collar and rags him away as she smiles apologetically, "Don't mind him!"

But Peter's annoyance isn't abated as he continues to glower, "God he makes me wanna bash his smirk to the back of his head."

Midoriya is once again caught off guard by his demeanor, "P-parker?!"

"What? Don't tell me he doesn't make you feel the same thing?"

"N-No but , you can't just say something like that!"

Peter's looks affronted, "If you can barely bat an eye when Bakugo says worse than you can handle me expressing my annoyance every now and then."

Midoriya cringes, "But that's different!"

"Why? Oh wait, let me guess, 'Kaachan is amazing!' is that it goes or should I be more of a brown nose?" He retorts mockingly.

Midoriya is speechless and even Peter is surprised by what he said. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't—"

"It's ok." Midoriya replies but Peter shakes his head.

"No it's not. I shouldn't have said that. I'm sorry Midoriya."

"No hard feelings!" He replies with a smile.

Peter returns a half one as he rubs his chest, the symbiote underneath spreading a feeling of comfort to wash away the guilty feeling he just experienced, unbeknownst to him. All the While within ear shot, for her at least, Jiro had listened to everything and relayed what she heard to Momo who watches Peter with concern.

"CLASS A's bus is this way, Please line up in order!" Tenya announces as he corrals his classmates towards their designated bus.

"Beautiful day, huh!" Izuku remarks, as he adjusts his camping bag into a compartment.

Todoroki's simple answer was, "Guess so."

Not because he dislikes anyone, it's just his usual energy.

Mina takes her seat but quickly hops onto her knees on it and facing behind her, "Hey Pofessorzu, how about we do another study party for the winter term finals too!"

"If you think I can be of assistance, then yes, absolutely!" Replies Momo, this time without a feeling of self pity.

Kaminari chimes in, "I wouldn't mind us setting up a regular study group in the mean time!"

"You're actually willing to crack open a book for once? This must be the end times." Jiro comments, unable to resist throwing a jab Kaminari's way.

He deflates, "Must you always ruin it for me?"

A little farther back, Tsuyu stares at Ochaco's bag… and how slim it looks in comparison to, well, everyones. Aside from Shoji that is.

"Packing light Ochaco?"

Uraraka gives her a strained smile, "Y-yea, nice and compact is what I was going for!"

But then her eyes widen, "Your bag is huge, Tsuyu!"

Her expression unchanging, Tsuyu explains, "It's the biggest one we had at home. Big enough to fit me in there, even."

Aizawa watches the class continue to chatter. In telling his students that those who failed their final exams would miss the camp and have to endure summer school hell, class A's homeroom teacher Aizawa had commited another of his so-called rational deceptions. His intention was to give some of the kids the kick in the pants they needed. Although all of his students had passed the written exams, Kaminari, Kirishima, Ashido, and Rikido Sato ended up failing the practicals. Technically Hanta Sero and Minoru Mineta'stag team had passed since Mineta had made it passed the gate without being captured, Sero had been immediately put to sleep by Midnight's Quirk during the exercise, even if it was to rescue his teammate. So he had to be given a failing grade. All five would be attending supplementary lessons during the camp, which was simply hell by another name. He smirks creepily under his scarf. They just don't know it yet. And yet, There was also the matter of Midoriya encountering the League of Villains' Tomura Shigaraki at the mall just a few days after school had ended, which had prompted a last-minute change of location for the training camp, for security reasons. And of course there was the shit show that was the Assault on I-Island, which, either by divine intervention or terrible luck, his own students somehow found themselves in the middle of it all. Which could explain a slight change I've noted in my failed students, gotta note that to explore it later. This only added to the class's desire to escape the anxieties of everyday life and leave it all behind for a spell.

Still, the entire class was ready to attend a week of training camp. And even though Uraraka and a few others currently live on their own while attending U.A., most still live at home with their parents. Coupled with being 'rebellious teenagers', the chance to have entire week in the great outdoors without their parents has all of the class stoked.

"Our bus is over here. Hurry up."

Class B's president, Itsuka Kendo, herds her classmates towards their own separate bus.

This training camp was to be a joint exercise for the two first-year classes of the Hero Course—A and B. Though Neito Monoma, Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu, and a few other class B students had sparked rivalries with their class A counterparts at the Sports Festival, the two classes haven't had a chance to interact much, so this was yet another factor throwing electricity into the air.

"The 'B' must stand for 'bountiful babe buffet'…" mutters Mineta as he ogles the class B girls boarding their bus.

Though he didn't actually make a move, his drool and heavy breathing alone bordered on sexual harassment—all par for the course for this embodiment of lust, Aizawa muses to himself.

"Mineta! That is class B's bus. You need to line up over here!" shouts Ida, not noticing what was drawing Mineta's attention.

The class president's reprimand ends the boy's momentary fantasy, and he reluctantly joins his classmates.

"Now then, we will sit according to our seating chart in class!"

Ashido groans at Ida's demand.

"Do we gotta, really? Why not just sit wherever?"

Ida is taken aback by the complaint,"But going by the standard arrangement will make the process quicker and more efficient, no?"

"C'mooon, it's not every day we get a training camp trip! Why make it extra boring on purpose?"

Now it's time for the stern class rep to come out, "Ashido. This trip is an official school function, so I'm afraid your boredom is irrelevant to the matter."

"I wanna sit wherever, too" said Kaminari, backing up Ashido.

Ida thought for a moment, and sighs, knowing the outcome.

"Shall we take a vote to decide?"

"Just get on the bus already," said Aizawa from behind, before anyone could respond. He had the final say, and the students of class A rush onto the bus without another word, taking it as an unofficial yes. Aizawa hates wasting time more than anything—a fact that his students knew all too well.

"Wanna sit with me, Ochaco?" Tsuyu asks, seeing Uraraka glance around.

"Yeah! Definitely!" The brunette says with a smile.

The rest of the class enter the bus and once they're secure, the engine rattles to life. But by the time the scenery was flying by, Aizawa's authority had all but evaporated.

"Let's get some music going! Something summery! Some Tube songs, maybe!" Kaminari yells to Kirishima.

But the red head had other ideas,"No way, nothing beats Carol's End of Summer in the summertime!" Kirishima retorts, scrolling through his phone for tunes.

"But it's not the end?"

On the other side of the bus, also in the first row, Ashido and Toru Hagakure play a casual game of Ispy to pass the time.

"Hmmm, I spy a bank!"

"I spy money in the bank!"

The class was as wild and carefree as a group of kindergartners on a field trip.. And it was driving their homeroom teacher insane. Aizawa, sitting in front of Hagakure, was about to blow his top when the class rep stands up from his seat and shouts

"Quiet down now, everyone! Didn't you read the pamphlet for this excursion!? Including the reminder to always respect the rules, as we are at all times ambassadors for U.A.?"

But, as much as Aizawa appreaciated his efforts, it didn't deter any of the students. Peter, who sat behind him, gently sits him down by the shoulder.

"Standing up in a moving vehicle is probably against the rules."

"Hmph! How careless of me!"

Aizawa was about to get up to put a stop to the noise, but the motivation leaves as soon as he moves and he ends up giving up on any hope of disciplining his class and decides to instead take a nap, or at least attempt to. He knew that all the chiding in the world wouldn't keep the noise from rising up again, and if he wants to survive a full week "of cohabitation" with these kids, he'll need to conserve his energy and what little sanity he has left. Besides, this would be their last chance to get it out of their systems.

As Aizawa settled into his nap, Asui offers Uraraka a thin red box.

"Want some Pocky, Ochaco?"

"Sure do!"

Aoyama appears in his usual spectacle, "~Give me some Pocky as well, oui?~"

"Here, Tsuyu, I brought candy too!" Mina offers her some skittles.

"Thanks."

"~Hey, I said give me some Pocky,~" Aoyama repeats, peeking through the seats in front of the girls. Todoroki sat to his left, behind Ashido.

"I didn't expect you to be a fan of Pocky, Aoyama," Tsuyu remarks as she slips the box between the seats, allowing Aoyama to grab one of the chocolate-covered sticks.

"~Merci~," said the boy, flipping his hair for no apparent reason. "~I was up late last night packing and overslept. No time for breakfast, you see, so this Pocky will have to suffice. ~"

"'Suffice'? Kinda rude to the Pocky, don'tcha think?" said Uraraka. "It's the ultimate harmony between pretzel and chocolate!"

The frugal Uraraka was keenly aware of the value of things—hence her impassioned defense of the somewhat pricy item. The candy she's sharing with Asui had been part of a care package from her parents. "~As you say, mademoiselle.~"

Upon finishing his stick of Pocky, Aoyama pulls out a compact mirror with sparkly decorations from his pocket and starts checking himself out from all angles.

A stray beam of light bounces off the mirror and directly into Todoroki's eyes who grumbles in annoyance, "Do you mind?"

"~Sorry,~ " said Aoyama, shifting closer to the window, still not quite done with his mirror. "~I must sparkle more than the morning sun, you see. ~"

"You're something else, Aoyama," said Uraraka.

"In an almost impressive way. Almost," added Asui, nodding at her friend.

Behind them, Bakugo and Fumikage Tokoyami had their eyes shut, as uninterested in the music, games and antics as their teacher. Bakugo was already fast asleep, while Tokoyami was meditating in an attempt to drown out the world around him. The seats behind them held Ojiro and Sero, with Mineta and Sato to their left, across the aisle.

"Ashido's not the only one excited for this 'test of courage' thing! Can't wait to try scaring people," said Sero.

"Or sneaking up from behind and grabbing their boobs!"

"That's a crime, Mineta," said an exasperated Ojiro. Next to Mineta, Sato unfolds a delicate paper package.

"Want some marshmallows, guys? I've got vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry."

"Only if marshmallows is code for boobs!" Mineta quips, who only ever had one thing on the brain. In front of them sat class A's Tallest member Shoji, who glares back at Mineta but, unable to do anything, shakes his head and does his best to ignore the perverts antics.

Their entire row—the one with Bakugo and Tokoyami—fell back into silence.

"Momoyao, wanna listen? I've been hooked on this band that does arrangements of classical stuff," asked Jiro in the next row up.

"My, that sounds fascinating."

"We can listen together, then," said Jiro, handing Yaoyorozu one of her earbuds.

As Yaoyorozu places it in her ear she covertly glances at Peter who's wearing a face of sadness as he stares at the screen of his phone. Sitting next to him is Izuku who glances down and, he swears he isn't trying to snoop, reads the text message he just sent to his aunt… and her lack of response as well as her lack of response to all the previous messages.

"Hey Aunt May, just wanted to let you know we're off and heading to the camp!"

Read.

"I love you Aunt May."

Read.

Peter notices Izuku had read the messages and quickly closes his phone.

"Pa—"

"I Appreciate the concern Midoriya but I really don't want to talk about it."

"But Pa—"

"Please. This isn't one of those hero times ok? Please just drop it for now."

Against his better judgment he does.

Asui had poked her head above the seat to scan the rest of the bus.

"We've been driving awhile." she said before sitting back down next to Uraraka.

"Yeah, I hear you. Kinda exciting, though, going on a trip with everyone! I swore I'd keep awake and chat the whole time, but now I'm getting sleepy…" She replies as her eyes droop slightly.

"Where'd you go for your big field trip in middle school, Ochaco?" Tsuyu asks.

"Tokyo! It was great living the dream for a few days. How about you, Tsuyu?"

"Hokkaido, of all places."

"Ooh, nice! I hear they've got good crab up there."

"The crab was tasty, but… Ribbit," said Asui, a froggy chuckle escaping her lips.

"Hmm? So good you're laughing just remembering it?"

"Nuh-uh. I had this friend named Habuko, you see, and she couldn't stand the cold. Worse than me, even. She was as excited as anyone for the trip, but the closer we got to Hokkaido, the drowsier she got…"

"Yikes. Nothing you can do about the climate, I guess."

"But she still wanted to enjoy herself, so we came up with a way to keep her awake."

"Yeah?" Uraraka curiously asks.

"She just needed to keep warm, right? So we borrowed a bunch of clothes from our classmates for her to wear."

"And? Did the strategy work?"

"Yes, but by the end, she was practically a snowman with all those puffy layers. She'd never looked cuter." Tsuyu giggles at the end, fondly looking back at the memory she cherishes.

"Sounds like you made some good memories!"

"Uh-huh," said Asui with a grin, just before a reflected beam of light shoots into her eyes from between the seats in front of her.

She cringes. "Too bright, Aoyama."

"Oui…"

But this wasn't the typical, enthusiastic oui they'd come to expect from the boy. Uraraka and Asui glance at each other before peeking through the seats.

"You okay, Aoyama?"

"Ughh…"

A pale Aoyama was draped against the wall of the bus, head resting on the windowsill. One limp hand still clutching his compact mirror.

"What's the matter?" asked Uraraka. Todoroki had been listening to Midoriya and Ida's conversation, but at this, he turned and noticed the state of his seatmate.

"Something wrong?" asked Todoroki. Midoriya, Peter and Ida also glance over.

"Probably motion sickness, from staring into that mirror all this time?" proposed Asui, but Aoyama took a deep breath and fired back.

"~My beautiful visage could never make anyone sick, least of all moi… ~"

With his whole body trembling violently, he managed a weak wink.

"We applaud your brave face, but you really need to take it easy," said Asui, not beating around the bush.

"Non, non… I will be…just fine… Urp."

Sensing what might be coming, Uraraka yella, "Anyone got a barf bag?"

Peter starts digging into his bag, "I got just the thing!"

He pulls out a bag, some water and a dramamine container.

Todoroki raises an eyebrow, "Was this a coincidence or did you plan for this type of situation?"

"I did actually! Before my quirk activated I had terrible motion sickness all the time so I basically prepare a kit before any long trips I ever had to take. I still do it out of habit and it's a good thing I did!" Peter explains as he helps Aoyama get into a comfortable position and helping him take his Dramamine.

Asui calmly gave some advice as well. "Let's get that window open too. And loosen your shirt collar."

"Got it," said Todoroki, taking charge. He stood up, cracked the window, and raised the armrest between him and Aoyama. After undoing the top button of his uniform, Aoyama said "~Merci… ~" and lay down, per his doctor's orders.

"I can, um…switch seats with you, Todoroki!" Midoriya offers, but Todoroki declines. Instead, he crouches and flips open the extra aisle seat. It was smaller than the standard ones, with nothing in the way of back support but he's dealt with worse.

"That's not gonna work for you, Todoroki!" Ashido warns with a laugh, seeing the boy awkwardly perch himself on the tiny platform.

"Not even a little!" Hagakure saysin agreement.

"I don't think these seats were designed to 'work' for anyone," said Todoroki flatly.

"It's fine. Really. I have a place to sit, and that's good enough."

"Right. And what matters now is that Aoyama starts feeling better," Asui adds with finality.

Up in the first row, Kirishima—still looking at his phone—had an idea.

"Says here there's a pressure point that can help when you're carsick! Just press the spot two fingers' width down your wrist."

Peter scratches his chin, "Um I don't know if that's necessary, I think we should just wait for the Dramamine to do it's job."

But Midoriya retorts, "His quirk is what normally makes him experience nausea, he's probably used all types of medicine before and might've developed a resistance."

"Worth a shot to try then," Todoroki says, volunteering for duty. But as he reached for Aoyama's arm, Todoroki shuddered and froze up.

"Wait. No. Not me…" he mutters, all eyes on him. Todoroki stares intently at his own hands and holds his breath, as if about to confess to murder.

"When I get involved, people's hands end up destroyed…"

Peter looks at Izuku, wondering if he's crazy, "Huh?"

"I'm the hand crusher…"

Again Peter is confused, "Huh?"

Most of the kids have absolutely no idea what Todoroki was mumbling about, but Midoriya and Ida burst out laughing. Remembering the strange conclusion Todoroki came to once they recovered from their fight with Stain.

"I just can't… Someone else needs to press your pressure point."

"~I can do it myself, merci. If everyone could just leave me be, actually…~" said Aoyama.

"Also… It might help if we distracted the patient somehow!" Kiriahima offers, still reading off his phone.

"I know just the thing," Ashido snaps her fingers, "Let's go in and play the word chain game!"

At her suggestion, Midoriya starts muttering like mad, mostly to himself.

"That might be perfect, actually… It's a simple game on the surface, but thinking up words does require some focus. Since each subsequent word has to start with the final letter of the last one, your options are more limited than you'd think. And no time for deep thought, right? Because the other players are pressuring you to hurry up. That sort of mild stress activates the brain cells and trains the mind… Two birds, one stone."

"Haven't heard Deku's wacky muttering in a while!" Uraraka comments with a wide fond smile.

"Yea adorable isn't it?" The American student teases.

Midoriya breaks out of his stupor with a blush, "Eh? Oops, sorry."

Ida stood up and faced the back of the bus.

"On that note, attention, everyone! Our friend Aoyama is suffering from motion sickness, so we will be playing the word chain game to keep his mind otherwise occupied!"

"The word chain game?" Mineta said, clearly not thrilled about the idea.

"What're we, in grade school?" Sero mocks.

Undeterred, Ashido shoots back, "Yeah, the word chain game! It's also the perfect way to kill some time!"

"No, Ashido, this is for dear Aoyama's sake! But also perhaps a way to practice cooperating as a class, in light of the impending training camp!"

Ida's insistence got the rest of the class on board.

Peter scoffs, "Somehow he always manages to turn even the most trivial and childish thing into some form of training."

"All in agreement? Very well. To give our ailing Aoyama time to think, let's begin from this side of the bus, with Kaminari, then Kirishima, myself, Midoriya, and so on."

"Okay," said Ashido. "What's our starting word?"

"How about training camp, so Kaminari's gotta start with p!" Hagakure proposes..

Kaminari thought hard for a moment.

"Perturb. As in, what Mamayao's cookies did to my stomach."

"My turn!" said Kirishima. "B, huh? Let's see… B... B... Bulletproof!"

"F… Footwork! An obvious choice, for me," said Ida.

Midoriya was up.

"K… Hmm… Oh, Kamui Woods! Names are allowed, right?"

"You sure do love your heroes," quipped Todoroki.

"That would make my letter s, I suppose. Well, I do enjoy reading and studying, so how about scholar," said Yaoyorozu with a reassured nod. Next to her, Jiro furrowed her brow.

"R… R… Ah, how about reggae? Pfft…"

"What's so funny, Jiro?" asked Yaoyorozu.

"Just thinking how, when Kaminari goes into dummy mode, his favorite music genre's probably 'regg-yayyy.'" Peter joins her in laughter.

"I gotta write that down that was a good one!"

"You never miss a chance to take a shot at me, huh," Kaminari grumbles with a pout, peeking over his seat at the laughing Jiro. Farther back, Shoji spoke.

"My turn… E… Extremity, then."

"Fitting, as Shoji's Quirk was "Dupli-Arms."

It was now Peter's turn, "Y? Hmm Yak!"

"Like the animal? Not what Aoyama's about to do?" Quips Sato, earning some chuckles from his classmates. "Lemme see… So I got s… Spoom!"

"You mean spoon?" Peter supplies.

Sato shakes his head, "A dessert! Kinda like sorbet, but lighter, and served in a glass. Usually made with fruit juice, or even fruity alcohol."

On the other side of the bus, Tokoyami muttered "Fruit? Like apples…?" though nobody heard him.

"Fine, fine, my turn," Mineta whines. "You gave me m, so… Misandry. For all those man-hating women out there."

Mineta starts gnawing on his nails, prompting his seatmate, Sero, to ask, "Seriously, man, what did Mt. Lady do to you during that internship?"

"I might just tell you, but only if you're ready to never trust females again…"

"You know what? Never mind. Anyway, I've got y, then? Umm… Yuca!"

"Yuca?" asked a dumbfounded Ojiro, who was up next.

"Never heard of yuca? It's a tropical tuber, kinda like a potato. Real healthy, though, with manganese and vitamin C, which boosts the immune system-"

"Plus if you go to El Malecon in New york you'll see just how magical Yuca can be!" Peter adds, his mouth watering.

"-Keeps your heart pumping, and even prevents wrinkles," Sero finishes, clearly in his element.

At the mention of wrinkle prevention, Hagakure yelped, "Ooh, I'd better eat some yuca, then!" Her Quirk made her completely invisible, but the girl was still, for some reason, obsessed with skin care.

"You sure know a lot about it…" Ojiro comments.

"What can I say?" added Sero. "I'm all about healthy foods. Unlike Parker!"

Peter shrugs, "I'm a foodie, so what matters is that it tastes good. So who's next?"

"Almost seems unfair, using a word nobody's heard of." Ojiro mumbles.

"Heh. Word chain game is a battle of wits, and I've come well armed," Sero brags.

Ojiro narrows his eyes at the cackling Sero and starts to think of his own word.

"A… Oh, ant!"

"C'mon, that's so ordinary. Boring, even," Sero retorts, feeling let down by Ojiro's choice.

"What's wrong with being ordinary…?" Ojiro complains with an expression of pure angst.

From the next seat up, Tokoyami gave the two boys a silent stare.

"Your turn, Tokoyami," Ida urges, since Tokoyami was staying quiet.

"Your letter is t, Tokoyami," said Asui, peeking back between the seats.

"Twilight," said Tokoyami, but only because the others wouldn't leave him alone until he played along. Uraraka was impressed, at any rate.

"Ooh, perfect word for you. Next is…Bakugo. Wait, is he sleeping?"

Bakugo was indeed dead to the world, so Sero reached around and jostled him.

"That takes guts…" Midoriya murmurs from his seat up front, obviously impressed with Sero's bravery.

"Bwuh?" Bakugo's eyes pop open.

"Your turn, man. We're playing the word chain game!"

"And your letter is t, Bakugo. Got that? T!"

All eyes were on Bakugo, and his own eyes narrow dangerously.

"Huhh? Word chain?"

"Yes. You got t," repeated an unafraid Uraraka.

"She's got guts, too…" Midoriya comments, drawing Bakugo's attention. Whether it was the sight of Midoriya's face that did it or not, Bakugo's blood pressure spiked.

"Trying to rope me into your stupid game for babies? Buzz off!"

"Not exactly a word, but good enough. So my letter is f," An unshaken Asui continues without missing a beat.

"Wait! What? That wasn't me joining in! Don't make me part of this!"

"Too late you're already a part of it sparkplug!" Peter quips.

"I think I know what your f word is gonna be, Asui…" Uraraka guesses.

"You're expecting frog…? Just to mix things up, I'll go with flag."

"That still leaves me with g! Okay… Hmm… Gouda! It's not mochi, but cheese isn't all bad," declared Uraraka.

Asui peeks over at Aoyama and said, "It's your turn. And your letter is…"

"Urrp…"

Aoyama was as pale and limp as ever.

"Still not feeling well, huh… Why don't you take your turn, Todoroki?"

"Fine… Hmm…" Todoroki fell into deep thought, scowling, unaware of all the eyes on him. Then, in a flash, he raised his head.

"Hypothermia."

"But gouda ends in a, not h, Todoroki! That means the game's over," Midoriya announces.

"Aww, I didn't get to go!" said Ashido from the next seat up, clearly annoyed.

"Oh. Sorry," was Todoroki's rather unconcerned apology.

"All right, quiet down. The bus is about to stop," Their homeroom teacher growls, who was good and awake now. The whole bus hushed, like a classroom at the chime of the bell.

The bus pulled over, but the turnoff had no rest stop, no bathrooms, nothing. Just mountains as far as the eye could see, not a building in sight.

"Get off now. Hurry up."

At Aizawa's urging, the kids start to get up, assuming this would be a brief pit stop to stretch their legs. Mineta, holding his jewels carefully, runs out the bus screeching,

"I gotta pee!"

"Ughh…" said Aoyama, struggling to lift himself up.

"How ya feeling now Aoyama?" Peter asks.

"~Why, I seem to be cured. ~" He was looking less pale, and his trademark wink had regained its sparkle.

As he spoke, he brought out the mirror again and began to fix his hair.

"Right. Well, I admire your dedication to personal grooming, even when you're a second away from vomiting."

"~This is the only way I know how to be… Hmm? Hmm…?~"

Still staring into the mirror, Aoyama bobbed his shoulders up and down and put one hand to his stomach.

"You good, Aoyama?" Mina asks, noticing the change.

"Maybe because the bus stopped moving?" wondered Asui with a tilt of her head.

Aoyama flashed his usual smug smile and wagged a slender finger side to side.

"~Non, non. It is because I have viewed my own beautiful visage. ~"

All three students give him a deadpan look.

"Ugh. We were seriously worried, man."

"I'm taking back my sympathy." Peter grumbles.

The other kids were slightly irked at Aoyama's miraculous recovery, and they made it known as they filed off the bus. Aoyama got off too, in his own detached, devil-may-care way. Hearing the others complain, a croaky laugh escaped from Asui.

"What's up, Tsuyu?" asked Uraraka.

Asui found it all so charming. The word chain game, the little banters… Even the complaints directed at Aoyama were just proof that they all cared.

"Just thinking about how sweet everyone is."

It hadn't been even half a year since school had started, but the class had already spent plenty of rich, quality time together. This bus trip had revealed yet another side to their dynamics, and Asui was looking forward to the training camp to see what else might be revealed.

"I said, hurry," Aizawa growled at Asui and Uraraka, who were the last ones to get off. They gaze up at the endless sky, marveling at the mountains, and suck in the fresh air. The forest was an expansive green scenery, such a contrast to the metropolitan sights they normally see in the city. Mineta, having spent all the times frantically looking for a place to relieve himself since this is supposedly a rest stop desperately begs aizawa to point him to where the nearest bathroom is.

Aizawa looks down on the purple headed student with no remorse, "I don't really think we stopped here just so you can stretch your legs do you?"

Izuku's eyes widen, "W-What?!"

Peter moans, "I should've known by now not to get my hopes up."

Nearby, a car that was parked next to the bus opens its doors and someone calls out, "Hey Eraser!"

Without looking back Aizawa answers, "Long time no see."

Two women exit out the car dressed in cat themed hero costumes and confidently strut to the front of the class. The brown haired one starts dancing, "Your feline fantasies have arrived say, 'Meow'!".

The blonde one hits a pose, "Purrfectly cute and catlike girls!"

Together they strike a group pose and announce, "You can call us, the Wild wild Pussycats!"

The only one who was more unimpressed than the class was a random small boy standing near them. Peter leans to Midoriya, "I'm guessing you're familiar with them right?"

Excitedly, He explains, "Theyre a four person hero team who set up a joint agency! They're a veteran team that specializes in mountain rescues! This years their twelfth workin—" A paw padded glove cuts off Midoriya's gushings as the blonde one smiles creepily.

"I'm pretty sure your math must be off! I'm 18 at heart!"

Peter quickly peels off her clawed glove form Midoriyas head, "And I'm pretty sure this is bordering on child endangerment!"

He notices the child snort but the kid quickly scowls more to cover it up. Interesting. Aizawa nods at the wild wild pussycats and they back off. "Greet them everyone!"

"nice to meet you!" The class reply.

The brown haired member of the pussycats begins to explain, "We own this whole stretch of land here. You all will be staying at the foot of that mountain." She point far out.

So far! The class gape.

"Then why did we stop here?" Uraraka asks.

"could this mean…?"

"No way!" Sato shakes his head as they all come to the same conclusion.

Sero nervously chuckles and points behind him, "Why don't we get back in the bus?... Fast!"

But at that moment the bus drives off. The students, full of dread look back slowly to the brown haired member of the pussycats who smiles sweetly in return.

"It's 9:30 am right now. If you're fast!... maybe you'll get there around noon?"

"… Ok this is no longer just bordering on child endangerment." Peter deadpans.

"If you don't make it by 12:30, you won't get any lunch!" The blonde one teased, waving as she begins climbing back in the car.

The few classmates who had any shred of hope look to Aizawa for any help, but he shrugs. "Sorry ladies and gentlemen. Training camp… has already begun! Since this is on private land, you can use your quirks. Use them to the best of your ability."

"You have three hours! Come to the facility on your own two feet after getting through, the Beast forest!"

The kids begin to run the opposite way but Peter's spider sense tingles and he quickly leaps back up. At the same time, the blonde member of the pussycats dashes ahead of the students and touches the ground. Her hands glow for a second and the ground suddenly shifts, "The ground is rising!?" Midoriya yelps as they're all flung off the side of the cliff.

They scream as they fall but each and everyone is safely caught webbing that has acted as a net, courtesy of Peter's spider sense. He looks at his wrists form where the symbiote had fired it's own webbing. "It can make it's own webs!? What can't this suit do!?

He helps everyone get down safely, with Momo smiling gratefully and commenting, "Did you make a new web fluid? How did you change the color to black?"

Taken aback, Peter looks at the net he made and realizes it is indeed black, he's guessing it's a signature of the suit. Quickly lying, "A by product of additions I made."

Jiro growls in annoyance, "Why do we always keep falling for Aizawa's little tricks?!"

Kirishima finishes dusting himself off, "I guess there's no use complaining. Might as well get going."

No one took his advice as seriously as mineta, Who's still desperate to relieve himself. He rushes into the forest searching for anywhere to pee. "I held it, didn't spring a single leak! Now to find a secluded spot!"

Once again Peter's spider sense tingles and he fires a web strand to pull Mineta back just as a creature made of the forest itself appears and smashes where the pervert was once standing. The class scream in shock, "holy crap we're all gonna die!"

He creature steps forward and lifts a massive hand to attack but Peter leaps forward and delivers a spinning kick that obliterates its hand. He web yanks himself to it's head and he delivers 3 consecutive brutal punches to it's head, bringing it to its knees before leaping off, catching it's horn and smashing it down to the ground. The class was shocked by the aggressive tactic from the webhead, even bakugo felt the small embers of respect forming inside him form the admittedly badass display.

"midoriya, this is one of the pussycat's quirk isn't it?"

"Y-Yea, earth flow, she can manipulate earth in anyway she can imagine including these earth beasts!"

Peter nods, "And apparently multiple avatars."

"You sense more?" Ida asks.

"Yea at least 10 more just ahead of us. I think I should take the lead on this, my spider sense will alert us when one will appear and we can coordinate a plan of attack from it."

"Excellent idea, Midoriya and I will take the rear, You lead!"

Peter smirks and swings himself into the air. True to his word, his spider sense did allow them to take on the earth beasts created to hamper their travel with relative ease. The symbiote had upgraded his spider sense remarkably, alerting him of where a golem was being created and how large it was. Thanks to him, they were able to make it to the training facility an hour before the teachers assumed they would.

"The litter have arrived and we've only just started cooking!"

The kids practically drop from exhaustion as they reach building, except for peter of course. Smirking in admiration, Izuku remarks, "What does it take to make you break a sweat?"

"Doing a presentation in front of a class room usually does it!"

Pixie bob excitedly meows, "I thought you kids would take longer1 but you did much better against my dirt mosnters Than I thought you would! You guys were seriously great! Especially you five!"

She points at Ida, Midoriya, Peter, Todoroki, and Bakugo. "It seems like you've had quite a bit of experience."

She licks her lips and lunges, "I call dibs on these kitten!" She peppers all of them kisses.

"Is this really appropriate?!" Peter says, surprised that he feels put off about a woman kissing him.

Aizawa is on the same boat as Peter as he asks, "Mandalay, has she always been like this?"

She apologizes on her teammates behalf, "She's gotten worse lately, she is in the age to take a mate."

Izuku perks up, "Speaking of age."

Peter snorts, "Smooth segue bro!"

A gloved paw grips Izuku's face, "Careful with your choice of words boy!"

"I-I-I've been wondering, who is that kid? What's he doing here?" He points to the child that had been with the wild wild pussycats earlier that morning.

"Mandalay answer, "Oh this little guy? He's my cousins son. He lives with us now. Don't be shy Kota."

Peter raises an eyebrow at his glare. "I don't think it's shyness he's experiencing."

Izuku doesn't seem to care as he offers the child his hand, "Kota? My names midoriya, I'm from UA high school Hero course. It's nice to meet you!"

The kid ignores his hand in favor of a punch to the nuts. Peter cringes while Ida quickly comes to Midoriya's aid. "What a low blow! A punch to the scrotum is unforgiveable!"

The kid is undeterred as he snarls, "The last thing I want is to hang with some wannabe heroes."

Offended, Ida asks, "Wannabe? How old are you kid!"

Bakugo smirks, happy to see the display of violence. "The brat's got some spunk!"

"You saying that cause he's a brat like you?" Peter asks.

"You need to shut your mouth before I blast you all the way to hell!"

Peter smirks and lifts his chin as he steps closer to Bakugo's face. "Oh I'd like to see you try sparkplug."

"enough playing around." Aizawa orders.

Peter rolls his eyes, "Of course that's all the effort he puts into it."

"What was that?" Aizawa asks menacingly.

But Peter is unconcerned as he shrugs, "nothing."

With a withering glare Aizawa continues, "Get your stuff off the bus. Once your bags are in your rooms, we'll have dinner in the cafeteria. After that you can bathe and sleep. Tomrrow your training starts in earnest. You'd better get a move on."

After a particularly tasty dinner, it was time to bathe themselves. Peter decided to ehad to the baths early simply cause, since he still had the suit, he'd rather put it away before he gets any questions he didn't feel like answering. Seeing that the coast was clear, he pulled off his scholl uniform and underneath was what looked like a black compression shirt and shorts, obviously the symbiote. Strangely enough, when he tried to remove the shirt first, it seemed to not want to go anywhere. Not only that, but somewhere in the back of his head, he was having second thoughts, telling him he should leave it on, that he never felt so free before, so powerful, so sure. Don't let us go.

That unfamiliar voice terrified him out of his stupor. With more effort he pulled off the disguised short, earning a slight pop sound and took off the shorts too, thankfully it didn't need as much effort. But as soon as the suit left his skin, he was hit with such exhaustion. Physical, mental, emotional, the whole nine yards. He felt like he was inside a cement mixer, battering him as he went right side up and upside down. He stared at the ebony heap in his bag, waiting for it to leap up to him. Instead it laid there inert, practically taunting him as if it's saying, see what happens? Told you! You shouldn't have let us go!

The exhaustion felt worse by the minute. A terrible headache coming with a force, even the light itself felt too irritable for his eyes and he had to squint and sit down with his head in his hands. He grabbed a towel and wrapped it around his waist and then grabbed a smaller one and dipped it in some cold water. He took a few ginger steps to get into the hot spring and gently stepped, allowing the warm water to soothe his tired muscles. He leaned back and placed the cold towel on his forehead, willing it to numb the pain he felt in his head.

The ringing in his ears are slowly ebbing away just to enough to not feel significantly irritated once the rest of his classmates enter the baths and make their noise.

"Hey Parker-san."

Peter lifts the towel off his eyes and Izuku does a double take, "You look so drained! You looked fine just a few minutes ago."

Peter's mind goes to the ebony clothing in his bag, I wonder why.

"Guess my stamina has it's limits, soon as I relaxed all the fatigue hit me like a truck."

Izuku gives his friend a sympathetic look as he enters the wmr body of water. "You gotta learn how to take it easy, you're too hard on yourself."

""You don't see the irony in that statement?"

"Midoriya is right!" Ida chops, "Rest is an equally important factor in the conditioning of our bodies and minds! It's why I always make sure to sleep a full 8 hours everyday!"

"Easy to do when you're not a neurotic mess like Midoriya and I." Peter mubmles.

"What do you mean?"

Kirishima chimes in, "All our minds work differently, some are just a little over active. Like take Midoriya, he goes on his mumble rants anytime something catches his eye!"

Some of the boys laugh and it was meant to be in good nature, but Peter is quick to see how Midoriya's smile falters, like he dislikes being reminded of all his differences.

"Kirshima next time try not to be a dick and point it out in front of the entire class!" Peter says with more bite than he meant.

Kirshima's smile drops and quickly adopts an apologetic expression, "I didn't mean it like that!"

Midoriya tries to wave it off, "I-It's ok I don't mind!"

"Peter rolls his eyes, "Of fucking course!"

"Parker-san!" Ida admonishes, "Mind your manners!"

"Sorry sorry! I just, feel irritated as well as tired." About a lot of things.

Peter sighs, "I just got a bad migraine right now. I'm sorry Kirishima."

The red head waves it off goodnaturedly, "It's ok, you were right I shouldn't have done that. It was really manly of you to stick up for Midoriya!"

Not like he'll grow the balls to do it himself. Peter groans and rubs his head, wondering why he keeps getting these aggressive thoughts about his friend. Who's he kidding, he knows why. He takes a glance at his bag, ignoring everything and everyone. Not even caring to listen to Mineta's perverted aspirations. He's focused solely on his bag. Specifically, what's inside. The Symbiote, intentionally beckoning him by calling on his spider sense enticingly, Tempts him from a far. His skin itches and yearns to reconnect with the suit, his heart beats hard, wanting the relief it got form just a touché of the symbiote. His fingers dance relentlessly along his knees under the water as the seconds feel like hours, with Peter desperately waiting to be reunited with the suit once more… I… I NEED it.

Authors Note: Sorry it took long! Still got a goos thing going now! After some thinking, I am gonna take mroe than jsut a few chapter sfor the symbiote story for me to tell it like i want, plus i'd liek to add mroe times like this when the class can feel closer. Anyway, I'll answer reviews in the following chapters, See ya then! Still thank you to all who've favorited, followed, reviewed and waited for this chapter!