#Bakugou and Iida get along for a good five seconds lol

[makeste]

BnHA Chapter 322: IF I COULD TURN BACK TIME

Previously on BnHA: Endeavor was all, “Kirishima please take Hagakure and Aoyama and put them away somewhere out of sight until we’re finally ready for the U.A. Traitor Plot.” Shouto was all “HEY DEKU DID IT EVER OCCUR TO YOU THAT MAYBE YOU WANDERING THE STREETS LOOKING LIKE A GOTH PRAYING MANTIS IS EXACTLY WHAT AFO WANTS.” Deku was all “I’M SORRY I CAN’T HEAR YOU OVER THE SOUND OF MY CRUSHING MARTYR COMPLEX AND ACCUMULATED TRAUMA.” Mineta was all “HEY DEKU YOU SWEET THANG, IF I COULD REARRANGE THE ALPHABET I’D PUT ‘U’ AND ‘I’ TOGETHER, ANYWAYS HMU 💖”, or at least that’s what fandom apparently thought he said. Everyone was all “WELL SINCE WE’RE BACK HERE IN KAMINO WE SHOULD DO THE THING” and did the whole “launching someone into the air to save someone by dramatically grabbing their hand” thing that everybody fucking loves to do in Kamino so damn much. Iida was all “[bombards me and Deku with feels].” Deku was all, “ू(ʚ̴̶̷́ .̠ ʚ̴̶̷̥̀ ू).” I was all, “(;*△*;).” Horikoshi was all, “my work here is done.”

Today on BnHA: 

oh my god.

so I finally went back to look at what I wrote up for 321 last week, and it’s a hot fucking mess lol, and I really don’t want to deal with that right now, so we’re just gonna skip it and go back sometime in the next few days or something because I really want to read the new chapter and I have no self control. I’M SORRY IIDA

oh my god he’s breaking out the narration word bubbles oh my god. shit is about to get epic isn’t it

has there ever been a chapter that opened with these that WASN’T epic? serious question. anyways all aboard the Feels Express I guess

YEP

I saved a bunch of other crying kaomojis when I was looking for ones to use in the “previously on” summary, and right now it’s looking like that was a good fucking decision you guys. if I’m going to be an emotional wreck I might as well do it in style ʕ ಡ ﹏ ಡ ʔ

AND BY THE WAY!!

SHOULD I JUST THANK HORIKOSHI NOW AND SAVE MYSELF SOME TIME LATER. THE MAN ALWAYS FUCKING DELIVERS WHAT ELSE CAN I FUCKING SAY GODDAMN. IS IT TOO EARLY TO DECLARE THIS MY NEW FAVORITE CHAPTER? I SHOULD PROBABLY READ FURTHER THAN ONE PAGE BUT I’VE JUST GOT A FEELING

(ETA: it’s like. maybe my second favorite lol. A HUG WOULD HAVE PUT IT IN FIRST, I’M JUST SAYING.)

anyway so Ochako is releasing Iida, which is actually hilarious, because idk if you all know this but Iida can’t fucking fly you guys

like, I assume Ochako released him because she already knew that Kirishima was in place to catch him, but I really love this split-second of panic on Iida’s part where he’s all “HMM, IS OCHAKO TRYING TO KILL ME, ACTUALLY”

LOL THERE’S A THOOM AND EVERYTHING

that’s some plus fucking ultra on Ochako’s part right there. “IF THEY DIE THEY DIE” goddamn girl did you leave your chill in the same locker as Momo or what

now poor Kiri is all “DAMMIT DEKU ARE YOU PASSED OUT OR WHAT, I DIDN’T GET TO TELL YOU MY THING GODDAMMIT”

oh my gosh he is curled up so small you guys oh my fucking lord

RESIDUAL “LOST CHILD” FEELS FROM LAST WEEK COMING IN FOR A LANDING!! PLEASE MAKE SURE YOUR SEATBACKS AND TRAY TABLES ARE IN THEIR UPRIGHT POSITIONS OMG ( ˚͈͈͈͈̥̆ ₍₎ ˚͈͈͈͈̥̆ )

LMAO IIDA IS TRYING TO CONFIRM THAT OCHAKO PLANNED FOR KIRISHIMA TO CATCH HIM, AND KIRISHIMA IS ALL “NOPE I’M JUST HERE BY CHANCE BRO”

Ochako is the U.A. Traitor confirmed. Hagakure I am so sorry I doubted you. Ochako get over here. so are you Toga now or what

anyway so now everyone is running over before Iida can react to this casual announcement of his attempted murder. and now Mina is taking her turn, and Horikoshi is all “HEY BTW IS MINA CRYING ON THE LIST OF THINGS THAT MAKE YOU CRY?” and of fucking course it is, you bastard. I’m not made of stone

( ɵ̥̥ ˑ̫ ɵ̥̥)

SLDKFJLSDKJ:LKWEJ

IS THIS THE PART WHERE I JUST START SCREAMING INCOHERENTLY FOR THE REST OF THE CHAPTER LOL. SURE FEELS LIKE WE ARE GETTING TO THAT TIME

OH MY GOD KACCHAN AHHHHH

I CAN’T OMG LOL I ALREADY GLANCED AT THE NEXT COUPLE OF PANELS, AND HE’S STARTING A WHOLEASS MONOLOGUE ABOUT ALL OF HIS DEKU FEELS AND OH MY GOD

“HERE YOU GO MAKESTE, A WHOLE CHAPTER OF ALL YOUR FAVORITE META TOPICS JUST THE WAY YOU LIKE THEM” THANK YOU HORIKOSHI YOU’RE A BRO (っ˘̩╭╮˘̩)っ

SLKASODIFALWKFLKJ

THEY’RE JUST DEKU AND KACCHAN. holy shit you guys. because oh my god, but it’s like when Deku was talking to the Vestiges about saving Tomura, and he turned into his little child self because his heart and intentions were so pure?? and it’s like that again, except that we’re seeing them as their child selves because that’s who they are to each other?? like, not that they actually see each other as children, but just, they can see past all of the stuff on the outside and see each other to their cores, to who they are inside, and when they look at each other they each simply see the other boy that they’ve known their whole entire life. idk?? does that make sense??? DOES ANY OF THIS EVEN MAKE SENSE I DON’T KNOW WHAT WORDS ARE ANYMORE I’M JUST SWIMMING IN FEELS OKAY. I’M TRYING HERE

they’re just boys, is what I’m trying to say, I guess. just Deku and Kacchan. all the walls are down, all the gaps are bridged, and all it is is the one boy reaching out and connecting with the other, and just,,, (꒦ິ⌓꒦ີ)

OH MY GOD [GRABBING YOUR SHOULDERS AND POINTING WORDLESSLY] !!!1LK1

DO YOU ALL KNOW WHAT THIS IS YOU GUYS

HOW PERFECTLY FUCKING RAD. WELL LET ME JUST ENJOY THESE LAST FEW SECONDS BEFORE MY LIFE IS FOREVER CHANGED, I GUESS

OH

MY

GOD

CAN HE EVEN SAY THAT??? IS THAT EVEN LEGAL??? IS HE EVEN FUCKING ALLOWED TO SAY THAT. WHAT IS HAPPENING

OH MY GOD!!! OH MY GOD!!! OH MY GOD!!!!!!

─=≡Σ((( つ ◕o◕ )つ

GET IN HERE, EVERYONE!!

Y’ALL HE REALLY DID IT. “BAKUGOU IS SUCH AN ASSHOLE HE HASN’T EVEN APOLOGIZED” WELL GUESS FUCKING WHAT. GUESS FUCKING WHAT, YOU GUYS!! LET’S FUCKING GOOOOO ((((／￣∇￣)／＼(￣∇￣＼)))) AHHHHHHHHHH

OHHHHHHHH

HEH. I’M ALREADY DEAD, HORIKOSHI, YOU BASTARD. DO YOUR WORST. GO ON

YOU CAN ALWAYS COUNT ON “US”, HE SAYS. ALONG WITH A BUNCH OF OTHER STUFF OMG. KACCHAN, YOU STUDIED!! YOU UNDERSTAND!! PREACH!!

OH NO!!

OH WAIT!!!!

LOL I GOT SCARED THERE FOR A SECOND BUT ANYWAY! EVERYONE GET IN HERE!!! GROUP HUG!!! OR WAIT, NO, WHAT ABOUT -- [GRABS YOUR COLLAR URGENTLY] YOU DON’T THINK -- COULD THEY POSSIBLY -- !!!!!!

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

ARE YOU GONNA HUG!??!?!?!?! I AM NOT OKAY!!!!!!! !!!hgk

REACTION PANELS LOL EVERYONE ELSE IS ON THE EDGE OF THEIR SEATS TOO WE’RE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER

LOL OCHAKO

I KNOW THAT IN REALITY THIS FACE IS JUST BECAUSE SHE’S CONCERNED ABOUT DEKU’S FRAGILE STATE RN, BUT I KEEP THINKING ABOUT THE WAY SHE JUST DROPPED IIDA COLD THOUGH, AND I CAN’T HELP BUT FEAR FOR KACCHAN’S SAFETY LMAO. THAT FEELING WHEN THE CLASS PERV AND THE CLASS BULLY BOTH BEAT YOU TO THE LOVE CONFESSION. KACCHAN WATCH YOUR SIX

OKAY BUT LOOK, IT’S NOT THAT I DON’T LOVE ALL OF THE OTHER KIDS, OKAY, BUT CAN WE PLEASE!??!?! HELLO?!?!? MOMO, JUST -- COULD YOU JUST FOR A MINUTE --

NOOOOOOOOOOO

“DON’T LOOK AT ME LIKE THAT, I HAVE TO SAVE SOMETHING FOR THE FINALE” HORIKOSHI YOU BETTER WATCH OUT, I’M COMING FOR YOU WITH A TWO BY FOUR!! NOT THAT I’M UNGRATEFUL!! BUT JESUS CHRIST, YOU CAN’T JUST DO THAT, AND THEN ALMOST DO THAT, AND THEN NOT!! OMG I HATE YOU

sure let’s cut to Thirteen then, yay. I mean I’m glad they’re alive lol, don’t get me wrong

(ETA: I think that might have sounded a bit sarcastic so I just want to clarify that I really am happy Thirteen is alive and on the job again lol.)

it’s just that if your name doesn’t begin with Baku or Deku I honestly am not interested for just these next five minutes okay lol. like I’m just gonna be completely honest. I am too invested lol, please, they were having a moment, JUST LET ME HAVE THIS PLEASE

OH DAMN U.A. GOT SWOLE AF

THIS SCHOOL HAS BEEN JUICING WTF. I THOUGHT YOU WERE TARTARUS LOL

I’m literally not even reading the speech bubbles though omg I’m so sorry. I really hope there is not a quiz, I promise I will come back to it later scroll scroll scroll

okay so they brought him back to U.A. and he’s all tired and out of it yes

oh goody Hagakure knows all about the security system

(ETA: is it just me or is Horikoshi really laying it on thick with the hints about these two guys lately? I’m on to you sir.)

THAT’S WONDERFUL NEWS. GLAD THIS CRITICAL KNOWLEDGE IS SAFE IN THE HANDS OF THE PEOPLE THAT WE TRUST

ffs Deku

WHAT WILL IT EVEN TAKE TO CONVINCE YOU THEN?? SWEET JESUS

-- holy shit, what??!

they know?? how did they find out??! holy shit???

I’m about to cancel the whole of Japan lmao. fucking try me dudes

-- THE PRINCIPAL!?

NEZU GET YOUR ASS DOWN HERE RIGHT NOW!! WHAT THE FUCK

“a ticking time bomb” tell you what, this man is just asking to be punched in the face. literally begging for it omg

(ETA: I have been advised that I misread this part; Rat Principal told everyone how safe U.A. was, but he’s not the one who ratted out Deku; that was “the rumors”, apparently. which, if I had to guess, were probably started by AFO.)

oh I see, so it’s to be Feels, Part II then

he looks so sad and tired and lonely and she goes right for the hand, god bless. though if Kacchan’s not gonna hug him, you’d think someone would at least. or is it because he still smells bad. hmm

AND THE CHAPTER’S ENDING ON HER LOL WELL OKAY THEN

I MEAN IT’S GREAT AND ALL, I LOVE OCHAKO REALLY I DO, BUT WE WERE PROMISED GREAT EXPLOSION MURDER GODS, WHAT GIVES SOB. I WAS ALL READY TO BREAK OUT INTO SONG AND EVERYTHING. SURE, HE DID THE APOLOGY, BUT WHERE IS THE FOLLOW-UP GODDAMMIT

(ETA: just to clarify the reason for my rambling here, I was really waiting for the hero name reveal and the presumed deeper meaning behind it lol. but I guess that is a conversation still to come! and we still need Deku’s response to the apology too for that matter. lots to look forward to still.)

WELL WHATEVER, SO THAT IS THE END OF THE CHAPTER! SHOUT OUT TO MY BOY RAT “LET ME JUST TELL EVERYONE IN THE ENTIRE WORLD ABOUT DEKU’S SUPER SECRET IDENTITY, I GUESS THAT’S ALL RIGHT NOW, NOTHING BAD COULD POSSIBLY COME OF THIS” PRINCIPAL. listen here you little shit

anyway but if you’ll excuse me... IF I COULD TURN BACK TIME. IF I COULD FIND A WAY. I’D TAKE BACK THOSE WORDS THAT HAVE HURT YOU, AND YOU’D STAY. I DON’T KNOW WHY I DID THE THINGS I DID. I DON’T KNOW WHY I SAID THE THINGS I SAID. PRIDE’S LIKE A KNIFE, IT CAN CUT DEEP INSIDE. WORDS ARE LIKE WEAPONS, THEY WOUND SOMETIMES. BUM~ BUM~ BUM~, I DIDN’T REALLY MEAN TO HURT YOU. BUM~ BUM~ BUM~, I DIDN’T WANNA SEE YOU GO. I KNOW I MADE YOU CRY, BUT BABAY, IF I COULD TUUUUURN BACK TIIIIIIIIIIIME...

[reineyday]

bnha characters as volleyball players (au headcanons)

i have never in my life played volleyball outside of gym class and the occasional beach jaunt, so this is all based off of what i learned from haikyuu LOL

anyways, this started as tags from this fanart by @syblatortue​ of deku, kacchan, kiri, sero, iida and shouto as vball players, and then it got away from me so if you wanna read 2.9k worth of headcanons about powerhouse athletics high school UA then go ahead and press “read more” :)

deku's the calculating setter like kenma and he fanboys over stats from the international to the national to the high school

kacchan used to make fun of him and look down on him bc he used to think too much on court to move properly, and as a kid kacchan used to think that it was spiking or bust so he always gave deku grief and bullied him over being slow and weak

in middle school kacchan was a starter since first year and eventually became the ace but deku was always second string setter

his athleticism was nothing to write home about but he was just good enough to make the bench

in their middle school tournament their starting setter got injured and deku had to step in to set for a match for the first time ever

powerhouse volleyball high school coach yagi toshinori is watching and he sees all the aborted plans in deku's setting choices

he sees the gutsy sets that miss and the one successful dump he did that threw everyone off-guard (even deku himself), and yagi remembers what it was like to be hungry for volleyball seeing the look in this kid's eyes and he recognizes the brain on him

their team loses there though bc the fact is that deku wasnt athletic enough to do it and kacchan is yelling and deku's crying

but yagi approaches deku (who freaks out bc all might is THE legendary vball player of their country, and the nation was SHOOK when after getting severely injured by a malicious spike in the wrong place he chose to coach high school vball, even if the school was a powerhouse school and also his alma mater lol)

but anyways deku babbles and fanboys even through his tears and says he got into UA but he's not sure he can make the vball team, and yagi says he sees the potential in deku's plays and if he trains hard every. single. day. from now until the tryouts at UA, he might make at least the bench

(cue montage)

kacchan is angry to see deku at tryouts and fuckn RAGING when deku more or less keeps up bc deku got buff since their last high school match

unfortunately for kacchan he is actually the one most familiar with deku's playing since they trained together in middle school too, and he almost pops a blood vessel just thinking it but ever since deku started actually being able to get to the ball in time, vball has been more fun ‘cuz the things deku ends up doing are fucking batshit crazy and his sets are begrudgingly his favourite to hit

deku sets right where kacchan can just hit the ball as violently as he can, and it sounds like a bomb goes off when the spike hits the ground

(kacchan also obviously has the best serves and he mixes it up with the power ones like his ap shots, or floaters when he's strategic; he knows how to read the opposing team and either wait or serve really fast and serves up high to blind them like his flashbomb explosions, and he’s really arrogant about his serves but at least he can back it up as per classic kacchan)

anyways they become a really intimidating duo, apart but especially together, because despite the way deku still occasionally cowers from kacchan’s rage and kacchan is often yelling and antagonizing deku, they can read each other really smoothly on court and they match each other really easily, and they both go for the really gutsy shit no one else would think to try (like samu and tsumu going for the freak quick with samu setting kind of gutsy)

kacchan is also antagonizing af and calls the other team extras lol

but yeah, those two along with renown olympic vball player todoroki enji's son shouto are the three most intimidating first years at UA

enji has a very aggressive playing style and where he targets people on the opposing team specifically to make them sweat, makes them feel like he’s hot on their heels even from the other side of the net, always glaring, always strong

shouto hates it and hates the way his dad made him train day in and day out just because he had a good reaction time and instincts for the ball when he was young

fuyumi and natsuo were slow as kids and got immediately dismissed bc of it bc to enji if they werent athletic enough for the ideal vball playing style as children then theyd never be athletic enough to beat all might’s vball career and metrics in the future

touya was fast enough but he overtrained and strained his knees and then continued straining them to play anyways till they were permanently damaged, and by the time he graduated middle school, his doctor put him on orders to never ever ever do anything that might be overly strenuous for his knees ever again

anyways, shouto plays very cool and detached, like even when he spikes the ball right into your face you’ll feel like he wasn’t looking; he’s a middle blocker like suna, stays calm but uses his whole body

deku eventually convinces him that playing with fire every once in a while, especially when he spikes, can be a good thing because at the end of the day, his dad may have taught him the tricks but it’s shouto himself who’s playing, and so it’s not his dad’s style, it’s his own

also the spikes just aren’t as good or as psychologically effective if shouto’s not 100p IN it when he goes to spike one of deku’s demanding sets

and im gonna say shouto is ambidextrous but more comfortable with his left hand in this volleyball au because shouto’s left side is his fire side, and it’s more parallel to the character to make his more aggressive spiking hand his left one but still have him be able to use his left hand for spikes too (it’s also SO stressful for opponents bc angles)

also yes he does indeed only play with his right hand (his ice side) when he gets into UA, and is initially very hellbent on proving to his father that he can become a pro vball player without being as aggressive as enji on court and without using his more dominant hand, the hand that his dad’s been focusing on whenever they trained at home, the hand he’s spent hours and hours spiking and serving with since he was like five years old

one day deku notices shouto’s writing with his left hand and then connects the dots and sort of badgers him into spiking one of his sets with his left hand too and then yeah shouto tells him his life story and deku manages to emotionally coerce him into being okay with his left-handed spikes

(shouto also feels better about it when deku points out the left-handed angles thing)

so yeah that’s the big three scary first year starters: calculating and gutsy deku, who occasionally makes plays so gutsy he’s at risk of twisting one of his limbs in a very scary way (he’s always bruised in weird ass places from volleyball); raging, aggressive but also cunning kacchan, who is undoubtedly the loudest on any court he’s on, and ambidextrous hot and cold shouto, who does a pretty solid general defense with little holes but has scary aggressive spikes

btw shouto’s got a fanclub and they call him the volleyball prince

also at one point they totally play a practice match against shiketsu and UA loses bc inasa starts antagonizing shouto for being exactly like his father (inasa asked for enji’s autograph after a match once when he was a kid and got rudely blown off) and shouto gets offended and starts targeting inasa and then they get outplayed (it was a close match though ‘cuz both of them couldnt get their heads out of their asses and both their teams were suffering as a result)

alrighty, the other players in that fanart lmao!

kirishimaaaaa my dude my bro, super solid libero, always pumps up the team, and his defense is unbreakable! will receive even the scariest, most powerful spikes and smile cheerfully through it; will always insist that you’re manly for playing with everything you have and never letting fear get in the way of going for it

his middle school had a huge and scary substitute gym teacher who didn’t have mercy and spiked hard right to the faces of the students, and kiri really wanted to run forward to receive the spike and yell about how unfair this teacher was but he froze because the spike seemed unforgiving and if he received it wrong, what if his nose broke? what if he fell and broke something from the impact? mina didnt pause though and she received the spike and told off their substitute teacher and then reported it to their homeroom teacher and it was so manly of her, he promised himself he would never hesitate just bc of a scary spike again

btw mina’s all-around athletic and could probably make it onto the girls vball team but she’s probably on the UA dance team (UA is a powerhouse school for many sports, and theyre famous for their athletics department bc they often hire (former) pro-athletes to teach and coach)

iida comes from a family of sprint runners and he’s the one they trust for the most running; he’s their first year decoy and he’s fast af for such a big guy, and he often also provides extra block support from zooming left and right

also enjoys helping out the managers and corralling his team into being good students; he’d offer to tutor kirishima but kiri seems to have fun trying to be friends with bakugou lol; he makes it known that he’s there if kiri wants some extra patience to go along with his studies though

sero guess blocks so accurately people like to say that he’s got tape coming from his elbows, bringing the ball straight to his arms so that he can block; actually he’s pretty known for having weirdly accurate control bumping the ball back from places other than his hands (esp his elbows though), like he’s just so aware of his body, and he uses everything he can to keep the ball off the ground so he’s good at general defense

some other people i wanna mention:

aizawa’s their supervising teacher and the first year homeroom teacher (he gets to hear bakugou explode both first thing in the morning AND right at the end of the day, oh joy); all might just coaches ‘cuz he does other former pro stuff during class time, so he somehow ended up in charge of the volleyball club after the previous teacher stopped being able to

he never went pro but he’s a black belt mixed martial artist, and he still does those parent-child karate classes with hitoshi (who is now close to black belt and on the demo team, since they’ve been doing this since hitoshi was like five) and eri (who just got her yellow belt! aizawa is soft)

only hizashi, nemuri, oboro and his kids know this but he’s also REALLY good at doing aerial silk and he looks graceful af when he does it

hitoshi started kinda learning aerial silk when hizashi took him to a rock climbing place that had the silks on the ceiling (dont at me, there’s a place EXACTLY like this where i used to live lmao) and found out they offer classes there, and hizashi laughed and said “yknow your dad is pro at those right”

ochako is their first year manager, and when everyone is confused about kacchan continuing to call deku something so mean, she talks about how the nickname is cute and gives off the impression that he’s trying his best and when deku grins and blushes and seems to be happy with it, the whole team starts calling him deku with the same intentions and fondness behind it

every time other people hear UA calling their starting setter “deku” theyre so confused

nejire is the third year manager leaving and she does gymnastics and dance outside of school

mirio is the ace and his thing is that he is very strong and very precise, and he moves like he phases through the other players

tamaki is a middle blocker that can adapt all kinds of playing strategies pretty fast as long as he’s got time to digest them and decent food in his stomach—he’s a great decoy ‘cuz his spikes are hard and he’s pretty fast too, and while he prefers read blocking, there are a few times he guess blocks and it’s accurate af and kinda scary honestly

tamaki and mirio are also pretty fearsome ‘cuz people start off scared of mirio’s power spikes and serves (btw his goal is to spike a million service aces LOL), and then tamaki kind of surprises them ‘cuz he seems to be able to just? do everything??? (and theyre extra surprised bc no doubt he’ll be talking himself down and doubting himself before the match and the opponents will think like “oh good he’s mentally weak” and he kind of is but also holy shit??? we got blocked AGAIN???) and so they sort of only keep a peripheral eye on mirio while they start focusing on tamaki, and then all of a sudden mirio’s not where you thought he was and how’d he get there so fast and there other players in the way??? and then mirio spikes one in

this isn’t really related to anything else but you BET mirio can bend low and do insanely accurate bump receives from pretty close to the ground like! his thighs and knees are legend

we don’t really know any second year bnha students, but i’d like to think their starting team isn’t just first years, so i’d say like… hm or mb tamaki is starting setter (all the stuff about adapting and easily digesting strategies still applies, as well as his flexible skillset, it just now includes setting) and mirio is his ace, but all might puts deku in a lot more than you’d expect a bench player to be subbed in not only ‘cuz it shakes up the other team to see such a meek-looking kid do these gutsy-ass sets, but also bc it’s good for tamaki’s mental health that he feels like he’s got a really great setter right there supporting him as well, even though he knows (objectively) that he can hold the fort on his own

so yeah, id say tamaki and mirio for sure starters (mirio is captain), kirishima’s a starter (he’s always been really good, he just used to get a little scared off in matches sometimes, but since the thing with mina, he’s been really gunning for it, and also conveniently their last really good libero graduated the year before and they didn’t really have a good backup), shouto’s a starter (he’s lowkey mad about it bc it feels like he’s fulfilling his dad’s legacy and he doesnt want to be), and probably two second years, that feels fair

bakugou’s benched bc his temper’s still a little too unwieldy for the court (much to his dismay), sero’s still patching up holes in his defense, and deku could stand to watch other people’s playing styles, but u bet theyre all fearsome af when theyre on court: deku seems to be the only one that seems to be able to bring out shouto’s terrifying spikes for now; after their first qualifiers, rumours fly around the vball circuit about his angry pinch server that’s so mad he’s not a regular, he takes it all out on his serves and rip the team that has to try and receive them

well okay, so bakugou is the only that i can qualify as actually fearsome bc even when he’s being intimidating sero is a pretty chill dude, and deku looks too nice to really be scary so the opponents usually arent scared until he starts playing and then for them it’s just this internal monologue of “what the fuck? what the FUCK???”

and sero, while chill, is the type to be aggressively cheerful and grin really wide after he blocks and gives you, the opponent, really supportive feedback that sort of still offends you but in a way you cant refute because every word he said was nice and his demeanour was nice too and yet? you kinda wanna strangle him??? and then he laughs winsomely and blocks your next spike too (like, “awh i noticed you have a tendency to follow here when xyz happens, but better luck next time right? that’s usually a pretty good play”)

and of COURSE their school banner says “plus ultra”

ANYWAYS i went OFF lmao i can’t believe i really wrote 2.9k of headcanons for this

i have waaaay more ideas about what the rest of the class and other characters are up to in this au that is powerhouse athletics high school UA so if for some reason you got all the way to the end then thank you and please interact if you wanna talk more about it!!!

[merry-kuroo]

The Last Embers- A MHA Fanfic - Chapter One

Hello. This is my first MHA fanfic and its a AU. I hope y’all like it (or not. that’s cool too.) This is based off a idea I wrote about for my Intro to Creative Writing class almost four years ago and I thought it would be cool to apply this to MHA.

Summary: Less people in the world are being born with Quirks and those that have Quirks begin to lose them between the ages of 25-30. This has caused the decline of Pro Heroes and Villains. Those that graduated from Class A at U.A. have turned 25 and are beginning to witness the decline of their Quirks. How will they cope and how will it affect their relationships? Meanwhile, Izuku searches for the next successor of One For All, even when he's told its pointless... 

Chapter One: Love Like This; Kirishima & Kaminari Part I

Chapter Summary:  Kirishima wakes up one morning to find his Quirk has disappeared.

Read it on AO3 too...There’s some notes on the AU as well.

Enjoy! The chapter is below the cut :)

December 11

The first thing Kirishima Eijirou did when he woke up was activate his Quirk. His alarm would ring incessantly, then he’d sit up straight in bed and harden his arms and hands. Almost two months after his twenty-fifth birthday he hadn’t felt any different, but he made it a point to check just in case. He was still an active Pro Hero. He joined Amajiki Tamaki’s pro hero agency, when he started it three years ago. It was in the same area as Fat Gum’s agency and Kirishima had joined eagerly, thankful to be working with his senpai.

But there was the realization that he wouldn’t be a Pro Hero for long.

Bakugou had chastised him for not opening up his own hero agency instead. There wasn’t much time left for him. So, Kirishima had planned to open up his own as soon as possible and make sure his name was known before losing his Quirk. He was thankful to be ranked number eight on Japan’s Hero Billboard Chart last year with his other classmates.

This morning, when his alarm sounded, Kirishima didn’t automatically sit up in bed. He opened his eyes slowly, letting the sound of the alarm wash over him. The sun wasn’t filtering through the window like most mornings. He felt a sense of dread. Something wasn’t right.

Kirishima sat up in bed, turned off his alarm and stared at his hands. He tried to activate his Quirk.

Nothing happened. His slightly tanned skin remained still.

He waited a couple of minutes before trying again.

Nothing.

The realization didn’t hit him all at once. He leaned back until his head touched the wooden surface of his bed’s headboard. Kirishima thought back to the first day he activated his Quirk, and how surprised he was when he realized he cut himself. He thought back to how in middle school he became inspired by the Crimson Riot and his best friend, Ashido Mina. Bakugou and Kaminari flashed in his mind, from their practical exams to enjoying their youth. He remembered the little shock Kaminari gave him when they hugged, something Kirishima hadn’t felt for a long, long time.

Kirishima didn’t notice the hot tears that streamed down his cheeks. He reached for the cellphone on his nightstand. He had a couple of messages from Seto and Ashido, but he didn’t bother checking them. He went through his contacts and dialed a number.

“Hello?” A tired voice answered.

“Hey, Amajiki-senpai. Can I talk to you for a sec? I have some bad news.”

---- --- -- December 14

They were throwing a retirement party for him. Kirishima Eijirou was twenty-five years old, number eight on the Hero’s Billboard Chart, and he was retiring at age twenty-five. Amajiki had cried when Kirishima told him the news, and told him that it was unusual for Kirishima not to notice his Quirk was disappearing.

Kirishima had heard from other Pro Heroes about how there was a steady decline of their Quirks powers until they couldn’t even activate it. Kirishima had just used his Quirk the day before it disappeared and he hadn’t noticed anything unusual about it.

Well, everyone was different. The scientists studying the decline of Quirks in the human body constantly came out with new studies about the different ways Quirk declination could occur. Recently, they said there were a few people who admitted to losing their Quirk suddenly without warning. And despite the age range being from twenty-five to thirty, there were people younger than that who had lost their Quirks.

Before the party, Kirishima went to the park near his apartment. He sat on the bench and watched a few middle schoolers play soccer. He pulled his red scarf tighter. It was cold, but Kirishima didn’t mind. He had felt numb and empty the past three days, and the bitter cold was a reminder that he was still here.

Kirishima felt weird being out in public and no one recognized him. He returned his hair back to its natural state, black. It was no longer spiked up, instead falling to his shoulders. He wondered if Amajiki would recognize him when he arrived.

After telling Amajiki about the loss of his Quirk, Kirishima cried. It wasn’t manly at all, but he felt that he had the right to mourn his Pro Hero career and his Quirk. All his life Kirishima knew that he would lose his Quirk, but nothing could prepare for the moment it actually happened. Kirishima had come up with a weird analogy for it back in high school.

It was like death. Everyone dies and everyone knows that it will happen.

Then the person you love, your classmate, your parents die. You know it's going to happen and you’re not prepared? Why isn’t anyone actually prepared for when it happens? Is it just the shock when it happens unexpectedly? Maybe if everyone knew the date and time they would lose their Quirk or when a loved one died then the shock would disappear then.

Kaminari liked his analogy while Bakugou claimed he was thinking too much into it.  Kirishima noticed that Bakugou had looked bothered by it, but he never said anything to him about it.

Well, now was as good a time as any to tell his friends that he lost his Quirk. He was the second person in their class to lose it. Kirishima sent a text via group message about how he lost his quirk and that he was on the way to his retirement party.  And to make the mood light, he added a lot of “lol” and “lmao” (with extra o’s). He didn’t want to see everyone’s reactions just yet, so he put his phone on silent.

---- -- ---- Thirty minutes later, Kirishima arrived at Amajiki’s Pro Hero Agency. He poked his head in and found that no one was at the front. In fact, the agency was completely dark. “Hello? Anyone here?”

No answer. Kirishima assumed the party would be held in the meeting room. He walked to the meeting room, which was in the back of the agency. He knocked on the door but didn’t hear anything. Kirishima opened the door and jumped when two confetti poppers went off in his face.

“Surprise, Kirishima!” Ashido screamed.

The lights turned on and Kirishima’s UA classmates, Amajiki, the receptionists and interns were clapping for him. There were streamers and balloons around the room, and a three tiered chocolate cake was in the center of the room.

“Everyone!” Kirishima cried. He hated to be crying again, but he was so happy. “I just sent that message--How did you get here so fast?”

“Dumbass,” Bakugou said as he approached him. Izuku trailed along.

“Amajiki-senpai gave us a call. He wanted to surprise you and asked us to keep it a secret that we knew.” Izuku exclaimed.

“Do you know how surprised we were when we got that long message from you?” Uraraka laughed. “We were here setting up the whole time.”

“Sorry about that, Kirishima,” Amajiki said. “I thought you might want to see your friends.”

“No, thank you! Thank you very much!” Kirishima cried. “I’m so happy right now.”

“Speech! Speech!” Ashido called.

Everyone stood around Kirishima, waiting for him to make a speech. Kirishima hadn’t even thought about making a speech. What was one supposed to say when they lost their Quirk anyway?

“Uh,” Kirishima began. “First, thanks for coming out. I know how busy you must be.” Kirishima’s eyes scanned the crowd, looking for Kaminari.

He wasn’t there.

“It was a quite a shock to wake up a few days ago and find that my Quirk no longer worked. But even so, I’m thankful for my time at U.A. and the wonderful friends I made along the way. I was a Pro Hero for seven years. I accomplished my dream. Thank you for coming out today!”

Everyone clapped, then Kirishima was pulled into a multiple group hugs. Momo gave him a bouquet and Iida gave a small speech as well about how proud he was to be Kirishima’s classmate and friend. He talked to Todoroki, Izuku, Hagakure about their work. Sero and Tokoyami had given him some expensive wine.

The party was not as bad as Kirishima thought. A few of the interns cried and asked for pictures and autographs. It was the last time Kirishima would be the Red Riot, so he obliged. The chocolate cake Amajiki ordered was fantastic, and he was on his third slice when he noticed Bakugou leaning up against the wall by himself.

“Always the loner, huh?” Kirishima asked as he sauntered up to him.

“Shut up,” Bakugou said. It was light hearted. He lightly punched Kirishima in the arm. Both of them leaned against the wall and watched the party goers. “So, tell the truth.”

“Truth about what?”

“About losing your Quirk. How do you really feel?” There it was. A rare time where Bakugou was showing his true feelings. He had mellowed out slightly ever since graduation. He still wouldn’t hesitate to call someone a dumbass or yell at them, but it wasn’t as often. It still took Kirishima by surprise when he asked him about his feelings. The last time he did that was when Kaminari had left town three years ago.

“Honestly, it really sucks. I wish I had just a few more years. I think everyone at least wants to keep their Quirk until their thirty, but that isn’t the case for everyone. I’m glad I was born with a Quirk, but now I feel like I lost an important part of myself.” Kirishima picked up a piece of chocolate and plopped it into his mouth. “So, now I just need to readjust.”

“How are you going to do that?”

“I still want to save people. The fire department is having training sessions and classes. It’s still a hero type job,” Kirishima explained. He studied Bakugou’s expression. He seemed...solemn.

“Hey, is something--” Kirishima was cut off by Ashido yelling at him.

“Come on. We’re going to take a class picture!”

“What? But Jirou, and Kaminari aren’t here!” Kirishima protested.

“It’s fine. This isn’t the last time we’re going to meet up anyway. Come on!”

After taking pictures, eating more food, and playing a lively game of charades, the party ended. Kirishima bid goodbye to his classmates and they promised to meet again soon. He wished he could spend more time with them, but they still had to work, and many of them didn’t live in the city anymore. Bakugou told him that when Kaminari was back in the city, the three of them would go get drinks. Kirishima didn’t even have the heart to respond, opting to wave goodbye to his best friend.

“You don’t have to stay behind and help me clean,” Amajiki said as he folded a table cloth.

“No, it’s fine. Consider it my last job at the agency,” Kirishima laughed soundlessly.

“Hey,” Amajiki said. “Thank you, Red Riot. For everything.”

Before he could respond or burst into tears again, the door to the meeting room squeaked open. “Hello?” A singsong voice called out.

“Jirou! And Kaminari!” Kirishima exclaimed as his two former classmates walked in. Kirishima’s pulse jumped when he took in Kaminari. It had been three years since he had last seen him. His blond hair was now cut short, making him look more mature. He had grown taller and more muscular too. Kirishima stared at his left arm where dark ink sat on his skin. “What are you doing here?”

“We got Amajiki-senpai’s message about your retirement party! There was an issue with the shop, then our train was delayed. Wait, did we miss it?” Jirou asked, observing the other workers folding up the tables.

“Yeah, everyone left a while ago. I was helping clean up,” Kirishima answered.

There was a silence between the three of them. Kirishima felt tense and Kaminari wasn’t looking at him. Jirou looked back and forth between them, then she sighed.

“So, um, I’m going to help Amajiki-senpai clean up. You two should go catch up,” Jirou said. “Kirishima, your favorite cafe is right down the street, right? Kaminari told me about it.”

Kaminari blushed. “I didn’t say it was his favorite. We only ate there a couple of times.” Then Kaminari faced Kirishima. “But sure. We can go eat. My treat.”

“Sure.” Kirishima didn’t sound excited, but his heart was pounding heavily. How could he want Kaminari with him and also want him to be far away? Things were easier with Kaminari far away from him. The longing for him had become manageable over the past three years. Now, everything was back to zero.

Kirishima bid goodbye to Amajiki, and they shared one last brotherly hug. An intern gave Kirishima a box of the leftover chocolate cake and wished him luck in his future endeavors. Jirou hugged Kirishima, and he tensed up. She didn’t seem to notice. She congratulated him and told him that they would catch up soon.

“Hey, Kaminari, I’m going to find a hotel for us to stay at,” Jirou said.

“Okay, just text it to me,” Kaminari answered. He was already heading towards the door. Kirishima followed after him.

The two men made it outside. Kirishima shivered at the cold wind whipping his body. Kaminari held his hand out as tiny flecks of snow began to fall. Kaminari turned to him.

“Can we talk?” Kaminari said.

“Three years have gone by. Now, you want to talk,” Kirishima responded. He was being harsh, but he didn’t care right now.

“I know and I’m sorry. I got that message from you and--” Kaminari shook his head. “No. Let’s talk at the cafe. Remember? They have really good curry too.” Without waiting for a response, Kaminari headed towards the cafe.

And just like before, without hesitation, Kirishima followed after him.