Now that I've stepped away from the Emerald Furnace stuff, I've found that I have time to work on other stories, both for another fandom. I've been toying with 2 ideas for a while now. Well, there's more, but I need to pace myself, or else I'll burn out.

But when it comes to this, there were some bumps and issues, but I managed to iron those out and finish something I can look at and not think, 'I'll probably cringe at this in a few years.' I struggled at first, so I made changes to both my plans and the story to ensure that they worked together.

Chapter 23: Hang-outs and Field Trips

When they learned details of the incident that sparked the alarm, the school announced that someone had busted the main gate, and the press had poured in. The principal sent a mass text to students explaining that it wasn't severe and that only the gate was damaged. However, airing on the side of caution, afternoon classes were suspended, and students were allowed to leave early.

This was received as well as expected, with the entire restaurant's student customers cheering for their half-day before groups quickly started discussing things they could do with their afternoon free.

"It's such a shame. We could have spent this time more productively," Iida bemoaned. The group had finished their lunch but not left, as they didn't need to.

"Come on, Iida, live a little! So, what if we're not getting bored out of our minds with lectures and slideshows? We can get back to that tomorrow." Ashido laughed, trying to get him as excited as she was to hit the town and have fun!

"I'm not going to lose sleep over it." Kamakiri shrugged. He knew school was important, but he also didn't mind having some entertainment.

"But we came here to learn, and didn't you all hear Aizawa-sensei's words on our first day? We don't have time for this," Iida reminded them, chopping his hand towards the pink-haired girl who blew a raspberry.

"But if the school were the ones to make the call, couldn't you say they've decided that we do, my good man?" Aoyama threw his comment into the pot of discussion, Iida spluttering as he tried to counter.

Ashido capitalized on that. "He's right! For our safety and all that jazz, you think there's a jazz club in town?"

"Why are you looking at me?" Tetsutetsu asked her, but she didn't respond as she fell back into planning what could be the best time of their semester.

"We can check, but I don't think jazz is something we can all enjoy. How about a movie instead? Maybe we can hit up the mall, and there's sure to be an arcade." Kirishima, long used to how energetic Ashido could be, was there to redirect that energy.

"Arcade, what decade are you from?" Kamakiri scoffed.

"Don't miss the arcade, not unless you have a DDR machine in your apartment. I can school you in." Ashido called him out for his slander. She had spent a lot of time in arcades, and if she had her way, they'd remain around long after she'd grown old and grey so she could take any grandkids she had to one.

"Normally, I wouldn't give two shits about something like that," Kamakiri glared at her, a competitive spark forming in his eyes as he stood up. "But I ain't no bitch. If you challenge me, I'll leave you in the dust."

Ashido laughed arrogantly as she stood up, matching his intensity. "I'll be sure to bring some spices, so the floor will taste good when I knock you into it."

"Well, it seems we have a game plan then," Ojiro commented as the two continued to trade jabs, the rest seemingly not registering to them anymore as a competitive inferno had sparked between them.

"Seems so." Jiro sighed, as she just knew that Ashido would make them all use the DDR machine, something she knew she sucked at.

"Everyone, head on home and change. We'll meet…"" Ashido announced her jewel-encrusted phone in hand. She looked through a map of the area before smiling when she found what she wanted: "Here, at the park in one hour!" She tagged the spot and sent it to the rest of them, the teens having already shared their numbers to create a group chat.

Pulling his phone out, Midoriya saw that it wasn't too far from their apartment, within walking distance, but with the time given, maybe they'd need to take the bus to be on time.

Pointing at her old friend like he was a servant, Ashido beamed. "Kiri, you share a building with Iida. Make sure he looks nice, as I'm pretty sure he'll dress like a dad if you don't."

"I have you know that I have no children!" Iida countered that ludicrous accusation, but the rest were silent as they watched the real meaning of the statement fly right over his head.

"I see your point," Kirishima quietly said as he got up and pulled Iida to his feet. Alright, Iida, this is going to be our first time hitting the town as friends and college students. We gotta make sure that you look your best." Iida said that he ensured that nothing he owned was silly or improper, but Kirishima ignored all that as he marched him out of the restaurant, giving them one last wave before the door closed behind them.

"Should we stop them?" Ojiro asked, but Midoriya shook his head.

"I have a feeling that would be impossible at this point." Aoyama didn't have as...an Ashido personality. Still, he could also get passionate about his interests or whatever drew his attention. Midoriya was used to accepting the flow of things and trying to have fun. "But at least we're not going drinking."

"Not sure if that's a good thing. If one of them suggested that at this hour, I would be worried." Jiro stated, to which Ashido yelled that she wasn't some day drinker.

"So…you're a regular drinker then? But didn't we all turn legal not too long ago?" Komori giggled as Ashido turned to her, slack-jawed at being caught in such a trap, and from the quiet mushroom girl to boot!

"You're right to think, so young and yet a slave to the bottle." Kamakiri let out a sigh that was as sincere as Bakugo's quiet and friendly.

"Screw you!"

"Get a couple drinks in me first and I might let you do that." Kamakiri laughed when she flipped him the bird.

Past the meeting time, Uraraka turned the corner and ran up to where she was meant to see the others. Ready to apologize for taking 20 minutes longer, she said, "Sorry I'm late..." but it wasn't like she had the bus fare, so she had to huff it. "Sorry, I'm late..." Until she ran up, she lowered when, instead of seeing the entire group, she saw that Kyoka, Komori, and the woman who organized this, Ashido, were still missing.

"No problem; you're not the last to arrive." Kirishima waved it off, giving it a look and nodding at what she had decided to wear. Uraraka didn't strike him, or any of them, as someone who spent a lot on her fashion. Still, her pink tee, bell-bottom blue jeans, and pink moon boots looked excellent and comfortable, great for spending the afternoon with friends. She even went the extra mile and got wireless headphones, which sat atop her head.

Uraraka smiled, knowing that she wasn't the late one. As she looked over Kirishima's appearance, it seemed like he had chosen something simple and sturdy, much like his personality. A black shirt with red cracks-like patterns across it, underneath a white open jersey with the sleeves pushed up to his elbows. A simple pair of brown cargo pants with a pain attached to the belt on his right side and a pair of thick brown high tops.

"This is just shameful. Ashido was the one who picked the time and location for our meet-up. She should have been here at least five minutes early." Iida chopped his hand, having been looking at his watch every other minute while also looking around for the missing three to arrive. Looking him over, Uraraka could say she was surprised that Iida had something like that. However, she recalled that Kirishima was there to help him along.

She would have thought he would have dressed in a polo and dress pants, and perhaps he would have if he had been left to his decisions. Instead, Kirishima got him into a dark, tailored blazer paired with a matching pair of blue cropped trousers. Underneath, he wore a white crew-neck shirt and white low-tops.

"Yeah, she's like that sometimes. I wouldn't be surprised if she spent too much time picking out an outfit." Kirishima didn't seem worried about this, so she'd take his word for it as he laughed, nodding in Iida's direction.

"It wasn't easy, but I think I managed to pull something together," Kirishima stated, with Hagakure piping in. The invisible girl wore a sleeved top, striped white and pink pants, and black and white bowling shoes. She carried only a white handbag as an accessory. While she wasn't wearing much, her way of moving and personality helped make the look pop.

"I'm surprised that you knew enough to help him. It's not like you're a fashion icon, Kirishima." At her statement, Kirishima hardly took offense.

"It's not like I don't know stuff about what's trendy and what's not; it's just that my stuff is more practical, with fashion being second. Ashido figured that out a long time ago." He laughed a little as he recalled how angry she got when she gave him a two-hour lecture and then thought he didn't listen, only for him to show up for a school function dressed to the nines, and then he never did so again.

"She probably should have picked something cheap since she's gonna be rolling all over the floor when I beat her." Kamakiri laughed as Uraraka looked him over and found that his outfit was very utilitarian, being made from a long, heavy white coat with a green fur-lined hood, oversized pockets, and multiple straps. His lower half wore a pair of rugged, green, and black high-top boots and slim-fitting pants covered with rips, not the type that came out of the box, the types that formed from wear and tear.

"Is that a fact?" Ashido asked as she sauntered up to the group. At her sides were the remaining missing girls. "Well, I'll make you eat those words, Kamakiri." She lowered her sunglasses and gave him a wink, though Kamakiri was less focused on that and more on the fact that he might need to revise his earlier statement about drinking.

They already knew that Ashido was attractive, one of the best-looking girls in their course, and seeing how they had seen her in costume, they knew that her looks were appealing and functional. But that didn't mean they didn't stare at her now as she rocked up in black number, loose enough that her collar was exposed and tight enough to track all her curves. They didn't see pants; instead, she went for purple thigh-high stockings and 2-inch sandal heels. Finally, she dusted up with a bit of make-up to make her eyes and lips pop with a bracelet on her left hand.

"Wow…" Midoriya uttered, as Kamakiri wasn't the only one left in awe of Ashido.

"Yeah…" Ojiro agreed, feeling underdressed compared to the rest, but especially when it came to Mina, as that outfit screamed she was going out for a fun time, and not even an earthquake would stop that.

Ashido reveled in their stunned awe as she had taken something sure to a reaction. Twirling around, she spotted their eyes tracking her from her perfectly manicured toes, up her long, curvy, and muscular legs hidden behind her thigh-highs, up her torso, with some lingering just to see if she was wearing paints, before settling on her face, where her iconic dark and golden eyes enchanted them like they had so many others.

"What do you think? Does this look good on me or what?" She had to hold back the laugh when she saw even the already-in-a-relationship Midoriya speechless, his face red, but when she saw Iida's reaction, she couldn't keep it in. He was stiff as a board, or perhaps he was merely imitating a certain piece of his autonomy, as his face was as red as Kiri's hair.

"Iida, you're starring." Hagakure pocked Iida's side.

"You couldn't be more wrong, Hagakure!" He denied it, but too quickly that even if one were blind to how hard he was blushing, they would be suspect of that statement. But he wasn't the only one taking in the eye candy, as there was a twinkle in Aoyama's eye. The boy had dressed like a fusion of 18th-century fashion and had met 1990s French street swear.

Midoriya shut that down, having seen that look more than once. "Down boy, today it's a group activity. You and her can plan to have some fun in private later." Lucky for them, with the group assembled and reactions tampered by exposure, they could start with their get-together.

"Are we going to the mall for the movies?" Komori asked. The girl was dressed to the nines in red and pink frills and even had a white and red bonnet in her hair.

"Yup, it's right around the block, and I hear they're still showing the latest Extraterrestrials." Ashido cheered, as she had watched the movie on opening night, but she could watch it another 10 times and still not get bored.

Her opinion wasn't universal there as Komori yelped in fright. "You want us to watch that? It's super scary!"

"I'm also not a fan of horror movies, especially with how the last one ended…." Ojiro added, shivering as he recalled how…graphic the final scene from the last installment in that movie series was.

"Oh yeah, because we're going to deal with little tiny alien babies bursting out of people's chests with an unholy shriek before attacking anything that moves." Jiro snarled, the girl having gone whole punk rock with her clothing choice, even breaking out some of the make-up her mother had given her.

"We're training to be heroes, guys. We'll see spooky stuff all the time! Better get used to it now." Ashido hardly cared for such complaints as she continued to lead them toward the mall. It was a small one built to serve the college town U.A. spawned. Because of that, most of its stores were geared towards a demo of their age range, from fashion to entertainment, with some school supply shops here and there.

It was a half day, so they weren't the only students enjoying the place. They saw many students hanging out, some still in uniform, others having changed out of it like they did. When they got to the movies, they saw that the place already had people, but not enough to give off the idea that they couldn't find seats as they walked up to the register to get their tickets. Overhead were the posters for what was screening, with Ashido's pick in the middle, getting more attention than the poster for the latest All Might movie.

"Are you going to all right, Izuku?" Aoyama asked when he saw Midoriya fixate on the Extraterrestrials poster, which he could admit was as gruesome as one would expect from that series.

"Why wouldn't I be?" Midoriya asked, flinching at being called like he had been in his own little world, which only made Aoyama smile.

"Because I heard you saw this movie with Intelli, and you spent the entire time holding her." He started, with Komori and Kirishima looking Midoriya's way in surprise at that statement.

"I did not! You told you that lie?" Midoriya immediately denied such a statement! Besides, he didn't watch horror movies, so he couldn't have ever done such a thing.

"Intelli." Kamakiri laughed at Midoriya as Aoyama exposed him, the boy wanting the earth to eat him.

"I held her hand, I swear." He admitted though he hoped that Yuga would spare him the worst of it as if he heard it from her-

Of course, Yuga wasn't that forgiving as he held up his phone. "Shall I call her and ask? As I recall her saying that you were latched onto her like a baby koala."

"It's…" Kirishima stopped him as he placed a hand on his shoulder, his eyes understanding his pain.

"It's alright, Midoriya. Those movies…they're scary, and then there's whatever…it is." The redhead who loved all things manly, who would jump in front of a speeding truck only to save a single kitty, shivered. He had been friends with Ashido for years, and she had made him watch all her favorites, with most being some of the most haunting horror movies ever made.

"I'm not a fan of horror, but I can stomach most of it, but those movies…whoever makes them is demented." Midoriya agreed with him as the two found comfort in the other. Hagakure giggled at the bromance forming out of their shared trauma.

Ashido didn't take too kindly to them, talking smack about her favorite movies, so she decided to put it up for a vote. "All in favour for Extraterrestrials 3: The New Order?" She raised her hand, followed by Iida, who seemed curious about the movie Aoyama, Kamakiri, Hagakure, and Tetsutetsu. But just before she could ask again, the tiebreaker Uraraka raised her hand, which left Kirishima and Midoriya pale as they realized their position.

With a look of victory on her face, Ashido rang their death bell. "All opposed?" All those who remained raised their hands, but they were outvoted as Ashido turned and approached the register to place their ticket orders

"There you have it; let's see some aliens!" she laughed as Kirishima and Midoriya held each other like a mystery solver and his dog.

"It can't be that bad, you two. It's a horror movie, not an execution." Jiro told them, rolling her eyes at how dramatic they were being.

"And Jiro screamed the loudest at all the scary bits. She was glued to Kiri and Midori from like the 10-minute mark!" Ashido finished telling the story to the class the following day, the punk rocker being held back from Kirishima from attacking, which only reminded her that this wasn't the first time she tried that. "As soon as the credits rolled, she tried to jump me."

Midoriya was silent, his face to his desk as Ashido hadn't left anything out about how they had been scared shitless by that movie. He didn't even know why. He had fought against the broken, fury fuelled remains of people who had gone out in truly horrid ways, and yet a stupid movie made him want his fucking nightlight again.

Asui looked at him and then at Tetsutetsu and Kinoko, who all looked drained from the experience orchestrated by Ashido. Kamakiri wasn't like them, but more along the lines of Jiro, muttering several creative curses as Ashido had started with their trip to the arcade and how she absolutely decimated her opponent, quickly scoring 4 times his best while in heels to boot.

"Sounds like you have a fun time." The frog girl croaked.

"Fun? That was torture! How the hell did that sin against everything good manage to get so many movies?!" Jiro yelled as she was terrified to go to sleep, enough that her mother had to coddle her like she was 6 till she fell asleep. It was a minor miracle that it was just her mom as she could be cool about it; her dad would have lost his shit and gone full 'my baby girl' mode on her.

"I couldn't sleep in my room. Every time I heard something…I felt like…" Midoriya sounded haunted, raising his head to reveal that he wasn't even well rested.

"We held a sleepover to keep an eye on one another." Hagakure sounded as drained as he did, though she had the benefit of no one seeing the bags under her eyes from the face. She only managed 4 hours of sleep.

Iida also had trouble sleeping, but his mother had packed him medication for that. Granted, it was more because he could be as hyper as a child, but it got the job done. "I have to admit that it wasn't…what I was expecting from mass entertainment. Though the production standards were top, not a single instance Did I feel like there was an issue."

"You see, he liked it." Ashido took that support like it disproved the rest.

"Ashido, watch what you drink. You'll never know when one would have mushroom spores known for how…aggressive they can grow in the moist, dark space that is the throat." Kinoko stated that her deadpan face and eyebags made it hard to tell whether she was serious. Ashido made a note to go when she eventually apologized for this.

"Damn girl, you got them. It's high school all over again." Kirishima whistled as Jiro finally stopped trying to attack Ashido, an attempt she had started when she spotted the girl as they walked onto campus. Kirishima was grateful that the press wasn't around as that wouldn't have been a flattering image.

Ashido was unapologetic. "No one lets me pick the movies once they learn my tastes, so I gotta pull this stunt."

"You knew?!" Tetsutetsu yelled but didn't get an answer as Yaoyorozu, who had been somewhat listening to how Ashido seemingly tortured her friends, noticed the time.

"Everyone, it's time to get into our seats. The class will start soon." She called out, and while there were grumbles and promises of revenge, they followed the instructions. It was not a second too late, as once she returned to her seat, the bell rang, and as they expected, the door opened for Aizawa to enter. However, he wasn't alone, as with him, he had Thirteen.

"Morning students, I trust that you used your time off to relax," Aizawa started, which confused the students. "Because you won't get much more of it for a long time." Oh, that cleared things up; for a moment, they thought he was perhaps out of it.

"Before you ask, the security situation was handled, but no, we don't know which of the press was dumb enough to damage school property." Aizawa started, answering questions he was sure most students, not just those in the hero course, had. Those questions were answered before anyone could raise a hand; Aizawa nodded toward his fellow teacher.

"Thirteen." He stepped aside to allow the space-themed heroine to take center stage.

"Right, I wanted to tell you all that today, you'll be with me for hero training, which I think you can guess what that means." Thirteen started, much more cheerful than the downer of a drill sergeant.

"It's rescue training!" That easy-going energy was why the close to the entire class felt comfortable enough to explode in excitement at another crucial step in their journeys to be heroes.

"I wonder what kind of rescue training it'll be? I hope it's something like urban disasters; my quirk would be great!" Sero flexed his arms, putting attention on his elbows.

"(Kero) If it's water-based, then I will do great!" Asui, while seemingly passive, gave away just how excited she was in her words and tone.

"Major villain attack clean up. I'll be the best at finding anyone under the rubble!" Tokage laughed, and Jiro also smiled.

"Who said that we'll be doing just the one? Come now, students, this is U.A." Thirteen only added to the excitement, though some did realize that if they were going to do all that, it meant one thing.

"Sounds like it would be a lot of work," Kaminari noted, but Kirishima didn't see it like that.

"But isn't that what being a hero is all about?" The redhead felt like he was bursting with energy. Midoriya wholeheartedly agreed as he always thought of one clip from All Might's years of hero work, the one thing that had become a core memory for him and served as the bedrock for his desire to follow in the man's footsteps, and was him saving over a 100 people from a major accident.

Anyone could punch out a villain, but it took a hero to save someone.

Tetsutetsu punched his fists together. "Yeah! We save lives and then punch out some stupid villains. Besides, we can't just learn first aid from Snipe; we gotta learn how to pull people out from danger, too."

"You're both correct." Thirteen spoke up, settling down the class before they went off-topic. "Now, unlike your other hero classes, you're not required to wear your costume this time. Sometimes, you could be called to the field merely because you're close by; it doesn't matter if it's your day off. Also, as you've worn your costumes a couple times now, you can use this as a chance to request changes to them, and as that's being done, you'll just wear your P.E. uniform."

"Also, you might have designed your costume to be best in a fight or to account for some con of your fighting styles or quirks. In the past, students have found that they could have neglected to take rescue work into account while designing, so even if you wear it, keep mental notes of things your costume could have added, altered, or removed to make that process easier for you." Thirteen added, with a few students stopping to consider that.

"Yes, sir!" Nevertheless, they agreed with her words as Aizawa retook the spotlight.

"Good, that's all for now. When you have your class with Thirteen, head to gate 4. Except for Bakugo." Aizawa stated which got the blonde to question to jump to his feet in outrage.

"What the fuck?" Aizawa turned his gaze to him. His eyes weren't red, but they still pierced through Bakugo like a blade to the chest, robbing him of most of his anger.

"Did I give you permission to speak, Bakugo? No, then shut up. You're barred from out-of-classroom hero training, or did you forget about your horrendous conduct the other day?" Aizawa told him, a frown on his face as Bakugo took his seat once more but tried to save some face when reminded of that clusterfuck of a class, not helped by the fact his former teammates weren't over it and glared at him.

Aizawa grunted before continuing. "The rest will be with Thirteen for the class, and you'll be with Supercharge going over the ethics and communication skills you sorely lack. Is that understood?" He dared Bakugo to fight, to cause a scene. He wouldn't hesitate to make him pay for it as he wouldn't tolerate some violent, self-obsessed moron in his class; hell, he barely tolerated them in his school.

It was a game of chicken between them, Bakugo's fury against Aizawa's deadly eyes. Eventually, Bakugo blinked first. "Yes…" Bakugo agreed, his head barely moving in agreement.

"Yes…what?" Oh, but Aizawa wouldn't let him get away with having pride. People like him could only be made better when you shatter everything about them and build them back up.

"Yes…sir," Bakugo repeated, only adding the proper respect. The class got the feeling that if he could, Bakugo would have thrown up just saying that. Todoroki gave him what could be the biggest stink-eye as Bakugo reminded him of someone who he had already detested.

"Good, now, onto other others." With that, he continued with the regular morning announcements, giving the students something to look forward to when their practical training came up.

Classes came and went, though there was a hitch-up. At the last minute, it was announced that the dean wished to have All Might handle a sensitive issue, so Aizawa handled their first period. This made it as dry and intimidating as they would have expected, as the man had none of All Might's charisma or desire to make their class fun. He did, however, retain the engagement requirement, often just picking one of them at random to answer a question or give their opinion.

One other thing of note was that as the time counted down, Bakugo grew increasingly tense. Midoriya recalled that as a kid, he was never the best at controlling his anger, but here was another example of how his issues had only gotten worse since then. Even when called on by the teachers, he had to take a couple of seconds to control his breath so as not to explode at them and only make his situation worse. And when the time came, they all got up to leave, but Bakugo remained behind.

Truthfully, Midoriya wanted to say something to him, but he didn't know what to say. Yes, he knew him, probably better than anyone else there, but the version of him he knew wasn't the version that had made the choices that got him into this. Would he even accept his help or words of encouragement, or would he just lash out and refuse to listen? He didn't know, and that wasn't a pleasant thought. But while he wished to try anyway, caution won out as there were too many unknowns, and if he made the wrong move, things could have been made worse.

So, he left with the others, changed into his hero costume, and went to where they had been instructed.

"Hey, Midoriya, what's on your mind," Uraraka asked him, noticing that he had been looking to the side, silent.

"Just…trying to think about how All Might would act right now?" Midoriya replied, keeping it vague.

"In rescue training? Pretty sure we all know how he would by now." Tetsutetsu asked, missing the meaning in his words as Midoriya intended, turning towards him and the rest, he opened his mouth to join the discussion.

"All right, everyone, there's a lot of us, so let's split in seat order and board a bus!" Kendo yelled as to be heard as the two buses pulled up.

"It looks like we'll be separated for the ride to our destination. Try not to miss my, Izuku." Aoyama turned to Midoriya, giving him a bow that made him roll his eyes.

"Oh yes, because I can't live without you trying to embarrass me." Midoriya sarcastically retorted.

"Oh, such cruelty; perhaps if you change your name to something close to mine, we can remain together." Aoyama shot back.

"Cut-out party." Midoriya countered with a smirk and watched as Aoyama froze like a deer in headlights before the color washed away from his face. He turned and quickly walked towards his bus.

"Alright, see you later!" The rest looked at Aoyama, who looked like he had just been blackmailed, and then Midoriya, who looked like he had just blackmailed him.

"What was that all about?" Jiro asked, to which Midoriya didn't give up the ghost.

"Don't worry about it., " he replied as the group boarded their intended buses. Along with Aoyama, Ashido, Iida, Uraraka, Ojiro, Kamakiri, Kirishima, and Komori, they all went for the one bus while Tetsutetsu, Jiro, Hagakure, and Midoriya boarded the second. Once aboard, Aizawa followed them while Thirteen got onto the first bus and were off.

"You know, there's another plus for picking Kendo and Yaoyorozu as our class reps," Monoma said after a calm silence fell over the bus as people either rested, scrolled on their phones, or left themselves to their thoughts.

Yaoyorozu looked up from her book on atomic structures. "What would that be, Monoma?"

Snapping his fingers as he pointed at her, he replied, "Well, we split the class by seat, and it seems that each got one of our reps to keep an eye on things." Now that he mentioned it, it was true, as Kendo was riding with the other bus.

"We also get the bonus of not having to deal with Mr. Blow Everything Up," Tsunotori added, noting that they had a vacant seat on their bus, one close to the back.

"That's more temporary, Tsunotori. Bakugo could be allowed to join us again on our next practical." Honenuki reminded her, even if he enjoyed the relative quiet and ease that came with not having to worry about when Bakugo would fly off the rails.

"But when you think about it, I imagine he's not upset about missing rescue training. He doesn't strike me as the type that would rescue people if he could fight instead." Yanagi pointed out, which they could agree with, Midoriya finding that he couldn't picture Bakugo acting in such a way to anyone, even when he wasn't so bad; he was more concerned with winning fights than picking people up when they fell.

"Man's probably more pissed he was still in the dog house with Aizawa. Difference in saying no and being told you can't and all that." Sero scratched his head, wondering just how much Bakugo hated the fact he was stuck getting lectures from a teacher he probably didn't pick for his electives.

"Oh, I wanted to ask something, Midoriya." The white-haired girl turned to Midoriya, who was caught off guard by her statement.

"What is that, Yanagi?"

"Is your quirk like Todoroki's?" She asked, drawing everyone's attention, including Aizawa's, though he kept it subtle. For Midoriya, he kept a straight face, though he was worried as Yanagi explained her question. "He's capable of using ice and melting it, and you can fire ice, lighting, and their form."

Todoroki paid extra attention there, as while he couldn't hide the fact he had fire thanks to all the times he used it after a match to clean up his ice or warm himself up, he also knew from experience that such quirks didn't just come out of nothing. So, he was curious about how someone could get what could be described as 4 quirks in one when he only had 2.

He wasn't the only one curious about Izuku's quirk. "Oh yeah, I was curious about that. You must have a powerful family tree and crazy luck to get a quirk like that. The only person I know with a quirk like that is Star & Stripes." Tsunotori added.

"I don't think my quirk is that capable. She's in a league of her own, you know." Midoriya tried to downplay the interest, but not by too much, as that could just as quickly draw unwanted attention. His mother and her allies had already set up a cover story; he just had to follow it.

"That doesn't mean that your quirk isn't flashy as hell. That alone means you're basically destined for a top ten spot." Mineta stated, seething as he could imagine that Midoriya would be super popular with the ladies; his friend group already had 5 babes in it; how long till he scored one?

Ignorant of the thoughts inside Mineta's head, Midoriya kept his reply short. "I don't think so. Besides, my quirk is an odd one. I only got it when I was 10, and I'm learning more about it every other day."

"10? Damn, that's a late bloomer to the extreme." Fukidashi's head formed a question mark, as they knew most quirks came in at age 4, some came in even sooner, like at birth, and while sure, they were late cases, the latest most textbooks talked about was age 6. Midoriya had to wait another 4 years. "Wait, wouldn't that mean…"

"Yes, I went the first decade of my life thinking I was quirkless," Midoriya answered the question before it was finished.

"You gotta appreciate that didn't stay true." Mineta laughed at the joke, Midoriya's smile growing strained as Faunalution formed on his lap, offering comfort. He knew this would happen; it was why his mother spent years working on her project, at least part of it. But that didn't make it any better to be reminded that…a quirk seemed to matter more than one's character.

"No kidding, I don't think I've ever met a quirkless person before." Tokage relaxed into her chair, knowing that around 20% of the global population was quirkless, and people didn't tend to use their quirks on the street, but it happened.

"Most would be in the older percentile of the population." Yaoyorozu reminded them of that fact, which made Midoriya and Aoyama one of the few outliers.

"Man, being old and needing to be rescued whenever something goes down would suck." Rin crossed his arms, with only Tokoyami catching on to how…tense Midoriya was with how much he was petting his quirk.

"Yes…" Midoriya's smile strained further as he looked down at his lap, his hair covering his eyes. "It would."

The next chapter will be out on October 28th.

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