With the advent of quirks, many different fields of science and industry went through new golden ages. Chemistry was one of them. With the myriad new materials emitted from people's quirks, the limits of what was possible seemed to disappear. However, as many new medicines were developed, plenty of harmful chemicals came about as well. And with so many different and shiny new hammers, those with nefarious intentions went looking for nails. In Japan, a particularly ambitious and talented group of opportunists looked to make a score using one of these unsavory hammers.
One noteworthy nail was the Heights Alliance dorms on the campus of U.A. High School, where the nation's top prospective heroes lived, studied, and trained. On one temporarily nondescript day off, all but six students had left Class 1-A's dorm for training or recreation. Three of these students lounged on the furniture of the dorm's common room.
On the loveseat sat Momo Yaoyorozu, engrossed in a book the length and complexity of which would have scared off even some of the more intelligent students at the school. She wore a sweater of beige cotton that made her more snug than a rug-bound bug and a gray skirt of fine linen. Her long black hair was tied back into an extravagant ponytail, save for one long lock of hair framing the right side of her face.
Laying on the adjacent couch in a purple tank top and blue jorts was Mina Ashido, scrolling through her phone. Her horns, pink hair, pink skin, and black sclera would make her seem like a new-age demon were it not for the overwhelmingly friendly aura she exuded at all times. Beside the large coffee table, lying prone across two ottomans was Ochaco Uraraka, clad in a pink t-shirt and mustard shorts as she kicked her feet while watching a nature documentary. She was a testament to the age of quirks; a cute, plain-looking girl that could undo the foundational force of gravity with a simple touch.
"Yaomomo," Mina said with a glance, "I'd give you a hard time for studying so hard on a day off, but I get the feeling you're reading that for fun."
"Indeed I am," Momo confirmed with a cheeky sigh, "though I get the feeling you're teasing me about it anyway."
"Well, I'm never gonna score higher than you on exams, so I call you a nerd. That's how we keep things even!"
"Oh please, Ashido-san, you sell yourself short! Besides, you're more athletic than me by a mile and more. Surely that makes things even, no?"
"Uh, you're forgetting how you have everyone beat in the looks and money departments too, Yaomomo." Uraraka chimed in with a sing-songy tone.
"Oh I'm really not all that-" Momo stopped short upon seeing how Uraraka was giving her the deadpan look that only the lower-middle class can give the mega-rich. "Well… I wouldn't say I'm the best-looking here."
Mina was about to contradict her again when an opportunity for mischief presented itself. "Oh? Well if you don't think you're the hottest in our class, then who is?" She asked with a raised brow and devilish smirk. Uraraka, who wore a grin now as well, turned her full attention to Momo, which only served to further fluster her.
"Oh! Uh, I don't really pay attention to-"
"Oh, c'mooon Yaomomo!" Mina cut her off before she could finish her non-answer. "You can't tell me you don't think anyone in class is a nine or ten."
"Oh, very well." Momo conceded to her friends' delight. This was the aspect of having girl-friends she had assumed was more of a teen movie trope than reality. She had an answer, god did she have an answer, but she wasn't about to just say it. "Well… If I had to say, I suppose I'd go with…" she bought herself time to scrub through all the gossip she tried to not listen to. "... Todoroki-san."
"Ahhhh, I see you! A pretty popular pick, but not-"
"No…" Momo and Mina both turned to see Uraraka giving Momo a discerning squint. "I don't buy it, Yaomomo. Call it a hunch, but I have a feeling you're not being straight with us." Uraraka's choice of words made a pit open up in Momo's gut.
It was at this moment that a vent in the ceiling behind them let out an inaudible puff of pink gas into the common area.
"Wh-Whatever do you mean, Uraraka-san?" Momo asked with a paper-thin veil of ignorance. She took half a moment to consider the mysterious, sweet aroma that tickled her nose before enjoying the ease that followed a moment later.
"I mean it seems like you just gave us an answer to move on." Uraraka explained while fighting a small, inexplicable urge to bite her lip.
"Well… I…" Momo said, setting aside her book with a blush starting to dust her cheeks.
"Here, I'll go first!" Mina announced, looking ready to burst with enthusiasm. "My pick… is Kirishima!" Her declaration earned an "ooooo!" from the others.
"You two went to the same middle school, did you not?" Momo asked with an empathetic smile.
"Yep! He's always been kinda dorky about manliness and chivalry and stuff, but I can tell it's for real. Plus the way he smiles when he's proud or giving a compliment is just the sweetest thing! Then there's how he's bulked up!" She let out a giggle that devolved into a squeal. "Let's just say I'm grateful his costume doesn't have a shirt!" This elicited a lady-like giggle from Momo and one of Uraraka's signature beverage-less spit takes. It wasn't long before a metaphorical lightbulb went off in Uraraka's head.
"Oh! I'll go next!" Anyone who knew Uraraka well enough would have been completely floored to hear her volunteer this sort of information, yet her present friends simply gave her their respectful, silent attention. "For me, it's Deku-kun!" Mina and Momo couldn't help but coo at the thought of their adorable friend being with her delightful crush.
"Awww! Who doesn't love a good rescue romance?" Mina asked rhetorically.
"Well, I can't deny it was a bit like that at first." Uraraka conceded. "But when I really got to know him and how passionate and friendly and smart and kind and cute and sweet and strong- Oh! That reminds me! I know he's not quite like Kirishima-kun, but he's been working out a lot since he got here and…! Well…!" Unable to articulate her thoughts, she settled for expressing her feelings by waving her arms and squealing. "His smile is the greatest thing in the world!"
"Ok Uraraka, ok!" Mina pleaded. "We get it, and we certainly can't blame you. Just try not to explode on us! Besides," she turned her attention to Momo who looked to her lap in nervous excitement, "we took our turns, now it's Yaomomo's turn!"
"That's right!" Ochaco gasped, abandoning one exciting prospect for another. "So, you wanna tell us?"
Momo felt the last bits of fearful nerves get replaced by something far lighter and more pleasant. She saw the anticipation in the eyes of her friends and her own excitement only built. When she thought she might burst, she finally let it out.
"My pick is Jirou-san!" She exclaimed hard enough she felt the need to close her eyes. The announcement was enough to make the other girls gasp so dramatically, one could be forgiven for thinking they were mocking.
"No way!"
"That's so perfect!" Mina squealed in utter delight. "It's 'good girls like bad girls' to a T!"
"Isn't it-"
"I just can't help it!" Momo cried, cupping her own face. "She's just so cool, and confident, and capable! And even though she's all aloof and witty, she's so compassionate and kind! And despite how tough she is, she's really pretty and small and it just makes me want to…! To…!" When words failed her, she reached out her arms and pantomimed pulling in an invisible Jirou for a tight hug and squealed while stomping her feet on the floor. The finale of the trio's declarations left them all with far too much energy that refused to remain static and they released it with impulsive limb-flailing and squealing until something clicked in Mina's mind.
"Hang on!" Mina roused herself at a thought. "Are we the only ones here?!" Attention was turned to Momo in an instant, and she gasped at the implication.
"Oh! Let's see, Iida-san always leaves early, Todoroki-kun visits his mother on days off, Sero-san, Kaminari-san, and Mineta-san left together…" anticipation took hold of Uraraka and Mina as Momo continued to list off every one of their classmates she was confident had left the dorm that day. "...then there was Tokoyami-san, Tsu-chan, and Hagakure-san, and… That's it!"
"That means the only ones left here are…!" The girls shared a look of realization before breaking out into eager, blushing grins. Momo was the first to come to her senses, reaching into her bag and pulling out a compact mirror and a tube of red lipstick. The other two looked at her with curiosity as she painted her lips.
"Well…" she explained when she felt their gazes. "...when I see her, I'd like to be ready." Her point seemed to be taken well enough as the other two shared only a glance before fishing through their own bags for cosmetics. Though they all intended to make themselves as alluring as possible, the girls couldn't get their minds off what they intended to do, and so they generously painted their lips.
Kyoka Jirou leaned forward to inspect her face paint in the mirror. She was asked pretty often about the red triangles she painted under her eyes as part of her hero outfit. If she was feeling creative enough, she'd give a mysteriously vague answer. If she wasn't, she'd just default to 'it's a secret.' The truth was simple; she thought they looked cool and tied the whole outfit together. Despite this, she found some measure of pride in how consistently well she painted them.
A ding from her phone drew her attention. A brief look told her it was Midoriya letting her know he and Kirishima were arriving soon. A knock on the door half a second later made her snort. Midoriya was a good guy to be sure, but he was almost as bad as Iida when it came to punctuality and propriety. With a smirk still lingering on her face, she slipped her phone in her pocket and made her way to the door.
"You guys have never heard about the concept of 'fashionably late,' have you?" She teased when she opened the door.
"Oi! Jirou!" Eijirou Kirishima happily greeted her with his signature shark-toothed smile. Both he and the shorter Izuku "Deku" Midoriya were dressed lightly; Kirishima in a white and orange tee and brown shorts, and Midoriya in a pale blue tank top, unzipped short-sleeved green sweatshirt, and dark blue basketball shorts, as well as his signature red sneakers. "Eh, what gives? Why are you in your hero fit?"
Jirou looked down at what was indeed her hero outfit; special speaker boots, salmon tee, black pants, choker, fingerless gloves, and leather jacket. She looked back at him with an unamused brow raised. "Did you really expect me to practice with you two maniacs without my gear?" The boys could only nervously chuckle in the face of Jirou's backhanded compliment.
"Well, hey!" Midoriya brightened. "I haven't faced a quirk like yours yet, neither has Kirishima-kun I think. I think this will be valuable for all of us!" As ever, Midoriya's logical optimism was a welcome sentiment.
"That's what I like to hear, Midoriya!" Kirishima beamed. "Let's get going!"
"Alright, alright," Jirou conceded with an affectionate eye roll, "cool your jets, I'm coming." She patted her pocket to make sure her key was there and closed her door behind her. "So if you weren't thinking about my quirk," she asked as the trio got to walking, "why bring me along on this little exercise? I'm not a brawler like you guys."
"Well, I knew I wanted three people and Midoriya just popped into my mind first," Kirishima explained as they reached the stairwell, "and since he's pretty smart I asked him who else we should bring."
"I thought about all the quirks I haven't been able to train with yet, and yours was toward the top of my list!" Midoriya explained while they descended the stairs. "We just got lucky that you were still here. So many left this morning, I worried we might have been the only ones here."
"I'm stuck between feeling flattered that I was 'at the top of your list,'" Jirou mused with a smirk, "and offended that I was the only choice."
"Wha-!" Midoriya turned to her with a horrified expression. "N-No! I didn't mean it like that, Jirou-san! I was just-"
"Ease up there, Midoriya," Jirou laughed and patted his shoulder as she passed, "I'm just giving you a hard time. No offense taken."
"Oh! Oh, right. Heh…" Midoriya nervously chuckled before letting out a sigh of relief and following his friends through the door to the common room on the ground floor. While Kirishima and Jirou chatted a few paces ahead of him, Midoriya caught sight of a head of brown hair at the TV area across the way. When the owner of that head, Ochaco Uraraka caught his gaze, he offered her a friendly smile and wave. Oddly, instead of returning it, she silently-yet-frantically got the attention of the other two easily identifiable hairstyles with her; Mina and Momo. The girls took a moment to take in the sight of Midoriya's group before inelegantly scrambling over the couches and disappearing behind the glass of the small central courtyard. Midoriya only had the time he took to catch up to Jirou and Kirishima to puzzle over the odd scene before the girls skidded to a halt in front of them, cutting them off from the front door.
"Heeeeeyyyy~" The girls greeted them in a chorus that oozed amor.
"Oh! Hey guys!" Kirishima greeted them, oblivious to the peculiarity of their aura. "We were just headed out for some training. Wanna come with?"
"Aww, you're leaving?" Mina pouted her lusciously painted pink lips as she idly waggled her shoulders. "We were hoping we could… I dunno… Do something… here?"
"Uh… You mean, like, study?" Midoriya offered, earning a disbelieving glance from Jirou. "I was thinking of going over some stuff when I got back, you could join us for that?"
"Oh, Deku-kun," Uraraka sighed, "you're already so strong and smart, why not take today to relax? I know I wouldn't mind." The honey of her words, the lovely pink hue of her lips, and the radiant smile she gave him made him blush, though it was anyone's guess as to whether he actually understood her flirtatious intent.
"Hey, uhhh…" Jirou began cautiously, "...are you guys feeling ok? You seem kinda, uh… kinda…" She trailed off as she looked into Momo's eyes and, as she so often did, got lost in the most beautiful onyx orbs she'd ever seen. Though something about them was different now.
"Is everything alright, Jirou-san?" Momo asked in a soothing tone, as Jirou's eyes wandered momentarily to Momo's ever-alluring lips, now painted in a luxurious matte red. Her focus returned to Momo's beautiful eyes as she tried to find the anomaly in them. She unconsciously leaned forward, which unintentionally baited Momo into leaning forward as well. In addition to fluttering her eyes closed. And slowly drawing her lips into a loose pucker. Right as Jirou could make out the unnatural heart shape of Momo's pupils, they vanished behind her eyelids, giving Jirou just enough warning to jump back from the startlingly sudden development.
"Wh-! Y-! Y-Yaomomo!" Jirou stuttered, blushing hard enough that her painted triangles became hard to find. "W-W-What's going on?!" Midoriya and Kirishima had been watching the spectacle unfold with loose jaws and unbelieving eyes. Momo Yaoyorozu was the picture of a cool and proper aristocrat with a healthy dose of empathy, only ever losing her cool in extreme situations and when she got excited when hosting her friends. This sudden, bold, romantic act was nothing less than staggering.
The boys' felt a warning from their sixth senses and returned their attention forward to find Mina and Ochaco standing a few short inches from them. Their sudden proximity, coupled with the growing sense of dread they had been feeling frightened them enough to follow Jirou's lead and stumble back.
"U-Uraraka-san! W-W-W…?! Ehh!?" Was all Midoriya could muster.
"A-Ashido! What's gotten into you? To all of you?!" Kirishima asked, the hue of his face approaching that of his hair.
"Oh c'mon, Kirishima~" Mina teased as she and the girls beside her advanced toward their beloved objectives. "You can't expect me to be near someone as strong as you…"
"...or as kind as you, Deku-kun…" Uraraka continued.
"...or as cool as you, Jirou-san," Momo completed the triumvirate of flattery that further flustered their targets, "and expect us to keep all this love bottled up!" Momo's use of the word 'love' hit the flustered trio like a physical force, making them stumble back further on progressively weakening legs.
"Y-Yaomomo, all of you," Jirou sputtered, unaware that the girls were backing their quarries into a TV corner with startling efficiency, "what's gotten into you?! What are you saying?!"
"Well… I want to tell you… Oh, would you ladies mind if I started?" Momo asked and only continued when the others gave her a sympathetic nod. "Thank you. Well, Jirou-san… I was really worried about making friends and fitting in when I got to U.A. since I've always been a bit socially anxious. And, though everyone's been very kind, your friendship has always meant something more to me. You've never been afraid to support me or even criticize me because of my status, and you've always been at my side when things got rough, like U.S.J. or the attack on the camp. You've just…" she softly put her hand over her heart before continuing, "you've been the kindest, most honest, most dependable person in my life and I've realized just how precious you are to me."
Jirou had no words. What words could possibly match what she had just heard? The kindest, smartest, most beautiful girl she'd ever met who had already graced her with her friendship had just made a declaration that sounded an awful lot like a confession. Jirou had to use the back of the couch behind her for support or risk falling over.
"Kirishima," Mina started her turn, making the resident spiky-haired beefcake stand at attention, "I wish I knew more about you than 'that cute guy' in middle school." That admission alone made him flinch. "But now that I've really gotten to know you, I know you're not just cute, but also brave, and strong, and not just like your muscles…" she took a moment to appreciate his toned biceps and calves before snapping back to reality. "But, um! Like, you stick to your guns and never let anything phase you, so yeah, you're strong like that, too. And um…" she met his gaze which both warmed him and sent a shiver through him "...I just can't think of anything I don't lo- really, really like about you!"
Kirishima would have been on the verge of tears were it not for his unorthodox dread and vague sense of being hunted. He never told her, or anyone really, but Mina Ashido was the person he respected third-most in the entire world, losing out only to Crimson Riot and his mother. The way she ran to put herself between a villain the size of a building and two of their middle school classmates, despite being so scared she burst into tears as soon as the villain was out of sight, was the model he sought to live his life by. She was twice the hero he was, and yet she was looking at him like he'd carved the moon. The look in her eyes as she gazed at him was more than he felt he deserved. He'd have dwelled on that thought longer if he hadn't realized her pupils were now shaped like hearts, which was its own brand of unsettling.
"Deku-kun," Ochaco's reverent voice made Midoriya flinch and caused his color to rise yet again, "when you saved me from the giant test robot, I thought you were the coolest person in the world!" Midoriya, who was known for his efficiently analytical mind, had been driven into a state of malfunction, unable to thoroughly process anything beyond the words he heard and their meanings. "A-And I still do! But I've learned that you're really smart, too. And you do everything you can to make sure everyone around you is safe and happy. And you're always working to improve yourself, and pushing everyone else to do the same. I guess… I guess I just think you're the best person I've ever met! But every time you'd hurt yourself really badly, I got worried, but like, more than I would if just anyone got hurt. So I realized something; you're… well… you're really special to me, Deku-kun."
Izuku pored over what he'd just heard and quickly found that everything she had told him, he also felt about her. The way she threw herself against any challenge with confidence was a level of cool he could only aspire to. The way she brightened up a room and all its occupants simply by being in it was like a quirk all its own. And the way she had saved him from falling on his face before the entrance exam, it still gave him a warm feeling whenever he recalled it. However, due to the aforementioned brain malfunction, he was only able to consider all these things as raw data as opposed to profound emotional revelations.
"I think what I'm trying to say is… Deku-kun…"
"Kirishima-kun…"
"Jirou-san…" Each of the girl took a breath to steel themselves before declaring, in unison;
"I LOVE YOU!"
The silence that followed was deafening. For the three objects of affection, their bodies and minds were in chaos; their minds were racing yet not getting anywhere, their hearts were skipping more than they were beating, their stomachs were lighter than air yet heavier than lead. They had no precedent, no reference for how to respond, how to process this, how to even identify what was happening! Naturally, there was a part of them that wanted to return the sentiment and disappear behind a heart-shaped wipe-to-black, but the part of them that knew when something was too good to be true was setting off every alarm it could. The result was an utter inability to say or do anything. And the result of that was-
"Kirishima! I swear to god, if you keep standing there all handsome without saying anything, I'm just gonna kiss you, got it!?" Mina yelled, unable to tolerate the anticipation in silence any longer. Despite her demand and what was posed as a threat, Kirishima was in no better position to put together a coherent thought.
"Jirou-san, I do not wish to impose," Momo said with a twist of reluctance as she took a step forward, "but I also find myself unable to restrain myself any longer. Please respond or I will have no recourse but to k-kiss you! Several times!"
Kirishima's jaw had dropped, now Jirou's had as well. Midoriya, following the flow of things, looked to Ochaco, who did not speak. Instead, she bounced on her heels with an eager smile and nodded energetically. Midoriya tried not to look at the pleasant bouncing of her chest and instead searched her eyes for some sort of explanation for this peculiar situation but only came to the same realization as the others; her pupils were heart-shaped.
"W-Wait!" Kirishima was the first to find his voice, perhaps due to the fact that his pursuer was most primed to jump. "Ladies, please! You don't have to- I'm sure we can talk abo-"
Mina made it clear that the time for talk was over, leaping onto Kirishima with her lips crashing into his. The force sent the pair tumbling over the back of the couch and onto the floor. There, any half-hearted objections Kirishima might have voiced were smothered by Mina's lips which she pressed onto his over and over, happily humming into it each time and leaving an imprint of her lips in a vibrant pink as she did so. Kirishima stretched an arm into the air, not unlike a drowning man desperately reaching above the surface of the water for a helping hand. His arm eventually went limp, falling back to his side as his mind fully shut down, drowned beneath the waves of Mina's smooches. Midoriya and Jirou looked on in horror, as though they were watching Kirishima get mauled by a bear instead of receiving repeated kisses from another friend.
Midoriya turned to find Ochaco approaching him, the sight of which frightened him enough to speak. "U-Uraraka-san! Wa-!" His words died in his throat when she cupped his face in her hands as she smiled at him like the sun, the smooth warmth a gentle shock to his system. A less gentle shock came when she pulled him in and pressed her lips to his, sending him into a sort of mental shutdown. He didn't try to free himself, he likely wouldn't have if he felt he could. As she began to leave her own pink kisses slowly across his face, she kicked her feet and propelled them both into the air using her quirk to free them from gravity's influence, creating what was a truly dream-like scene.
Jirou was yanked back to the moment by the distinct feeling that her time was up. She looked to find Momo already upon her.
"Yaomomo…" Was all she could whisper as she looked up into the face of the most beautiful girl in the world. Her heart very nearly stopped when that beautiful girl lifted her bangs to place a gentle kiss on her forehead, leaving a red mark as if to certify her love.
"Kyoka Jirou," Momo's voice made her heart race, "you are perfect." With strength that made Jirou thankful she had been born, Momo lifted her off the ground, carried her to the cushioned side of the loveseat, laid her on her back, and climbed on top of her. Jirou took a moment to thank god for her glorious, impending demise at the crimson lips of the goddess hovering above her. "You are perfect, and I love you." Before Jirou could say something stupid like 'thanks,' Momo lowered herself to deliver the first of many kisses to her beloved punk rocker, this one to her lips. As Momo continued to paint Jirou's face red with her kisses, the overall outlandishness of the moment and the sweet sensation of Momo's weight and lips caused Jirou's cognition to retract and ignore all the world that did not include that loveseat. Time became a nebulous concept as the sound of smacking lips and delighted giggles filled the common room.
"...'re waking up…" A deep, familiar voice greeted Uraraka as she began her return to the waking world. "...do the talking…" She opened her eyes and the ceiling came into focus, and though her mind felt clouded and her body a bit lethargic (and her lips felt weirdly puffy for some reason) she pushed herself onto her elbows until she was rightly seated. Another pair of grunts of effort to her sides made her find Momo and Mina in similar states of unbalance pulling themselves up. Ahead of them was a pair of their teachers; Aizawa and Midnight.
"You girls alright?" Aizawa asked with his typical exhausted monotone. Though most heard plain apathy in his voice, his students had known him long enough to listen between the chords; they knew he was trying to be calming, to ease them out of their sleep. Beside him, Midnight wore a face her students were all too familiar with; she was absolutely delighted about something.
"Aizawa-sensei?" Uraraka asked sleepily, rubbing her eyes with her wrist. "What happened?" The girls looked around to find not a whole lot out of place. They were sat in the empty area of the common room by the front doors and across the room, by one of the TV areas was Ectoplasm, another one of their teachers, using his ectoplasmic clones to encircle… something. "What's going on?"
"Before I get to that," Aizawa said as he kneeled to be on a more even level with the girls, "can any of you tell me what you remember from before you passed out?"
"Um… Well," Mina offered, putting a thoughtful finger on her chin, "we were all just chillin' on the couch, doing our own thing. Then we started talking about… something, I dunno."
"Any idea what you might have been talking about?" Aizawa asked, only receiving a trio of shaking heads as a response. "Right. Anything after that? Anything at all?"
"Well, I…" Momo started after a brief pause of consideration. "I just remember feeling very… good? As though I was… warm. I'm sorry sensei, I don't know how to describe it."
"That actually sounds really fitting!" Uraraka added in a tone one might exclaim 'eureka!' "I don't remember actually doing or seeing anything, but I do think I felt warm, or maybe comfy?" Mina nodded along in agreement.
"Right…" Aizawa grunted as he stood back up. "Well, I think that fills in the last questions we had."
"I told youuuu~!" Midnight sung while giving him a teasing elbow to his side. Between the anxiety of waking up from an unexplained sleep, having a troubling lack of pre-sleep memory, and not being told what was going on by people who clearly knew what was going on, even the consistently calm Momo found herself running short of patience.
"Aizawa-sensei, please!" She snapped. "You're starting to frighten us! Please, just tell us what happened!"
"Alright, that's fair. Come on," Aizawa offered the girls a hand up, Midnight quickly followed suit, "let's get you sat down and I'll explain everything." The girls accepted their help and took a seat at one of the common room's many small tables. "Right, here's what happened." He began, leaning on one of the adjacent tables, easily visible from all the girls' angles. "A few hours ago, a small group breached U.A.'s perimeter, apparently looking to take whatever valuables they could get their hands on from Heights Alliance. They were good enough to confuse our sensors for a bit, but not good enough to stay undetected long enough to do anything. We caught them, but not before they released a highly restricted gaseous chemical into this building's ventilation system."
"Restricted chemical?" Mina parroted anxiously.
"They wanted to poison us?!" Uraraka blurted.
"No, at least not in the traditional sense." Aizawa took the girls' quizzical expressions as a prompt to continue. "This chemical is closer to a deliriant hallucinogen with some lighter aphrodisiac components mixed in."
"So, they wanted to… get us high?" Mina asked, apparently unwilling to believe her own interpretation of the outlandish explanation.
"Wait, aphrodisiac," Ochaco mused, "that sounds familiar. But doesn't it have something to do with… like…" She turned to Momo, as many in the class often did to confirm any objective information they weren't entirely sure of. The strong blush that had spread over Momo's expression of horror filled in the blanks in the other girls' memory. "A-Aizawa-sensei!" Uraraka gasped. "Is that what happened?! Did-Did we…?!"
"No," Aizawa's prompt, firm answer was a welcome relief, "apparently these thieves were smart enough to avoid using any blacklisted strain of 'love potion' drug that can cause people to…" Aizawa took a moment to choose his words carefully "...do that. They sprung for a… kids version, so to speak. The criminals are probably in questioning right now, but our working theory is that they wanted to use this drug to cause a… commotion among the students and use the distraction to take whatever wasn't nailed down."
"B-But Aizawa-sensei," Momo asked with more than a hint of desperation, "how can you know for sure that nothing… unbecoming happened?"
"Simple." He responded coolly. "Midnight reviewed the security camera footage once we secured the building and confirmed no 'explicit' activity took place." Midnight gave the girls a cheery thumbs-up that harshly clashed with the energy of the room. "Besides, they already ran an analysis on the chemical and confirmed it was a version of the drug that has never once been recorded as influencing the user to perform…" Aizawa sighed as he realized he'd run out of ways to sugarcoat things and prepared to bite the bullet "...sexual activities." The blush that had been disappearing from the girls' faces returned in an instant. "So even if we didn't have the cameras, we'd be certain that nothing like that happened here." Though the girls breathed a bit easier, there were still questions they needed answered.
"Thank you for that, Aizawa-sensei," Momo said earnestly, "but I believe there's more to this story."
"You're right," Aizawa sighed as Midnight appeared to brighten her already cheery disposition, "and this is where the bad news comes in."
"Debatably bad news." Midnight clarified with a persistent smile.
"You three weren't the only ones in the building when the gas was released." A pit opened in the girls' stomachs. "But because of how briefly the gas was in the vents, you three were the only ones exposed to it. So when the others came in here-"
"Are they alright?!" Uraraka cut in, unable to stand the casual pace of the explanation.
"Yes, they're all ok. It-"
"Who was it?" Mina asked, similarly uneasy.
"Jirou-kun, Midoriya-kun, and Kirishima-kun!" Midnight sang while pointing a finger at the circle of Ectoplasm doubles, earning her an exasperated glare from Aizawa. Without a second thought, the girls shot out of their seats and raced toward the scene of the 'crime.' The Ectoplasms knew enough to make a hole for the girls, though the panicked trio skidded to a halt when they saw what greeted them.
There, on the floor, sat Kirishima and Jirou with Midoriya slumped on the ground like a snail between them. They were conscious, but didn't seem sentient yet, unreceptive to external stimuli. But most prominently, and most hauntingly, their faces and necks were thoroughly plastered in lipstick kisses. Respectively, two shades of pink and one of red colored the bold, clear imprints of lips that covered the dazed trio. The girls screamed in horror. Between Aizawa's summary of events and the dramatic evidence before them, there was no other reaction that would do. Suddenly, things started to fit together; the feeling of warmth and comfort in their memory, the puffiness of their lips when they woke up. Momo's curiosity trumped her dread as she procured a hand mirror from her thigh with her quirk to check her own face for the 'murder weapon.' Sure enough, her lips were the same luscious red as the kiss marks on Jirou. Momo's jaw dropped and her face froze in a horrified expression when this final piece fell into place. Uraraka saw the mirror and took it to examine herself, her own face contorting in horror upon seeing how the creamy pink color of her lips matched the kisses on Midoriya's face and- oh god, there were some on his arm. Mina followed suit, as her lips were painted an even more vibrant shade of pink than they usually were, and that same color had been dotted across Kirishima.
The sound of footsteps approaching from behind them woke them from their sulking and, judging from the way they kneeled before Aizawa and Midnight and offered their wrists, made them come to a realization for how they might reach absolution.
"I am ready to be punished for my crimes." The girls said in sullen unison.
"That won't be necessary. It wasn't-"
"I am ready to be punished for my crimes." The girls reiterated, more forcefully this time.
"You're not getting arrested." Aizawa told them flatly.
"What if we ask really nicely?" Uraraka asked with a startling amount of sincerity.
"Listen," Aizawa moved ahead, "even if you hadn't been drugged without your knowledge, you didn't break any laws, or even any school rules today. So even if I wanted to, nobody can punish you in an official capacity." For some reason, this did nothing to lift the girls' spirits. "But, uh, Midnight here wanted to give you guys some… counseling? What were you sayi-?"
"Aizawa-kun, you tend to the casanovas over there," Midnight cut in again and took the girls' conveniently held-together hands, "it's time for some girl talk!" With that, the girls were whisked away to the loveseat on the other end of the common room while Midnight took a seat on the near edge of the adjacent couch.
"Now, I know you ladies are probably a bit shaken up," Midnight began, clearly restraining herself from squealing in delight, "but I am so glad to see this kind of youthful romance! That nasty gas made you guys go about it a bit clumsily, but I know love when I see it, and you've got them right where you want them!" If the girls thought Aizawa saying the word 'sexual' in this context was horrible, Midnight's opening was downright mortifying. Between the three of them, none of the girls managed to vocalize anything comprehensible, which gave Midnight the opening to continue inadvertently torturing them. "Now, here's the security footage," she said as she handed the girls a tablet, "you little Juliets just review what's been said and done, and then we'll brainstorm where to go from here!"
If it wasn't for Midnight's stunningly expectant gaze, the girls would have run back to their rooms and screamed into the nearest pillow for hours on end. Unfortunately, their teacher's eyes brokered no argument, so they resigned themselves to further misery. Ochaco held the tablet, letting Mina and Momo lean in on either side for an acceptable view, and hit play. Despite their dread, the girls were genuinely interested to find out exactly what had transpired.
The footage started on the girls lounging in one of the TV areas and before long they started chatting, which they remembered well enough. At one point, a quick speck of pink movement from the ceiling drew their attention and their impotent ire. Not long after the pink cloud appeared, their demeanors became bouncier, more energetic yet with no place to release it. It was at this point the girls realized they didn't remember their chat lasting quite this long and they redoubled their focus, now eager to fill in the gaps in their memory. The chatting stopped and was followed by them one-by-one reaching into their bags and pulling out a tube of lipstick which, after what had happened today, felt like watching themselves sharpen bowie knives.
After a few tense minutes, their three victims (which they had unconsciously begun referring to Jirou, Midoriya, and Kirishima as in their heads) entered from the far stairwell and the girls fell over themselves to cut them off at the door. As they watched themselves back their targets into a corner, their faces progressively heated up. When they said those three little words, their jaws dropped. When Mina jumped Kirishima, she made a fascinating transition from pink to red. When Ochaco watched herself kiss Midoriya and float into the air like a fairytale, the little girl's delight in her was almost entirely quashed by her present self's severe chagrin. They then watched Momo tenderly monopolize Jirou in a way that made all their hearts skip a beat and Momo's brain want to implode. The bombardment of kisses they unleashed upon their prizes went on and on and they found themselves unable to look away from the perceived disaster, like a train carrying all their potential for romantic success derailed and obliterated its final destination.
Their horror only worsened as the footage went on, displaying how they had toyed with the objects of their affections in their addled state. On the floor, Mina had apparently pulled Kirishima up and continued her kissing while wrapped around him like a koala. On the couch, Momo picked Jirou up (once again with startling ease) and placed her on her lap, pausing her string of smooches every now and then to whisper a sweet nothing. Momo in the present squeaked when she watched herself nibble her lips on Jirou's wiry earlobe. In the air above them, they watched Ochaco as she would occasionally pause her kissing to play with Midoriya. On multiple occasions she would spin him out like a swing dance before pulling him back in and finding his lips once again. There was one instance when she kissed up his arm like a Victorian noble. Due to their targets' limpness, the girls took the opportunity to toy with them here and there. They would press on their cheeks to force their lips into a silly looking pucker and give them a giggling peck. They would hug their faces into their breasts like they were giant stuffed dolls. They would smile wide while giving them eskimo kisses before returning to traditional kisses.
Despite the fact that during this nearly half hour long session no hickies were given, no clothes were discarded, and no hands wandered where they shouldn't have, the girls blushed like they were watching a pagan orgy. Over time, their kisses slowed in frequency and their voices grew sleepy. Eventually, mercifully, the kissing stopped and the girls fell asleep atop their lipstick-covered victims. When the footage stopped and the partially opaque replay symbol appeared to taunt them, Ochaco leaned forward to set the tablet down on the large coffee table. Left with the full reality of their actions, the girls followed their instincts to deal with their embarrassment. Mina looked into empty space and chuckled limply, somewhere between desperate denial and despaired acceptance. Uraraka covered her face with her hands, unbothered by the way she floated off the couch. Momo cupped her cheeks and closed her eyes tight, as if doing so would bring her to a different world where she hadn't humiliated herself when she opened them back up.
"I know!" Midnight squealed obliviously before picking up the tablet and bringing it back to its home screen. "You girls are seductive naturals! And your feelings are so genuine and passionate, ah! But anyway, let's talk tactics. If I had to say, I'd focus on-" She stopped when she realized she was talking to an empty loveseat and heard frantic footsteps ascending the stairwell. "Oh my," Midnight giggled, "young love. Is there anything better?"
If they hadn't just been through the most agonizingly humiliating moment of their lives, Mina, Momo, and Ochaco might have been impressed with themselves for screaming into a pillow for ten uninterrupted minutes. When they were done surpassing the limits of the human body, they flopped back on their beds, looking at the ceiling, impulsively going over every moment they could recall as well as the way their love-drunk selves spoke and… behaved. They were each aware of their feelings to varying degrees.
Mina knew Kirishima was a good, handsome guy but she wasn't aware of just how much she thought of him. Momo, despite being put on something of a pedestal by her classmates, considered Jirou untouchable. Like a celebrity crush where she just happened to hang out with the celebrity every day. After all, normal people weren't that outrageously… perfect. Ochaco on the other hand knew she was in love with Midoriya, but was struggling to balance acknowledging it consciously and putting those feelings aside to focus on bettering herself. In all their cases, they weren't sure if their crushes felt the same way, but after today they'd be lucky if they ever talked to them again.
With so many thoughts and not enough exchange, Mina's natural inclination toward socialization made her the one to break the silence and reach out to her partners in perceived crime.
PinkyPWR- I wish theyd just poisoned us
Yaomomo- It would have been far more merciful.
OchaMocha- SRSLY! YMM do u kno if Aizawa sensei was right? Theres no way to get thrown in jail for the rest of our lives?
YaoMomo- Tragically, he's correct. I've thought about it at length and there's nothing the state or the school can do to punish us for what we did.
PinkyPWR- I guess karma is gettin us pretty gud. Mayb no punishment is the universe's way of punishing us?
YaoMomo- The only way for us to face punishment in an official capacity would be if they were to sue us for emotional damages, but I highly doubt they would do something like that.
OchaMocha- Ye theyre way too nice for that.
PinkyPWR- Hey so I kno this is prolly the last thing u guys wanna talk about but… wat we said wen we were all gassed and stuff… watchu think?
YaoMomo- What do you mean?
PinkyPWR- Like… Is that wat we rlly think? Feel? About them?
OchaMocha- I think so…
YaoMomo- I believe so. I'm actually somewhat familiar with the kind of drug they exposed us to. There's a version of it that makes one act as we did toward anyone they see, but seeing as how we didn't…
OchaMocha- Don't worry, we get wher ur goin with that
YaoMomo- Thank You. Anyway, the other version of the drug causes the affected to seek out those they already have strong romantic feelings for. So I'm afraid what we said to them was our legitimate feelings.
PinkyPWR- Crapola…
YaoMomo- Agreed…
OchaMocha- We have to talk to them.
PinkyPWR- Say wat!?
YaoMomo- I really don't think I'm ready to face her. Frankly, I don't know if I'll ever be able to talk to her again…
OchaMocha- Exactly! I miht b terrified of wat he'll say to me but its even scarier to think that he'll never talk to me again! And I'd hate to think of that happening to all of us…
PinkyPWR- Damn Ocha ur right! Whered you learn to motivate like that?!
OchaMocha- Oh I dunno I just said wat I was thinkin I guess!
PinkyPWR- U said wat u thought Midoriya wud say didn't u?
OchaMocha- I WILL COME OVER THERE MINA!
PinkyPWR- ;P
YaoMomo- You're absolutely right, Uraraka-san. We can't let things stand as they are. Besides, we owe it to be straight with them.
PinkyPWR- Ur not very good at being straight tho
YaoMomo- I WILL COME DOWN THERE, ASHIDO-SAN!
PinkyPWR- ;P
OchaMocha- Ok! Lets make a pact. Before lights out we'll each go to their rooms and say… whatever we need to tell them. Deal?
YaoMomo- Agreed.
PinkyPWR- ?
OchaMocha- MINA?!
PinkyPWR- I'm sealing it w/ a kiss ?
OchaMocha- YMM u wanna beat her up b4 we get down to business?
YaoMomo- Gladly.
PinkyPWR- I'm off 2 see Kirishima! Smell ya l8r!
YaoMomo- Wait, right now?!
The lack of response told Momo that, yes, Mina was on her way to uphold her end of their pact and Uraraka was going to try and deliver a knuckle sandwich to their pink pal before she could get away. Momo, now suddenly feeling obligated to confront her own ordeal, walked through some breathing exercises as she put on her slippers and made her way to the door.
Mina, having just slipped by Uraraka's wrath unscathed, now regretted her teasing, seeing as how her trek to Kirishima's room was by far the shortest and could already see his door. On the other side of that door was Eijirou Kirishima, looking down at the brown hand towel now thoroughly stained with pink as he sat on his bed, deep in thought.
He must have asked himself if what had happened to him was real a dozen times by now, but ever since coming to his senses, he had been faced with nothing but solid proof. First Aizawa-sensei's briefing, then seeing their faces in the mirror, then seeing the security footage, then the research he and Jirou-san had convinced Midoriya-kun to do, and in the end it all pointed to one, inconceivable, undeniable conclusion. Mina Ashido… liked him! Or at least had the hots for him, if there was even a difference. Whatever the specifics of her feelings were, he held the same or similar ones for her. It was that, the emotional aspect of these revelations, that still hadn't truly settled. The physical evidence was too real to ignore, especially since it was currently sitting in his hands. Well, on the towel in his hands, but same difference. The idea that he had not only been blessed in so many ways in such a short time was more than he thought he deserved.
In the midst of his existential musings, a knock at his door brought him to his feet. His gut both assumed and hoped it was her, but his brain assured him it was probably Kaminari coming to mess with him again, or Hagakure looking for more juicy details. Recalling one of Crimson Riot's quotes 'Action has a way of scaring off uncertainty," Kirishima put the towel on his bed and strode purposefully to the door. He opened it to reveal Mina Ashido and suddenly all of the mental fortitude he had built up went up in a puff of smoke.
"A-Ashido!" He yelped louder than he would have liked. "I- Uh- H-Hi, how's it going?"
"Hey, Kirishima!" She said with an awkward wave and chuckle. "I just figured I'd check up on you. Y'know, make sure you're ok after what, ah, what happened." She rubbed the back of her neck to calm her nerves and closed her eyes with a smile to avoid looking him in the eyes. Kirishima on the other hand, upon hearing the reference to 'what happened,' looked down to avoid her gaze, realized he was then staring at her breasts, and quickly stared at the floor.
"Oh, yeah, I-I'm totally fine." He lied before forcing himself to look at her face again. "How about you? Any side effects from that gas?"
"Oh, me?" She chuckled, cursing the fact that she was blushing just from him asking if she was fine. "Nah, I'm doing just fine. Actually gave me a good nap after I was done… being crazy! Hehehe…" Her nervous laughter trailed off upon seeing his polite smile drop a bit.
"Speaking of… Ashido…" He began, the both of them with matching pits in their stomachs. "What you told me while you were gassed… Was that- I mean… Was that legit, or was that just the gas talking?"
"Oh! W-Well, it's uhh…" Mina stuttered, trying to find the right words. But then there was something in the look he was giving her. He was forcing a smile, probably to try and keep her from worrying. His head was tilted down, but his eyes stayed up to meet hers, giving him the look of someone who was anticipating bad news. He was scared, but didn't want her to be scared or worry about him. She smiled because it was just so very… Kirishima. Suddenly, the words came to her quite naturally.
"So, I never would have had the nerve to just come out and say all that if I'd been sober." She began with a smile. "But, well… Everything I said when I was gassed… I think it was true." Her smile widened when he looked up at her with wide eyes and mouth agape. "I think you're really great, Kirishima. I like you a lot." The warmth that colored her words set a fire in his heart. Hearing that sentiment now while looking into Mina's circular-pupiled eyes made him feel like he was flying. It was the single greatest honor he had ever received in his life.
"Ashido!" He bellowed, chest filled with pride. "Knowing you feel this way about me is an honor I could have only dreamed of before today! Your valorous spirit and courage are the traits I'd like to model my hero career after! Please know that I have strong feelings for you as well, and if you wanted to, I'd gladly go out with-!"
"Oh, stop it you big dork!" Mina squealed, hitting him with a thousand rapid-fire pokes that put the brakes on his reverent tirade. "If I were still gassed up, you'd be in big trouble!" Mina giggled, Kirishima smiled despite himself. After a few seconds of gazing deeply into each other's eyes, they snapped out of their romantic daze. "Anyway! I should probably get back to my room, wouldn't want to get into any more trouble today. See ya later, Kirishima!"
"Heh, yeah," almost unconsciously, Kirishima gently took Mina's hand and carefully raised it to his lips, giving it a thoughtful kiss, "take care, Ashido." A moment of silent admiration passed before Kirishima realized the extreme flirtation he had done. "Ok bye!" He yelled before hastily closing the door. While Mina giggled and skipped her way back to her room, Kirishima spent the rest of the evening whaling on his punching bag to relieve himself of the nervous energy he had given himself with his bold action. Nervous though he was, he couldn't stop smiling.
Izuku Midoriya paced back and forth in his room with fervent unrest. This was nothing new for the guy, he often came across things that piqued his interest; quirk theory, combat philosophies, All-Might collectibles and the like. These curiosities would often send him into analytical trances. This one was a bit different. As usual, he muttered his thoughts to himself, considering how the chemical that had been released into the vents might have unusual reactions with certain quirks. What set this consideration apart from the usual crop was the fact that he was impulsively overlooking all other aspects of the past few hours.
Uraraka, his best friend and… something else, had been drugged, confessed her love to him, and kissed him into a state of delirium and beyond. Additionally, his research into the drug (at the aggressive insistence of Kirishima and Jirou who were in the same boat) had strongly suggested that the feelings professed by the affected girls were legitimate sentiments. To many, the reason why he was unable to even address such things would seem enigmatic. The truth, however, was simple.
Izuku Midoriya was a goddamn nerd.
To the mind of this nerd, who hadn't so much spoken to a girl for years before U.A., the overwhelming tidal wave of affection in the form of a confession followed by hundreds of kisses from the girl he was most fond of was enough to effectively overload his brain. As an act of self-preservation, his mind cordoned off the weighty information and stored it in such a way he could not actively reach it. So he continued in protective ignorance for a time. That time would soon end as a knock on his door brought him back to his senses. Without much consideration, he walked over and opened the door. Before he could say hello, both he and his visitor froze.
"Uraraka-san."
"Deku-kun."
The brief greeting was followed by many tense seconds that saw the color rise in both teens' faces. Ochaco had the beginnings of a game plan that had evaporated the instant Midoriya's face appeared in her sight. Izuku, once again betrayed by his brain, had the truth of the situation sprung upon him when his guest forced the wall down in an instant. Ochaco, having the slight advantage of having mentally prepared for all of twenty seconds, was able to snap out of her flustered state after two full minutes of nervous silence.
"D-Deku-kun!" She blurted. "I'm here because I wanted to apologize for what happened today. It's clear I made you really uncomfortable, and it was so uncool of me, and-"
"No! Uraraka-san!" He asserted. "Aizawa-sensei told us all about the chemical the thieves used. I know you weren't yourself when you… you… uh… uhh…!" The recollection of what exactly she had done made the gears in his head grind to a halt.
"I know, but still!" Ochaco insisted, her misplaced guilt trumping her embarrassment. "I feel bad! You've been such a good friend to me for so long and then I go and-!"
"Uraraka-san, please, that wasn't really you!" His own words seemed to sink in for the first time and his face fell, his voice gaining an edge of despair. "That wasn't you… You didn't mean any of what happened."
"No! That's not true!" Ochaco had suddenly forgotten fear, abandoned embarrassment. When she saw his expression darken it was like someone had put out the sun, or canceled Christmas, or threw away the last mochi. She would not stand for it. She would not rest until things were set right. "Maybe I didn't mean to throw myself at you without thinking about your feelings, but I meant every word I said! There's nobody I'd rather have at my side in a fight or on a lazy day! You're the coolest, kindest, most dependable person I know and I'm so so so happy I know you!"
She huffed as she finished, feeling like she could take Sato in a fistfight. The fire in her chest burned bright for a few moments as she stared into his bedazzled eyes until she went over what she had just said and promptly lit up like a Christmas tree. She considered trying to walk some of that back, but she remembered that the whole reason she was here was to say pretty much exactly what she said. The conflict in her brain resolved in a prolonged squeaking noise from her mouth which, along with her steaming face, gave her the appearance of a boiling kettle.
"Uraraka-san," Midoriya said softly, shocking her out of her overheating as he wiped something from his eyes, "thank you. Thank you so much. You were the first friend I'd made in years, and I'm really fortunate that you also happened to become my best friend." He held back tears as he continued, which, for those of the Midoriya family, was a monumental task. "And I'm just… You're so great, Uraraka-san. You do everything you can to bring happiness wherever you go, and you're really athletic and hard-working, and I can't… I can't imagine not having you around." He paused as he physically tried to psyche himself up to say something. "I want to say something, but just thinking it is making me freak out." He chuckled nervously.
"Th-That's fine!" Ochaco assured him, hoping she knew what he wanted to say. "After what happened, I'd like to avoid making you uncomfortable if I can." They shared a nervous laugh.
What followed likely cracked the top ten most courageous moments in Izuku's life up to that point. "Well, I, uh… Really appreciate you coming to see me, Uraraka-san." He said, his arms swinging and eyes darting around with nervous energy. Finally, he took a deep breath, punched himself in the jaw, and said, "I'll see you later!" before darting forward, placing a fleeting peck on her cheek, dashing back into his room, and shutting the door.
Ochaco hadn't used her quirk on herself, but she could swear she was floating. Meanwhile, the grass outside Izuku's dorm was getting a healthy dose of salt water, courtesy of the joy he was already getting out of his newly acquired love life.
There were a couple reasons why Jirou couldn't help but stare at her own reflection. First was that her face was still pretty red, and both likely reasons for that were similarly tied to the same unbelievable occurrence. Either she was still blushing hard enough to match her typical face paint, or she hadn't done a very good job cleaning her face and just smeared Momo's lipstick around instead of getting it off. Though the red hue her wash cloth had gained lent validity to the 'still blushing' theory. Either way, there was no denying what had happened; Momo had kissed her. Like, a lot. Like, she'd kissed the shit out of her! Plus she'd said she loved her! LOVED her?! Like sure they were good friends, but she'd never dreamed that Momo would-! Ok, that was a lie; she'd had romantic dreams starring herself and Momo embarrassingly often, but she never actually thought she'd just… jump her like that! No, 'jumped' wasn't the right word. Kirishima got jumped, she wouldn't have survived if Momo had done that to her. What Momo did was… dreamlike. Romantic. Fitting that someone so bewitchingly beautiful would treat her so magically.
On the subject of magic, Momo must have figured out some spells while she was drugged up because Jirou was incapable of thinking of anything but Momo and how she had… pampered her. After she cleaned her face of Momo's kisses, the first thing she did after taking off her jacket was dig into her makeup bag, which was primarily filled with eyeliner, eyeshadow, and her prescription skin lotion for keeping her lobes moisturized, and pulled out one of the three tubes of lipstick she had ever owned. Her aesthetic was important to her identity so she had agonized over her hero look a bit more than most in her situation. She experimented with lots of different makeup combos, but she found she didn't look 'mature' enough to pull off lipstick. Yet another reason she envied Momo. She more-or-less came to the same conclusion with eyeshadow, and so stuck with her staple eyeliner.
Today, when she put on her deep-violet lipstick, it was an irrational means to an enigmatic end. The correlation was clear enough; Momo had covered her in lipstick as she kissed her into nirvana (the concept rooted in Hindu philosophy, not the band. Though for Jirou, they might be the same thing.) The causation however, she could only theorize, and they all made her super cheesy and cringe. The one that came to her first and most often was that if she were to wear lipstick herself, Momo would see her and it would make her want to-
Jirou smacked her forehead for letting herself think such lame thoughts. Yet again, she questioned whether or not the last few hours had actually happened. After all, how could beautiful, brilliant, perfect Momo Yaoyorozu throw herself at someone as cringe as her?
"Yeah, maybe I can just summon her here to-!" Jirou said internally, unable to even finish the thought that only she could hear. "Goddamnit! You're so fuckin stupid, Kyoka…"
A knock at the door made her jump out of her despairing thoughts and almost jump out of her skin. She considered wiping her mouth to prevent any further awkwardness, but instead resolved to plug anyone who said anything about it. She grunted as she got up to get her in the mindset to punch the next person to look at her funny and walked to the door.
Momo Yaoyorozu stood on the other side for a moment before bowing deeply. "Jirou-san!" She shouted, making Jirou physically jump in surprise. "I would like to extend my sincere apologies for my disgraceful behavior today! It was an unacceptable breach of your personal boundaries and a despicable betrayal of the gracious trust you've given me as part of our friendship!" She straightened back up, but kept her eyes closed like the author does on scary roller coasters. "I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me someday, but until then, I promise to treat you with the respect befitting someone as… wonderful… as… you…" Momo's guilty rant skidded to a halt when she opened her eyes and saw Jirou, the light blush on her cheeks brightening at the sight.
"Um… Y-Yaomomo?" Jirou cautiously asked. "Everything alright?"
"Huh? Oh!" The taller girl woke from her trance. "Yes! Yes, I'm fine, I just… I haven't seen you wear…" She vaguely motioned to her own mouth.
"Oh!" Jirou's own color rose as a multitude of exciting and terrifying possibilities danced in her mind. "Y-Yeah, I was just uh… I dunno, just… messing around, I guess. Do you- I mean, does it look weird?"
"No! No, not at all!" Momo assured her. "It suits you very well, actually! You look lovely." The way she nearly whispered the last word made Jirou's knees tremble for a moment and filled Momo with regret. Both of them averted their eyes in embarrassment.
"So uh," Momo looked back to the shorter girl when Jirou broke the awkward silence, "your apology just now? You didn't have to. Aizawa-sensei told us how that drug messed with your brains and stuff," she intentionally left out Midoriya's research because that was not something she was ready to bring up, "so it's not your fault that you three went all…" she waved her hand around as she struggled to find the right word, ultimately settling on "...that."
"W-Well yes, but even so…" Momo stopped herself when she realized something she needed to set straight. "Actually, Jirou-san, that's not quite right." She set her brows in determination as Jirou looked at her in surprise. "While it's true that the chemical the perpetrators released made us act more… impulsively than we ever would normally, it only causes those affected by it to act that way toward individuals that they already hold in a particular regard. In the case of Ashido-san, Uraraka-san, and myself, those individuals were Kirishima-san, Midoriya-san, and you, respectively. Therefore, we would only act as we did toward you three specifically."
Jirou turned over her explanation in her mind. She was smart, you had to be to get into U.A., and she even had some amount of warning from Midoriya's research, but even with all that on her side her mind couldn't get a handle on what Momo was saying. "Yaomomo… What are you…?"
"I am saying that the things I said to you while under the influence of that drug were not the drug's doing." She explained, just managing to keep her composure intact while her dream girl looked back at her with starry eyes. "Granted, I never would have had the courage to say those things were it not for the drug, but it did not influence me to lie." Jirou had no words and only let her lips part slightly in awe. Momo continued before her inexplicable courage could run out. "Let me make this clear for myself and for you." She drew herself up further and gently placed a hand over her heart. "Kyoka Jirou! I, Momo Yaoyorozu, harbor strong, romantic feelings for you! Your kindness, strength, and charisma have captured my heart, and I would consider it an injustice for you to believe yourself anything but utterly precious to me!"
Though silence filled the air after Momo's melodramatic declaration, the girls' heartbeats reverberated in their ears like massive drums. As the seconds ticked by without a word, Momo's courage drained rapidly, especially since she had decided to hold her needlessly authoritative pose for some reason. Her nerves cracked after a while, and she focused on an interesting tile where Jirou stood and folded her hands down in front of her nervously.
"That being said," Momo quickly added with the demeanor of a much less imposing girl, "given what I unintentionally put you through this afternoon, I completely understand if you wanted to avoid my company. With that, I shall take my le-"
Jirou's sudden proximity stopped Momo's nervous rambling dead in its tracks. Since Momo already had her head tilted down a bit, that made it all the easier for the shorter Jirou to swoop in and place a firm yet fleeting kiss on her mouth. Momo gasped softly and looked at Jirou's face as she struggled to maintain an ambivalent expression.
"I think you're pretty rad yourself, Yaomomo." Jirou told her, maintaining eye contact while having her head tilted slightly away. "We should meet up for an encore of this afternoon sometime. Later." Jirou couldn't maintain eye contact as she slid back into her room and softly closed the door.
Momo was left standing in the hall, dumbfounded. Though her brilliant mind raced, it took some time to catch up to the present. Once it did, her hair did the Ghibli float and her mouth stretched into a wide, closed grin that made Jirou's purple kiss stamped diagonally across her lips look even sillier. Though at that moment, she couldn't care less how she looked or who saw her. She was living in a dream and that smile stayed plastered on her face the whole time while she made her way to Ashido's room to deliver the good news. Meanwhile, Jirou spent the next couple hours alternating between screaming into a pillow and punching it in passionate joy.
That night, the girls swapped stories of their romantic triumphs in Mina's room, while Jirou, Kirishima, and Midoriya started a new group chat for themselves simply titled "Lucky."