A/N: I feel like when I was in high school nobody really covered consent or the fact that it's kind of a gray area. Like does consent with coercion count? No it fuckin' doesn't. That kind of thing. Anyway, here's a fun chapter that covers a topic that should be black and white but isn't, unfortunately.
**I do not own these characters or the world, that belongs to our lovely author of MHA, Kohei Horikoshi. Also, cover art was a commission by me from the artist Krumbs. Follow them on if you'd like! They are extremely talented!
Twenty
Amajiki is My Spirit Animal
Ochako Uraraka sat uncomfortably in her seat. They were in the last portion of class for the day; the dreaded continuation of their sexual education unit. On the docket for today had been consent in painful detail. It seemed like it would be a fairly straight forward subject. Yes means yes and a no means no, but sadly in the world they lived in, even consent could be seen in shades of gray.
It had been a relatively slow class with no guest speakers so far. Uraraka wasn't entirely sure there would be guest speakers today since they were nearing the end of their class with only twenty minutes remaining.
"This is why communication between any kind of partners is essential. Good communication can be the difference between a successful partnership and a disastrous one," Recovery Girl lectured seriously.
Ahead of Uraraka, Kirishima's hand abruptly raised and after a small sigh the aged nurse at the front of the class nodded at him.
"So uh," Kirishima started blushing and looked sheepish, "uh, well, does this thing still really exist in today's society? Like, it doesn't seem very manly to just, well, force your way onto someone else."
"Yeah, like, why would you even want to get all hot and heavy if you couldn't get the other person into it? That doesn't sound very fun with someone who's not as into it as you are," Mineta added, though his hand hadn't been raised.
"Raise your hand next time Mineta but in regards to your question, Kirishima, yes this most certainly still happens in today's world. While the crime rate in Japan is remarkably low thanks to All Might's influence, crime still exists and forced sexual advances sadly still exist. In any society you examine, that kind of crime is still a very real thing. It's part of why we try to reinforce the importance of consent, of really understanding what you are comfortable with and what the other person you're engaging with is comfortable with. Open and honest communication is how you find that out and then respecting any limits that the other person has stipulated and boundaries that you don't want to cross. Any kind of sexual activity should never feel coerced, forced, or obligatory; it should be a mutual consensual act."
"Oh, okay," Kirishima replied. He almost seemed deflated at Recovery Girl's answer, as if he'd really thought that such atrocities like sexual harassment, molestation, stalking, and rape were no longer a problem.
"On that note, I'm going to allow the remaining time to be given to our guest speakers, the Big Three: Tamaki Amajiki, Mirio Togata, and Nejire Hado," Recovery Girl announced as she moved back behind the desk at the front of the class. Mr. Aizawa was nowhere in sight which once again made Uraraka wonder if Recovery Girl actually rolled her chair over him whenever she moved behind the desk.
The entirety of the class looked toward the doorway to see the Big Three standing there. When had they arrived? Uraraka certainly didn't remember hearing the door open or the arrival of anyone outside their classroom. Were her senses dulling? Lemillion didn't even have permeation anymore!
Hado was first to spill in through the doorway and gleefully smile at the somewhat surprised class. Lemillion was close on her heels with a cheerful smile and wave. Then there was Amajiki, poor Amajiki. He took about two steps into the room and then abruptly turned away from everyone so that he faced the corner.
"Hey hey class 1-A! The Big Three are here to teach you all about consent!" Hado exclaimed, clasping her hands together excitedly.
"Yeah! Who's ready to talk about good communication skills and consent?!" Togata added with an equal amount of pep.
Silence greeted his question. Apparently, no one wanted to talk anymore about consent.
"No one wants to talk about that Mirio…it's so uncomfortable," came a quiet croak from Amajiki in the corner.
"It sure can be if you don't talk about it!" Lemillion said with an ungodly amount of enthusiasm.
"But talking about it teaches us about it and the more we know about something the better we are at it! So we've made a little scenario for you that we're super excited about!" Hado was practically bouncing up and down with excitement.
Across the room, Mineta's eyes were locked onto the upper classman, specifically on her rather bountiful chest and the bounce it gave whenever she moved excitedly.
"For you, I'll do anything," Mineta murmured, his eyes still glued to Hado.
"That's the spirit!" Lemillion said with a fist pump, either oblivious to the younger boy's lechery or willfully ignoring it.
"You shouldn't encourage him, ribbit," Tsu said softly with a warning glance directed at Mineta. Mineta caught sight of the frog's cautionary stare and toned down his abject staring, though not by much.
"Okay then! We are going to randomly pair everyone up and have two of you practice good communicating and consent with each other!" Hado explained and tilted her head to the side playfully.
"What?!" Exclaimed Kaminari.
"With each other?!" Jiro yelped.
"Quoi!?" Aoyama said, eyes wide.
"Excuse me?!" Yaoyorozu questioned.
"Really…?" Ochako murmured.
"Uh…" Shoji sighed.
"That sounds like it could create awkwardness," Shoto surmised.
"Pfft," Bakugo snorted.
"Together?!" Deku squeaked.
"Randomly paired? We could be paired with another guy!?" Sero asked incredulously.
"This is going to be embarrassing!" Ashido blushed.
"This is an excellent way to work on our ability to communicate with one another!" Ida exclaimed, oddly upbeat.
"Ribbit," Tsu whispered.
"I don't think I want to," Ojiro mumbled.
"Can we pick our partners? Please!" Mineta said, practically shouting.
"How…uncomfortable," Tokoyami said seriously.
"Can I not be paired with Mineta?!" Hagakure pleaded.
"…" Koda just blinked in response.
"Um, okay." Kirishima said with eyes downcast and a bright blush on his face.
"This is a terrible idea," came Amajiki's muttered response from the corner of the room.
"Nah, it's a great idea and a great way to practice and it might be funny! And laughter makes the world a better place!" Lemillion said with an overly enthusiastic thumbs up.
"We've already put all your names in a box for you and your partner to be randomly selected. Once that's done you get to practice for just a few minutes before you come up to the front and demonstrate clear and concise consent!" Hado explained and procured a box from behind the teacher's desk which she passed to Lemillion.
"Come on Suneater! You get to pick the names!" Encouraged Lemillion.
"No," came a quick reply from the corner.
"Hey hey Amajiki! Come on! Participate!" Hado chided as she walked over to him and started to tug on his arm like an angry toddler pulling on a less than enthused parent.
"I'm going home!" He mumbled, broke himself free of Hado's grip and then practically flew out the door.
"Amajiki! Come back here!" Hado called after him with puffed out cheeks in annoyance.
"It's okay Hado, he'll come back when he's ready. For now, let's get started!" Lemillion said cheerfully as he shook up the box. "Time to begin the fun!"
After a few minutes, the names were all drawn, the pairings decided, with awkward results. It went as follows: Aoyama and Koda; Shoji and Jiro; Hagakure and Sato; Tokoyami and Tsu; Ida and Mineta; Ashido and Kirishima; Bakugo and Todoroki; Kaminari and Yaoyorozu; Sero and Ojiro; and Midoriya and Uraraka.
When Uraraka's name had been drawn in conjunction with Deku's, she'd nearly had a heart attack. She felt like her entire face must've turned a scarlet red and she didn't dare look in his direction. She had to practice consent with him, in front of the class, in front of everyone. This was going to be both awkward and embarrassing.
Once everyone knew who they were paired with—and after a few annoyed complaints and angry mutterings in Bakugo's case—the couples made their way to each other to begin their brief period of practice before presenting before the entire class.
Uraraka sheepishly made her way over toward Deku's desk. She kept her eyes on her feet, unable to look up. What would Deku's face look like? Would he be able to look at her? What would they even say? This was awful!
A pair of red sneakers suddenly entered into her line of vision and she knew that she had either made it to his desk or that he'd met her halfway. The red sneakers stopped about a foot in front of her. Perhaps she could spend this entire time practicing with him if she just looked at his shoes. That was okay, wasn't it?
It's just practice, it doesn't matter that it's practicing consent to have…sex…eek! Okay calm down Ochako, it's just practice, just practicing good communication. Think of it like practicing good communication with a friend, not with someone I'd have se—no! No don't think that! But the thought ran off entirely on its own and even as she desperately tried to control her line of thinking, they raced on ahead. Provocative images suddenly filled her mind; images of Deku taking his shirt off; his bare back covered in a sheen of sweat; his brow bent in concentration; him licking his lips as ice cream dripped down his chin; Deku in just his undies with a big shining face of All Might right on the crotch and a protruding bul—Ochako let out a very quiet, hopefully inaudible, squeak at that thought. For the love of everything holy, stop, please just stop!
"U-Uraka? Are you okay?" Cut in Deku's voice, thankfully distracting her from her out of control thoughts.
"Yeah, I was just, uh, well, this is embarrassing," she murmured and slowly raised her eyes to meet his. His face was a hearty shade of pink. Secretly, she was glad she wasn't the only one finding this assignment difficult.
"Yeah, it kinda is, huh?" Deku said softly as he lowered his eyes and gave a shy little smile.
Even though he wasn't looking at her, something about that little smile was so adorable to her. She had to resist the overwhelming urge to race forward and jump into his arms. Stop thinking those things!
"So, uh, how do we start?" Ochako asked quietly. The room was relatively noisy with all the other students paired up and talking. She felt like her hushed voice wouldn't be heard by Deku over the other noise.
"I guess, well," Deku paused and scratched the back of his head nervously. He raised his gaze to hers and looked at her pointedly. "Uraraka, is it okay if we are uh, together, er, physically…that is, uh, do you consent to the uh," his face took on new levels of redness, "…sexual intercourse?" His voice was hardly more than a squeak on those last two words.
Uraraka felt her face flush with color again. Keep it together, she chided herself, took a gulp and squeezed her eyes shut and dredged up a response. "Yes, that would be lovely!" It was far too fast of a response and painfully high pitched, like a parrot screaming. Uraraka also felt dread creep over her as she realized she'd added in, 'that would be lovely,' and the copious anxiety inducing thoughts that that statement alone created. Did she have to add that part in? Would he think that she now wanted to have sex with him? Did she? No…yes? No! Maybe? Eventually? Stop! Just stop thinking!
"Oh okay, great, that's okay just thought I'd as—wait WHAT?!" Deku started and then practically shouted the last bit. He was staring at her openly now, his face red and also somehow contorted into a remarkably awkward expression.
Great, I was right, saying that would be lovely sent the wrong message. This is all going terribly, she thought to herself in a panic. How did she correct it? But wait, why did it even matter if she said that it'd be lovely? Wasn't the whole purpose of the practice to rehearse an affirmative or negative response to asking for consent? Oh. Oh. He thought I'd give a negative response. Now he's dumbfounded because I responded in the positive…oh no! What is he thinking?!
"Uh, yeah, I am giving consent, haha, that's the purpose of the assignment, right?" Uraraka asked with a forced laugh. She'd squeezed her eyes together in forced cheerfulness but more so because she couldn't stare at that shocked awkward face Deku was giving her. Why was it so shocking that she'd responded to this pretend consent assignment with an affirming consent instead of a negative one? Was she expected to say no? But…why didn't she say no?
"Oh yeah, haha…I guess I was just expecting you to say no, you know? Haha," Deku bumbled awkwardly, his face taking on entirely new levels of embarrassment.
"Well consent can be affirmative or negative, right?" Uraraka added quickly.
"I guess it can—" he started only to have Lemillion's cheerful voice interrupt.
"Okay class 1-A that's enough practice!" Lemillion announced from the front of the class.
"Get excited! It's time to present!" Hado added excitedly.
"This is going to be awful," muttered Amajiki who stood just inside the classroom. Uraraka wondered when he'd returned.
"Come on now, it's going to be fun!" Came Lemillion's far too enthusiastic reply.
"We're going to go in the order that we pulled your names, so that means it's Can't Stop Twinkling and Anima up first!" Hado said with an excited glance at the currently not so twinkly Aoyama and the heavily blushing Koda.
The two trudged their way to the front of the class. They stood in the front of the chalkboard with the Big Three standing behind them, though Amajiki remained closer to the doorway than anything else.
"Mon dieu, ça va mal!" Aoyama muttered as he stood awkwardly across from the clearly very sheepish Koda.
"Um, hello, would you consent to having romantic relations with me?" Koda asked in a voice so quiet that the majority of the class struggled to hear him.
Aoyama threw his head back dramatically and raised one of his arms to his brow as if the question had been overwhelming. "Je ne sais pa, mon chéri! I'm afraid I'm going to have to say non merci!
"Okay, thanks anyway!" Koda said quickly and immediately began walking back to his desk.
"Great job guys!" Lemillion applauded as Aoyama also returned to his desk.
"'I don't know', isn't a very clear response but Aoyama did clearly state no following that. Keep in mind students that if you ever experience a similar situation, 'I don't know' does not mean yes or no, ideally you should seek clarification with whoever gave the in between response, but also be aware of your situation. If someone says 'I don't know' to you as they walk away, you should default to no but if someone says 'I don't know' and remains with you, my advice would be to seek clarification. Only an affirmative consent means you should move forward," Recovery Girl added from behind the desk.
Uraraka's stomach flip flopped nervously as Shoji and Jiro moved to the head of the class. She and Deku were last, but every pair that presented meant that she and Deku were closer to going…and that was scary.
"Do you want to have sex?" Was Shoji's flat and somewhat monotone question. Uraraka could just barely make out a rosiness in his cheeks, but otherwise he seemed unaffected by the awkwardness of their presentation.
"Uh…no thank you," Jiro replied, not making eye contact as she played with her earlobes nervously.
"Okay then, bye," Shoji said with a nod.
"That was great! It left no room for questions!" Hado exclaimed with a clap of her hands.
"Miss Hado is right. That was an excellent display of clear and concise communication," Recovery Girl added.
"Sato and Hagakure, step on up!"
Hagakure and Sato reluctantly exchanged places with Jiro and Shoji. They stood awkwardly at the front of the classroom, neither looking at each other, though in Hagakure's case, you couldn't really tell where she was looking.
"So uh, do you like, want to come over and eat some cake? And uh, then maybe we can, I don't know, maybe we can like, uh, have sexual intercourse?" Sato looked at the ground as a bright red blush colored his cheeks.
"I'd be happy to eat cake with you but I don't want to do uh, or, uh, I don't want to have sex! Sorry!" Hagakure said, her voice high and tight with anxiety.
"Just cake then! That sounds good too!" Sato replied now with an embarrassed smile.
"Great job guys! That was stellar!" Lemillion cheered.
"This is painful," Amajiki muttered from the doorway, not looking at anyone. He abruptly turned away and faced the corner. Poor Amajiki.
"It's time for Tokoyami and Froppy!" Hado practically shouted and shot a pointedly gleeful look at the younger girl.
"Ribbit," muttered Tsu as she and Tokoyami moved to the front of the class.
"Hi, ribbit," Tsu started, her cheeks turning rosy.
"Hello. What a lovely evening it is, don't you think?" Tokoyami added conversationally.
"Ribbit, yeah it sure is," Tsu replied her voice wavering ever so slightly.
"I was wondering if you'd perhaps, want to engage—" Tokoyami began only to be interrupted.
"Cut to the chase! Get it over with, idiots!" Bakugo interrupted irritably.
"Don't interrupt Bakugo!" Chastised Recovery Girl.
"Yeah! I was enjoying the leadup," Hado said supportively.
"It's okay Tokoyami, ribbit, um, do you consent to having romantic interactions with me?" Tsu asked, surprising everyone since she'd been the first girl to proposition one of the boys.
It was always difficult to tell if there was a blush on Tokoyami's cheeks since his face was so dark, but if one looked closely enough, you could see the rosy coloration forming over his face.
"Ahem, uh, yes, that would be acceptable," he replied, clearly uncomfortable. The class seemed to shift in surprise.
How bold of Tsu and also how bold of Tokoyami! Uraraka thought to herself as she watched the two at the front of the class.
"The first affirmative consent! Great job guys!" Exclaimed Lemillion with a thumbs up at the pair.
"So brave! I'm so proud Froppy!" Hado grinned and rushed forward to give the smaller girl a hug.
"Ribbit," Asui blushed.
"How are they even able to do this? Don't they realize how embarrassing and awkward it is?" Came the muttered and miserable response of Amajiki in the corner.
"Chin up buddy! Now it's time for Ingenium and Grape Juice!"
Ida walked to the front of the class proudly, Mineta trailed behind at a much slower pace. Clearly, he wasn't happy about this pairing. Hardly surprising, thought Uraraka with a small snort.
"Hello! I would like to ask for you consent to engage in sexual relations! How do you respond?" Ida asked making direct eye contact with the smaller boy. To his credit, there was no blush on his cheeks and he seemed totally focused on the question he'd just asked.
Mineta sighed heavily and turned his back toward Ida. "Yeah, that's a solid no. Get lost."
"I accept your response as not consenting but I must address your rude behavior! Asking to engage in sexual intercourse is something that requires a boldness that should be commended and you are being quite rude!" Ida chastised.
"A clear question and clear response, though I agree with you Ida, the rudeness of Mineta is unnecessary. Mineta there is no need to be rude or cruel when responding. Consider other people's feelings," Recovery Girl commented with narrowed eyes aimed at Mineta.
"It's a stupid scenario!" Mineta spat and began to head back toward his desk. Ida did the same.
While Ida and Mineta had been demonstrating consent, Hado had managed to pull Amajiki from the corner so that now he also faced the class. He looked primed to flee at any moment and only remained because Hado had locked arms with him and seemed to be firmly holding him in place.
"Ashido and Kirishima, you're next," Amajiki croaked softly.
"Good job," Hado said softly and patted Amajiki's shoulder reassuringly. He looked like a frazzled cat that was about to start frantically yowling in fear.
Both Ashido and Kirishima made their way to the front of the class. They stood a full person length apart from one another which Uraraka thought was a bit odd. She also noted that they didn't make eye contact with one another. There was an evident blush on Kirishima's cheeks and despite Ashido's normally rosy skin, her cheeks were clearly flushed.
"Uh, so uh, do you like, want to uh, do stuff with me?" Kirishima asked as he rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. There was still no eye contact.
"Of course I don't! Definitely not!" Ashido replied far too quickly to be viewed as normal.
Kirishima was clearly surprised by her fast refusal as well. He seemed to take it as almost a physical blow and literally took a step backwards as if she'd hit him. He raised his eyes to briefly look at Ashido before immediately dropping his gaze to the floor. Uraraka thought she'd seen hurt or disappointment in his eyes? She wasn't sure, but it seemed like her response surprised him.
"Oh. Okay. Bye, I guess," he said softly, his voice uncertain and solemn.
"'Do stuff' is a really vague statement—you need to be more direct about what you actually want to do! Maybe Red Riot is just asking you to go to the movies or work out, but that's not clear because he used a vague statement, but overall, not bad!" Lemillion observed though he still gave a thumbs up to the pair. How Lemillion had a seemingly boundless supply of exuberance was simply mind boggling.
"Togata is correct. Kirishima, you must be more specific in what you are asking. Ashido doesn't necessarily know what you mean by 'stuff'. Use clear communication when seeking consent. Ashido, good job on a clear no, even though I don't think it was all that clear what you were saying no to," Recovery Girl added.
"Thank you," Kirishima said with a slight bow and made his way back to his desk. He looked sad, thought Uraraka. She looked over toward Ashido who still had extremely rosy cheeks. What was there between them? Why that interaction?
"Okay! Up next—oh this'll be interesting—come on up Bakugo and Todoroki!" Said a clearly amused and excited Lemillion.
Bakugo and Shoto made their way to the head of the classroom. Bakugo had his hands in his pockets, his lower jaw jutted out in irritation, and his eyes off to one side, clearly annoyed. Shoto followed behind him, showing no evident signs of discomfort or embarrassment. There was a brief silence between them as they stood at the head of the class before Shoto cleared his throat and began speaking.
"Hello. I would like to ask for your consent to—" Shoto started only to have an extremely drawn out and irritated hiss interrupt him.
"Shut it! No. My answer is no. I consent to nothing with you, now get lost! Idiot," Bakugo hissed, his eyes enraged and his expression furious. Uraraka was glad she wasn't on the receiving end of that.
Shoto blinked in response to Bakugo's hostility. "I hadn't even finished what I was asking you—"
"Don't care. I said no. Now take a hike icy hot."
"Bakugo, I don't think this is how the assignment is supposed to go—"
"Dammit! I SAID BEAT IT!" Bakugo roared his right hand flying up in a fighting stance, the telltale popping of his explosion quirk activating.
"Try that and I'll fail you here and now," came the sleepy and very annoyed voice of Mr. Aizawa who had risen up from behind the desk to glare daggers at the blonde. His hair stood on end and his eyes glowed an eerie red, erasing Bakugo's quirk.
Bakugo stood inert, his palm still open as if to launch an explosion straight into Shoto's face. He shot a poisonous glare at Mr. Aizawa and at Shoto. "Fine. But my answer stands, idiot. No means no, now get lost before I beat you to a pulp, quirk or not."
"Okay. Does this meet the requirements for demonstrating consent?" Shoto asked softly, still apparently unbothered by Bakugo's fiery reaction.
"Yes," Mr. Aizawa said seriously before dropping back down behind the desk.
"It does, thank you Todoroki," Recovery Girl added at the same time.
"Wow! So explosive! Haha!" Lemillion laughed.
"Hey hey! You're kind of a meany aren't you?" Hado observed curiously.
"He's terrifying," Amajiki said as he tried to practically curl into Hado to escape being seen.
Bakugo huffed in response and thrust his hands back into his pockets before returning to his desk. Shoto went back to his desk as well. Unflappable, thought Uraraka as she looked back at Shoto. He'd not seemed embarrassed or even remotely alarmed by Bakugo's volatile temperament or the threat of him lobbing an explosion at his face.
Kaminari and Yaoyorozu were up next. They stood at the front of the class rather stiffly, not meeting each other's gaze. Yaoyorozu was looking away and holding right arm with her left. Kaminari looked like he'd just fired off too many volts and fried his brain yet he'd not used his quirk. Silence reigned between them.
"So…" Kaminari began, still not looking at Yaoyorozu.
"Kaminari I was wondering if you would be willing to consent to sexual relations with me?!" Yaoyorozu abruptly burst out in a rush.
Kaminari practically fell over as her question rushed out. He looked at her with a shocked and embarrassed expression. "Uh," was all he managed to say, his face again taking on that idiot expression he wore after overusing his quirk.
"Do you consent?!" Yaoyorozu insisted, now facing Karminari, though her eyes were squeezed tightly shut.
"…yeah? Uh, I mean, no! No! No!" Kaminari bumbled.
"Phew, okay, I'll be going," she replied clearly relieved.
"No! You said no?! Why would you say no?! Yaoyorozu is like super hot! Why would you not say yes? That's like an obvious yes!" Mineta abruptly shouted from the back of the classroom.
"He can say no if he wants to. Just because he's a guy doesn't mean he has to say yes," Jiro said in Kaminari's defense. She looked particularly annoyed.
"You can't say no to—"
"That's enough Mineta," Recovery Girl scolded. Mineta reluctantly quieted after the top of Aizawa's sleeping bag briefly became visible. He was apparently not that interested in a verbal lashing from their teacher or being threatened with failure.
"Boys can say no," Amajiki added quietly, peeking out from behind Hado's shoulder. He'd somehow managed to tuck most of himself behind the much smaller Hado.
"Very true my friend!" Lemillion said with a proud smile directed at Amajiki.
"No is always an option!" Hado agreed and patted Amajiki's shoulder again. The touch seemed to soothe the shy boy a bit and he almost seemed to melt into Hado's shoulder in response.
"Anyone can say no, and as I said earlier, consent should never be given if it's being pressured, coerced, forced, or ingenuine. Boys and girls alike are entitled to say no. And even after consent has been given if either person decides they don't want to proceed or continue, they can always say no and that should be respected and the activity halted," educated Recovery Girl seriously.
Kaminari and Yaoyorozu returned to their seats quickly. Ojiro and Sero were up next. Uraraka felt like she was swallowing a brick as she realized that that meant that she and Deku would be next.
Ojiro and Sero stood about an arm's length away from one another. Of almost everyone who'd presented, they perhaps seemed the most comfortable of pairings. Maybe because they were friends or had some underlying understanding?
"Hey man," Sero started with a head nod.
"Hey," Ojiro replied with a return head nod.
"You wanna get it on?" Sero asked nonchalantly. There wasn't even a hint of a blush on his cheeks.
"Nah, I'm good," Ojiro replied with a shake of the head.
"That's cool," Sero shrugged.
"Great job guys! Very clear!" Lemillion beamed.
"Well done, though perhaps be more specific than 'get it on', though the implication is fairly clear, being abundantly clear is always helpful," recommended Recovery Girl.
"Last up Deku and Uravity! Come on up!" Hado exclaimed excitedly. She was clearly excited to see her partner in work studies present to the class.
Uraraka felt like she might vomit or pee her pants as she rose from her chair and began trudging her way to the front of the classroom. Would she ask or would Deku? They'd practiced consent but not exactly agreed to who would ask who or what the other would say. Was she supposed to say yes if he asked? Was she supposed to say no? Was she supposed to ask? Deku had asked when they'd practiced, but this was the real presentation. Who would lead?
Slowly both Deku and Uraraka arrived at the front of the classroom. Not unlike Ashido and Kirishima had, Deku and Uraraka stood far more than an arm's length apart. That briefly crossed Uraraka's mind, though not long enough to dwell on considering she was standing at the front of the class and about to do a mock consenting to sex scenario…with Deku…the boy she liked…the person who she may actually have this conversation with at some point.
That thought was enough to make her take another step back and avert her gaze completely. She stared down at her shoes and hoped that it didn't look particularly weird that she wouldn't look her partner in the eye.
"Uh, hi Uraraka," came Deku's anxious voice, high and unsteady.
"Hi," Uraraka mumbled, still not looking up.
"So uh, I was wondering," he began his voice growing softer.
"Oh?" She squeaked in question.
"Well I was uh, wondering, if uh, well you, ah, that is," Deku bumbled, clearly unable to ask the actual question.
"Yeah?" Uraraka ventured and snuck a tentative glance up and away from her shoes. Deku's face was a bright red, his eyes looking anywhere but at her, sweat clear on his face.
"Well I was wondering, if you, uh, if you'd, well if you would want, er, if you'd—"
"Dammit! Get on with it already!" Snapped Bakugo.
Uraraka looked in Bakugo's direction, finding the blonde's petulant and venomous glare to be easier to face than Deku's red and embarrassed face. His eyes were flashing angrily from Deku to her, his mouth pinched into a frown. Even though he was clearly about to explode, it was oddly calming to look at that volcanic expression, perhaps because it meant she didn't have to face the embarrassment of mock asking for consent in front of their class.
"Sorry!" Yelped Deku.
Uraraka looked away from Bakugo then and squeezed her eyes shut tightly. She could be brave; she could do this! She could ask!
"I WAS WONDERING IF YOU WANTED TO HAVE SEX WITH ME?!" She shouted. She'd not intended to shout but in her fear, and desperate attempt to, as Bakugo had eloquently put it, 'get on with it', she'd shouted out the first sentence that came to mind. Her eyes sprung open and she looked toward Deku and was both alarmed and surprised to see him staring at her with wide eyes and a blank expression. He must not have been expecting me to ask, she thought to herself.
"Uh…what just happened?" Deku asked softly, his expression still completely blank, his eyes unfocused.
"Dumbass!" Bakugo interrupted again, clearly irritated.
"She asked if you wanted to bone. Say yes!" Mineta encouraged with a thumbs up directed at Midoriya. Deku woodenly turned toward Mineta, his face taking on a fire engine red hue.
"Stop interrupting!" Recovery Girl warned.
"I can't take this, I'm leaving," Amajiki lamented and began to bolt for the door only to be tugged aggressively back by Hado, who still had her arm intertwined with his.
"Not until the presentation is over!" She chastised and tugged Amajiki closer.
"Come on Deku! Don't leave her hanging!" Lemillion encouraged.
"Deku?" Uraraka whispered and raised uncertain eyes to the boy across from her.
Nostrils flared, face red, eyes wide and terrified, Deku's head mechanically moved back toward Uraraka. "Uh, sure?"
Was that a yes? Was it a maybe? Should I seek further clarification? Uraraka asked herself in a panic as Deku continued to stare at her with an almost comically puckered face.
"So, yes?" She probed.
"Uh, yeah. Yes. Yeah. A-a-affirmative," he replied, almost incoherently.
"Can we be done?" Amajiki interrupted then.
"Yes, that is enough. Good job Uraraka in seeking further clarification. You were uncertain of his response and sought for affirm the consent. Well done," Recovery Girl observed with a slight head nod in her direction.
"Great!" Uraraka replied in a tight voice and then quickly returned to her desk. She didn't dare shoot any glances in Deku's direction, she just hoped that he'd managed to leave the front of the room and get back to his desk. In her hurry to get back to her desk she inadvertently ran into Ashido's desk and practically fell onto her classmate.
"Ochako look out!" Cautioned the golden eyed girl.
"Sorry!" Uraraka mumbled as she stumbled her way back toward her desk.
"Alright, well that's about all our time. Excellent job class. Remember this lesson and the importance of clear and concise communication," Recovery Girl added before nodding to the newly awoken Mr. Aizawa. He rose from under the desk, still cocooned in his sleeping bag, apparently only rising to either threaten to punish a rowdy student or dismiss the class.
"Keep this lesson in mind as you will be tested on various scenarios involving consent in the upcoming test for this section. Consent has applications across the board extending well beyond sexual interactions. It's the foundation of a partnership, romantic or otherwise," Mr. Aizawa advised.
Uraraka was only half listening, still reliving the horror of their awkward presentation. Learning in depth sexual education was embarrassing enough but to add incredibly uncomfortable public presentations just made it all the worse. She was seriously starting to wonder if this particular educational course was made strictly with the intent to embarrass. Maybe if they were embarrassed enough about things like sex before marriage, they wouldn't engage in it? She doubted that was enough of a deterrent though.
Class was dismissed shortly later and Uraraka started to gather her things together when Hado appeared at her side, a cheerful smile on her always bright face. Uraraka shot a hesitant return glance at the older girl.
"Hey hey Uravity! I thought you did a great job! Way to be brave and ask him instead of making him ask you," she beamed and abruptly pulled Uraraka into an embrace. Uraraka's face inadvertently was shoved into Hado's ample cleavage, making the shorter girl all the more uncomfortable.
"Uh gee, thanks, can you let go of me?" Uraraka asked in a muffled voice, her face still painfully pressed into Hado's chest.
"Of course!" Hado released Uraraka and then leaned down to get closer to Uraraka's face. Uraraka was still reeling from being pressed into the older girl's bosom, Hado mere inches from her own face only added to that flustered feeling.
"You're a little close there Hado," she said with a nervous laugh. Everything about today was not good; from the morning till this moment everything had been mostly a disaster.
"Sorry! I was just going to ask if you wanted to go out shopping with me! I need to buy something cute for my trip to the movies with Amajiki!" Asked the overly excited periwinkle haired girl.
Uraraka looked at her incredulously. This girl, she thought to herself with a small twinge of annoyance. Did she have no shame? Had the last thirty minutes not been clearly embarrassing for everyone in the class? Was it not obvious that she only wished to retreat to the safety of her dorm room? How was Hado not embarrassed by anything?!
"Oh well—" Uraraka began only to be interrupted by an excited giggle that belonged to neither Hado or herself.
"Shopping?! I want to go!" Ashido exclaimed, rushing up to Uraraka's side, inserting herself into their conversation.
"Pinky, right? You want to come? Hey hey, that's great!" A bright smile graced Hado's cheerful face.
"Ashi—" Uraraka started only to then be interrupted again.
"Tsu, do you want to come?" Ashido asked their frog like friend who had lingered nearby Uraraka's desk instead of leaving.
"Ribbit. Ochako?" Tsu questioned with a raised eyebrow in Uraraka's direction.
Now that Ashido had involved Tsu, well she might as well go. Maybe going shopping would be a nice way to relieve the stress of the horribly awkward class they'd just had to endure.
"Yeah, let's go," she replied with a somewhat defeated sigh.
"Yay! Okay! Go change out of school uniforms and we can meet in front of your dorms in twenty. Okay?" Hado suggested cheerfully.
"Sounds great!" Ashido agreed.
"Okay, ribbit," Tsu added softly.
"Sure."
"Wonderful! See you then!" Hado waved at the girls and then practically bounced her way out of the classroom.
"I haven't gone shopping in forever!" Mina said with an excited bounce.
"Should we invite the other girls, ribbit?" Tsu asked.
"Sure! I'll ask them!" Ashido agreed as the group began exiting the classroom.
As Uraraka headed out with the rest of the girls, she shot a curious glance at the rest of the classroom to see if Deku was still there. She was both disappointed and relieved to see that he had left. She owed him a conversation about what had happened to her that morning. It wasn't something she was looking forward to but she had promised to tell him what had happened and she intended to keep that promise…eventually. It was just going to have to wait until after she spent an evening shopping with the girls.