On returning to UA, it was strange how normal everything seemed. The rainy season continued, leaving the students to rush to school under a downpour. But, that was soon made up for by seeing all of Izuku's classmates again, even the ones that were kind of jerks. Bakugo's glare had turned from disdain to outright hatred and Izuku had no idea why. Yet he didn't pay it any mind.

That was new.

After everything they had been through, that much murder in a single look would've sent Izuku scurrying for safety a month ago. Now? ... Was this what confidence felt like? What could Bakugo do? After everything at the Pussycat Agency, after everything that came before it that hadn't quite sunk in properly, he was finally starting to come to terms with it. He had to scream it over and over again. Telling himself, telling the world, shouting it at the top of his lungs, and everyone around him wishing he would believe it. He was a hero. He was strong. He was worthy. And now, he felt like he could act like it. He had every right to be here, to be living this life. He had earned his place.

Still, without the inherent fear and doubt... It was still something that would worry him. What exactly had changed to make Bakugo hate him even more than usual? He hadn't done anything. They hadn't seen each other since before the internship week, and they hadn't talked for even longer than that. Unfortunately, any attempt to find out would only make Bakugo angrier, based on prior experience. It still wasn't as scary a prospect as it used to be, it just wouldn't help that much.

In contrast, Todoroki seemed...Less angry at him than before. Maybe time and distance helped. It wasn't like he was suddenly friendly, only that he didn't care to glare anymore.

And Iida... Iida was quiet. And aloof. Izuku mentioned the message he sent, not that he was trying to be pushy, but just wanted to make sure he was okay. The taller boy smiled. It was forced. He assured Izuku he was fine.

Izuku didn't believe it for a second. He promised himself he would get to the bottom of it and find a way to help.

It would have to wait. As the rain cleared, the hero studies class was changed from an indoor lecture on on-site triage to a more active outdoor exercise. The students of 1-A gathered to get changed into their costumes.

"Ohhh...!" There was a quiet gasp from the corner of the room. "Jackpot! Thank you thank you thank you, seniors!"

Izuku glanced over as he stripped down to his boxers, seeing Mineta wiggling while bent over for some weird reason. "Mineta? What are you doing? Get changed."

"Whatever, in a second, I—!"

What the heck was he doing?

It was as Izuku moved around the side, as Mineta shifted just enough, that Izuku saw it. The hole in the wall. With the door, the hallway, then the other side of that wall would be...

With a quick snatch, Izuku picked up his smaller classmate and held him aloft. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Uh, I lost a contact!"

Izuku didn't know one way or the other if Mineta wore contacts, but that didn't matter. "The other side of that wall is the girls' locker room."

"Huh?" They were getting the attention of the others. First curiosity, then, "Wait, Mineta made a peephole?"

"I didn't make it! I just found—! I mean, I was looking for my glasses!"

"I thought you lost your contact."

"Because I was looking for my glasses!"

"Woah, there's a peephole? That's—!" Luckily for Kaminari, he managed to read the room quickly enough. "Terrible! You should be ashamed of yourself, Mineta!"

"It's not a big deal!" the tiny voyeur tried to defend his actions. "They show off most of it in their costumes anyway! And I wouldn't be looking at Jiro! It's not like your flatty has anything worth seeing, Midoriya!"

Izuku could only stare at the boy in bewilderment. "It says way too much about you that you think that counts as defending yourself." It took a second to decide what he needed to do about this. He was the deputy rep, he was responsible for Mineta in that way, and it was the only right way to handle it. "Sero, could you tape over that hole? No, wait, better idea." Kneeling down while still holding Mineta, he put the top of the boy's head against the hole, one of his sticky balls popping off and covering the hole. Not only covering it but making sure anyone who tried to remove it would get caught purple-handed.

"What the hell, Midoriya!"

"As soon as I'm dressed, we're gonna go talk to All Might about this."

"Midoriya, let me," Iida interjected, already in his full costume. He must have changed fast with how elaborate the armour was, but then, speed was his thing. "I'll take him."

Izuku smiled. "Thanks, Iida."

"Wait, wait, we don't have to get the teachers involved! It was just a look! It was just a look! I just wanted to see their boobs—!"

-(-)-

Time in the locker room had gotten stressful for Kyoka ever since she realised she was into girls. She hadn't thought about how her eyes could wander before she understood that about herself. That she had committed every pair in the girls' locker room to memory, including for 1-B during the sports festival, probably should've been a clue. But now that she knew, she felt bad looking, even incidentally. It felt like an invasion, appreciating the view when the other girls didn't know how much she liked what she saw. So she made sure to focus on herself, on changing into her own costume. It was a pretty quick process for her since most of hers was just regular clothes. Not like... Gradually rolling a bodysuit up over plentiful curves like it was for Ochako or Tsuyu.

Don't look, don't look, just get changed.

There was one girl in the locker room however, it was very easy to not look at or notice. One who already changed into her incredibly simple hero costume and was waiting for everyone else. "Wow! Wow! Kyoka, really?!" Kyoka had forgotten in her worry of perving on her classmates, there was something interesting for them to notice about her too.

But the realisation came as she felt the proximity of Hagakure, right as Kyoka was locker from her regular bra to a sports bra. "Uh!"

"What is it, Toru— Oh!" Momo joined her and quickly spotted the difference. "Oh my!"

"What's going on?" Tsuyu asked. Oh no, it was spreading. Kyoka's face burned with embarrassment as she suddenly became the centre of attention... In a room full of topless girls.

"Kyoka got her nipples pierced!" Toru answered, not noticing or maybe not caring about how flustered Kyoka was becoming.

The three who weren't aware suddenly joined the group, is in awe of her decision and barbell accessories. "That's so daring!" Mina said, peering so closely at Kyoka's modest breasts she could feel the pink girl's breath brush against her nipples. "Out to impress somebody?" she asked teasingly.

"N-Not really, I just, felt like it," Kyoka answered, blushing brightly, with nowhere safe to look while surrounded by beautiful girls.

"Did it hurt?" Tsuyu asked.

"Uh, yeah, a little." She had fantasised about all of them and now they were crowding her like this, all staring at her tits! She swallowed, tried to keep her wits about her, tried to keep her eyes above the neckline. "They're fine now though. Just a little sensitive."

Momo hummed in consideration. "I should probably be saying something disapproving as the class representative... But whatever style suits you is something you should pursue!"

It was nice to hear, but did she have to bounce while saying that?! It was impossible not to look! They were huge and... And... "Uh, thanks Momo."

"C-Can I touch?"

If it was anyone other than Ochako who asked, she would have said no just out of guilt. But, "I guess."

And so her cute and cuddly sort of girlfriend reached out a hand to gently touch the small piece of metal, then hold it more firmly as she carefully manipulated it. "Wow, they're so neat!"

"Hah..." A slight breath, not quite a gasp.

The sound triggered Ochako's realisation of the greater context of this. That they weren't just friends and she was playing with her— "S-Sorry!" The blushing girl quickly backed off.

Only for Mina and Momo to move in and play with them instead. "Wow, they're so cute! And just a little bit dangerous..." Mina murmured as she twisted and teased the piercing, and naturally the nipple it was running through. Momo likewise gripping the other and gently pulling it.

"Ah-hah, n-not so rough! Nn!" As she 'suffered' under their curious play, Kyoka couldn't decide whether the piercings were the best or worst snap decision she ever made. "A-Ah!"

Best. Definitely best.

-(-)-

"Iida! Come on! Midoriya is a total narc but you wouldn't do this to me, right?! You're a guy, right?!"

The young man in full armour sighed under his mask. Did Mineta forget what they were studying to become, complaining about wanting to inform the authorities of wrongdoing? "I am, yes."

"Then you know how it is!" Mineta continued, not catching the weary and unimpressed tone, or maybe choosing to ignore it. "You've never wanted to take a peek and see what the girls have going on?"

"No, I haven't."

"Asexual, huh?" the smaller of the two grunted in dissatisfaction and... Mild disdain. Tenya wasn't asexual, but correcting him on that point wouldn't make much difference. "Look, for most guys we just wanna see naked girls sometimes! That's perfectly natural! Girls are amazing! How could I not want to gaze upon their beautiful bodies and fantasise about getting sandwiched between Momo's huge jugs?!"

Ugh. "No one cares that you want to," the armoured hero student tried to explain, tried to hold in his frustration. "The issue is your inability to control yourself, demonstrating a pattern of conduct that is unbecoming of a hero—!"

"Who are you to talk about what a hero is?"

Iida gasped inside his mask at the unwanted memory. The condemnation from the worst person he had ever met that still managed to crawl into his mind, nest there, a festering blot on his self-image. He wasn't perfect, but he knew what a hero was!

Mineta continued on, unheeding and unaware of the turmoil of the one carrying him. Instead, he took the hesitation as an indication that his words were getting through. "Come onnnn! Don't you know what the bro code is?!" He waxed lyrical about the bonds of brotherhood for a good long while as Iida tried to calm down. "We should be sticking together, not trying to tear each other down!"

Shaking his head and taking a steadying breath, Iida continued walking. "I see. Then in the name of solidarity with our classmates, perhaps I should take you to speak with the girls then. See what they have to say."

The smug needling disappeared, replaced with panic even greater than before. "What?! No! No way! Th-they'd beat my balls off!"

"And you didn't consider that they would feel that disgusted and violated by your behaviour until now? That they would be pushed to violent reprisal, exact their vengeance-"

"He was a great hero!" More, more words, not from that monster, but his own coming back to haunt him. "I'll avenge my brother, I'll kill you!" Words from... From a different monster.

"Is that so? In that case..."

No! He, he couldn't think about that now! "In that case... I'd... Better take you to All Might as I first intended. All Might will know what to do."

"Only All Might is worthy!"

"Iida, Iida please!" Gone was the smugness. Gone was the weak and self-serving defense. Gone was the mild panic, replaced with a deep and seemingly genuine panic. Tearful, snot-nosed, and desperate. "I don't, I don't want All Might to think I'm a creep! Please! Please don't!"

"Please!" The sound of metal on metal, the whine of a serrated blade gliding free of its sheathe. The heavy boots striking the ground. The helpless screams. No, no no no, no, stop, not now, not that, stop it! "Please don't! PLEASE!"

"STOP!"

Suddenly, he came back to his senses. Not in an alleyway with a monster. Instead carrying a formerly wailing boy to the nearest authority. Mineta had fallen silent at the sudden shout but looked just as pitiful as before, tears and snot still running freely.

"Stop... Begging," the hero student covered for his own slip. "If you feel shame now, you should have felt shame before you attempted it in the first place. You have no one to blame but yourself."

He had no one to blame but himself.

They arrived at where their hero studies class was to take place far earlier than the assigned time. The Iida family's Engine quirk saw to that. It was surprising how flustered All Might seemed to be when they arrived, however. Appearing out of a cloud of smoke, clearing his throat awkwardly. "Ah, young Iida and Mineta! You're here early, and young Mineta isn't even in costume yet!"

Mineta shot Iida one last pleading look, but he remained unmoved. "It seems Midoriya caught Mineta attempting to spy on the girls through a peephole while they were changing. He claims he didn't make it himself, merely found it. I offered to bring him here so that an appropriate punishment could be handed down for this disgraceful behaviour."

"Hm, I see..." The greatest hero's booming voice was restrained, considering, taking the situation in with appropriate gravity. "Young Mineta, this is a troubling pattern for you. I know Eraserhead had issues with your poor performance and you resolved that enough to satisfy him, but this is another matter entirely. What do you have to say for yourself?"

"I-I'm sorry, sir!" the voyeur sobbed, "I won't do it again, I promise!"

"If this were the first time I might have believed that, but as I said, this is a pattern. In my classes you have spent more time staring at the girls than truly participating. I can only conclude you are not taking your education or your future status as a hero seriously. I want you to know how deeply disappointed I am, young Mineta." Iida could understand Mineta's fears entirely. Hearing the symbol of all that was good and righteous in the world feeling shame on your behalf, it would be crushing. "In that case, there's nothing for it. Sorry to impose further upon you, young Iida, but if you could take him to see the principal! I'll call ahead so they know to expect you! Then come right back here. Understood?"

"Understood, sir."

"But I didn't even get to see anythiiiiing!" Mineta wailed as he was once again carried away, this time toward the main school building at high speed. "Iida, you're a bastard! Traitor! Can't even have someone's back! You're the worst!"

It was rich hearing that from Mineta, for so many reasons. Condemnations for doing the right thing from someone in the wrong. Condemnations for doing the wrong thing from someone so much worse. You're the worst. You're not a real hero. You're a bastard. You can't even help someone while they beg and plead and...

Yes. It was rich coming from Mineta. Because they were in complete agreement even if it was for completely different reasons.

Not every student or member of staff was currently in class. There were several out and about in the halls for one reason or another. Including the teacher for their own class. "Iida, you should be—" Aizawa started, only to notice the other boy. "Why are you carrying Mineta under your arm?"

"No no no no," Mineta whimpered quietly.

"All Might asked me to take him to see Principal Nezu."

The lackadaisical teacher's eyes narrowed in concern and accusation at the smaller boy. "Any particular reason?" he asked.

... There was no reason to actively make things worse on his own recognizance. "I'm sure that Principal Nezu will inform you if he deems it necessary, sir."

Glancing between the two, the teacher frowned. "Suit yourself. But that didn't really answer my question."

"It didn't, sir?"

"Why are you carrying him under your arm?"

Under his helmet, Iida opened his mouth to give the answer... Only to realise he didn't really have one. "I apologise, Mister Aizawa!" he said instead as he hurriedly put his luggage down. "It seemed like the thing to do. It made sense in the circumstances in which I first picked him up!"

"No it didn't!" Mineta complained sullenly. Aizawa grunted in acknowledgement and dismissal, entering one the classroom for 3-E and shutting the door behind him.

"Oh my, how dreadful!" Walking down the nearly empty hallway was a small rodent-like marsupial with white fur, wearing a fitted suit. "I thought I would come down and meet you two partway to allow Tenya to return to his class faster. It seems one of our hero students has brought some trouble upon himself, hasn't he Minoru?"

Mineta said nothing. There wasn't much to say at this point.

Principal Nezu sighed in disappointment. "Very well, we can discuss it in my office. Go on ahead please, I will be with you shortly."

Mineta walked past the head of the school like he was marching toward his own execution, dragging his feet with every step. "Was there something you needed from me, sir? Did All Might inform you of the circumstances?"

"Oh yes, he told me what you told him. Terrible business and deeply disappointing coming from a hero student who was finally showing some promise."

"I see, then, may I ask what you needed, sir?" There was no other reason for him to send Mineta ahead instead of walking him to his office.

The hyper-intelligent animal leapt up to sit in the windowsill overlooking the campus. "If I'm going to talk to one of the troubled students of this school, I thought I might talk to another. How are you managing after your experience?"

They told him. Of course they told him. They probably told the whole staff. Maybe he was lucky this was only the first time one decided to pull him aside over it. "I've put the incident behind me." That was the answer he wanted to hear. That was what his family told him to do. That was what Tensei told him to do.

"Is that so? Is that why you're wearing your helmet?"

"It's... Part of my costume."

"And yet you haven't worn it to a single one of your heroics classes since the very first one. I understand why. It's quite restrictive, especially in terms of vision. For someone who can travel and react at such high speed, a full range of vision must be a high priority." The principal smiled up at him. "Our students often make such oversights in designing their initial costumes. It's why we invest so heavily into our support course to help correct such issues quickly!"

"I'll have to ask about improvements then. If you'll excuse me, sir—"

"Do you think it would have felt good?" the principal asked as Iida turned to leave. "Getting what you wanted that night?"

The boy stiffened. "I don't know what you're referring—"

"I didn't achieve this position by being ignorant, Tenya. I'm not here to judge you. I want my students to excel, to succeed, and this... It will hang over you for a long time to come."

"... I know." Of course he knew. He had a permanent reminder. "Here I am sending someone to judgement for his actions. It's time I faced mine. Please, do as you will, sir." If he were expelled... It would be for the best. He deserved worse.

"So earnest." Despite the severity, Nezu kept smiling at him. "I said I'm not here to judge you. This Stain, he wants any heroes who stumble to be discarded. But if we did that, there wouldn't be very many heroes at all, would there?" The smile turned sad as the creature looked out to the horizon. "Wanting vengeance for the pain caused to you and those you love, it's natural. I imagine Stain himself bears such a burden even if he wouldn't admit it. But if that feeling makes a hero unworthy, then so too am I. As I said, it's a burden you'll carry for a long time to come." His head turned upward and to the side, to meet the eyes of the helmet Iida hid behind. "Do you still want to be a hero?"

He... "Yes..." The word was weak and choked out. "Yes of course I do, but—"

"Then you must learn to be one! That's all there is to it!" Nezu's voice was bright, impossibly bright and cheerful for what sounded like a lie. "Some are born with the instincts of a hero, some have to learn. But whether you are or not, you can still fail when confronted with the harshest test. You've been tested Tenya, far earlier than many. But if being a hero is what you want, whether it be to honour your family, your brother, or for yourself, don't let this be the end. Don't let Stain take another hero this way. Be better than him. Prove him wrong. It won't be a satisfying vengeance, but it's all a hero can allow himself."

There wasn't much made public about the head of UA. Nezu wasn't a complete mystery, but he was a figure very few understood. The best that could be said was that he was recognised as the most capable overseer the school had ever had. Sometimes treated as a frighteningly intelligent and perceptive man. Iida felt the entirety of that as he listened to Nezu speak, not just with common wisdom or the appropriate sentiments for polite society... But the truth. Understanding. When he said he understood the desire for vengeance, Iida believed him utterly, despite Nezu never letting his smile slip even once. "I understand, sir," he said as he bowed low. "Thank you for your advice."

"I take pride in helping all of my students however I can!" declared the mouse, or bear, or possibly dog. "And Tenya, a burden shared is a burden halved. Don't assume you need to carry all of this alone."

He remembered a message he received. A message he had ignored as he wallowed in his despair and failure. "... Yes, sir."

-(-)-

As the day closed, Izuku felt a mix of happiness and sadness at once. The return of his old routine was a soft separation from the routine he had only just begun to grow used to. Even if he wouldn't see the Pussycats again for a long while, he, and they, would still have the memories of his time with them.

And so Izuku let it settle in. Let himself settle in, back to being a student of UA as he passed through the academy gates to head home.

"Midoriya!"

"Huh? Iida!" Izuku said in surprise as he turned. The taller boy, his first male friend at UA, had been a little distant today. He had hoped to push through that, make sure he was okay, but... "Hey! Did you need something?"

"Uh, yes, I... I was hoping we could talk, if you have the time."

"Of course!"

He didn't want to talk then and there, and so they moved away from the school into the surrounding town, to a nearby Smile Burger.

"I... Thank you," Iida said the moment they sat down, not moving an inch toward his food. "For checking in with me last week. I wasn't in a fit state to receive such a sentiment then. But I'm grateful to have someone at UA who cared enough to offer it."

"Iida, we're friends! Of course I care." Still, that didn't mean Izuku had much experience comforting a friend. "Do you wanna talk about it?"

"I... I do, yes. Though I'm afraid you'll think less of me if I do. You see, when you messaged me after the most recent attack by Stain... It was kept out of the media reporting for my sake, but... I was there."

-(-)-

A/N: This chapter seen early by my generous supporters on THE GREAT FORBIDDEN P! FEAR THE P! LOVE THE P!