The aftermath of the villain attack was a complicated affair. The first priority for the arriving hero UA staff was to secure all of the students and make sure they were safe. That didn't mean it was the end for the students though. As the police arrived, as the villains left behind by their leader were rounded up, the afternoon wore on with each student giving their statement to the police while the events were fresh in their minds.
It was a little odd for Tsukauchi when he talked to Midoriya and Jiro, the girl still wrapped around the boy. But it was a stressful situation so he wasn't going to raise a fuss about a girl seeking comfort from her boyfriend, or vice-versa. Ah, young love!
But when that was all handled, the students were allowed to leave the facility, carefully steered away from the parade of police vehicles being loaded with villains, and instead toward their school buses. It was only then that Izuku remembered he was Momo's deputy and he should be directing his classmates with her.
But as he moved to do just that, "Hey, Jiro? Are you planning on boarding the bus like that?" Hagakure asked.
"Like what?" the punk girl asked, face side by side with Izuku's.
"You're still, umm..." The invisible girl's gloved hand moved to direct attention to where the two were joined.
Jiro's face quickly flushed red. "Oh! Right, I totally forgot!"
"Ah, me too!" Izuku agreed as they worked to peel apart.
Both were lying. She had forgotten more than once but had also remembered more than once any time she felt Izuku's muscles flex beneath her. In truth she felt... Comfortable. And if she were capable of being so honest, he made her feel safe despite his habit of jumping into danger. And on Izuku's part, he never forgot. But telling a cute girl to stop rubbing herself on him was the last thing he was going to do. He wondered if he should give Mineta and Kaminari less of a hard time.
Especially Kaminari. From what he'd heard, it seemed Kaminari might be another person like the one All Might described so long ago. A natural hero.
As Jiro stumbled slightly at the forceful separation and stood on solid ground, her feet moved her closer to Izuku again, her fingers twitching toward his hand, but she stopped herself.
"Man, you've been carrying Jiro all afternoon?!" Kirishima asked with a grin, "That's pretty impressive, man! What kind of workouts do you do?"
"Ah, I mean we should really get everyone on the bus first. Maybe on the ride back."
"I'll hold you to it! I'm gonna get your secrets, deputy rep!"
-(-)-
Shota Aizawa ached all over. Recovery Girl had told him he shouldn't go back to teaching classes so quickly. Even as it stood his head was wrapped in bandages, the stitches around his elbow from the skin graft were still tender. But he knew he had to come back. None of the kids were seriously hurt in the USJ incident, thanks be to whatever miracle allowed that to happen. But that was only for the physical. What the kids were going through mentally was another story.
Looking over the class and seeing the state of Kaminari, he knew he made the right choice. He needed to show them there was no stopping. That no matter how serious things got, they could bounce back. A little extra pain on his part to get that message across was a small price to pay. A lot of would-be heroes didn't have to learn this lesson until much later in their careers and it was usually a make-or-break moment for them. His class got it so early each and every one of them could really be something special one day.
"Your trials aren't over."
The initial panic. More than one student rose from their desk in alarm.
"The UA Sports Festival is coming up."
His students often thought he was cruel and maybe sometimes he could see it. But this? Just a tension breaker, if a carefully framed one. Being a hero doesn't stop. The hardest day of your life could be followed by an important press conference where you have to put on a show of everything being fine. Aizawa didn't have to deal with that often by his own choice. He chose a different direction for his own career, one where he wouldn't be able to put on a pleasant mask for the public at the drop of a hat.
Quickly the class began gushing about the upcoming festival, babbling about how they were going to show off. He quieted them long enough to give more details and remind them what was at stake for them. It was as he was telling them to get ready for the first class of the day that he was interrupted.
"Mister Aizawa?" Midoriya.
"What is it? Make it quick."
"I was just wondering about making changes to my costume and how I do that? I noticed when we were fighting that I don't have many ranged options. I hadn't really thought about it when designing my costume since I thought I'd be a rescue hero but now that I've–"
The kid apparently didn't know what 'make it quick' meant. Still, he had a good mindset. "Enough. It's good that you're thinking ahead, looking at what you couldn't do and trying to find ways to make up for that. That goes for all of you," he added, casting his eyes over the whole class. "Take the lessons you learned and apply them to the future. It's the best way you can move forward. That said," his eyes returned to Midoriya, "UA has a policy of having students from the support course design equipment for hero students. Normally I'd point you in their direction but they'll be busy preparing for the Sports Festival as well. Since you can't use your costume or support gear in the festival anyway just put it out of your mind for now. Focus on what you can do on your own. Revisit it when the festival is over, okay?"
"Yes sir."
"Good. Biology is up first so get your things ready before Midnight gets here."
-(-)-
Izuku was happy that his idol and mentor invited him to eat lunch together. Though it was a little unusual. In the past, All Might had been careful to keep it quiet that he had taken on the frizzy-haired boy as his successor. Then suddenly he made it clear they had a closer relationship than anyone knew, in front of other students no less.
But still, it was good to see him again where they could speak openly. Izuku had been worried about his mentor after the USJ incident. It had been a close call with those villains. If he hadn't told Jiro to blast the hand guy again they might have tried attacking All Might when he was weak. Instead they were distracted long enough for the teachers to arrive and force a retreat.
"I wanted to let you know," All Might sighed in his weakened form, "After the USJ, One for All is starting to leave me. I'm down to less than an hour of hero work a day."
"I'm so sorry, All Might."
"Don't be," the symbol of peace waved off the apology softly, "I knew this would happen when I chose you as my successor. I've made my peace with it. It had to happen eventually." And if he lost that power for the sake of protecting the next generation of heroes, well that was what One for All was about in the first place, wasn't it? "Soon there'll come a day where it will leave me completely. And on that day it'll be up to you to carry the torch."
Izuku's fists clenched at the thought of it. A world without All Might. He didn't think he was ready at all. And from three hours down to less than one in so short a time? Was there any way he could be ready so soon?
"But let's talk about something else," the hero changed the subject abruptly, "We don't get to talk much. And I'm curious about that girl you had hanging off of you at the USJ. Young Jiro, right? I didn't think you were the type to move so quickly with how you're in your own head all the time."
Izuku gaped at his idol. Was All Might really trying to gossip with him?! And what he was saying! "N-N-No, it's not like that at all! I-I mean Kyoka is nice and all but–"
All Might let out a bark of laughter that spit up blood. "First name basis already! You do work fast!"
"NO!" Izuku denied, blushing furiously. "I mean, I mean yes but we just got stuck together because of my quirk. It just happened... And then we figured out it worked out well with her being able to attack from a distance."
"I bet that was a shock to have a girl plastered over you like that. Japanese culture frowns on that kind of thing. Standards are much looser in the west."
"It's actually kind of worrying," Izuku admitted. "It just shows me how much more work I have to do to get control of One for All, and of my own quirk if I can't even turn it off. Did you ever have any problems like this, All Might?"
All Might hummed in thought, slumping as he dangled his hands between his legs. "I didn't, but then I was quirkless before my mentor chose me as her successor."
"You were quirkless, All Might?!" Izuku asked, shocked at the idea that his hero had ever been powerless.
"Yeah," he answered easily. "It's like I told you the day we met. Being a hero isn't about having an amazing power, it's the instinct to act when faced with people in peril. My mentor saw I had that, same as I saw you had it." He let that sink into the boy's mind for a few seconds. It let him collect his thoughts for his own answer to the boy's problem, or at least the best one he could give. "I didn't have a quirk before One for All, but my mentor did. I don't think she ever had any kind of problem like yours. Otherwise I'd've probably heard some funny story about her not being able to keep her feet on the ground." At his successor's confused look he added, "Her quirk let her float."
"Oh," Izuku uttered, getting the joke. "So... What do I do? If I can't get close to a pretty girl without sticking to her that'll be a real problem doing any kind of hero work. Or even during the sports festival."
"Well," All Might leaned back, "You've got two problems. The physical enhancement of One for All is too much for you to use fully. Your body can't handle it. That will fix itself in time as you build yourself up physically and your body gets used to the raw power. But your enhanced quirk, there's nothing physical about that, is there?"
"A little?" Izuku hedged, "It helps sometimes if I use gestures, like I'm actually pulling something towards me. My mom does the same with her quirk."
"But you don't need to," All Might clarified, to which the boy nodded. "Maybe that's the problem. It's just the opposite of needing to use a gesture." A thought suddenly struck the veteran hero. "Do you still have problems with hot objects getting stuck to you?"
"Not really, no," Izuku admitted, mind already puzzling out how that applied to his problem. What was different between that and getting stuck to Jiro.
Unfortunately for him, the suddenly buff All Might had it figured out. "HaHA! I believe I have pinned down your issue, young Midoriya!" he announced with a grin sharper than his usual.
The green-haired boy was astounded! But of course his idol would be able to figure it out! "What is it, All Might?"
"Young Midoriya, you can't turn off your quirk... Because you don't want to turn it off!" he proclaimed with absolute certainty.
"Wh-wh-wha?!" the boy stammered, suddenly red-faced again though he didn't consciously know why.
"Young man, you are in the prime of your young life! Discovering the beauty and majesty of the fairer sex! It only makes sense that when a pretty girl is touching you, you don't want her to stop!"
"Th-That can't be right!" the boy denied! He wasn't Mineta! He wasn't!
"It is nothing to be ashamed of, young Midoriya! A beautiful woman is admired and coveted by any man!" His grin faltered slightly as he corrected, "Any heterosexual man, that is. Have you had this problem with any of your male classmates?"
"No?!" Thinking back to the fight with Kacchan in the battle training, he hadn't gotten stuck to the explosive boy even once.
"I only ask because it's good to know the extent of your problem, young Midoriya. And I believe I have the ideal solution!"
Midoriya wasn't even sure they had accurately nailed down the problem yet! "A-And that is?!"
"Exposure therapy!" the muscular man boomed, "You must spend so much time around beautiful women that you no longer feel compelled to hold them close! It may take years, constant effort. I don't think even I have accomplished such a feat! But it is a sacrifice you must make if you wish to be a true BLARGH!" he suddenly retched, spraying blood everywhere and shrinking down to his weaker form.
"Are you okay, All Might?!" Izuku asked, rushing over to help his idol.
"Ugh, maybe got a little overexcited there," the symbol of peace admitted, "But I do think that's the best solution you've got. Just gotta get yourself used to girls, that's all."
"So you want me to-to-to," the boy stammered, not quite able to spit it out.
The crippled hero shrugged as he retook his seat on the couch. "Not like it would hurt anyway. You'll get a lot of female admirers as a great hero. It'll be good to not be an awkward mess around them. Gotta maintain the image of a hero, right?"
"R-Right," Izuku agreed, even if he seemed uncertain about it. "All Might... Did you ever have anyone...?" he trailed off halfway through asking the question, only to start babbling to backtrack. "I mean, not that it's any of my business! It's just I watched all of your interviews and everything and you never said anything about that and there was never any information on that kind of thing at least not anything concrete and–"
"Slow down, slow down!" All Might begged with a halting gesture. "I get it, you're just looking for advice. No, nothing serious. There were some interesting women, some just wanted the story, others that seemed interested in me for real. But that all stopped when, well," he gestured to his skeletal body.
"Right, sorry," Izuku winced.
"Don't be. Like I said, I knew what I was getting into. Being a hero is about self-sacrifice. Always has been. I don't regret a moment of it and I wouldn't do anything different." Looking up at the clock, the hero sighed. "Lunch is almost over. Young Midoriya!" he suddenly stated with force just shy of what he could manage in his buff form. "This sports festival. I want you to use it to make yourself known to the world. I want you to announce your presence and say 'I am here'!"
-(-)-
"Izuku!"
The green-haired boy looked up from putting on his outdoor shoes to see Kyoka rushing his way. "Hey Kyoka, what's up?"
"Uh, hey!" she replied, awkwardly, eyes glancing about. "So, that was intense, huh?"
It wasn't hard to guess what she was talking about. The veritable army of students waiting outside their classroom at the end of the day. All there to check out the competition. Bakugo being his usual personable self and telling them to get lost. "Yeah, it was. I can't believe I agree with Kacchan but, it really did make me just want to work that much harder to win."
"Y-Yeah, I guess so," she half-heartedly agreed, twirling one of her jacks on her finger. "I was just wondering, since we're probably going to be working hard training until the festival is over, m-maybe you wanted to do something fun today? You know, just as a last hurrah, you know?" Jirou tried not to pant from nerves after getting all of that out. Even if she was internally cursing at repeating herself like an idiot.
"Uhh..." Midoriya's brain about shut down. Was she asking him out on a date?!
But then, like a voice on the wind, a memory came back to him. "Exposure therapy-therapy-therapy..." A... strangely real-sounding voice... Glancing around he saw a giant, tanned fist peeking around the door to the faculty office giving him a thumbs up.
Right, heroes rush ahead! "S-Sure! I m-mean that sounds fun!" Yes, fun indeed sounds like fun he chastised himself. "D-Did you have anything in mind?"
Lucky for him, Jiro was about as embarrassed as he was. "U-Um, I guess I didn't really think that far ahead! Haha!" she laughed awkwardly, desperately thinking of something they could do. What were good date suggestions! "W-Well I guess we could do karaoke or–"
"Karaoke sounds good!" Izuku cut in, jumping on the first suggestion like a drowning man grabbing a life-preserver.
The punk-loving girl stopped blinking, realising her mistake. Why did she say karaoke?! "Sure! That sounds great!" Meanwhile her earjacks wrapped around her neck trying to choke her, or at the very least get her to stop saying things!
"S-So should we go now?"
'Ahhhhhhh!' "Sure! Now sounds great!"
-(-)-
Two incredibly awkward teenagers. Sitting in a karaoke booth. Neither of them knowing what to say or what to do.
They booked two hours. A half hour in, neither had said a word. "S-So," Izuku spoke, the previous quiet so overbearing that it made Kyoka jump, even with the noise of the other booths not quite drowned out by the soundproofing. "So do you... Like music?" he asked.
"Y-Yeah," she answered, "I, uh, yeah. M-My mom's a musician and my dad is a composer, so I guess it runs in the family?" Somehow, it came out as a question.
"That's really cool!" Izuku exclaimed, thankful for something to talk about. "I had no idea! So if it runs in the family do you make music too?"
"I mean... I try?" She didn't want to brag about it at all. It was the reason she wished she hadn't blurted out karaoke. "I play bass, and guitar, and a little drums and... I guess I sing, b-but it's just a hobby!" she hurried to add.
"It's still amazing! Not just anyone can do all that! I know I can't sing," he laughed. "Probably shouldn't have agreed to karaoke."
"No no! I didn't– I shouldn't have suggested it!" He might think she was trying to show off! "Karaoke was just the first thing that popped into my head. It's not like it matters. Music doesn't have anything to do with what I really want to do and that's being a hero."
Izuku looked at her strangely. "Isn't your quirk all about sound?"
"Yeah, but it's not the same thing."
Unfortunately for the girl, the idea that something couldn't be done only sparked the analytic portion of Izuku's hero-focused brain. "It isn't? I mean if your earphone jacks only worked as audio-in or audio-out, but they clearly don't since you used them to listen in the battle trial and to plug in an amplifier at USJ. So clearly they can be used for either or both as needed, right?"
"U-Uh," Jiro stammered, wide-eyed at seeing him nerd out for the first itme. "Yeah, I guess?"
"So in theory you could plug one into a guitar and the other into one of your amplifiers and use music for your special moves!" Izuku concluded happily.
"That sounds way less efficient than just using my body's natural sounds though," she countered.
"Being a hero isn't about being efficient! … Well it can be, but it's also about being inspiring! I just think being a music-themed hero would be super cool!"
Inspiring. That was also the word Kyoka would use seeing the sheer delight Izuku had at the idea. She had always put a deliberate separation between music and heroics as career paths. Her parents had been a little sad that she chose the latter. She had never really thought to combine the two; half-assed decisions like that rarely worked out for people. But the idea that she could achieve more with what she wanted to dedicate her life to, by incorporating one of her passions...
"Hey, Kyoka? Can I hear you sing?"
Under normal circumstances, she would say no. She wouldn't want to make a big deal of it. It didn't matter. It wasn't her ambition. But in that moment... "Okay."
She got up and walked over to the open space for the current performer and grabbed hold of the microphone, quickly selecting a song. Even if she didn't come here wanting to sing, she already knew what she would sing. And so she did. It wasn't a song that required a powerful voice or incredible range, just a song that a singer could put their heart into.
And Izuku watched her, transfixed.
When it was over, she breathed out a nervous sigh, putting the microphone down and ignoring the display behind her showing a score.
"That was amazing," Izuku praised with utmost sincerity, his eyes shining with joy at witnessing such a performance. "Kyoka Jiro, the siren."
"Your turn!" Kyoka demanded, red-faced at the effusive praise as she pulled him out of his seat, tearing her hand away to take his place.
"Wha?" he asked.
"Y-You heard me sing so it's only fair I get to hear you!" she stated with unassailable logic.
"Uhh... Okay!" he agreed, nervously taking the microphone. "Just, uh, you might regret it." Scrolling through the options he looked for a song he felt confident enough to sing. There weren't many. Eventually he found a winner. A charity single All Might released to raise money for a children's hospital. Selecting it, the song began to play, and Izuku began to sing.
It was... Bad. Not as bad as it could have been, Jiro noted. He wasn't tone deaf. He could hit the notes. He just struggled to hold on any for longer than a second.
As the song ended, Izuku glanced back at the display showing his score and winced, shrugging helplessly at his date.
She laughed, not at his performance but at his sheepish expression. "Don't worry, you did fine. It's all about picking the right song." Standing, she moved next to him and ran through the selections again herself. "Let's do one together. Not every song needs a good singer. Some songs just want you to give everything you have."
Izuku got a little nervous when she chose a song he'd never heard of. Something by a band called Socket Wrench. "Uhh, I don't know–"
"Don't worry about it," she assured him, taking the microphone in hand, wrapping his fingers around hers. "Just follow my lead. Everything you have, okay?"
Swallowing at the warmth of her hand under his, he nodded. The song began to play, a juddering guitar riff telling Izuku all he needed to know about what kind of song it was. The lyrics were kind of coarse, but Jiro still managed to make them sound beautiful. As the chorus kicked in for the second time she stared at him expectantly and hesitantly, he joined in with her near screaming the lyrics on screen. His confidence grew as it went on until he no longer felt embarrassed, just enjoying screaming like an idiot with a pretty girl and having a fun time.
After a long and shouty seven minutes the song finally ended and Izuku couldn't and didn't want to hide the smile on his face. "Okay, that was pretty fun–" he admitted, only for his words to be ceased by Kyoka's lips pressed against his. His eyes flew wide at the unexpected action. A girl! He kissed a girl! Or... A girl kissed him. Same difference! Her lips were so soft...
He felt her pull away, then pull away harder when that wasn't enough, their lips separating. "S-Sorry! I just wanted to, I mean, it was an impulse and–"
It was his turn to silence her, the microphone dripping from their hands to the floor as he pressed himself into her. There was no more pulling away, just two teenagers enjoying this new feeling as Izuku sat back down, Kyoka ending up in his lap.
In their two hours at karaoke, the two of them sang a total of three songs. Neither cared overmuch for how little karaoke they actually engaged in.
After their time was up and they left the parlour, the two were still holding hands, both their lips puffy from the intense makeout session. "We're not gonna be able to do anything like this again for a while, are we?" Kyoka asked.
The sports festival loomed large. They didn't have much time to prepare and it was too important for their careers to ignore. They would only get three chances to impress the agencies before they would graduate. "I guess not," Izuku agreed despondently. "Do your best, okay? I want to see you in the finals."
"You too," she replied, fingers sliding down his palm, down to his fingertips, before reluctantly parting completely. Allowing the two of them to go their separate ways.
-(-)-
A/N: Hey folks. Still around. Just been posting stuff on a different site for a long time. Finally got around to crossposting some of the stuff from there to here. Few more chapters of this to catch up on. Once I'm caught up with everything all the stories on here will get new chapters as they're released publicly.
Also, my account on the forbidden P site is still active. And there are stories posted on Questionable Questing that will never get posted here. Just so you guys know where all my stuff is.