Izuku was not the only one tasting the world of the pros for the first time.
"You want to be a great hero?" Crust asked his intern for the week. "You understand what that means?"
"Of course I do!" Kendo replied as she followed him on patrol. "It means—"
"IT MEANS WE MUST BE A SHIELD!" the pro answered for her, leaping into action to... Stand in the way of a kid crossing the street, long before anything bad even had a chance to become a possibility. "Please use the crosswalk to get across the street, young miss," the painfully earnest hero told the little girl. "I would hate for something terrible to happen to you!"
"Uh... Okay, Mister!" answered the very confused child as she ran off toward the crossing, giving the hero strange looks the whole way.
"A shield," Crust continued for his intern's sake. "Between innocent people and however they might come to harm. Protecting those who need it, whether they know it or not, whether they accept it or not. Before anything else, we are protectors. We aren't here to beat the bad guys or look cool." He sighed with relief, watching as the little girl safely made it to the other side of the street. "We're here to keep people safe."
"I understand." Even if he said that, he was actually kind of cool for how genuine he was. At least Kendo thought so.
-(-)-
"Man. You know, I didn't really think I'd be seeing you again, kid. Funny how things work out." Death Arms wore a smile on his angular face as he led his intern around on patrol, showing him the ropes. "I knew you'd go places way back with that slime villain incident. And here you are, a UA student! I can sure pick out talent!"
Bakugo fought not to lash out at being reminded of the slime villain attack. The very first time he was made to feel weak. The first time Deku tried to pretend they were anything alike, that the runt could save him when he couldn't save himself. The start of everything going wrong. All he could do was scowl and grind his teeth, hoping for the idiot D-lister to just shut up already.
"Then again, I didn't think anything of that other kid so... Guess I'm one for two. But hey, that's gotta be great, right? You and your buddy going to the best hero school together?"
"That worthless Deku's not my damn 'buddy'!" the hero who wanted to be called Lord Explosion Murder finally snapped. 'Finally' in this case meaning... After approximately forty-five seconds. "He's a pathetic wannabe who keeps getting lucky!" There was no other explanation for it in his mind. Even if his stupid quirk did turn out to be more powerful than they thought, that didn't change anything! Bakugo had been busting his ass to be a hero ever since he understood what one was! All Deku did was learn worthless trivia about every hero, probably including this nobody hero.
"Beating every other kid in his year at the best school in the country, that's pretty lucky," Death Arms thought aloud.
"He didn't beat everyone! All the best," including Bakugo himself, "got knocked out in the second event while Deku got carried by his team!"
Death Arms' eyebrows rose under his headband. This kid had excuses for days. "There's grace in accepting defeat, kid."
"Fuck you!"
The eyebrows dropped again, further, to form a warning frown as he turned to face his intern. "There's grace in not mouthing off to your superior, too."
The hero could see the vicious response on the tip of the kid's tongue. He could see as the kid had to literally, physically fight himself not to mouth off even worse than he already had, knowing it would have consequences. It was then that Death Arms knew he had a problem on his hands. It didn't get better when a civilian asked the hero for help with something pretty minor. Helping to push their broken down car to the curb to get it out of the way of traffic.
And the kid blew up on her. Told her to move it her own damn self.
She could have. She was, even. It was slow going, but she could've done it herself, but she asked a hero who happened to have a strength quirk who was absolutely willing to help.
Once the job was done, Death Arms took his intern out of the public eye and tore strips off him for talking to anyone like that, let alone someone asking a hero for help. He gave a lecture. No one would respect a hero who talked like that, who refused to help people and berated them for asking.
And the response?
"I don't need a D-lister nobody has ever heard of to tell me what a hero is supposed to be! Help some lady move her car, but when someone's getting suffocated by a villain you just stand there like a worthless piece of trash! Is that what a hero is, you fucking extra?!"
It was the first thing the kid had said that crossed the line from improper to truly, spitefully vicious. In hindsight it would've been so much easier for Death Arms if the kid was just a yappy little shit, but instead there was a grudge behind it. And as much as the hero didn't want to admit it, it was valid. He didn't like to dwell on the days he couldn't help. The days he wasn't up to whatever the situation called for. That day was a lucky day, as All Might swooped in to be what Death Arms and the others couldn't. That day, All Might reminded everyone yet again why he was the best.
And now thanks to the kid, that memory had turned into a reminder why Death Arms wasn't the best. It wasn't just the power disparity. Death Arms was a hero when it was easy. But when it wasn't? He would 'wait for someone with an appropriate quirk'. Wait for someone else to pull his ass out of the fire.
It was cutting. It was galling. It was revealing. It was true.
But none of that mattered when it came to teaching the kid.
A hostage situation came through. A call for hero support to resolve it.
"There's a hostage situation. I'm going to help resolve it," he told his intern. "You're staying here."
"Like hell I—!"
"No."
"Oh boo hoo your hurt fucking feelings! I'm here to watch hero work! This is the first real thing that's happened and you're not gonna—"
"You were right," Death Arms said, shutting Bakugo up. "Yeah it hurt, because you were right. I should've done more that day. You only made it out because of All Might. He's the best for a reason. He probably would've jumped in no matter what." A sudden realisation hit him as he was speaking. "Kind of like that other kid back then."
"Deku is nothing like All Might!"
"Whatever." Death Arms didn't really care about the rivalry or inferiority complex or whatever the hell this kid had with the other kid. "Point is, I should've helped. You have a right to hold a grudge for that. But right now, I'm your boss, and I'm telling you to stay here, because I don't trust you."
"What?!"
"You scream, you shout, you hurl insults, you have the biggest attitude problem I've ever seen. I can't trust you to be a decent human being in the lowest stakes imaginable. How the hell could I ever trust you to act right when lives are on the line? That's what a hero is. That's what All Might is. Someone you can trust to do the right thing. And from everything you've shown me, you're the furthest thing from All Might."
-(-)-
"I feel like I should thank you for the opportunity, here."
Shoto Todoroki didn't really know what to do with that comment from the guy who was supposed to be taking a very brief mentorship role. "You're the one giving me an opportunity. To learn about the daily life of a hero."
"Sure," the hero named Backdraft agreed, though clearly didn't agree as much as the word implied. "But I'm surprised you chose me for your internship. I'm on UA's list, but I bet you got dozens of offers, not even considering your father." The hero didn't see the slight frown the suggestion elicited. "He could've shown you way more—"
"I don't want this experience to be coloured by his influence," Todoroki interrupted to say. A statement that could be taken in several different ways and he meant it in every single one of them.
And thanks to the bias of seeing a legacy, Backdraft took it in the most positive one. "I respect that. Getting a real boots on the ground feel for things instead of the glitz and glamour of the top ten. Well, I'll do my best to give you the authentic experience, Shoto!"
"Thank you, I appreciate that."
It was true. Even though he had been knocked out in the second round of the sports festival in an almost embarrassingly trivial fashion, the Todoroki name still opened doors. The one to the Endeavor Agency he gladly slammed shut again. But the many others... It would have been convenient to see it as them recognising he still had impressive capabilities on his own merits despite getting knocked out early. Midoriya revealing a brand new trick at the last possible second that made the entire event look like a joke, there was no defeating that. No preparing for that. A pro would be able to recognise that.
However, his teammates in the cavalry battle cast doubt on that. Yaoyorozu got no offers. Kaminari didn't get any either. Iida did, but he was a legacy hero too, and in the context of the day... The chance to have a hand in teaching the next Ingenium would have been tantalising.
Todoroki understood that. He understood such motives, seeing a strong prospect of a future hero, maybe even a future sidekick, a feather in their cap. He wouldn't disparage such heroes for that attitude. But at the same time, he couldn't accept it. It was still a door only opened by being Endeavor's son. He wanted no more of such advantages. He would become a hero on his own terms and by his own merits. It would be the more difficult path, but he could never stomach taking anything from his father ever again.
-(-)-
"You're not helping my reputation any, you know."
"I'm sorry!"
Gang Orca sighed, seeing his intern so apologetic in public like this, hands clasped together. Given what they were doing... "Acting all cute like that is only gonna make it worse." Seriously. He saw her in that tournament and sent an offer for the hell of it. She seemed like a spunky little thing and half the reason he offered was to get a better read on her. He didn't expect her to be everything he expected and more, but all in that fluffy marshmallow package. It was hitting some weird notes. But now that he was in this deep, he couldn't just break for the surface this early.
She wanted help. She wanted help he was ready to give.
"I wanted to be a rescue hero, it felt like that was the best use of my quirk. but that was before I found out the kind of dangers are out there. Not just from bad things happening, but from the kind of people who make bad things happen. Who want bad things to happen. If all I care about is stopping things from getting worse, it means I'm not helping things get better. I want to save people before they even need to be saved. That means I need to fight."
Kids these days. "Alright, Uravity. Enough apologising. If you wanna fight, you need to play to your strengths and shore up your weaknesses! When I fight, I drag villains down to give them a taste of the bottom of the ocean. You? You're gonna learn how to drag them kicking and screaming to the depths of outer space!"
"U-Um!" She was intimidated. He knew the look. He had that effect on people.
"I'm gonna give you a training regimen that you're gonna follow to the letter every. Single. Day. With your quirk, you can toss people around like toys, all the better if you can do it even without your quirk. Keep up your practice and you're gonna end up a queen of grappling and the empress of deep space, leave them begging for mercy on the ground or floating helplessly through the air, either way you'll be prepared to take down your foes! Men!"
"Yes, boss!"
"Form up!" His 'sidekicks', really a well-drilled fighting force of soldiers, gathered in rows. "Uravity, you're gonna be sparring with each and every one. Your job is to lock them down without using your quirk. They all have a good grasp of this fighting style, so they'll be able to help develop your skills. You ready?"
She only took a brief moment to centre herself, gather her courage, and stand ready. "Yes sir!"
Orca watched over her for the first few bouts, making sure to keep things both civil and effective in teaching her some worthwhile skills. She was a good kid. Willing to work hard, and knew what she wanted. He was glad to help her prepare herself. A quirk like hers, one that required her to get up close and personal, she couldn't be the type to neglect her body and hand to hand combat. Not if she really wanted to get into the fight.
And she did. Everything he saw at the festival and everything he saw today told him that. After overseeing the first few bouts, he took the chance to have a quick soak in the shallows for a little bit. He would get personally involved a little later, but for now she could get her feet wet.
-(-)-
Kyoka felt like she was in over her head here.
The Ryukyu Agency was so much more than she thought it would be. She found a top ten hero on her list and grabbed that opportunity with both hands, but only now as she stood before her did she realise... Maybe she wasn't up to this. Maybe her reach exceeded her grasp. After all, all she did in the festival was not lose. She didn't do anything impressive at all!
"Is that what you think?" the dragon hero asked, looking all elegant and ladylike despite the hints of her more menacing features like slit pupils and fanged teeth. A hint of danger in a woman of poise and beauty. Kyoka felt the slightest coil of envy in her gut, wishing she had even a hint of that same sense of style. "You think you didn't do anything impressive?"
"No way! You were really cool!" the other girl in the office said. It was weird to find out there was another UA student who was basically already Ryukyu's sidekick while still doing her last year at school. "You totally did great during the tournament rounds!"
"I barely won one fight and immediately lost the second by disqualifying myself, and then getting beaten anyway."
"Hmph. You have a negative opinion of yourself," the top ten pro commented, smiling in a surprisingly gentle way. "You shouldn't. For the situation presented, you had a very weak quirk. Not to say it's weak entirely, but it requires additional factors for it to be at its best. The amplifiers on your legs say you of course knew this going in. In the first round you fought a student with super strength and won. You're saying that isn't impressive?"
"Well—"
"Tenacity to survive and find victory. And then in the second round you weren't able to keep up the same way, and so you showed resourcefulness in finding the elements that would regain some advantage." An elegantly arched eyebrow sounded a warning in Kyoka's brain. "Are those not the qualities valuable to a hero? Do you think I made a mistake in inviting you here?"
"No!" Shit, that was a reflex! Leading question! That was cheating!
The pro put a hand on her shoulder, and suddenly Kyoka felt like she had someone to look up to. "You earned this opportunity. And if you still feel you haven't, then it's on you to live up to it from here on, isn't it?"
And also felt a stirring in her spirit. "Yes, ma'am!"
"There's so much to do so let's get started, Siren."
She wasn't wrong. It seemed like when a hero took on an intern like this, they dedicated their attention to that intern completely. One week out of the year, to instil habits and lessons the hero student would carry for the rest of their life. Every day Kyoka ended the day feeling like she had been run over. She hadn't come to Ryukyu for physical training but it seemed the dragon was determined to give it. By her logic, the tournament and the sports festival as a whole showed what it would be like if her support equipment failed. An able body was always worth having when facing a worst case scenario.
It wasn't like she had been neglecting that before! But a pro's workout was way more demanding than she expected. Tailored for her body type, it wasn't about power. It was about stamina, flexibility and speed. If she got in a tough spot, it was important to know how to get out of it.
On top of that, support in examining the potential uses of her quirk to get the most out of it. She had proven straight up stabbing people with it was an option, gruesome as it was. Using the sounds of her body though, she could do that easily with the amplifiers in her costume.
"And singing of course."
"Uh... W-Well, I guess..."
"You guess?" the hero was genuinely surprised by the uncertainty. "You called yourself Siren."
"Well... Th-that's..." At the expectant stare had her crumbling in seconds. "My boyfriend called me that once... I thought it'd be a cool hero name..."
"You weren't wrong," the blonde hero said with amusement. "When he heard you sing? Assuming he wasn't just being nice, which I have no reason to believe, maybe that's something you should lean into. Present Mic makes good use of his voice and your quirk is quite a bit more versatile than his."
The disquiet must have shown, because Ryukyu soon dropped the subject. But it was something she had been once again forced to think about, leaving the thought lurking in the back of her mind.
The life of a hero, the training of a hero, the mindset of a hero, they were all lessons she was glad to learn from one of the best. And by the end of it, she was extremely grateful for the opportunity. Ryukyu likewise, told her to consider getting in touch when she had her license. The message was clear. Another opportunity. A bigger opportunity. A potential position similar to Nejire's in future...
She left on her final day almost giddy. It was all going so well! She wanted to celebrate! She wanted to do something crazy!
She saw a shop.
That... That would be pretty crazy. But it was also cool and exciting! Oh, she totally wanted to, and it wasn't like she had to get permission for something like that anymore now that she was old enough.
... Would Izuku and Ochako like it?
She hoped so, because she was totally doing it anyway!
-(-)-
"Want to meet up today?"
"Can't today. I'm not up to it. How about tomorrow?"
"Tomorrow is good!"
"Cool! I'll see if Ochako can make it! Hold on."
...
"Ochako can't make it. She says she's sore all over and has to rest. Turns out Gang Orca really did a number on her with his training. But I can make it. How about I come to your place?"
Izuku swallowed thickly. His place? Well, that was probably fine? Did she want to...? No, that was crazy. She knew he still lived with his mom just like she still lived with her parents. If that was her plan she'd suggest somewhere else... Right?
The next day, Izuku wore a giant smile seeing his girlfriend in person for the first time in almost a week. "Hey!"
"Hey, Izuku!"
Did he kiss her? Was that the thing to do here? It felt like—
"Hm-hmm-hm-hmmm..."
Izuku's eyes widened as he realised he completely forgot the humming woman also standing in the doorway. "Oh! Uh, sorry! Kyoka, this is my mom! Mom, this is... Uh... M-My girlfriend. Kyoka Jiro."
"It's nice to finally meet you, Kyoka," his mom said, taking the girl's hands and pulling her into the apartment. "Izuku can barely stop himself talking about everything at UA but you've definitely come up the most over the past few weeks."
He couldn't help but blush. He didn't know if that was true but it definitely sounded true. Even so, it was nothing on what followed. As they moved into the living room it turned into a miniature interrogation. Inko Midoriya wanted to know anything and everything about her son's girlfriend, asking some questions Izuku never even thought to ask. Though definitely made a mental note of the answers.
But, just as things seemed to be getting dire and like the entire point of inviting her was wasted, his mother surprised him. "Well, I have some errands to run! You two be good! Izuku?" She smiled, gestured with a tilt of her head for him to join her. Following her to the kitchen, he watched as she opened a drawer and pulled out a pack of—
"Mom!" he whispered harshly.
She didn't pay any mind to his mortified indignation as she put the pack of condoms in his hand. "The pill might be safe, but I don't know if she's on it yet."
"W-We weren't even—! We haven't even—!"
"And now I don't have to worry for when you do!" she responded, wearing an encouraging smile. "Remember, patience. Don't rush. I'll be back in a few hours."
Izuku was left to stare as she grabbed her handbag and left the apartment.
"What was that ab—" He turned to face Kyoka on hearing her voice approaching. Her eyes met his, then flicked down to the box in his hand, to widen. "... Oh."
"Wuh-wait, no, hold on! She said, just in case! That's all! And I'm not gonna, I mean—!"
"Your mom is kinda cool."
Helpless, lost, overloaded, it felt like steam was escaping from Izuku's ears, trying to purge the heat of embarrassment.
"But uh..." It was Kyoka's turn to blush. "We wouldn't need those."
"R-Right! Of course not! Not until you're—"
"I'm on the pill."
"... Ready."
Kyoka grinned at his dumbfounded expression. "And I'm not ready. But... I don't know if I trust myself to remember that, so I'm taking precautions. So... Wanna show me your room?"
"R-Right! Room! Good!"
What happened?! Izuku didn't understand it! With the Pussycats he got comfortable, maybe even confident about sex! But now it was like all of it vanished! Because it was Kyoka, it had to be. Because it would be with the girl he built up so much in his head, looking forward to doing more... Of taking things to another level.
... Oh. He... Had to tell her about the Pussycats, didn't he?
"Wow." Kyoka's wide-eyed stare passed over the walls of Izuku's room. "You're a really big All Might fan, huh?"
"Since I was four," he answered, trying not to look embarrassed. "I used to beg my mom to let me watch the video of his debut in Japan. The train crash." She stared blankly. Right. Not everyone was a hero trivia geek like he was. "Made me want to be a hero like him, who smiled no matter how bad it was to reassure people everything would be okay. Honestly, after my internship I know how hard that actually is."
"You helped with a real incident?" Kyoka asked.
"Well, not helped." He told her about the landslide incident when he first arrived there, then about the wild bear. All of the other little things he did.
In turn, Kyoka told him about her experience with Ryukyu. Getting a potential invite back as a sort of sidekick. He was so happy for her, getting closer to her her goal just like he was.
But... With that subject, another was bound to come up.
"So?" she asked. After he sat on the bed next to her, she had been quick to take a seat in his lap, playing with his hair. "Did you do it?" He didn't want to plead ignorance. He knew what she was talking about. And so... He nodded. "Really?" The smile in her voice, this felt so strange. "Which one?"
"You're not mad?"
"Izuku, I told you to do it. It'd be really shitty to get mad about it now. Plus we're not exactly doing the normal relationship thing, are we?" She kissed him on the cheek, just as extra proof. "So?"
Should he kiss and tell? This was a difficult situation to navigate and not hurt anyone's feelings. But... He definitely didn't want to hide things from his girlfriend. "Mandalay."
"Oh, yeah, she's really pretty and has that motherly thing going on—"
"Then Ragdoll," he continued, interrupting her. "Then Pixie Bob."
Kyoka stared at him for a long moment. Long enough for him to get nervous. "All of them?"
"Well not Tiger," Izuku countered weakly in an attempt at a joke. "Still not mad?"
"More processing how my boyfriend was made of catnip all along and I never noticed. How the hell did you pull that off, Izuku?"
"It just kind of happened?" He told her about Mandalay walking in on him in the bath. And then Ragdoll sneaking some fun in while Mandalay wasn't looking, then Pixie-Bob, then... All of them at once. He omitted some of the details, preferences, and just how intimate it got with Mandalay toward the end.
He was surprised that at the end of it, Kyoka's reaction was to shove her tongue into his mouth. Not that he was complaining at all, but he would've liked to ask and get some clarification on how she felt about it!
Their lips parted for both of them to take gasping breaths, their mouths connected by a strand of saliva. "Hey, you think if you get another shot you could convince them to let me join in?"
... Right. Izuku realised, he had been so worried about how she'd react, he forgot she was the same girl who when they first talked out their relationship she had a whole list of girls she'd like to involve. "I don't know? Even when it was all of them, they were pretty much focused on me. I don't know if they actually swing that way."
"Guess we can work that out if we see them again." No malice at all. Only excitement and maybe even a little pride. Izuku was starting to realise Kyoka was a little odd about this kind of thing, but again, it was nothing to complain about. "So... I kind of left something out of my internship too."
"Did you seduce Ryukyu?"
"Ha! I wish. She's kind of intimidating even when she's being nice. No, it was a little after it was over. I was feeling pretty great and did something a little crazy to celebrate." Without ceremony, she pulled off her jacket and pulled up her top, fully taking it off. The bra underneath quickly followed, and Izuku's brain locked up.
"... Do you like them?"
It was like Izuku's mind decided to take a snapshot and preserve this memory forever. Staring at her perky pink nipples, with little black barbells running through them. "Piercings," he said with a little awe.
"Yeah. It was a pretty spur of the moment thing," she explained, sounding a little nervous. "I can take them out and they'll heal over soon enough. So... Do you like them?"
"They're kinda sexy," he answered. "Well, not kinda. They're... Are they sensitive?" he asked as he realised he was already reaching out to touch them.
"A little, but you can touch."
He was glad to. First with fingers, then with tongue. Exploring how the pretty little nubs reacted to the sensations, as well as the girl they belonged to. "You're still not ready," he confirmed, and she nodded even if she looked uncertain. "How about I do something for you I've been getting pretty good at."
Soon after, Kyoka lay naked on Izuku's bed, her legs spread as he knelt between them. Enjoying the taste, the sensation, and the delight of pleasuring his girlfriend with his tongue.
-(-)-
A/N: This chapter seen very early by my generous supporters on THE GREAT FORBIDDEN P! FEAR THE P! LOVE THE P!