As Tokage stared at the ceiling, her mind swirled with mild frustration. It had been months since her and Midoriya had officially started dating. And in that time things between them had gone surprisingly well, albeit a bit wacky and emotionally draining at times. However, a gnawing sense of impatience had grown inside her over the last few weeks. And with that impatience, a single thought echoed relentlessly inside of her head:
'Why haven't we gone all the way yet?'
It wasn't like the greenette wasn't happy with their relationship. Quite the opposite, actually. Midoriya was everything she could've asked for in a boyfriend. He was supportive, kind, and hot. He treated her like an equal, and they shared plenty of wonderful moments together. Tokage quite enjoyed the long late-night conversations they had in each other's rooms, holding hands on the way to class, and especially the passionate makeout sessions that made her heart race every time she thought about them.
But in spite of all that, they still hadn't actually sealed the deal yet. No matter how many times she hinted at it, no matter how many opportunities had arisen, something always ended up getting in her way just when she thought it was finally going to happen.
At first, the girl convinced herself that it was fine. After all, it was important to build a relationship on emotional connection before physical intimacy…or at least that's what her dad always told her anyway. And she even managed to tell herself that being patient was the right thing to do. They would get there eventually; it was only a matter of time. But as that time passed, she was really starting to "feel the itch."
Now, Tokage couldn't deny it anymore. Her frustration was growing, and it wasn't just about the lack of sex. What really got on the girl's nerves was the fact that Midoriya hadn't even tried to take it to the next level yet. Whenever they would have their makeout sessions he always managed to stop himself from going too far, even when she tried to subtly hint that she was more than ready to do so.
Yes, their entire relationship dynamic basically consisted of her taking the lead on all the physical stuff, which is exactly how she liked it, but it would've been nice to know whether or not he wanted her in that way.
Was it extremely childish to feel this way? Yes. But Tokage didn't want to feel like she was always chasing him. Every woman wanted to feel desired. After all, it was only natural.
The 'lizard tail splitter' user sat up from her bed and pulled her knees close to her chest. The thought of what had happened earlier that night flashed through her mind.
Midoriya had walked her back to her room after their class study session was over with. And as usual, they shared a lingering kiss goodbye. It was just the way she liked it too, soft and tender. But then, like always, he gave her a warm smile before casually walking off to his room. He hadn't even tried to touch her in a way that could be even slightly interpreted as sexual. Not even a quick boob grab or anything!
As much as she hated to admit it, Tokage loathed the fact that Midoriya was such a perfect gentleman all the time. He had never outright said no to her advances, but he didn't seem to be in any hurry either. And no matter how much Tokage thought about it, she couldn't quite figure out what was going through his head. For fuck sake! He was a hormonally challenged teenage boy, there was no way that he didn't want to do it with her…right?
"It's not like I'm asking for much…." The girl muttered to herself.
Tokage then stood up and made the short journey over to her bathroom. It was almost time for her to start getting ready for class so she might as well take advantage of her early start to the day. Besides, it wasn't like she could go back to sleep. After all, she had just woken up from a particularly raunchy dream. One that made her glad that this was one of those nights that she and Midoriya hadn't slept in the same room tonight. She didn't really trust herself to not try something after the slurry of images that went flying through her mind.
'Man…I really need to cut back on the porn. It's giving me weird ideas….'
As Tokage casually entered the bathroom and leaned over her sink, her reflection in the mirror seemed to echo her doubts. She wasn't asking for some grand declaration or a whirlwind night of extreme passion. The girl just wanted to feel like they were on the same page. Besides, it wasn't like she was being unreasonable. Plenty of people their age were already having sex. Hell, their entire class already thought they were doing it.
The girl's hand instinctively reached for her phone, taking a moment to scroll through her messages, searching for something to put her mind someplace else. There were a couple of unread texts from her dad, simple check-ins to see how she was doing, but they didn't offer much in the way of a distraction. And there was nothing even mildly interesting on any of her social media apps, especially at this hour.
The girl let out a quick sigh before going back to staring at herself in the mirror.
The worst part about all of this was that Tokage wanted to tell Midoriya what she was feeling, but had no clue how to go about it. Then again, she never really tried to bring it up seriously in the first place. The most she had been able to accomplish were a few off-hand jokes to test the waters, but nothing more than that. Maybe she was afraid of how he would react, or worse, afraid that he might tell her that he wasn't ready for that kind of intimacy with her at all.
'Why am I being all dramatic about this?' The girl wondered to herself as she turned the handle on the faucet. 'It's really not all that complicated.'
Tokage sighed once again and tossed her phone back over to her bed. The girl knew exactly what her problem was. She wanted to make things special for when they finally did take that next step. Not really for her own sake, but mostly for Midoriya's. She was perfectly fine with just getting it over with. Based on what her sister told her, the first time wasn't going to be all that spectacular anyway. But, something in the girl's gut really didn't want to rob her boyfriend of a major life milestone just so that she could do something that she probably wasn't mature enough to be doing anyway.
But with each passing day, it became harder to be patient. She didn't want to feel frustrated anymore, but she was really starting to reach her wit's end with all of this. And that wasn't just because her ego was starting to take a hit because of it. She couldn't help but begin to doubt how much he cared about her. Why was he holding back? Was there something about her that made him hesitant?
The girl then shook her head. 'Nope! Don't even go there, Setsuna. You already know how Izuku feels about you. He thinks you're hot and can't keep his hand off you when you're alone together. That's all you need to know! Stop it with the toxic thoughts, you're not that kind of girl!'
But what? What exactly was she going to do?
She knew she didn't want to pressure him. She didn't want to make him uncomfortable or feel like he had to do something just to make her happy. It had to be something mutual, something that both of them could look back on and remember with a laugh. But the more Tokage thought about it, the more she realized that she was going to have to be the one to take that all-important first leap. She couldn't wait for him to make the first move, Midoriya just wasn't that kind of guy. Which was fine, that's how it always was anyway. Even if he had gotten a bit bolder in the last few weeks the boy wasn't going to take that kind of a chance. Even if she had all but announced that she'd be okay with it if he did.
Suddenly, it hit her. An idea struck the girl like a freight train going at top speed on a straightaway. A plan started forming in Tokage's mind and the pieces began to assemble like a puzzle. And just like that, she knew exactly how she was going to play this. She would plan something—a surprise, something intimate, something special. And then, when the time was right, she would make it clear what she wanted.
"I need to make a couple of calls!" Tokage announced with a devious smile on her face as she rushed over to her bed to retrieve her phone. Luckily, Kayama had more than a few useful contacts at her disposal from her time as a full-time hero that Tokage could use. And the 'lizard tail splitter' user was sure as hell about to use whatever advantage that she could to get what she wanted. And with what she had just cooked up, she was going to get exactly what she was hoping for.
"Just you wait, freckles…" The girl said to herself as her fingers flew across the screen of her phone. "I'm about to rock your world!"
Nezu's office hummed with the distant sounds of bustling teachers and students shuffling about the building. And the scent of fresh paper along with the faintly sweet odor of green tea mingled in the air. Unfortunately, neither of them did anything to calm the tight knot that had been slowly forming in Katsuki Bakugou's stomach.
The ashe-blonde boy was sitting at the edge of his seat, his fists clenched so tightly that his knuckles were turning white. His usually sharp and fiery expression was dark, even more so than usual. His normally brash and confident demeanor had been replaced by a deep, simmering anger that he could barely keep contained. To say that Katisuki Bakugou wasn't used to being out of control would be putting it mildly, especially when it came to situations like this.
Principal Nezu was sitting directly across from him. The man's expression was calm, almost too calm for Bakugou's liking. Too professional. Too…relaxed. It was as if the man hadn't just uttered a series of words that made Bakugou's world completely turn upside down.
"In light of recent events, we believe that it would be in Bakugou-kun's best interest to transition over to the general education program."
His parents sat beside him. His mother, Mitsuki, folded her arms across her chest with an expression that wasn't quite anger, but something more akin to resignation. His father, Masaru, remained silent. His arms were crossed as well but his face was uncharacteristically neutral.
Bakugou's heart hammered in his chest. Demoted. That was the word they used.
"Bakugou-kun," Principal Nezu began to speak once again, his voice was cool and collected. "We understand this is a difficult situation for you, but the decision has already been made. After careful consideration, it's clear that the general education course will better suit your academic and behavioral development."
Bakugou's teeth grinded together. His heart was racing and every synapse in his brain was firing off all at once. He just couldn't understand it. He had been working harder than anyone, pushing himself past his limits every single day. So why was this happening to him? Why was everything going so wrong? What the fuck was actually going on right now?
"You've got to be kidding me." he muttered under his breath, barely audible but still cutting through the tension in the room.
Mitsuki's sharp gaze flicked over to him. "Katsuki stop it! Don't make this worse."
"Worse?!" The 'explosion' quirk user suddenly shot to his feet, his chair screeching against the floor. His breath came out in heavy pants, and his face was flushed with frustration. "This is already as bad as it can get! What the hell do you mean, general education? What about the hero course? What about my future?!"
Principal Nezu remained unfazed, though the slight stiffening of his ears showed that he had been expecting this. The man glanced at the boy's parents for a moment, then back at Bakugou. This was honestly going better than the unidentified mammal had anticipated. His desk was still in one piece and the windows weren't broken…yet.
"Your behavior this semester has been consistently disruptive." The man then spoke in an authoritative tone. "Your attitude in class, your inability to work with your peers, and your tendency to "act out" against others, all of which have been documented by our faculty. We simply can't ignore it any longer."
The words cut like a rusted knife. Bakugou's chest tightened, and his hands balled into fists again. He could feel his throat closing. His anger threatened to explode, both literally and metaphorically.
"That's bullshit!" Bakugou spat, his voice rising. "I'm the best in my class! I work harder than any of those extras, how the hell do you think this is fair?!"
Mitsuki slammed her hand on the desk, her voice was sharp. "Enough, Katsuki! You're not going to get anywhere with that attitude. Do you think I'm happy about this? Do you think your father's happy?"
Bakugou glanced back at his father, expecting some kind of support, some kind of indication that this was wrong and that he was on his side. But Masaru's expression was stoic. He didn't speak, he didn't even bother to look at Bakugou directly.
"I'm not going to apologize for how I raised you, Katsuki…" Mitsuki said, her voice hard. "But you've got to learn how to act like an adult. This isn't about how hard you work or how strong you think you are. It's about how you treat other people."
Bakugou's chest heaved with frustration, his teeth clenching so tightly that his jaw hurt.
"This isn't about that!" He growled through gritted teeth. "This is about me being too good for this stupid school, this is- this is because of that fucking villain, Deku!"
Of course, that had to be it! There's no other possible explanation for it. That villainous bastard had somehow managed to convince the principal to kick him out of the hero course. It was already bad enough that Bakugou lost to that degenerate, but now the green-haired menace was actively trying to ruin his life. It was the only explanation that made any sense. Why else would this be happening to him?
The room fell into a heavy silence. Principal Nezu then took a deep breath before he continued to speak. His voice was soft but firm. "We want what's best for you, Bakugou-kun. You have a lot of potential. But that potential can't be realized if you continue to alienate the people around you. And it certainly can't be realized if you continue to harass other students for your own gain."
Masaru winced at the last sentence. The brunette man was still trying to come to terms with the fact that his own son was running around accusing others of being criminals for no reason. Even after seeing the footage of Bakugou and that silver-haired student with his own eyes, he was having a hard time believing it.
"I understand that you've been through a lot this year, but you've got to learn how to work with others. And you have to put this childish one-sided feud with Midoriya-kun to rest. If you can't, then you won't be able to succeed in any environment, hero course, general education, or otherwise."
"I don't need to 'work with others' to succeed!" Bakugou barked, his fists trembling with the effort to keep his cool and not start popping off explosions. "I'm already succeeding. I've been at the top of my class since the beginning of the year! Everyone else is just in the way."
"Where the hell did you learn to talk like-" Mitsuki sighed heavily, her gaze softening as she looked at her son. Now wasn't the time for her to get angry, she could save that for when she got back home. "Katsuki, you've always been one to push yourself, but you can't just go around thinking that everyone else is beneath you. It's not about being the strongest. It's about being the best version of yourself, one that respects others and the rules. That's what the issue here is."
Bakugou could feel his heart racing, so much so that he could hear his own pulse in his ears. He hadn't even heard what his mother just said. He was still angry at the fact that everything he had done up to this point had somehow backfired on him.
"I don't understand…" Bakugou muttered, his voice a bit quieter now. "I worked my ass off. I tried harder than anyone else. So why's this happening?"
Principal Nezu leaned forward slightly, his tone more empathetic. "Your actions over the last few weeks have proven that you cannot be trusted to hold your seat in the hero course. You were already warned by Aizawa-kun to not harass Midoriya-kun over what happened during the training camp incident. You even gave him your word to leave the boy alone. But even so, you went out of your way to cause problems for both him and your fellow classmates."
Bakugou swallowed hard, his anger still simmering beneath the surface. He wanted to yell, to argue, but somehow, his words faltered. What the hell was this guy even talking about? How was any of that wrong? All Bakugou was trying to do was take down a villain. That's what being a hero was all about. So what if he broke some stupid promise to his lame teacher? The end result was all that mattered.
Masaru finally spoke up, his voice was calm albeit a bit cold. "Your mother and I already agreed with the decision, Katsuki. You're talented, that much is clear. But if you can't change your attitude, you won't get anywhere. You'll need to understand that if you want to get back into the hero course here."
The words hung in the air like an unbearable weight. Bakugou's chest tightened again. His mind raced, desperate to find a way out of this, a way to make sense of it all, but it all felt like a storm he couldn't escape. Nothing ever seemed to go his way, no matter how hard he fought.
Principal Nezu looked at him one last time. "We're not trying to punish you, Bakugou-kun. We're giving you a chance to grow. And I think that this time away from the pressures of the hero course will help you in that regard."
With that, the room fell silent again, and for the first time in what felt like an eternity Katsuki Bakugou was left to reflect on everything he had done—and the road that lay ahead of him.
As he sat on the stone bench outside U.A.'s front gate Midoriya couldn't help but glance at his phone for what felt like the thousandnth time. His fingers drummed on his knee in a rhythmic pattern, but the nervousness gnawing at him was undeniable. He had been told, in no uncertain terms, to be ready at exactly six o'clock. That was the only instruction his girlfriend had given him. Just be at the front gate and wear something nice, that was it. The rest, whatever that may be, was a complete mystery.
It wasn't like Midoriya didn't like surprises, he actually kind of enjoyed them. But there was something about this particular surprise that had him on edge. For some reason, he felt like he was walking into a trap. Tokage had sounded so mysterious on the phone a few hours ago when she'd told him to be prepared for their "date night". And the excitement in her voice only made him second-guess everything.
"I wonder what she's planning?" Midoriya muttered under his breath, trying to shake off the nagging feeling in his gut. His mind wandered to all the usual date ideas that one could think of. Things like a movie, a dinner at a nice restaurant, or maybe something more adventurous like a stroll in the park. But none of that seemed to fit Tokage's playful and unpredictable nature. And that's what made him anxious. If it was something so simple, she would've just said so.
As he tapped his phone screen again, Midoriya was getting ready to call the girl to check and see if she was on her way. However, he stopped himself when he noticed a sleek black car smoothly gliding up to the curb. The engine's hum was low and powerful, a stark contrast to the usual clatter of bikes and pedestrians. Midoriya's eyes instinctively shifted toward it. Was that…?
The car came to a slow stop right in front of him. Midoriya blinked. And before he could even consider what to think, the rear driver's side door opened, and out stepped a figure that immediately took his breath away.
Setsuna.
The girl emerged from the car in a knee-length blue dress. The fabric caught the late afternoon light just right as she paused for a moment to smile at him. Her long, moss-green hair was styled elegantly. The right side of her head had been shaven down to a stubble and accented with a geometric design that made it stand out. The girl was wearing a pair of low heels that clicked against the pavement with every step.
Tokage always looked good, that much was a simple fact. But this time… she looked stunning. The dress was so much more formal than anything she usually wore for their dates.
"Hey, freckles." The girl then said her voice full of warmth and excitement. "You ready?"
Midoriya's heart practically skipped a beat. "Setsuna…w-what is all this?"
Tokage grinned, a mischievous gleam briefly flashed in her eyes. "Surprise, remember? I told you to be ready." She then slid her hand into her purse (that she totally didn't steal from her sister) and pulled out a pair of tickets, dangling them between her fingers. "I thought I'd make tonight a little special."
Midoriya swallowed hard. A fancy car and a beautiful dress, this was nothing like the casual outings they usually enjoyed together. Was this some kind of high-end restaurant? Or maybe a luxury experience? He'd never been one for extravagance, and now the unfamiliarity of it all made him feel even more uncertain.
"I… uh…" He struggled to find his voice, his nerves getting the best of him. "I wasn't expecting all this…."
Tokage chuckled softly, stepping closer. "I know you weren't. That's why it's a surprise." She reached out and took his hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. "Come on. Don't overthink it. Just trust me."
Midoriya hesitated for a moment, his mind still racing with questions. However, the warmth of her touch and the glint of mischief in her eyes made him forget all his worries. He gave a shaky nod.
"Alright." He said, smiling sheepishly. "Let's go."
Tokage led him toward the car, the air was cool against his skin. He couldn't help but wonder just what she had planned for the two of them. Whatever it was, Midoriya had a feeling that it was going to be something unforgettable.
A/N: First of all, Happy New Year! I hope that everyone is having a nice 2025 so far. I most certainly am! Because, as of yesterday I'm officially finished with school! I no longer have to worry about academic pursuits until I eventually go for my master's degree (which I don't want to). I'm officially free! Obviously, this means that I'll have a lot more free time in the near future to write this story. I'll do my best to try and push out chapters more frequently from this point on, but I can't make any promises.
1. I'm going to be completely honest with you guys, I'm not 100% satisfied with the way that this chapter came out. Obviously, it's building up to some Izu/Setsu stuff, but I feel like I just didn't execute it the way that I wanted to. Mainly because I just wanted to get the Bakugou stuff out of the way. I'll try harder next chapter, so I hope you guys aren't too disappointed with it.
2. Well, Bakugou's fate was finally revealed. He got the boot from the hero course. What does this mean for his future? Well…you'll just have to wait and see. He'll pop up again during the time skip (if we ever make it that far). But for now, he's just a regular student. Obviously, Bakugou's going to need a replacement to fill his spot. I already know who it is, and I'll try to reveal it next chapter.
3. I'm actually really looking forward to writing this next chapter. I've had some ideas for how I want it to go and I've finally decided on some fun stuff. Hopefully, you all enjoy it. I'm not going to go full lemon with it (I'm horrible at writing those kinds of scenes), but I'll try and give the people what they want.
Like always, thanks for reading this dumpster fire of a fic. Feel free to leave a comment if you want. Thank you for your time and have a wonderful day.