"I'm sure it'll be just fine without my help." Izuku offered.

"Here's to hoping." Mineta sighed. "It's about time the universe threw me a bone."

The wall exploded.

Something heavy struck Izuku, though thankfully it was too soft to do any meaningful damage. He was caught so completely off guard, however, that he didn't manage to keep himself upright. He struck the ground, and the soft-heavy landed atop him with a grunt.

Startled shouts came from his left as Uraraka, Jiro, and Yaoyorozu ran forwards to check on him. Kaminari moved towards Izuku's feet, presumably where Mineta was. Tenya had immediately gone on his guard and positioned himself between the hole and everyone else, while Hagakure peeked an invisible head through the hole as well.

Izuku groggily looked down, and saw pink speckled with flecks of gray debris and smudged patches of soot. Then, the pink moved, and he found himself looking into gold eyes.

"Oh!" Hatsume said, eyes zooming in on his face. "It's Million Points!"

She pushed herself upright to sit in his lap.

'Just like Uraraka did!' His subconscious was happy to remind him, prompting his blush to evolve from blazing to thermonuclear as he returned his eyes to the ceiling. Or maybe Daigoro had managed to hijack that part of his brain to use as an amplifier. Either way, it was NOT doing his composure any favors.

The feeling of hands around his bicep yanked him out of his own head, and he glanced down once more. Hatsume had her fingers wrapped around his arm, nodding to herself as she squeezed, then did the same around his forearm. That done, she moved her hands to his chest, running them downwards-

"Here, let me help you up!" Uraraka snatched Hatsume off of him like someone picking up their overly affectionate dog, then set her to the side suspended in the air. A moment later, she leaned down to offer him a hand. Her hair hung around her face, which was illuminated by a flickering yellow-orange light. "Are you ok, Deku?"

"Fine!" He squeaked out, then blinked. He sat bolt upright, Uraraka's arm slapping into his chest as his head narrowly missed hers. "IS SOMETHING ON FIRE?!"

Izuku needed a moment to parse everything in front of him.

Tenya had stepped away from the hole to check on Hatsume, which revealed that the answer to his question was yes, but only a little bit. A work desk was scattered with small patches of burning debris, as was the floor to a lesser extent. Thankfully, Power Loader was approaching with a fire extinguisher, his posture screaming of resignation.

Directly at Izuku's feet, a somewhat bemused Kaminari patted Mineta's shoulder, who was just as covered in dust and detritus as Izuku was. Mineta, however, didn't seem phased by that. No, it sounded like he had much greater concerns to focus on.

"...missed. I was right there. Right. There. I said the universe should throw me a bone, and immediately a hottie explodes through a wall. It was perfect timing. I was in the right place. But she missed." Mineta's face snapped skyward, eyes misted with tears. "I'm trying my best. I really am. Why have you forsaken me, universe?"

'...well, at least he's ok.'

Satisfied that the school wasn't burning down, Izuku grasped the hand that Uraraka hadn't yet removed from his chest. She startled, then helped pull him upright. As she did, he got a better look at the soot-blackened visage of Hatsume, still hanging in the air at an angle. "Are you alright?"

"Hmmm?" Hatsume blinked, then glanced away from a frustrated looking Tenya. Most of her front was slightly blackened by soot, and a lock of her hair was frayed from either heat or flame. Thankfully, her skin didn't look particularly burned. "Oh, yeah. I'm fine. The explosion was mostly concussive, and my Babies kept me safe from that. Speaking of, I need to get back to work!"

With that, Hatsume hooked her foot on the ragged edge of the new hole in the wall and pulled herself back through, completely unperturbed by the fact that she still didn't weigh anything. She wiped extinguisher foam from her desk, then took advantage of her weightlessness to retrieve a part from a higher shelf. As she dropped back down under the part's weight, Uraraka pressed her fingers together, and Hatsume's feet plopped solidly into the foam on the ground.

Still unphased, she began tinkering.

Everyone stared.

Power Loader sighed. "Sorry you kids were caught up in that. Everyone's alright?" At everyone's agreement, Power Loader nodded, then stepped out of sight. A moment later, the doors a few feet down the hall swung open, and he waved them in. "Going by the paperwork, I assume I know what you're here for."

"Indeed!" Tenya snapped out an arm, paperwork gripped firmly in his hand. "We're here to submit our costume-"

Power Loader tried to shush Tenya, but wasn't quite fast enough. Hatsume's head darted from her work station, eyes gleaming. "Costume updates? Why didn't you say so?"

Power Loader groaned quietly.

Hatsume swept out from her station, feet trailing foam. She snatched Tenya's papers, much to his distress, then began to flip through them. She slowed with a frown, then pouted. "This is already designed."

"Yes." Tenya quickly retrieved his paperwork, then held it protectively to his chest. "It's from my brother's costume. It just needs minor retrofitting."

Without missing a beat, Hatsume spun to face Izuku. "What about you, Million Points? What kind of Baby can I make for-"

Power Loader raised a hand. "How many of you need a consultation regarding DNA materials?"

Save Tenya and Mineta, everyone raised their hands.

Hatsume's focus snapped to Mineta, eyes visibly zooming in.

"Checking on the redesigned costume I ordered!" Mineta yelped.

"Fiiiiiiiiine." Hatsume pouted slightly, then darted back towards her work station.

"Sorry about her." Power Loader grunted. "She's unquestionably the top student in her year, probably the top 1st year support student in the country. But she can be pretty overwhelming."

"Indeed." Tenya grumbled as he adjusted his glasses.

"That said, I'd advise keeping an open mind. She might not have the proper clearances for work on DNA material yet, but that's just because she quite literally hasn't been here long enough to start the courses required. Once she has, she'll probably be your best choice for costume updates short of finding an upper year."

Mineta fidgeted slightly, then turned towards Power Loader. "You wouldn't happen to know if it's too late to make some adjustments to my costume with the budget increase, is it?"

Power Loader shook his head. "Sorry. Can't change anything once the request is submitted. Unfortunately, the DNA material availability wasn't a done deal when you put in your request, so my secretary didn't put a pause on it. You could submit a new request to have DNA material added, or use the budget on…" Power Loader lowered his voice to barely a whisper. "Supplementary equipment."

Mineta nodded, then braced himself. "I'd actually like to look into some extra support equipment then-"

Hatsume shot from her station like a rocket, wrapped a hand around Mineta's arm, then started dragging him back from whence she'd come. "RIGHT THIS WAY FOR A CONSULTATION!"

"Worth it!" Mineta squeaked.

"Midoriya. Please stay behind for a few minutes."

Izuku faltered, then glanced over his shoulder. Recovery Girl closed the door on the medical cooler, which she'd just finished pushing their DNA material samples into. It hadn't been an especially pleasant experience, ESPECIALLY for Yaoyorozu, but a quick application of Heal had been sufficient to let them all recover afterwards.

Power Loader's review of their costumes had gone smoothly, by and large. Though there had apparently been some necessary tweeks to be made with most of their DNA material requests, he hadn't outright denied any of them. Uraraka's and Yaoyorozu's would both require more extensive testing prior to being fully deployed, but Power Loader thought the rest of the costumes would be ready by the end of the week.

By the time their consultations were finished, Mineta's had as well. Izuku had stepped out of Power Loader's office to find the short boy in… somewhat rough condition. There was a dried smudge of blood at his hairline, obviously from over-plucking. One of his spheres was stuck to the front of his shirt, and was covered in bits of paper, a lump of metal and a wrench. His clothes were slightly rumpled, and there was a greasy hand print on his shoulder.

Overall, he looked somewhere between shell shocked and pleased. Izuku didn't have a lot of experience with Hatsume, but from what he did, that had seemed like an entirely understandable response.

They hadn't had time to deal with the sample collection process before they needed to return to class, but a quick trip as soon as the school day ended had proved a good idea. Recovery Girl had worked quickly, and after a few precise jabs and incisions, they were all set.

Everyone except Izuku, apparently.

Izuku looked back towards the rest of the small group. Kaminari gave a small wave at the same time Jiro flicked a jack in Izuku's direction, both chatting about something music related as they headed for the dorms.

Hagakure gave an enthusiastic wave as she set off, along with another thank-you for his help.

Yaoyorozu nodded to him absently and wished him a good evening before she continued on her way as well. She'd seemed distracted ever since her samples were collected, her eyes distant and her lips pursed. Izuku suspected she was chewing over some idea, something he could completely relate to.

Uraraka, however, stopped and turned. "I can wait, if you'd like some company on the walk back."

"Oh! Um, you don't have to do that if you have something else you'd like to do." Izuku replied. At the slight shift in her expression, he quickly amended his statement. "But if you don't mind, then I'd like the company!"

Uraraka visibly brightened at that. "I'll see you in a bit then!"

Izuku smiled, nodded, then ducked back into the office and closed the door. He found Recovery Girl eyeing him, a slight smirk on her face.

'Please, not another one.'

Thankfully, Recovery Girl didn't say anything about it. Instead, she settled behind her desk and handed him a packet. "I mentioned before that I'd like to give you some extra training, given you've got a Healing Quirk now. Even if it's not an immediate fix-all, it puts you in a rarified group of Heroes capable of doing anything beyond human means to help injured people. While you've been studying foundational emergency first aid, I'll be supplementing that with additional intermediate level information."

Izuku flipped through the packet. It covered the treatment of more severe injuries, as well as extensive sections of how to tend to non-lethal injuries that still needed immediate care.

"Given what you've explained about Boon, and from what I've observed during my treatment of Iida, it'll be extremely useful for giving nearly lost causes a chance. But given its observed properties, just using it to stabilize people seems a waste. If you can properly treat people with it in effect, you might not just give them a chance to survive, but to recover where they ordinarily would not." Recovery Girl looked at him, her gaze heavy. "Such an ability will be in high demand, both on and off the battlefield. Beyond mundane treatment, it will also be vital to know exactly how to utilize Boon. You only have so much to give, and distributing it in the most effective way possible will be a vital skill."

Kinenkō pulsed in agreement.

"So I should start by reading through this information." Izuku flicked his wrist, which caused the pages to rustle together. "What's the plan from there?"

"Practical exercises with me two or three times a week, whenever both of us have the time." She drummed her fingers against the desk. "I may also call you down during your other classes if particularly applicable real-life cases crop up, though I'll be judicious about it. For all this is important, I don't want to undermine other aspects of your education for it."

"I imagine I can also get pointers from Kinenkō. He was a surgeon, which will no doubt have areas of overlap with what you teach me." Kinenkō pulsed again, and Izuku nodded. "I'll learn this to the best of my abilities."

"To my understanding, those abilities are quite substantial." Recovery Girl gave him a small smile. "I look forward to seeing your progress."

"Thank you." Izuku hesitated. "Also, there was something I was meaning to mention to you, in regards to my…" He flexed his scarred hand. "Injuries, and your willingness to treat them."

Recovery Girl's gaze sharpened. "Did something happen? Nezu informed me of yesterday's… unfortunate developments, but he didn't say anything about you being injured."

"No, nothing like that." Izuku quickly shook his head. "In Hosu, I discovered a way to eke out a little extra power without hurting myself, or at least without doing so substantially. When I first used it, I managed to briefly go from 5% to 7% in order to catch myself and two civilians from a several story fall. I did it again a few times in my fight with Stain, though I overdid it once. I'm pretty sure that's what caused those fractures in my arm. I tried the same with 6% yesterday, which is how I realized I'm strong enough to safely use that much now, but 7% might still pose a problem if used too long."

Izuku took a deep breath, then met Recovery Girl's gaze. "I want to practice using these momentary jumps to higher percentages, so that I know how much I can use in emergency situations, like I had to in Hosu. I know it runs the risk of hurting myself, albeit in a much smaller way than before. But I think knowing my limits will help me better ensure my safety if I ever need more power than I can completely handle."

Recovery Girl eyed him, but eventually tipped her head in acceptance. "Knowing your limits is certainly something important for every future hero training here, and that goes doubly for you. So long as you try your best to avoid them, minor injuries while training are… understandable." She frowned, pinning him with a warning glare. "But even with Boon, I don't want you getting lax. You've finally found a way to use One for All without ruining yourself every time. Don't backslide by slightly injuring yourself a dozen times instead, simply to push yourself farther than you're ready for."

Izuku absently stroked his scars. "I won't treat my well being as lightly as before. That's something that quite a few people have emphasized I need to be wary of."

Recovery Girl smiled at him, small and slightly sad. "Your heart is in the right place, Midoriya. I know what it's like to want, even need, to give everything you have to save people. Letting that drive push you to your own destruction only means you can't be there for those who come after."

Izuku nodded.

"That'll be all for now, unless there's something else you'd like to discuss." Recovery Girl said. When Izuku shook his head, she flapped her hand at him dismissively. "Out with you then. Don't want to make your friend wait too long."

Izuku groaned, instantly recognizing the tone. "Am I REALLY that transparent?"

"More than Hagakure." Recovery Girl snickered. "I've seen plenty of romances pass through these halls, and the both of you are throwing off signals like a fireworks display."

Izuku dropped his face into his hands. "Yeah, ok. I'm working on it."

"Good for you." Recovery Girl turned her attention to some paperwork, then repeated her shooing motion. "Now don't keep her waiting. There's a nice closet about two doors down if you need it."

It took a few seconds for her meaning to sink in, but when it did, it felt like all the blood in his body had flooded his face.

Within, One for All started pulsing. Nana's pulsing cut through the general noise, however, the laughter behind it as clear as if he'd been using One for All.

"I-I-I HAVEN'T- WE'RE N-NOT- WE DON'T-"

"For future reference, then." Recovery Girl winked at him. "Off you go now."

After a minute to compose himself, Izuku stepped out of the office to find Uraraka glaring at her English homework as she lightly gnawed at the end of her pen. Her eyes flicked up to him, and she quickly pretended she'd actually just been poking her cheek with it instead. Her eyes briefly dropped to his elbow braces, then returned to his eyes. "Was everything ok?"

"Yeah. Just discussing some extra lessons so I'm better equipped to use the recovery aspect of my Quirk." Izuku nodded. "Thanks for waiting!"

"Absolutely!" She smiled brightly, then tucked her homework back into her backpack and bounced to her feet. "Ready to head back?"

The early summer breeze blew past them as they exited UA, its caress a delight to him. Uraraka turned into it as well, her hair fluttering in the gentle wind.

"So, what do these extra lessons look like?" Uraraka cocked her head at him.

"Nothing too structured, from the sounds of it. Mostly a matter of when both of us have time after classes, maybe calling me to the office during other classes on occasion." Izuku shrugged. "For now, it'll be extra reading and some practical lessons 2-3 times a week."

Uraraka nodded as she turned a sympathetic grin his way. "Sounds like you'll really have your plate full."

"Yeah…" Izuku rubbed the back of his head ruefully. "Luckily, with the alternating sleep schedule I'm planning, the amount of time I'll actually have to myself will more or less stay the same."

"Yeah, but you'll be awake during curfew and while everyone's asleep. That sounds kind of lonely."

'Oh, don't worry, feeling lonely is certainly not something I'm worried about.'

"I'll be ok." Izuku smiled reassuringly. "If there's one thing I know how to do, it's how to keep myself occupied."

Uraraka eyed him. "All the same, if you're ever bored out of your mind or you just want to talk to someone…" She turned to look over at the other dorms. "Don't hesitate to text me or something, ok?"

Izuku's stomach fluttered. "I'll keep that in mind. I really appreciate it, Uraraka."

They walked in companionable silence for a bit, enjoying the wind. But there was something… off, when he caught a glimpse of her expression. Before he could ask, she spoke.

"How's Iida doing?"

"I think he's doing alright, considering." Izuku frowned slightly. "Why do you ask? Have you noticed something off with him that I didn't?"

"No, not that I could tell. Other than the fact that you both came down late this morning." Uraraka admitted. "It's just that… given he was trying to hide how upset he was before internships…"

"You're worried he's still hiding things." Izuku nodded in understanding. "I think… Well, he and his brother spent a lot of time together after his injury. I think that helped get him centered again. To my understanding, Tensei will hopefully be visiting to coach him on how to use his new engines some time soon, so that'll probably help as well."

Uraraka sighed lightly in relief. "I'm glad to hear it. I was worried something had happened this morning when nobody had seen either of you, but then you basically flew down the stairs and tore through the kitchen on your way to the door."

"Yeah, it was kind of a mess." He chuckled. "I started some notes on ideas for my Quirk, and ended up accidentally missing my usual morning exercise. I stumbled into the closet wall trying to get ready, only to wake Tenya up, because apparently he missed his alarm."

"He can do that?" She sounded genuinely surprised. "I'll be honest, I just assumed he had some kind of built-in clock, given he's always on time for EVERYTHING."

"He said he was up late. I think the race yesterday got to him." Izuku glanced away slightly, the not-quite-a-lie bitter on his tongue.

Uraraka's smile held out for a moment before her expression turned more serious. She slowed, and he matched her pace.

"Uraraka? Is everything ok?"

"I just…" She hesitated. "How are you doing, Deku?"

"Me?" Izuku blinked. "I'm doing alright."

From the flinty look in her eyes, that had somehow been the wrong thing to say.

"I didn't want to pry, but… I'm worried. After what you went through, after what you told me about it… I want to make sure you're not just putting on a brave face for everyone." She studied him intently. "You seem like you're handling everything really, really well. I'm happy about that, but… I just want to make sure that you're actually handling it, not just bottling it up so that you don't worry people."

Izuku wasn't really sure what to say to that. It hadn't occurred to him, but from the outside… it really would seem like he was handling the absolute madness and tragedy of the Hosu disaster abnormally well. That was largely down to the fact that what he was actually dealing with was dramatically different from what Uraraka thought he was, albeit even more insane in its own ways. While he'd failed to save Kinenkō's life, he'd managed to give the doctor a chance to live on. Without that, he'd probably still be the wreck he was after during their conversation. Beyond that, he was coping with a wildly changed suite of abilities, but he also had people to guide him through their use. He'd messed up his first chance to show his progress after internships, but that was actually due to something far worse that he couldn't really talk to her about.

In a lot of ways, she was completely right to worry. Worse yet, he couldn't even try to really put her worries to rest without bending the truth into a knot or outright lying, something he wasn't sure he'd be able to pull off even if he wanted to.

But he had to.

Did he, though?

He'd promised not to spread the secret too much, but this was Uraraka. He trusted her as much as he did Tenya. Hell, he wouldn't want to actually start dating her without telling her, if that was really something he was planning to try. But would telling her make her feel trapped? Like she had to stick around, even if the danger was now much greater than she'd known?

Izuku sighed, and resolved to really think about what he should do going forward. For now…

"What I told the class wasn't a lie; I'm trying to make sure nothing like that happens again. What happened to Kinenkō is going to stick with me for a while, but I've talked through it with people, which has helped. That's something you started, and if you hadn't… then you'd probably be right about me just bottling it up, though I doubt it'd have done a very good job at it." Izuku crossed his arms and stared up at the sky, wispy clouds slowly drifting overhead. "Things are still complicated, but I'm trying to figure it out. It's a work in progress, but I think things are mostly going as well as I could really hope."

Uraraka was silent for a time, but eventually seemed to accept his response. "I'm glad to hear you're talking about everything with someone. I was going to suggest Hound Dog, if you weren't. I, um, hope you don't mind my being nosy."

"Why would I mind?" Izuku looked down, surprised. "You're making sure I'm alright. I don't think I can properly say how much I appreciate the fact that you care enough to do that."

Uraraka blushed lightly and looked away. "Well, I know you can be a bit of a private person, so I just wanted to make sure."

'Damn it.' Izuku sighed. 'Why does she have to be so cute?'

Uraraka turned back and cocked an eyebrow at him. "What was that? Is something wrong?"

Izuku snapped his jaw shut so hard his teeth clicked. A split second later, he blurted out the first thing that came to mind. "Nope! Um, so, about that lunch! Did you have any idea where you wanted to go?"

Uraraka blinked, then her eyes went wide. "UM! N-no, I didn't… I don't really… Do you have any suggestions?"

The complete trainwreck that was his brain somehow fell into even greater disarray. Asking about their ambiguous maybe-date lunch had been the absolute worst thing he could have done to move attention away from his blunder. He'd been musing over it for the past few days, but hadn't really done any particular research or looked up options. There was really only the one place he thought she might like, but he hadn't actually eaten there. Unfortunately, he'd gone and brought it up, which probably made it seem like he had a plan, which she may or may not have been expecting him to make, so he should probably say something because he'd been standing there staring at her for a while-

"W-well, there's a…" He winced at the pitch of his voice, then cleared his throat. "There's an udon restaurant by Dagobah Beach that I saw a few times, and there's a mochi place a few doors down from it. I've never actually eaten at either, I was under a pretty strict diet to prepare for UA, but I saw a few people going in and out…"

Uraraka blinked, then looked absolutely delighted. "That sounds wonderful, actually! Um, you don't have to worry about the mochi, given you only really offered lunch…"

Izuku caught the way she drooped as she said that, and immediately waved it away. "N-nope! My treat!"

She blushed.

He blushed.

They stared at each other.

"T-thank you, then!" Uraraka squeaked. "Um, when should we…?"

"T-t-this Sunday?" Izuku offered haltingly. "I don't think we'll have time to get there during the school week…"

"Right. Duh." Uraraka glanced away. "I, um, I'm looking forward to it?"

"Me to!" Izuku said, then vehemently hoped it sounded less manic to her than it had to him. He turned to look towards the dorms, only to find the manicured woodland that UA was built into. He glanced around.

They'd missed the turn for the 1-A dorms several minutes worth of walking ago. They'd just been meandering down the road, so absorbed in talking to one another they'd completely failed to notice.

Uraraka turned, evidently having just realized the same thing.

They glanced at one another.

Uraraka's mouth wobbled.

Izuku snorted.

They devolved into another round of laughing like idiots. It wasn't as intense as it had been in the exercise room, but it was a delight nonetheless.

It was a very good thing that Izuku had decided to check his portal shortly after getting back to the dorms. In true Aizawa fashion, he'd informed both Izuku and Tenya that they'd be receiving mandatory training, then left them to figure out the details on their own.

Despite the fact that Izuku was scheduled for 5pm that evening.

He'd discovered that particular detail at 4:54.

His dash back through the still heavily occupied lobby, Full Cowling crackling and gym jacket still partly unzipped, hadn't been terribly dignified. The moment he'd nearly trampled a cluster of 1-B students as they rounded a corner had been even worse, though part of him had found the way Monoma's jeering had cut off as Izuku leapt over the group kind of satisfying.

He'd made it to Ground Beta just in time, skidding to a stop before the trio of Aizawa, Toshinori, and Inko. Though he wasn't out of breath or particularly sweaty, his disheveled ensemble spoke volumes to how rushed his departure must have been.

Toshinori shot Aizawa a glance. "You didn't tell him? Really?"

"If he hadn't gotten here, it was because he didn't check." Aizawa grunted, not even bothering to deny it as he adjusted the duffle bag he had slung over one shoulder. "If he didn't check, then that would have told me something about how important he considers this training."

Inko crossed her arms. "And you REALLY think he doesn't take his training seriously? Izuku, what were you doing before you sprinted over here?"

"Getting DNA samples taken with Recovery Girl for my costume, then talking over my training with her regarding Boon and traditional emergency medicine." Izuku said, then blushed. "I also talked with Uraraka on the walk back, but that only really slowed me down by a few minutes."

Inko smiled widely at his last admission, her eyes gleaming. Thankfully, he was saved by Aizawa, though he doubted that it had been the man's intent.

"Acceptable." Aizawa jerked his head towards the training ground gates. "Let's head in."

As the three followed Aizawa's lead, Izuku sidled up beside Inko and gave her a one armed hug. "Not that I'm against it, but why are you here Mom?"

"I wanted to see what your training is like." Inko replied. "I hope that's ok."

"That's completely fine. Just… understand that it can get kind of rough by necessity."

Inko shot him a resigned look. "I know it's not going to be all rainbows and butterflies, Izuku. But if this is what you want to do with your life, then I want to be a part of it." The way her hands clenched at her sides told him that she had more thoughts on the matter, but she didn't say anything further.

Izuku tightened the hug slightly in reassurance, then swiveled his attention to Toshinori. He wore his favorite black leather jacket over a white T-shirt and jeans, though Izuku could see a hint of his hero costume peeking out of the neckline. To anyone else, it would probably just look like some kind of compression shirt, albeit worn unusually loose. "You're a bit early for Heroics class."

"Aizawa needed a spotter for this little exercise. Given I might know a thing or two about the specifics of your Quirk already, I figured I'd volunteer." Toshinori chuckled with a small shrug. "I was in the area today regardless, checking on the renovations at the house. Sorahiko says hello, by the way."

"Is he in the area as well?" Izuku asked, looking around warily. If he was, it was entirely possible he and Aizawa could have collaborated, which was a terrifying thought.

Toshinori grunted in affirmation, then coughed lightly. Izuku automatically reached out a hand in offering. Toshinori rolled up the sleeve of his jacket and costume, then Izuku pressed a bit of Boon into his forearm. Toshinori nodded in thanks, his body relaxing visibly, then continued. "Given his renewed attention to the goings on at UA, he managed to weasel his way into my new guest room. It's away from the work, so he was bringing a few things over."

"Hopefully he wasn't too mean about it." Izuku tried not to let his curiosity slip through too clearly, but Toshinori still narrowed his eyes slightly before he shrugged. "Disturbingly, no. Not to say he was nice about it, but I got the sense that he was asking, rather than threatening me."

Inko blinked owlishly. "Gran Torino can threaten you? You?"

Toshinori smiled weakly, then tilted his hand side to side in a 'so-so' gesture. "If we're talking raw power, not even close. Even in my current state of decline, he's a far sight from actually presenting an active threat, even if he can be pretty slippery. But… old habits die hard. Even now, if he says jump, I'm usually a few feet in the air before I consider the possibility of asking why."

Inko eyed Izuku worriedly.

"He's mellowed out a lot, apparently." Izuku offered. "No automatic trauma responses here."

This did not seem to reassure Inko, but any response that might have been pending was cut off when Aizawa stopped walking and turned to face them.

"We're burning daylight." Aizawa grunted, eyes locked on Izuku. "I've got a simple path laid out for you. Whenever you reach a checkpoint, the next will light up. If you can't reach one, let us know."

Aizawa lobbed him a small object, which turned out to be a wireless earpiece. Izuku quickly put it in place. "Anything in particular you want me to do?"

"Start with your Full Cowling. I already have most of what I need, but it's best to be thorough." Aizawa said as he slung the duffle off his shoulder, then unzipped it. He pulled four drones from within, then withdrew some manner of large laptop on a tripod. With a few keystrokes, the screen lit up, and a moment later the drones whirred to life and rose into the air, taking a formation around Izuku. "After that, utilize your Quirks as you see fit. To my understanding, that'll mostly be your Blackwhip technique, which is something we need more data points on."

Izuku nodded, then called on Full Cowling at 6%. On a distant rooftop, a red beacon lit up brightly.

"Go."

One second her son was there. The next, all that remained was the outline she could see when she closed her eyes.

Inko blinked, then turned to face the direction Izuku had been facing. She was just in time to see him take a flying leap, briefly alight on a street light, then streak off between two buildings. She blinked again, Izuku's dim red outline still burned into her vision. She tried to form a question, but wasn't sure where to begin.

"Didn't think he'd be that fast, right?" Yagi chuckled, sunken eyes trained on the screen Inko had momentarily forgotten. She mutely shook her head, then stepped forward to get a good view of her own. On the display, she saw four views of Izuku as he leaped back and forth between the walls of two buildings, rapidly climbing the structures with what seemed to be little effort.

The sight made her nervous regardless. What would happen if he slipped? What if he fell? He looked so terribly high up that it gave her a touch of vertigo. Even if he was supposed to be supernaturally durable now, surely a fall from such a height would be bad, wouldn't it?

Either she was muttering or Yagi already had a read on her expressions, because he smiled reassuringly. "Fear not, Mrs. Midoriya! If Young Izuku needs assistance, I'll be there long before it becomes dangerous."

Inko swallowed hard. "I… I know. It's just… I've never really seen him do anything like this. I saw the Sports Festival, obviously, which wasn't exactly the best experience. But this is so different… Even knowing everything now, I wasn't really expecting this. It's…"

In the distance, the red light winked out. Another one flickered on, several rooftops away. She didn't need to look at the screen to see the green arc of light leap the gap across the wide street below with casual ease.

"It's just… hard to wrap my head around the idea that not only is it Izuku up there, but that he's only using such a small amount of One for All." Inko admitted. "It's reassuring and terrifying all at once."

Yagi nodded, eyes fixed on the screen. "He's making marvelous strides. The thought that he's only been using his Full Cowling technique for a bit over a week… perhaps closer to two, given his nighttime training… it's incredible."

The second light winked out, replaced by a light only a few buildings away from where they stood. Inko cocked her head to the side, then stiffened. "You put it on the hook of a rooftop crane?!"

Aizawa's only reply was a slurp as he sucked on a jello pouch, his attention wholly on Izuku's performance.

Izuku reached the base of the crane, then paused. He tapped at the side of his head, for a moment, then-

"Mr. Aizawa?"

"What is it, Midoriya?"

"Am I clear to use additional Quirks now?"

Aizawa took another slurp of jello as he seemed to consider the question. The figure of Izuku on the screen recoiled slightly, then sent an askance look towards the nearest drone.

"Affirmative."

Izuku nodded, then extended a hand. A black and green streak shot from it and latched onto the end of the chain, which rattled audibly even at that distance.

The light remained red.

Izuku shifted to turn sideways, then cast out a few strands from his opposite hand to anchor himself to the machine. That done, the original strand began to retract. The light was slowly reeled in until it got close enough to Izuku for it to blink out. Izuku smiled, then carefully let the hook swing back to its resting position.

"Not the approach I was expecting him to take. I anticipated him sliding down the cable, then using Blackwhip to get back." Yagi admitted, to which Aizawa nodded.

Inko was more focused on the look of satisfaction she could make out on Izuku's face in one of the live feeds. He eyed the city around him until his gaze fixed on something, and a smile crept across his face. He stepped forwards and eyed the side of his current building and the ground below, then leaned precariously out over the edge. The sight made her stomach jump into her throat, but that was nothing compared to what came next.

A strand of Blackwhip shot from his hand to stick to the side of the building, and Izuku stepped off the edge.

Inko clamped her hands over her mouth to stifle her shriek, though the flinch from her companions told her that it hadn't been stifled enough. Izuku, thankfully, had been far enough away not to be distracted by it. He swung down in an arc, building speed as he went. At the bottom, he was still several feet from the ground, and he began to arc upwards. Then, the chord of Blackwhip detached, and Izuku's upward arc turned into a shallow downward one. He landed with only a small stumble and kept running, until the next light appeared on the screen.

On the underside of a skywalk. Inko's initial gut reaction of disbelief was immediately quashed when Izuku simply extended an arm upwards, snapped out another strand of Blackwhip to strike the structure next to it, then reeled himself in.

"His usage of Blackwhip is much better when he has a chance to consider his options first." Aizawa observed. "We'll have to work on speeding up his assessment of when and how to use it, but this is a passable starting point."

The light winked out. The next one appeared atop the tallest building in the training grounds, towering above the surrounding buildings.

Yagi blew out a breath. "Well, that'll take him a while to climb… wait, why is he taking off his shirt?"

Inko was asking herself the same question. Izuku had deactivated Full Cowling and slipped out of his PE top. He tied the garment around his waist, a wide smile on his face, then extended his arms forward and upwards.

Two strands of Blackwhip shot out, each grabbing near the upper lip of a building on either side of the street.

Aizawa leaned forwards, one eyebrow raised.

With an exuberant woop, Izuku shot himself forward so quickly he momentarily left the drones behind. Yagi cursed, and steam began to rise from his skin.

The drones lurched forwards, and their cameras swiveled to regain visual on Izuku. They found him arcing through the air above the rooftops, arms extended to the sides like he was flying.

Then Izuku grew wings.

He wavered in the air briefly, the sudden change in his aerodynamics obviously throwing him somewhat, but he managed to steady himself with a few tentative flaps. Once he'd stabilized, Izuku carefully banked, then began to climb in altitude as he approached the towering building.

Yagi slowly relaxed. "Well. I can't say I was expecting that approach, given how he was feeling yesterday…"

"He must have done something last night." Inko nodded. Her heart still hammered, but a wobbly smile had made its way onto her face. All else aside, Izuku had sounded so excited as he shot off, and now that the cameras had caught up, his smile was splitting his face. Before he'd started at UA, that intense, fully genuine smile had been an aching absence in her life that she'd never been quite able to put a finger on. It had made an occasional appearance in the time since, but she'd seen it more in the past few days than the rest of those weeks combined. Izuku was happy. This made him happy!

"A little less worried about him falling now?" Yagi asked, sounding faintly amused.

Inko could only nod, not trusting herself to speak without starting to cry.

Izuku smiled at his reflection in the building's windows as they streaked past. Apparently the beacon on its roof had been the last of them, intended to be an obstacle for Blackwhip.

He'd… pretty definitively circumvented that.

After a few seconds, he pulled out of his dive to glide over the rooftops. Draconic Wings barely felt the strain with a bit of One for All reinforcing them, despite the considerable speed he'd gathered.

Within, a feeling of happiness radiated from Tsubasa. He hadn't really spoken though whatever means the other Vestiges could, but Izuku could still get impressions from him. So far, that impression was that Tsubasa really, really liked it when Izuku flew. While he obviously hadn't gotten over the horror of Tsubasa's presence within One for All, he wouldn't let that stop him from doing something to make the poor guy happy.

Especially when flying felt so amazing. He didn't have words to describe how excited he was at the prospect of finding out how Draconic Wings and Float could be used in tandem.

Izuku angled himself downwards as he approached the place he'd started, the three onlookers watching him directly instead of using the monitors. He wasn't sure if the drones were even still recording him regardless. Either way, he'd have to do the hard part with an audience.

Landing.

That was something that the Quirk's natural guidance wasn't particularly helpful with. He'd managed it a few times, albeit none particularly gracefully, during his time with Tsubasa that morning. The rest of his attempts… left room for improvement, however.

'Then again, the park didn't have nearly as many conveniently placed anchor points… Blackwhip, you ready?'

Blackwhip wiggled happily. It had enjoyed Izuku using it during the test, especially the slingshot launch. He had no doubts that he'd probably raised a few hairs with that one, and with his subsequent dive down afterwards. He'd admittedly gotten a bit caught up in the thrill of getting to really see what he could do again, and might have had a bit too much fun with it. Hopefully Aizawa wouldn't hold that against him.

Izuku mentally counted down for the right moment, then simultaneously retracted Draconic Wings and flared Full Cowling back to 6%. He reached out with Blackwhip, guiding it to the concrete and metal of the surrounding buildings rather than the glass. It stretched elastically as he continued to fly forward, but the resistance it provided quickly ate away at his speed. Once he was moving downward more quickly than he was forward, Izuku released the buildings, then snapped out another set of strands a bit ahead of him. His fall turned into a swooping downward arc, and while he'd misjudged slightly and had to take a harder landing than he'd intended, it was well within Full Cowling's ability to absorb with a low crouch.

'Nicely done, kid!' Daigoro cheered. 'Your Blackwhip Basics are looking pretty solid!'

'Glad to hear it!' Izuku thought back. 'I've been making a deliberate effort to use it where I can so we can get used to each other.'

'Yeah, I noticed. It's paying off. Also, incoming.'

'...wait, as in Float coming through or-'

Izuku turned his attention back outward just in time to see his mother hug-tackled him. He caught her on autopilot, barely budging from the impact as she held on tightly, face buried in his chest. He could feel her tears on his skin, and immediately felt awful for likely scaring her.

"I'm sorry about that launch, Mom. That was-"

"Incredible!" Inko pulled back, beaming beneath the tears. "Yes, is was scary seeing you fling yourself across the city, but… but…"

She seemed to run short on words, but he could see it sparkling in her eyes. Yes, there was her usual worry and concern; that had been carved into her face as faint wrinkles over the years. But excitement, happiness, and pride shone through brilliantly.

His chest tightened, and he pulled her close in another hug.

Behind her, he saw Aizawa open his mouth to say something, but Toshinori cut him off with a raised hand. He flashed Izuku a small smile and a thumbs up, then dragged Aizawa back to the display.

Izuku closed his eyes and hugged his mother all the tighter.

Afterwards, the majority of his training time was dedicated to working on slightly more precise usage of Blackwhip under the mixed guidance of Daigoro and Aizawa. Blackwhip wasn't particularly thrilled by the idea of weaving between things to grab a target when it could simply grab everything, which made progress… difficult. Even so, it had been a learning experience. He hadn't gotten all the results they were working towards, but he'd certainly made strides in how it felt to finely guide Blackwhip.

The remainder of his time was spent gingerly testing his percent jumping. He didn't push too hard in that practice, focusing on how he could maximize a 1% increase. He was left a little sore afterwards, but by the time 7pm had rolled around, he was quite pleased by his progress.

"Run through smaller scale drills like this throughout the week." Aizawa instructed as he packed away the drones. "You'll be scheduled for the same time next Tuesday. You're welcome to book additional time if you wish, but I won't be the one overseeing it. You MIGHT be able to get Nezu, but he rarely has time for it without reserving him two weeks in advance."

"I'll keep that in mind. Thank you for doing this much."

"I'm one of only two teachers who both knows enough to help and who has the proper clearance." Aizawa leveled a flat look his way, then stifled a yawn. "It wouldn't make any sense to stick you with someone else and have them start asking questions-"

Aizawa cut off as a series of sharp beeps echoed through the empty streets of the faux city. At first, Izuku assumed it was Aizawa's phone. Then, to his surprise, Toshinori pulled out his phone, and the sound cut off. He scanned over it, then tucked it back into his pocket.

"Is everything alright, Toshinori?" Izuku asked.

"Duty calls." Toshinori replied, then rolled up his sleeve and extended his arm. "I'm running a little low on time, if you wouldn't mind lending me more of Boon. If you don't have any other plans, I'd even take all of it just to be on the safe side. I have quite the trip ahead of me."

Izuku hesitated for a moment, then placed a hand over the luminous ring already present on Toshinori's arm. "If you need me to take some of it back later, just let me know."

"Will do. Thank you, my boy." Toshinori swelled into All Might, then turned to Aizawa. "Care to go on a bit of a field trip, Eraser Head?"

Aizawa aimed a flat look All Might's way, then sighed. He slung the duffle bag to Izuku, which he caught easily. "Fine then. How are we doing this?"

Notes

It has been quite the last two weeks, even beyond the usual madness of the times. My grandaunt passed away suddenly, so I had to drive my fiancé and I 6 hours across my state after work, attend the funeral the next day, then drive back the third day. Naturally, we both got sick about two days after this, though thankfully it's not the Flu or Covid. Regardless, we've basically been half dead lumps able to do little more than try (Read: Fail) to sleep and periodically gnaw on something nourishing since. Needless to say, this has trainwrecked all valentines plans we'd made.

0/10. Would not recommend the ick.

On the plus side, Izuku and Uraraka finally make some progress, so maybe the spirit of Valentines isn't completely lost. The question is asked, and the date is set. Woo!

As an additional upside, Inko finally gets to see the good side of Izuku having OFA and training to become a hero. She still worries about him, but she can see that he's finally HAPPY! In canon, she really only saw the times things went extremely bad for him, which could only compound her concerns. She'll still have plenty of those going forward, but at least now she has something wonderful to balance them against.

Speaking of things to be worried about… I'm sure that ending isn't ominous at all. Nope! :)