In Class 1-M's dormitory...
Gabriel stayed behind to clean things up around the dormitory. Everyone was staying at Class 1-A's dormitory for the night. He remembered spotting Adrien, and he looked so happy to be hanging out with friends. Something about it seemed like something he wouldn't have ever noticed back in Paris. Something told him that's how things always were when he wasn't around. The way he seemed to fit in with everyone even though he's a sentimonster made him realize that he fit in better here than he expected.
Then again, this place was full of quirks that came in all different shapes and sizes.
He still couldn't believe that his son was actually fitting in here. What bothered him so much had nothing to do with leaving Japan. It had to do with the fact that his son seemed to like it here. He wanted him to be happy, that's all he truly ever wanted. Once he helped Midoriya out with his Miraculous and helped heal Adrien's ring, something about this place didn't seem so bad.
If anything, he didn't mind it.
Here, Adrien could actually be happy and be with friends and classmates that accepted as a sentimonster.
He looked down at his arm and felt it itching pretty badly. It felt like it was getting worse. He wondered if Marinette had any sort of recipe or maybe the grimiore had something that could help heal it. He wanted to be there for Adrien, but something kept getting in the way. He knew that Adrien didn't trust him. He wondered if he could still help in some way, just so that Adrien knew that he still cared about him.
Gabriel finished cleaning the dishes, and soon AllMight came walking through the kitchen. He had pajamas on and headed over to the kitchen to make a cup of coffee. He quietly got it ready, which made things a little awkward for him. AllMight didn't really say anything, so he kept cleaning whatever was dirty.
"So Adrien went to Class 1-A's dormitory, huh? I heard that they're throwing a sleepover for them," AllMight said to him, "Something about them going home soon. Apparently the portal is working."
Gabriel stopped cleaning, not expecting anything like that to come out of his mouth. Something about it bothered him for some reason. He looked up to face AllMight as he got his coffee ready.
"Melissa told me. She's been working on it for a while now," AllMight explained to him, "I thought maybe someone told you. But I guess they might not fully trust you at the moment."
"Yeah. Probably not," Gabriel said back.
Gabriel still couldn't believe this. They were going home. Adrien was going home. Something about it bothered him. He wanted to be happy, but seeing him actually fitting in with this Japan made him realize how great of a place this is. Adrien could actually live a normal life here, or at least in a way that made sense to him. They all seemed to look out for him in ways that Gabriel couldn't.
They all had quirks that were just as unique and different as him.
He clenched his fists, feeling a little frustrated. He tried to calm down and soon felt himself slump his shoulders in defeat.
"AllMight..." Gabriel said to him, "Do you really think Adrien will go back to Paris?"
AllMight seemed a bit thrown off by this question. Gabriel could barely look at him, but he could tell that he was contemplating on what to tell him.
"Well, Adrien does seem to like it here," AllMight said to him, "He fits in really well here. All of the students seem to take a liking to him pretty quickly. They even seem to look out for one another. I know things are complicated between you two, but I always thought that he'd leave with Marinette and his teammates. He seems to really care about Marinette very much."
Gabriel wasn't mad about that answer. If anything, he wished that things were different between him and Adrien.
"Adrien. He's always been special and different from everyone else back in Paris," Gabriel said to him, "But here... It's so different. He can fit in better here. Something about this place just seems like something he's always even if I've never noticed it before. He even seems to have friends that are looking out for him in ways that I never could as a father. It just seems like I'm getting in the way of him doing great things."
AllMight's eyes widened in shock, and Gabriel knew that things between them were never going to go back to normal. He wanted to, but the only thing he could do was help him in any way that he could. His arm itched a lot as he tried to stop himself from scratching it.
"You know..." AllMight said to him, "I can tell that you do care about your son. I never thought that you didn't. All you ever wanted was for him to be happy, even if it wasn't your best intentions. I think if you had more time to talk to him, you'd actually be able to understand him better. He's a kid. All he wants to be accepted as he is. He's a pretty skilled fighter and knows his way around a baton. If he stayed here longer, I really think that he could be an even stronger and smarter hero. He could even help a lot of people that need saving."
Gabriel's eyes widened and looked at AllMight. He had given him a mug of coffee as well. He smiled at him, and Gabriel accepted it.
"For a retired Symbol of Peace, you're pretty wise," Gabriel said to him, "Maybe you're exactly what my son needs. Someone that's done all of those things before him. Adrien can be pretty stubborn at times if you haven't noticed. He just doesn't know when to quit. Sometimes he reminds me of Emilie."
"Your wife...?" AllMight said back as he took a sip of his coffee.
"Yeah... Emilie..." Gabriel said as he stared at his coffee, "She knew how to deal with him way more than me. I'd say she raised him more than I ever could. That's probably why he's so much like her. I guess that's why it was so hard for me to around him all the time. Why I gave him so many things for him to do. So I wouldn't have to see him all the time."
AllMight stood there listening to every word. Gabriel couldn't even believe what he had done. Adrien was Cat Noir, and he never even realized it. All this time, he was fighting his own son. He never would've guessed that Adrien was one of Parisian's heroes. All he ever wanted was to make him happy and be a family again with him and Emilie. Now that things were different, he didn't know what he wanted.
Surprisingly, he barely even thought about Ladybug and Cat Noir's Miraculous once he helped Midoriya and Adrien. In that moment, all he wanted was to help them. Even when Midoriya was in trouble, it reminded of him what Emilie went through. He didn't want the same thing to happen to Midoriya, so he knew that he had to do something.
"AllMight. You're close with Izuku, right?" Gabriel asked him, "I know that One for All is special, but what was it about him that got you to notice him? I mean, you did give him your quirk after all."
AllMight looked at him and noticed that he seemed to be contemplating on some rather important.
"Well, Young Midoriya was quirkless when I met him," AllMight said back, "Even though he didn't have a quirk, he had the drive to become a hero. Something about him just seemed like the right choice at the time. He even helped save Young Bakugo from villain back then. No one had the right kind of quirk to help him, but he ran in there anyway to save his friend. He moved without thinking, even he couldn't do a whole lot. It inspired me to help save Young Bakugo, and soon enough I helped train to give him One for All."
Gabriel stood there and took a sip of his coffee. Something about Midoriya seemed a little similar to what Adrien would do if he were in that sort of situation. He didn't know why, but he could picture Adrien being the same way. He always cared about others and looked out for his friends, or at least he just started noticing that.
"You could say that he's a bit wreckless because of that," Gabriel said back, "Giving him One for All seems like he could've made things worse for him if you weren't careful. I mean, if he's never a quirk before, it could've been a diaster."
AllMight wasn't expecting him to even bring those things up. They shared a look for a moment, but Gabriel wasn't suspicious or judging him. He was just making conversation with him. AllMight let out a sigh and took a sip of his coffee.
"Yeah. You're probably right," AllMight said back, "It could've gone pretty bad, but luckily Young Midoriya was determined to prove himself that he could wield this kind of power. He worked really hard and kept going at it. Soon enough, he was ready and has been improving ever since then. I'd say Marinette and your son have also really helped him improve a lot as well. He really has become better at working with others because of them."
Gabriel and AllMight were quiet for a while as they drank their coffee.
Something about sharing coffee with AllMight made Gabriel feel more relaxed. He could tell that AllMight didn't mind having this moment with him, even if they were enemies at one point. He knew that things were settling down, but they were leaving soon. Gabriel felt his arm getting itchy and tried to keep it away from AllMight. He didn't want him to notice it, but it was pretty bothersome.
AllMight drank the rest of coffee and put the mug in the sink. He was about to leave, when he stopped to look at him. Gabriel noticed him looking down at his arm, and he pulled the shirt down so he wouldn't notice it.
"Gabriel. I may not know you very well, but I do that your son deserves to make his own decisions," AllMight said to him, "If you just have a moment to talk to him, you'd be surprised at how much you'll learn from him. Me and Young Midoriya weren't close at first, but after training him and helping him become a better hero, I started to see him as a son I've always wanted. You actually have an amazing son you works really hard. Don't waste this opportunity before any of you go home."
Gabriel's eyes widened in shock, surprised that he even told him how he felt about Midoriya. AllMight left the common room, leaving Gabriel alone to think about what to do next.
After talking to AllMight, he knew what he had to do.
For his son.
In Class 1-A's dormitory...
Lila knew what she had to do. The portal was fixed, and everyone was excited to leave. Melissa had just shown up to announce to everyone that Marinette and her teammates could finally leave soon. Something about it bothered Lila as they all cheered and hugged each other. She sat there, watching them celebrate their big win.
She didn't understand why she was upset or annoyed at this relevation. She wanted to leave, just to get away from everyone. Then once they found out that they were leaving sooner than expected, something about felt like she needed more time. Or at least felt like she had some unfinished business to take care of.
She didn't know, but she soon felt herself drawn to Bakugo's Miraculous for a moment. It glinted in the light as everyone cheered for Marinette and her teammates. Bakugo hugged Chloe, but she was more excited for her friends. Lila wondered why that was the case, but didn't think any of it. Lila stared at Bakugo's Miraculous, and she knew what she had to do.
Midoriya's eyes locked onto her, and she tried to stay calm. He seemed to know what was going on as she stared back at him. She kept the Fox Miraculous in her pocket, knowing full well that it was part of the plan. Something about the portal being open and leaving soon felt weird to her. She felt like she didn't want everyone to be cheering like this.
After what happened with Midoriya in the hallways, she felt like things were not playing out the way she wanted them to. Midoriya tried to stop her from causing trouble, but something about it bothered her. She didn't like people telling her what to do, but when it came Midoriya, something about it felt different from the others.
She felt like he somewhat understood her and where she was coming from. He even knew something about her that she's never told anyone before. She didn't even mean to tell him, it just sort of happened. He was the only one that was trying to get to know her, no one even cared enough to talk to her.
Something about that gave a feeling that she had never felt before.
Once everyone settled down, they all sat around the coffee table to eat more snacks and drinks. They all talked and shared stories that happened in Paris and here at U.A. Lila barely paid attention as she narrowed in on Bakugo's Miraculous. Lila grabbed some popcorn and made it seem like she was somewhat interested in this sleepover. She wondered how she might be able to get that Miraculous away from someone like Bakugo. His quirk came from his hands, so she couldn't exactly pickpocket him.
She would have to wait until he's asleep.
"So, tell us what the Sports Festival was like," Chloe said to them, "It sounds like a lot of fun!"
"Yeah. It was," Midoriya said to them, "First there was a race through an obstacle course to the finish line. That was a bit tougher than you'd think."
"Oh please. That obstacle course was so easy," Bakugo said back, "I flew through it so quickly that no one else could keep up."
"Really? Did you win?" Chloe asked him with a knowing look.
Bakugo's face looked a little red from embarrassment and didn't say anything, confirming her suspicions.
"No... I got third place..." Bakugo growled out.
Chloe gave him some support by placing her hand on his arm. A few others laughed at him, making him give them a piercing glare. They backed off, and soon went back to their conversation.
"Who got first place?" Marinette asked them, "I could see Tenya winning an obstacle course."
"It wasn't me. I couldn't beat the course in time to get first place," Iida explained to them as he adjusted his glasses, "It was actually Midoriya that beat both Todoroki and Bakugo to the finish line."
Class 1-M were all shocked and stared at him. Even Lila was slightly interested and noticed him blushing a little from embarrassment.
"W-Well, I-I just tried to wait for the right moment to use my quirk. I didn't even really do anything special," Midoriya said back, "It's a lot sheer luck during the obstacle course. If anything, I wouldn't have gone for first place if I had known what was to come."
"Yeah. The calavary battle was a bit much," Uraraka told them, "Everyone had points based on what place they took during the obstacle course. Since Izuku was in first place, he kind of got ten million..."
"Ten million?!" Class 1-M cried out in unison.
"Wow! I'm sure everyone was after your team during that battle," Adrien said to them, "What happened?"
Lila noticed Midoriya looking at Todoroki for a moment. Something about them had a moment, and she knew that they fought during the calavary battle. She didn't really care one way or another, but she was somewhat interested in Midoriya's side of the story.
"Well, me and Todoroki kind of faced off against each other," Midoriya explained to them.
"Yeah. It was pretty intense," Uraraka explained to them with sweat drop around her forehead.
"It was definitely something that I wasn't expecting, I'll give it that," Tokoyami said to them, "But we will able to stay in the game after Iida and Todoroki took Midoriya's points."
"Really? Iida, you took Midoriya's points from him?" Melissa pointed out, "You must've used Recipro Turbo to grab it from him, right?"
"Actually, I did," Iida said back with a slight blush across his face, "It was the only way to grab it from them."
"Bakugo even took a lot of points from Monoma's team," Kirishima pointed out, "You should've seen him. He really went at him when Monoma took his headband."
"I've gotta admit, it was kind of fun being on Bakugo's team," Ashido said to them, "He did call me Raccoon Eyes though. That wasn't very nice."
Bakugo felt a slight blush form across his face and tried to wave it off like it was nothing. Chloe gave him a dirty look after hearing him call Ashido Raccoon Eyes. Something about it made everyone laugh, which made Bakugo even more red in the face. Chloe tried to calm him down, and Bakugo soon cooled off as she wrapped her arm around his.
Lila stared at his Miraculous and didn't take her eyes off of it. They talking about the tournament, but Lila soon stopped paying attention to it. She knew that Bakugo wasn't taking it off any time soon. Him and Chloe were still pretty close as they talked to everyone. Bakugo didn't seem like someone who would be interested in any of these kinds of things. She looked at Chloe and knew that things were different between both of them.
His Kwamis and others were excited to finally have some snacks. They all flew around, grabbing whatever they wanted. She could tell that Trixx really wanted to join them. Lila commanded to them to stay hidden. She couldn't let this Kwami give away herself.
She knew what to do as things soon settled down.
Another amazing chapter!
This was an interesting chapter to write! I really wanted Gabriel to have a moment with AllMight. I feel like with the way things are going with Adrien and Gabriel, I definitely wanted there to be a moment between them. I love that it's gotten to the point where they're just talking. Nothing more than that. It's kind of fun to see how things turned out with them. Also, I love AllMight admitting that he sees Midoriya as a son! It's just so wholesome!! Something is definitely going on with Gabriel...
Now for Lila... I wanted to have her plan something, I didn't know what at first. But I think it's coming together better now. With things going on with Bakugo, Midoriya and Lila, I wanted something to happen with that whole dymanic. She was always planning on taking Bakugo's Miraculous, but she didn't why. But now things are starting to unfold and finding out the portal changed things a bit...
What's going to happen next??
More to come soon!
