#all the corners of my ochako one had cracked a bit and the one part came off entirely -_-

[good-beans]

Made some new phone cases!! Thanks to @searihart for the tips, and the stickers are from rokkucha on Twitter/Instagram :3 These are paper collages, but I'll be slipping them underneath a clear case so they stay intact. I'm hoping to make a Yuno and Shidou one eventually!

And a shoutout to @ging-ler for my previous case -- I was sad to see her go, but the ducttape could only hold for so long 😔💖

[myheelsdontmatchmysweatpants]

A/N: I would like to preface this by letting everyone know that I am in no way knowledgeable about actual science things. That being said I am amazed that in a random draw I actually managed to get a prompt that had to do with flowers lol. This is my contribution to the BakuHarem Collab! Please take a second to check out the other contributions here!

Warning: bad science, no protection, swearing, overs!mulation, accidental exhibti0som, intoxicated smut? idk sex pollen is a drug i guess.....

W/C: 3.5k

“Bakugou, dude. We should not-”

“Shut up Kirishima!” Bakugou walks through the sterile hallways checking every corner for signs of other people. “That bitch took my top spot with some bullshit flowers?!” He finally gets to the lab that was granted to you for your research. After winning first place, stealing first place in the UA university science expo. He walks into the observing lobby, looking through the large window to make sure you weren’t working in the lab after hours.

“Just keep quiet and listen for any one coming this way.” He walks over to the security door and holds his key card up to it, the light on the scanner turns green and he hears the dead bolt slide open.

Kirishima is lingering behind him, hovering in the doorway. He turns to Bakugou to talk him out of this again but his friend has already entered the lab. “Ahh geez.” He didn’t even wear any safety gear.

As the door clicks shut behind him, Bakugou stops to examine the lab. Several different species of flowers in full bloom behind temperature controlled enclosures. Some of them are recognizable; lavender, chamomile, and jasmine. “I thought it would smell like the perfume department, this fuckin place smells like heaven.” Guess it wasn’t a new shampoo she was using then.

He walks through the aisles turning his head this way and that, trying to find something, anything that he can fuck up without it being overtly obvious. He gets to the back corner of the lab and sees a piece of familiar equipment. “Perfect.”

*****

“He said WHAT?!”

Your roommate flinches at your reaction to her news. “He told Professor Aizawa that your ‘Viagra flowers’ are a joke to the science department and they should ‘wither and die’.”

You’re fuming. That fuck tard Bakugou, mister my shit don’t stink is ridiculing my research? “All that man knows is how to blow shit up! Just cause I beat him in the expo this year, he thinks my research is a joke?!” You stand up from the couch, pacing in front of it and you can’t decide whether to scream or cry. “Why did I ever like that twat?”

Cause he has wide shoulders, big hands and scarlet eyes that -

“Oh for the love of god shut up.” Screw your inner thoughts.

Ochako watches you pace, worrying in her eyes when yours line with silver and your neck flushes bright red. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have told you that.”

You stop moving and look at her, guilt flooding through you as she slumps forward. “Don’t apologize, I was talkin to myself babe.” She nods her head weakly and you stand up straight “I’m gonna go.” You walk to the door grabbing your coat and key card.

“W-where are you going?” Ochako follows you to the door and grabs your wrist gently. You turn to her and smile, she was always so sweet but you knew that if shit went down she would be right beside you, kicking ass.

“I need to blow off some steam, so I’m gonna go check on my ‘Viagra flowers’.” She huffs a laugh and let's go.

“Alright, don’t stay too late.”

You nod, put on your shoes and leave the dorm. It’s a bit of a walk to the building the lab is in and hopefully the cool breeze will calm your mind.

*****

As you walk into the building you are grateful that your professor is more of a night owl than most students. Considering how many naps he takes during lectures it is no wonder he can’t sleep at night. You contemplate going to his office to say hi but think better of it.

Don’t wanna end up venting about Bakugou to my professor of all people.

You walk down the hallway and notice the door to your lab is cracked. Not unusual, a lot of students from your class have been coming and going to see the different species of flowers and plants you are growing. Assuming someone didn’t shut the door behind them you take your phone out of your pocket to check the time. Out of the corner of your vision a quick flash of red and you walk right into Kirishima, Bakugou’s friend and one of your classmates.

“Hey! How- how's it goin?”

You take a step back, rubbing your nose from face planting into his giant chest. Does this guy eat boulders for breakfast? “Hey Kiri! Just gonna do some late night tests! You checkin out my garden?”

“Yeah! Flowers are pretty.” He laughs, it’s high pitched and obviously forced.

You take in his nervous appearance, the fact that he is still standing in front of the door and your mood sours.

“Where is he?”

Kirishima looks like he is gonna try and stall but one look at the fury in your eyes and his head hangs down. “He’s in the lab,” you rush past him and punch in the code to open the door. “I tried to talk him out of it!”

The door clicks shut and the spiky blonde huffs in annoyance somewhere in the back of the lab.

“I told you shitty hair, if you’re gonna keep a look out you have to stand outside.”

You clear your throat and his head shoots up. You walk over to him, taking note of all of the plants and equipment, taking note of anything that looks different. As you get closer to him you notice that he smells particularly good tonight.

Keep it in your pants idiot

“Really Bakugou?” You stop a few steps away from him, noticing the various disassembled parts on the counter top behind him. “What were you gonna do, break my extraction equipment and make it look like a malfunction? Are you a B-Movie villain?”

He stands up and you are reminded of how small you feel next to him, wide shoulders, arms barely fitting the t-shirt he was wearing, strong chest that tapers to a toned waist. He laughs and you look at his face. What I wouldn’t give to just lick from your navel to your neck.

“A B-Movie villain huh? That’s rich coming from the fanfiction cliché scientist.” He crosses his arms, your eyes quickly dart to the sight of his biceps flexing with the movement then back at him.

“Fanfiction cliché? What the actual fuck are you talking about?” You take another step towards him, softly inhaling his scent. Why does he smell so good?

He laughs at you again, the sound caresses your skin and you realize your feeling very, very hot. You drag your fingers through your hair, your eyes zeroing in on a bead of sweat running down the side of his face. When you lick your lips and shift to take another step closer a small part of your brain connects the dots. “What. Did. You. Do?”

Bakugou looks at you, noticing your flushed cheeks and eyes that show you aren’t quite your normal smart and sexy self. Reaching behind himself you hear the unmistakable sound of clinking glass, he grabs a beaker, an open beaker. “Just grabbed this from your equipment, I know how long it takes to extract this stuff. Would suck if it were to suddenly go missing.”

“You idiot! Do you know how potent it is in that form?!” You reach for it but he pulls the beaker out of your reach. “Why do you think I keep it enclosed? You have to close it up now!”

“Why should I?”

Honestly how stupid can this guy get?!

“Put it back in the enclosure first and I’ll explain it to you!” Your breathing is getting heavy, the closer you get to Bakugou the hotter your body feels. You lunge for him again and trip, he hurries to put the beaker on the table behind him and catch you. Put off balance from the position you both crash to the floor with him underneath you. Sighing in frustration you lift yourself up only to bump your head on the table, knocking over the beaker and spilling the extract over you both.

“Shit!” You scramble off of him and run to the door, pressing the exposure button and effectively locking it. You turn to Bakugou and back up trying your best to keep your distance. “Stay on that side of the room, if we’re far enough apart the effects won’t be as bad.”

“What are the effects?” The question is spoken so calmly that you almost convince yourself he didn’t speak at all.

“What are the fucking side effects!?” His shirt is soaked, sticking to his tanned skin. The outline of his chiseled body makes your mouth go dry. You look back at his face, his mouth twisted in frustration at your silence but no less attractive. The sharp angle of his jawline, pink lips slightly chapped, aristocratic nose, scarlet eyes that-

“Take a picture, it'll last longer.” Shaking your head to clear some of the fog in your brain, you focus on him again.

“It’s an aphrodisiac so obviously it enhances sexual desire.”

“Yeah-yeah, sex pollen I get it. But what else?” he rings out the bottom of his shirt, lifting it slightly and you avert your eyes.

“It is not sex pollen, I don’t even use the pollen of the plant.” the last part coming out in a mumble. “The aphrodisiac only works on people who are consenting adults that are attracted to each other.” You clear your throat.

Bakugou freezes for a moment and looks up at you, examining you. The flushed skin, short breaths, and how you keep as much distance between the two of you as the small lab provides.

“So why are you so far away then?” The smirk on his face is sinful as all hell.

Cheeky bastard.

“Surely I don’t have to spell it out for you.” Resisting the urge to turn your face away from him like a pouty child..

“HA!” The smug look on his face momentarily lifts the cloud of lust and replaces it with anger. “Of course you’re attracted to me, who wouldn’t be?”

“Well, aren't you a cocky bastard?” Hoping you're not about to embarrass yourself you take a chance and muster up some courage. Slowly walking up to him you notice that his forehead is glistening with sweat, his breathing heavy, ears and back of his neck flushed with pink. “Tell me, Katsuki. How are you feeling?”

A few steps and you can see his hands balled up in white knuckled fists, a few more his jaw clench and unclench. Once you are only an arms length away you can see him swallow harshly, Adam's apple bobbing, nostrils flaring. You push your breasts against his toned chest, the light friction causing a moan to escape your mouth, the sound going straight to his cock.

“I’m - I’m fine.” Bakugou clears his throat, the sound of his first name from your lips sweeter than it should be.

“Lookin a little flushed, you feeling hot?”

He doesn’t answer, his attention captured by the closeness of your body, your lips, the tops of your breasts peeking out of the v neck top you’re wearing.. He stops breathing when your tongue flicks out to lick your bottom lip.

“Cat got your tongue?”

On impulse his hands move to rest on your hips, eyes never leaving your lips. “What was the question again?”

“How. Are. You. Feeling.” you walk your fingers up his chest with each word before pulling his head down so you can whisper in his ear, the anger fading fast. “Katsuki.” You hear him growl, the sound reverberating through your core, then you're being picked up.

“I’m gonna ruin you.” Bakugou crashes his lips to yours, pressing you up against one of the walls and bracing you with one hand so that the other can wrap around your throat. “Fuck, you drive me crazy.” He bites your lip, licking it to soothe the hurt. “Smart, funny, sexy, beautiful.”

You whine at the words and grind against the bulge in his pants, your pussy throbbing with need. “Need to feel you touch me Bakugou.” He stops moving and you shift to try and grind against him again but he holds you tight, slightly squeezing the sides of your neck.

“What happened to calling me by my first name, baby girl?” Loosening his hand and crouching down as if to put you down you sputter out “Kat-Katsuki Please touch me.”

The feral grin on his face has your pussy drooling and you all but sigh in relief when he stands up straight and slips a hand under your shirt, cupping one of your breasts. “Oh god yes.”

“You’re so soft baby,” he pulls one of the cups down and rolls your nipple in between his fingers. “Take off your shirt, wanna see those pretty tits.”

Katsuki keeps playing with your nipple when you rip your shirt off, making short work of your bra and tossing it. As soon as the other nipple is in view he dives down to suckle it, his mouth hot. You throw your head back, grabbing fistfuls of his hair and pushing your chest out to give him better access.

He is merciless in his teasing, alternating between breasts, making sure to suck each nipple till they are both hard peaks. Kissing the top of your soft globes, your collarbone and neck, everywhere his mouth goes is left with a mark in varying shades of red and purple.

You grow impatient with him, needing to make him feel as good wanting to feel him with your hands, mouth, teeth.

“Wanna feel you too Katsuki.” you whine as he pinches one nipple while nibbling the other one. When you pull on his hair a little he groans but lifts his head, pulling both nipples with him before letting them go.

“What do ya wanna feel, baby girl?”

With all your inhibitions throw out the window you lean down and whisper in his ear. “Wanna feel you fuck me.”

You pull away and he quickly sets you down, you’re about to object when he takes his shirt off in one smooth motion then starts unbuttoning his jeans. You rush to follow, unzipping your pants and pulling them down, before you can pull down your panties he grabs your hand stopping you. “Leave ‘m on.”

Katsuki picks you up again before you can get a good look at his cock, but when it's pressed against you there is no need to see it. “Fuck you’re huge.”

He smirks at you, smug pride in his eyes. “Glad you approve.” Reaching a hand down he pulls your panties to the side and runs his fingers through your wet folds. “This all for me?” bringing his fingers up to show you the slick dripping down them he puts them in his mouth and sucks. “Gonna have to enjoy that tasty treat later.”

Your body is burning up, breathing is heavy as you both watch him drag his cock along your wet slit before pushing in. Your moans echo in the lab and neither one of you cares as Katsuki's cock drags against your inner walls until bottoming out. Right now is not the time for slow strokes, not with the aphrodisiac flowing through both of your bodies, so he starts a pace that has your ass slapping against his thighs.

“C-cumming!” You scream out before your body bows in on itself and you're creaming around his cock.

“Already?” a sideways grin on his face Katsuki starts moving you up and down in time with his thrusts, his cock reaching that much deeper. “Gonna cum for me again? Come on baby, wanna feel you milk my cock.”

Your mind is going blank, the only thing running through it is Katsuki. “Please don’t stop,” you dig your nails into his shoulders. “M Gonna cum again.” His thrusts go shallow and the head of his cock drags against your walls, hitting all the right spots.

You’re repeating his name endlessly, the only word that is in your mind then you’re cumming again. Your legs tense around his waist and your pussy clenches down hard enough that he has to stop moving or risk hurting you. He watches your face contorted in pleasure and starts thrusting as soon as he feels your orgasm subside.

“One more.”

Your head fuzzy, body limp from two orgasms. “I can’t!”

“Wrong,” Katsuki pulls out for a second, setting you on the floor and pushing on your back. You obediently bend forward grabbing the edge of the counter top and he wastes no time in rutting back into you. “You want me to stop?”

“NO”

“Then you got one more beautiful thing.” He sticks two fingers in his mouth, getting them wet then reaches around rubbing soft circles on your puffy clit. His other hand gripping your hip, before moving up and grabbing your shoulder using it as leverage to fuck into you harder.

“Come on, cum for me.”

You turn your head to the side trying your best to look in his eyes, yours tearing up at the overstimulation. “You cum too, fill me up Katsuki.”

“Oh fuck yeah.” Bending his knees he thrusts up into you and with the new angle, teasing circles being rubbed on your clit and the feral moans coming out of his mouth you cum one last time.

Fuckfuckfuckfuck

Katsuki cums after you, rope after rope of cum coating your fluttering walls.

You both stand there catching your breath. Katsuki pulls out and you whimper, “Oh don’t worry beautiful,” he picks you up again, walks over to a chair and sits down with you in his lap “not done with you yet.”

By the time you are spent both of you are exhausted and lost track of how many times either of you came. He helps you stand up, quickly pulling your panties back in place. “Don’t want you leakin.”

You giggle and pick up your clothes from the floor, he helps you get dressed and you both walk to the door. Making sure to check the air quality before leaving the lab you confirm that nothing is left in the air and unlock it. Before opening the door you turn to him opening your mouth to ask a question but he talks first.

“Let's go back to my room, yeah? I’ll help you clean up.” His voice rough from moaning and growling but you can see a small smile on his lips. Even though you know that the effects of the extract have worn off you can’t help but worry that he is still under their influence. Nodding your head you turn away from him again and open the door, walking into the lobby.

“I assume you're finished with the lab?”

You stop dead in your tracks, Katsuki bumping into you. “P-professor Aizawa?” Red hair peeks out behind him and Kirishima looks at you both with a nervous sharp toothed smile and red face. The fog of your memory clears and you vaguely remember hearing knocking on the window and door while you were… indisposed.

Katsuki steps in front of you, from the lack of red on his face or neck you know he isn’t nearly as mortified as you. “How long have you been standing there?”

The tired eyes of your teacher examine both of you. “Long enough.” He sighs heavily and pinches the bridge of his nose. “You are both to meet me in my office tomorrow morning.”

And just before you can’t get anymore embarrassed he walks out and says over his shoulder. “The labs aren’t sound proof, and these walls echo.”

@doinmybesthere @patchworkpuzzle @eyebagsbutglam @sugarspiceanddynamight

[poisonous-widow]

One Step Forward, Three Steps Back

A/n: Hello everyone! I am back!

So ya'll remember my last bnha angst called 'Good Enough?'. Well I've re-made it to this beaut right here! I'm hoping this will be a short Fan fiction probably 10 chaps be the max (Hopefully) or even lower is possible \(0w0)/. They won't be adults in this one, still in UA and yes - the angst will be there. My Oc will be the main of this, but Y/n is apart, yes that's right - you guys are in this (Don't worry! You aren't the bad guy.......maybe).

I've also made this because I fell in love with Olivia Rodrigo's songs, the ones that I can relate to especially. And for this as well. I hope you enjoy this and tell me what you think in the end.

- Love you guys!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Warnings: Cheating, Angst, Crying, fluffy fluff fluff!! 

Additional info: Music videos/audios may be involved (Not in this one) 

Main Characters: Katsuki Bakugou, Amicia Mizuki

Ages: 17-18yrs (Depending on other characters as well and their year)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

CHAPTER ONE - I still love you

~~~~~~~~~~~

We shared many memories. Love...

She’s been humming tunes in her dorm for the past thirty minutes. Cooped up in the corner of her bed, messy blankets, plushies and four pair of legs tangled together. Amicia cackles lightly, long thick lashes kiss her cheeks, lifting her novel she was currently reading - grazing her light forest green hues to her spiky blonde love. Katsuki releases a long deep breath, his head snugged into the thick comfy padding of his girlfriends thighs, rubbing his head further into her when he felt her cackles.

"What are you laughing at..." He grumbled out, a little muffled since he's laying on his side. Squishing his other face cheek.

Amicia giggled. It sounded so calm to his ears, soothing.

"Nothing~" Amicia mused, a smile playing at her lips as she moved her book to one hand, bringing the other down to caress his tuffs of hair. She gently scratched at his scalp with her nails, caressing in long strokes. She heard another long breath release out of him, the weight of katsuki falling onto her thighs.

There was a shift of movement and Amicia moved her hand, allowing Katsuki to roll himself on his back, eye-lids opening to those crimson daring eyes. "Don't lie to me shitty woman..". Amicia pouted, poking his nose in response. "Don't call me that".

"But you are a shitty woman" He smirked, seeing small fumes appear.

"You’re a shitty man then!" Amicia crossed her arms, looking down at her love with pouting lips and a frown that he would never admit was too fucking cute. He rolled again, this time on his stomach. Arms latched themselves around Amicia's waist, causing her to get a small shock. Katsuki looked up at her, crimson meeting green - summer rays swirling the gold speckles secretly hidden within the glimmering emerald.

Katsuki buried himself into her abdomen, kissing her stomach making Amicia yelp. "Katsuki..!" She squeaked in alarm, her hand touching his head with a tenderness he drowned himself in every moment they got like this. He looked up only to quickly kiss her again, grumpily groaning when she tried to push him away - only for the heavy male to halfway lay himself across her soft pudgy body. "What are you.." Amicia rubs his head, confused.

'You are my shitty woman, mine only." He groaned muffly. This made Amicia stop what she was going to do next. That small spark of shock - forming into love. "I love you too Katsuki" She smiled and hugged his laying body lovingly.

It's a cool night outside, but the room felt oddly hot. Warm candle-light fluttered against the tan wallpaper of katsuki's dorm room that scattered around the large shared futon splayed on the ground.

...Want...

Katsuki sat on the futon, arms wrapped around Amicia's waist. She was on top of him, her knees locked on either side as she slightly hoisted herself a bit taller. Their eyes closed in the moment and lips mounding into bliss, Amicia held katsuki's face as he securely held her in his arms. Parting away to breathe, eyes locking together in a mixture of colours and emotions only they seemed to understand without the need of words.

She peppered and nuzzled his face with tenderness, He kissed her neck and bare shoulder with fierceness. Sighs and contentment settled into her as katsuki removed more of her button shirt to nip at the flesh of her neck.

“Hey..!” She jerked away, opening her eyes and looking over to her shoulder where she could see the way his tongue slid across his row of teeth with that heavy smirk. Amicia shook her head, a smirk of her own appearing when she tugged the back roots of his ash-blonde hair into a small fist, causing a low grunt hiss to snake out of his mouth. “You little sh-”  “Don’t ruin the mood my love~” She kissed a finger to his mouth - angered eyes - turning hooded and heavy. 

Katsuki rolled to the side, toppling over Amicia where she laid on her back, he on top this time.”I hate you...” , She giggled at his words, sighed when he kissed her neck and further down a of his warmth. “I hate you so much, you do this to me...” He breathed against her warm honey skin. 

“I love you too...” She smiles with closed crescent eyes. 

The moment stops when his phone-screen turns on. A message, unknown. Who is it from. She goes to read....he pushes her away and takes the phone - but she had seen the name. 

“Get out. GET THE HELL OUT NOW!!” He shoves her out. 

...Hate....

A glass jar went flying across the kitchen of their shared apartment...

It smashes. There’s more screaming. Words flying at each other, next thing there is something more than verbal - physical.

It’s cold again. 

Katsuki thrusts an explosion attack towards Amicia. It’s aggressive and filled with tendency to hurt - a lot. She dodges it, barely. She’s scared but she still fights for her ground. She refuses to cry and be weak to him. “YOU LIAR!! YOU FUCKING LIAR!!” She reaches him, punches him square in the nose. “YOU SAID SHE WAS JUST A FRIEND!”  She wailed, her throat hurts. her head is throbbing. 

“I LOVE YOU SO MUCH! DOES IT MEAN NOTHING TO YOU!?” Amicia clenched where her heart was buried underneath all that flesh, muscle and bone. Tears flooding down like two large blobs of streams.

“I HATE YOU!! I FUCKING HATE YOU AMICIA MIZUKI!!” 

Blood and water stains the floor-boards. 

“If you hate me that much...Then we are over” 

 ...Betrayal...

She’s cold again. 

She felt exposed - naked - even.

Mina hugged her side, the warmth radiating off her pink skin made the honey toned woman comfortable - just a bit - she smiled appreciatively. She was the first to know and your sister Y/n. The other girls who cared enough to visit her dorm in the time of need she really needed them. Then came the boys: Kaminari,sero and deku squad knew first. Then kirishima, he was last because Amicia knew that kirishima was Ka-Bakugou’s best-friend. He hugged her, she cried. 

It’s only been a few days since the break-up. She left their shared apartment and lived with her best-friend. However, the news spread like wild-fire throughout UA - nosy bunches they all are. Amicia hugged her arms as she walked through the long hallways, eyes staring and mouths whispering. 

For the next few days, they all tried to cheer her up:

“Let’s do this, get your mind off things!” 

“You’ll feel better without him, promise” 

“Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaa! Leeeet’s gooo steeal Mr. Aizawaa’s Beean-Baaag~!”

“Cm’on gurl! Sing for me, i miss that voice of yours” 

“Mizuki-chan...mutter mutter...and then...mutter mutter” 

It was hard. At first. But she managed to smile at least, her heart feeling lighter little by little each day. Amicia could run and chase her friends again. Laugh, cry, cheer, scream. But everyone now and then, she would look over her shoulder to spot any ash-blonde spikes in the distance - none - heart throbbing. She still misses him, the break of a heart still cracking in her chest.

...And the most painful...

Two weeks passed and Amicia feels a little more ‘normal’. Her head is held high, a smile on her face and her walk strides in a soft rhythm. She softens to a stop, green jewels wide as she stares ahead. 

Spiky ash-blonde hair in the distance, baggy clothing and that oh-so-knowing posture spewing ‘dominance’. Crimson eyes, a cold and bored gaze.

Her heart thumps in her chest, her feels for him pulsing at the sight of him. They stare at each other for a long moment. Colours mixing again - like before. She snaps out of when she sees a bob of brown hair, pink chubby cheeks and beautiful big chocolate brown eyes comes closer. 

Katsuki Bakugou.

Uraraka Ochako, Bakugou’s new girlfriend. 

She stops just a few steps behind him, waiting for him to go to her. Bakugou still has his eyes on Amicia. There is a look in her eyes that bakugou can’t seem to read. Same to Amicia. She goes to open her mouth to speak but she purses them and closes her eyelids shut. Sucking in a shaky breath, Amicia straightens her back and lifts her chin, fingers splayed across her heart. She opens her eyes again. 

She smiles, lovingly, softly. It scares Bakugou - just a little - only a little. She mouths something. He turns and leaves with his new girl, through the doors of UA and out of sight. She watched them go - him - go. Her hand drops to her side. Her lip is quivering. She purses it when she hears Y/n call her from behind. 

“Hey! You good lil’ sis?” They look at you, leaning beside you. 

Amicia turns her head, glistening emerald eyes sparkling with sun rays. 

“Yes. Let’s get to class before Mr. Aizawa gives us a detention” 

...Acceptance...

" I still love you "

- Amicia Mizuki

______________________________________

Thank you for reading!

[mythiccheroacademia]

Is this really better?

A/N: After many requests for a part 2, here it is! I’m sorry I made you all wait so long for more heartbreak but gotta keep y’all on ya toes ;) Before you kill me, take comfort in knowing the final part is in the works. I like sad endings, but I won’t do that to y’all...this time. 

Also, the class 1-A girls really rep the “chicks before dicks” motto (as all women should). I remember I had to tell my friends to chill when I told them an ex of mine cheated on me. We made up half the class and I wasn’t trying to see anyone cry. It was deep, but it wasn’t that deep💀 So that part is a bit of an anecdote. 

As always, enjoy sugar plums 🖤

Paring: Sero X Fem!Reader

Warning: cursing, angst 

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

Is this really better?

The second you stepped out of Sero’s room, there was this relentless buzzing in your ears, filling your head with noise that made your head pound. You could tell someone—maybe Kaminari? Or was that Ojiro? You couldn’t fucking see—was trying to ask you what happened, your tears were thick. Forget hearing him.

All that you could do was walk. Your body had gone into autopilot, it’s only mission to get you out of his proximity, without raising alarm, as quick as humanly possible.

You didn’t know how or when, but soon enough, you threw open the door to the girls’ dorms. It was only 8:00pm, just before Aizawa would preform room checks, so the common room had been cleared to give him the impression everyone was tucked away in bed. It was a blessing. You bolted towards your room, desperate to shove your head under the covers and cry until you couldn’t.

Nearly five sprints down the hallway, you ran into Momo and Mina. The two had just come back from their shower and were talking about the movie the some of the girls were supposed to have later that night. However, they were startled when they saw you stumble back, tears drowning your cheeks.

“Y/N! Girl, what’s wrong!?” Mina asked, quick to hold your arm.

You shook your head, attempting an embarrassingly pathetic smile. “N-nothing. I’m good. I’m just—”

“You’re obviously not,” Momo interrupted, brows furrowing in worry. She took your hand from your eyes, so you had no choice but to leave your face bare. “Didn’t you have a date with Sero? Did something happen?”

The trembling of your lips told them everything they needed to know.

“Sero—Sero and I—"

The mere mention of his name threw you back to the past hour. Now that the buzzing had stopped, you were forced to think of everything that transpired.

Being excited about your date with Sero. Getting ready for your date with Sero. Waiting for Sero. Sero not showing up. Going to Sero’s room. Fighting with Sero. Breaking up with Sero. Sero. Sero. Sero.

Everything that had been built up came crashing down.

Your friends immediately took you into their arms when you crumbled, sobbing into their embrace as your feelings poured out. For a while, you had been so scared that he was losing interest—that school and life had increased his disinterest with you. And when he so quickly, so confidentially, agreed to break up with you, you felt your worst fears come to life. It hurt too much to think about it, so you let your heartbreak fill the air as you wept.

…

For the weekend, you kept to yourself. You only came out when needed. News of the root of your recent behavior got around to the all the 1-A girls and they were determined to keep you as healthy and supported as possible while respecting your wish for space. You were very thankful for them. You didn’t know what you would have done without their friendship.  

When Monday came around, the girls were hyping you up. It would be the first time seeing Sero since the breakup. You knew you looked horrible. Your eyes were swollen, your hair was barely put together, and you looked like you rolled out bed. Because you did. But you appreciated their efforts. Nevertheless, there was something you needed to address before class started.  

“Thanks everyone. But, could I ask y’all a favor?”

“Sure!”

“Whatever you need!”

You scratch the back of your neck. “I don’t want to start anything. I just wanna get through the day. So, maybe just act normal when he comes around, yeah?”

Everyone looked at Mina. She felt cornered.

“What!? It was one death threat!”

The stares get judgmental and she rolls her eyes.

“Fine, ugh. I’ll be…civil,” she sighs.

“Thank you,” you said, giving a small smile. You really did have the best friends.

Not too long after, you heard Sero’s laugh before you saw him. You quickly looked away from the entrance. Luckily, Ochaco was there with a distracting conversion.  

Sero walked in with Kirishima and Kaminari beside him. The trio giggled at whatever dumb joke the blonde cracked. However, he was brought out of his laughter when he saw you. Thinking about the guilt in his chest coupled with the agony of seeing you so…miserable made his heart flare. And not in a good way.

He tried to smile at you, holding onto the tiny ray of hope that maybe you didn’t completely hate his guts, but it was cut off as Jirou conveniently stepped in his line of sight, blocking you from his vision.

He wilted, blinking back the sting in his eyes.

Kirishima patted his back in comfort. “It’s okay, man. We’ve got you.”

“If it helps, I think they’re mad at all of us. On Sunday, Bakugo tried to ask Mina for his water bottle back and she made Ochako text Midoriya to give it to him. Midoriya bro,” Kaminari said. “He was pissed.”

Sero frowned. “Didn’t think it was possible, but now I feel worse.”

Kirishima punched the blonde’s shoulder.

That was how the day went.

You and Sero ignored each other. Your friends would keep you too distracted. It was hard to deal with and there was awkward tension during homeroom. It was like everyone was walking on eggshells with one another. It didn’t help that Todoroki—as dense as he was—asked Momo why you two had been avoiding each other. To make matters worse, you two were within earshot.

It was the first time Momo ever scolded him. He decided to mind his business after that. He didn’t like feeling like an asshole. Midoriya told him it a good lesson into recognizing social cues.

There was also that one time Bakugo confronted you in the hallway and went on a rant about how you and “soy sauce’s” misery was “fucking distracting.” You were so caught off guard that you didn’t have time to defend yourself before an angry cloud of pink got in his face.

Mina’s speech started with, “How dare you—” and ended with, “You insensitive son of a bitch.”

It was also Bakugo’s first in feeling like an asshole. He made the intelligent decision to walk away.

That happened on Tuesday. It was only Wednesday, when you and Sero unintentionally and unanimously exchanged quick, close-lipped, smiles just so your classmates didn’t kill each other. It was uncomfortable and painful, but it was more of a relief to feel the tension in the room subside—if only a little bit.

For the rest of the week, you two tried to be civil. You were to your own devices. Sero thought you looked well on your way to moving on. If he didn’t know any better, you kind of looked happier. More than you had been in a while. A week passed and your eyes stopped swelling. You started putting make up on again and you laughed. You actually laughed.

Maybe Sero did feel hurt that you looked like you were moving on so quickly. And yes, maybe he spent some nights locking himself in his room so he could cry over how stupid he felt for ever letting himself hurt you. Had you always been miserable because of him? Of course, the constant weight in his chest was suffocating to the point that even looking at you made him feel like he’d pass out.

But damn it if your laugh wasn’t the sweetest sound.

If it meant losing his smile, if meant feeling heartache, and if it meant dealing with the fact that he’d never get to kiss you again, then this was for the best

...

At least, that’s what he thought until he came back from his internship to see you on the bench outside of the dorm building. It was late and dark, but the moon was bright enough to cover your skin in a soft creamy glow. It made his heart flutter. 

It was also light enough for him to see the tears in your eyes.

The voice inside his head, his common sense, was telling him to haul his ass in the dorm and leave you alone. He was probably the last person you wanted to see, justifiably. However, it’d be the first time he left you alone to cry. And, that didn’t sit well in his spirit.

That’s how he found himself by the bench, startling you with a soft, “Hey.”

He watched a tear fall and chose to ignore it as you wiped it away.

“Uh, hi?” you replied, voice stuffy with tears.

What are you doing? What are you doing? What are you doing?

Sero couldn’t look away from you, no matter how bad the tension felt. Your hair texture, the richness of your skin, the unique curve of your lips, the laugh lines on your cheek, the shape of your eyes, the little scar by your temple…God, have you always been this beautiful? Why did he let you go like that?

“I, um, just came back from my internship and um—” you just love sounding like a fucking idiot, don’t you? “—you looked cold. Here, take my jacket,” he whispered, like he was out of breath.

Thank God he was actually wearing one. Sero quickly took off his coat and was about to put it around your shoulders—like he had always done.

But you held up a hand. “It’s okay. I’m fine,” you said.

Of course, he could tell you were uncomfortable by the dip in your voice. Call it denial or plain stupidity, but Sero couldn’t accept your words. He saw the goosebumps on your legs. Now, whether that was from the breeze or something else, he didn’t know.

“Don’t be silly,” his smile was disarming. “Take it. It’s like 50-something degrees.”

“Thank you, but I’m okay.”

Just back away, Sero.

“You know you can just give it to me tomorrow—”

“Sero.”

What are you doing!?

“I really think you should take it—”

“I really don’t think I should—”

Dude!

“If you’re worried about returning it—”

“Like, I said—”

“You can just give it to Mina—”

“I—”

“And—”

“Hanta!!”

Suddenly, he resurfaced. Sero was back in reality, his jacket still in his arms. He blinked, finding the desperation in your watery eyes as you stared back.

What the hell are you doing?

“Please, just…stop,” you whispered. You looked away in fear he’d see the tears falling down your face. “Stop acting like you care.”

There was a pregnant pause before the black-haired hero took a step back, hair shadowing his gaze.

“I’m sorry,” he finally said. His voice was almost carried by the breeze because it was so soft. “I didn’t mean to overstep my boundaries”

You shook your head, still looking away. “It’s fine.”

You just wanted him to leave. So, that’s what he did.

Sero, quietly led himself up the front steps. When his fingers touched the doorknob, he paused.

“Y/N,” he said, one last time.

You looked back, frustrated over his persistence. “What?” you bit.

What you saw made your eyes widen. Sero let his own tears freely fall. But that wasn’t what made your heart stop. No. It was the wide, triangular, smile that accompanied it. Despite the sorrow in his eyes, his smile shined bright and genuine beneath them.

“It can’t be an act if I never stopped.”

With that, he disappeared behind the door, leaving you with nothing but his words.

You buried your face in your hands and cried.

[liliesoftherain]

My Hero Academia Main 3 Boys x Reader

Ch.14 Let’s Go, You Have a Match to Win

Masterlist

A/N: Hey guys! Thanks for waiting patiently! Here’s the next part, yes MCs fight with Toko, and yes I still suck at fighting scenes so forgive meeee! I know this may be a little short as well, but I really wanted to get something out tonight and I’m tired, so I cut it a bit short. More to come soon though huns! Enjoy!

TAGLIST: @rizamendoza808 !(: @iris-suoh !(: @quicksilverfangirl​ !(: @shortperson202 !(: @noodlenerd101 !(: @matchamidoriya​ !(: @thorsbtch-captainnoobmaster69me​ !(: @pastel-prynce​ !(: @sunkissedneptune​ @monetfatalia​ !(: @legit-fandom-trash​ !(: @lovethewitchofendor​ !(: @dekuxlink​ !(: @water-melone98​ !(: @helena-way07​ !(: @nothing17-7​ !(: @hopelessdisasterr​ !(: @karmaboundlife​ !(: @lunamoonmint​ !(: @ihatemyselftoinfinityandbeyond !(:

Once the infirmary door closed, you all bid your goodbyes to Iida as he was to make his way to the arena, wanting to be prompt even if the arena was still getting fixed. You girls headed back to your seats when they both noticed you were quiet, not adding into their conversation. Uraraka glanced at Tsuyu, who tilted her head in response, before looking back at you.

“Ne, (y/n)? If you’re worried about Deku, I’m sure he’ll be fine with Recovery Girl to help! It’s scary yea, I’ll admit I’m pretty nervous… but I know he’ll definitely be okay!”

“Oh,” You looked up with mild surprise, “Ah, I mean, yea I’m worried but I know he’ll be fine. He’s a tough guy.”

“Then what are you thinking about, kero?”

“Well,” You sighed, “I guess I’m just a bit, uh, shaken up is all.”

“About your upcoming fight with Tokoyami?”

You just nodded your head with a grin, well, more of a grimace than anything. You were trying to remain positive, but in all reality you were still thinking about Todoroki. About his father and the past you could only ever hope to guess. About your mother and the past you could only ever hope to forget. 

You subconsciously touch the scar you had gotten on your arm from the U.S.J attack.

The only scarring you were proud to have.

You hadn’t thought about her in a long while, at least not active thoughts. Your dreams at night were more than enough, you hated thinking about it any more than that.

“Well don’t worry, Tokoyami may be strong but so are you! I believe in you!” Ochako punched the air, crying out in triumph. 

“Yea.” you tried to cheer along with her, hoping to push all negativity to the back of your mind.

Once you reached your seats, there were a flurry of questions asking about Midoriya. You let the girls answer them while you sat quietly in your seat, trying to focus on the battle ahead, trying to think of any strategy you could possibly try.

You sat in your spot for a few more moments before you couldn’t sit any longer, you were itching to move, to do something other than wallow. So even before the announcement of Iida’s battle, you were making your way away from the stands.

“(y/n)? Where are you going?” You glanced at Kirishima, who was giving you a confused look.

“I’m up next after Iida. Going to prepare, I suppose.” You looked away, choosing to stare at the ground instead of his eyes.

It was silent for a moment before he spoke up, worry laced in his tone.

“Oh well, good luck-”

“You don’t fucking need to be such a defeatist, you're overthinking shit.”

You glanced at Bakugou as he made his outburst, assuming he was talking about your fight with Tokoyami. Yet, the way his eyes stared intently into yours, you kind of wished he knew your pain and those words were for that alone. 

“Bakugou that’s-” Kirishima started till Bakugou glared at him.

“What? It’s true isn’t it.” 

You felt everyone staring at you because of the outburst and internally sighed, your walls were cracking slowly and you didn't need them knowing.

“He’s right, I am overthinking it. I’ll be fine. Thank you guys.” You gave a small smile before walking away.

Bakugou felt his eyes narrow at your departing figure, peeved that you were worried about your fight. He was taking a gamble, but if he were to guess, you would be the best person to go up against him, your quirk being the weakness of his. He wasn’t 100% percent certain, but based on the way he saw the bird flinch back from his explosion-along with the way his eyes widened in fear, he was certain it had something to do with the light. The sooner you figured that out, the better.

You heard the announcement for Iida’s battle commence as you walked through the hallways, it being quiet enough for you to stay in your thoughts. If that was a good thing however, you weren’t sure, all you knew is the last thing you needed right now was to do nothing.

The sound of footsteps made you glance up, to see someone turn the corner.

Scratch that, the last thing you needed was to see was Endeavor walking towards you. 

Your face morphed into one of distaste, along with your body tensing at the sight of the large man. He was large, not as big as AllMight but most definitely a force to be reckoned with. You had seen him on T.V. loads of times, but never in person. As soon as his cold blue eyes locked on you, you wanted nothing more than to rip him a new one.

“Ah, it’s you.” His voice was deep and rich, booming in the ways of demanding respect. 

Alas, you could not find a single one to give.

“Endeavor.” You spoke back, trying to walk around him till he held out a hand to stop you. 

You paused, a bit of fear pulsed through your body before you pushed it away. Now was not the time to feel scared, you needed to let him know-even if it wasn’t spoken-that you resented him as a hero, as a father.

“You’re Best Jeanist’s daughter. A strong quirk indeed, plenty you can do with it if you are training it correctly.”

“Thank you..” You responded cautiously, not knowing his motives for such a conversation.

“I see you must know my son well enough to be able to speak to him while he was in the midst of battle, he seemed to listen well.”

Ah, of course it was about Shoto and his quirk.

“Well enough to know his circumstance yes.” You glared up at his, hands clenched by your sides.

Endeavors stare was no easy feat to keep, it being the opposite of his quirk as chills threatened to run down your spin. 

“What you may or may not know is none of your concern. However, it seems beneficial to have you near him, I have seen the interactions between the both of you and I say it’s not a bad idea. The good thing to do here is to push Shoto to know that he will be stronger once he embraces his fire-”

“Whether or not he wants to use his fire is ‘none of my concern’, as it should be none of yours.”

“Excuse me.”

You sucked in a quirk breath, saying screw it to manners. This man is no father to be respected.

“Todoroki is his own person, one you can’t control like a damn puppet on a string. The sooner you realize that the better. Now if you’ll excuse me sir, I have a match to win.”

You stormed off, and you couldn’t tell if the noise in your ears was the crackling of the fire surrounding his body, or the deafening sound of your rising anger.

Once far away enough, you calmed down enough to groan out in frustration. You knew what you did was right, but at the same time you wish you would have kept your mouth shut. It probably wasn’t the best idea to upset the number two pro hero.

You heard the crowd cheering as you heard Midnight over the announcements, your heart beating fast at the news that Iida had already won.

“That fast huh?”

You headed towards the arena, passing by Iida as you did,

“Hey Iida, good job on the speedy win!” 

He grinned at you, marching up with an ecstatic look.

“Thank you! I hope your battle will be just as swift!”

“In my favor I hope.” You chuckle, rubbing the back of your head trying to calm the nerves that were forcing their way back up. 

“I believe you will do great, Hakamata!” He smiled at you, and you couldn’t help but smile back.

It was nice to see Iida being more relaxed.

“Thanks, maybe we’ll be battling for each other at the top huh?”

“One can only hope for the best!”

You laughed as did he before parting ways, walking out on the field.

Just like the first time, the crowd was loud and the area bright. Tokoyami was already there, heading to his side as you did to yours. 

“Now it’s time for our next match! This guy left you stunned as he finished his first battle quickly, Fumikage Tokoyami! Vs! The crowd favorite who has been killing it in these rounds, (y/n) Hakamata! A battle to remember, who will win, this dark knight or this light princess!?”

You could only stare at your opponent as he stared back, waiting for the match to start. You clenched and unclenched your hands, preparing for the inevitable as you lowered your body into a defensive position. You wanted him to think you were going to that role immediately, you wanted him to leave his defenses down.

“Let the next match, BEGIN!”

“Go, Dark Shadow!” 

You saw dark shadow rush you, so you quickly forced yourself towards him, your quirk giving you a boost. Jumping high into the air, you allowed the light to form almost what could be considered a pole from your hands, before hardening it and smacking down onto dark shadow. You heard a slight hiss coming from dark shadow as you sent more beams off at him, using the motion from the first hit to once again send you off in the air. The best thing was to take down Tokoyami at the source, that being himself. With how powerful his quirk is, and how little you know about any of his weaknesses, you needed to get this match over with quickly.

A prolonged battle could have too many unforeseen consequences.

“Grab her Dark Shadow!” 

You gasped out as you felt claws digging into the back of your jacket, spinning around just in time to encase your leg in hardened light before slamming onto him as hard as you could. Seeing Dark Shadows eyes close before he flinched away from the brightness caught you by surprise. He dropped you on the ground, and you quickly rolled away before bouncing up, sending off more beams to keep them at bay. Your jacket was torn so you tossed it off, the cool air hitting your sweaty skin felt nice. That top was way too suffocating for your tastes anyways.

Charging at you once more, you knew you had to try out whatever it was you saw. You played cat and mouse for a while, just like you had done with Mina, but this was way more difficult. Tokoyami must have been getting frantic, since he had Dark Shadow trying to slam into you every two seconds. Even though you saw a flinch every time your light was near Dark Shadow, it wasn’t enough to have him stop. 

Dark Shadow lunged and you went to dodge, but he had clipped your shoulder and you almost fell back, trying to right yourself out before another attack. You had slid back close to the edge and felt your heart pound as you knew Dark Shadow would smack into you before you had the chance to move.

“Full Body Light!” 

Your body heated up rapidly as you began to emit a bright light. This move was one you never really liked to use, you hated using this move because it brought back terrible reminders, but you understood you couldn’t dwell on the past if you wanted to succeed as your own hero. Like you had told Endeavor, you knew you needed to take your own advice, ‘the sooner you realize it, the better’.

Dark Shadow let out a cry before shrinking back, shielding his face away from the brightness you admitted. Full Body Light, while you weren’t able to run any faster, was almost the same as your light speed. You quickly rush at him, causing Tokoyami to stagger back and fall while Dark Shadow coward away. Your breathing was heavy as you towered over him, the only downside of this move was that you were unable to control the heat you let off and because of that the air around you was blistering. You pinned him down by his shirt, avoiding touching him directly because you didn’t want to burn him. You were trying to force yourself to tone the heat down, but you could tell it wasn’t working you noticed the singe marks forming on his uniform.

He kept his eyes shut tight as you were blinding him, the heat also causing heavy discomfort that he just wanted to be away from. He knew anyways that there was no way to continue fighting while you did this, so he grunted out in defeat.

“I give up.” 

“Tokoyami forfeits! Hakamata is the winner!” Midnight announced while pointing her whip at you.

You deactivated your quirk allowing Tokoyami to sit up. You were about to offer him your hand up when you realized you may still be too warm to touch him.

“S-sorry, I’d help you up but I don’t wanna burn you.”

“It’s alright, I understand. We did our utmost best and I congratulate you on your win.” He stood and bowed at you.

“WHAT A MATCH INDEED! Sorry folks, we didn’t know we were supposed to inform you to bring sunglasses! With that, Hakamata moves on to the next round!” 

You bowed back at Tokoyami as you both walked off the arena, you stopped right at the entrance, away from prying eyes and leaned against the wall. 

“Are you alright?” Tokoyami asked with concern.

You were shaking, sweat dripping off of you while your body sizzled and smoked at the contact. You waved a hand to dismiss your classmates' concern, grabbing the collar of your undershirt to fan your face. 

“Yeah.. It’s just hot.” 

“Is there anything I can-”

“(y/n)!”

You both turn to see Kirishima jogging over, waving a large bottle of water in the air.

“Thought you might need this! What a move, I’ve never seen that before,” He handed you the water before looking at Tokoyami, “Hey you did super well too, dude! It was a manly battle!”

“Thank you. Now that Hakamata is in good hands, I best be going.” He nodded at both of you before walking away.

You were chugging the water greedily, leaving a tiny bit at the bottom to splash along your face before crushing it once it was empty.

“Thank Eijiro, this is enough to get me by till I can get some more.” You smiled at his generosity.

“Of course! I remember how smoky you get when you pull moves like that-but that was really cool to see! Such a flashy move, literally! I had to close my eyes at how bright you were.”

You shyly rubbed the back of your head, an embarrassed chuckle leaving your lips.

“Sorry, I’m not really used to controlling it.”

“Don’t be! Just know, when we go up against each other that it will take a lot more than that to beat me!” He pointed a thumb towards his chest, a giant grin on his face.

You nodded in agreement.

“Looking forward to it, so you better give it your all, good luck!.”

“Always!”

You laughed along with him, until a gruff voice broke through. 

“Glad to see your focused on the match, shitty hair.”

Bakugou stood with his arms in his pockets, a scowl on his face at the sight of you two. You grinned and waved, ignoring the grumpy look.

“Hey Bakugou, good luck to you too. I should get going, I need more water anyways, my body is still too warm. I’ll be watching!” 

You smiled at them both before taking your leave, hearing Kirishima’s loud goodbyes and Bakugou’s huffs made you smile once more until you were out of sight. You stopped by one of the rooms to pick up a new uniform jacket, along with another water bottle before going back to the bleachers. 

You were pushing the feeling of excitement to the surface, and all of your negativity to the back of your mind. Thinking back to Eijiro’s words, you agreed; this was a good move. A great one in fact, one that you shouldn’t be scared to master. 

So, you were going to stop letting the fear control you, and hopefully you won't be afraid of her anymore. 

[sparkexplosive]

Sentiment [Izuku Midoriya] ; 05

Precious Chapters in Sentiment [Izuku Midoriya] SERIES

Warning: Name calling, rumors  Word Count: 2,235

You knew coming back to school will be tough, but it’s tougher than you thought. Everyone is isolating themselves from being related to you. You wouldn’t blame them, but you were a bit angry because of how people easily believe false rumors. The rumors are getting out of hand or even being dramatized. 

You had to watch your step and be on the lookout because you became disgraced in front of everyone’s eyes. People tried to make yourself look like a fool such as taking apart your desk and chair screws to attempt on tripping you. You were getting sick of it. You knew you couldn’t go eat your lunch in the inventory room, as usual, you would do or sit with your ex tables with his friends. You took a seat in the corner away from everyone. 

Misaka was using her pass on skipping couple periods to get ordered materials that needed to be picked up from the shop. She is working on her project for the invention event. You ate quickly using your school’s tablet to pull up the roster of all students in the hero course matching up with students from the support department. You scroll down for your name to have your eyes land next to the name, Midoriya Izuku. 

You took a deep breath and gulped down your saliva before you double-tap to highlight his name and press the button to delete. Now it’s official that he is free for any other students to take him if they like to and ask for his permission. You blow out from your mouth and scrolled up to the top to see the available names to be quite surprised to see one of the top 3 heroes in training from Class A-3 was available. 

Bakugou Katsuki. 

You have worked with him before and already know his measures. An idea suddenly appearing on your mind could be the invention you could do for his costume. Perhaps an upgrade from his current costume to changing some parts of his costume. As you open the drawing application to start sketching away on what his upgraded costume could look like and writing down some details would have to explain to him.

You had to present something to him to show what you could do. Perhaps other students brought ideas that he didn’t like which concludes blunt rejection from his part. He is a very blunt person who doesn’t sugar-code anything. He could reject you for numerous reasons but you know he uses his brain more than rumors, hopefully. 

You get so sucked into your work. You didn’t realize the person you were sketching ideas for was getting into argument with his friends on the other side of the cafeteria. 

“Bakugou, that’s a bad idea. It will affect your reputation.” Kaminari Denki doesn’t agree on what his friend was about to do and the rest of his friends agree to expect Kirishima and Bakugou. 

Kirishima Eijirou is dating your best friend, Misaka, and couldn’t voice out his thoughts. He just makes his mouth open to speak but he doesn’t agree with them. He believes to know [Name] well enough with all interactions he had with you. You aren't a bad person, perhaps you simply make a mistake. Everyone is human. Everyone makes a mistake due to a lack of judgment. 

“All of you are dumbass to believe those fucking dramatized rumors. You must be fucking blind if you didn’t see how they behaved with that loser.” Bakugou Katsuki abruptly stands up shaking off Denki’s arm around his shoulder. He was walking towards you. 

Kirishima looks at his back and looks down on his empty before standing up too. “They did have genuine feelings for Midoriya despite what everyone thinks. I have seen it first hand.” Kirishima says before walking away from his table. 

He recalls all those double dates with the two. The look of full adoration and happiness towards Midoriya couldn’t be faked. For someone who was faking their love, they wouldn’t worry about their well being as much as they did. They would scold him and create something even stronger than before to protect him from harming himself. He remembers hearing Midoriya named being yelled and dragged inside while his friend and himself were playing video games in the lounge area. Someone to fake to ensure that Midoriya was eating despite being so sucked into training. You would drag him out from outside because Midoriya skipped a meal which earns scold from you. 

You even cook for him ahead of time each time. 

No one would go to those extremes when they are faking the entire time. 

He recalls the festival where Misaka dragged him away to hide when she spotted you and Midoriya holding hands while chatting away in your conversations. That look in your eyes could not be faked, it was genuine feelings behind those (eye color) eyes. 

Meanwhile, Bakugou takes a seat beside you which startled the hell of you. He was staring at the sketches which resembled his costume. You must have been thinking of ideas before approaching him to be your model considering numerous students tried to approach him. 

“Show me what you got.” He commands before looking at you who was looking at him completely bewildered. 

“Why are you here?” You were shocked that he approached you out of the blue. 

“I needed a partner.” He lies, as Kirishima sits beside you. 

“It seems like you needed some companionship.” Kirishima smiles causing your lower lip to tremble. Your eyes shined before you blink away your tears. 

“Those rumors are ridiculous. Perhaps one is true but the rest..”

“Bullshit.” 

You crack a smile feeling a weird sensation in your chest, perhaps its relief that not everyone believes those rumors. Kirishima and Bakugou are trying to cheer you up in their ways. 

Bakugou snatches the tables over causing you to jump in surprise. “Be gentle! It can be deleted easily!” You exclaimed as he looked over the sketches. 

“Are you gonna explain or not?” Bakugou mocks you before you huff your cheeks with air. 

“Rude!” You mumble and take the tablet back from Bakugou, placing it in the middle where both of them could see. 

You use your tablet drawing pen to circle what you are talking about in a new layer that could be easily deleted without affecting the rest of your work. “There are numerous options you could, such as upgrading your whole suit or just upgrading your gear.” 

“Wouldn’t it be expensive?” Kirishima thinking back at how much his costume upgrades cost, thankfully Fatgum agency is paying for it. His wallet hurts from just imagining it. 

“Yes. But it is possible to get donors, especially Bakugou's reputation as a hero and mine as an inventor. However, I believe Endeavor wouldn’t mind since Bakugou is gonna be working under him. Endeavor knows me personally since I have done his sidekick’s gear upgrades. He knows I am about the quality of all of my inventions, not the price tag.” You answered his question without any hesitation. 

“Why are my gauntlets smaller?” Bakugou questions. 

“I could make them smaller which could be better for you if you were to need to carry citizens or carry anything, in general, a lot easier than removing your whole gauntlets off to do things.” 

“The same amount of power.” Bakugou questions before a smile comes to your lips. 

“I could, but I thought you would like it to be in higher capacity.” Your answer brought a smirk on his face. 

Kirishima’s eyes widened, “Bigger. Holy shit.” 

He thinks of Bakugou with his famous gremlin laughing and letting out bigger explosions but seeing the two of you. He can see imaginary horns on top of the two heads with arrow tails behind them while the two discuss further into his costume change. 

It was entertaining but amusing how well the two got along as if the two have worked before. He could see Bakugou was impressed but ignited to test it out. You were explaining the different options in detail as Bakugou gave tips to want he would like. 

Soon enough, the time was flying so quickly that the bell rings alerting students lunchtime was over which caused everyone to throw away their trash and put their trays where they supposed to be. Kirishima had already said goodbye to you before walking over to his classmate while Bakugou stayed behind to talk to you.

“Hand over your phone.”

“Excuse me.” You were confused about his request. 

“Don’t you want my fucking phone number. We can discuss when we could meet up.“ Bakugou angry mumbles and holds out his hand where you quickly dig into your pockets to pull it out and open it for him to enter his digits.

“You want to be a partner.” You were double confirming and surprised how easily he accepted it. 

“Yeah, Dumbass.” He hands it back to you where he starts walking away. 

You smiled softly before thanking him loudly since he was speed walking to his class. “Thank you!”

“Whatever!”

_____________________

Later that day, Bakugou texted you if you were free after school to discuss it over some food. You can’t deny free food. You were waiting outside his classroom since your classes were already finished for the day. Usually, you would use this time to be the inventory but since you are technically banned from the room for a while. You are just using the tablet to draw out better visual ideas and sitting on the floor. 

You had your earphones on while students walk by to go home due to classes ending sooner. There are just a couple minutes left for the bell to ring. The door slips open to walk out Aizawa who tiredly glances over to the side to see you minding your own business and drawing on the school’s tablet. He taps your foot with his. 

You get startled and take off your earphones. “Stand up before my students start tripping over you.” He mumbles before walking away. 

“Sorry. Aizawa.” You immediately stand up and stuff away from your tablet into your bag before putting it on to only make eye contact with big brown eyes that were filled with irritation. 

Uraraka Ochako. 

“Why are you here? Deku doesn’t want to talk to you.” She harshly says pulling your heartstrings. You whine at the thought he probably doesn’t want to even see you. 

“I already know that.” You mumble rubbing your arm in discomfort. 

“I am here for Bakugou.” You could see the confusion and disgust in her eyes. 

“The rumors are true. You are trying to hook up with anyone.” 

Your eyes widen and gasp. “What the actual fuck! No. He is -”

“Their new partner as the model for the department event. Round face.” They both turn around to see him towering over Uraraka easily with his height. 

He walks beside the brown-haired girl. “You shouldn’t easily believe rumors.” 

With his last words to his classmate, before grabbing your wrist and dragging you behind him. You try your best to keep up with him, pacing him and ignoring the stars on your back. 

As Midoriya Izuku finally comes out from hiding in his classroom to stare at your back being dragged away by his rival. 

He isn’t surprised but he couldn’t help but feel hurt. 

He isn’t prepared to confront you again, nevertheless being your model where you would need to casually be in contact with one another. 

His hands curl into a tight fist on his back straps before turning the other side of the hall away from you being in his sight. 

He knew you had to find a new partner since the two of you did not end in a good note, but terrible note. 

He knows this event is important for your career as an inventor for heroes. As much as he wants to hate you for what you have done, but he couldn’t pull himself to do so. 

On the other side, you were surprised how students moved quickly to stay clear from Bakugou path. 

However, people were gossiping over the sight of being together. 

“Is she sleeping with him too?” 

“That feral boy and the whore deserve each other.” 

Your eyes glance down to the floor. You just want to bury yourself into the hole and die. The rumors are getting out of hands. Your mask is starting to crack. It overwhelms how your reputation is being dragged through the mud like shit. 

However, you were snapped out of it by a pull and soft squeeze from him make you look up at him with your tearful eyes. 

“Focus on me, block them out.” He murmurs loud enough for you to hear as he glares down at the student that even tries to block his path. 

Your eyes widen at his advice. You know he is trying to bring you comfort in his way. He is a good person deep down around his sharp edges. 

It also sounds like he is speaking from experience. There are numerous rumors about the feral boy from Class A from the beginning of their first year after the sports festival. 

Perhaps that’s why he always glares at nothingness when he is walking to block out everyone’s whispers around him. 

You stare at the back of his hair and see Bakugou in a new light.

_______________________________________________

I would love to hear any predictions or theories, you guys have!

Feedback is appreciated!

Please be kind within the comments. I hope you are enjoying the story. Sorry for any spelling or grammar errors.

if anyone wishes to be tagged, either send me an ask or comment below this post! Taglist will be in the comments.

[some-cookie-crumbz]

“Is that my shirt?” with BakuChako

I read this and knew which route to take this immediately! It’s a little bit on the short side, but hopefully it had that nice blend of sweet, shippy goodness to still make it worth it!

The sound of a quiet clatter coming from the kitchen was what ended up rousing him. He groaned and rubbed a hand over his face before cracking his eyes to stare at the clock, then shot up immediately. It was already a quarter to ten! What the actual fuck? He didn't need to be up early or anything, but still! He looked over at the other side of the bed before patting the empty space. There was still a little bit of warmth.

Another clatter followed by a shrill yelp alerted him to why he'd gotten up in the first place.

He tossed the comforter aside and walked out, making sure to be careful and quiet as he moved. The whole aroma had a pleasant, familiar aroma to it from whatever was being prepared. A part of him said he knew what it was - that it was on the tip of his fucking tongue -but he was still too bogged down by sleep to force the knowledge out. He peered over the corner to watch through the little breakfast nook window at the brown haired young woman skirting about. "Okay, Ochako! You can do this!" she said to herself, though her voice wavered slightly. She reached over to something on the counter, dropped it into the frying pan she had on the stove, and then shuffled around with something on the counter.

Then there was a soft popping noise followed by distressed squeaks from her as she poked at the frying pan with something.

He snorted and walked around to enter the kitchen proper, scratching at his stomach briefly as he did. “Hey, Cheeks, what are you…?” he trailed off, staring at her as she turned to face him. She was wearing a long sleeved orange button up with the sleeves of it curled around her hands in such a way that her hands were completely hidden, with two forks sticking out instead of her flesh appendages. “Is that my fucking shirt?” he asked in slight disbelief.

“Katsuki!” she squeaked, jumping yet again as the food in the pan popped and sizzled at her. She shuffled to awkwardly move the frying pan away from the hot spot and looked at him properly. “You're supposed to be asleep!”

“What the Hell are you talking about? I don’t normally sleep past eight; even on my days off,” he groused before noticing a plate off to the side of the counter. Covered in a paper towel, was a stack of American-style pancakes. Next to that were two more plates of scrambled eggs with cheese and sausage patties, all carefully covered and still very fresh. He looked back over at her as she sagged, averting her gaze to the linoleum under her toes.

“Um, well… I kinda turned your normal alarm off,” she admitted. “It’s just that, well, you and I haven’t had a day off together in almost three months! And I really wanted to make it special and surprise you with breakfast! I mean, you’re normally the one who makes breakfast since you get up first, but I wanted to try my hand at making something a little different.”

He blinked slowly as his gaze moved over to the frying pan, seeing the partially cooked bacon strips still lightly popping in the pan. “And the shirt?”

“The bacon kept popping grease as me and it hurt, but I really wanted to do this,” she mumbled, the ‘for you’ going unspoken. Still, though, a small smirk twitched up on his lips as he moved past her to the sink. He did a quick wash of his hands before turning back to her.

“You’re ridiculous, you know that?” he said evenly, coming to stand behind her and settling his arms over hers. She blinked up at him curiously as he set the forks aside and rolled the sleeves up a bit. “Here, move the frying pan back over to the heat and grab the tongs. I’ll show you how to do this without getting burnt.”

She smiled and leaned into him, her smile widening a bit as calloused hands settled over hers to help guide her through the process. It didn’t take long before she was handling the bacon like a champ and, as she finished up, he set the table and prepared a cup of coffee for each of them. They fell into light chatter as they ate, determining how to spend the rest of their day, and made quick work of the dishes afterwards.

And if Ochako still happened to be wearing Katsuki’s shirt when they headed out to go mill about the nearby shopping plaza? Neither of them felt the need to say anything about it.

[shotos-kettle]

Winters love (M)

Word count: 2,692

Inspired by Neptunecw and Flightofbats tiktok 

Written while listening to the song below ♡

UA wasn't known for its cold wintery days, unlike other times of the year it was mostly sunny even if just a tad bit on the chilly side. The staff did its best to make sure the campus stayed pretty warm but ever since the villain attacks started up their central heating system had been on the fritz, some days it was blazing hot in the winter, and other days it was freezing cold. So they made sure all students knew to keep a jacket in their lockers just in case. However, some of the students continued to forget about their heating system issues, completely disregarding things as they sat in classes shivering, Ochako Uraraka being one of them.

Her foot tapped against the bar of the chair in front of her,  her skin covered in goosebumps as she tried desperately to pay attention to what Aizawa sensei was teaching them, but it proved to be harder than she imagined. Normally the cold wouldn't affect her as much but it had snowed the night before she knew Bakugou was most likely irritated with her constant tapping and she was thankful he hadn't turned around and yelled at her yet. Of course it was safe to say that he was passed out cold against his notebook so she was at least safe for a little while.

Halfway through their lesson Bakugou lifted his head, causing Uraraka to freeze completely as he turned around to look at her. "Pink cheeks stop shakin the damn chair I'm tryin to sleep here." She blinked as he looked her over for a moment before grunting with a roll of his eyes. He reached down into his back and pulled out a large black and orange hoodie,  tossing it over onto her desk. "Next time bring a jacket kay?" He grumbled as he turned back around to return to his nap, a yawn leaving his lips.

Uraraka stared at the jacket that laid over her work, eyes wide as she glanced around the classroom, Denki and Kirishima were both staring at her with wide eyes, making a gesture with their hands as if to tell her to just put it on and don't argue.  "T-thanks.." She whispered softly as she slipped her arms into the much too large hoodie that almost swallowed her whole, immediately being overwhelmed by the scent of Bakugou. Caramel and vanilla… it consumed her as she zipped the hoodie up and closed her eyes for a moment, trying to keep herself from floating off her seat from pure embarrassment.  

He had been fairly nice to her and it flustered her beyond her own beliefs,  sure she got flustered around Deku but that's just because it's Deku… Bakugou being nice to her was unheard of so it truly affected her in ways she really didn't want it to and for the rest of their lecture her mind was a misty place.

Once class was over she tapped Bakugou's shoulder, clearing her throat softly as he turned to face her, shaking his head. "Dont." He said quickly as he got up and nodded to Kirishima, yelling something about sparring in the training grounds, she watched as the two of them headed out of the classroom. "Woah what was that about?"  She looked over at Mina and shrugged, gathering her things as she stood, the hoodie coming to rest just above her knees. "I'm not sure… Bakugou being nice is strange, but I guess he didn't realize he woke up earlier and let me borrow this." Her hands smoothed over the front of the soft material.

"I don't know Ura… He's not one to just forget things he does half asleep." Mina laughed as she shook her head, draping her arm around Uraraka's shoulders. "But damn it does smell nice though doesn't it? I wonder what cologne he uses that smells this good." This pulled a chuckle from the rosy cheeked female, shaking her head softly. She knew it wasn't Cologne, she had been close enough to Bakugou during training to know that this was all him, and it really didn't bother her.  "I don't know, but I'll have to return it soon. Maybe I'll sneak into his room and leave it. But hey, you wanna go shopping?? I heard there are some sales going on at the mall!" Mina just grinned at the girl and grabbed her hand, pulling her out of the classroom, passing Bakugou and Kirishima who were standing just outside the classroom.

"So when are you gonna tell her?" The red headed male asked as he watched the two girls run down the hall. He turned to look at Bakugou, snorting as he waved his hand in front of the usually grumpy male. "Yo, earth to Katsuki, come on man stop staring you're gonna burn your notes again."  This snapped Bakugou back out of his trance, dropping the smouldering notebook in the process. "Shit! Damn it i gotta stop doing that!" He groaned, stomping on the notebook to smother the fire that had started around the edges of the cover. "I don't know shitty hair, maybe I'll never tell her. I don't want to distract her from hero training.."

"Or do you not want to get rejected? Come on dude it's obvious she likes you! And you have to admit… She does look fine as hell wearing your hoodie." Kirishima nudged Bakugou's shoulder, his words resulted in a solid punch to the jaw. "Shut the hell up, don't talk like that about her." He knew Kirishima was right but what the hell was he thinking? Talking about her like that especially in front of everyone. "Lets just go spar. I need to get my head out of the clouds, i couldnt sleep last night because stupid Deku and Denki were watching movies all night in Deku's room. God, I wish they would just have a regular sleep schedule like everyone else." He rolled his eyes, stuffing his hands into his pockets as he made his way towards the exit.

-~-

One month had passed since He had lent his jacket out to Uraraka, and they hadn't seen much of each other since she was deep into her work study at this point so he hadn't had the chance to ask her about getting his hoodie back. However, the students who had work studies had been given a few days off so he figured now was a better time than any. As he walked into the door he looked around, spotting a tuft of red hair disappearing into the kitchen. "Hey, shitty hair, you seen pink cheeks?" He called out, Kirishima poked his head around the corner and nodded, pointing over to the stairs. "Her room." Bakugou nodded and headed up the stairs, taking two at a time as usual.

Heading down the hall he noticed her door was cracked slightly, he took a deep breath as he stood there in front of it for a moment before lifting his hand to knock, the door swinging open slightly. "Hey pink cheeks, do you still have my jacket-?" His words faltered as he saw her curled up in the little loveseat seat she had placed in the corner of her room, dressed in a pair of sleep shorts and his hoodie. Fuck, she was so cute. How could someone who was so smart and loud at the same time be so fucking beautiful even after going through hell. He bit his lip as he slipped inside, closing the door behind him as a small smile graced his lips. He quietly made his way over to her and lifted her into his arms, a sigh leaving him as he moved her over to her bed. "You shouldn't sleep like that, you'll get back problems…" he whispered, more to himself than to her since he knew she wouldn't hear him anyway.

As he went to cover her up so he could leave her to sleep a hand wrapped around his wrist, sleepy eyes peering up at him while he leaned over her. "Katsuki?.." Fuck, he had woken her up. His jaw went slack as he tried to find something to say, which he couldn't at the moment, because the look in her eyes was something he wasn't used to seeing directed towards him. "I'm sorry, I meant to return it… i just got so busy." She spoke softly, sitting up in bed as she held onto his wrist, her free hand rubbing at her eyes and once she looked up at him again she froze. Their noses just barely touching as they looked back at one another.

For a few moments the two of them just sat there, staring into each other's eyes before Bakugou made the first move. He closed the space between their lips, kissing her gently as he reached out to cup her cheek, thumb stroking over her rosy cheeks. Her eyes widening as she was slowly pushed back onto her bed, Bakugou moving to hover over her as their lips parted. "K-Katsuki… What are you doing?" Her words were breathless, and he knew she hadn't expected to be kissed, he just couldn't help it when she had that look in her eyes. His thumb traced over her bottom lip as he sighed heavily. "Sorry…"

As he moved to get off the bed she reached out and pulled him back down, this time wrapping her legs around his waist as she kissed him, her fingers tangling into his messy blonde locks. She had been waiting for so long to take this type of chance with him and she had never even dreamed that he would be the one to make the first move. He was always so aggravated with everyone, and after everything that had happened she was afraid he had closed himself off completely. The kiss had proved her wrong and she was going to take that leap of faith and she wasn't going to look back.

Bakugou tilted his head into the kiss, shifting around slightly so he could move into a position where he wouldn't crush her with his weight,  his heart was pounding and the amount of adrenaline running through him was starting to cause him to sweat. A small groan left his throat when she bit down on his bottom lip, the slight pain pulling him back to the real world for a minute. He pulled back and stared down at her, licking his lips. "Okay, one.. the door isn't locked. And two.. how long?" He asked, knowing that she knew exactly what he meant by how long. He watched the rosiness of her cheeks spread to her ears. As she looked away shyly. "Since the training camp."

She pushed at his shoulders, pushing him towards the headboard so she could get up and move to lock her door. When she turned back to face him she smiled softly, flicking the lights off so they were only bathed in the light of the evening sun. "Doors locked now…" A smirk formed on the blonde's lips as he watched her saunter back over, his hands reaching out to rest on her hips while she crawled onto his lap, their lips coming together in another kiss that was filled with so much desire that it sent shivers down his spine. As her fingers ran down his chest he slowly slipped his hands down the back of her shorts, grabbing two handfuls of those luscious globes that always had him so distracted when she fought.

A moan left Uraraka's lips, her head tipping back as she tugged at his hair gently. The lips that were occupying her own now traced down along the expanse of her throat, the hands on her hips guided her to grind down against him. Her eyes widened as she left his erection pressing up against her, nails digging into his scalp when he bit down on her shoulder after leaving a dark hickey to blossom on her pale skin. She quickly unbuttoned his shirt so she could push it off his shoulders and toss it on the floor. Her hips lifted slightly so she could scoot back, leaning down to leave a trail of kisses down the center of his chest. His eyes never left hers as she slowly pulled his sweats down, nearly drooling as she took his cock into her mouth.

There was a knock on the door as his cock hit the back of her throat, his eyes widened as his hand gripped her hair tight, a finger lifted to his lips to keep her quiet. "I don't care who it is but go away!" He yelled, picking up the nearest thing, being a book so he could chuck it at the door. There was a squeak from the other side before he heard footsteps retreat. He looked back down at Uraraka who had his cock deep into the back of her throat, a look in her eyes that told him he needed to prepare himself. Which he wasn't able to do quick enough as she swallowed around his length, "holy fuck a-ahh." His head thunked back against the headboard as she pulled off of him slowly.

"Mmh.. Katsuki~" Uraraka licked a slow stripe against the underside of his length, watching his eyes nearly roll back just from the feeling. "Please.. I want you to be my first." She whispered, placing a gentle kiss to the head of his length. He nodded and shifted, watching her as she wiggled out of her shorts, tossing them somewhere in the room. She turned so she was on her hands and knees, then as Bakugou positioned himself behind her her chest dropped down against the sheets, her back arching to show him the damp spot that had formed on her panties.  

Oh gods he was going to love tearing that ass up, he had dreamed about this moment for so many nights and now the one thing he had lusted after for so long was right in front of him. "Gods your ass is amazing Ochako.." He whispered as he spread her cheeks, thumb dipping under the hem of her panties to pull them aside. If he didn't have as much self control as he normally did he would be drooling, she was barren, no hair in sight and just the most delicious shade of pink. He moved forwards on his knees, one hand moving to press against the curve of her spine as he pressed into her and as that deliciously tight heat wrapped around his cock he knew that was it. This girl was going to be his, from this moment on she belonged to him and he belonged to her, if anyone tried to hurt her he would kill them.

"You're mine, you got that Pink cheeks?" He grunted out as he snapped his hips forward, penetrating deep within her core, the head bottoming out against her cervix. He only gained a nod in return, but as he rolled his hips in a teasingly slow manner she got the hint. "Y-Yes Katsuki~" She mewled as the feeling of him deep inside, hips pressing back against his as a hard slap resonated around them, her ass stinging as she let out a lewd moan. "That's a good girl~" he had purred, he fucking purred. His words dripped sex and his hands simmered against her skin as they fell into a passionate push and pull of want, need and hunger.

The air between them would never be the same after tonight and he knew he was never getting his hoodie back, not that he even wanted it back in the first place. It looked too good on her, hell maybe he would give her some more of his clothes for her to wear when it was just the two of them. Though the inevitable chaos in the morning barely graced his mind as his eyes held steady on the sweet jiggle of her ass as he pounded her into the mattress, bed knocking against the wall without a care as they lost themselves in each other's bliss.

[xxpadfootxx]

🐾Night Terrors & New Beginnings - Part 8 (Unravel)🐾

Inko Midoriya came home soon after Ochako had fed Dakota to find the trio casually talking an eating snacks in the living room, lounging on the sofas and relaxing. She felt a wave of relief wash over her at the sight of her son looking so calm and loved watching how warmly he conversed with his friends. She offered to have them stay for dinner but as they had school the next morning, they decided to head home and get some sleep. Once they left, Izuku and his mother ate at the dinner table in comfortable silence, Izuku’s relaxing mood continuing even after his friends had gone. Inko sighed and her son looked up, his eyes shining with color and his face brightened with emotion for the first time in several days.

“What’s wrong, mom?”

“Oh, nothing is wrong sweetie, nothing at all. I am just feeling relaxed right now.”

“That’s good to hear, you sound less tired than usual.”

“As do you.”

“How was your trip into town today? Find any veterinarians who would be willing to drive out here?” Izuku asked, stabbing a piece of pasta with his fork and bringing it to his lips.

Inko sighed with a little more defeat this time. “Unfortunately, Izuku, I only found two vet places that were even remotely close to this city and the first one said that our address was too far for one of their staff to drive all the way out to, and the other said that they could send out a guy but that they were busy for the next few weeks so I wouldn’t be able to book anything for at least a month!”

“Oh no, that doesn’t help us at all…” Some of the grey exhaustion seemed to come back into Izuku’s features and Inko immediately rushed to change the subject, her mind panicking at the dark shadow that seemed to be trying to hard to take over her normally genuinely happy son.

“Oh, but on the bright side, I managed to get ahold of Haruka again and she is willing to come by our house to take a look at the mark on your hand again! She said that it may have something to do with that evil dragon’s quirk, so she is coming around tomorrow afternoon to check it out!”

Izuku brightened a little at that. He had come to learn how to live with the mark but he was really tired of feeling all of these confusing emotions and the almost non-stop flow of pain that seemed to always be nipping at his nerves, his only reprieve was the medication from Haruka. The pair finished dinner as the tensions in the room settled a little bit more and then the two got up and brought their dishes to the sink.

“Alright, why don’t you go hang out for a while and start getting ready for bed, I can do these dishes,” Inko said, picking up a plate and the sink brush.

“Are you sure?”

“Of course!”

“Alright…”

Izuku walked to the fridge and found some more ground beef in one of the drawers to take to Dakota. Balancing the meat on a new plate from the cabinet, Izuku made his way to his room to feed the beast. Izuku reached his bedroom door and decided not to overthink it too much and so he did not pause and take a deep breath or peer nervously through the cracked door like he usually did. Still avoiding being loud or obnoxious, Izuku pushed his bedroom door open with confidence and shut it behind him until he heard it click. Usually, he would opt to keep the door cracked open slightly so as to have an escape route but today, he decided to take Ochako’s advice. Treat Dakota as if she were a person going through a rough time with nobody to believe in. He was still one hundred percent sure that she could kill him in under two seconds and he knew she would if she was threatened so he didn’t want to appear overconfident but he was also tired of dancing around her as if she were toxic.

Dakota lifted her head from where it had been resting on her paws and looked at him up and down, sniffing once. She could feel that he was trying to be as brave and confident as possible so she did not growl, she just watched him. Izuku now didn’t know what else to do, he could feel his shield of false confidence start to waver as he fought with his brain for the next step. That was when his thoughts wandered back to the scene from earlier that day when Ochako had given Dakota her meal.

“Talk to her…” Izuku whispered to himself. Dakota leaned forward just barely, to the point where Izuku almost missed it but he caught it out of the corner of his eye. That was when Ochako’s words rang true. She was just lonely, all she wants is a companion, someone who will listen and understand. He had understood Ochako back when she had originally told him this but now he could feel it, just in the way she had leaned forward ever so slightly to catch what he was saying, whether she understood his language or not, she was desperate to have him speak to her. He cleared his throat a little and swallowed his tingling nerves.

“H-Hello, Dakota. How are you d-doing this e-evening?” Izuku mentally slapped himself as he stuttered. He needed to keep his voice steady. He knew that he couldn’t let his guard down completely and he knew that he shouldn’t lose his fear of her completely as he still needed to respect the fact that she was one of the most dangerous animals on the planet. But he did know that he needed to stop treating her like a disgusting monster.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to stutter. To be honest, I’ve never spoken to a dragon before and I’m a little nervous,” Izuku felt more confidence seep into his body little by little. Being honest, even with the daughter of death, was kind of refreshing and gave him a starting place to build trust between them. “Are you feeling any better? We are trying to find the right person to heal you because as you know, veterinary science isn’t a real skill of mine.”

Dakota thumped her tail twice and swiped her pink tongue over her lips a little. Izuku took this as a good thing and took a tentative step forward, holding the plate of meat out in front of him.

“Is it alright if I come closer to you? I know you want your food and I want to give it to you but I also want to avoid the fear of losing my arm whenever I get near you.”

Dakota tilted her head slightly, her eyes glittering. Izuku did not expect an answer but just as she had done in that strange vision Izuku had had, she dipped her head ever so slightly with closed eyes. After a few seconds, she raised her head once more and opened her eyes to peer at him curiously. Izuku took another deep breath, this was good, really good. This was the longest amount of time in which she had not growled or bared her teeth at him. She was showing real positive emotion for the first time since he had carried her half-dead into his home.

“Thank you,” Izuku whispered before taking a few more slow steps until he was right in front of her. Fear still electrified his nerves but he was able to overpower that feeling with that of pride and curiosity. Kneeling down slowly, he reached an arm out and placed the plate of food in front of her with a nervous smile. Dakota watched him for a moment before leaning forward and gently scooping some of the meat into her mouth. Izuku released a soft sigh of relief that she had not launched for her food like she normally did. Baby steps, just more baby steps.

“You are a good dragon, Dakota,” Izuku whispered and Dakota paused her eating to look right into his eyes. “I am sorry, for everything. I don’t know anything about your past but I do know that no matter what you’ve done, no matter who you’ve harmed or killed if you have done so, you don’t deserve the abuse you have undergone. I am so sorry.”

Izuku lifted his hand up, he could feel his fingers trembling but he couldn’t stop them, his heart was trying to burst through his chest and his mind was trying as hard as it could to convince him to move his hand out of danger but he forced his muscles to move his arm forward. While Ochako had reached for Dakota’s shoulder, Izuku threw caution to the wind and aimed for her head. His throat was dry and his body was breaking out in a cold sweat but he did not try to hide it. He was not going to hide from her, he was not going to deceive her. Izuku closed his eyes and turned his head away, his whole body shaking with fear and anticipation.

Dakota hesitated, her eyes roving over his held out palm, her brain mulling over her decision choices. She could almost feel the tension dripping from his body, but she knew that he was trying as hard as he possibly could to make an effort. She almost turned away, he was a human after all and she had learned very early on that all humans are evil. But then she remembered his soft apology, the genuine guilt, and sadness that had flowed throughout his entire being. She also remembered his fear of her, his wariness of her in a way that mirrored her own fears. Maybe not all people were that bad. Swallowing the last of her doubts, she leaned forward, her meat forgotten, and placed her head on the outstretched palm in front of her that couldn’t quite reach her on its own.

Izuku sucked in a breath and opened his eyes, his head turning to peer at Dakota hesitantly. Her eyes were closed and her ears were folded back onto her head but he could immediately tell that it was in a relaxed way rather than the way she would pin her ears when she was angry. He released the breath he had sucked in so violently and began to twitch his fingers gently. His hand tingled and his palm began to glow faintly as she opened her eyes in slight surprise at the feeling of his gentle fingers carving little pathways in her fur. Izuku made eye contact with her as he began to pet her more properly, remaining wary of her just in case he overstepped any boundaries but grew a little more confident with each passing second as she relaxed into his actions. Dakota closed her eyes again and Izuku was shocked to the core to see a tear slide down her face. It was barely visible and he almost missed it but he saw it and he felt his  heart constrict with sadness for the poor creature.

“Good girl, Dakota. You are safe now.”

__________________________________________

Izuku woke up the next morning feeling a lot better, actually having slept through the night without waking up in a cold sweat. His alarm clock went off early but when he got out of bed to get ready for school he didn’t feel as groggy and depressed as he had in the past few days. Dakota was even in a better mood. She still watched him warily constantly but she actually wagged her tail twice when he said goodbye to her for the day. Ochako and Iida immediately felt a difference in his behavior and they were both thrilled when he told them quietly about the progression he had managed to move through with the aggressive dog in his room. He made it through the day feeling focused and refreshed. He made it through hero training feeling so energized that he was able to fight his fellow classmates for almost an hour before he wore himself out in their combat training sessions for the day. He finally ended home with Ochako and Iida, talking to them for the entire train ride.

Inko also immediately noticed her son’s changed behavior and beamed when he suggested they play a board game in the living room before Haruka was scheduled to show up. They played together on the floor of their living room for a while before Izuku excused himself to go check on Dakota’s wounds. He walked to his bedroom and opened his door, holding a roll of gauze, cotton balls, and water. For the first time since Dakota had arrived, when Izuku pushed open the door, Dakota wagged her tail, thumping it on the floor three times rather than the usual two. Izuku felt his heart flutter a little at the sight and even though he knew he still had to be careful, he felt more comfortable around her.

“Hey girl, how are you doing today? I promise I won’t hurt you, but if you allow me, I’d like to take a look at your injuries, alright?”

Dakota lowered her head and lost the warm spark in her eyes, her ears rotating around to flatten across her head, but she thumped her tail once. Izuku inhaled a little and made his way over to her, holding the medical materials out so that she could see all of them clearly. He finally kneeled down beside her and placed the supplies beside him, his eyes never straying from hers as he reached a tentative hand over to pet her head once. Ever since he had broken the glacier that had been blocking her personality, their relationship had been less icy. He was aware that he still had to pay mind to the fact that she was still a dangerous dragon, but her refreshed attitude gave him hope. He kept his eyes open this time and managed to keep his hand at least a little more steady than the first time he had touched her. He hadn’t even gotten very close to her when she leaned forward, almost eagerly, and placed her forehead against his palm so that the markings on their flesh lined up. The marking on her head began to glow first, and then his palm lit up warmly.

Her desperation to be loved made Izuku’s heart twinge in sadness and he wished he could just pull her into a hug and hold her forever, but he knew that her wounds would not heal themselves, and so after waiting for a few more seconds, Izuku smiled and pulled his hand away softly. Dakota looked up into his eyes and wagged her tail four times. Izuku’s heart burst with happiness at each thump of her soft tail and he was sure he felt a distant feeling of relief as if he were feeling it from outside of his own body. His eyes drifted out of focus for a moment, and he suddenly felt that relieving feeling flow through his entire body, calming him. This sensation only lasted for a moment, and when he shook his head and blinked a few times to clear the strange foggy feeling from his head, he glanced at Dakota to see her eyes closed and her mouth hanging slightly open. Izuku watched her for a little longer before shaking his head once more and moving to work on her front leg.

Dakota opened her eyes and returned to more of a cold demeanor as he neared her injuries, but she remained stiffly silent and still, closing her eyes and ignoring him. Izuku, on the other hand, ignored all other thoughts and distractions and focused whole-heartedly on healing the dog, his hands moving efficiently but gently over her injured leg and side. He wanted to help heal her wings, as he knew that they had been torn to pieces by the strange men who had cornered them in that forest clearing, but he knew that even if she could change back, she wouldn’t let him anywhere near her wings. He brewed over the subject, his mind wandering over to her damaged wings, the thoughts burying fear deep within him. Was it healthy for her to keep them hidden for so long when they were as injured as they were? Would she ever be able to fly again? That question shot a spear of sadness through him so suddenly that his hands froze and he gasped softly. Dakota opened her eyes and looked over at Izuku. Izuku clenched a hand into his shirt over his heart and made eye contact with the black dog. Finally, he managed to slow his breathing and he leaned forward to continue wrapping her broken leg with two sticks and the bandages. His hands moved swiftly over her wounds, the soft bandage curling over the leg like fresh snow falling on the sidewalk. He was so focused that when Dakota very suddenly and aggressively snarled at him, he audibly yelped and leaped away from her, just having pinned the bandage into place. For the second time in less than a minute, his breathing and heart rate were through the roof and his confusion had spiked. That is until he scrambled back into something solid behind him. Izuku looked up slowly and rolled away from the solid thing behind him, suddenly realizing that the thing he had hit was Haruka’s legs. He realized that he had been so busy with Dakota that she had walked in and he hadn’t even heard her. That explained Dakota’s sudden aggression.

“Oh! Hello, Haruka! I didn’t see you there! What can I help you with?”

“Well, I am here to check up on the mark on your hand. Your mother told me, the medication hasn’t caused any kind of fading, correct?”

“Oh yeah, right! I am sorry, I was busy with-”

“Oh my…” Haruka sighed softly, her eyes widening a little as she peered behind Izuku at the large black dog on the floor beside Izuku’s bed. Haruka took one step forward and Dakota let out a vicious snarl that caused Izuku to blanch a little.

“Sorry, she is a little aggressive as you can see, it is probably in the best interest of both of you to stay away from her.”

Haruka did not answer, she just kept staring at the dog, who had somehow managed to force herself to move so that she was cowering in the back corner of the bedroom, her back pressed flat against the wall and her teeth bared.

Haruka took a tiny step forward and Dakota snarled again, the throaty sounds bouncing around the room wildly. That was when Izuku felt it. It was the strangest sensation, a feeling of some of the worst fear he had ever felt. It jolted down his body and electrified his limbs to the point where he actually jerked a little in place. A split second after he felt this blinding fear, he felt as if he was being thrown through a tunnel in time, as his vision changed from that of his bedroom to the clearing where he had met Dakota. He saw Haruka and Dakota along with a woman he did not know and a huge white dragon covered in bones. The images flashed through his mind, where he saw Dakota attack the bone dragon, he saw Haruka jerk her head as she activated her quirk, breaking Dakota’s leg. He saw the proud Night Fury fall, her eyes wide with fear as the other woman touched Dakota’s flank and used her quirk. He saw her change into a dog. He saw her gallop off into the woods with an arrow flying after her. He saw the arrow strike home before she ran off through the brush. He saw himself, kneeling down on the road to pick up the fallen black dog.

Suddenly, his eyes readjusted and he was once again able to see his bedroom. He blinked and turned his head to look at Haruka, who was not even looking at him and had not moved from her place before his vision. That was when he realized that the vision he had just witnessed had lasted for less than ten seconds and that nothing had changed. Nothing except for Dakota, who kept glancing at him from her corner of the room and the fact that he now knew. His heart hammered in his chest and his mind scrambled for a plan. He had no idea if she was a villain, or if he was just misreading the vision he had seen, or if the vision had been a skewed perspective in some way. He glanced between the dog and Haruka just as she took another step closer, a larger step this time. Dakota’s growl faltered a bit as a fearful whimper slipped past her jaws and Izuku made up his mind.

Haruka took another step towards the dog and Izuku set his plan into motion, ignoring all of his instincts to turn the other way and let the dragon live the consequences of her actions. He knew that she was dangerous. He knew that she was a killer. He knew she probably didn’t deserve saving, but Izuku knew what it felt like to be on the receiving end of ridicule. The sight of Haruka advancing on Dakota as she cowered helplessly against the wall just made him think about all of those times when he was like Dakota and Bakugo was like Haruka. Izuku had always been so scared during those times, his mind going through all of the possible things that Bakugo could do to him with his cool quirk and better strength. The only difference in this situation was that when it was Bakugo who was bullying Izuku, Izuku never feared for his life. Izuku knew now that this interaction could result in the decision for life or death… for either one of them.

Haruka was now close enough to try to lean down to touch Dakota, the poor dog leaning as far back against the wall as possible, her teeth bared only half-heartedly as the panic set into her eyes. Haruka leaned down ever so slightly, just to have her view obscured by two strong legs. Haruka blinked a few times and looked up to see Izuku, facing her with his legs positioned in a half-lunge while his fists were raised in a loose fighting stance. Haruka stood all the way up and Izuku moved one leg back so that it could be lifted over Dakota’s back so that he was standing completely above her. Dakota blinked a few times in shock, her mouth was even hanging open slightly. After a second, the shock faded and Izuku felt an intense mixed feeling of relief and gratitude wash through him like hot chocolate does on a freezing winter day.

“Haruka, I am sorry but I thought I made it very clear earlier that Dakota is not feeling well and should be left alone. I would appreciate it if you would please give her some space and maybe we can get back to figuring out what is wrong with my hand.”

Haruka was silent for a moment, she took a step back and then tilted her head with a small smile tugging at her lips.

“You named her.”

“What?”

“You named her. You two are farther along than I thought.”

Izuku was worried about what this could possibly mean. He knew that Haruka knew that Dakota was a dragon, that much was obvious from the vision he had had but he did not know what she meant by ‘being farther along’. Haruka frowned a little and brought her hand up to her chin for a minute, thinking carefully to herself. After a little while, though, she looked back up at Izuku and sighed.

“I guess I probably shouldn’t keep you in the dark anymore, how comfortable would you be if I invited you back to my cabin for some tea and a talk? I think you have figured out by now that I know about this dog being a dragon, Dakota was it?”

Izuku was a little dumbfounded but he fought to keep his face neutral. He didn’t want to give away anything yet as he still wasn’t clear on her intentions.

“Yes, her name is Dakota, but why should I trust you? Why should I come to your cabin?”

Haruka smiled genuinely then, her eyes brightening a little and her various bone jewelry jangling as she lifted up her arm and held out her hand, fingers stretched wide to reveal her palm. Izuku gasped and Dakota perked her ears as they both gazed down at the large swirly symbol that was engraved into the raised ridge of her palm.

[therainroguefanfiction]

🔥 ℝise Ⱥbove I̾t ◈ Chapter 013 [Extra Factor]

📑 Table of Contents | ◂Backward

Word Count: 3,254 ☁

⊱ ────── {⋅. 🔥 .⋅} ────── ⊰

〈“Oh, I started as an ember, Who was meant for kerosene, And now I’m raging like a fire, burning up.” The Score, “Glory”〉

⊱ ────── {⋅. 🔥 .⋅} ────── ⊰

I sprinted around the corner, nearly running into Midnight as she talked with a student. “Winchester, no running in the halls!”

I ignored her with a huff, turning the next corner and stopping in front of the nurse’s office. I kicked the door open, “Granny!”

The small woman jumped in surprise, turning toward the door with a frown. “Don’t you know how to – oh my goodness, what happened?”

I set Midoriya down on the closest bed. I didn’t want to out Toshi by saying he should’ve stepped in and stopped things. “Battle training got a bit out of hand,” I muttered, stepping aside so she could examine him.

She kissed his forehead, his body glowing bright green. With a huff, she headed over to a medical cabinet. “Well, don’t just stand there, deary, make yourself useful!”

“Ah, sure.” I rushed over to her, taking the bandages and ointments from her. While she set up the I.V., I applied burn cream to his left arm before wrapping it with gauze and bandages. She did most of the work on his broken arm while I assisted in any way I could. “Hey, Granny?”

“Yes, deary?” Her tone was clipped with annoyance.

“This kid’s quirk… it’s One for All, ain’t it?”

She was quiet for a moment. “I’m afraid that’s not for me to say, but you already have an idea, don’t you?” She finished with his wounds before turning to me. “Now to fix you up!”

“Ah, wait!” I jumped back before she could kiss me. “I haven’t fought yet, I need my energy!”

Granny sighed, grabbing some more bandages. “Fine, fine. At least let me wrap up your hands so they don’t get infected.”

“Thank you,”

“That’s what I’m here for. Now, try not to get hurt any worse and come straight back after your match, understand?”

“Sure, sure.” I sighed, heading out of the room. I have so much racing through my mind right now that I honestly couldn’t give a fuck about this exercise, but I knew I had to participate, especially since I skipped out on the Quirk Assessment. That quirk of his… it’s the same aura as Toshi’s, but… it’s more raw and untamed. He clearly can’t control the damn thing, he said so himself. If he had used that much power against Bakugo… but he didn’t. He knew better than that. I don’t think he ever planned to fight him head-on, but that blonde idiot is just so goddamn angry.

And I always thought that I’m a moody little bitch.

I stepped into the observation room but I wasn’t quiet enough, everyone’s gaze snapping to me. I scowled at the attention, shoving my hands into my pockets. “The fuck are ya’ll lookin’ at?” I shrugged as if that would get rid of the eyes on me, moving to stand by the back wall.

“Um, excuse me…” The brunette approached me, looking tired and pale. “Is Deku okay?” She looked really worried like she was about to start crying.

Deku? Is that his nickname or somethin’? I smiled softly, resting my hand on her head. She reminded me of a bunny, pure and innocent. “Don’t worry, he’ll be fine. Recovery Girl is the best in the business for a reason.”

“I’m so glad,” she rubbed at her eyes before giving me a bright smile. “My name is Ochako Uraraka. Your name is… Winchester, right?”

“Jen Winchester. You can just call me Jen,”

“It’s nice to meet you! And… thank you for looking after Deku!”

“Yeah… sure thing.” I watched as she walked back to stand beside the Prep. My eyes landed on Bakugo, who was frozen in place, his wide eyes staring at the ground.

Was I too much of a dick to him? Was I too harsh?

I moved to stand beside him, my shoulder brushing his, but he didn’t even seem to notice. He’s really out of it… His lips are trembling. Oh geez, he’s not gonna cry, is he? I don’t handle crying people well, man. I cleared my throat but got nothing. I nudged him in the ribs, nothing. Okay, if he’s trying to make me feel worried and guilty, it’s fuckin’ working.

I placed my hand on the small of his back – Gramps always did that to me when I was feeling especially upset and it always calmed me down as a kid. He finally looked up at me, meeting my eyes. For a moment, he looked so… vulnerable. And then the anger returned, but it was much tamer than usual.

“Get your fuckin’ hand off me, I don’t need your pity.”

“It’s not pity, idiot. Just shut up and accept my feeble attempt at being comforting.”

He scoffed, turning his head to the side but not moving away from me. That’s a good sign, I guess.

We watched in awkward silence as the other teams took their turns. Everyone did well, but none were quite as… active as the first battle had been. And finally, it was my turn.

French Fry and Alien were up against Sumo and Mountain.

I pulled back from Bakugo, ignoring his curious stare as I slipped out of the room. I don’t really have a plan, mostly because I don’t know anything about my opponents, not their quirks or capabilities, or even their fucking names. Guess I’ll just hide in the shadows until they engage with each other.

I snuck around to the back of the building, climbing the fire escape. I was careful around the windows, making sure I wasn’t seen while also checking for where the bomb is. No one but Toshi knows what team I had drawn, but this was the last battle… did they expect me? To be honest, I was hoping to my god, the taco, that everyone had forgotten about me.

I reached the last landing of the fire escape with a huff. Why the fuck is this building so damn tall? Fuck’s sake. I haven’t moved this much since I was ten and that fucker Jino stole my taco money. Guess I forgot that being a hero requires putting in actual work. I glanced through the window on the top floor.

Jackpot! There’s the bomb and it looks like Mountain is alone and… what the fuck is he doing in the corner? I leaned closer, squinting to see through the dirty glass. He was kneeling down petting a rat… I sweatdropped. Is everyone in this damn school nuts or is it just my class?

I dug my nails into the bottom of the window, but it didn’t budge. Damn, I was hoping for a stealthy approach, but it looks like I gotta break the window. I pulled back my elbow before bringing it hard against the glass, shattering it. My bandaged hands were a big help in removing the class from the sill so I could slip inside.

Mountain was now standing by the bomb, shaking like a leaf with his hands held up in surrender. I took a step forward and he flinched. Okay… definitely not gonna fight this poor kid. He might die of fucking heart failure.

I pulled the capture tape from my back pocket and slowly approached him, keeping my guard up in case it was all an act – I didn’t believe it was, but better safe than sorry, I guess. He looked so terrified, I almost feel guilty capturing him. Almost. “Hands,” I ordered. He quickly held them out I tied them together. “Too tight?” His shook his head side to side and I led him away from the bomb. If I ended up having to fight the others, I didn’t want this kid to get involved.

“Ow, shit!” I snapped my gaze down to see the rat attached to my ankle, his teeth easily cutting through the fabric of my pants. “That fucking hurts, you shit! Get offa me!” I wiggled my leg, but he just bit down harder. Goddamn it, I’m against animal cruelty! I grabbed it by the scruff of its neck, tapping it on the nose lightly until it finally let go, trying to grab onto my finger. With a string of curses, I dropped the squirming creature into Mountain’s lap. He held it close and the rat started to calm down. Does he have an animal quirk?

Wait, wait wait… don’t rats have diseases and shit? Fuck my life. If I die by a fucking rat I will burn this world from the grave.

“Woohoo!” Alien came sliding into the room, aiming straight for the bomb.

I held my hand up and a line of fire sprung to life in front of her. She yelped in surprise, stumbling back until falling on her behind. “Sorry, but I’m afraid that belongs to me, and I don’t like people touching my shit.”

She looked back at me, eyes wide. The situation dawned on her and she jumped to her feet, shooting a grey substance from her hands. I dodged most of it, but some splattered onto my tank top. The fabric started to dissolve with a hiss. Acid? It’s gotta be.

Che, how annoying. My long-range flames aren’t as powerful and they’re harder to control, but it should be enough for this. I just have to be careful. Watch the temperature and breathe.

The acid was beginning to eat through the floor, creating varying sized holes across the room. Hey, that’s an idea that might work. If I can keep her distracted by pretending to attack, I might be able to pull this off. I dodged another wave of acid, slipping under it and aiming my fist at her head. She slid backward with the acid coming from her feet. Her reflexes are pretty sharp.

I glanced at the floor as the acid slowly ate through the concrete. Just a little bit longer. She jumped toward me, kicking up acid into the air which fell onto my arm. I clenched my jaw in pain, slamming my flaming fist against the ground. The concrete cracked, spreading out to the holes until the floor started to collapse beneath us. She squeaked, trying to reach a part of the floor that wasn’t crumbling, but she was too far away.

I kneeled by the hole, glancing down at her. She was lying on her back, eyes closed. Hopefully, she’s unconscious. I glanced over at Mountain, who was near the hole. “You good?”

He nodded frantically, clutching the rat to his chest.

I stepped around the hole, leaning against the wall by the door. I could hear heavy footsteps rushing down the hall, far too heavy to belong to French Fry. Must be the big guy, then. If I had to guess, his quirk has something to do with strength, but that’s going off of appearance alone. I pressed myself flat against the wall.

Sumo ran into the room too fast to see me. Perfect!

I kicked the back of his knee and he stumbled but didn’t hit the ground. It was enough, though. I threw my arm around his neck, digging my knee into his back. He tried to claw at my arm but I increased my body temperature to burn his fingers but not his neck – it was tricky, but I managed it. I dug harder into his back, slamming his body against the ground with my own.

My eye twitched as he continued to fight back, nearly knocking me off of his body. Goddamn, just fucking pass out already! His body started to weaken before finally going slack. I huffed, releasing him. I made my way back to the hole and over the line of flames in front of the bomb, lowering my hand before flipping it over. The flames disappeared and I touched the fake bomb.

“Extra factor wins!”

My eye twitched in annoyance. What a stupid ass name. I’m along here, just use my fucking name! I pulled a switchblade from my pocket, flicking my wrist as I approached Mountain. He closed his eyes in fear and I kneeled down, carefully cutting the tape from his wrists.

Toshi came through with the medical bots, slapping his large hand on my shoulder. “You’ve come so far in such a short amount of time! I am so proud of you, young Jen!”

“You can cut the proud dad act, I still have a bone to pick with you after this,” I told him as I left the room, my hands stuffed into my pockets. My ankle is stinging from that damn rat and my hands were bleeding again. There was a small burn on my left arm and another on my stomach from the acid. If Granny sees these new wounds, I’m never gonna hear the end of it.

I’d rather just suffer and heal naturally.

When I re-entered the observation room, Bakugo’s red eyes were the first thing I saw. His jaw was clenched and he looked angry again. Ochako popped up in front of me and started to fangirl about how cool I am. I could only scratch my cheek awkwardly as she started to re-enact what she had seen. I’d be lying if I said it didn’t feel nice to be praised by someone other than Toshi, but man if it ain’t embarrassing, too.

I glanced behind her and Peppermint was glaring at me again. Man, what is his damage? Does he have a fucking problem with me? I returned to Bakugo’s side, putting more distance between us than before. He glared at me, too.

Man, this class needs some serious therapy.

Toshi led us all back to the same tunnel we had begun at. “That’s a wrap! Super work! You really stepped up to the plate and we didn’t have any major injuries except for Midoriya. You should be proud! Excellent first day of training all around!”

Toshi, you’re laying it on too thick. Chill out.

“It’s nice to hear some encouraging words after our homeroom class. Mr. Aizawa was kind of a buzzkill.”

Oh boy, Toshi’s head just inflated with that one.

“I’m happy to bring such staggering positivity to my alma mater! That’s all for now, folks! I should go and check on young Midoriya’s progress. Now watch how a pro exits! Like he’s got somewhere to be!!” Toshi took off down the hall and I cursed, rushing after him. No way in hell am I letting you get away!

He was so pre-occupied that he didn’t even notice me slip into the staff entrance behind him, sliding through the doors just before they closed. He was wheezing and his body engulfed in smoke. His skeletal form looked even worse in the baggy hero costume. “Man, you’re a fucking mess, ain’t ya?” He jumped in surprise, his wheezing turning into full-on coughing. I sweatdropped. “Don’t die on me, now.” With a sigh, I turned my back to him and kneeled down.

He stared at me blankly.

“Oi, I don’t have all day! Get on, I’ll carry you, gramps.”

He smacked the back of my head half-heartedly. “I’m not that old.” He staggered a bit as he walked, heading down the hall. I followed, hands in my pockets. As expected, Granny was pissed when we showed up.

She glared at both of us, making me sit on a stool while she ranted to Toshi. “The second day of school and he’s already a regular patient! Why didn’t you stop him, All Might?”

He coughed. “You’re right, Recovery Girl. I’m sorry.”

“Well, it’s no good apologizing to me! He’s too exhausted from his classes for my quirk. I can’t treat all of his injuries at once! I did some first aid, but after the I.V. is finished, we’ll have to wait for his body to heal overnight. Come on, All Might. I know you passed your powers onto this boy -”

I fucking knew it. Well, Toshi did technically mention it to me before school started but that’s neither here nor there. Not my fault my dumbass don’t listen.

“- but you can’t spoil him!”

He rubbed the back of his head. “I am trying not to play favorites. I wanted to consider his feelings, though. He needed to see that he was capable of winning the exercise. Oh yeah, also,” he lowered his voice. “Will you please not talk so loudly about One for All when anyone around you could hear?”

I pushed against the ground with my foot so the stool was by the bed so I could lean back against the metal at the foot of it. What was the big deal about people knowing about his power? I mean, I get that it’s this like, super over-powered quirk or some shit, but it’s not like people can forcefully take it if they find out the truth.

“Yeah, yeah. I know. Mr. ‘natural born hero’. Mr. ‘symbol of peace’!”

He sighed, raising his clenched fist to his chest. “Several people know about my injury and this weakened form, like the U.A. facility and a certain group of pro heroes, for example. However, only a select few people know the secret of One for All. There’s you, the principal, and a very close friend of mine. Young Midoriya, too, of course, and young Jen, but no one else knows the truth about my power.”

“You’re the number one hero in the world, All Might. Does it really matter if you were born with your quirk or not? Do you have to be the symbol of peace? Is it that important?”

Granny asking the important questions. Her sad tone tugged at my heart, though. I wanted to pull the small woman into my arms, but at the same time, I didn’t want to draw attention to myself because of my injuries.

“If they knew I wasn’t, the temptation of this power could corrupt our society. This quirk… those who wield it are responsible for mankind’s safety.”

I glanced at Midoriya. Does he even know that? That’s a pretty tall order for a fifteen-year-old boy.

“Well, if that’s the case, it’s even more important for you to be a good guide.”

“You’re right…”

“And you, young lady.”

I winced at her tone, sitting straight up on the stool.

“Didn’t I tell you not to get more hurt?”

“Uhh, well, you see, what had happened was -”

She kissed my cheek and I slid off the stool, feeling my energy drain as my wounds healed. “You wouldn’t let me heal you earlier but you can’t escape it this time, deary.”

I groaned, wishing I had a pillow to smash my face into. “Next time, please just let me heal like a normal person, thanks…”

“But you’re not a normal person,”

I can’t tell if that’s an insult or a compliment…

⊱ ────── {⋅. 🔥 .⋅} ────── ⊰

I yawned as the final class of the day ended. I grabbed my bag and headed out the door, ignoring whoever called out my name. The only voice I cared to hear from was the one belonging to that ugly ass green couch.

“Oi,”

I glanced over my shoulder to see Bakugo. His head was lowered, hair covering his eyes as he approached. “What’s -”

“Thank you,” he muttered, his voice barely above a whisper.

“I’m sorry, you what now?” Had I heard that right?

He glared at me. “I didn’t fucking say anything. Get your damn ears checked!”

I deadpanned. This fuckin’ kid…

“Kacchan!”

Midoriya ran toward us, looking a bit worse for the wear. I patted Bakugo’s shoulder as I passed by, leaving the school grounds.

⊱ ────── {⋅. 🔥 .⋅} ────── ⊰

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[rex101111]

Plot Seed: the girls of 1-A have a tea party with Eri, and something is said that makes Eri blush, and Mina notices they're heart shaped and looks at Ochako in surprise, and comments, "something you wanna share, Occhan~?"

To say that Eri was popular with the female students of UA would be a bit of an understatement. Doubly so when it comes to the six heroines of class 1-A.

It was practically love at first sight. From the moment Mirio had brought her over to visit while the school was still preparing for the culture festival the girls just couldn’t help but want to be around her and keep her safe.

Granted that was true of the entire class, no matter how vehemently Bakugou may deny it, but the girls in particular made a point of hanging around her and making sure she was having a good time. 

And Mina Ashido especially took a shine to the child, pretty much attaching herself to Eri and constantly staying as close to her as she could without causing her any discomfort.

(The increasingly clear fact that Ochako was her favorite only stung for about a month or so, which was around the time she started calling Ochako “Mama” and a very certain green haired hero-in-training “Papa.”)

In the months following the culture festival, with Aizawa being declared Eri’s de facto care taker (though in practice that position was filled in equal measures by Ochako and Deku, Mirio, and Aizawa himself), Eri had started hanging around the 1-A dorms, and that required a none too short adjustment period.

An adjustment period where the girls of 1-A took it upon themselves to make sure their newest resident would feel as welcomed as possible. And part of that included what Mina had affectionately titled: “Strategic Meet Ups.”

(In truth, it was simply all the girls having a private tea party in her dorm room every two weeks or so, to catch Eri up on what was going on in school, ask her how she’s doing, and answer any question she might have that she didn’t feel comfortable asking any of her male caretakers. 

But Mina wanted to make sure that Eri knew that everyone took this completely seriously, so she didn’t feel like she was wasting anyone’s time.

Mina was going to build up that poor girl’s self esteem and confidence levels to what they should be even if it kills her.)

While a bit hesitant at first, as time went on Eri started to really get into it, asking the girls all sorts of questions, from polite inquiries about their studies, to more personal questions that actually made each of them think carefully before they answered. 

Questions about love, family, parents, and a bunch of other things that made Mina pause in thought whenever she remembered the look Eri would give them when she asked.

(A half empty, half hopeful kind of look, the type that could keep you up at night.)

And sometimes they would just talk, just talk and laugh and drink tea, wonderful, fragrant, and expensive bordering on the nightmarish tea.

(Courtesy of the Yaoyorozu family of course. They all nearly choked on it when Momo first told them how much it cost. A single cup’s worth was enough to make Mina’s eyes water. And the less said about Ochako’s reaction the better.)

Today was such, the group laughing at some joke Toru cracked about something that happened on the news a while back. Mina would have payed more attention to her invisible friend, but unfortunately something much more interesting was happening in the direction of Eri and her “Mama.”

The two of them were laughing especially hard at the joke, Ochako holding a hand over her mouth to try and get her giggles under control, while the younger girl simply held her stomach while she damn near cackled out loud.

And while they were doing this, Mina noticed something awfully intriguing happening on their faces, namely that they were both blushing. Now granted, that by itself was not exactly note worthy, for Ochako especially since the girl’s cheeks appeared flushed most of the time anyway, but rather something about the blush marks on the younger girl themselves that caught Mina’s eye.

It took about two seconds for a fiendish idea to form in her head from that sight. A new record.

Grinning lightly, Mina turned to Kyouka, “Hey Kyouka-chan! You and Kaminari have been giving Eri music lessons right?”

“Hm? Oh, yeah!” The guitarist glanced at the pink heroine out the corner of her eye, setting down the soda she was drinking as she smiled, “Yeah, though I guess it’d be better to call them singing lessons,” She grinned at the girl in question with a proud gleam in her eye, “And she’s been doing great so far!”

Eri smiled shyly and looked down, her blush from before growing a bit brighter as she fiddling with her thumbs at the compliment.

Things were taking shape, but still not enough for Mina’s liking. “Really? You sing Eri-chan?” She rounded on the small child with a bright grin. “I wanna hear you! I bet you sound really pretty!” She clasped her hands together as she plead, “please?”

“Oh! Well…” She looked around at the other occupants with a timid look through the hair that fell in front of her face, “if it’s okay with everyone…?”

“Of course!” Toru was the first to jump up with her agreement, her shirt and skirt flapping wildly as she fidgeted in her seat in excitement, “Hearing Eri-chan sing would be the highlight of my day!” She flopped non-too-elegantly on Mina with her shirt sleeves lightly flailing, “please sing Eri-chan!”

(The invisible girl leaned into Mina with a whisper, “planning something, Mina-chan?”

Mina’s smile turned a bit sharp at the edges as she answered with her own whisper, “aren’t I always?”

If she could see Toru’s face, Mina would wager she would see a grin just as razor edged as hers.)

“I’m sure your voice is lovely.” Momo agreed with a warm, motherly smile, “considering Kyouka-chan is your teacher, there’s no way it wouldn’t be.” 

Kyouka hid her face with her hands as it glowed, though one could see the edge of a pleased smile emerging near her thumbs, “n-nah, Eri’s just a good student is all…”

(Mina should honestly stop being surprised at how badly Kyouka hides her crushes, no matter who she was crushing on. She was also starting to doubt how oblivious Momo was to the effect her words can have on people…)

“Only if you want to Eri-chan.” Tsuyu added calmly, Mina having to bite her tongue to stop herself from cursing the frog hero out on trying to foil her brilliant plan, “…but I am a bit curious, been a while since I heard anyone sing live, not since the festival.” Mina could kiss this frog right now. “But, again, only if you want to, no pressure, kero.”

(Confound that frog!)

“You heard them Eri-chan!” Ochako added finally, leaning her shoulder on the little girl’s, smile wide on her cheeks, “come on! You’ll be great!” Her smile went a bit soft around the edges as she hugged Eri’s shoulder. “Just give it your best, it’ll be great so long as you do that.”

Eri was looking back and forth between the girls before finally settling back on her Mama’s encouraging face, her own features filling with determination, “auntie Kyouka?”

“Yeah kiddo?”

“You brought your guitar right?”

(Mina had to fight herself to stop her grin from turning evil in triumph, mission accomplished.)

Kyouka grinned warmly, “you bet kiddo.” She reached behind her to grab the acoustic guitar she brought from her room so she could noodle a few tunes during their tea breaks, placing it in her hands and on her folded legs with much ceremony. “So, what’ll it be?”

Eri scratched her chin and pulled at her lower lip in a display so adorable Mina had to strangle the squeal of joy that was building up in her throat to stop herself from wrapping the girl in a big hug, the mission must succeed, before she nodded her head resolutely and got up from her seat to stand on the northern wall of the room, where the rest turned to face her, “um…that song from the cartoon you showed me last week? You know, the one with the dog?”

Kyouka’s brow pinched for a minute as she searched for the memory, her face lighting up as she recalled, “oh yeah, the one we were just practicing, got it Eri-chan.” She plucked a few notes on her guitar, adjusting her strings for a moment, “here we go…”

After a few more gentle, solemn chords, Eri took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and, well. Sang. 

“Let’s go in the garden, you’ll find something waiting,”

Really sang. No wavering voice, no sour notes, just a simple, gently tune carried on the conditioned air of the room.

“Right there where you left it, laying upside down.”

It was a simple song, a little sad, a little hopeful, with an easy melody that you could listen to for ages. Mina found herself thinking it suited the precious girl perfectly.

“When you finally find it, you’ll see how it’s faded,”

Eri really did have a good voice for singing though, and that wasn’t Mina’s bias talking either. It was melodic and carried clearly, even if her young age made it a bit more high pitched then most. Mina really did love this girl, she hoped she would never find a reason to stop singing.

“The underside is lighter, when you turn it around.”

An angry thought slipped in between the verses as Eri sang, reminding Mina of how Eri sounded for the first few weeks that she knew her. Voice halting, quiet, every word placed with so much care and attention you think she was laying them on land mines. Like she was one word away from something, or someone, exploding on her. 

“Everything stays, right where you left it,”

A far cry from how she sounded now. Still quiet, still a bit careful. But confident, with no hint of fear hiding in her throat.

“Everything stays, but it still changes,”

She wondered if Eri ever heard a song before she came to the festival, ever heard anything that wasn’t a threat with veil of kindness or an insult covered in false reassurance. She had to bite her tongue again, force herself to focus on the song and remember that anger had no place tonight. Some shadows don’t deserve voices.

“Ever so slightly, daily and nightly, in little ways…”

Eri took another breath, pausing slightly and twiddling her thumbs, some hint of apprehension on her features as she opened her eyes to look at her audience. 

Each one was wide eyed and looking at her with rapt attention (also Toru, probably), all with the exception of Kyouka who had stopped playing for a moment to look at Eri with concern before smiling in encouragement and giving a thumbs up.

(Mina belatedly realized that Kyouka was hogging Eri’s singing voice to herself and Kaminari this whole time. She decided there would be retribution once  the song was over, such selfishness will no go without rebuke.)

Confidence returned, Eri face lit up with a quiet, careful smile, she closed her eyes, and then…

“In little ways, when everything stays.”

She let out a breath, opened her eyes while her smile grew brighter, “well? What do you think?”

She barely had a moment after she finished speaking before the whole room erupted in rigorous clapping and cheering, the girls quickly walking up to envelop Eri in a crushing group hug.

“You were so cool! Eri-chan!”

“Yeah! So! So! So pretty!”

“Marvelous Eri-chan, just like I thought you would.”

“Told ya you’d be great kiddo!”

“You really were Eri-chan, kero. My little sister sings too, you should have a duet when she next visits.”

“You were beautiful Eri-chan.” Eri turned in the hug to look at Ochako, whose smile was so warm and kind it actually made Mina pause for a moment as her eyes watered and her face flushed with happiness, “never doubt about yourself, okay?”

Eri eyes turned a bit wet at the edges before she returned the smile, “thank you Mama!” She wrapped her arms around the gravity hero tightly, her own face matching Ochako’s blush shade for shade.

And shape for shape.

Bingo.

“Eri-chan!” She shouted of a sudden, walking towards the hugging pair while turning her head to look at their faces from differing angles, “oh my God!”

“What?” The girl pawed at her face a few times in confusion, squishing her face as she did, “there something on my face auntie Mina?”

“Yes there is!” Mina exclaimed, drama pouring out of her, “just-hold on!” She rushed to her desk to pull out a pocket mirror, bringing it to show Eri’s face, “look! Do you see!?”

“What?” She asked again, turning her face this way and that in the mirror to catch what Mina was trying to point out, “what’s-”

“Your blush!” Mina said finally, poking the girl’s cheek softly, “it’s shaped like little hearts! See?”

Eri squinted at where Mina was poking her, her eyes widening when her eyes settled the shape in her head, “oh! Wow it is!” Her eyebrows pinched suddenly, turning to Mina, “is that bad?”

“Of course not honey!” Mina threw an arm over her shoulder with a grin, “it’s adorable, it means you’re so happy and full of love that you can’t fit it in your little body anymore,” Mina tickled her sides a bit to illustrate her point, “so you’re showing it on the outside!”

Eri’s eyes widened in wonder as Mina explained the “reason” her blush was shaped like that, the way all little kids should look when someone tells them something about love and joy. A look she should have every day, Mina decided, tightening her half hug on the girl.

Mina heard Ochako mumble over her shoulder, “Mina…” Looking behind her she saw her classmate smiling at her, her face blushing almost as brightly as her “daughter”…and not just that.

“In fact, you blush the same way as your Mama!” She quickly turned with Eri to look at Ochako, who flinched back as she saw Mina’s eyes, no doubt gleaming in glee as her plan came fully to fruition, “look! See!?”

Eri’s eyes widened again, “yeah! Mama look!” She rushed to Ochako, grabbing her hand to pull her over to the pocket mirror a very smug Mina was holding so they could both look at it, “we blush the same! That’s so neat!”

Ochako was taken a bit aback, looking up at Mina, who was blinking innocently at her even as her face was stretched in a toothy self-satisfied grin. Ochako sighed at Mina before smiling at Eri again, hugging her from behind as she squished her blushing cheek to the little girl’s, “yeah Eri.” She said warmly, honestly, “it is so neat.”

Mina winked above Ochako head, “you can thank me later.” She pointed a finger gun at her as she walked away from the gravity hero, who eyed her wearily for a moment before returning to hug her little girl. 

Mina turned to her next and final target of the evening, this one for a significantly more underhanded and vindictive motive. “Kyouka-chan!” She rushed up to the guitar player and swung an arm over her shoulder to walk her to the corner of the room, motioning for Toru to follow her, “you’ve been holding out on us…”

“Ashido…” Kyouka eyed her suspiciously, “what are you on about?”

“What, are you deaf Kyouka-chan?” Toru asked of a sudden, appearing at Jirou’s other shoulder, “you’ve been teach Eri-chan how to sing for a month now and we only know hear her!” Her face, or rather the hole of her shirt collar, came closer to Jirou, “you’ve been keeping her all to yourself…”

Jirou loudly swallowed, “she..” Jirou gulped again, “she had confidence issues! I couldn’t just toss in front of a crowd like that!”

“Maybe so, maybe so…” Mina nodded gravely, “but regardless, the fact remains that you were the only one in this whole school who got to hear Eri-chan sing to wonderfully…” Mina narrowed her onyx rimmed eyes at her fellow student, who started to sweat under the attention, “such indulgence cannot go…ignored.”

“Guys,” Jirou started again, leaning away from Mina, “you’re seriously freaking me out here…”

“Oh no!” Toru said of a sudden, jumping away from Kyouka’s personal space without missing a step, “don’t waste your fear on us now.”

“That’s right!” Mina patted her friends back a couple of times before she herself leaned away, “don’t get freaked out tonight, you’ll need your strength.”

Kyouka eyed Mina quietly for a moment, a bead of sweat rolling down her forehead, “need it for…what?”

Mina gave her the most innocent smile she could muster, delighting in the shiver it earned her, “you’ll need it for tomorrow for when you, Yaomomo, and Kaminari team up for the triple exercises.”

The shock-wave hero went as pale as a sheet of paper, eyes widening and pupils shrinking into little dots.

“Unless,” Mina continued, a look of hopeful desperation filling Kyouka’s face, “unless of course…you make up for it.” She nodded her head towards the still hugging and giggling duo of mother and daughter in the middle of the room. “…right now.”

A second passed in quiet tension before Jirou turned on her heel and started marching towards the child, “Eri-chan! You want to sing another song?”

“Really auntie Kyouka? How many songs can I?”

“As much as you want kiddo…”

Mina leaned on the wall, satisfied with another plan well executed as their precious little girl started up another song. Her heart was warm as she sighed in triumph.

Even if she didn’t get that blush, she would have still heard her sing, so no matter how tonight would have went, she’d go to sleep feeling like a winner.

Toru leaned on a spot next to her, quietly watching Eri sing for a minute before she turned to Ashido while she pointed with her sleeves to Jirou, “so…are we still gonna-”

“Obviously.” Mina replied simply, “we’ve been planning that bit for months.”

(Eri sang for the boys the day after once school was out. The cheers she got from them were so loud and deafening that Aizawa got a noise complaint from the nearby 1-B dorm.

The complaints were retracted shortly once they brought Eri over for a performance.)      

[airquietworks]

Expecting! (IzuOcha)(Part 4)

Summary: The world may never be the same. Izuku and Ochako have to answer for their choice to have a child. Navigating pregnancy and heroics is no small task, but together, they are determined to succeed. 

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3

"Wow! What do you think Dad used this for?"

Hiroaki watched, bored, as his sister hauled up an oversized gauntlet. It was sleek and stylish, emblazoned in a familiar shade of green. It also appeared rather weighty; he noticed she was huffing as she held it.

"Punching stuff, I guess," he muttered in reply from his place sitting against the wall. He let out a yawn and adjusted himself. He chased a sense of comfort, and perhaps a nap, though he knew it would be a struggle in this dusty space.

"But why would he need this to punch stuff?" The green-haired girl clumsily deposited the gauntlet on the ground, staring intently at it with a wide-eyed look. "He already punches stuff hard without it!"

The girl gleefully mimicked her father, flailing her fists out in the air toward some unseen opponent.

"I dunno, Reiko. You'd have to ask him."

———————————————————————————————————–

Epilogue: Memories, storms and wonder

———————————————————————————————————–

The nine-year-old did not heed him at all, excitedly wandering into another corner of the room in search of new treasures. He had to admit she looked rather cute, her freckled face wide with excitement as she trotted around in a play-friendly set of blue overalls over a red shirt. Hiroaki smiled at her carefree exuberance. He could remember a time when he too could look at this room and feel that unbridled sense of wonder.

He could remember a time where he dreamed of being a hero.

Hiroaki kept a careful watch over her as she explored her parents' trove of all things heroic. Boxes full of memorabilia littered the floor, stacked into disorderly piles that were difficult to navigate. Greens and pinks dotted the space; their parents' old memorabilia hung on the walls and sprawled across the floor.

One wall stood out from the chaos of the rest. While much of the room was in disarray – a product of their parents' busy lives and an overwhelming amount of stuff – the far wall was more meticulously maintained. The wide grin of the visage of All Might bombarded the eyes. Figures, posters, books, clippings, and a few special family photos. His dad had quietly worked to maintain that wall, at least.

Hiroaki suddenly felt a compelling force tugging at him. He rose from his position, stretching out his muscles. The boy carefully walked forward, keeping his eyes locked on the same image which always transfixed him. Sitting on one of the shelves was a photo in a faded frame. His parents were there, beaming brightly. His eyes instead focused on the thin, frail man between them. His face was weathered and absolutely covered in tears, but he wore a massive grin.

The old man held up a small bundle. The baby's face within was hard to make out, but he could see a little tuft of brown hair peeking from the folds.

Hiroaki's namesake holding him.

"Look, Toshi, it's that cool red cape Dad stopped using!"

"Hang on," Hiroaki Toshinori Midoriya muttered, turning to try and find his sister amidst the room's debris. "And would you stop calling me that? Stick to 'Aki.'"

"But why? You go by 'Toshi' all the time!" Her disembodied voice came from the far end of the room. She had disappeared amidst the space's overwhelming amount of objects. He tried to peek past piles of boxes, searching for her between the cracks he could find.

He breathed out a tired sigh. It could be a pain trying to explain things to her. "Yeah, well, I don't want to go by that now."

"But it's so cool! You're named after All Might! I wish I was!"

"You're named after All Might? But you're so…lame!"

"Betchya Deku hoped it would help a scrawny kid like you. Didn't work, Half-Quirk."

He winced as the echoes of his bullies' taunts rang through his mind. He looked down at the enlarged pads of his left fingertips, which housed the same gravity-defying Quirk of his mother. But it was a pale mimicry, hardly as powerful as she was. His right hand, meanwhile, bore no such power. He shook his head, trying to banish the memories that so often plagued him.

He had to focus on the now. He needed to banish the name from the past, which no longer felt right.

"I just don't think it really suits me. And would you peek out? I can't see-"

His fervent search caused him to miss a small box at his feet. He tripped over the dense object, yelping as he landed on his side with a soft thud.

"Toshi! I mean…Aki? You okay?"

Hiroaki gave an answering groan, his shoulder sore from the point of impact as he rubbed it gingerly. He winced at the small throb of pain, but he could tell it was not too bad. He had to be tougher.

"Yeah, I'm alright. Just tripped on something." He eyed the box which had caused him to fall, shifting over to it. It looked pretty small; just what was inside it to make it so solid?

Without much thought, he put his fingers atop the dusty cardboard, opening up the loose flaps to see what mysteries lay inside.

His eyes were bombarded with naked flesh, glossy text, and a familiar pair of serene faces. A nude, bulging stomach stood out prominently in the centre of the page.

"AAAAAAAAH!"

"Toshi! What's wrong? Are you okay?" Reiko's voice sounded a lot closer. But he dared not turn around as he hurriedly stashed the magazine deeper into the box and out of sight, gross as it felt to even touch the thing.

But despite his best efforts, the flash of the image firmly imprinted itself in his mind. His parents, cuddling, eyes closed and absolutely, completely, disgustingly naked. Naked on a magazine cover.

It would haunt him to the end of his days.

He had to save his sister from that fate.

"Toshi! What's wrong?" Reiko's joyous energy was completely gone. She was battle-ready, or at least a child's imitation of it, with her fists out in front of her and her eyes frantically scanning the room for the assailant. She pursed her lips, ready to spit out bursts of flame. She sported what was once their father's red cape. It was bigger than she was, wrapping around her like a cloak and leaving a train of cloth behind.

Hiroaki frantically flipped himself around to try and hide the box from Reiko's gaze. He scrambled in place awkwardly, nearly stumbling over himself. "I'm fine, I'm fine! I just got startled by a…by a spider! Yeah, and it ran off somewhere."

The awkward pause was terrifying.

"A spider?" Reiko quirked an eyebrow up at him. "Do you need me to smash it?"

"No, no, no, it's already gone off somewhere. No need to worry!" He laughed nervously while adjusting himself to try and better hide the box. It occurred to him how lame it must sound to have screamed about a spider. "It was, uh, really close, like right next to my face when I fell!"

Hiroaki knew his attempt at bravado was poor, and there are few people it would fool. Indeed, Reiko squinted at him. He did his best to remain even-keeled under her scrutiny.

"Are you sure you're okay?"

He nodded and gave her the best reassuring smile he could manage. "Yeah, I'll be fine. You can go keep digging around."

Content that her brother no longer needed saving, Reiko returned to her merriment, searching for the next cool treasure she could gawk at and try on.

Hiroaki breathed a sigh of relief.

With his sister out of the way, he turned to examine the cursed box behind him. He did not get a good look at it in his earlier shock. Careful to avoid the side he had stuffed the mind-scarring magazine, he rummaged through the rest of the material.

The box was piled with a lot of magazines and newspaper covers. He carefully flipped through them. Each one was emblazoned with a recognizable hero on the cover. Most of them were of either Dad or Mom, but there were a few of their classmates too: Kacchan, Aunt Tsu, even the Todoroki family on one.

It was a treasure trove of information about the heroes from his parents' class. It was a little bit fascinating, seeing the history of it all compressed into one space. His father must have hoarded them as mementos. Many of the magazines dated back at least 10 years.

Hiroaki gasped when he saw himself.

The entire Midoriya family was there. Him, smiling gingerly up at the camera, with Dad's mighty arm firmly around him. Mom holding up a baby Reiko, beaming forward, her pink cheeks lifted in a wild smile. He could not remember this photo – he must have been three or four at the time – but it was a pleasant picture nonetheless.

"Deku-Uravity – Double Trouble!" The lifestyle magazine declared boldly. The smaller font made the pointed statement: 'Heroes spill secrets on second child.'

He stroked his fingers across the page. It was a strange window to the past. He looked so young there, with hardly a care in the world.

Curiosity piqued, he flipped through to the central article promised in the front. He suddenly wanted to know exactly what his parents had to say about their growing family.

The article was engaging – quick, punchy, and interspersed with colorful commentary. He hung on to every word his parents said, the echoes of their voices ringing whenever he read a quote.

"It's hard to balance being a hero and being a parent." Dad's words stood out on the page, pulled out with a larger font.

The article warmed his heart, but it made more than a few suggestions about the difficulty of balancing hero life and parenting. He furrowed his brows as his eyes lost focus on the page.

His parents never talked much about the challenge, but he knew it was there. It was a natural part of life that they were very busy. It was incredible growing up watching their feats, but he spent many nights without them around.

They were there when he needed them. He had to remind himself of that constantly. But these days, that need seemed all too great.

He was the only person in his grade with heroes for parents. It made him stand out. Once, he thought it was great. Now, it seemed like a curse.

Hiroaki had not put much thought into how his parents decided to have children, despite their jobs. It was a weird thing to think about your parents' choice to conceive you.

"We live to protect the world. But we also live for our children." The great hero Deku's words stood out in the page, shaded with his signature green colour. Hiroaki frowned at them as he finished the article.

He placed the magazine down onto the pile. He carefully checked his blind spots, making sure Reiko was nowhere near. With the coast clear, he reached into the side of the box and pulled out the forbidden nude cover he wished he could cast aside.

But as he checked it carefully – trying his best not to focus on the whole image of his naked parents – his curiosity was confirmed. He had only glanced at the image previously, but a closer inspection yielded more intrigue. They weren't just nude; they were expecting. Expecting him. The bulge of his mother's belly was unmistakable as the text tugged the reader to explore the pregnancy of one of the world's most famous couples.

"It's a frightening concept, being parents, especially in this field of work where we risk and put our lives on the line every day."

His father's words stood out on the cover, teasing the rest of the story. He frowned again at those words, struggling to understand. His parents were unbeatable. There was no doubt in his heart that they would overcome anything thrown at them.

But why would they be so frightened about having a child? Having him?

He furrowed his brows and flipped through the pages, desperately tearing past every ad and article to get to his parents' story. He finally found the page and wasted no time digging in.

"Deku and Uravity are conquering the world of heroism. They are two of the youngest pros to make Japan's Top 20. They have saved countless lives and are now one of the most famous power couples on the planet.

But the two are about to face a whole new challenge, one that no amount of villains beaten will prepare them for: parenting.

"It wasn't an easy decision to make," admitted the expectant mother, Ochako "Uravity" Midoriya. One look at her belly revealed why she had been out of the field for weeks. She regularly touched her abdomen as she spoke, swollen in her pregnancy.

"Neither of us had really imagined being parents growing up." Izuku "Deku" Midoriya spoke with his right hand intertwined with his partner. He had always said being a hero was everything he ever dreamed of. But having a child was a new dream, one which only emerged more recently. "We were both set on being heroes from when we were young."

Hiroaki tried to comprehend the words flowing on the page. He had never really thought about what it was like for his parents to decide to have kids. They had always been his parents; surely it was something they had always wanted?

Apparently not.

His eyes focused on the page again, his heart plunging into the sinking feeling in his gut.

"Once again, the heroic couple is doing something unprecedented. They are the highest-ranked pro hero couple in Japan's history. Now, they are one of the first pro couples to ever have a child. Although they said they will take time once their child is born, both are planning to stay pro afterward.

So what drove them to have a child?

Deku's eyes lit up as he answered.

"Kids can be a lot of work. But they have this incredible spark in them. Every child I've met has given me hope for the future. I-"

"Whatchya reading?"

"Woah!" Hiroaki jumped slightly in place from his sitting position, the magazine hanging loosely in his hand. He looked over to his sister, who eyed the dangling pages.

"Nothing! Nothing…" Hiroaki stopped himself as Reiko crossed her arms and pouted at the obvious lie. "It's, uh…an old magazine with an article about Mom and Dad."

"Really? Can I see?" Her demeanour changed on a dime, the fangirl instantly coming to the fore.

Hiroaki bit his lip in thought. The article was…not a pleasant read. But she might have a hard time reading it, anyway.

She definitely should not bear witness to the cover. But if he hovered over her shoulder, he should be able to prevent her from seeing it.

"Suuure," he spoke with a nervous drawl as he extended the pages out toward her. He kept his hands firmly on it as she scooched over to sit next to him. He pulled her in close and hesitated before letting the magazine go so she could hold it. He pushed the fabric of her cape away, not daring to try and separate her from her impromptu costume.

Reiko cackled at the artful layout, eyes going wide at the photos. "They look so cool!"

Hiroaki watched carefully as she started on the text of the article. He helped on occasion, reading to her whenever she stumbled on the letters. The slow pace let his mind hover more carefully over the words.

His parents had defied history when they had him. He had not really understood that before, but he could see it now. They had not originally imagined having him. They had different dreams before him. Had been afraid to even give birth to him.

He squinted at his father's words when he got the chance. Every child had given him hope for the future? He read on.

"I just…I wanted the chance to raise my own."

Was it just that simple? They just liked kids? Enough to take all the risks this article talked about?

He frowned, glancing down at his left hand again. At the sad half-Quirk his mother had passed on to him, his mastery of which did not hold a candle to hers. At his bony arms, so far removed from his father's godlike strength.

Their sad faces swam in his mind.

"It's getting worse, Deku."

"What did they do to you?"

"Cheer up, honey. Let's go do something fun, okay?"

"I'm going to have a talk with your teacher."

"You'll get through this. I promise it will get better."

He could see their disappointment whenever he walked home with an ugly bruise or a split lip, whenever he gave away he had been bullied again, something he had forced himself to get better at disguising. When they saw he was not strong enough to fend for himself.

Those eyes were full of pity. He could not stand them. He could not stand how beneath them he was.

"Every child I've ever met has given me hope for the future."

What hope could his dad see in him?

"Aki?" His sister once again burst his thoughts apart. He shook his head, trying to stay focused on the moment and help his sister read.

"Sorry. Where were we?"

But the words of his own article and his own doubts kept tugging away at his mind. Fear kept clouding over him, twisting and turning into an all-consuming storm. It was enough to choke his thinking. Flashes of lightning penetrated the rest of thoughts, making the bundle of nerves within him all but impossible to ignore.

When Reiko finally got bored and left, he pored over the rest of the piece. But he found no solace in his parents raving about the idea of having him. The words seemed empty, hollow, a lifetime away from the reality they now faced.

Still, the article was bizarre enough to pique his curiosity more. He wanted to hear from his parents about it. If he could summon up the courage, he wanted to confront them about his own conception.

He looked over to his sister ogling the various figures of All Might, eyes still starry at the thrill of it all. Although he could not share her enthusiasm, he could grin at her, at least. She could still spark that in him.

"You about done? I want to go talk to Dad and Mom about something."

Reiko's face fell and she turned to regard him with a pout and crossed arms. Her attempt to look indignant came off as more cute than anything. It was a far cry from the firecracker she could be on the playground. "You don't have to look after me here. I'll be fine."

The last time she had said that, she ended up with a busted finger and he had gotten a stern scolding from Mom and Dad. The room was fairly safe, but in enough disarray to be a little risky to leave a child unattended.

But getting into an argument with Reiko would do little good. Fortunately, he knew well how to nudge her in other directions. He pushed down his stormy feelings and regarded her with a grin.

"Don'tchya want to show off something you found in here?" He suggested it with an enthused flourish, walking over to grab her hand through the massive cape she was still sporting. "I'm sure they'd love to see you decked out in this."

With those simple words, her face was alight again as she swung the fabric back and forth with her arms. She beamed while looking down at it, striking a pose completely lost within the folds. "I do look cool in this."

"The coolest," Hiroaki quickly confirmed.

"Alright, let's go! Here comes Spitfire!" She zoomed forward with a flourish, shouting out one of her ideas for a future hero name. It was certainly one of her better ones, compared to when she tried to mash up her name with "Deku" or "Uravity."

He followed along behind her, clenching his hand around the folds of the magazine.

Their living room was spacious but fairly ordinary. It was a contradiction to the modest wealth his parents had accumulated. The wooden floors, white walls, floor table, and a large television tucked away in the corner made the room inviting, but far from extravagant. Their house was definitely not large; he could recall his mother talking about keeping a home "cozy" when Uncle Todoroki confronted her about it.

There was a wall with an open window into a small kitchen area, allowing for ease of conversation between the family and whoever was making dinner.

It was there he saw his father: tall, muscular, and imposing, rapidly cutting up vegetables for the evening meal. He was dressed up, wearing a bright white dress shirt with a loosened collar and nice slacks. His wild green hair was slicker than usual, although no force on Earth that Hiroaki knew could completely tame those locks.

Reiko surged ahead of him. "Daddy! Daddy! How do I look?"

She twirled and struck a dramatic pose, her hands on her hips and her chin jutting upward. Dad peered around the doorway, eyeing her over with a smile.

"Oh, is that the amazing Spitfire saving the day?" He chuckled, flashing her a thumbs-up. "Looking sharp! You fish that out of the storage room?"

"Yup! We found so much stuff!" Reiko hopped in place, beaming up at their father.

"I can remember wearing that as part of my first pro costume." He looked upwards wistfully towards a memory Hiroaki could not hope to see. "Good times. Didn't end up keeping it, though."

"Aww, you shoulda!" Reiko pouted, swinging the cape around some more. "Capes are the best!"

"Not when they get caught. Or destroyed," Dad chuckled softly to himself before returning to meal preparation. "Your dinner will be ready in a half-hour."

The pleasant banter seemed a world away from Hiroaki at the moment. The home they had built was one filled with laughter and love. But these days, he often felt like it was at the periphery of it all.

He shook his head, trying to chase away the ridiculous thoughts. He stepped forward to speak but was cut off again.

"…And then we'll be off for the night." Hiroaki blinked when his Mom walked into the room, done up in a form-fitting black dress. Her face was artfully crafted in a layer of makeup, making her look substantially younger. The brown locks were done up in an elegant knot, a few stray strands loose to frame her face.

"Wow, Mom," Hiroaki couldn't help but pipe up. "You look really pretty."

She beamed at him, walking over to ruffle his head affectionately. Her hand was warm against his scalp and instantly made him more at ease. "Thanks, sweetie."

Tonight was date night, a rather rare occasion in the Midoriya household. Mom and Dad would make dinner for them and head out alone, leaving a babysitter behind. He always felt a little sad when they spent one of their few free nights away from him, but it was somehow comforting to see his parents together, doing something safe. Even if they could get…icky.

Besides, it usually meant a visit from the world's greatest babysitter.

"Is Eri coming soon, Mom?" Reiko uttered the question on his own mind, leaping forward to capture the room's attention.

Ochako smiled and leaned down slightly to answer. "She should be here by dinner time."

"Yay!" Reiko cheered, cocking a fist. "I can show her all my new Quirk tricks!"

The girl pursed her lips, preparing to breathe fire. Ochako got a slightly panicked look before pressing a finger to the girl's lips to halt her.

"Now, Reiko, what did we say about your Quirk?"

Reiko's shoulders sagged. "Not inside," she said underneath her mother's finger.

"That's right," Ochako said brightly, withdrawing the appendage. She breathed a sigh of relief at preventing another Quirk-induced accident. Reiko had damaged a lot of furniture before she got a better handle on her powers. Hiroaki eyed a fire extinguisher hung up next to the television – one of many spread throughout the house.

"I'm going to go practice out back, then!" Reiko proclaimed, running off in excitement. She paused, directing her attention to her brother. "Can you come and practice with me, Aki? Pretty please?"

She put on her best adorable pout, one that rarely failed to win her father over. But Hiroaki was made of harder stuff, and Quirk practice was not something that interested him these days.

Besides, he had more pressing matters to address. It would be best if Reiko was not in the room for that.

"Not this time, sorry," Hiroaki replied coldly, eyes intent on his parents.

The response was much to Reiko's chagrin. "Hmph," she breathed out, nostrils flaring, before she ran outside to let out some steam.

Hiroaki took a deep breath before he took the plunge. He had to act quickly. His parents would be leaving soon. The storm raging inside him thrummed angrily, thunder crackling loudly.

"Hey, Mom?"

"Hmm? What is it, sweetie?" She turned to regard him with a gentle smile.

Hiroaki thrust the cursed magazine forward, pointedly aiming the cover away from himself. "Could you-"

"AAAH! WHAT?!"

The loud exclamation was enough to make Hiroaki jump. The magazine was out of his hands before he knew what was happening. His mother's eyes bulged comically at the page, her hand shaking as she held it.

"What is it?!" Izuku sprung into action, leaping forward from the kitchen doorway and scanning the room. He paused and gasped as he saw the magazine cover.

"Oh." He blinked a few times at the sight, Ochako pointedly inclining the image more towards him. "OH!"

Ochako smacked her palm against her face. "Where did you find this, Aki?"

"In the storage room," he answered quickly, eyes moving rapidly between his parents. He didn't imagine they'd be this alarmed, even if the photo was awful. "Umm…are you two alright?"

His mother took a bracing breath. She removed her hand from her eyes to regard the image again, holding it out in front of her. "We're fine. Just a…a little surprised, is all. Gosh, I had forgotten about this. I kinda wanted to forget about it."

Hiroaki's mind spun at the words. She wanted to forget about it? Why? Was it a bad memory?

"I don't know." His father stepped closer to properly appraise the cover, grasping it in his right hand. His lips tilted upward into a small smile, which confused Hiroaki all the more. "I'm still fond of it."

"Easy for you to say. You got to hide behind me," Ochako grumbled with crossed arms. "I'm surprised you kept it around…but I guess I shoulda figured you would."

"It was a pretty big moment in our careers." Izuku fluttered through the pages toward the article within. "I still remember what happened when the photo was taken. And it's a moment I'll treasure forever."

His mother's face softened at his father's words. She leaned slightly to glance at the cover, a grin ghosting on our lips. She idly traced a hand down to her stomach.

"I suppose so…" she murmured. "Still mad about all that happened afterward. Ryuko was about ready to stomp on me after all the press calls she had to deal with."

"It could have been so cool to take on a dragon though," Izuku replied with a toothy grin. His mother laughed at him.

Hiroaki watched the conversation play out, his eyes flinging between them as if viewing a tennis match. Without realizing it, he had quickly become a third wheel. He did not like it.

It was all so confusing. He had to know more. He had to understand.

His patience wore thin. He approached his mother, reaching up to grasp the ends of two fingers. She turned to look down on him with a calming smile.

"What happened when the picture was taken? Why would you even take a picture like this?"

The two glanced at one another, searching faces for answers.

"It's a…bit of a weird story," his father began after a moment, scratching the back of his head. "We knew we needed to get the word out about…well, you. And we wanted to try to control the message."

"We were worried about what might happen if people found out I was pregnant." Ochako shifted herself to lean against the wall, her hand idly stroking her belly again. "When you're a hero, the press can be a scary thing."

Hiroaki frowned, eyes scanning between them again. Once more, their choice to have a kid seemed to be such a bother for them. If there was so much to worry about, why did they go through with it? Was it really worth it?

Was he really worth it?

"We got in touch with the magazine to try and get ahead of things," Izuku continued, passing the magazine back to Ochako and moving to the kitchen to continue making their meal. Hiroaki shifted himself closer, leaning hard on every word. He needed answers.

His mother idly thumbed at the pages. "We did the interview. One thing led to another. We got a really…bombastic photographer." She looked skyward and leaned on her finger.

"She kind of convinced us," Deku replied with enthusiasm, as the light sizzle of meat cooking started to permeate the room. Hiroaki sniffed, the pleasant aroma of chicken and spices filling his nostrils. "I know, it's shocking. It shocked us. But it's tasteful. It's artful."

At those words, Hiroaki carefully inclined his head to glance at the cover again. It was hard to look at; there were some things which would always look unpleasant with parents involved. But at a second glance, he could see what they meant. No private bits were showing. His mother was covered, her modesty preserved. No, the most prominent part of the photo was…him.

"I…I guess so," Hiroaki replied, averting his eyes as soon as he could. "It's…it's still weird to me."

"A lot of people thought so," Ochako muttered, pouting behind the magazine. "We got so much flak for even daring to have a child in our circumstance, too…"

Hiroaki's ears perked up. His heart sank at the thought of it. "You did?"

Ochako's mouth quirked up. "We got plenty of support and well-wishers. But you should have seen the columns. 'Deku throws his career away.' 'Uravity letting her child down.' 'Pro heroes should not become parents.' Gosh, it was ridiculous."

Ridiculous. Yes, it certainly seemed that way.

But they beat the odds. Dad somehow balanced family life and became the number one hero, albeit with close contenders. Mom yo-yoed inside the Top 10.

Even if they were busy, Hiroaki did not often want for his parents' love. He knew what kids looked like when they did.

"We managed pretty well in the end," his father said softly as he moved about the kitchen. "Wouldn't you say so, Aki?"

He wanted to say yes. Of course they did. He was forever respectful of just how much time and dedication his parents put into managing a stable home and work life.

They had built this home. This home of love and laughter and heroes.

But his anxieties started to storm through his mind again. His tongue froze in place as he tried to spit out the easy answer he knew he should. Could he really count himself as part of such a home?

Should he have been?

They sacrificed so much, going against the grain, to have him. They boldly announced him to the slings and arrows of the world at large. They gave up so much time to care for him, back then and even now, with their struggles to even get a regular night out for themselves.

"Something wrong, sweetie?" His mother leaned down toward him, her warm chocolate eyes drawing him in. He blinked, realizing his own were starting to water. He quickly wiped a hand across them and took a breath, trying to control his own emotions.

He had to ask the question. He needed to, more than anything.

"Do you ever-"

A familiar pair of loud blares pierced through the room. The noise rang hard against the ears, but was mercifully brief. Once. Twice. Three times, all in perfect unison.

His parents both pulled out their phones, typing into them with practiced ease. A video projection sprung to life in front of each of them, but the footage was too grainy to make out clearly.

"Uravity!"

"Deku!"

Any trace of humour drained instantly from their faces. It was a transformation Hiroaki had sadly grown accustomed to. They tensed, their eyes sparking to a new kind of life, focus intently on their communicators. His parents were gone; only heroes remained.

"What's the situation?" They said it in perfect harmony. Hiroaki knew it was not a rehearsed thing; he did not even think they realized when they did it. But as heroes, they were in sync, maintaining the same cadence.

Already, they both moved quickly out of the room, walking perfectly side-by-side. They hurried forward toward their bedroom, where they would get suited up in a flash. The blares were only for emergencies, and they treated it as such.

"There's been a villain attack."

"We have a collapsing building."

"We need your strength-"

"The rubble is bad. People are trapped-"

The communications were not nearly as in-sync. The disembodied voices dissipated as the heroes moved out of earshot. He could gather it was a really bad situation from those scarce details. They were needed and might be gone for quite a while.

Which meant his question would have to wait.

Hiroaki clenched his fists. He let out a tired sigh and tried to rein himself in. His eyes suddenly felt heavier, a weight pressing down hard on him. He loved his family and he was proud of his parents. But their jobs could get in the way far too often.

It was hard for them to balance. But it was hard for him, too.

The scent of burning meat awoke him from his light stupor. His father had left the meal unattended. Without another thought, Hiroaki leaped into action, plunging himself into the kitchen to try and rescue dinner.

He yanked the chicken pot off the stovetop and quickly went to work carrying on preparation. With oft-absentee parents, he had gotten plenty used to cooking. It was not much, but it was the help his parents needed right now. He would do it.

"Toshi, Toshi, Toshi!" Reiko burst back into the room, face alight with pure joy. "I heard! Have they got a mission?"

His sister had become much more enthusiastic about their heroics than he was. What was a sobering moment for the rest of the family was cause for pure excitement in the child. In its own way, it was heartening to see someone could smile in the situation. But Reiko could get a little testy when emergencies happened.

"Sounds like it," he confirmed as he busied himself with plating. "They're getting ready now. Make sure you stay out of their way."

Reiko pouted at him. "But I want to see if they'll finally take me to watch!"

Hiroaki froze at the proclamation. Reiko was always eager to see their parents in action in person, after they had calmly knocked a villain out when the family was out shopping one day. Since then, she had tried to convince them to take her out on patrol, or to a scene, or to the office. Anywhere she could witness her parents kicking butt again.

The answer, of course, was always no. Reiko was far too young, their work too dangerous and demanding. But the denials did little to curb her enthusiasm.

Their parents had taught him even a few minutes delay could make the difference between someone living and dying.

Which meant he had to act to control his sister.

He carefully placed a plate he was holding onto the table and stepped quickly to intercept Reiko. She was eyeing to make a beeline toward the front of the house. He kneeled down to meet her at eye level.

Reiko stopped in place, eyes going wide in surprise at the sudden face-to-face appearance of her brother. She instinctively tried to move around him, but he extended an arm, making it clear he was not budging.

"Toshiiiiii," Reiko whined, cheeks puffing up in rage. "Move!"

He remained steadfast. "I'm not budging. You can't bug them right now."

"You're the one bugging!" She glared at him, her hands balling into fists at her sides.

"I promise, we can watch it on TV. It's big. There'll be a live broadcast." When it came to fighting Reiko's fire, negotiation tended to work best. "And I'm sure Eri will let us stay up late…if we ask nicely."

Far from a guarantee. But he was willing to fib if he had to.

"It's not the same as being there," she grumbled, crossing her arms. "Dad said he used to chase heroes around all the time."

"When he was older than you. Plus, Dad said he nearly got killed doing it, remember?"

Her face fell at that. "I wouldn't."

Hiroaki scratched his head. He made progress, but she still looked intent on bursting through him.

He groaned aloud. He would have to bring out the big guns in this negotiation.

"I'll Quirk train with you all day tomorrow."

"Really?!" She jumped up slightly at that, her face exploding into unadulterated joy. "But you never want to practice Quirks anymore!"

That was still accurate.

"I'll make an exception." He winced as his head conjured up images of the burns he would be subjected to tomorrow.

"Okay, I'll be good!" She beamed up at him, before casually lifting up his arm to proceed forward. "I'm still saying bye, though!"

"Deal's off if you bug 'em!" Aki called out as she walked away. She turned quick, sticking out her tongue, before continuing on toward the front of their house.

He groaned, shaking his head at the promise he had just delivered. He no longer got any enjoyment out of Quirk practice, and the lifts Reiko demanded of him were absurdly draining. If Eri stuck around, it would help, but it was still not something he looked forward to.

Especially when he was bound to watch his mother perform incredible feats with her Quirk on the news tonight. Feats he could only ever dream of.

He stared down at his frail right hand again. It shook slightly, anxiety setting his muscles alight for a moment. He balled the Quirkless appendage into a fist, regaining control.

Hiroaki made his way to the kitchen to continue dinner preparations. His hands were good for that much, at least. The question attaching itself to his head would assuredly haunt him amidst the quiet work, but he would just have to deal with it. It was the least he could do for his heroes.

He glanced down the hallway to see his parents dash quickly through it toward the exit of their house, donned in full uniform. Their speed was impressive, but their costumes helped them stand out, the green and pink blurs unmistakable.

Hiroaki bit his lip. In spite of himself, he pursued, wanting to see them off as they ran to save the day. He burst through to the main entrance of the building to the outside world, hoping to catch them before they jumped off.

He saw the two heroes pausing in the large open yard in front of their home, doing one last check-up on equipment. He saw his mother typing rapidly into her phone. The two were faster on foot than they were in a car, but jumping from place to place usually required some advanced navigational help from custom technology.

Reiko eagerly moved around the pair, sizing them up and jumping up a storm. But she was keeping her end of the bargain, staying far enough away so as to not interfere with them.

The two heroes nodded to one another, seeming ready to take off. But to his surprise, his mother instead crouched down to embrace Reiko in a tight hug, an unusual gesture in an emergency situation.

Before Hiroaki could blink, Deku was before him, standing tall and imposing. The boy let out a small breath, his head fogging up at the sight.

Deku wore an aura that was hard to describe; it was awe-inspiring, as if staring up at the face of a god. But there was a safety and surety that came with Deku's smile, which had its way of worming into you. It made one feel as if everything would be alright, no matter what challenges lay ahead. Deku had an everlasting flame, and he was more than generous in sharing it with others.

Deku crouched down quickly, meeting him at eye level. "You seemed a little troubled earlier. What's the matter?"

With the simple question, his dad was in front of him again. The smile he regarded him with was…gentler, somehow. It was more familiar, burning less hot than Deku's, but no less intensely. It was the blanket after the worst was over and you needed comfort. Deku's smile was for the whole world. But his dad's smile was meant for the world he had built inside his home.

The storm within Hiroaki crackled. He tried to keep his composure, but he could already feel the tears starting to well up at the bold confrontation.

He did not have much time to think. Time was of the essence. If he wanted to do the selfish thing and ask the question rolling atop his tongue, he could not dawdle.

He could not rein in the impulse. The words burst out from him like lightning.

"Do you ever regret having kids? Having…having me?"

The words were ugly, terrible things when said aloud. His father's face broke apart in shock, the pleasant smile disappearing. It made Hiroaki's heart tremble, his chest constricting painfully at his father's face.

The boy's head spun. His muscles tensed. It was a stupid thing to ask. He had made a grave mistake. He wanted to run away, but his legs were frozen to the ground under his father's astonished stare.

He had to control the situation.

"Sorry, never mind, you have to get going. Don't worry, we can – we can talk later, or something, you should just-"

A hand on his shoulder cut off his mumble-storm. He looked up again. Dad was there, smiling at him gently.

But those green eyes – passionate, confident – those were the eyes of Deku.

"Not once. Not ever. You mean the world to me. And I never would have learned to be the world's greatest hero without you."

Izuku wrapped him up in a tight embrace, radiating the warmth and comfort Hiroaki did not know he needed.

All of his fears and anxieties dissipated, for just a moment. These arms could make the worst of the world seem small. Was there anything to fear from a 12-year-old magazine article? Did he imagine it all? Was it all in his head?

Rays of light broke through the storm clouds which shrouded his mind. He breathed in the fresh air and found himself powerless as the rain began to fall.

Hiroaki hugged his father tightly, indulging himself for a moment. He wiped his wet cheeks into his father's shoulder. He wanted nothing more than to keep hold, to grab on to him forever. It was the fleeting wish which could never be granted, but he could not stop the aching of his heart. A long-buried part of him wished he did not have to share his father with the rest of the world.

But that was impossible. He could agonize over it, or he could make peace with it. He chose the latter.

"Love you, dad. Stay safe."

"Love you too." The words soothed Hiroaki to his very core. "We'll talk more after this is over, I promise. I'll always come back to you."

Deku disengaged for him. The moment did not last long, barely more than a minute, but it was enough. With no more time to lose, the two heroes leaped into the skies. In the distance, he could see their first hops off of the roofs of faraway buildings. They disappeared from view, and already his heart longed for them again.

"They're so cool!" Reiko shouted as she lifted her tiny fists into the air. She sighed dreamily, twisting her oversized cape around her. "We have the world's best parents."

Hiroaki cracked a small smile at that. He gently touched his chest, the warmth his father imparted on him still lingering.

The world shifted slightly. He felt his feet leave the ground, but for once, it did not bother him at all.

"We do."

———————————————————————————————————–

AN: With that, we bring this to a close.

Special thank you to Mika for allowing me to use her designs and backstory for the IzuOcha children. I thought it fitting, giving her artwork inspired this piece. Plus, I adore their design inside and out. You can read more about them, and see some excellent art, here: green-tea-is-love.tumblr.com/post/167860545778/izuocha-week-day-3-quirks.

Thank you to Neon Pixel for commissioning the original artwork which inspired this fic.

Thank you to Deadliest Sin Bin for all the work editing this fic and making it a much better, and cleaner piece of writing.

And thank you, dear readers, for all your support on this one and the rest of my work.

As for what's next for me, I am unsure. I am in the midst of a fallow period and although I have some stray ideas, many of them seem too grandiose. Writing IzuOcha for two years (I can't believe it's been that long) and burning so intensely for My Hero Academia, my interest has admittedly waned. But I'll always be a fan and perhaps the next anime season will help spark more.

So for now, so long, but not goodbye.

Please, leave a like and a reblog. I'd love to hear what you thought of this story. ^_^

[damaless]

Instead Of Getting Hit, Don't

Chapter Nine: The Gravity of the Situation

They’re making good time, and could probably reach their destination if they traveled through the night, but when darkness falls, Shouto hesitates and slows to a halt.

“Can we stop for the night?” There’s a slight quaver in his voice, and he cringes.

Ochako stops just ahead and turns to face him. “Really? I mean, we have the supplies to make camp, but I would’ve thought you’d want to power through, get there as soon as possible.”

He chews his lip. “It’s just… I don’t know what will happen if we find her there. What if she doesn’t want to see me?”

She stares for a moment. “That’s— Yeah, okay,” she nods and drops her stuff on the ground. “We’ll stop for the night. You clearly need a fireside heart-to-heart.”

They set up camp, and settle down in side by side sleeping rolls. Shouto stares up into the sky; the clouds of the past few days have cleared, and the stars shine brightly. The night sky is breathtaking — more beautiful than he’d ever imagined. And Inko is such an unassuming goddess, somehow; most others would never stop boasting about an association with something so exquisite.

Ochako clears her throat. “So…”

Ugh. When had he become so dependent on being able to dump his burdens onto others? He snorts. If anyone could lighten the weight on his shoulders, it would be the Goddess of Gravity herself.

“What’s funny?”

A smile tugs at one corner of his mouth. “Just thinking that you’re a good choice for helping someone carry their emotional baggage.”

Silence.

And then she bursts out laughing, and he almost jumps out of his sleeping roll.

“Was that a gravity joke?”

“Maybe.” He bites his lip, trying not to laugh, and failing. After — he’s not sure how long he’d been trying to get out — so much time spent under intense pressure, now that the end is in sight, the tension has to break somehow.

She rolls onto her side, face serious. “Shouto, are you resorting to jokes to avoid discussing… heavier topics?” Her straight face cracks by the end of her voicing the question.

He drops an arm over his face.

“But really,” she says, her voice growing genuinely serious. “If you want to talk, I’m here to listen.”

“I just…” He sighs heavily. “She must have left when I was so young. If she couldn’t love me then… why would now be any better?”

“Shouto… she’s your mother.” She says that like it’s an immutable fact that parents love their children. But…

“That doesn’t mean anything,” he says, bitterness making his voice sharp. “Endeavor— My father was my father. Maybe it’s me; maybe I’m the problem.”

“No, definitely not,” Ochako says, firmly. “Inko was a bit like a mother to you, wasn’t she? In some ways, anyway? And obviously she loves you.”

Shouto frowns. “Not really like a mother, it’s not like I was treated like part of her family, but I understand what you mean. Why do you say she obviously loves me?”

“Well, she asked us to help you, didn’t she? That means something.”

What…? “She— what? She asked you?”

“Yeah,” she says, slowly. “She got in touch with Hawks sometime when he was down there — sent All Might a message. Told him about you, that you wanted out, that Endeavor was keeping you there against your will.”

He stares at her.

“You really didn’t know?” Her voice is gentle.

He shakes his head, and looks back up at the incredible night sky. Tears gather in his eyes, and he presses his lips together, trying to stop the quivering.

It almost makes it all worse. If his mother turns out to not want him, then he’d left the person who held the kind of love for him that he’d been searching for. And even if she does… it’s still bittersweet.

“No,” he says, softly. “I didn’t know.”

Ochako exhales audibly. “That’s a lot.”

“Yep.”

They lie there in silence, until Ochako speaks up again.

“Maybe you can get Hawks to bring her a message? To thank her?”

“No.” Shouto clenches his fists. “Endeavor could discover it, and then—“ he cuts off that train of thought. “She’s put herself in enough danger for me already.”

“What… Shouto, what would he do?” Ochako asks, softly. “I mean, she's the Mother of Night — what could he do?”

He can't bring himself to answer. His father might not be able to do much to Inko herself, but he has other ways to punish her.

Green hair, green eyes, a bright smile.

He can't let that happen.

“I'm going to sleep.” He rolls over, facing away from her. “Goodnight, Ochako.”

“...Goodnight, Shouto.”

***

“This is the place?” Shouto whispers, peering out from behind a tree. A figure stands at the entrance of the temple, face shrouded by a deep cowl. They're holding a spear at their side. The light of the mid-morning sun glints off its tip.

Ochako nods and gestures at the figure. “That's Thirteen.”

“They look like a sentinel.” He scans the nearby terrain. He'd brought his sword, but had hoped he wouldn't need to use it.

“It does look like they're guarding this place. And there was that warning… I wish I could remember more.” She furrows her brow. “Why don't we just try explaining ourselves before we make any assumptions.”

He takes a breath, and nods at her. They step out from behind the tree.

“Hello,” he calls. “I'm looking for—”

“You are not welcome here!” Thirteen shouts, shifting to a combat stance and lifting their spear. “Leave now, or I will have to take action against you.”

He holds his hands up in front of himself, and takes a small step forward. “I don't want to fight, I just—”

Thirteen throws the spear… way off target, if he’s the target.

And then he’s on the ground, face full of snow.

Ochako is down with him, having dove at him to knock him flat. And the tree directly behind them has a spear embedded in its trunk, at least a foot deep.

“What— where did—?”

“Fuck!” Ochako’s eyes are wide, looking at… a pinprick of nothingness hovering in the air between them and Thirteen. The light itself distorts around it, and the spear flies back into their hand. What?

“How—?” Shouto stares, baffled.

“Maybe that physics lesson would have been a good idea,” she mutters, not making any sense.

Thirteen throws the spear again, up into the air. The nothingness moves too.

“Roll!” Ochako shouts, and Shouto obeys just in time for the spear to slam tip-first into the ground where he’d been laying an instant earlier. He scrambles to his feet, heart pounding. He still has no idea what will happen if he dies.

Thirteen somehow pulls the spear back again. “No man may enter here!” They ready their stance for another throw.

“He’s just trying to find his mother!” Ochako steps in front of him.

Thirteen lowers the spear a fraction. “Ochako, you should know that you're not an obstacle to me.”

“We’ll go! Okay? But please — his name is Shouto. He’s looking for his mother, Rei,” Ochako calls, putting her hands out in front of herself. “Go ask if she wants to see him, if she’s there. We’ll wait at a distance.”

She takes a step back, and Shouto follows her cue, backing away as well.

Thirteen nods once before turning and disappearing inside the temple.

***

Out of sight of the temple, Shouto sits on a fallen log, bouncing his leg.

“They nodded,” he says, worrying at his lip. “Does that mean she’s really in there?”

Ochako drops onto the log beside him and stretches her legs out. “Maybe? What we said must have meant something, or I imagine they’d have kept attacking.”

He sighs heavily. Sitting here just waiting when everything points to his mother being practically within reach is excruciating. But the idea of being on the wrong end of Thirteen’s spear again is enough of a deterrent to keep him in place.

“How does that spear work?” he asks. A distraction would be nice.

Ochako chuckles. “It’s just a regular spear. Thirteen is able to warp the fabric of spacetime itself in localized regions to create the desired trajectory for it.” She frowns. “Pulling it back to their hand is new, though. Not sure how that works.”

Right. Because the other part had been totally clear.

“Ochako,” Thirteen’s voice comes from behind, eliciting a startled yelp from her. “I would be happy to elaborate on that technique after I have escorted Shouto into the temple.” A shift in stance, and they're addressing him. “You cannot bring your sword.”

He stands. Ochako nods at him, and he hands over his blade for her safekeeping.

The three of them cover the short distance back to the temple. Ochako stops at the entrance, reaching to give his hand a brief squeeze.

“Good luck,” she whispers.

Thirteen leads him through winding corridors and up narrow staircases. Natural patterns in the marble of the walls dance into ephemeral life in the flickering torchlight and Shouto’s heartbeat is deafening in his ears.

Eventually, Thirteen stops just before a doorway and pulls aside the drape hanging across the threshold. He squints against sudden bright light flooding through the gap.

A slight woman sits in a chair across the small room, her long, white hair illuminated by the sunlight pouring through the window she sits beside.

And he knows. His search is over. He's found his mother, finally.

Read this chapter on Ao3

Read from the beginning

[redrobin-detective]

I’ll be your hero (whether you want me or not)

It’s Izuku’s birthday and goddamn was I mad craving the chance to write more post-TLWA Deku as a licensed quirkless hero so here we go. 

XxX

Izuku charged forward, ducking under the swinging arms coming his way with practiced grace. They attacked him lazily, as if they couldn’t be bothered to give him anymore effort. Normally he’d be willing to stand his ground and engage, bare his teeth and show them how dangerous he could be but he has more important things to worry about now. So he let Kacchan, Uraraka and Todoroki, the more popular quirked heroes take care of the thugs up front while that idiot quirkless kid who actually went through with getting a hero license snuck past. After all, someone had to rescue the hostages.

“Hey what are you doing-” a guard asked but Izuku cut off his stupid question with a uppercut between his ribcage, forcing the air from his lungs. Once he knew the man wouldn’t yell, Izuku grabbed ahold of his shoulders and pulled him down for Izuku to knee him in the face. Hard. He set the criminal down and quietly ziptied him before moving on. Using tricks drilled into relentlessly from Aizawa-sensei during high school, Izuku slunk through the halls, clinging to the shadows and getting the drop on any other criminals he came across. Most were taken down before they even knew they were under attack. He couldn’t help the slightest smirk that crossed his face as took down three more, not too bad for the quirkless Deku who’d never amount to anything. If only his four year old self could see him now.

As soon as he stepped into the next corridor, he smoothed out his predatory stance and smiled at the hostages hovering in the corner. It wasn’t the wide, beaming smiled Yagi-san used to single-handedly beat back the dark. It small, gentle, slightly crooked and full of confidence and humility. “You’re alright now, I’m here to help,” he said, making eye contact with everyone in the room. “I’m going to get you out of here. Is this all of you? Are any of you hurt?”

A few of the adults looked over his shoulder a little anxiously, as if waiting for some stronger hero to bring up the rear and help them. It wasn’t unusual and it happened so often that Izuku barely even felt the twinges of annoyance and inadequacy anymore. Nine total, five adults and four children the youngest being about seven years of age. Not the best group to get out of a sticky situation but he’d beaten worse odds. 

“Iida,” He said into his comm, “I have eyes on the hostages, there’s nine of them, a mix of adults and kids. Tell Shou and Kacchan to really light the place up, we’re going to need plenty of cover.” He looked back at people gathered around him. They were scared, not just of the circumstances but of him, worried that he wouldn’t be enough to get them out. To be honest, Izuku had the same fears, had them every time he left his house in uniform. But he’d promised Yagi-san that he would continue on his legacy, One For All or not. Considering he was only 20 years old and ranked #76 on the Hero charts without a quirk or major backing sponsor, he thought he was doing pretty damn good. 

“Understood, we await your signal,” Iida said with a clipped voice with the sound of explosions going off in the background before signing off.

“Alright, we’re going to get out of here and we’re going to do it together. I’m sure you all know I don’t have a quirk but I want to know yours, tell me your names and quirks and I promise I will everything possible to get you all out safely.” Introductions given, Izuku directed them outside the shelter of their room, retracing the steps he used to get in. They passed some of the guards who Izuku had dispatched earlier but not all of them.

“Toko-chan, can you see anyone coming?” Izuku asked quietly. The girl, about 13 with no eyes on her face placed her hands on the wall and listened.

“Uh I hear some commotion a bit behind us, they’ve found out we’ve escaped. No alarms yet b-but people are coming this way,” she whimpered out drawing her hands back away from the wall. Her mother pulled her into her arms and the rest began to fearfully murmur to each other.

“Hey,” Izuku said authoritatively but with a soft voice. “We knew we wouldn’t get out without them knowing. This is what we talked about, nothing has changed but I’m going to need you to keep your courage up a little while longer.” There’s a creak and Izuku grabbed a few of his throwing knives. “Hasagawa-san, barrier!”

His knife slipped through just before the gym teacher’s barrier went up. The thugs spikes bounced harmlessly off the mental shield just as he was pinned to the wall by his clothing. A nod of his head and the barrier dropped, Izuku slammed his fist into the man’s face. He went limp and Izuku let him slip to the floor. A woman appeared from around the corner, slamming her hands down on the ground causing layers of stone to appear blocking off their exit.

“No way out now hero, hero,” the villain said with a sarcastic drawl. Izuku hunched his shoulders faking left but darting to the right, snapping out his staff to swipe at the woman’s feet before slamming her face first into the ground. He stood up, staring at the obstacle in front of them and quickly reformatting his plan.

“Deku to Uravity, I’m going to need you to meet us near the entrance I went through, we’ll need your support to get out,” he said into the comm before turning back to the group. “Come on, you’re doing great. This is just a little setback, we’re almost there,” he encouraged, shooting the others a smile. He was pleased to see a few smile back. “Uravity, are you in position?”

“Does Tokoyami wear a black cape?” Ochako teased in-between breathy pants. “Do you even need me or do you just think I need the ego boost?”

“I’ll always need you, gravity girl ” he couldn’t help but grin, the light flirting coming naturally despite the fact that they stopped dating before they even graduated. But some habits died hard but not friendships thankfully, those were a lot sturdier than awkward teen romances. “Nakano-san, I’m going to need your skills. I’ll take care of Mako-kun,” he said reaching out and gently taking the youngest boy’s hand leaving both his father’s hands free. 

“My sonic waves aren’t really controllable, once I start I don’t know if I’ll be able to stop,” the man said nervously. 

“I know,” Izuku said gently even as he was aware of the yelling approaching them. “That’s why Uravity is close by to catch any debris that falls. Entropy and Explosion are outside causing enough chaos that no one is going to be looking at us.” Another smile, “we can do this.”

The man nodded and the closed his eyes as the stone walls he leaned on trembled furiously. Izuku steadied himself on the adjacent wall before launching himself at a particularly vulnerable crack in the wall, giving them an opening. He began scooping the younger kids through the opening as the roof began to loose integrity.

“Ocha-”

“Got it!” he heard his best friend shout as she bounded around, slamming her hands on parts of the building before they could fall on any of the civilians. “Always got to make a big scene don’t cha?”

“I’ve got to make up for my lack of quirk somehow,” he quipped back, handing Mako-kun back to his father. “Todoroki, Kacchan, make sure a path is cleared on the eastern side we’re moving civilians. Iida I’ll need you to escort them out, ‘Chako and I have company.” He stood in front of the hostages, activating the portable shield on his left arm as fire was thrown their way, “Now Iida!” 

“Come now, I will lead you to safety,” Iida said appearing out of nowhere.

“But what about Deku-san,” Izuku heard Ishii-san say.

“Midoriya taught me a long time ago that there are very few things he can’t accomplish when he’s got that look in his eyes.”

“This is just my normal face, Iida,” Izuku countered, going after a few thugs Ochako had floated and slamming them down to the ground with his bo.

“Exactly,” Izuku could hear the smile in his friend’s voice as he began to shepard the civilians away. “I leave the rest to you two.”

“Oh we won’t be long,” Ochako grinned, rolling her shoulders and felt a rush of affection go through him. He had the best friends and the best life in the entire world. 

XxX

“Explosion!” one reporter shouted to them as they wrapped up, “what’s your opinion on the decriminalization of quirk use in self-defense?”

“It’s about damn time now shut up and let us do our damn job,” Kacchan snapped, keeping his back to the reporters as he ensured all the villains and civilians were accounted for. 

“Ingenium! how did you get the hostages out with all the fighting going on?” Another asked from the crowd. 

“As I said earlier,” Iida said tersely, “Deku was the one who found and safely retrieved the hostages. I only got them out of the line of fire while he and Uravity fended off the other criminals.”

“Deku, do you feel your career has suffered since you left the Two Heroes agency run by #1 hero Explosion and opened your own smaller agency?” Another asked and by the way Kacchan’s shoulder’s twitched with agitation, he’d better answer first.

“Red Riot is doing an amazing job taking over my role as partner and I’m proud of the work my friends and colleagues are doing at the agency I helped build,” he politely reminded. “I decided to focus on a different aspect of heroics and I’m happy with what I’m doing at One For All Heroics along with my continued quirk advocacy work.” The questions went back to the other, bigger heroes, asking about their love lives or alliances leaving him mostly alone despite all the company. But he didn’t mind, not really, not anymore. 

Because he really was living his best life. He was saving people like he always wanted, he had the best friends in the world who saw his value and gave him the respect he’d earned over the years. Deku might not be a household name like All Might, might not have an impossible quirk passed down the generations but he did believe in the peace started by another quirkless man. He was Midoriya Izuku, he was hero Deku and he was here to help whether or not the world was ready for him. 

[singingcookie]

Drops of Jupiter Ch. 12 WIP

I’m a good chunk of the way into chapter 12 rn so I’m gonna go ahead and share the first 1k or so words of this chapter. I have a lot of conjecture going into this chapter so I’m more than nervous than I’d like to be but. I’m going to press through it anyways!!

I still have a good chunk of the story to get through but hopefully writing it goes fast enough during my free time. Please enjoy!

______________________________________

It’s been about ten minutes since their baffling stranger bounded away, leaving the two girls alone in the lobby. For the first couple of minutes they were racking their brains to try and remember if they had an inkling of a Pro or sidekick that looked similar to the man they had met. Unfortunately, they ended up coming up empty and thus resorted to sitting for the rest of their wait for someone to come down and begin their orientation.

Of course, Ochako herself is still left stewing over this conundrum. If he worked for the Pussycats, that should mean he’s more rescue-based. And that should mean that he should be more than recognizable to her. She put so much research into rescue work, it’s hard for her to believe someone slipped through the cracks.

That’s when the light bulb goes off in her head that she does know of someone who might know better than her in this regard. She pulls out her phone and opens her messages with Deku. She’s about to just start in with her question when she remembers how anxious he seemed this morning and thinks better of immediately asking for his encyclopedic knowledge of Heroes, typing out a kinder message instead.

Hey, I’m sure you’re busy since Endeavor Hero Agency is wayyyyy closer than the Pussycats’ but hope you managed to calm down on your train ride!  You’ll do great you know. And when you do have a sec I have a question for you. No rush though

She reads it over a couple of times before she sends it, reminding herself that he probably is busy. And her own phone is muted, so she probably won’t here anything back until later. Especially since it would make a terrible impression if she spent the duration of her time with the Pussycats checking her phone. She absolutely can’t have that!

Ochako tucks her phone away again, before placing her hands in her lap, tapping out a sort of rhythm as she takes a more in depth look at the lobby. She noticed the interior when she had first arrived but she had been so focused on their “escort” that she hardly paid it much mind at all.

It’s cozier than she would have thought. The chairs in the lobby weren’t the stiff and uncomfortable sort, surprisingly plush. The floor was the sort of linoleum she’s used to seeing in the few agencies she’s visited, but rather than the stereotypical black or white, the colors in this room are all incredibly warm and inviting. And—while she’s hardly about to get up and look to know for sure—it seems as though some of the cat pictures she’s noticed around the walls actually have the Pussycats themselves in them.

If that’s the case, do all of the employees have pictures like this? Or is it to match their namesake? Wait, is that a dog in that picture behind the front desk where their secretary is shuffling her papers? Are they pictures of the employees and their pets? That’s so cute…!

She’s actually contemplating standing up to go look for herself when there’s a smooth voice that runs through her head. Her hand instinctively flies to her hair as the words reverberate, Welcome in, you two! So sorry for the delay!

When Ochako looks up, she sees Mandalay approaching them from the walkway that the man had disappeared into not too long ago. She’s not donning her Hero costume, but instead wearing casual wear that reminds her of the few times she and the other Pussycats had visited the dorms, usually accompanied by her nephew. She has a muted smile on her face as she approaches, speaking aloud this time, “We were having a last minute meeting, so it took a bit longer to come down than I would have liked.”

“Oh, it’s no trouble,” Kendou replies instantly as the two of them stand up. “It’s pretty nice down here anyways.”

“Thank you.” Her brown eyes scan the room while one of her hands reaches up to rest on her short hair, saying, “Pixie-bob’s always been particular about making sure the agency’s kept as homey as possible. She feels like it makes everyone feel welcome, so I’m sure she’ll appreciate that.”

“Speaking of…” Ochako pauses to look toward where Mandalay appeared from. She’s mildly surprised not to see three heads peeking around the corner. “Where’re the others? I don’t think I’ve ever seen one of you on your own before.”

Mandalay explains that with her and a couple of the others needing to stay at the agency for their orientation, Pixie-Bob and Tiger are picking up the slack to go out on patrol. It was part of what they covered during their brief meeting. “As for Ragdoll, you’ll see her once we head upstairs. She’s getting all of your paperwork ready to fill out.”

Ah yes...paperwork. Always the largest bane of starting a new internship and work study.

The first couple of times were easy: a simple stamp of approval on a document to return to the school. Over time though, especially with internships starting to last for longer time frames, the paperwork graduated from one page to three. She expects with this internship—being that it’s supposed to last to graduation and potentially further—it will have exploded into a full blown packet. Probably chock full of rules, waivers, and other such things in preparation for what’s to come.

Kendou hums in thought before she speaks again, “I would’ve figured that Pixie-Bob would be the go-to for new interns. She’s so energetic…”

“She’s good for students new to interning—winding them up and getting them excited for patrols.” Mandalay closes her eyes in the grin she gives thereafter, her hand settling upon her opposite arm as she muses, “But it’s not very helpful during the more serious orientations.”

Considering it like that, Ochako has to agree that the logic definitely makes sense. The juxtaposition of Pixie-Bob’s energy with the dull chore of filling out paperwork—she could hardly imagine the woman toning herself down enough for that following an over the top greeting.

“Anyway, shall we?” Mandalay moves to gesture from where she came from before, entreating them to join her as she begins to lead the way. She explains the itinerary of how their day will go as they make their way inward toward the building’s elevators.

[mythical-song-wolf]

BNHA Angst Week

Day 7: Rose // Time

White day was fast approaching and normally, after being in a relationship for so long, Izuku would be excited for that day. Because he gets to pamper and get pampered by his Kacchan.

But he can’t do that.

Why?

Because he’s back a good decade or so before he even started dating Katsuki. He’s back in middle school, a good month before the sludge villain and meeting All Might. Over a good year before he and Kacchan finally clear up that misunderstanding that was— is simmering between them since they were kids.

But Deku just wants his Kacchan, even if only for a moment. He’s knows it’s selfish. He knows it’s wrong. He knows he shouldn’t be doing things. But... the heart wants what the heart wants and Deku doesn’t know if he’ll be okay if he doesn’t at least do this.

Izuku goes out to buy somethings. He’ll need to be careful when buying it. Hopefully Kacchan doesn’t see him, he doesn’t know what he’ll do if he sees those beautiful crimson eyes again.

Katsuki stops over to class, irritated and patience waning since he woke up.

First his mom had to shout him awake, saying that her and the old man will be out to get stuff for White day and all that shit.

Second, he was reminded fucking White day was coming up. The day he was planning on asking that nerd... Before that bastard... No. He shouldn’t think of it. There’s no use thinking about it when he’s been set back by literal years. Him and Deku aren’t a thing yet.

Deku is still the derogatory nickname he used for Izuku for years. It’s not the name of a hero just yet.

Deku, to Katsuki at this point in the timeline, is a useless, Quirkless, weak pebble on the side of the road that Katsuki should not pay mind to.

But Katsuki knows better. He’s a goddamn time traveller, of course he would know better. He knows Deku has a better heart than most Pro Heroes. He knows Deku would sacrifice himself again and again and again to save someone. He knows Deku is stronger than anyone he’s ever met. He knows Deku is the name of a hero, of a Symbol of Hope.

He knows that Deku is the name that brought— will bring hope in people’s hearts. Brought— bring hope in the hearts of Ochako, Tenya, Shouto, Eri, Sir Fucking Nighteye, and various other people.

But to him, Deku is the name of the guy that was always chasing after him. The guy he’s known since they were kids. And while they were never on friendly terms before U.A.. They always had a strange synergy with each other. When they didn’t think about it they moved seamlessly and in tandem with the other.

The first time it happen outside of training and life threatening situations is after they had long since started dating and moved into the same apartment. They were making dinner one night and they weaved and moved around perfectly with the other, passing things along and moving as easily as they would in a battle. The realization that they didn’t say a word to each other during the entire time they were cooking hit them when they were eating as one of them started talking.

They paused, before they broke out in a fit of giggles. A warm fluttering in their hearts as they smiled and laughed so hard that their cheeks started to hurt and they could both barely breathe.

After they calmed down, Izuku sighed, looking at Katsuki with his shining green eyes, “I love you...” He smiled at him with his eyes shining like emeralds reflecting the colour of the sea during sunset.

Katsuki smiled back, “I love you too, dork,” He chuckled, “Now, let’s eat?”

Izuku chuckled, before nodding, “Yeah.”

Katsuki’s heart flutters at the memory, before it painfully coils. He can’t have that now. He can’t have that for a long, long time. He won’t wake up to Izuku’s cute freckled mug in the morning. He won’t come home to cuddle with Izuku on the couch after a rough day. He won’t have the cheesy but nice walks down the park or beach during sunset. He won’t have Izuku looking at him like he’s... no, Izuku already looks up to him. He just won’t have Izuku looking at him the way he looks at Izuku right now.

Katsuki goes out. He doesn’t want to— shouldn’t be home alone right now. He might do something stupid like break a window or make a dent in the wall.

Izuku was pacing through the market, a checklist in hand and a hood over his head.

“Let’s see, I need some chocolate, cream... cocoa powder... caramel... food colouring...” Izuku mutters, as he walks into a grocery store and weaves through the aisles of the store. Briefly glancing up to check the shelves for the item’s he’s looking for and picking out what he needs.

Izuku hums once he’s done, “Perfect! Now I just need to do— Oof!” He bumps into another person while turning the corner.

“Sorry—” The voice sounds familiar... probably one of his classmates... great.

Izuku shakes his head, “No, it’s fin—” Izuku looks up see pale blonde hair and crimson red eyes. His heart stops. No.

“De- Deku...” Kacchan mutters, hesitant and unsure, sounding nothing like the boy Izuku remembers him to be at this time. But Izuku doesn’t notice over the own ache in his heart.

Izuku swallows down the fear in his system, “Ka- Kacchan...”

The two just stand there for a few moments, staring at each other. As if they’re trying to find something that they have already accepted it isn’t there.

He’s not yours yet.

I know.

“We- Well, Kacchan, I- I need to go,” Izuku stutters, hopefully Katsuki doesn’t notice the crack in his voice, taking a step back before walking around Katsuki.

Katsuki breaks out of his haze when Izuku leaves, he sighs and combs a hand through his hair.

Good job, shithead. You scared him.

Shut up... He... he isn’t the... he’s not my Izuku.

Not yet.

Katsuki shakes his head, ignoring the stupidly hopeful whispers in his brain telling him to woo Izuku now and not make the same mistakes as before. He wants to, too. Oh how he fucking wants to. How much he wants to change how he treated Izuku. How much he wants to change how terrible they both were at communicating properly. How... he so badly wants to change how Izuku looks at him, with his pretty eyes staring at him like a rabbit sensing a predator. How Izuku seems to freeze the moment they lock eyes, unmoving and scared. Scared of Katsuki.

Katsuki shakes his head, telling his brain to stop, before he continues buying stuff from the store with the occasional sight of Deku’s fluff green hair.

Katsuki sees the flower display and spots a suisen.

Maybe I should...

Izuku was currently sleeping the warmth of his bed, a warm figure pressed against his back holding him close.

Izuku instinctually snuggles up closer to them, “Kacchan...”

“Mhm,” Katsuki grumbles, nuzzling his face into Izuku’s hair.

A part of Izuku’s brain jolts into awareness, you were sent back. Kacchan shouldn’t be here.

Another part, the selfish, foolish, hopeful part of his brain hopes that it’s a lies and wants this to be real. To just have Katsuki with him, right now. Let him have this. Please.

A soft voice whispers in Izuku’s eat, the warmth of their breath making Izuku shiver, “Deku... I’m not there... wake up, Deku, wake up... I’m not there, bunny.”

“Mhm,” Izuku grumbles in protest, “But you’re right here.” Izuku grabs onto Katsuki’s hand that rests on his chest.

Katsuki sighs, and it’s heavy, tired, and wary, “I’m sorry... but... I’m not. He didn’t send me back... Only you... time for you to wake up, Deku... Izuku, wake up.”

Izuku feels himself trembling, clutching onto the hand holding him close, “Please, let me have this,” Izuku begs, as he feels tears roll down his cheeks, “Just let me have him back, just this one moment. Please.”

Katsuki doesn’t say anything, but the warmth from his form is long gone now that Izuku is aware.

“I’m sorry, bunny.” Izuku can feel Katsuki’s presence fading, he turns to see Katsuki actually fading away like an illusion or a dream.

“Please... no... Kacchan... Katsuki... don’t leave me...” Izuku tries to grab some part of the fading figure.

“Please, Izuku, love, don’t cry. Please.” Katsuki places his palm on Izuku’s cheek and wipes away a few tears. Izuku leans into his touch and places his own palm over Katsuki’s, as he fades away and Izuku is left all alone.

When White Day came, Izuku and Katsuki went by the day as normal. Izuku with his isolation and notes, and Katsuki with his showboating. Neither interacting unless provoked by one of their classmates.

Lunch rolls by and the moment everyone leaves, Izuku places something on Katsuki’s desk.

Katsuki returns with his lackeys near the end of lunch to spot a box of chocolate on his desk with flowers. A white rose, a primrose, a red camellia, and a gladiolus. Katsuki looks at the box and the small bouquet for a moment, before glancing around to try and find Deku.

It couldn’t have... no. It’s probably some other idiot... but did this happen in the first timeline? Maybe I’m going a bit insane... but it could’ve only have been him...

Katsuki gently places the box and flowers in his bag.

The school day has ended, and Izuku isn’t surprised he didn’t receive anything from anyone. But it still hurts. A foolish and selfish part of him had hoped that Katsuki was sent back with him and would give him something, but Izuku knows better than that.

Upon opening his locker, a small note falls out.

‘Happy White Day, bunny~ <3

Love, your’s truly’

Bunny... Only Katsuki has ever...

Izuku’s heart flutters at the possibility.

It... it’s never bad to hope... right?

Inside his locker he finds a few more things, a small arrangement of flowers and a box of chocolates. A daffodil, a white camellia, a yellow camellia, a yellow tulip, and a blue iris that stands out amongst the brighter colours.

Izuku walks home holding the flowers and the box of chocolates close to his heart.