It was cliché, he understood it was, but it didn't matter. He awoke before his alarm, and everything just seemed a bit brighter and more vibrant. Immediately he grabbed his phone and fired off a text.
Izuku: Good Morning, Tsu; I can't wait to see you on the train.
He had barely sent the message when a response immediately came in; either she was the fastest texter in Japan, or she was sending hers when he sent his.
Tsu: Good Morning, Izuku; I can't wait to see you soon; I already miss you.
Tsu: I was texting when you messaged.
Tsu: Did you just wake up?
Izuku: I did; all I could think about was how much I already missed you. Is that bad? Am I being too clingy already? Is this going to make you not like me? Is that possible? Oh god, I can't stop texting.
Tsu: You ramble even on text. That is so adorable.
Izuku: I got nothing….
Tsu: Your wrong…you got me *sent a photo* see you on the train.
Izuku tapped the attachment and fell back on the bed; it was a photo of Tsu lying on her bed; it looked like she was blowing him a kiss, and he could see the straps of her nightgown. It was not an ultra-provocative photo. He had seen her bare shoulders in her sundress on Saturday, but the knowledge that she was not wearing a bra and that she was lying in bed enflamed his young mind as he flopped over his face read and the goofiest smile on his face. It took him ten minutes, which made him rush as not to miss his train; his morning workout would have to be trimmed.
-Trains, Trains, and the Train-
Tsu sat on the train, a seat saved next to her in their "compartment" She was filled with such nervous energy, wondering if somehow fate would deny them seeing each other. They had sent dozens of texts about leaving the house, at the station, etc. It was not like they were meeting to hand off top secret documents that held the world's fate. But when the door opened, she could sense him; she had been staring at the door, and as soon as he stepped on, excited ribbits began to escape her lips; he immediately looked directly at her, and his smile beamed. It was her sun; it warmed her so thoroughly.
He moved over to sit next to her quickly, they looked at each other awkwardly, not sure how to greet each other, but their instincts took over, settling the debate; he wrapped her in a warm tight embrace that she snuggled into when the broke apart she kissed his cheek turning him into a blushing mess.
"Good morning, my Izuku, ribbit," she said.
"Good morning, Tsu," he said, their heads leaning against each other.
Tsu looked him over, taking in all the details like she hadn't seen him the day before; she smiled at the haphazard way his tie was done. "Your tie looks terrible," she giggled.
"That's not true; I am starting a new fashion trend. All the hip kids do it this way?"
She giggled again, "No, Izuku, they are not. Let me fix this." She said as she had him face her so she could re-tie the tie.
As she did so, Izuku was lost in the simple act; staring at her, he could feel his heart rate increase as visions of them older and him in a suit heading to work and her fixing his tie. She was pregnant with their third child; at that point, his mind devolved into supplying the details of how she got pregnant, and he went nuclear, and his mind shut down to reboot.
He snapped back as he felt a light kiss on his lips, seeing her smiling. "All done," she said. He looked down, and of course, it was perfect; he blushed again as his mind could still recall some things right before he shut down. He also made a silent vow to himself; he would NEVER learn to tie a tie correctly for the rest of his life.
They held hands for the rest of the ride, not saying anything, her head resting on his shoulder till they arrived at their stop. They stepped off into the morning light heading to the café where they were greeted by the same hostess from before. She smiled brightly, seeing them holding hands.
"How was the cake?" she asked.
"Best. Cake. Ever." He said.
"That's good, are you kids okay?"
"What do you mean?" Tsu asked.
The hostess held up her phone, showing the headline of U.A. attacked and the photo of Class 1-A. She then zoomed in on the image to point out Izuku and Tsu, "I recognized you two, and I was worried something had happened; the report said there were only minor injuries, so I figured you were, but I was hoping to see you two today to make sure."
"Thank you for your concern," Tsu said as they bowed.
"Well then, your drinks and pastries are on us today for having to go through such a terrible thing and for a great piece of cake," she said, her purple eyes sparkling.
"We couldn't," Izuku protested.
"I insist, besides I have been seeing you two every day since the new term at U.A. started, and I get the feeling I will be seeing you more." She winked. "Now, what would you like?"
The young couple blushed before placing their order and taking a seat; they sat and enjoyed their treats, talking a little about the coverage of the incident Izuku hadn't watched any T.V since the incident; the coverage ranged from outrage at the villains to blame be placed on U.A for allowing such an incident to occur.
They walked hand in hand to the campus. "You ready for everybody to know?" Izuku asked.
"Of course, I want them all to know that you belong to me now," she said with a smile. "This is much more diplomatic than dropkicking everyone whom I feel gets too friendly, kero, though I may just dropkick Bakugo on a matter of principle." She said, her finger taping the side of her mouth, her head tilted to the side slightly.
-Ochaco-
Ochaco stepped off her train and had to fight the urge to run through the crowds; she wanted to hurry and see Izuku, they had talked some over the weekend, but she just wanted to double-check and see that he was ok.
Some of the commuters on the train recognized her from the news coverage of the attack; everyone was friendly enough to ask if she and her classmates were ok and tell her to keep her chin up and not to let this get her down. She noticed some of the U.A. students staring at her, particularly this boy with blonde hair; he seemed to be glaring.
Ochaco ignored them once the door opened; she had a singular destination and thought: Izuku.
As she came into view of the campus, she quickly scanned the crowd and spotted her favorite mop of curly green hair…right next to another head of green hair….walking very close together…..holding hands…wait.
They were holding hands, and she just kissed his cheek.
Ochaco's shoulders slumped; she had a crush on Izuku. Ever since the entrance exam where he saved her, did he know Tsu from before? She never even saw the two of them talking. She had figured Tsu's response at the USJ was from the trauma of the fight and being up close and personal during Izuku's battle with the villains. Seeing him pass out and all the blood had made Ochaco's heart skip a beat, but Tsu's reaction was downright desperate, and she was in complete trances afterward.
And then she was holding that box of cake, it said for sharing. Tsu held it like it was a precious jewel or a family heirloom. Mineta had said something about cake when he came to help with Tsu.
"Uraraka?" a voice behind her pulled her out of her thoughts; turning, she saw Tenya standing there. "Are you ok? If you fear another attack though I cannot do much to as wage your fears, I can tell you I am sure that U.A. will have increased security to prevent such an incident like last Friday never happening again."
"Oh, thank you, yea, I was a bit nervous," Ochaco said.
"Yes, let us hurry to class; I must admit that I am anxious to see Midoriya. I was pleased to see his message that he was home; I hope he recovered from these injuries." He said as they started moving towards the campus."
"Yeah, I can't wait to see him as well." She said her gaze towards the ground.
-Tsu-
Tsu made her way to class minus her boyfriend, who had to see Recovery Girl for a final exam and a possible treatment. She had wanted to go with him, partially out of a desire to be near him but also to make sure he was ok. Instead, she made her way to class; as she opened the door, she heard Toru.
"I didn't stand out; you could barely see me in the group photo." She pouted.
"You know that you are invisible right?" Sero said.
"Oh, you shut up. Maybe I must add something to my costume to help me stand out. Hey Tsu, how was your weekend," Toru said, turning to the door opening.
"It was nice, Kero; how was yours," Tsu responded, walking to take her seat.
"It was ok; my parents kept fussing over me," Toru said. "How was your weekend?"
"It was very nice, my family fussed over me, but after Friday, I needed it," Tsu responded.
"Has anyone talked to Midoriya?" Mezo asked.
"Other than the text he sent me that he was ok, I haven't heard from him," Momo said.
Mineta walked over to Tsu, "Glad to see you are better, Tsu."
"Thank you, Mineta; how is your head?" she responded.
"Still a little sore but much better than Friday night; I overused my quirk, so that happens when I do that. Did you get to share that piece of cake or whatever you and Izuku were going about?" He asked.
"Yes, it all worked out; thank you for helping calm me down."
"I should thank you, and I need to thank Izuku, I am sorry for how I acted on the boat. It was wrong and…" he shrugged. "It was just plain wrong; I shouldn't have touched you like that or suggested that you be a distraction; that is not what a hero is supposed to do. I forgot what it was like to see what real heroes are supposed to be. You and Izuku reminded me of that." He closed his eyes and clenched his fists that hung at his side. "I want to be a hero; I don't want to be a coward."
"Then that is a good start," Tsu said with a smile.
"Hey, Ochaco," Mina shouted as the gravity girl and Tenya entered the room. "Have you heard from Midoriya at all?"
"Huh, oh yea, I texted him Saturday morning when he was still in the hospital; he said he was sore but feeling all right." She said, moving to her seat. "Is he not here yet? I saw him enter the campus ahead of me?"
"No, maybe he had to go see Recovery Girl?" Tenya added.
"WHO THE FUCK CARES WHERE THE HELL DEKU IS? WILL YOU ALL STOP TALKING ABOUT HIM, FOR FUCKS SAKE? WHOOPIE DOO, HE GET HURT? HE WAS THE ONLY ONE BECAUSE HE IS SO GOD DAMN USELESS." Katsuki shouted from his seat.
"Dude, that is fucked up," Denki said. "Didn't he save you from getting smashed by that monster?"
"HE DIDN'T SAVE SHIT," Katsuki roared back. "I WOULD HAVE BEEN JUST FINE. ALL HE DID WAS LET THAT PORTAL FUCKER GET AWAY WHEN I HAD HIM PINNED."
Kirishima looked like he was about to say something but stopped.
"Yea, my bad for thinking you could dodge that hit and still keep that portal guy pinned." Izuku's voice rang out as he opened the door.
The other students shouted and ran towards him, asking him how he was. Izuku was touched; he didn't expect the whole class to care, except for Bakugo. He smiled and assured the class and his friends that he was ok, that he had just seen Recovery Girl for a minor treatment to clear up any lingering problems, and she gave him a clean bill of health.
Ochaco was conflicted about what to do; she was so happy to see him but didn't want to cross a line if something happened between him and Tsu. The crowd began to thin out when Momo called for people to get in their seats. She stepped forward and put on her best face as she walked up and hugged him quickly before stepping back; she was surprised when he didn't flinch. "Now, I don't have to punch you into the sun. Are you ok, though, Izuku?" she asked.
"I am Ochaco; aside from some funky scars, I am back at 100%," he said as he made his way to his seat.
As the bell rang, a Mummy shuffled in.
"MR. AIZAWA!" the class exclaimed.
"Shouldn't you be in the hospital?" Kirishima said.
"Nonsense, that old lady just went overboard on her treatment, and if you all are here, then I need to be here as well; I am here to tell you that the fight isn't over."
"Don't tell me it's the villains again?" Mineta exclaimed.
"Worse, the school has decided that the annual Sports Festival will move on as planned."
"Isn't it dangerous after what happened after the USJ?" Ojiro said, giving voice to what everyone else was thinking.
"Security will be incredibly heightened, and remember; the sports festival is your best opportunity to get yourselves noticed by other pros to get invited for internships. You only get three chances during your stay here at U.A. this year because of the incident at the USJ; there will be more media attention on the first-year portion of the festival than ever before. Some things can be learned from the USJ, it was a terrible incident, but this is an opportunity for you all to use it to your advantage. It will be your best time to shine. And don't forget that this is an opportunity for a member of the Business Course or General Studies to be promoted to the hero course, which means that should that happen, one of you may find yourselves on the way out."
The news was enough to snap Ochaco out of her funk for the meantime; with the regular studies beginning, the class was surprised when Ectoplasm cut the course short and told everyone to remain seated for a special announcement; the teacher boards at the front of the class parted revealing a massive television screen.
As it powered on, it was turned to the Japanese National News Network; it showed an empty podium with the U.A. symbol and a room packed with reporters. The bottom of the screen read "All-Might calls News Conference." The entire class sat in silence as this was something significant that the school itself was stopping its day to have the students watch. The sudden clicking of the cameras announced the arrival of the nation's top hero. In all his glory, to stride across the stage, stopping at the podium and pausing as the reporters settled down.
"I want to thank you all for coming today and for everyone across the nation and the world that have taken time out of their day. I have come before you today to announce that I will be stepping back from my role as a hero. After doing this for over 40 years, time is the one villain I cannot defeat; this is not a retirement... The best way to use my time is to train the next generation of heroes at U.A. I need to give them the attention they deserve so that I can fully know that Japan's future is in good hands when I retire." He paused as the lights from the cameras went crazy.
"This message is for all the criminals out there that may think that now is the time to slink out of the shadows and that this is a calling for you to terrorize the citizens of Japan. I want you all to dare to try. For never forget "I AM HERE."
"Thank You for your time," All-Might said as he walked off stage with the reporters yelling questions.
The class sat there stunned; all their phones started buzzing furiously in their pockets as notifications went wild. Izuku pulled out his phone and fired off a text.
Little Might: Is this because of me?
Big Might: No, my boy, this is because of me. We can talk at our usual spot tonight and be there at 7 pm.
Little Might: I promise.
"You ok, Izuku?" Ochaco asked; she knew that All-Might was his favorite hero.
"Yea, Ochaco, I'm fine; he has been doing this for so long." He said with a weak smile. "And he is doing this for all of us, right?"
He noticed the class had gone quiet looking at him. As he glanced around, he saw Momo nod at him to encourage him to speak. Slowly Izuku stood.
"Listen, everybody, All-Might is stepping back for us. All of us in the hero course are in this room and in 1-B. He is doing this because he believes in us and thinks we have what it takes to not only hold the nation together in a few years but also move it forward. When the time does come for him to retire, it will be up to all of us to carry on for him. I know I am not the only one who is a huge fan of All-Might here. While some of you crazy heads may have a different favorite hero…" he added some levity. "I'm looking at you, Ochaco."
"Hey, I like All-Might," the girl said, smiling. "But Thirteen is better, that's all!" she laughed.
"Hell no, it's all about Crimson Riot!" Eijiro yelled out.
"I think Ingenum is the best," Tenya said, smiling at Izuku.
"Are you all crazy? If it's not Mt. Lady or Midnight, you all are blind," said Mineta.
As more of the class called out their favorite heroes, they were all smiling. Izuku spoke up. "I guess there are more crazy people than I thought in this class," he looked at every single one. "The Sports Festival is our opportunity to show the world that the next generation of heroes is coming to carry the torch for All-Might. IT IS A OUR CHANCE TO SHOW THOSE BASTARDS THAT ATTACKED US AT THE USJ THAT WE WILL NOT GO AWAY AND TO SHOW THE WHOLE OF THE WORLD THAT "WE ARE HERE!" He punctuated the last part by throwing his fist into the air; the entire class followed suit (even Bakugo).