Hello once again everyone, and here at last is the final chapter covering this story's adaptation of the third MHA movie, World Heroes' Mission.

I'm terribly sorry it took me this long after the previous chapter to finish, but you all deserve to know the truth. As I had said previously, the last several months had been very hard due to a mixture of commitments to school, personal life, work etc. in combination with an extended period of writing burnout.

But for as tough as that period was, the last few weeks I've spent trying to work on this chapter have been even worse, dealing with having to try and move my father into a new place while he was suffering from a possible opioid withdrawal and the effects it was having on his mind. Thankfully, we seem to have overcome that particular hurdle, but if nothing else, this experience has taught me to not get my hopes up when it comes to continuous and extended writing progress on a daily basis these days.

This is also in conjunction with a bout of creative depression I've been going through recently, with the announcement that the MHA manga ends in now less than five chapters. One of my original goals when I started writing this story was to one day make it to where my story could catch up with the manga in real time, but now I know that is impossible. I am even now working with some exceptionally talented artists on DA to make a proper series of epilogue pages to support this story, that I can only hope will be finished and ready to upload for you all to see in time for the manga's conclusion.

And with how fleeting things seem to be, it's left me wondering if any of you who have been reading and supporting my story as MHA fans for all this time, would even care enough to continue reading this story going forward, now that the manga will be over and done with. I would strongly appreciate hearing from you all, telling me yes or no to that question, now more than ever.

It's unfair, just how long I've forced you all to wait for just a few chapters wrapping up a single movie story arc, but I have to recognize and accept my limitations in free time for writing as well. I need time to well and truly recover my energy to continue this story to the degree of quality you've all come to expect, and that you deserve.

That is why I am making the official schedule announcement that the next upload for this story will be at the end of August, wherein I will upload all the chapters I manage to write between now and then in bulk, and that will be my continuing upload schedule going forward, with you all receiving multiple chapters at once at the end of each month to follow.

In the meantime, I will also be making some extended fixes to a few previous chapters for quality and continuity purposes, mainly revolving around Mirko's Agency status, as well as overhauling Tunguska's visit to Gagaringrad during the holiday season chapter, as such a pivotal moment for his character arc deserves better than what I originally had given it in my haste.

I can only hope this arrangement works for all of you.

So, with that all being said at last, I hope you all enjoy this finishing chapter for the third movie, and I sincerely hope you will all continue to support the story going forward, even after the manga sadly reaches its end.

Thank you all, from the bottom of my heart, for all your continued support and readership, and thank you to my beta reader Carlos, and to all the wonderful artists I've been privileged enough to work with towards bringing visual life to this story piece by piece: Akane Kahomi, AliceKuroCross, AnekoBS, effasempai, Eliza-Frost, mrsMacTavish, Navaeil, RageSiren, Shalissey-N, Sherlleen, Suki-Chan2509, Syyndev, Venera-Taro and Yumake.

My Hero Academia is the property of Kouhei Horikoshi and Shonen Jump. I only own my original characters, and the original events surrounding them. However, the characters of Stampede Hopper, Tas-Maniac and Mantypus are the property of my beta reader Carlos.

A/N: [[]] indicates characters are contextually speaking Russian, Polish and Romanian.

Chapter 143

Homecoming

(Возвращаюсь Домой)

Tuesday, January 20th

"I think he may be coming to."

Nikolay struggled to open his eyes, hearing what he could swear sounded like voices swimming about in the thick miasma in his head. When they did finally open, it was hard not to think he was going blind, as everything about him was just one indiscernible blur. At least whatever light there was hadn't been too bright.

"Try not to move, Solovei-kun. You're not in any state for it, and Recovery Girl's Quirk hasn't fully fixed you all up yet." "Can you really blame him for trying, though? With the state you found him in, I'm sure he was fully prepared to die if there was no other choice." "YOU BETTER STOW THAT LOAD OF CRAP RIGHT NOW, THEY SAID HE'D PULL THROUGH NO MATTER WHAT! YOU HEAR THAT, RUSSKIE?! YOU EVEN THINK ABOUT DYING AFTER ALL THIS AND I'LL KICK YOUR ASS!" "Kacchan, please, you're just going to aggravate your own wounds acting out like that!"

What Nikolay could have only vaguely guessed were the voices of Burnin' and Clair Voyant were easily overpowered by the voice he instinctively knew was Bakugo, as it was enough to blow away any remaining drowsiness or confusion; especially as his body instinctively jolted at the sudden volume, which caused an intense spark of pain all over, before he was swiftly getting grabbed and pushed down to help keep him still, while Izuku naturally tried to talk the hothead down.

Finally able to take in his surroundings clearly, Nikolay found himself in a pristine hospital room, with the other Flaming Sidekickers, Onima and Kido, holding him down at his bedsides, while Burnin', Clair Voyant, Endeavor and an unknown man wearing the same suit as the officials at the All-Star World Heroes Association were all standing across from him, with a heavily bandaged Izuku, Bakugo and Shoto in the other beds occupying the room. Naturally, the sight of his friends and partners all visibly roughed up, but still in one piece altogether, filled him with an immense relief, until he took the chance to look down and saw his entire body was immobilized in a full cast, while both his arms and legs were engulfed in heavy-duty casts in slings; even able to feel as much almost entirely encapsulating his head.

"W-what's going on? Where am I? Is…is this some kind of dream? Am I dead?" While his mind was still considerably shaken by what he could immediately recall before he'd lost consciousness, Nikolay couldn't fully make sense of how this all was possible, unable to shake the uncertainty, even as Bakugo went into another angered tirade: "If you were, you really think I'd be stuck over here and not knocking some sense into that jumbled up head of yours for breaking your word, dumbass?!"

"No, you're not dead, Solovei." Endeavor confirmed in no less serious but ultimately more reassuring tones, which finally seemed to make it all ring true in Nikolay's head as his senses fully returned to him. Taking in all the familiar faces, their surroundings, and the fact that everything outside the windows sounded completely peaceful, a spark of realization hit the young Russian Hero, as his eyes widened within his bandages. "If…if you're all here…then does that mean…w-we actually won?"

"That's right. It was close, far too close, but you boys and all the Hero teams out there were able to stop Humarise's plans altogether. Most of the bombs were deactivated from the master controls at their headquarters, while others were destroyed. We're currently in touch with several nations' space programs while they're working to retrieve the one that got sent into orbit by the Paris Team specifically right now." The Association official confirmed, clearly still sounding as emotionally exhausted, or perhaps overwhelmed with relief, as he had been when the confirmation had first been given. Upon hearing this, Nikolay let out what felt like the heaviest sigh of relief of his own that he ever had. "Oh my God…thank goodness. Has anyone heard how any of the other teams are? I mean, compared to us?"

As Bakugo was instinctively about to snap back about how his extensive injuries were nothing more than some measly scratches, Shoto answered just in time instead: "They've told us that the teams in Tokyo, Egypt, Singapore and France came out relatively unscathed. The teams in the U.S., Kyushu and Australia took some beatings of their own, but Recovery Girl-sensei has been on the move to tend to everyone since the mission had been confirmed a success."

Nikolay's eyes said it all: as relieved as he was to know as many of their friends' teams had come out unharmed; just the thought that any of them had experienced otherwise, simply left him anxious to see them with his own eyes to be sure; the fact that the teams including Tunguska, Mina, Maja and Eijirou were among them only made it that much more intense.

Finally, upon taking a shaky but deep breath to steady his nerves, he spoke up again: "How long was I out for? Did you all actually come all the way up to St. Petersburg…or is this somewhere else?"

"No, you're back in Otheon, Solovei-kun, don't worry about that." Burnin' answered in what was probably reassurance, but the smirk on her face communicated anything but. "Shoto-kun told the Association folks what you'd gone off to do as soon as he got the chance, and they told all of us in turn. Once we'd taken care of the bomb in the capital; me, Kido-san and Onima-san decided to go after you ourselves while Endeavor, Clair-san and some others went after your pals here at Humarise's little island lair. Good thing for you, that Russian president bigwig lent us his personal jet to get back to you faster; otherwise you'd probably be waking up somewhere way different right now, even if you've only been under for a day."

However, the rest of the female sidekick's explanation fell on deaf ears, as Nikolay visibly tensed up, prompting the other Sidekickers to try and restrain him once more as he exclaimed: "Mr. Khodamchuk? You all spoke to him? So that scientist's report was true, the bomb was under the conference site! You said you all managed to stop it? What happened after that, do any of you know?"

"Take a look online, Kolya-san; see for yourself." Izuku suddenly said; his voice clearly quite excited. At his friend's suggestion, Nikolay looked around for any sign of his phone, before he was suddenly presented with Shoto holding his own out, with an international news report currently playing on it.

What Nikolay saw playing out before his eyes brought him to a standstill, as he was watching a playback of Konstantin Khodamchuk's televised amnesty speech, before the feed then cut over to live footage of something he'd at one point felt was a certain impossibility: hundreds, if not thousands of people, many of whom bearing visible mutations of both the subtle and the blatant variety, being processed through a multitude of Russian border checkpoints, bearing what were clearly Russian citizens' passports. There were even some that, upon crossing to the other side, the footage was lucky enough to see being ecstatically or tearfully embraced and welcome by what were clearly their Quirkless loved ones.

Among the seas of people waiting for the Quirked expats to come back into the country, many of them could be seen bearing signs and banners bearing multiple different messages all communicating the same thing: a wholehearted welcoming return for those that had once been chased away and derided as threats and monsters. It was like an image plucked straight out of a dream. Nikolay didn't even care how his hitching breaths were exacerbating his busted ribs.

He simply couldn't believe it: he was watching the history of his homeland, his countrymen, actually changing itself for the better before his very eyes. Of course, the realist in him knew that this was just the beginning of a very tumultuous and challenging time, but the fact that it was even beginning at all was a miracle in and of itself. It was also frankly a miracle he wasn't outright sobbing in overjoyed relief right now. In the back of his mind, if his father was watching the same thing right now, he could only imagine how emotional the man was at this moment as well.

Seeing these emotions play out on the foreign intern's face like this, The Flaming Sidekickers all smiled between themselves before Burnin' broke the silence: "Looks like that big talk you'd been so worked up about panned out better than you'd hoped, huh? By the time we'd gotten to St. Petersburg, you and those terrorists you fought were being wheeled out by a practical flood of people. With that speech and what you did put together, you made one hell of a first impression for these people accepting Quirked folks back, kid."

"We've since gotten in touch with some Pro Heroes from neighboring countries to help assist in reconstructing the damage wrought from the fight, as well as to assist in the redistribution of the expatriates coming back and reintegrating into the country. President Khodamchuk even got in touch with law enforcement once everything had settled down, giving permission for The Flaming Sidekickers to have you airlifted back down here while he heads back up to help lead all the work to be done domestically," the Association official explained further, before Endeavor finally concluded:

"However, with the extent of your injuries, an exception had to be made to have a team of army medics work to stabilize you for the return flight so you could be fully operated on upon your arrival here. Thanks to Recovery Girl, the lot of you will be on the fast track to full recovery at last."

Nikolay tried to blink away the tears welling up in his eyes, but the relief was far greater than the residual pain possibly could've been. Thankfully, everyone was at least patient enough to give him this moment to ride it through and recollect himself. After about a minute, upon looking at his arms, and then to Izuku's, something finally occurred to him.

"No handcuffs…but we were still wanted when we'd crossed the border. Midoriya-san, does that mean…?"

Izuku giving a smiling nod said so much, even before he actually gave his answer: "We've been cleared of everything we were suspected of, all three of us."

Clair Voyant continued, straightening her sunglasses while doing so: "While you all were away, we were keeping watch over the scientist you and Shoto-kun saved from that car accident. At one point, some Humarise initiates attacked the hospital in an attempt to assassinate him and prevent us from learning their plan. When we stopped them, the local chief of police revealed himself to be in their pocket when he tried to finish the job."

Endeavor, still visibly incensed at the reminder of the traitorous police chief actually trying to shoot him back then, continued: "Upon some interrogations, we uncovered the fact that a fair number of officers in the police, and individuals within the local media, were likewise working for them undercover. Once this whole crisis had been averted, all the other local Heroes have been making quick work out of helping the police find and arrest all the other conspirators in the country."

The Association official concluded: "Upon more thorough investigation of the remains of their headquarters, we've uncovered documentation, identifying public officials and law enforcement members across the world who are in Humarise's pocket. We've since sent that information out to Heroes in all the applicable countries, and they've been helping the police do much of the same. I believe it's a rather safe bet that this is the end of Humarise as an organization."

Every bit of news to follow felt like a little bit more and more of a great weight of worry was finally lifting from Nikolay's shoulders, but one particular detail stuck out to him the most, as he finally said: "What about Rody, the local Midoriya-san and I were with, what's going on with him? He isn't here, so does that mean he's all right?"

For a moment, he caught a flinching look of concern on Izuku's face, which gave him just as brief a chill up his spine. But ultimately, his freckled friend broke into another deeply emotional smile. "We'd told Rody-san to turn the plane around and leave just before we'd reached their headquarters…but he chose not to. He helped me to fight Flect Turn, so he could go and use the key to deactivate the bombs himself. He…got very badly hurt by doing so…but the fact is, even for as hard as we all fought to save everyone; this whole mission succeeded because of him."

Of course, Izuku didn't realize how his instinctive choice of words could have been misconstrued until he saw the look of actual sadness in Nikolay's eyes. Upon his embarrassedly figuring out his mistake, Bakugo muttered: "You need to learn to not run your mouth all freely like that, dumbass Deku. That punk is gonna be fine, Russkie; that kissy old bat said so herself, so quit worrying."

Even despite already being bedridden and immobilized the rest of the way, Nikolay felt like he was about ready to collapse from exhaustion all over again as Endeavor surmised: "Yes, she said you boys' friend will be back to normal by the day after tomorrow, given the severity of his injuries. She also said that, given that all your injuries being of a comparatively lesser degree, it'll take less time, by tomorrow morning at the latest. With our job here now being done, once all your injuries have healed enough for you to be discharged, we will finally be returning to Japan."

With that, the Flame Hero, his fellow Pros and the official looked about ready to take their leave to give the four boys some time to recuperate, but Nikolay suddenly called out: "Wait, please! There's one more thing I have to ask! Marius Lazarescu, the…terrorist I fought in St. Petersburg; he was one of my two biggest reasons for going up there on my own. He's the only victim left from the incident in Hokkaido I was in several months ago. He was still brainwashed by that Villain when he was with Humarise; I promised our classmate Candelabra, one of his friends, that I'd try to bring him back home to see if it could be undone. What does all of this mean for him now?"

Looking back to address his intern, Endeavor's frame filled the whole doorway; his rigid face still stern and authoritative, but his eyes showing the faintest hint of genuine regret for what he had to say. "You need to understand that, whether he was under brainwashing or not, it was because of his specific actions that Humarise was able to create those bombs, and carry out their attack on Berlin. All the people who lost their lives in that attack are technically on his hands as much as the rest of the organization, and there needs to be a punishment applied for that."

Nikolay felt a heavy weight sink into his gut; even Izuku couldn't help but have an expression of dread at the thought, knowing how much getting her last old friend back had meant to Maja, him and all the people back at Gagaringrad. By contrast, Bakugo simply crossed his arms in a frustrated huff at the Russian's naïveté. "I don't know what you were expecting otherwise. You, that ex-con and everybody else who was in that town back then pretty much said that whatever brainwashing he'd been put under had to be permanent. You should've just let yourselves accept that whoever that terrorist was before is gone for good. This wouldn't hit you so hard if you did, honestly."

Suddenly, the official was the next one to step forward: "Actually, considering so many of the participating Hero students' expressed familiarity with that Marius individual, including that of our volunteer associate, Leonid Briner; over the time that all teams had been carrying out their missions, the Association took the liberty of sending some of our own up to the town of Gagaringrad, and gathered all the information we could regarding him and the circumstances of his disappearance. In the aftermath of the mission, upon our learning of his own direct involvement back then, we also took the liberty of contacting President Khodamchuk himself, in order to gather his side of events. Now that Marius Granin or Lazarescu has been taken into custody through Solovei's efforts, we just contacted quite possibly the perfect Hero for potentially undoing this brainwashing he's been under. It may not do much, if anything at all, in regards to the sentencing for the actions he took while in Humarise's ranks, but there is never truly such a thing as no hope at all, I say."

Nikolay couldn't even bother to wonder if the official's choice of words was a direct callback to Konstantin's big speech or not, instead simply trying to hang onto the hope that whoever this Hero was the Association had contacted could be able to finally undo Pietro's work and bring Marius back to his old self, for his family, Maja and everyone in Gagaringrad's sake. Only then did he feel like he'd finally be able to put the whole incident in Hokkaido behind him…and perhaps his Polish friend would be able to as well.

By this point, the Association official was finally taking his leave, with Clair Voyant, Endeavor and the Flaming Sidekickers closely following suit. But just before he stepped through the doorway, Endeavor turned back to his four interns, stopping his sidekicks in the process; his eyes only reflecting the slightest easing of his typical stern demeanor.

"With all having been said and done, as your instructor, it would be remiss of me not to let you boys know that, in my eyes, what you all did, running off this way and that without informing us, was nothing short of reckless, needless and dangerous. Against a foe as spread out yet dug in as Humarise was, even if we cannot all pull together as one great fighting force, we at least need to consider all of our allies and keep them in the loop of whatever we are planning; otherwise even our grandest strategies will come apart! That goes doubly so for you, Shoto! We may be working out in the field, but I am still your father, and just as it is my responsibility to teach and raise you, it is equally your responsibility to let me know you are doing something so risky with no Pro Heroes to provide you and your partners any feasible backup!"

While Bakugo naturally immediately spat back as to what good doing so would have done for the bomb situation in the capital if all the available Pro Heroes were split, and Izuku was naturally bowing in apology to Endeavor for their recklessness, to his old friend's disgust, Shoto simply remained silent, bowing his head and looking especially contemplative at the apparent give-and-take his and Endeavor's situation going forward required.

All the while, Burnin' had likewise decided to step forward and throw her own two cents in at Nikolay specifically: "Hell, if the boss is sayin' it, I might as well, too: what you did was nothing short of insane, Solovei-kun, going off all on your own across a damn near whole continent, when you and your pals are already so outnumbered as it is, and without even knowing what all you'd be going up against! It's pure luck we were able to bring you back here on a stretcher instead of a body bag, you know?"

Nikolay similarly just shut his eyes in thought, not even trying to look as though he didn't fully agree with the female Sidekick as she chewed him out. Even just telling her that he knew how miserable his odds were from the start would not have helped his case at all. He knew that he had countless lucky stars to thank for his even being here alive in the first place. Even just thinking about all the people he risked leaving behind if things had gone south only made his sense of regret twist that much more painfully in his stomach.

However, that was when Endeavor let out a heavy sigh to ease his visible tension, and suddenly said much more calmly: "Of course, with the much-needed reprimands now having been said, it goes without saying that a great deal of people that would have been killed regardless of all the other teams' actions, owe a great debt to you boys…we all do, for that matter. Your reckless actions aside, you all ultimately did exactly as Heroes are supposed to do, and put your all towards helping to save the world, and as your instructor, I can honestly say that I'm quite proud of you boys."

Burnin and her fellow sidekicks were visibly surprised to hear their normally unflinching boss actually congratulate his interns after having just scolded them, but she was certainly quick to adapt, as she similarly gave them all an enthusiastic wink, smirk and two thumbs up, prompting Kido and Onima to follow suit, as to say anything would've ultimately meant them simply parroting Endeavor's words.

And so, the Flame Hero and his sidekicks finally left the hospital room, leaving the four interns to finally sit in considerable silence and really soak in the sheer scale of just what they'd all been able to accomplish in the end. Bakugo was naturally not one for fluffy words of congratulations, instead simply sneering and looking dismissively at the cityscape outside the window, silently thinking to himself that it was only obvious that they'd done what they had; while Shoto similarly had only the faintest smile on his face, knowing they'd all carried out exactly what they'd all promised each other they'd do the last time they'd all been together.

Izuku laid back against his pillows, his bright eyes glistening with emotion at the weight of their success finally really settling down in his stomach, while Nikolay could only gaze upon his three fellows, then back up at the ceiling. His green eyes were soon overflowing with heavily emotional tears at the reality of what had happened because of them; just how many people they'd been able to save, and the aftermath of all their actions even now still resonating back in Russia, where countless people were having all the hope they'd long since lost be completely reignited within their hearts at last.

Even after seeing all the news footage of it happening, it still felt like nothing more than a dream for Nikolay, which just made the knowledge that it was anything but, hit that much harder in the best possible way. Now, all that was left was for them all to finally return home and be back with all their friends and loved ones, and for all the remaining loose ends of this mission to finally be tied, and this could very well have gone down as the single greatest day in his young life, as far as he was concerned.

Yes, back in the Motherland, there were bound to be some bumps along the road as far as re-integrating all those people would go, but he simply couldn't shake the certainty in his chest that, in the end, everything would settle the way it was naturally meant to, for the benefit of everyone.

For what felt like the first time, Nikolay truly felt like the Hero that embodied hope for others that he'd so deeply wanted to become at long last.

Perth, Australia

And Nikolay was far from the only person who was going through an emotional overload upon seeing the global news. In one of the many waiting rooms for the Royal Perth Hospital, Mina had been the quickest of her team to be passed by the doctors for dismissal, as she actually hadn't suffered any extensive physical injuries, other than temporary dizziness from having been subjected to zero oxygen for even the few seconds that she had.

Tas-Maniac and Mantypus had both been the next to get fully treated by the doctors and Recovery Girl upon her arrival. Unfortunately, however, her Quirk could do nothing for the damage wrought to Mirko and Stampede Hopper by Scarlet Widow's venom. The Rabbit Hero had ultimately taken a much smaller dose, and thus was able to be fully treated by the next morning, but the Kangaroo Hero's condition was far less stable. Even after they had all received the notification from the Association that the mission was deemed a success, and all the loaned Japanese Heroes were to finally return home, Mina and Mirko both had made it a point that they weren't leaving without knowing everyone was going to be okay.

The Rabbit Hero had even made a point early on that if Mina was good to go, then she should have the other Australian Heroes take her to the airport, and simply go back to Yuuei on her own, and that she would simply catch up when the time was right. Of course, by now she had come to know just how equally stubborn her intern was compared to her, thus she knew that telling her to leave her behind was simply out of the question.

Hence, as they all waited for any confirmation of the Australian Number One Hero's recovery or otherwise, Mina, Tas-Maniac and Mantypus had all taken to pacing and waiting for long and torturous hours.

It was only by overhearing the hushed mutterings of either everyday apathy or astonishment from some of the other waiting relatives or friends of other patients several seats over, that the three finally looked to the news playing on the TV, and Mina specifically came to a complete standstill; her hair feeling like it was standing on end, while her heart began racing and catching in her throat.

Not only had Nikolay and Izuku officially been cleared of all the criminal charges that had left her going up the walls with worry for days now, but now she was seeing her boyfriend's dream coming true in real time, as the news was currently showing footage of huge tides of visibly Quirked people she naturally assumed were his fellow Russians, being welcomed back into their home country, with others actually waiting for them and greeting them with embraces she could clearly tell were filled with over a decade's worth of emotions, even from a distance.

As her vision went blurry with overflowing tears of joy, Mina could only imagine how Nikolay himself was feeling right now, and it left her wishing more than anything that she could be there to share in this indescribable happiness with him. Alas, she knew that simply couldn't be, at least for now. But, considering her mentor had seen just how much Nikolay's situation had tormented her, then that at least meant she could share the great news with Mirko. After all, it wasn't as though she would possibly be anywhere else in the hospital.

Indeed, from the moment she'd been declared to be on the fast track to recovery, but that everything had been done for Stampede Hopper that could be done, Mirko had made it abundantly clear that she wouldn't leave his side until they got a definitive answer as to whether he would pull through or not. So, she had sat restlessly at his bedside for hours, refusing to budge, drink, eat or even sleep. Mina and the others had periodically passed by to check on the two of them, but every time, it was the same heartbreaking sight, and none of them could find the words that even had the slightest chance of easing the Rabbit Hero's bristling nerves.

Every time her fellow Heroes came by to check on her, she made a concerted effort to not look any of them in the eye or even speak to them, lest a facet of her steely resolve slip, and she reveal just what was really going through her head this whole time. She constantly needed to remind herself to be realistic and know that if Stampede really was on the road to recovery, he wasn't going to just spring right back up just like that. Be that as it were, though, every single time she found herself getting her hopes up after a while and lifted her head to see if he was stirring, only to find he was as deathly still as all the other times before; it just left Mirko feeling her heart plummet into the pit of her stomach more and more painfully.

Now, as she continued anxiously gripping the steel bar lining the edge of his hospital bed, Mirko couldn't stop looking at the hauntingly peaceful look on Stampede's resting face; his still-pale complexion making him look more akin to the subject of a wake; a comparison that left her trying to fight the stinging sensation in her eyes, grinding her teeth all the while.

"I hope you can hear me if you're still in there, Jack. If you have any care towards me at all left in you after all these years, then you'd better open your eyes and prove to me you're gonna pull through right now, you hear?"

Mirko made sure to keep her voice well under her breath, lest she let the real core of her emotions out, and she start losing her composure. However, to be answered with just that same stillness, punctuated only by the soulless beeping of his heart rate monitor making her white rabbit ears twitch every time, only left her now biting her lower lip in a struggle, to the point of drawing the smallest trickle of blood going down her chin.

The tears she'd been trying to ignore for so long only made the sight of Stampede before her blur; a mental connection to the idea of him slipping away forever that actually made her audibly hitch in a rough breath through her clenched teeth, her chest heaving as she did so. "You asshole…don't think that you can just back out of what we promised by dying on me like this. Goddammit, you don't get to do that to me; you don't get to make me care, make me actually think of something or someone that doesn't have to do with fighting this much for this long, and then just check out."

Mirko proceeded to reach out and clasp firmly onto Stampede's empty right hand, her grip less than half of what she had on the iron bar in her other hand, as the metal was actually beginning to warp under the full strength of her grip, the veins in her muscle-bound arm starting to stand out the more her real emotions started to break through. "I've worked way too goddamn hard to get as high up the charts as I am, and I still got a long way to go before I can make my end of the deal, so don't you dare die on me before then…don't you dare…*sniffle* please, Jack…"

"Mirko-sensei?"

The sound of Mina's voice breaking the stillness caused Mirko to visibly flinch, having to fight the urge to outright jump. The sight of not only her intern, but also her two fellow Pro Heroes watching from within the doorway, nearly made her grip on Stampede's hand tighten to the point it could have snapped bones. As she began to threateningly ask how long the three had been standing there and how much they had heard—

"Ooooh…bloody Hell…"

Stampede Hopper's voice was weak, barely even that of a whisper, he was so physically drained. Nevertheless, it was enough to make Mirko's rabbit ears twitch, and the way she nearly snapped her own head at attention quickly clued everyone else on just what was going on. The sight of the Australian Number One Hero slowly but surely opening his eyes was enough to make Mina want to jump up and cheer, before Tas-Maniac and Mantypus both nearly bulldozed her into the room right alongside them as they made a beeline for his bedside.

But everyone's voices expressing their immense relief at his first real sign of recovery was more like an assault on poor Stampede's kangaroo ears, as his face grimaced with pain; something Mirko was thankfully quick to notice as she impatiently ordered her fellow Heroes and intern to take several steps back and give him some much-needed space.

Breathing a sigh of relief as his senses finally were coming back to him, Stampede took in the sight of all his companions and just where they were, before finally lifting one corner of his mouth in a tired smirk. "So…good news I take it?"

Mirko let out the briefest chortle in response to hearing his usual sarcastic sense of humor remained unchanged, while Tas-Maniac eagerly answered: "You're bloody right about that, Jackie-boy! Those self-righteous twats didn't even know what hit 'em by the time Pinky and I were done in there. From the sounds and looks of it, the rest of you gave their buddies a serious flogging to match after Manty here got tagged."

Smiling at his diminutive female colleague's enthusiastic recap and Mantypus' resulting glare of disapproval at his own defeat being rubbed in his face, Stampede answered: "I can't take all the credit there. Scarlet, the poor girl injected herself with Trigger and turned into a real monster to match the one inside. The last thing I remember is this real bastard of a pain in my gut, then everything went black on me, then I suddenly wake up here with a salt croc's appetite, a sun-baked lizard's thirst and the mother of all headaches.

"Those sods were clearly better dug in than we gave them credit for. Knowing you and your speed, Rumi, I'm guessing you're the Hero of the day we have to thank for still being here?" The tone with which Stampede asked this made it clear that it was only natural for him to think Mirko was the one to wrap things up once he'd gone down. That was what made the sensation of surprise hit him that much harder when, instead of confirming so, she instead proceeded to lift up her shirt upon turning around where she still sat, revealing the small patch of gauze over her lower back where she had been stung by Scarlet Widow. "No such luck this time, Jack. That spider bitch got me too, right before I laid her out flat for good. The doc said the venom wasn't as big a dose as what you got, but it still messed me up pretty good."

As Stampede opened his mouth to ask who then was responsible for saving the day for Australia, Mirko instead gave a smile, initially begrudgingly, before then turning into one that radiated far more pride as she nudged her head towards Mina; the pink young girl standing amid them all with a very pleased, if not a touch awkward, smile on her face as she nodded in confirmation. "It was really close, to be honest…but I managed to plant one on the last guy right in the kisser and grab the detonator at the last second. My friends who went for their headquarters must've won right at the same time, cause I'm pretty sure there were only a couple seconds left."

Despite his lingering exhaustion, Stampede couldn't help but laugh from the bottom of his heart for a good several seconds, leaving Mina blushing with even greater awkwardness, even as Tas-Maniac and Mantypus each gave her a congratulatory smack on the back. Finally, once he was able to breathe again, Stampede responded: "Christ almighty, we are getting old…ah, bloody good work, Pinky…and good on ya twice over, Rumi, for having such good taste in interns."

Roughly poking her right index finger against his forehead, Mirko was once again wearing that same standoffish, even arrogant grin on her face. "Pfft, don't make it sound like such a damn fluke, buddy. If I was gonna have an intern for this long, they'd better hope they'd learned enough by now to really kick some ass when they needed to. But just because you pulled your weight over the finish line this time around, Pinky, don't think that means I'm about to start taking it easy on you once we get back into the regular routine!"

Fortunately, Mina was clearly more than willing to meet her teacher's energy head-on with a ready smile of her own. Seeing and smiling at such a wholesome sight of teacher-student comradery, Stampede spoke up once more: "So…I don't know if that Trigger shite did anything to strengthen Scarlet's venom more than normal…but exactly how long have I been out of it like this?"

Mantypus stepped forward as he answered: "It's only been about a day. Fortunately for all of us, the nurse from Yuuei Academy, Recovery Girl, was sent by the Association to lend her Quirk to the wounded among all the global teams on this mission. Being so close by to Japan, we were practically the first on the list. That venom did a number on your organs by the time the doctors had given you the antidote, but they confirmed you'll be back on your feet like normal within a few days. You by far got it the roughest out of all of us, after all."

"Yeah, and at the same time as she was treating the rest of your wounds, the Association called all the teams abroad and said that all us Japanese Heroes were now able to come back home as soon as we were able." Mina chimed in, unable to hide her own eagerness to do so now that she'd finally seen all the proof she needed that everyone would be okay after all.

Upon hearing this, Stampede's first instinct was to look at Mirko, his eyes wide with surprise. "Rumi, if that's true, then what are you and Pinky still doing here? I would've thought you'd only be too eager to get back to kicking more Villain tail up and down the curb ASAP."

The look Mirko gave him in response called him 'dumbass' far clearer than any words could. "You're seriously asking me that? We've known each other how long again, Jack? No way was I leaving until I knew for sure your ass wasn't about to be homebound from now on. Why Pinky here decided to stay too is anybody's guess."

As Mina gave her mentor a childish pouty-cheeked look of fake insult when her reasons were so obvious, Stampede was still looking right through Mirko. "Are you saying…you were worried about me?"

Mirko's whole body stiffened to the point one could've thought she'd turned to stone; not helped when Mina got the bright idea of chiming in with a mischievous grin on her face: "Well? Were you, Mirko-sensei? You know you still haven't let go of his hand."

Mirko looked down, and the speed with which she withdrew her hand from Stampede's more resembled the cracking of a whip; the bangs of her white hair hanging over her bowed face, as she was desperately hoping Mina wasn't seeing the red starting to form on her cheeks as her mouth and eyes twitched relentlessly, the Rabbit Hero struggling to find a response.

Mina was about to go further with her knowing teasing, but any words just as thoroughly died in her throat, when she and the other two Australian Pros watched in wide-eyed shock, as Stampede suddenly reached his hand out, cupping Mirko's cheek in his palm, causing her whole body to twitch, before she lifted her head back up. Now, the angry and humiliated fire in her fierce eyes was replaced with a stunned, wide-eyed look of confusion, as she saw him giving her an all-telling smile of gratitude.

"And here I was, starting to think you'd gone hard and cold on me after all these years. Thank you, Rumi…for letting me know I was worrying for nothing. You're still that hard-hitter with a heart of gold I remember."

For once, the thought of Mina and the others still being here didn't register at all for Mirko. Right now, all she could focus on was the smile on Stampede's face, the sincerity in his voice, and the warmth of his hand spreading across her face. Whether that was it, or if her blood was simply rushing faster and making her blush heat up didn't matter. All that mattered was that she was currently feeling more pleasant all-around than ever, to the point that she didn't even realize she was letting out the faintest of purring sounds from the depths of her throat, something that only Stampede himself could hear, as she saw his own ears slightly twitch in response.

Without a word, as though her body was acting entirely on its own without any thought put toward it, Mirko actually reached her left hand up, gently laying over the hand Stampede was still cupping her cheek with. The sight of something so universally romantic had Mina's whole body going red, shaking with overwhelming joy at what she was seeing play out before her eyes. Fortunately for all their sakes, Mantypus and Tas-Maniac recognized all too well how personal this was, and thus were quick to escort themselves and Mina out of the room before she could say anything that would risk setting Mirko off; even taking the measure of putting their hands over her mouth once they saw she was about to speak.

That was the one element outside the two of them that Mirko was able to notice and acknowledge, as the moment she knew they were finally alone, she wasted no time before suddenly getting up from her seat, leaning down and meeting Stampede with the single most heartfelt and lingering kiss on the lips that the two of them had shared yet. The memories of those years and the true feelings that had grown over the course of them until now, sent both their already flaming hearts racing that much faster as the seconds felt like hours.

When the two of them finally parted their lips from one another, Mirko had that cocky smirk right back on her face when she saw the bliss reflected in Stampede's eyes, before he gave her an all-telling smirk of his own. "Good…God, if you knew how much I missed those."

THWACK!

This time, he was instead answered with a considerably hard flick to his forehead, as Mirko was now smiling that same toothy grin that struck fear into criminals and Villains everywhere. "Yeah, well, better take a mental picture and hang onto it, Jack…because until I finally become Number One like you, that's all you're getting this time around…so don't let me catch you slacking in the meantime, y'hear?"

Watching as she began to make her way for the door, Stampede chuckled, still able to read his old partner like a book. "Don't go threatening me with a good time if I do, love. So I guess you and that little strawberry-smellin' joey of yours are heading home now, huh?"

Mirko still stood tall, proud and all-powerful as she gave him a reassuring smile back. "If I know that pink little hotshot at all by now, the fact she's so chipper again tells me her pals and her little squeeze are all-around in the clear. I'm sure that's what she was originally here to tell me, anyway. Don't go letting yourself get lonely right off the bat, Jack. I'll still be in touch…so make sure you're back to pounding asphalt and Villain ass in record time for me, okay?"

Stampede could only laugh as he gave Mirko a promising thumb up, with which she finally took her leave, and he let himself lay all the way back down in his hospital bed, overcome with a sense of truly feeling that the future was going to prove incredibly promising for everyone involved.

And these feelings if hope were not for nothing, for all across the world, those Heroes that had all fought bravely to save the world piece by piece were taking in the aftermath of their efforts. Countless lives saved, and an entire terrorist organization responsible for the tragedy in Berlin, at last being taken away to be imprisoned and pose no threat to anyone else ever again. From Paris to Cairo, Singapore and Tokyo, all the respective Hero teams were overwhelmed with relief that their parts of the job had been done so effectively, all so those brave souls that had gone for the headquarters of Humarise alone could get the real heart of the mission accomplished. Between countless Heroes, there was nary a single heart that didn't feel as light as a feather for the first time in days.

It was no different in New York City, even when the extensive team of Hawks, Shishido, and their extensive intern team of Fumikage, Mashirao, Rikido, Nirengeki and Jurota made their way for the airport to finally take them back to Japan at the Association's calling. All the Humarise members that had attacked them in Times Square had by now been taken away by the police, and all the other local Heroes across the United States had subsequently been informed by the Association of confirmed undercover members in their areas to help law enforcement apprehend before they could slip through the cracks.

With all that being done, it should not have been so surprising that Star And Stripe had been so insistent on seeing the Pro-student team off, no matter how impractical the likes of Fumikage thought it to be. "Not that we are unappreciative of you acting the role of the polite host, but are you really sure you can spare the time necessary to send us on our way like this? I thought being the Number One Hero to such a large country as this always kept you on the move."

Hawks, knowing his trusty intern meant no offense, gave a casual chuckle to try and ease the air. "Don't mind Tsukuyomi-kun; he has the crime-fighting part down pat, but small talk clearly leaves a lot to be desired."

Thankfully, Star And Stripe herself couldn't help but laugh powerfully in return, paying no mind to all the eagerly watching civilians passing by, all visibly star-struck at the sight of their Number One Hero. "No harm, no foul, you guys. After all the help you provided out there, I'd be a pretty lousy host if I didn't give you all a proper sendoff. Besides, the other Heroes in these parts are plenty capable. For as strong as my own Quirk is, it still can't resolve every crisis around me all at once; you all putting the finishing touches on those terrorists in my place is proof of that, so you all deserve the lion's share of the credit for the good work. I gotta admit, if you kids were able to hold your own like you did at this young an age, then I'm real excited to see what you'll be able to do once you're all toughing it out on your own with the rest of us grown-ups."

Naturally, to receive such commendations from a Number One Hero was enough to leave Nirengeki, Rikido and Mashirao all visibly awestruck and proud, while Hawks answered with another sly smirk: "That makes two of us, that's for sure. Maybe you can take the effort to drop by Japan if we need the extra muscle some day."

Grinning in anticipation, Star And Stripe gave the Wing Hero a flirtatious wink, completely ignorant to how his body instinctively flinched in discomfort when he saw, before then simply gesturing to her powerful form. "I'll hold you to that invite, don't worry…but in the meantime, you kids give my deepest regards to All Might the next time you see him, okay? Let him know that if it weren't for him, all this here wouldn't be possible."

All the Yuuei students answered with respectful and understanding nods and assurances they would do so, just as the American Hero's phone began to ring from within a pocket of her costume. Upon pulling it out, she quickly recognized the number to be from the Association and thus gave a fake tired sigh. "Aw, damn, I guess Tsukuyomi-kun's concerns weren't for nothing after all. Duty calls yet again. You all have yourselves a pleasant flight home. Don't be a bunch of strangers."

The intercom announcing their return flight followed Star And Stripe as she hurriedly took her phone call and her leave; prompting Hawks and Shishido to finally address their respective interns as well: "Well, the life of a Number One doesn't allow for much time to breathe, but I do have to agree, you boys all really pulled through when the chips were down out there." "Yes, no matter how overwhelming the odds were, not one of you gave up, and that counts for more than you can all imagine. I can't speak for both of us, but I for one am proud to call you my interns."

VRRRRM!

As Fumikage joined his schoolmates in thanking their two mentors for their kind words of approval, Hawks suddenly felt his own phone start to vibrate in his pocket. However, he had to be thankful that his own intern hadn't come to recognize his regular ring tone enough to realize that this wasn't the sound it normally made when he got a call…and for Hawks, he knew that could only have meant one thing. Why he was suddenly being reached out to by…them, now of all times, he could only hazard a guess.

So, as he urged his partners and interns to make for the plane, he decided to momentarily step aside into the nearest quiet and isolated alcove, checking this way and there to make sure nobody was potentially watching him or eavesdropping. As soon as he was as sure as he could be that he was truly alone, he finally answered. "Yeah?"

"Glad to see yesterday's little episode hasn't left you worse for wears, Hawks-san."

The heavily-accented Japanese of Vukodlak's voice on the other end left Hawks with a rolling sensation in his gut. Given the Villain's godlike sharpened senses through his Quirk, the Wing Hero could only hope any tensed up nerves couldn't be picked up by him through the phone, all while trying to maintain his cover by not saying anything too obvious or revealing. "Sorry, I think you've got the wrong number."

The sound of Vukodlak's chuckling through the phone was anything but encouraging. "Of course, of course, don't want anyone asking any questions. I just thought you deserved to know, we all saw your little show in the Big Apple yesterday, and believe it or not, we appreciate your hard work clearing the stage of the day players. Can't exactly have a bunch of pseudo-Bible thumpers crowding us when our big day comes, after all…now you run along. Don't want to keep your comrades waiting, do you?"

Click!

Just like that, the Hunter of Heroes hung up on Hawks, leaving him to let out a truly exhausted sigh in response; casually strolling to catch up with the rest of his team while thinking begrudgingly to himself: 'From one job straight back to another. Life as Number Two in a nutshell.'

Fukuoka City

As soon as the Association had declared the mission a success, and gave the call for all abroad Japanese Heroes to return, Toshinori had made haste to the nearest of the teams he knew would be in need of Recovery Girls' services. Upon his eventual arrival at the main hospital in Fukuoka City but a couple hours later, he was filled with relief to find Vlad King, Fatgum and Tamaki virtually unharmed, while Oleg had to resort to crutches as both his feet were in heavy casts, Tetsutetsu and Eijirou were both almost entirely mummified in so many different sized bandages.

However, Maja was by far the worst for wear between them, as she was still bedridden, with her torso currently being held stationary in a metal brace, while her regenerated arms and legs were still wrapped up in thick casts and slings respectively. As the doctors previously had to explain to her partners earlier and to Toshinori now, the nature of her Wax Quirk, while able to reduce her whole limbs to Wax, wouldn't undo whatever injuries they suffered when they were still flesh and blood, even after she'd eaten enough to restore her Wax to regrow them. As a result, she still suffered from the deep lacerations to her arms, and the severe torn muscle and dislocation injuries to her shoulders and all along her legs.

But even despite their collective injuries, it was a gratifying and inspiring sight for Toshinori to see the young Hero students and their teachers still maintaining such a excited and upbeat attitude. Clearly, the news of all their fellow teams' success had made all their pains and worries completely melt away, and his own announcement of Izuku and Nikolay's names having been cleared only made that atmosphere of joy that much more palpable. Naturally, the confirmation of such a thing had Oleg silently trying to fight back the tears of relief trying to run from his blue eyes upon hearing it.

"Oh man, I can't wait for everyone to make it back to Yuuei! This is, easily the biggest thing we've ever done as Heroes!" Eijirou exclaimed excitedly, with Tetsutetsu eagerly expressing his agreement. "Damn right, Kirishima! You and Maja-san put yourselves through the wringer to help us out; that calls for some kind of huge celebration on its own, never mind whatever everyone else had to go through on their ends!"

Listening to her two friends with a relieved smile, Maja mused: "If all our assumptions are right, and it was Kolya, Midoriya-san, Bakugo-san and Todoroki-san who went for the Humarise main base, I personally can't wait to hear just what they had to fight against to stop all this in time. That should make for one heck of a story, right? This all would've been for nothing if not for them."

"Don't be so quick to brush aside what you all managed to accomplish, Kieslowska-shoujo. All you young Heroes took great risks like your mentors in order to fight against truly insurmountable odds and save countless innocent lives, and came out victorious in the end. Nobody's battles meant any less than anyone else's, so give yourselves the credit you're due." Toshinori declared reassuringly once he saw the glimmer of uncertainty in the Polish girl's eyes. "What all is really on your mind right now?"

Despite the former Symbol of Peace's words, Maja couldn't let the nagging voice of doubt in her head go silent. "I'm sorry, All Might-sensei…but everything you said, that doesn't change the fact I still ended up having to directly fight without having my license, unlike everyone else. Yeah, I didn't think of that in the heat of the moment, and nobody said anything about it then, but do you really think the people in charge won't suddenly start thinking about that now that it's all over? None of you think I won't somehow get in trouble for this?"

Clearly, the adrenaline dying down had forced Maja to now start giving in to her continuous adolescent sense of worry, much to all her friends' and teachers' visible disappointment. Naturally, that made it impossible for Tetsutetsu and Eijirou to stay silent, as the two boys eagerly answered: "How can you possibly worry about something like that after you helped save all those people on the train, let alone the whole city?" "Yeah, why should they be so stingy about which Heroes have a license or not when there's tons of lives on the line at the moment of danger? Hell, let me talk to anyone who asks, I've got a license if nothing else! Maybe I could help them see reason and convince them to let you off the hook, if you're even on one at all! You shouldn't get in trouble for doing something so manly and selfless!"

To this, Oleg suddenly stepped forward with a purposeful stride in how he handled his crutches: "I couldn't have said it better myself, malenkie Kirishima, Tetsutetsu. Any public safety organization worth their salt would know there have been plenty of instances where unlicensed Heroes had to take action in times of crisis. Why should they just turn a blind eye to that when it comes to you, malenkaya Kieslowska?"

Following in near perfect lockstep with Oleg's words, Fatgum and Vlad King similarly spoke out: "That's right, we'll all speak out on your behalf if necessary. No matter how much of the bureaucratic red tape there seems to be, a Hero's duty is to the public at the end of the day, and you kids all demonstrated a perfect understanding of that today." "And if none of that somehow manages to ease your worries some, then keep this in mind: I'm still one of the primary teachers in charge of monitoring you as part of your granted Yuuei attendance and parole. If I can honestly say that you did nothing wrong, then you should know you really have nothing to worry about."

"You did well out there." Tamaki barely muttered enough for anyone else to hear; the awkward third year hurriedly pulling the hood of his costume over his head the moment he could feel everyone's eyes falling on him in surprise.

Toshinori smiled approvingly at the sight of so many student and Pro Heroes coming together for the sake of a student in such a unique position as Maja's. It was such a reassuring sight that he couldn't possibly stay silent as he gave her a comforting nod: "And besides, after the courageous example you showed out there, I think that may be grounds to speak to the Public Hero's Safety Commission personally, and see if they might be willing to give you your shot at one of those licenses…a little on the early side, perhaps."

"WHOA, ARE YOU SERIOUS, ALL MIGHT-SENSEI?! IS HE SERIOUS?! HOW AWESOME IS THAT, MAJA-SAN, YOU'VE GOT YOUR SHOT ALREADY!"

While Eijirou and Tetsutetsu were both eagerly congratulating the dumbfounded young Hero, Maja herself couldn't help but initially feel skeptical as to how well such a proposal would actually go, even when seeing the genuine smile on all her teachers' faces. It just felt too good to be true.

VRRRM!

Suddenly, the sound of her cellphone vibrating reached her ears, coming from the stand next to her hospital bed. Not sure what to expect, she reached and saw that it was her parents' home number back in Gagaringrad. She could only imagine the news had already gone out of all the Hero teams' success, so naturally her folks would be calling to vent their worries and make sure she wasn't too badly hurt. Taking a deep breath to steady herself, she answered, immediately finding herself bombarded with her parents' voices:

[[Maja, thank goodness you answered! Oh sweetie, when we saw the news of what happened with those trains, we were so worried! How on earth did you all manage to stop them? You're not hurt, are you? Why didn't you call us as soon as you knew the job was done?]]

Maja almost wanted to laugh at just how accurate her guess to her parents' response was, but thankfully managed to stifle it as she finally answered back: [[I'm okay, Mom, Dad, you don't need to worry. The nurse from Yuuei has already been by and worked her magic on us, so we're probably going to get out of the hospital in a few hours at most.]]

As her parents breathed a sigh of relief, Maja half-expected to hear at least her mother crying with relief. The woman had always been much more of a worrier than herself or her father. Still, once she heard the familiar sniffling, she instinctively asked: [[Hey, I'll be okay, you guys. Is something else the matter? What's going on? Is everything back home okay still?]]

The sound of her mother hitching a breath was enough to send a worried chill up Maja's spine, but to hear it from her father too was somehow even worse…until they finally spoke up: [[Maja…it's over. It's finally over.]] [[Wherever you are, honey, if there's a TV, turn on the global news and see. It's…it's simply unbelievable.]]

She wasted no time doing as her parents asked, grabbing the nearby remote and turning on the TV for everyone around her to see. Once she got it flipped to the first international news channel she could think of, she felt her whole body go rigid, just as much as everyone else, but Oleg far more than anyone else, as they saw the exact same miraculous news that Nikolay had been watching halfway across the world.

The sight of Quirkless Russians welcoming back their Quirked brethren as clip after clip of Konstantin Khodamchuk's speech played over it, almost felt like a fever dream. Once the anchor began to speak of the lone young Hero that had single-handedly fought to save St. Petersburg in the hours leading up to this, with the recovered news and security camera footage to back it up, Oleg finally felt his legs give out from underneath him, with Eijirou and Toshinori barely managing to catch him in time, the both of them looking just as astonished as the story all became so clear.

Maja's mouth felt bone dry, in desperate need of something to say to express the feelings she was experiencing right now, but her parents clearly didn't have that problem, as they were both sobbing out and proud as they spoke: [[Oh, Maja, who would have ever expected this day would come? If only you could be here to see how spirits are here in town right now. People are cheering and dancing and weeping tears of joy in the streets! It's like a real God-given miracle! Your friend Solovei, that young Hero managed to actually make the impossible possible! All you Heroes not only managed to save the world, but even given so many of our friends and neighbors the chance to get their old lives back!]]

As her parents and ranted and raved with what clearly sounded and felt like lifetimes of emotion coming out all at once, and even as she could likewise hear Eijirou and Tetsutetsu instinctively cheering Nikolay on through the fight that was able to be recorded, even despite the fact it was far from live, Maja's senses could only naturally hone in on the fact that it was Marius Lazarescu she was watching him battle against, even before the news started running down the photographic identities of all the terrorists apprehended in the aftermath of the St. Petersburg battle.

Seeing this, she finally found the strength to ask: [[Mom, Dad, how did the news manage to get Marius' name? I'm seeing his picture on the news and everything.]]

[[Some representatives from the association that sent you all out came to town a few days ago, asking a lot of questions about him and the whole incident that happened here because of Pietro Granin. It's possible they may have given that info to the media once everything was all said and done.]]

Sucking in a hitched breath through her teeth as she saw the footage of Marius, Nikolay and all the other terrorists being carried out in front of the Winter Palace, Maja asked: [[So if everyone now knows he was with Humarise, what does this mean for him? How are his parents taking it?]]

This was the part where she was all but certain there was only bad news to follow. And yet, despite that certainty, her parents didn't sound even remotely broken up, as her mother answered: [[It's honestly too soon to tell, with all the repair and reintegration work that no doubt needs to be done with all those expats being welcomed back into the country…but Linguist and the Lazarescu's were actually picked up by other Association officials earlier today. They told the rest of us that they had interviewed, that they may have gotten in touch with the perfect Hero to hopefully undo what Pietro did to him at last. They felt it was only right that his family be there to see for themselves whether or not it could be so…whatever happens from there, we can only hope that time will tell. But the important thing is that he's safe and secured in capable hands now. All we can do now is pray for the best.]]

With everything that had been at stake, this was just about the most miraculous result Maja could have asked for. For the first time, it truly felt like everything in her life was coming back together, and she knew she had all of her friends to thank for it more than anyone else. Only by their having worked together would Marius now possibly be able to have a home to come to one day.

Amid the cheers and good spirits of everyone around her, Maja finally allowed the joyous tears to come running unrestrained down her face. All that was left now was for them all to finally come home to Yuuei so she could thank them all, and ultimately just wait and hope for the last bit of good news.

Wednesday, January 21st

Otheon International Airport

The rest of the day after Nikolay had reawakened had passed by in what really felt like a flash. Before he'd known it, dawn had come again, and just as Endeavor had promised, as soon as the doctors had officially declared the four Hero students to be recovered enough to be discharged, their whole group had wasted no time getting heir things back together and making a fast track for the airport. Upon their arrival there, Clair Voyant and the rest of her fellow local Pros had of course been waiting to once more thank them for all their help and wish them a safe flight home, as well as expressing their wishes for the lot of them to come and visit Otheon properly sometime soon.

Naturally, Endeavor made no such effort to be as excited by the idea of a vacation as his sidekicks were, but he was still gracious enough to at least smile when thanking his fellow Pro Heroes for all their assistance during this tumultuous past several days. By comparison, Nikolay and Izuku proved far more optimistic to the idea, much to their host's delight.

As they finally made their way further into the airport for their terminal; Nikolay taking that chance to at last look over his newly repaired phone to see he'd gotten flooded with texts and calls from his father, Mina, Maja, Eijirou and everyone else from class wishing to see them all back home again; Izuku couldn't help but speak out happily: "It's too bad we didn't have a chance to really take in this country the same as everybody else gets to, but it's nice that everyone took the time to see us off."

"Pfft, almost everybody. That punk buddy of yours couldn't even be bothered to stick his ass in a wheelchair and say goodbye after everything we did to help him out?" Bakugo retorted bitterly. Nikolay couldn't help but feel a touch similar as he answered indirectly: "Well, given how serious you said his wounds were, Midoriya-san, I can't say I'm all that surprised he wasn't in good enough shape to say anything. It's still too bad the doctors wouldn't even let us go see him ourselves to say anything."

Bringing up the subject of Rody did manage to leave Izuku bowing his head in thought. "Yeah, that still seemed very odd to me. I knew Rody-san's injuries were really bad, but I didn't think it would be to the extent he couldn't even have visitors while recovering. It's too bad none of us even thought to ask him for his number before so we could at least call him once the time was right."

"Hey, don't you guys go writing me off just yet!"

The sound of Rody's voice called out to them departing young Heroes back the way they'd come, spurring Nikolay and Izuku to look back in surprise while Bakugo and Shoto were already halfway up the escalator, looking back with silent annoyance and pleasant surprise respectively.

After everything he'd been told by Izuku and the doctors alike, Nikolay hadn't expected to see Rody Soul standing before them looking virtually none the worse for wear, even if he was having to use just one crutch to move around. The large smile on the young man's face certainly didn't look like he'd even suffered so much as a scratch, as his look was complete with Pino perched once again on his shoulder, looking as bright and energetic as ever.

Regardless, seeing him up and about filled the two boys with overwhelming relief, as Izuku immediately greeted him back: "Rody-san, you're okay?! The doctors said you wouldn't be back on your feet until tomorrow from now! You really shouldn't be pushing yourself so soon!"

Izuku still sounding like such a worry-wart despite his beaming smile was enough to get Rody laughing, which left him grimacing only slightly from the discomfort in his still-heavily bandaged chest under his original clothes. "Ah, it wasn't as serious as all that…though if I had died, doing so like that would've made me a bona fide legend."

"Please don't say anything to jinx yourself like that." Izuku immediately answered in that overly worried tone, which only made Rody laugh that much more.

"No, seriously, that nurse of yours, her Quirk's like a first-aid powerhouse. The doctors said I was fine since yesterday. I just thought it'd be fun to mess with you all one last time before you left, so I asked them to keep my release a secret for just a day."

Overhearing this, Bakugo had half a mind to leap from the top of the escalator and lay Rody out flat for messing with them, but Shoto was thankfully quick enough to grab him by the arm before he did any such thing, much to the former's visible annoyance. All the while, Izuku couldn't help but laugh in return at having fallen so thoroughly for a practical joke, while Nikolay was likewise all smiles, only speaking up when he and Rody made eye contact: "It's good to see you're all better already, Rody. Midoriya-san says that we all have you to thank for everything still being in one piece. I don't know how much it's worth coming from me, given how things started off between us…but I had you figured all wrong, and I'm glad I did."

"Yeah? And from the start I had you both pegged as intrusive goodie-goodies and busybodies…and the jury's still out on that."

As Rody grinned in satisfaction at Nikolay's confession of poor character judgment and his own subsequent sarcastic rebuttal, Izuku suddenly asked: "So what are you going to do, now that this is all finally over?"

With a disregarding shrug of his shoulders, Rody looked out at the capital city skyline out the window, that same lackadaisical smile on his face. "Ah, more than likely, I'll just go back to my original life…although, I'm not going one way or the other: I'm gonna see to it I get both."

To anyone else, such an enigmatic statement would've been nothing more than confusing…but from where Izuku and Nikolay were standing, after everything they'd gone through together, it was only right that they would be the only ones to understand what Rody truly meant. Yes, he wasn't the kind of material to become a Hero, but he had just the right stuff to be able to make more out of his life than what he originally had, just like them and all their friends, and that was something to be admired in and of itself.

Suddenly, an automated voice called for their flight to be boarding, echoing through the terminal, and filling the boys with equal parts eagerness to finally go home, and regret to be leaving their once-wayward companion. "Well, we have to get going, Rody-san."

Still looking outside, the ponytailed young man gave a dismissive flick of the wrist their way. "Do me a favor and see to it neither one of you comes back to Otheon, okay? It seems to me that being around you two only ever brings me trouble…so make sure you both go and become real big Heroes in Japan, Russia or wherever the heck you wind up."

Once more, had Bakugo been around to hear this, he undoubtedly would've given Rody the verbal beatdown of a lifetime for expressing such lack of appreciation. However, Nikolay and Izuku both could tell he didn't mean a word of it, simply for the fact that while he himself was refusing to look either of them in the eye, Pino was far different, the pink little bird currently in the middle of bawling her eyes out at the prospect of the two young Heroes having to leave after all of this.

And it was through their recognition of this, that without even having to say anything to one another, Nikolay and Izuku closed in and pulled Rody into an impromptu group hug, much to his speechless surprise. "We'll all definitely make sure to come visit you one day, Rody-san." "Da, and when we do, maybe you can take us all to fly through the clouds the way you really wanted."

K-KLAK!

With the sound of his wooden crutch falling to the floor at their feet, Nikolay and Izuku were silently met with the intense warmth of Rody bringing his arms around the both of them in return; with his own eyes shimmering with the beginnings of emotional tears of his own. "You kidding? If an ex-fugitive and a knucklehead like you two can become Heroes, then I can become a pilot, easy…so you both just make sure you don't come back…until I do."

It was with that, that the two young Heroes could no longer afford to delay their departure. So it was with heavy hearts between them all, that they had to finally give Rod yone final goodbye, until the fateful day would come that they may see each other again, hopefully with all their friends in tow, in a far brighter world.

It was with that distinct hope in mind for the first time in years, that Rody finally made his way back home to the otherwise overlooked slums across the bridge, where he knew his siblings would still be waiting for him, and he could finally begin the hard work needed to turn all their lives back around, just as his two Hero friends had worked so hard to help make possible for him.

It was with an immeasurable gratitude in his chest for that fact, that when he heard the sound of an airplane's engines flying overhead, he looked up with a smile that spoke a thousand words at the departing aircraft, somehow knowing that Izuku, Nikolay and their fellow Heroes were there, and would be able to know he was sending them all his heartfelt thanks for everything they had done here.

Today was truly the start of something special, and Rody Soul was going to make sure not to waste it for even a second. It was with that in mind, that the first thing he did upon his return to his old stomping grounds was to make way for the local bar, where a balding and surly-looking man was currently in the middle of sprucing the place up for business to start.

Upon seeing Rody darkening his doorway, the bartender gave a visibly displeased frown. "It takes some real guts to show your face around here after how royally you fumbled the last job, Rody."

But even such a vaguely threatening response did nothing to take the smile off the young man's face, as he casually took his place on one of the empty stools. "Aww, you know me, Stanleyk: always looking for the next big score. What've you got lined up for me?"

But the man known as Stanleyk didn't even bother to so much as look in Rody's direction. "I'm not joking here, kid; my associates aren't nearly so ready to take my recommendations anymore after such a screw-up, at least not for a while."

Leaning back against the bar, Rody gave a dismissive shrug: "Maybe you haven't heard the good news: I'm currently in the mood for something a little more on the up-and-up, some honest work. Think you might know anyone with such a thing in the books?"

Rody didn't even need to look to know that this sudden declaration of wanting to go straight had given Stanleyk pause, as the man had momentarily frozen in the middle of cleaning one of his glasses, now finally looking at him with a look of minor skepticism.

But upon seeing how Pino was happily nodding her head atop Rody's ponytail, Stanleyk's expression softened ever so slightly, before giving a typical annoyed grunt befitting a man of his particular age and roughness. "One of my bartenders just decided to up and quit on me yesterday…think you're up for it?"

Throwing his hands up in a mocking show of indecisiveness, Rody simply answered: "Hmm, I'm not sure that meets my particular pay grade. Oh, what ever shall I do?"

"TWEEEE!"

But Pino's joyful sounding chirp told the old man everything he needed to hear. Knowing that, Rody's smile no longer reflected his typical sarcasm. Today was a whole new beginning.

Elsewhere…

The very first sensation that registered in his mind was that of a surging pain all over his body, but even greater than that, was the strangest swimming sensation filling his head, almost as though he were in a state of suspended animation, or that of someone floating in a sensory deprivation tank. There was nothing he could see, and nothing he could hear than the dulled sound of his own heartbeat and weak breathing.

But this wasn't to last long, for as soon as consciousness had come back to him, he could just make out the sound of voices, two older men, one with a very familiar accent, and a woman, all sounding as though they were standing just opposite him, the absence of an echo giving away that wherever they currently were, it wasn't big at all.

"Looks like he's finally coming to. With the injuries he had upon arrival, I would've sworn it would be a few more days at best."

"Yes, with how deeply rooted the changes had to have been in him, I would think a few more days of regular application of your Quirk would be the least we'd need for the result we're hoping for."

"I have to admit, I haven't had to use New Order for something like this before, so whether the time we've had made a difference or not is…well, my guess is as good as yours. I guess there's only one way left to find out for sure."

"Agreed. Lights on."

At the first man's order, the pitch blackness he had awakened to find himself in was slowly replaced with the rising of dimming lights, soon revealing this room to be a purely white sterilized hospital room. Standing before him was a trio: a tall older man with short grey hair dressed in an official-looking white suit; next to him was a slightly shorter and even older Slavic-looking man with a balding head and thick grey beard; and towering over both of them was a powerful-looking woman with long partially spiked-looking blonde hair in a red-white-and-blue body suit and red diamond-shaped domino mask.

All three of them were looking upon him with trepidation, anticipation, and on the older man, undoubtedly some kind of hope. With that, the subject of their attention naturally tried to move, not out of any aggression to try and escape, but simply to try and get a better bearing of just where he was, only to find his wrists and ankles were tightly restrained, as he was perched flat to a vertical operating table of some sort. As he turned his head this way and that to try and see as much as possible, he quickly caught side of several mirrors, revealing nothing but a young man of similar Slavic origin, with short dark brown hair and neatly trimmed beard upon a slightly olive-colored face. He was currently dressed in a hospital gown, his arms, legs and face adorned with a number of bandages and medical patches.

Despite seeing himself like this, the young man in restraints continued to show no aggression in his attempts to move, which helped put the white-suited man, the World Hero Association's director's visible apprehension at ease, at least partially. "Well, he isn't fighting right off the bat. I suppose that's as good a first sign as we could hope for."

"Yes, but considering what he was put through in order for us to even have him here, it's no surprise he wouldn't have the energy to fight if he wanted to. There's only one way now we can know for sure if it worked," the second man, Leonid Briner, clarified, clearly wishing not to play the pessimist while also trying to maintain being realistic of what they were working with here.

Star And Stripe, on the other hand, was already smiling with unmistakable relief. "Well, you don't need a lot of energy to look pissed off, and he looks anything but right now. Maybe that's because he recognizes you."

Leonid nodded, looking exhausted, not physically, but mentally and emotionally. "Yes, but I doubt Pietro Granin would have done anything to his head to make him forget about Gagaringrad altogether. We all know exactly what needs to be done to see if your Quirk did the trick or not, even while he was unconscious."

The director breathed deeply, understanding exactly where the Gagaringrad town leader was going with this, since that was one of the first things he'd asked the Association to put together when news of this desperate attempt had first come. "Then let us all just hope this particular effort bears fruit. After all the time these people have waited and hoped, for it to lead nowhere would be nothing short of devastating."

With that, the director put a finger to his earpiece. "It's time. You can bring them in."

KA-SHHK!

A single resounding metallic latch pierced the heavy air in the small room, and the captive young man finally tore his gaze away from his reflections, to find a couple other men in matching white suits enter, flanking a middle-aged couple in aged yet thick clothes, both of whom bore the same olive complexion as himself, the man between them almost looking like his spitting image if not for the few decades worth of wrinkles and grey in his longer hair.

The moment their eyes lay upon him, the husband and wife's once iron emotional resolve quickly vanished, as their eyes grew glassy with the tears running down their faces, looking upon him as though they hadn't done so in years. No sooner had they started to weep, did the young man himself find his eyes similarly starting to sting and blur, as the two hurried to join his side, holding onto his forearms with a grip that all but screamed how they would rather die than let go again.

Those observing this far-too-long-delayed reunion had the good graces to stay silent and let them have this time. After a solid minute or two, Star And Stripe exchanged a silent questioning glance with Leonid, who only gave her a confirming nod in return. The two of them had worked their respective Quirks on their patient and captive whilst he was unconscious, but the moment of truth had now come to see if either of them would take.

Stepping forward, the American Number One Hero silently gestured for the older couple to let her have the floor. As soon as they did so, and she looked the young man in the eyes, she finally asked: "Do you recognize these two, young man? Do you remember anything at all that you can tell us?"

"Like what?" The young man asked, not even visibly surprised by the fact he was able to understand and speak English back to Star And Stripe from out of nowhere.

She gestured to Leonid. "Do you recognize this man?"

Looking to meet the old man's eyes, he answered: "Yes…his name is Leonid…Viktorovich Briner. He's the one in charge…at Gagaringrad…a small town in Hokkaido…where I used to live."

Leonid gave his two fellows an assuring nod, taking this as a good sign, even despite his previous misgivings. Continuing on, Star And Stripe gestured to the two older adults at the young man's sides. "And do you remember these two?"

"Yes…they…lived there too."

The answer was more vague and non-confirming than they had hoped, but they could likewise see how his face strained as he tried to recall acute details. That had to mean something from where they were standing, so while the older couple clearly looked distressed by his apparent struggle, Star And Stripe braced herself for the penultimate question: "And what about yourself? Do you remember who you are?"

The young man's hands gripped into trembling white-knuckled fists as his face continued to strain, almost as though he were mentally fighting to give the answer. Leonid and his fellow Gagaringrad citizens could all feel their hearts catch in their throats as the seconds passed by agonizingly.

Finally, his hands opened, and his face went slack with the release of all the tension, as his eyes looked clearer than they had ever been before.

"Yes…I…I am…Marius…Lazarescu. The last…victim…of Pietro…Bodrynich…Granin. The one…responsible…for Humarise…destroying Berlin."

All at once, the room was filled with too many conflicting emotions to count, as Marius Lazarescu's parents cried out with unfathomable relief to see all the work that had been done on their son had worked n restoring his memory and his true sense of self. At the same time, Marius himself didn't look sure as to whether he should laugh in relief or weep in the recognition of just what all he had done in the time he had been buried within his own mind. All he could say as he looked to his parents and those that had worked so hard to truly rescue him here was: "Solovei…that same boy in Gagaringrad…the last thing I remember…is us fighting…because I was actually going to…repeat what happened in Berlin in St. Petersburg. Oh, God…oh, what have I done? So many people…gone…because of me. How…how can I ever make it right to anyone after all that? All those people gone!"

[[We can only worry about one thing at a time, Marius. For now, let us just be grateful you've finally been brought back to who you really are, our dear baby boy!]] Marius' mother exclaimed through her choking sobs. With that, Marius lifted his gaze back to Leonid and the others. "Linguist…how is this all possible? For so long, I'd felt buried inside to the point I couldn't come out, even after I knew Pietro was gone forever. How is it I'm back?"

Nodding his head in understanding to the young Romanian's confusion, Leonid answered: "We all have our host, Star And Stripe here to thank for it. Her Quirk has truly worked a miracle to undo what Pietro did to you with his Quirk at the point of strength it doubtless was back then."

The American Pro Hero put her hands to her hips, standing proudly as she smiled at the young man in reassurance. "I have to admit, it was far from easy, not just because I'd never used it on a mind altering Quirk before. The Association had told me everything they'd gathered from your family and neighbors in that little Hokkaido town so I'd have something to work with while I tried to undo what had been done to your brain. Luckily for all of us, your true sense of self, despite how deeply it was buried in your subconscious, was still strong enough for my New Order to just reach. Hence, you're finally free."

The director, upon seeing the look of utter shock on Marius' face, likewise chimed in: "Over the last several days, we got all the firsthand witness accounts we could of the Gagaringrad incident leading up to your disappearance and subsequent recruitment by Humarise, in order to gain all the necessary context. It can't undo the effects of what you provided them during this period you weren't in full mental control of your actions, but it can at least be enough for the courts to take into consideration when it comes to your sentencing."

"Forget it." Marius suddenly stated with not a trace of confusion or uncertainty, which left everyone visibly shocked, while he himself looked absolutely and grimly certain of what he was saying. "Tons of innocent people lost their lives because of me. You said it yourself, brainwashed or not, that blood is on my hands, and I'm not going to let circumstances that were outside my control get me a leniency I don't deserve. Whether it's a death sentence waiting for me or not, I can't live with myself if I don't face the rightful justice that's waiting for me for my actively trying to kill people."

From where they were both standing, the director and Star And Stripe were fully prepared for Marius' parents to break down into hysterics. Naturally, the two of them looked despondent, but there was also the strangest sense of acceptance about them as they wept with their son, almost as though they'd been preparing themselves for just this occasion.

Finally, Leonid spoke up, nodding all the while: "I can't say I'm surprised, Marius. You see, all the rest of your friends that had been taken in by Pietro and his Quirk, they made the same decisions as well, to face the entirety of their respective sentences for their parts in his crimes, so they may be able to face whatever future they have with a clean slate. The people of Gagaringrad have long since come to the agreement that, if the time ever came you would be brought before the courts, that we would speak out on your behalf to at least see to it you don't receive the death penalty. However, you understand, of course, that with the further extent of just what you got involved with while they had been fortunate enough to be freed that much sooner, means your sentence, whatever it may be, could very well be that much harsher."

Marius couldn't hide the instinctive fear in his eyes as the gravity of those words settled upon his shoulders, but he still remained altogether resolute. "Of course I do. It's only right. I'm just glad to know I can't hurt anyone else because of what that monster did to me…and at least all the others may very well have a chance at getting out and starting over…like Maja Kieslowska apparently has. During our fight in St. Petersburg, Solovei told me she's actually gotten a chance to become a Hero for real at that school of his and his friends…is that really true?"

Leonid and his parents all nodded as the old man answered: "It's technically a part of her parole to avoid being in jail, but yes, it's true. She's been keeping everyone back home up to date on just how her training has been going…and as a matter of fact, she played a part of her own in helping to prevent what Humarise was trying to do."

To hear of Maja's accomplishments in conjunction with how bravely the rest of their friends had faced their respective sentences filled Marius with an even greater sense of resignation as he finally answered: "I see…that's…that's really good to hear, truly. I can only imagine how reluctant she must have been…but if she has the courage to take up such a responsibility to make up for Pietro had us do…just like the rest of them have the courage to serve their time, then there's no way I can't do the same, no matter what it might be. To face my consequences with anything less than absolute dignity would be an insult to all those that wanted me back home, including you, mom, Dad. That's why I have to face it in full…and why I don't want anyone trying to get me off the hook. Please understand that, for all of us."

Of course it was too much for Marius to ask that his parents accept the idea of him potentially spending the rest of his life in prison without so much as a tear, as his mother struggled to compose herself. But his father, while holding her close, looked his son in the eye and gave him a solemn, heavy nod. [[Of course, son. Whatever the future holds, just know that we'll be there to help see you through it…us, and the whole of town. With you here and back to normal, we can all finally begin to well and truly heal from everything Pietro put us through. Right now, the fact you're with us again is all that matters.]]

The director had long since come to accept that Marius was no longer a threat by this point, and thus had taken the liberty of having the Romanian's restraints released, whilst his two guards of course kept a close eye for the first sign of anything out of the ordinary.

Marius, however, could only bring himself to embrace his parents once again, the Romanian family simply relishing in their finally having been reunited at long last. After a minute to let his emotions run their course with them, Marius finally looked Leonid and the director in the eye and spoke out in emotional exhaustion: "Whatever ends up happening to me from here on…could you please grant me just one request? Could you write a letter to Solovei and Maja for me?"

"Of course," the director and Leonid both answered in near perfect unison.

Also elsewhere

In the immediate aftermath of Humarise's dismantling, all of its members that had been apprehended or beaten into submission by the Heroes the world over, had been swiftly and cleanly taken into custody, all to be recollected so they could face justice by a multinational tribunal. With the scale of their planned attacks to be considered, such a body of authority was the only way to rightfully see that they be given their due punishment.

However, it was also natural that such a massive undertaking would take time, and so many of Humarise's arrested followers would have potential weeks or months to wait until they would finally be able to be taken to court together and receive their sentences.

Among those imprisoned followers simply waiting out what time they had left in the Otheon capitol city prison, was the haggard and ultimately defeated-looking Fyodor Elimovich Idryanov, who had resigned himself to silence even long before it had been announced that Flect Turn had been defeated and their grand plan foiled. Ever since his interrogation by Endeavor, it was as though the fire of rage that had been burning continuously in his heart had been effectively snuffed out, leaving a man in its wake, bowed, broken, and with no more trace of fight left in him. He naturally had to initially assume that this was the reason he was given nothing worse than a solitary cell, instead of having to be fully restrained like many of his more resistant comrades.

Of course, there was also the possibility that Endeavor had actually kept to his word from before and spoken on the man's behalf to consider.

Whatever the reason was, it really didn't make any difference for Fyodor. After having been blinded by such emotions as resentment, anger, hatred and despair for years, and only made worse by diving headlong to the bottom of a bottle that led him to take it out on his own family before even that too was broken even further; even he knew deep down that this was where he only ever could have ended up. And, knowing that there was truly nothing waiting for him back in his homeland, he'd accepted this with a silent grace that no one who had known him before ever would have expected.

Knock, knock

A sudden metallic knocking at the door to Fyodor's solitary cell stirred him out of his stupor, as the tiny window at eye level slid open, allowing for one of the prison guards outside to peer in. "Hey, Idryanov, there's actual mail for you."

Even Fyodor couldn't help but look as surprised as the guard sounded as he got back to his feet and approached the door, only for the guard to hand him a thickly folded paper through the bars. "In reality, it's a transcript. The cellphone in storage with the rest of your belongings, not the burner the rest of you Humarise followers used, it started going off the hook with calls and text messages a little less than an hour ago. We obviously can't give you the phone itself, but once we ran it by the rest of the national authorities and confirmed it wasn't hooked up to any spare bombs of any sort, we thought you still deserved to read whatever it was."

"T-thank you." Fyodor mumbled under his breath as the window was shut, and he went back to sitting upon his little cot, hurriedly unfolding the transcript in his fingers.

The moment he could finally started reading the Cyrilic text inside, his eyes widened with disbelief at the first line:

[[Fyodor, it's Irina. I can't believe I'm actually bothering trying this, you've been gone to God-knows-where for months now, but...dammit, if there was ever a time anyone needed you, it's right now! I'm at the hospital right now. I went to check up on Vanya again and...oh God, I can't believe I'm actually able to say this but...he...Fyodor, he woke up. I saw it with my own eyes, I was there, at his bedside, and our son opened his eyes! After over a year, our Vanya came back to us! He came back, and as soon as I could tell him where he was, he asked where you were...and I couldn't give him an answer. The very first chance I get to be a mother to our baby again, and I can't give him a single answer, because you went and walked out on us! Then, not even a couple days ago, I see your name on the global news in connection with that religious terrorist cult that killed all those people in Berlin! I swear to God, if you're not in prison right now, I would hope from the bottom of my heart that you're face down dead in a ditch somewhere for throwing yourself in with those kinds of people!]]

With the end of that first paragraph, Fyodor felt his heart twisting into an agonizing knot in his chest, his eyes growing blurry with tears that stung more than any he had ever shed before, but not for his wife's venomous words. Furiously wiping his vision clear, he continued to read:

[[I can't keep this up with a call, otherwise other people here are going to hear me, and that's the last thing I want Vanya to hear now. You son of a bitch...why did you have to go? Nobody could've done any more or any better for our son in his condition than either of us. Is that what this was all about, some kind of shame as a father on your part? You couldn't have had that epiphany after the first time you raised a hand against me or him? What does any of that matter anymore? All you had to do was just stay here with us and just be there for our son, that's all any of us could have done...and instead you chose to run off, becoming a goddamn terrorist in the process!]]

[[How do you expect me to explain that to Vanya, huh? How do you expect him to process the fact you went off to try and kill untold numbers of people for whatever reason made sense in your head? He's just come out of a coma, hasn't he suffered enough? Haven't all of us? I know you couldn't reconcile losing your job on top of everything else we'd both already lost after The Siberian Flash, but we still had our family, you damn fool! Now we don't even have that as we knew it, because you aren't here! Imperfect as we all are, we were still a family, and I don't know how to do this on my own! Wherever you are, if you're still alive, I hope you somehow get this message...if for no other reason, than I can at least know you'll be able to look back on whatever you've done to get where you are now, and ask yourself if it was all worth it, and just what you were trying to achieve...and for whom.]]

With that, the messages finally came to an end, and soon the tiny little cell echoed with nothing more than Fyodor's long-suffering sniffling sobs, and the sound of his pained tears falling to the paper in his hands.

Just like that, he had received a miracle he'd felt certain would never come, only to now have it be ripped away, for he could never be able to be there to appreciate it and be grateful for it. Everything his wife had written out was absolutely true. He'd been completely blinded by so many of his emotions, that he never even bothered to take a minute to think about any of his actions, or even to speak to the one person he still had about what was going through his heart. He'd let his family down a long time ago, but even those past failures as a father, a husband and a man paled utterly in comparison to this. He'd effectively abandoned his family to a terrible unknown future that he could no longer do anything about, and he knew he had nobody to blame for it all but himself.

Outside that door, the guards would only ever hear tears of sorrow. But inside Fyodor himself, all he could hear was Endeavor's crushing parting words from before, simply asking him just what kind of future he thought he was leaving for his son, regardless of the state he was in, and how compared to so many other people, he should have taken the time to be grateful for the fact his Vanya was still alive.

And with those memories came the torturous daggers driving into Fyodor's heart, of knowing that through his association with Humarise, he carried his share of the blood of Berlin upon his hands, including countless parents and children. From there, his restrained sobs exploded into anguishing cries to the heavens...yet they did not call out for forgiveness, for that was the one thing Fyodor Elimovich Idryanov knew beyond question that he no longer deserved from anyone.

Yuuei Academy, Class 1-A Dorms

The entire way back to Japan, Nikolay, Izuku, Bakugo and Shoto had all instinctively known that all their classmates, those that hadn't been involved in the mission and those that had managed to get back before them, were bound to be preparing something to celebrate their return. With the former two having been framed and wanted as fugitives, there was no question that they were bound to be the stars of the hour, and the subjects of countless questions.

Nevertheless, the explosive reception they had gotten when they had finally returned to their dorms still managed to dwarf even their greatest expectations, as all of their classmates had come practically stampeding at them the moment they were through the doors, with Tenya naturally beating them all by a country mile as he was beside himself with worry and chastisement for two of his classmates having gotten themselves in so much trouble, regardless of context.

[[KOLYA! OH, MY DEAR BOY, HOME AND SAFE AT LAST! THANK GOD!]]

But once the class president had gotten that out of his system, it was all celebrations from end to end, especially as Oleg had been the quickest to just dive through the air with a resonating cheer and scoop Nikolay off his feet into a near crushing bear hug, borderline incoherent as he let his fatherly tears flow with long-repressed worry and the relief that followed, to know his son was back in one piece, bandages notwithstanding.

"KOLYA-KUUUN!"

And as for Mina, she didn't even wait for Oleg to set Nikolay back on the ground, instead choosing to fling herself off one of the nearby couches and dive into her boyfriend with wide open arms, practically hanging off of his father's arms as she embraced Nikolay tight, letting all her emotions from the past several days out in the form of peppering his face with multiple tear-wetted kisses while laughing joyously without even giving him the chance to try and kiss her in return.

"OH MY GOD, KOLYA-KUN, I'M SO HAPPY YOU'RE ALL OKAY! I WAS SO, SO, SO WORRIED ABOUT YOU! PLEASE PROMISE ME YOU WON'T DO ANYTHING TO SCARE ME THAT BAD EVER AGAIN!"

Once Oleg had ultimately set them both down, the entire impromptu party between students and their accompanying teachers quickly changed into every respective team regaling their friends with multiple harrowing stories of exactly what they had all gone through in their respective battles. To listen to Fumikage, Mashirao and Rikido recall just how harrowing their battle in Times Square had been, but especially to hear of just how insanely varied Star And Stripe's Quirk had been, left everyone wide-eyed with disbelief and awestruck wonder.

Similarly, to hear Eijirou and Maja work off one another as to just how far they'd pushed themselves to protect each other and ultimately stop their runaway train had gotten quite the excited applause from most everyone else (with Mina not being blind to how red the Polish girls' cheeks turned when Eijirou was insisting on how cool and manly she'd been throughout). And, of course, Maja couldn't possibly leave out the fact that Toshinori had suggested she may have a shot at getting her Provisional License soon because of this, which naturally had everyone all but literally bounding with excitement for her.

Likewise, Mina, Momo, Kyouka, Ochako, Tsuyu and Tooru all sharing their respective stories of just how desperate their own battles were, and yet not one of them ever gave up for a second, also got them quite the standing ovation from classmates and teachers alike.

However, it was naturally when Nikolay and his partners' recounted their own battles that everyone was stunned silent, sitting on the edges of their seats. When Nikolay gave his share of the story, he could just feel how every detail was leaving Mina and Oleg both squirming with worry and relief all at once.

"That's just plain incredible, man! To be able to somehow make it from Otheon in the south all the way back to Russia in less than a couple hours, I don't think even you could go that fast on land or in the air, Iida-san!" Eijirou proclaimed, visibly awestruck at the story of the sheer speed his Russian friend had managed to achieve, Tenya nodding in thoughtful agreement while Bakugo bitterly muttered confidence in his own ability to not only do so, but even exceed it if he tried.

Seeing that everyone was more than a little anxious to know how he pulled off such a feat, Nikolay knew he couldn't hide the truth, as he took a deep breath and gave them his answer: "Honestly, there was a point where I was about ready to give up, because pushing my Quirk so hard had left me in agony, and I knew I wasn't even close to making it…but that's when the craziest thing happened: I don't know how it's possible, but I could've sworn I heard my mom's voice on the wind, calling to me."

This had managed to leave his classmates virtually silent with shock, as they saw he was still trying to make sense of it himself. "I know, this isn't the first time I've mentioned something like that, but this was different. I don't think I was delirious, but it sounded and felt so real, almost like she was standing just outside my field of view, no matter how much I looked, like she was right over my shoulder. I swear that's what happened…and it was like she knew what I was trying to do, and had come from out the back of my head to help me."

As Nikolay proceeded to tell his classmates and friends of how he had managed to find the way to at last perfect his Quirk's capability of flight through perpetual kinetic absorption, flow and release all at once in a cycle; leaving many of them visibly amazed and Izuku already scribbling down notes; he didn't see just how truly shaken this left Oleg looking as he sat in rapt attention, clutching his hands together to the point he could swear one of his prosthetics would break.

From there, telling everyone of his battle with Marius in the Winter Palace had sent numerous chills and gasps of shock through his classmates just the same as Bakugo and Izuku's recounting of their own battles had done for him. He could especially see how every detail really shook Mina, Maja and the rest of their classmates that had fought in Gagaringrad with them all those months ago. It was just about as natural a response as he could expect, hence why when he finally told of his desperate last move to overwhelm Marius' Quirk and finally bring their fight to an end, the whole of the commons area echoed with collective sighs of relief.

And thus, the timing was nothing short of miraculous when, just as he'd finally reached the end of his share of the story, the atmosphere among them was momentarily broken by the sound of someone knocking at the front door. Naturally, Tenya was the quickest to answer, met with a single mail delivery man with a pair of envelopes in hand. Upon taking them with gratitude, Tenya looked and couldn't hide his curiosity. "Bezpalov-san, Kieslowska-san, these are for both of you."

Nikolay and Maja hurried over, drawing the curious eyes of all their classmates as they took their respective letters; many of those who looked quickly recognizing the emblem of the All-Star World Heroes Association on the envelopes.

Upon opening them, rather than an actual handwritten letter, they were instead met with two small holographic displays, much like all the Class 1-A students recognized from their original admittance letters. Within these holograms were, of all people, Leonid Briner; the old man having the most unexpected smile on his face as he lifted his gaze to look the two teen Heroes in the eye.

"Hello, Maja, Kolya, everyone. I wish circumstances were a little different so that I could perhaps have delivered this news to you and all your friends who helped us in the past in person, but thankfully the Association has been kind enough to lend me use of some of their resources in order to get this message out, because if anyone deserves to hear it, it's all of you Heroes at Yuuei Academy. It's because of the efforts of every last one of you, that not only has the world as we know it been saved from total catastrophe…but now, the last of the wounds of a small but united community is finally able to start healing."

Before their eyes, the holographic projector suddenly switched to what looked like security camera footage showing none other than Marius Lazarescu, on his knees and surrounded/embraced by what Maja immediately recognized as his parents. In the blink of an eye, everyone watching instinctively knew that they were seeing the the Polish girl's last several months of building worry instantly being dashed away, as this one simple image, and the audio recording of the Romanian's remembrance of his true self, in microcosm was the one result she, Nikolay and all their fellow Gagaringrad veterans had hoped for above all else.

"Today is truly a miraculous day. Not only has the last broken family of our community finally been brought back together, thanks in no small part to Kolya's valiant efforts, and the joint work of both the Association and the American Hero Star And Stripe's Quirk; but now we even face a future we had once thought to be nothing but a pipe dream. Because of what you all did for us in Gagaringrad, Konstantin Khodamchuk has actually followed through and called for full amnesty for all Quirked Russian citizens that had either fled or been chased out of their homes…and the Russian people have actually accepted it, from every single news source we can check, it has been the same. Already, there are a good number of us who have expressed their wishes to go back and restart their lives, while others among us have managed to carve out such lives for themselves here and wish only to stay.

"I have no doubt that we will have to say goodbye to some of our dear friends in the coming months because of this incredible turn-around, but at the same time, I know in the bottom of my heart, that our people's innate sense of unity is being re-forged into something stronger than it ever has been before…all because of the work and ideals of you brave young Heroes…and for that, not only the people of Gagaringrad, but the people of our Motherland entire owe you all an incredible debt of gratitude, even if they may not even know it. Thank you…thank you all so, so much…for everything that you have done to help so many people finally begin healing from the wounds of the past."

By this point, Leonid's recording clearly showed the man had started to let his emotions get the better of him as his aged voice started to crack with the choking down of sobs. Realizing this, he quickly cut off his own recording, but that was not the end of the letter, as soon, a holographic projection of Marius' face took its place. Just like Leonid, he too was looking up to look Nikolay and Maja in the eyes. Looking into even just this recording of him, Nikolay could see and know in an instant that the Romanian truly was back to normal. Where there had once been a blind, animalistic hate etched over every inch of his face and within his eyes, now there was no longer any such thing.

Finally, the bearded young man broke out into a trembling, teary-eyed smile as he struggled to find the words…before finally settling for the one thing he meant more than anything else:

"Solovei…Maja…I may not ever be able to repay you for working so hard to bring me back…but while you and all the other Heroes are out there fighting for everyone, I still want to thank you…for not giving up on me in the midst of it all."

With that, the holographic projection finally receded back into the envelope, and all was silent. The sheer emotion that had come from the collective news of Marius' ultimate recovery and the reintegration of Quirked Russians into their homeland had left many of the students with hitched breaths and emotionally racing hearts. Much like Nikolay, Oleg and Maja themselves, having heard about what had been going on in Russia for all those years had likewise left many of them wondering if any true change was possible. To see it now playing out before their eyes, even those that had seen the news beforehand, it still felt utterly surreal.

But it was with Mina's inevitable outburst of cheer for the confirmation of all their success, that the celebrations kicked back into full gear, with Nikolay and Maja all but blinded by their respective tears as they were mobbed by their friends and their congratulations.

Amid all the festivities, Fumikage, Mashirao and Rikido were all wearing varying smiles of knowing upon hearing the letter. After overhearing before just how deeply rooted Marius' brainwashing had to have been, the three of them couldn't have thought of anyone better suited for the task of undoing such a thing now than their American Pro Hero host. To know she had been able to pull it off had left them all letting out their own mental sighs of relief. With that one dark cloud of uncertainty that had hung over their classmates' heads now being cleared, it felt like now they could all fully move forward as a whole at last.

With hearts all now light as a feather, the whole classes' celebration carried on throughout the rest of the day, with Eijirou and Denki revealing a pair of papier-mâché trophies for 'Manliest Hero' to Bakugo and Nikolay together, much to their annoyance and embarrassment respectively. But while Denki and Hanta all but forced the makeshift awards to the two; Eijirou sneakily took that opportunity to present a smaller ribbon equivalent he'd convinced Momo to Create to Maja the moment she wasn't being crowded by their classmates. Despite how much her faced flushed once it clicked just what he'd presented her, she still ultimately accepted it, much to the redhead's satisfaction, and Mina's barely restrained glee as she'd been spying on the whole exchange.

Over the course of a bountiful feast, Kyouka playing her guitar to provide for an impromptu karaoke, and a multitude of other party games to pass the whole day. Throughout all of that, though, Nikolay and Mina were hardly able to take their arms off one another as they happily danced, cuddled and kissed away the last several days of loneliness they'd felt.

After all of that, it was no surprise that everyone was downright exhausted by the time the sun had gone down. With all of them thoroughly fed and relieved that no such serious business as their recent mission could possibly repeat again anytime soon, the students of 1-A happily wished each other a good night, and a readiness to face another day of school together once again, all of them more than ready for some peace and normalcy.

Even after several hours practically clamped onto one another, Nikolay and Mina were still all too hesitant to have to part ways again so soon, even if only for the night. But, with Tenya and Momo's respective authoritative calls for self-restraint and reason, the two ultimately gave in, still ultimately satisfied with the knowledge that they would be back together again first thing tomorrow.

As he began to follow Tenya and his friends into the boys' wing, Nikolay couldn't help but think to himself, a clearly impressed smile on his wildly blushing face: 'Wow, who would've thought just those several days apart would give either of us that kind of energy…or that kind of heat? I didn't think I'd have it in me at least.'

"*ahem* Kolya? Could I talk to you alone for a minute?" Oleg's voice suddenly spoke up from the front door, catching Nikolay's attention when he saw his father standing straight with what looked like a hefty manila envelope in his hands.

With Aizawa, Present Mic and Cementoss having by now taken their leave for the faculty dorms, soon it was just Nikolay and his father left in the commons area, but even still, his father urged his son to follow him outside; the crisp night air pleasant against both their skin after having worked up a sweat with all the energy of the party.

[[I was originally going to say you have no idea how much I missed you and everyone over all of this, Dad; but I knew how stupid that sounded the moment it even crossed my mind. I'm so glad we're all back together again, I was seriously scared out of my mind for a lot of it.]] Nikolay finally spoke up once his father came to a stop near some bushes lining the pathway to the dorm.

Looking back, Oleg's face was like sculpted stone, it as so deadest and serious. Seeing this, Nikolay's instinctive first response was to brace himself for another intense hug of fatherly relief from the man. Instead, Oleg knelt down so they could be at eye level again, holding up the folder in his hands, catching his son's full attention and curiosity. [[Kolya…before I say anything else, I just need to know for certain. When you said you could hear your mother's voice speaking to you during your attempts to fly to St. Petersburg…were you being absolutely honest, or was it just something you thought would make for a good story for your friends?]]

Oleg already regretted asking this when he saw the flash of incredulousness in his son's eyes. [[Of course I was being serious, Dad, why would you even ask me that? It was probably born out of how desperate I was, but I know what I heard, and it was because of that I was able to hone my Quirk to make me fly fast enough to make it in the first place. Do you really think I could've been able to think up how to do that on my own on a whim otherwise?]]

Oleg didn't answer at first, to which Nikolay let out a heavy sigh of his own regret at having answered as intensely as he had. And so, he instinctively reached under his collar and pulled out the old ring on his thin necklace, holding it up for Oleg to see in recognition. [[Honestly, the more I thought about it, the more I like to think that having this around helped as well…knowing just what it was for you and Mom…when things got to their worst, it helped me to think that you were both there with me through it all.]]

Oleg began to reach his one real hand to the dangling old heirloom, the one physical remembrance he had of his wife, only just stopping himself before his fingertip could grace its platinum edge. Retracting his hand and sucking in a shaky emotional breath, he smiled knowingly. [[Then it did its job…but make no mistake, Kolya; it was you and you alone that was able to save St. Petersburg, not that ring. You and your friends are the ones that saved the world, and don't ever let yourself think otherwise. Now, I need to know, at any other point when you were out there, either on your way to St. Petersburg, or during your battle with Marius, was there anything else you felt that you hadn't before, something you can't quite make sense of?]]

The way Nikolay averted his gaze told Oleg immediately that he had. After several moments trying to think of how to describe it, Nikolay finally answered: [[Well…yes. At one point, Mr. Khodamchuk's speech played out on the speakers in the Palace Square, and when it was all finished, I'd been laid out, practically broken everywhere…but then I felt this really weird sensation, like my body was absorbing vibrations into itself, not like it usually does, but like it was able to pick up all the minute yet collected soundwaves of the people in the city that were cheering for that speech…and afterwards, it felt like my Quirk was redirecting all those collected vibrations through my muscles and directly into my bones, as though it were keeping up that inward flow to literally hold my broken bones together so that I could be able to continue the fight. I didn't think it was possible for even my Quirk to do something like that, and I have no idea how I could be able to repeat it, if I even can.]]

As Nikolay explained all of this, Oleg's eyes slowly fell to the folder in his hands, his grip tightening around it to the point his hands were shaking. It was with the utmost self-control that had managed to stop, lest he draw his son's concern and potential questions that he couldn't begin to answer. [[I see…then it appears my old theory was at least on the right track after all.]]

[[What do you mean, Dad?]] Nikolay asked, only looking that much more confused when his father handed him the folder.

Oleg silently cursed himself for having to remain so vague from the truth as he continued: [[I must confess, Kolya, that ever since that incident you suffered with your Quirk during the Joint Training Exercise, I'd felt the need to try and find an explanation for why you would suddenly start utilizing an aspect of your power you never even tried before. Back then, you'd mentioned hearing a voice guiding you along, much like you said now with hearing your mother before figuring out how to master your flying capability. Now, with what you just described, you've given me a great deal of concrete proof.]]

[[Proof of what? You're not making any sense.]] Nikolay asked nervously, taking the folder into his hands with great hesitation.

[[Proof that, somehow, subconsciously perhaps, you're managing to somehow reach out and replicate the Quirks of some of your ancestors in ways that still directly connect to your own. That folder…I didn't know how to go about investigating the theory I'd had, so I had to ask Sir Nighteye-san to look where I couldn't, and this was what he was able to provide me with. Inside that folder is documentation of the Hero profiles and Quirks of your mother's family tree going as far back as the Georgian records survived. I had looked through it myself before, and…well, if you just take a look for yourself, you'll start to understand.]]

The way Nikolay immediately started anxiously sifting through the papers inside almost looked as though he was defying his father's words to actually start making any sense. But as Oleg simply watched in silence, it didn't take long for Nikolay's body language to calm down, as his eyes were looking over what he was seeing in the few papers clutched in his hand, clearly trying to make sense of it.

[[You see what I mean now, don't you, Kolya? The ability to well and truly fly at the speeds you described, even that amplified scream you've displayed but a couple of times, they're very much so like your mother's Wings and her Songbird's Call Special Move I still remember. Your Kinetic Gatling Special Move, it's essentially your Quirk adapting the Gatling Gun Quirk of her grandfather, the Pro Hero Quickdraw…and the way you described your Quirk managing to hold your broken bones together with enough strength to help you fight again…it sounds a lot like the Quirk of his father, a Pro Hero called Re-N-Force, because his Quirk allowed his own bones to change their density at will to where he could withstand untold amounts of punishment. I wish I knew how to explain just why it is you've been able to tap into recreating Quirks of ancestors you never even knew about…but surely you must see that, with as many times as this has happened, it can't simply be a coincidence.]]

[[But…but that just sounds insane, Dad. How is something like subconsciously tapping into replicating other people's Quirks through your own even possible? You're our history teacher, have you ever heard of anything like that happening before? Why are you even giving me this?]]

Oleg swiftly placed his hands reassuringly upon his son's shoulders, rendering Nikolay completely silent as he saw the faintest light of hope in Oleg's blue eyes. [[No, Kolya…I wish I had another answer for you, but I've never heard of something like this happening before since the advent of Quirks. The fact is, what you've managed to pull off these few times could stand to be called unprecedented, and in the world we currently live in, I don't think we can afford to just disregard the potential here. I know how intensive this must sound, but I want you to know that you have every right to choose whether or not to do this. I wanted to give you this so that you could look over all the Quirks that appeared throughout this line, and if any catch your eye as to be something you feel your Quirk could be able to replicate, if you so choose, to see if you can repeat what you've been able to do with these couple of examples as well. The more we know about what you and your Quirk are able to do going forward, the far better off I know you'll ultimately be. At least take the time you need to think about it?]]

Oleg was right about one thing: it did feel insanely heavy, just what it was he was requesting Nikolay test out for himself. The folder in his hands suddenly felt like the heaviest brick of lead the more he looked upon it, unable to deny his mind was already starting to run with curiosity as to whether or not his father's theory could be true.

For as nervous as he was, there was also a quickly growing deal of curiosity and anticipation as well. So it was with a very heavy heart and mind, that Nikolay sighed in all-around exhaustion and looked Oleg in the eye, giving the slightest nod of acceptance. [[Okay…I'll at least think about it, Dad. Thank you for finally telling me at least.]]

Those words practically stabbed Oleg through his heart, to hear his son think he was telling him the full truth, when inside the older man was cursing himself even worse for having given such a bevy of half-truths. Toshinori was certainly going to be hearing more than an earful of his anguish over this tomorrow, that was the only thing he knew for certain.

Finally getting back up to his feet, Oleg gave his son a strong but warming embrace. [[You're welcome, Kolya. I know this is scary, but just remember that whatever you choose to do with this, you won't have to brave this possible new venture alone.]]

[[I know. Thank you for saying so anyway, Dad. I…if it's all the same to you, I need to lie down after all this.]] Nikolay finally admitted. With that, and an exchange of heartfelt good night wishes and familial 'I love you's', father and son once more parted ways for the night; the young Russian feeling ready to collapse like a pile of bricks every step of the way from the mental exhaustion of just what possibilities were now literally being carried in his hands.

'Well, maybe Midoriya-san would be willing to help me brainstorm if I showed him this.'

That was about all the energy he had to think any further on the matter as he finally stepped into his dorm room, not even bothering to turn on the lights and instead simply kicking off his shoes and collapsing at last into the comfort of his bed…

…only to instantly pick up the scent of strawberries just before getting pounced upon from underneath his blankets, as Mina suddenly burst out with an excited giggle and quickly wrapped him up with her in the covers, leaving the two of them snugly embracing each other once more while rolled in the blankets like a two-person sushi roll.

As soon as Mina finally took the minute from rapidly kissing him on the lips to let them breathe, Nikolay fought through the heated flush of his cheeks enough to ask: "Wow…when you said you'd been starving to kiss and cuddle for all those days, I still didn't think you meant it this much."

He could just feel Mina was giving that familiar cheeky grin as she nuzzled her face to his, rubbing the tips of their noses together before quickly pecking his with her lips. "Nah, all our kissing at the party made up for that lost time. Now, I just wanna cuddle and kiss you here like it was any regular night."

Nikolay couldn't help but smile in silent agreement with Mina's affectionate wishes, savoring the sweet soft warmth of her lips as he kissed her back, afterwards glancing back at his window. "Please don't tell me you had to melt the lock on my window again. Yaoyorozu-san is bound to start asking questions if I ask her to Create another so soon."

The sound of Mina's amused giggle was like music to his ears as they basked in each other's warmth in these tight hugging confines. "No, don't worry, Kolya-kun. This time, your window was just unlocked. Aizawa-sensei mustn't have noticed the grips I'd melted into the wall, cause they're still there. I wasn't sure if this was a good idea or not, but…oh, I just missed being with you like this so much."

"So did I, Mina. You know, when Midoriya-san and I were on the run out there, all I wanted was to be where you were. I didn't want to say anything then, but there were some times where I honestly felt hopeless without you there with me." Nikolay admitted, running his hands along the curve of his girlfriend's back while lovingly kissing her lips in return, to her giggling delight.

"That says so much, Kolya-kun, because you still got back up and fought your way through it, with Midori-kun and on your own, and look where it's gotten you, right back at school with all of us…and with me, all in one piece, again. That's what makes you so amazing, how even when you think there's no hope, you just continue until you find or make some instead."

Nikolay couldn't deny feeling a deep warmth growing in his chest at such words, his eyes stinging with the start of tears as he gave his girlfriend another loving kiss. "I can honestly say the same for you, Mina. We'd both been so worried about interning apart from each other, and yet you were able to hold your own and save an entire country by yourself in the end. You're just as amazing to me as everyone else in our class, and you always will be."

Running her fingers through Nikolay's hair, Mina's kisses evolved from heartfelt pecks to much longer lingering smooches punctuated by the daring random inclusion of tongue; every single one sending indescribable shivers of enjoyment through both of them as they continued to cuddle and kiss in the privacy of the night. "We've all come so, so far, Kolya-kun, and I'm so proud of you. I just hope nothing like this happens again, for both our sakes. I don't ever want to feel like there's nothing I can't do to help you again."

The two young Heroes rested in silence in each other's arms for a moment; the scent of Mina's hair and the sensation of her body fully pressed up against him as they held each other, allowing Nikolay to feel how much her heart was racing, and visa versa. "That makes two of us, then…but somehow, I can't help but feel like things really will be okay for us from here on. It's just like, I don't know, a gut feeling."

With another sweet little laugh of appreciation, Mina proceeded to once more continue kissing Nikolay on the mouth over and over, every single one filled with absolutely nothing but love, just as the ones he gave her in return were. "I love you so much, Kolya-kun."

"And I love you even more, Mina." The two couldn't even be bothered to start bouncing those adorable affectionate declarations off each other in an infinite loop like couples their age were wont to do, and instead settled to simply expend what little energy they both had left on cuddling and kissing until they eventually fell fast asleep; both of them more than sure that now, things were finally going to at least start settling down, and they could just go back to regular school and internship work again.