#imagine being the no. 1 pro hero and your family hates you and kicks you out of the family

[intersexdabi]

au where twice lives and somehow some way shouto gets it so that twice and dabi are both under house arrest together. and endeavors dream of his family changes so that touya IS there but also jin is there too and sitting in endeavors spot lmfao

[uwuwriting]

My OCs

Okay okay so these are my OCs, I’m sorry if their names aren’t really Japanese I googled most of their names back when I started creating them. I hope you enjoy them and well let's get started. I didn’t include Sky aka Shirakumos daughter even though technically she is one of my OCs, I felt that since I have introduced her in my fics *by name* I’ll leave her a rather blank slate for yall *I can describe her as well if yall want that though*. Hope you like them and yes some of the quirks were inspired by Avatar. Love ya💖💖💖

Kenushima Akane

 Akane is in her mid 20s, her birthday is on 30th of December making her a Capricorn and is part of our favorite villain group, the LoV. She was the eldest child of two pro heroes who married because it would satisfy the media and boost their careers. She had two younger siblings, the twins Annya and Arakan. She is around 5’7 (170cm) with fairly long auburn hair which are always braided so they don’t get in her way, amber eyes and a burn mark on her right shoulder from a small scuffle with our favorite fire user. Her hair and eyes become a dark red when she uses her quirk making her even more menacing. She wears a black mask over her eyes, keeping that way her identity a secret and a rather tight uniform consisting of black leather overall-shorts matched with a black-red plaid shirt and thigh highs with black military boots. Her weapon of choice is anything you can swing. Her quirk is a powerful blood bending type which she inherited from her mothers’ side. She can control the blood in someones’ system to the point of a heart attack or a stroke. Once the blood is out of the persons’ system she can still wield it, sharpening it into a blade like shape and cut through both flesh and bone, the new blood adding to the power of her makeshift blade. Her limits begin when she gets a nose bleed followed by either her eyes or ears starting to bleed as well; the final stage is giving herself a heart attack but she has never reached that point thankfully. It’s a self-destructive quirk since she pushes her body’s boundaries everytime she activates it, making her vulnerable to diseases after a particularly hard fight. She is a master of many forms of martial arts, kicking anyone's ass without even having to use her quirk.  Her family is wreck *lmao*. Since her parents married out of convenience the kids were results of moments of weakness between the two adults. Her household wasn’t very affectionate, partnered with her fathers’ constant absence and negligence and her mothers overly obsessive quirk demands, her relationships soon turned abusive. Excessive training and brutal punishments were her mothers’ tactics to ensure a picture perfect quirk state which she could boast about in the media. Her father was a decent figure during the sparse moments when he was actually in the house. He treated his kids with some trace of humanity and not like objects but he too didn’t really care. Everything went downhill when rumours of affairs surfaced and her mother lost her senses, killing their father on the kitchen floor before getting to the children. Akane tried to protect her siblings but was easily tossed aside by her mother and she doesn’t remember what actually happened that night. The only thing she knows for sure is that she was now an orphan and one sibling short, losing both her home and her brother that night. She didn’t stay in foster care for long since she dipped, joining a group of castaways called the Deck. Due to her quirk she was named the Queen of Hearts and became one of the most feared and powerful villains in Japan. Soon she joined the LoV after Shiggy approached her, officially meeting Dabi *who is her s/o btw lol*. She’s still close with her little sister Annya and owns a bookstore so she won’t have to steal. She has morals *shocker*, killing only those who have comitted crimes varying from abuse to murder or fraud. She is against useless killing and would prefer to clear the streets from scum rather than litter it with herself. She’s kinda like an anti-hero. She joined the LoV so she could have easier access to the insights of the hero industry and slowly help take out those hero frauds. She likes cooking Mexican food, her favorite animal is the fox and she is deathly afraid of spiders to the point she once burned her table using a lighter and hairspray because she had seen a spider on it. All in all she is a lovely person *I think*.

Kenushima Annya

Annya is 15 and part of class 1-A, her birthday is on the 3rd of January *like me heh* making her a Capricorn. She is the youngest of a twin set and has an older sister, while her parents were pros. She is around 5’7 (170cm) with shoulder length dark brown hair, amber eyes and faint lightning like scars scaling down both of her arms. Dark lavender streaks appear in her hair when she over uses her quirk and her scars shine the same color many times pulsating along with the surges of her blasts. Her uniform consists of a tight black crop top with azure and magenta details alongside black pants, black boots which are specially designed to give her extreme jumping power helping her also levitate for a short period so she can unleash her attacks and lastly gloves that cover almost all of her scars *also black with the same patterns as the top*. Has basic combat skills but she mostly prefers to rely on her quirk. Speaking of her quirk, she has a combo of a water and a lightning quirk making her able to easily electrocute others without short circuiting like Kami. She can control any form of water, making her easily overpowered in seaside missions but she can also control any liquid which has some water in it. However she cannot create water from thin air, like Shoto can make ice, and she can’t freeze it. Much like her sister she uses water mostly as a whip or a blade. Lightning is used mainly as one of her ultimate moves since she doesn’t have full control over it and it tends to hurt her scars when she does use it. She can let the purple strings of light course through her and hit her target with incredible force making her excellent for range attacks. Just like her sister she reaches her limits when her nose starts to bleed and she can pass out from dehydration  due to her quirk using up some of the water inside of her body with each attack. Now for her family life. She was a late bloomer and that was unacceptable according to her mother. She didn’t showcase signs of having a quirk until the age of 9 when her mother attacked her and her siblings. In a fit of rage and despair her mother tried killing her for ruining the familys’ image with her quirklessness. Her twin brother tried to save her from her mother *just like Akane did* only to be tossed aside as well, hitting the back of his head on a nearby table. Seeing both of her siblings on the ground *and almost being choked to death by her abuser* Annya activated her quirk, losing complete control over her powers resulting in her scars and the death of her mother. Arakan was pronounced dead on arrival leaving the two girls the only surviving members of the Kenushima family. After Akane’s disappearance, Annya was moved from home to home for about a year before being adopted by a couple and living as much of a normal life as she could. Her mental health isn’t the best as one can imagine, suffering from PTSD from the incident and having self hating tendencies. Becoming a hero is her way of proving to herself that she’s not a monster and that she can indeed help others. In class 1-A she tends to hang out with the Dekusquad and two other girls who I’ll introduce down the line. Her hero name is Electra and her s/o is Shoto *lol siblings are dating siblings tf*. She likes Autumn and Winter, loves going ice skating, has many plants in her room and loves watching horror movies with her friends.

Aizawa Kaiya

Kaiya is 15 and part of class 1-A despite her father being the homeroom teacher. Her birthday is on the 19th of June making her a Gemini. She sports the legendary jet black hair, her hair is also pretty long so she always has to braid it or put it up in a ponytail and she has egirl bangs *I don’t know how else to describe them*. Her eyes are a striking azure and she has dyed the tips of her hair the same color. Ya girl is shorter than the Kenushimas, barely reaching 5’2 (160cm). Her hero costume consists of black cargo pants with multiple pockets, a black turtleneck and chest straps(?) around her waist and collarbone finishing the look with black military boots. Sometimes she might wear a gas mask which helps her control her breathing.  Now for her quirk. It’s some type of psychic power, she can hear people’s thoughts making it easy for her to know what they are about to do, giving her the upper hand almost every time, but she can aslo channel her own and others thoughts and make dark shards out of them. These shards can be thrown with amazing speed or create a protective wall in front and above her. Her quirk ,though drains her very easily, making it hard to breath and walk in a straight line. She gets light headed while the voices inside her head get overly loud. Through practice she can push her boundaries and use more of her quirks’ power. Lastly in order for her to hear your thoughts she needs to see you. Once she sees you for even a quarter of a second, she can see into your head even long after you have left her line of sight. Her family life is very calm compared to the Kenushimas. She is the daughter of Aizawa’s sister who vanished when Kaiya was five. Having no one else to care for her since her real father wasn’t in the picture, Aizawa took his niece in and raised her as his own. She was too little to remember her mother and for years she believed that Shouta was her actual dad but Dadzawa did tell her the truth. Nothing really changed, she still calls him dad and they have a lovely father-daughter relationship. She loves Eri and loves being her older sister, playing with her, doing her hair and taking her to the dorms to meet her friends. She has a pet cat named Majesty who she uses to bribe Aizawa to buy snacks. She likes rainy days, beating Shinsou’s ass during training, being pinned by Shinsou while training, Halloween, cats and fluffy blankets. She is friends with mostly Annya, Shinsou and Sky but she doesn’t mind hanging out with the Deku or the Baku squads. Her hero name is Calypso. Her s/o is Shinsou much to Aizawa’s dismay. He is salty because this happened right under his nose, Dadzawa was too busy looking out for the 1-A boys that he completely ignored his trainee pinning his daughter down during training *he is really glad that she likes Shinsou bc he knows that he is a good kid*.

TAG TEAM AY: 

@the-arcana-fan-fic @angelwritings @axerrri @reinyrei @bemorefiction @dnarez @dark-thoughts-and-red-roses @threeamwriting @ezoyscorner @letscheereachotheron @wolfkid22

[daughterofposeidon25]

DaughterOfPoseidon Favorites

My hero academia-Kiribaku

🔴 = NSFW

Please read at your own risk. Carefully read tags and enjoy!

A Name That You'll Remember by Heronfem

Kirishima Eijirou is a Hero. Bakugou Katsuki... is not. Trapped in his toxic workplace and increasingly desperate to get out, Red Riot's days are only brightened by a new villain known as Caution, who's not exactly villainous and keeps accidentally doing good deeds. But when a real villain appears, a threat from the past that demands that Red Riot make the ultimate sacrifice to keep the public safe, Bakugou is forced into saving the day... and eventually, Red Riot himself.

Part 1 of Won't Go Quietly

Freshly Ground Coffee by arxaris

Bakugou had been going to BeansPot Coffe for a long time. A hole-in-the-wall coffee shop in the middle of the city, the place was a wonderfully well-kept secret – at least in Bakugou’s opinion. And that’s exactly how he liked it. Coffee with a side of quiet, blissful anonymity had become his favorite way to start his work day. Which was why he was instantly on guard when he walked in one morning to see a new face standing behind the counter. Well, actually, first he saw his hair.

Stop-sign red and styled up into spikes, it looked ridiculous against the cream-colored walls of the shop. Between that and the way-too-wide smile that stretched across his face, he was almost hard to look at directly.

Too goddamn bright for this early in the morning.

Or, pro-hero Ground Zero had a morning routine that he liked perfectly fine, thank you very much. That is, until a bright-eyed new barista showed up to throw a wrench in it, one caramel latte at a time.

sparks by helwolves 🔴

“I’m just really happy,” Eijirou says. He sighs shakily and then all but collapses onto Katsuki, burying his face against the vulnerable spot at the base of his throat. “Ah, you smell so good,” he says, trailing off into a soft growl. “They say that means you’ll be really compatible with your rider, you know... Is it the same for men?”

Alternately: "they can't show us Bakugou riding a dragon that might be Kirishima and NOT expect me to want him to fuck it."

Part 1 of sparks, etc.

Blood of my Hand by PurplePersnickety

Eijirou is a half dragon, stuck in a cage, unable to shift from his human form. Then a bad-tempered barbarian arrives on the scene, Eijirou makes a blood pact he'll probably regret, and he learns that finding a missing friend of his might just tie into the fate of the world.

Katsuki is a mountain clan outcast, and if he ever wants to return then he must meet the demands of the Queen and bring back the head of a dragon. Then Katsuki meets the most irritating lizard, makes a blood pact he'll probably regret, and learns that- wait? The world? Oh fuck.

quote love unquote by newamsterdam

Sero nods. “It’s the chance of a lifetime, really,” he says. “We want you to date Bakugou, for the sake of his reputation with the press. Some public appearances, a few ‘candid’ photos. For at least a couple of months.”

“Bakugou sent you to ask me to date him?” Kirishima asks, baffled.

“Of course not. We, his people, are asking you to date him. He’s going to have to get on board, if he wants his career to survive. And in the bargain, Riot will get all sorts of publicity, because their lyricist will be dating one of the industry’s hottest stars. A win for everyone.”

When Kirishima Eijirou's band hits the big time, he's not prepared for his newfound fame. He's even less prepared to meet the actor he's been crushing on for years, or to start dating him as a publicity stunt. The closer Kirishima gets to Bakugou Katsuki, the more he realizes he's in over his head. But it's hard to stop, once his heart is in it.

A Dragon's Hoard by chezka

There was a lizard in Kirishima’s room.

A scaley, clawed, fanged lizard. A fifty centimeters long, red, winged lizard.

A dragon, there was a dragon in the middle of the floor of Kirishima’s room.

Bakugou blinked slowly, a hand curled around the door’s handle and one foot still out in the hallways. He looked at the dragon, the dragon looked back at him.

“What the fuck,” Bakugou whispered.

take your broken wings and fly by bwyn

Rifts—man, he hates these things. They look misty, but are dry; they look hot, but feel cold as a winter chill. They’re the exact opposite of what his eyes assume. It’s like some sort of sensory illusion. To top it all off, if he thinks about them too long, the space behind his eyes starts to throb. Not worth it.

The hawk takes off without prompting the closer Eijirou gets. Goosebumps prickle across his skin at the waft of cool air.

“Let’s get this over with, shall we?” grunts Eijirou as his skin goes hard around his hands.

Part 1 of Tales from the Rift

The Beauty of a Beast by starofjems

Once upon a time a lonely beast lived in a manor deep in the forest. He dreamed of the day his true love appeared to break his curse... When a beauty finally appears in his life, it is not quite as he imagined. For who could have thought a beauty would be more of a beast.

Or

The beauty and the beast AU nobody asked for but here it is.

Broomsticks by ComiclzWrites 🔴

Local witch Bakugo Katsuki doesn't have many friends and he'd like to keep it that way but the shop that he gets all his ingredients from has a new delivery boy that might just work his way into Bakugo's fiery little heart.

AKA: Bakugo Katuski is a witch, Kirishima Eijirou is his delivery boy, and this is the story of how they fell in love.

Broken Bridges by DeathBelle 🔴

After years of working abroad, Kirishima moves back to Japan to open his own agency, and things seem to be going well. There’s plenty of work, he gains popularity quickly, and it’s a relief to be back in his home country. Everything is perfect, until he runs into Bakugou on the scene of a villain attack.

Bakugou had been his best friend at U.A., but the two of them haven’t spoken for years. That had been Bakugou’s decision, not Kirishima’s, and he's still a little hurt by it. Regardless, it’s easy to put that aside in favor of rekindling his friendship with Bakugou. They fall back into a routine and it’s as if nothing has changed; including Kirishima’s old feelings for his best friend. When a new pair of villains starts picking off heroes one by one, Kirishima feels that he and Bakugou are the best heroes to take the case. All the extra time they spend together hunting villains is great, except Kirishima feels like his heart is being ripped out every time Bakugou looks at him.

Kneel by deviance 🔴

“Bakugou?”

Bakugou shuffled on his feet, hovering over Kirishima and looking at the ground with stormy eyes. He glanced up to glare at Kirishima, a silent dare to call him out on his odd behavior no doubt. Kirishima forced himself not to tense. Whatever Bakugou wanted, he was about to show him and Kirishima had to get this right. Bakugou was all about showing and not telling.

Kirishima nearly bit his tongue to keep in a squawk of surprise when Bakugou suddenly dropped to his knees next to him, shuffling forward until he could press his forehead to his thigh and hide his face against Kirishima's leg. Kirishima opened his mouth, questions on the tip of his tongue, and he barely managed to catch them before they could be given voice. Bakugou was trembling minutely, his entire frame so tense his muscles were twitching under Kirishima's gaze.

“Just. Don't say anything,” Bakugou muttered, hands clenching in his lap tightly. “Please,” he whispered, a short choked sound.

The Lost Continent by cattchi, paglykos 🔴

Kirishima Eijirou is from a noble family of pirate exterminators. Bakugou Katsuki is rising as one of the most fearsome pirates on the seas.

When a trade goes awry, Kirishima finds himself cast among Bakugou's crew, having to learn the ropes and the sea as they chase after All Might's infamous hidden treasure.

Of Ghosts and other Inaccurate Things by chezka

A week before the sports festival found Bakugou walking back home in the late afternoon, sunset light making his scowl even more menacing and drawing a long shadow right in front of him.

Someone was walking by his side.

There was no second shadow on the floor beside his own to confirm this, but if he kept his focus on the street ahead and carefully avoided trying to look to his left, he could consistently make out black hair swishing in the wind and strong arms leading to hands sunk in pants’ pockets. The edges were blurry, but there was definitely someone at his side.

Tell Me I'm Yours by arxaris 🔴

Bakugou was going a little crazy. He could grudgingly admit that it was at least in part his own fault; moving in with his best friend maybe hadn’t been the best idea. At first, it sounded great. The rent would be cheaper, grocery shopping and cooking for two would be way more convenient, and it would be easier for the two of them to hang out. The only thing was, Bakugou forgot to consider how the joys of moving in with his aforementioned best friend might be dampened by the fact that he was madly in love with him.

Alternatively: Kirishima Eijirou is a goddamn tease and there's no way he doesn't know what he's doing.

Part 1 of tell me i'm yours

Fire in the Storm by Vagabond for Shippeh 🔴

Bakugo Katsuki is a stubborn bastard and does what you should never do: splits the party. He gets caught in a rainstorm and seeks shelter in a cave which yields an interesting discovery in the form of a shape-changing stranger.

Or: Kirishima is a dragon, and Bakugo seeks shelter in his lair.

i'm going to the forest to kick my own ass by WannabeMarySue

“What the fuck,” he mutters, quietly but with feeling.

He stomps over and picks it up. Emotional Intelligence for Dummies glares up at him in garish yellow font.

“What the fuck,” he repeats, louder and with more feeling.

(or, todoroki tries to play a prank, but jokes on him, because bakugou is fueled by complex emotions like Anger and Winning).

Kitsune Bakugo and Oni Kiri (Inu x Boku SS AU) by ComiclzWrites 🔴

The Maison de Ayakashi is a high security apartment building where humans with demon or yōkai ancestors reside, each guarded by their own Secret Service bodyguard. Bakugo stuck with the ancestor of the Kitsune has been moved into the apartment as his parents last ditch effort to fix his aggressive personality; his hired bodyguard Kirishima the ancestor of the Oni seems determined to turn his world upside-down.

Everglow by Maplefudge

Eijirou and Katsuki are known to be a formidable duo, one being a dragon shifter, the other a powerful human with explosive magic. They work together as if it's second nature, and the nations know their names. However, it hasn’t always been like that.

aka

The story of how Eijirou and Katsuki accidentally formed a life bond with each other and ended up as reluctant partners.

'Cause the Dark's Not Taking Prisoners Tonight by imatrisarahtops

“Are those soba noodles?” Kirishima asked.

Again Bakugou’s only reply was a grunt. He offered no further explanation—not that Kirishima honestly expected one—as though making soba noodles from scratch at half past four in the morning wasn’t at all a bizarre occurrence and made complete and total sense. For a fleeting moment, Kirishima even wondered if maybe he was the odd one here. Besides, he’d already decided it was generally not in his best interest to question these types of things with Bakugou, especially when it was something essentially harmless.

When Kirishima has a nightmare and is unable to fall back asleep, he accepts defeat and decides to study in the common area of the dorms. What he doesn't expect to find is Bakugou, also very much awake, and Kirishima can't help but think that maybe they're both having the same problems with sleeping. If he's worried, it's just because they're friends. (Right?)

Cranky-rishima by PurplePersnickety

"Oh, I just fell out of bed," Kirishima said, almost airily. He put one hand to the back of his neck. "But I'm good."

Katsuki squinted at him. "No you're not."

Kirishima's expression fell, and he looked down at the hand not on his neck. His fingers were trembling and he closed his hand up into a fist. "No, I'm not. Fuck it."

Part 1 of Nightmares Aren't Explodable

Engraved in your Mind by Hejter

Bakugou Katsuki lost his ability to recognize faces, so he didn’t know any of the people who stared at him, but he knew what dread looks like when he sees it, and as he looked around the crowd, every single person had exactly that written all over their face.

He looked down at the guy who was still on the ground, part of his uniform’s shirt burnt, his wounded face covered by his hands and his hair smoking slightly.

Katsuki glanced at his hands and finally realized something.

or

Kacchan is still a stubborn prick while suffering from face blindness. Also, quirk discrimination is a thing.

alternatively-

New quirk, who dis

The Weight of Your Hand by kamin

That night, to the citizens, the explosions were a jolt of fear at every blast, but to the heroes and the students of UA, they were punches and swings, fierce fighting and loud strength. The explosions were the pulse of the battle, and the power of a boy that would never back down.

One after another, explosions set a chorus through the shuddering city.

And then, suddenly—the explosions stopped.

(In which Bakugou’s kidnapping goes a little differently, and just a few seconds could change so much.)

Obsidian by PullingAllMighters

Bakugou Katsuki's a dangerous guy, even without his unnatural, fae-given magic. Used and scorned as evil everywhere he goes for having powers he didn't ask for, Bakugou wanders the world as a rogue nova, hunting beasts and criminals for survival. It's too bad that the real villains didn't take it well that he's not joining their side. But now they've framed it so he's a mass murderer, making all the other magicked humans like him look bad. Hunted and ever the loner, Bakugou meets Kirishima, a dragon who's also alone and outcast, who vows to protect him until they can either clear his name, or get far enough away that it doesn't matter.

Not that Bakugou needs him. Bakugou Katsuki doesn't need anyone, especially not some broken dragon who can't even fly.

You Got Me Bewitched, I Am Under Your Spell by 🔴 Obsessed_As_A_Coping_Mechanism

“Uh… hello?” Kirishima calls, his deep voice echoing in the room.

The witch doesn’t answer.

Not one to be discouraged by silence, even if that silence is scary as hell, Kirishima steels his nerves and steps over the threshold.

THAT the male notices. He immediately stops grinding, his head tilting to an almost forty five degree angle. It’s almost cat like. It’s absolutely eerie. He hmphs, before he calls out, “Leave.” He grabs a fistful of sour smelling leaves off the plant in front of him and drops them into his bowl.

What?! No way! Kirishima advances further, the doorway creaking under his feet. He won’t take that for an answer. “I need your help?” Frick. Why did that sound like a question when it should have been a statement?

The witch doesn’t look up again, but he swears the male rolls his eyes. “Leave. Now.”

The witch is gorgeous.

I'll Save You Myself by Obsessed_As_A_Coping_Mechanism

After Kirishima saves Bakugou from the League of Villains he can't let go of his hand. He's been holding it for hours, but his fingers are cement. Unbreakable.

Otherwise called: Fuck Eijirou, I'm The One Who Got Kidnapped, Why The Hell Are You Leaking All Over Me? And... Why Does My Heart Feel Like Its Going To Throw-up? By: Bakugou Katsuki

The Extra's Club by Sonamae

Toru is a bright ray of sunshine! At least she pretends to be. Right up until Bakugo Katsuki catches her crying in the kitchen.

Life's a Drag(on) by PurplePersnickety

"Sparky," Katsuki turned and laid a hand on Kaminari's shoulder. "I need you to know that the position of Best Man at our wedding is between you and a fucking dragon, so start psyching yourself up to fight for it."

"A what?" Kaminari repeated faintly.

Bakugou Katsuki currently experiences three major problems with his life:

1. He helped a dragon with a broken leg once and now it keeps showing up outside his house all the time. 2. He has a huge hopeless crush on the guy with the red hair and the freaky teeth who just moved into the village. 3. He has no idea what to do about either of the above.

Burden of Proof by kytrin, Mslead 🔴

All it took was one bad day. Eijiro Kirishima was slotted to be one of UA's finest detectives before he was framed for a crime he didn't commit. Now he was used to people keeping him at arms length even after he scraped the remains of his reputation back together as a private investigator. When an old serial killer returns from the past, he finds himself in the center of a case darker and more dangerous than he could have ever anticipated. Teaming up with an angry homicide detective with ties to the killer, together they are forced to rely on one another as they face old and new enemies alike rising from the shadows.

All That Glitters Is Gold by Obsessed_As_A_Coping_Mechanism 🔴

Kirishima has been enamoured with the boy next door since he met him deep in the woods by his house as a kid.

Other than the fact that Bakugou never leaves the forest, won't voice his name, is nimble like a cat, and sometimes disappears into thin air, he's a normal kid just like Kiri!

Oh... and he's goregous.

And he just keeps getting prettier as time goes on.

No Secrets to Success by kingdoms

“Hey!” Kirishima says brightly, stepping sideways to be directly in the guy’s path. “I know you!”

“Fuck off,” the guy snarls, pushing past him and barely slowing down.

Kirishima is forced to start his first semester at UA two months late. Somehow he still meets Bakugou Katsuki, makes the most of those two months, and gains a tutor, a best friend, and an exciting way to scandalize his new peers. Canon AU where Kirishima and Bakugou become friends before Kirishima meets the rest of Class 1-A.

Smoke, Spice, and Everything Nice by let_me_wander 🔴

Bakugou Katsuki is a half-incubus and knows how to play the game: to find the perfect target, enchant them, and finally feed off of them. As long as certain conditions are met, no one can refuse him. Until Kirishima Eijirou.

Looks like Bakugou will have to seduce him the old fashioned way. Unless, of course, Kirishima wins him over first.

Oh My Gods by Synnie 🔴

Kirishima is overjoyed when he learns his fields have been blessed by the Harvest God, Crimson. When Bakugo, God of War, helps himself to the Harvest God's offerings, Kirishima learns a blessing from a god is also an open invitation for other gods to wreak havoc in his otherwise quiet life.

But when the gods are betrayed by one of their own, Kirishima finds himself caught up in the intrigue. All he wanted was to go back to the life he knew. But will that be enough for him now that he's tasted so much more?

Fire and the Flood by Maplefudge 🔴

Kirishima's good at massages and Bakugou's bad at feelings (they both are).

You Feel Like God Inside That Gold by Sacramental_Wine 🔴

When Kirishima figured out he was gay, he’d been pretty sure that the obsession his fellow male classmates had with boobs would not be an issue in his life.

He could get distracted by nice muscles or a great smile or many other things. He was an easily distracted guy! But those things were easy to keep blinders on for, he could keep from getting too distracted.

He hadn’t exactly planned on Bakugou.

Built to Fall by bigstupidjellyfish 🔴

nothing like an aftermath of a bad break up years later 

let me love you by arxaris 🔴

Kirishima’s liked Bakugou for years and years and never thought he’d even have a chance. Bakugou could easily become a runway model if he ever decided that’s what he wanted, while Kirishima is... well, just Kirishima.

There’s no denying he’s strong, but not in the graceful and beautiful way that Bakugou is. He’s got rolls no matter what he does, more body hair than he could ever hope to manage, and thighs that seem to constantly stretch his jeans at the seams no matter how big he buys them.

Yet, somehow within the span of the last hour, Kirishima’s gone from calling Bakugou ‘bro’ in their shared kitchen to lying underneath him in bed with Bakugou’s lean thigh pressed confidently between his thick ones.

So, yeah, forgive Kirishima if he’s freaking out a bit.

beautiful creatures by gothgirlclub 🔴

Caught in the middle of a morning accident, provisionally licensed Bakugou and Kirishima help take down the villain, only to fall victim to it’s quirk after taking it down.

So it’s really not their fault when they decide to play around with their new body parts, figuring out that scratching beneath the ears really was nice and that knots were annoying if your boyfriend got especially sleepy after sex.

alpha x alpha by Nutella0Mutt 🔴

If they had one dollar every time someone said it wasn’t possible, and to give it up, they'd be fucking billionaires.

Nobody thinks they'll work. It's unnatural, illogical, and against biology. Bakugou and Kirishima have one motto: fuck the haters.

It Will Find You Here by arxaris 🔴

Katsuki’s life was falling apart. He had always known what he wanted. He had his life and career completely planned out. He’d accounted for every detail and every potential obstacle. Except for one. He was not prepared in the slightest to be six years into his carefully constructed life plan, extremely successful, and suddenly so goddamned miserable that he couldn’t make it through a day of work.

He was fine. He really just needed some fucking time, space, and air to breathe. So, he loaded up his backpack and left Japan, hoping that a bit of time off and travel might help him get over this bullshit and on with the plan. However, a few weeks into his trip he met a meddlesome redhead in the Thai islands who threatened to disrupt his universe in the worst ways imaginable: by making him fall in love, and by breaking the news that Katsuki couldn’t outrun himself.

Burger Kings by plantegg

Bakugou does something illegal. Kirishima finds out and makes him take him out to dinner to keep him quiet.

That's All You Ever Have to Say by arxaris 🔴

Maybe a sane person wouldn’t put up with it. They’d probably call the whole thing unhealthy, say that Bakugou should learn to express his feelings. People have suggested to Kirishima in the past that he put his foot down and demand they talk about things. They’ve gritted their teeth as they told him Bakugou was playing games with him, looked at him with pity as if they were cluing him into something everyone knew but him, something truly awful. But of course Kirishima knew. How could he not? Katsuki wasn’t just playing games with him. They were playing games together.

And Kirishima was positively addicted to them.

Rutting For You by FoolishFortuna 🔴

Kirishima’s scent washed over him as the redhead moved to slide into bed and Katsuki found his mouth watering. For fuck sake, why was his body being such an asshole all of a sudden? He swallowed.

“Uh, Bakugou?” Eijirou's voice was quiet, almost rough, “You're putting out a pretty strong scent.” There was a tone to his best friend's voice that he'd never heard before, and it sent a shiver through Katsuki as he fisted the duvet in his hand tighter and ground his teeth.

His gums ached.

“Its nothing, shut up.” He focused on getting his pheromones under control quickly. Fuck, he really wanted to bite something. Something that smelled like Eijirou. He swallowed another mouthful of saliva.

“Do you-” Kiri swallowed as well, “d’you wanna just sleep up here?”

Why Don't We Dance a While? by Sacramental_Wine 🔴

They were supposed to be directly fighting each other but with one of them playing a villain, encouraged to fight dirty and think on their feet to fight against an unlikely team-up. It was supposed to test the solo “villain’s” ability to think on their feet and anticipate while the team was being evaluated on their ability to adapt to on the fly quirk combinations and unlikely situations. Some of them, like Momo and Sato and Aoyama, struggled a bit more than others with the villain role.

Others were shockingly good at it. Ochako had been having a blast the entire time, Iida continued to excel, and Tokoyami had played up his own more spooky allure.

Kirishima was among one of the good ones.

Something Warm by let_me_wander

When an annoying customer with ridiculous hair starts frequenting the coffee shop Bakugou works at in the weeks before Christmas, he doesn't think much of it. Until it becomes all he can think about.

Awkward flirting, the first snow, a rock show, and probably way too much coffee.

[makeste]

BnHA Chapter 250: Why Is This Family Not in Therapy

Previously on BnHA: Fuyumi invited everyone over to Camp Todovid for a wholesome family meal because what could possibly go wrong. Kacchan and Deku proceeded to spend the evening blinking distress signals at each other in Morse code while Natsu shoved breadsticks into his purse and skedaddled after getting mad at Endeavor in a completely unexpected turn of events which absolutely no one could have foreseen. After dinner, Shouto had a heart to heart with Fuyu (and then Deku) about whether or not he was ready to forgive his dad, and meanwhile Endeavor said a prayer for his very dead son Touya. Poor Touya. He was such a nice boy. You know what he really used to like? Messenger bags. He’d put the oddest things in them, too. I wonder if Touya would still enjoy collecting strange and disturbing things in bags if he was still alive today. Alas. We’ll never know.

Today on BnHA: Some guy named Takami who just got out of prison decides to show up out of the blue and fucking kidnap Natsuo because WHY NOT. But before that happens, we get a nice scene of Kacchan and Deku sitting down with Shouto and Fuyu, who finally decide it’s high time they talked about THEIR SECRET DEAD BROTHER seeing as LET’S BE REAL, THAT WAS THE WHOLE POINT OF THIS DINNER TO BEGIN WITH. So basically, (1) he’s definitely dead! For sure! 100% deceased!, and (2) Natsuo apparently blames Endeavor for his death, lol no big. Deku and Kacchan are for some reason super fucking chill about hearing this, and then Endeavor comes over and is all “TIME TO HEAD BACK” and omg I’ve never hated him more. And then as they’re driving away from Todofield Hall, Takami shows up and is all “HEY ENDEAVOR LOOK I KIDNAPPED YOUR CHILD AND I’M GONNA KILL HIM!” and holy shit but Horikoshi is just fucking with us now, though.

(As always, all comments are my unspoiled reactions from my initial readthrough of the chapter. I did a quick edit for grammar and clarity afterward, and added some  ETAs in the process, but aside from that there are no changes.)

all right manga, do your worst. I’m completely spoiler-free on this one. watch it not even be a flashback, after all of that lmao

(ETA: lol I read these two asks after I read the chapter and they’re pretty great:

honestly this week wasn’t that bad, though! the worst part of it was the whole “only 13 pages again” thing honestly. next week, though, it looks like we’ll be in for some fun times. oh goodness.)

so it appears night has fallen on Todofield Hall, and hoooooooooly shit you guys, are they. are they all gonna have a sleepover at Shouto’s house, because fdszllk I. I’m gonna. ldskfjla

(ETA: [kicks Endeavor in the shins] why do you hate fun!?)

who is talking?? are these prison stripes??

so is this the Takami guy narrating, then? just like we all predicted last week. ???

(ETA: so I saw all these people going “wtf is this Hawks’s dad??” and I was like “lol what” and it took me longer than I’d like to admit to put two and two together, but anyways, long story short, “Takami” just so happens to be Hawks’s recently revealed surname (with the same kanji and everything -- 鹰見). so while every instinct in my body is screaming at me “gtfo no way they’re related”, it is an extremely bizarre coincidence, so uh. ?? I got nothin’, basically.)

WHAT THE FUCK

IS THIS GUY STALKING THE TODOROKI HOUSE. ABOUT TO BREAK INTO TODOFELL IN THE DEAD OF NIGHT WHILE MY CHILDREN ARE ASLEEP!? CAN THEY JUST NOT CATCH A BREAK

also I will never understand villains who get all smug about being captured alive. “your one mistake was not killing me when you should have!” like okay, so you’re admitting you’re a piece of shit who should have died, and that the hero totally could have done it, but they were nice enough not to so SHAME ON THEM, apparently

anyways I really don’t understand what’s going on at all lol. some guy looked up to Endeavor and then got himself captured by him for some reason. let’s continue I guess

oh lord it keeps getting creepier

-- oohhhhhhhh shiiiiiiit, is this fucker about to air Endeavor’s dirty laundry?? is that what this is about?

AHHHHH

NATSU SWEETIE WHERE ARE YOUR SELF-PRESERVATION INSTINCTS?? IT IS NOT SAFE! and also what the fuck, does Endeavor just not have any security in his home at all? surely he must, if for no other reason than the fact that HE HAS KIDS and he’s not always at home! I have to imagine that any pro hero with a family understands that they’re a potential target for villains and would take precautions. I wonder if we’re about to see this sneaky guy get wrecked

(ETA: nope, Endeavor really has no security whatsoever and Natsu got snatched while waiting outside for his Uber. I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt and assume that he was too busy missing his brother and being sad to remember that he actually has a quirk himself. c’mon Natsu.

-- actually, come to think, props to Horikoshi for once again bucking the trend and having a guy be the one who gets kidnapped and becomes the damsel in distress. I’m just going to assume that had Fuyu been the one to get captured, Endeavor wouldn’t have even heard about it until he received a text from her with a picture of the guy encased in ice and a caption asking “so dad, uh, what should I do with this?”)

BUT FIRST, WE’RE CUTTING BACK TO THE TODOROKI KITCHEN, WHERE TODOBAKUDEKU ARE CURRENTLY HAVING TEA WITH FUYU BECAUSE SOMEBODY UP THERE LIKES ME YESSSSS

hhhglkohhhhh myyyyy godddddd

I KNOW!!! WHAT’S WITH THAT! WE’VE WAITED 250 FUCKING CHAPTERS PUTTING UP WITH YOUR SLY-ASS HINTS ALL “ALL RIGHT THEN, KEEP YOUR SECRETS” but is it finally time now? IS IT??!

Shouto says it’s not exactly an easy topic to bring up, and okay, fair. buuuut also, this is the same child who ambushed Deku in a corridor back when they barely knew each other and was all “let me tell you all about my dad’s quirk marriage and how he abused me and my mom and how I got this scar” so like. what exactly do you consider “easy to bring up” though

OH MY GOD IT’S HAPPENINGGGGGGG

we’re getting DETAILS. ABOUT. TOUYA’S PAST fkdslfh holy motherfucking shitballs someone pinch me

she says it happened right after Rei got hospitalized, which yeah, we all figured based on the middle school uniform in the photo. so that definitely pins down his age then, doesn’t it? Shouto was six when that happened, so if Touya was in middle school he’d have been between 12 and 15. so it’s very likely then that he was 14, the exact same age as Fuyu, so therefore THE TWIN THEORY IS CONFIRMED! WE DID IT TUMBLR

anyways back to being sad though, because

can someone please hug this child?? what are you all even doing?! do you not see his face?? jesus christ

oh no oh my god are you serious are you

okay, before I go on to the next panel and commence FREAKING THE FUCK OUT, I need to stop here though, because the thought that the Todos actually were in the process of healing nine years ago and could have potentially been spared years of additional pain had it not been for this tragedy is. just. I fucking can’t. I need a minute here. god

anyway. so now on to the freaking out though, because

:) :))) :))))))) huh. you don’t say

(ETA: hmm in hindsight I promised freakouts and then all I did was go “:)” but please understand that the “:)” conveys so much more inner freaking out than words could possibly communicate. just picture me screaming and waving my arms around like a Kermit the frog gif okay.)

look at this you guys. this revelation is so stone cold fucking sober that it even got Katsuki to make an actual normal face for the first time in god knows how many chapters, wow

by the way, words can hardly express how much I appreciate that Katsuki is sitting here chilling out drinking tea with the rest of them and listening to this tale of woe and empathizing like a normal, well-adjusted person, though. I will never take that for granted. thank you character development gods. y’all are bros

anyways the face in question that Natsu was making is so fucking sad, and just. THEY ALL NEED HUGS. why is this family not in therapy

NO!!!!!!!!!!!

YOU SON OF A BITCH!! JUST LIKE THAT YOU’RE RIGHT BACK ON MY SHIT LIST, ENDEAVOR!! CHRIST ALMIGHTY ARE YOU SERIOUS, SO WE’RE REALLY JUST GONNA LEAVE OFF THERE? “LOL SO YEAH, NATSU STILL THINKS DAD KILLED OUR BROTHER AND THAT’S WHY ALL THE TENSION” and Deku and Kacchan just nod like that is in any way a satisfying explanation rather than an INCREDIBLY OMINOUS STATEMENT which only goes and raises about A BILLION MORE QUESTIONS OMG. “oh okay, so he hates your dad because he thinks that he murdered your mysterious other brother we’re only just now hearing about. say no more. no further context necessary” fucking -- 

listen, you two. where the fuck are your investigative skills?? SOME SCOOBY SQUAD YOU ARE!!

oh my goodness gracious

listen guys, things I was not expecting to check off my character development bucket list today: Katsuki joining the Fuyumi fanclub and bonding with her over recipes. I wasn’t even aware that was on my list. BUT IT SURE WAS, AND IT’S CHECKED NOW AND I LOVE IT

also love that Shouto tells Fuyu to just text the recipe to him, and then he will share it with Katsuki. because they are best friends

also Deku is the only one here with any manners at all but oh well. we all been knew

(ETA: though to be fair, Katsuki asking for the recipe is about as big a compliment as one can give to a chef, and it kind of serves as a combination “thanks for the meal” and “everything was really good” tbh. shit, now I want her recipe.)

fdlkjfg

... [reaches out to gently touch the panels] so soft

-- BUT DO YOU KNOW WHAT’S EVEN SOFTER?

[faint sound of my heart imploding] ah

oh my god his face

and Katsuki’s face too. boy are you jealous. to think you were all “WHY THOUGH!?” coming here, only to walk away from it all with a kickass new mapo tofu recipe as well as a new person to add to your secret list of people you would literally die for. awwwwwww

and Shouto. omg. this is the most bashful panel I’ve ever seen. what a blessed chapter

anyway so now they’re all driving away (back to school?? I think he said?) and Endeavor’s talking to them about their upcoming schedule. so I guess they are heading back to school, then

anyway so he wants them to work the weekend as well as two weekdays? damn that’s a lot of class to be missing, he’s asking them to skip literally half the school week (since they have Saturday class too)

wow you guys look at this panel

takeaways from this: 1.) I honestly would have thought Deku would be the one tutoring other people in English, if anything. as of the midterms, he was above Shouto in academic rankings, but more importantly he’s also the biggest All Might fan on the planet, and All Might spent a lot of time in America in his youth and presumably speaks decent English himself, so you’d think Deku’s English would be passable just from his obsession alone. but I guess you just can’t beat that fancy private school education

and the other takeaway: Katsuki doesn’t like being squished in the backseat of a cramped Japanese car with Deku and Shouto. this one is absolutely shocking. I’m gonna need a moment to process this for sure. anyways poor Deku, he’s probably getting so many elbows to the ribs right now. I hope he elbows back

(ETA: actually the fact that Katsuki is apparently sticking his head out the window here in addition to complaining about the cramped conditions makes me wonder if he’s actually getting carsick. my poor baby do you need some dramamine.)

guys, meet Endeavor’s chauffeur

so anyway this is a bit sudden but I have a new favorite character now. life is funny like that. does he remind anyone else of Major Armstrong

wow Endeavor is answering the question seriously

okay but shit, I really fucking love this answer, though. he’s so matter-of-fact about it. because the thing is, the question isn’t really “when did you start baby-sitting a bunch of kids”; it’s “when did you actually start caring about something other than yourself?” and the answer is that it happened when he finally reached the top and realized the responsibility that went hand in hand with that role. it forced him to finally look past just himself, and to think about what it really means to be a hero. shit, I feel another essay coming on, but it’ll have to wait for some other time lol. we still have to see if Natsu’s going to make it out of this alive

anyway so now Armstrong is chuckling and saying that status really does change people huh, and they’re driving on into the night

OH SHIT

THAT’S A NICE SON YOU’VE GOT THERE, ENDEAVOR. IT WOULD BE A SHAME IF SOMEONE... okay you know what, I’m not sure where I was headed with that joke, but in any case I can’t finish it because this isn’t funny at all actually, this is actually SO FUCKING BAD oh shit oh shit

NATSUUUUU

oh no he’s so scared oh fuck. fuck. he’s only 19, he’s just a kid still. god. why do I always get so worked up over these parts. what am I doing reading a shounen manga if I can’t handle seeing kids in peril. HORIKOSHI PLEASE BE KIND TO MY BABIES

holy shit

okay, is this implying that Katsuki was sticking his head out of the window in that previous panel?? I realize more important things are happening and this is hardly the time to dwell on this, but jesus christ my kid is out here trying to get himself decapitated. boy what is wrong with you

anyway so now something is going "pop” and I have no idea. ??

(ETA: lol I guess it was Endeavor? you know, how Endeavor sometimes just goes “pop” for no reason. that’s just the sound someone makes when spontaneously bursting into flames.)

oh

far be it from me to start whipping out analogies about a mama bear and her cubs, but. damned if that ain’t what’s happening though. motherfucker, you mess with his kids? so would you like to die fast, or slow

so now some weird fucking shit is happening to the car, and I guess it’s this guy’s quirk again?

wow my man, so you’re really attacking the car with the three protagonists with SOMETHING TO PROVE in the backseat. you really do have a death wish

(ETA: on top of that, attacking the car mere minutes before the winter break ends, and with it, the deadline for “defeating a villain quicker than Endeavor.” HMMM anybody got some popcorn?)

now Endeavor is shouting “LET HIM GO!” because that’s what superheros shout when someone is being kidnapped

lol poor Natsu looks kind of awkward now

like, don’t get him wrong, he’s still scared for his life. but also he’s starting to get a bit of that same feeling that Katsuki and Deku were getting in the last chapter, like he’s suddenly found himself right in the midst of some grade A melodrama from which there is no escape. anyways don’t mind him, he’s just going to chill here in this big pile of bandages and see where this goes

so Endeavor is all “........... YOU’RE FROM SEVEN YEARS AGO!” and honestly that’s impressive. I guess the quirk is a pretty memorable one, though

wow now they’re suddenly being all coy with this guy’s name? what the hell

?? Natsu bud, I feel ya, this really is some awkward shit right here

ohhhh!

that’s the name of the chapter! well all right then, so at least that much makes sense now

so now Ending is apologizing to Endeavor, and wow, tons of essay fuel in these next two panels here

“you had so many things that I could never get” doesn’t this sound remarkably similar to Deku’s speech to Kacchan during their second fight at Ground Beta? huh

and also, I think we are slowly dancing closer and closer to the Thing Katsuki Lacks That He Needs To Learn From His Internship From Endeavor. what do you guys think? I have a lot of thoughts about this, but again, I’ll save it for another post seeing as shit is hitting the fan right now and all

OH SHIT

ARE YOU SERIOUS, OF ALL THE TIMES TO HAVE ANOTHER THIRTEEN PAGE CHAPTER! HORIKOSHI YOU ARE FUCKING KILLING ME HERE

well shit. okay so when he says “don’t make the same mistake twice”, he’s clearly talking about Endeavor letting him live the last time they met, but also I can’t help but feel like there might be some kind of double meaning here as well. the fact that he went from theft to kidnapping and attempted murder, on top of him mentioning earlier about how he went digging into Endeavor’s past, makes me wonder if he could possibly be trying to recreate a specific set of events. or is that crazy??

but just, hear me out. what if something similar to this went down before, with Touya perhaps being taken hostage by a villain (though it couldn’t have been the same guy because the timing is off, and also Endeavor didn’t recognize him right off the bat), and Endeavor making some critical mistake which resulted in him failing to save him, and Natsu then blaming him for that and holding him responsible for the death. honestly that makes the most sense to me, since I would think that “literally murdered his own kid” would be kind of a deal-breaker as far as the rest of the family ever reconciling with him. so yeah, this could get very interesting here

(ETA: hoo boy, so I’ve been browsing the bnha tags a bit, and it seems that a lot of people are interpreting the hints in this chapter very differently from me lol. I admit I could certainly be wrong about the “don’t make the same mistakes” bit having a double meaning. but like, do we really believe that Endeavor just straight up murdered his son and got away with it, or that it was covered up or something? or that he drove Touya to suicide? I think it’s much more likely that Touya pushed himself too hard, or that he accidentally got caught up in one of Endeavor’s attacks, or something along those lines.

what really struck me, though, was that a lot of people actually seem to be hoping for it to come out that Endeavor really is responsible, though. like, to the point where they’re prepared to be outraged if it turns out he’s not, and this part of the story doesn’t end up conforming to the narrative of Endeavor just being a sinister cartoon villain. and like, I don’t really know what to say about that. except that I really hate this idea that if an abuser is ever portrayed as something other than a heartless monster then it’s super-problematic and/or just bad writing. that Endeavor not murdering his son = Horikoshi endorses child abuse. or something. anyways I don’t have the spoons to really throw my hat into the ring here, but basically my opinion is that life is rarely just black and white in that way, and this story reflects that, and I think it’s absolutely the right call to make and is actually very good writing and I respect it. 

and also like, it’s not some all-or-nothing thing here where he’s either a perfect saint, or the worst person to ever exist! what he is is a man who made some terrible choices in the past and abused and hurt the very people he should have loved and protected the most. and what he is, also, is a man who has realized the awfulness of the things he’s done, and is trying his best now to be a good person. what he is is a human being. and acknowledging that doesn’t mean that you condone the abuse; it simply means that you acknowledge that people are made up of more than just the worst things they’ve done in their lives. that’s it.

anyways, for all of my “not gonna through my hat into the ring” nonsense, I’m doing a pretty good impression of exactly that, so I’ll shut up now. damn you Endeavor and your controversy-sparking ways. what kind of psychopath looks at the fucking BnHA fandom and says “not bad, but you know what this place could use? more discourse.” you knew exactly what you were doing, you fiend.)

anyways I’m going to hope and assume that Natsu isn’t actually about to meet his end here at the hands of this bestriped man and his peculiarly thematic villain name and sinister bandage arrows (are they bandages?? maybe not since they seem pretty solid and he’s threatening to stab Natsu in the eye with one. idk). and for all of my joking earlier, this guy actually does appear to have a real, genuine death wish since he keeps talking about how Endeavor should have killed him before. so in addition to all this other drama, toss in an attempted suicide by cop as well! this fucking arc, man. goddamn

[emeraldwaves]

Title: What We Lack Part 10 Pairing:  Kacchako, Deku/Melissa, Todomomo Rating: T Word Count: 4,079 Read on Ao3 Summary:  

Quirkless.

They’re the last people anyone expects to have a child without a quirk.

Neither of them can fully wrap their heads around it, but Ochako knows Katsuki is struggling far more than her.

Thank you to @its-love-u-asshole for beta-ing

Full fic under the cut

His hands shook as he held the unopened letter in his hand. His future, the entire path of his life rode on the answer inside of it. He took a deep breath, his eyes fixated on the envelope, as if he could see through it.

"You're being kinda dramatic, Shou," Sayuri said, raising her eyebrow at him.

"Sayu... be nice. I'm sure you'll be just as nervous when you apply to high schools," Ochako said softly, placing her hand on Shouhei's shoulder. "It's going to be okay sweetheart-"

"Just open the damn thing!" Katsuki hissed, slamming his hand on the table.

"Katsuki!" Ochako gasped.

"Shut up, Dad! I bet you took forever to open yours!" Shouhei snapped, glaring at his father.

"Yeah, right," Ochako rolled her eyes. "Knowing your father, he probably tore the letter open with his teeth."

"Gross!" Sayuri giggled. "You would do that." She wrinkled her nose and nudged her dad in the side.

"Shut up, all of you and let Shouhei open his freaking letter!" he said, folding his arms over his chest.

"You were the one who was pressuring him to open it faster!" Sayuri said.

"I'm going to open it in my room if you all don't shut up!" Shouhei snorted, shaking his head.

He tucked his finger under the back of the envelope, pulling up on the sealed down flap. He yanked the paper out, tossing the envelope aside as he began to scan the letter. "U.A. is... proud to welcome Bakugou Shouhei.... to class 1-A!"

Ochako immediately cheered, throwing her hands up as she wrapped them around her son, snuggling him so hard. "The same class as us and everything!! Oh my boy!" she said, and cupped his cheeks, pulling him into a large hug. "I knew you could do it! You're going to be amazing!"

"Thanks, Mom," he said, a huge smile on his face. "I wasn't too worried either."

"We'll have to celebrate! Tomorrow, Katsuki and I will get home early and we can all go to dinner together!!" she said, bouncing up and down. "I'm so excited!" Ochako danced about, clapping her hands together. "I'm so proud of you!"

"Great fuckin' job," Katsuki said, letting his hand fall onto Shouhei's shoulder. "I knew you'd kick ass. You're my goddamn son. I knew you were going to do just as great as your mother and me."

"Thanks Dad."

For a moment, Sayuri watched the scene take place. Her mother cupping Shouhei's face, her father with the widest smirk she had ever seen... Did she even belong here? She would never experience this to the same level... sure, her parents would be proud of her when she finally got into high school, where ever she chose to go. But she would never be a pro-hero, she would never be in the same classes her parents were in...

She bit on her lip, trying to swallow her jealousy. She should be happy for her brother, focusing on celebrating his successes, one day she would have her own... She just hated being the odd ball, the only one of them to be on the outside. It was as if someone put up a piece of glass between her and them, and she was simply watching her family life play out as if she wasn't around.

"Well, Sayuri?" Ochako asked. "You don't have anything to say to your brother?"

"Huh!? Oh... Sorry! Spacing out... oops. " She laughed and leaped forward to hug him. "Congratulations, Shou..." she said quieter. "You're gonna kick some major ass, for both of us!"

"For both of us!" Shou nodded.

The four of them laughed for awhile longer, Katsuki and Ochako sharing stories of their first year. "I really hope it won't be as eventful for you, Shou," Ochako sighed. "There were too many things that happened in our first year."

"Even if it is, Shou is gonna kick ass. No villain will hold my son back," Katsuki hissed.

"Well, please do not get kidnapped like your father did, I think I will have a heart attack if you do," Ochako whined.

"Oi! I ended up being fine!" he snarled. Both Sayuri and Shouhei had heard the story plenty of times, but it always changed depending on who was telling it. Katsuki often talked about All Might's heroic end, while Ochako, Uncle Deku and Uncle Eijirou talked about how Katsuki never would've been okay if the small group hadn't sneaked out of the hospital. Though admittedly, Sayuri had a difficult time imagining Uncle Tenya and Auntie Momo doing anything remotely against the rules.

She would probably never know the true story, but she loved when they talked about it.

To her, her parents were incredible; absolutely perfect. Her mother was flawless, her quirk unique and obviously difficult to master. And her father was number 1, though occasionally Uncle Deku and Uncle Shouto would beat him. For as long as she could recall, the three had been at odds.

But to her, Katsuki would always be the image of a true hero.

"I should probably go finish my homework," Sayuri admitted, at the end of one of Ochako's rushed, but excited stories.

"Okay sweetheart," Ochako nodded.

"Good girl. Get your work done and get to bed early."

"Okay, Dad," she said, rolling her eyes. Sometimes she forgot how much of a nerd her father could be.

"I gotta go call Yuuta and see if he got in too!" Shouhei said, pulling his phone from his pocket.

Sayuri stepped into her room with a sigh, letting the door shut behind them. On her nightstand stood her parents’ figures and she looked at them with sad eyes. Would they ever care about what she chose to do? Even if she followed in Melissa's footsteps and helped create technology to assist heroes, would her parents find that as amazing as her brother?

She looked down at her hands. Having her father's quirk would've been so cool. She would propel herself through the sky and explode stupid bullies who were rude and...

Clenching her fists, she let them drop to her side.

She had to stop dreaming about having a quirk when she knew it was never going to happen.

~~

Yuuta stared at his brother, biting down on his lip. He trailed his finger over the top of the envelope and Arata let out a sigh, watching the nervous movement. He prayed they both got in... or if one of them got in, he prayed it was Arata.

"How about you both open on three?" Momo suggested, gently touching their shoulders. "I'll count."

"Good idea," Shouto nodded, looking between both his boys.

"One, two three, go!" Momo cheered, and both boys tore the top of the envelope off.

 U.A is proud to welcome Todoroki Yuuta into class 1-A.

He blinked, reading the sentence again. Todoroki Yuuta was certainly his name, so it wasn't wrong. He thought for sure he was going to fail.

1-A... the same class as his parents.

His lips slowly pulled into a smile. "I-I got in!" he said, "I got in! Class 1-A" he repeated, as if he needed to say it to believe it himself.

"Our old class! That's wonderful Yuu!" Momo said and leaned over to kiss the side of his head. "Arata?"

Arata stood, clutching the sheet of paper between his trembling hands, his chest heaved with his deep breaths. "This is fucking stupid," he growled, slamming the paper down on the table as he stormed off towards his room.

"Oh... Arata... " Momo said, frowning as she started to walk after him. "Sweetheart, it's okay," she called out, stopping short when he slammed the door to his room directly in her face.

"Arata!" Shouto called out. "There's no reason to slam the door in your mother's face. We can discuss this." His tone grew more calm as he continued to talk.

Yuuta bit down on his lip and leaned forward to grab Arata's paper. Had he really not gotten in? There was no way... Arata excelled at the physical tests and Yuuta was certain he must've done well on the written exam so... why-

He paused as he read the words on the page.

 U.A is proud to welcome Todoroki Arata into class 1-B.

The B-class. It wasn't technically any different than class 1-A, both of them learned the same things and were required to take the same classes, but... maybe because it wasn't the same as their parents... Arata felt it was lesser?

"A-Arata!" Yuuta called out. "Did you read your letter wrong?"

He probably hadn't... but he wanted to reassure his brother. He made his way towards his door, holding his letter.

The door swung open and Arata reached out, yanking the letter from Yuuta's hands. "I read it just fine."

"Then... why are you upset?"

"Because I..." he glared at Yuuta and shook his head. "It's none of your damn business!" he hissed and slammed the door once more.

"...Arata..." Momo whispered, gently placing her hand on the door. "Please talk to us. We're your family we want to help. We should be celebrating together!"

"What did it say, Yuu?" Shouto asked, looking to his other son.

"He's in. He's in class 1-B."

"Ah..." Shouto sighed. "This is nothing to be upset over, Arata. The A class and the B classes are the same."

"Please come out, we should be celebrating!" Momo repeated softly. Once again, they were met with complete silence.

"I'm... going to call Shouhei..." Yuuta said, feeling the awkward tension in the air. He didn't wish to upset his parents any more.

"That's fine," Shouto nodded, gently stroking down Momo's back.

"Maybe tomorrow then… we can...!" she said, looking disheartened.

"I'll speak to Arata and we can celebrate during dinner tomorrow," Shouto said. "Let's... give him his space for now." He sighed, looking at the door. Yuuta slowly backed away, listening to his parents continue the conversation. This was supposed to be a momentous, happy occasion... so why was Arata so mad?

"It seems Arata has some anger he needs to work through," Shouto whispered, and Yuuta listened in closely from down the hall.

"I just don't understand where it's coming from. The B class is exactly the same... he should be happy," Momo said, distress clear in her voice.

Yuuta hated seeing his parents like this, but it wasn't worth it to try and argue with Arata when he was in such a horrible damn mood.

He gently placed his own letter back down on the table. Hopefully they could all celebrate soon.

~~

"Arata got MAD!?" Shouhei yelled, his voice echoing through the night as they sat on the slide in the park. Yuuta lay against Shouhei, letting the other boy gently stroke through his hair.

"Shh, Shouhei!" he giggle and Shouhei gently nudged his head.

Ever since the exam, they'd been like this, closer and more willing to touch. Yuuta liked it.

They met in the park, a little while after finding out they would share the same class through their high school experience. The park had become their secret meeting spot over the past few weeks. Normally they swung on the swings, or hid out in the hollow turtle, but tonight, Yuuta was happy to be lying closer to him.

He always felt more distressed when his brother was so unhappy.

"My parents are really upset," Yuuta said softly. "He won't come out of his room and explain why."

"Do you know why? Sayuri seemed a little upset too. She disappeared to do homework tonight damn fast. But that's typical of her, she always gets a little weird when quirk stuff comes up."

"That makes sense..." Yuuta said softly. "I would be sensitive too if I was her... But Arata has no reason to be upset. The B class and the A class are the same... we're going to have different teachers but... it'll be the same," he says softly.

"Maybe you should talk to him?" Shouhei suggested, gently rubbing at his neck.

"That's the thing... Arata has barely been talking to me lately. He just seems like a giant ball of rage..." Yuuta puffed out his cheeks, frustrated with his brother.

"Yeah... that's weird. He's always been more energetic than you, but he seems really pissed lately. I mean he even told on us for sticking up for Sayuri," Shouhei scoffed. "How is it that you're so damn perfect, and your brother is a fucking nightmare?!"

"Shou-kun! He's not a nightmare... he's just... closed off right now. I wish I could figure out why."

"Yeah... it just sucks... I mean we should all be fuckin' celebrating!" he sighed, leaning back against the slide.

Yuuta turned his head and snorted. "We can still celebrate!"

"But I know you, you're gonna be all 'meh', if your brother isn't happy about it too."

Yuuta pouted. "Well... but... I'm still happy you and I are in the same class."

Shouhei pushed himself up, smirking as he leaned in towards Yuuta. "Hell yes!"

"S-Shou!" he blushed and leaned back, almost falling off the end of the slide before Shouhei grabbed his arm and pulled him back, their noses almost touching. "Th-Thanks..." he breathed.

"Think... I could celebrate by kissing you?" Shouhei whispered, his brown eyes flicking down towards Yuuta's lips.

His breath hitched. He would've been a liar if he said he hadn't considered kissing Shouhei before. He just... never expected him to ask.

"O-Okay..." he muttered and Shouhei immediately closed the space between their lips, gripping his arm hard. His lips were dry, but Yuuta didn't mind as he pushed back against the kiss. Shouhei was playful, nipping at Yuuta's lower lip as he brought his hand around his waist, kissing him deeper.

Yuuta thought his heart was going to explode right out of his chest. He could feel his flames desperate to crawl out of his palms, the excitement in his bones rising.

"Wow..." Shouhei smirked. "I should've done that way sooner."

"Sooner?!" Yuuta exclaimed. "I mean I don't want to act like I haven't wanted to kiss you, but sooner! Of course I did think about it from time to time but I was really nervous you would take it the wrong way and-"

Snorting, Shouhei clapped his hands around Yuuta's cheeks. "Calm down, Yuuta. You always overthink shit!"

They both laughed. "I-I know..." he muttered. "But it was good! The kiss I mean!"

"Good!" Shouhei smirked and leaned in to kiss him one more time. "Then I can do it whenever I want!"

"Well we should be careful about PDA-"

"Oh my fucking god, Yuuta, you're lucky you're the cutest little shit," he snorted and cupped his cheeks.

"Okay, okay. I just meant we should also focus on school."

"Right! I gotta practice so I can kick your ass at the sports fest!" Shouhei smirked, squeezing Yuuta's cheeks.

He paled. "The sports fest?"

"Yeah! You know-"

"No, no... I know but ... I don't wanna have to fight you!" he said distressed. "Or Arata!" The whole concept sounded awful. If he was face to face with either of them... could he use his quirk against them?

"Oh man, kicking your brother's smug ass would be fun too!" he smirked.

"Shou-kun!" Yuuta said, playfully hitting him.

"It's gonna be fun, you need to stop worrying! I'm sure once we move in and shit, Arata will lighten up too," Shouhei sighed, leaning back. This time he pulled Yuuta with him and two lay together on the slide.

Maybe Shouhei was right... maybe he did worry too much. He tried to focus on the boy in front of him, instead of worrying about things currently out of his control.

~~

Sayuri leaned back against her desk, kicking her feet up. "This is so dumb, school is almost over anyway," she sighed. "Can we just have our break for fuck's sake!!?"

"Sayu-chan... I don't think you should be sitting like that. You know you're just going to get in trouble," Kazu said, leaning forward to speak in her ear.

"Oh, come on, Kazu-kun! No one is looking! People don't give two shits about me."

"Bakugou-san, please put your legs down. It is inappropriate for the classroom," their teacher’s smooth tone cut through the classroom and Sayuri immediately pouted, groaning.

"This is stupid."

"I don't want to say I told you so..."

"You know you sound like your fucking Mom when you say shit like that Kazu," Sayuri hissed under her breath.

"Well... you kinda sound like your dad so..."

"Ugh," she groaned and yanked out her notebook, scribbling in it as opposed to paying attention. She was so over middle school and she still had two more damn years left there. Shouhei was so damn lucky, getting to go to high school.

Not that she could imagine high school would be any better for her.

During lunch, she immediately turned her chair around. "I'm counting down the weeks," she scoffed, tapping her foot against the ground.

"I know," Kazu chuckled. "To be honest, I'm pretty excited too."

"Yeah..." she said, yanking her chopsticks apart.

"Oh Mom wanted me to ask you if you planned on coming to the lab at all during break?" Kazu said. "I was planning on helping her with some projects and she suggested I ask you too."

Sayuri's eyes began to sparkle. "Projects!? Hero projects!?"

"Well, presumably that's what it would be-"

"FUCK YES!" she yelled, cheering her hands up towards the sky.

Kazu snorted, laughing hard. "I guess I'll tell her yes."

"Ugh yes please," Sayuri rolled her eyes. "My brother got into U.A yesterday, which is great, yay, I'm happy for him, but... it's all my parents are talking about and planning for and I can't listen to it anymore."

"Oh, congrats to Shou-kun!" Kazu smiled, but immediately pursed his lips. "But... are you okay, Sayu-chan?"

Twisting her lips, Sayuri let out a long sigh. "I mean... define... okay. I'm happy for my brother... but I think you know I'm tired of being the quirkless kid."

"Yeah but, you do amazing things too!" Kazu chuckled. "And you'll continue to do amazing things. Just look at my Mom!"

She blushed, feeling guilty. She really tried her best not to talk about her quirklessness, especially around Kazu. He was sensitive to it too, because of both of his parents... however, sometimes it was hard to hold back the emotions bursting inside of her.

Besides, there were somethings she didn't know how to explain. How could she tell Kazu she was concerned her father judged her quirklessness, when she knew all the awful things he'd said to Uncle Deku, Kazu's dad?

"Yeah! I know!" she said, and waved her hand quickly. "It's just hard when your parents are two of the greatest heroes and my brother is on track to be one too and I just..." she sighed. "I'm... really looking forward to working with you and your Mom over the break." She forced herself to smile. She was legitimately excited, it was just... different.

Kazu, however, immediately smiled and pulled out his notebook. "Great! I have so many ideas of what we could work on! Lemme show you some of my favorites. We don't have too much time though, so we shouldn't dawdle!"

He began to explain various techniques and thoughts he had and Sayuri continued to listen. She honestly did enjoy watching Kazu get so excited about his ideas, and admittedly she was excited too. Being around Kazu and his mother especially, always made her feel better.

~~

Arata slung his bag over his shoulder, his heart pounding in his chest. The words on the letter were burned into his mind.

 U.A is proud to welcome Todoroki Arata into class 1-B.

1-B.

What a fucking joke.

And of course... of course Yuuta was in class 1-A. Just like their parents were. Perfect Yuuta.

The thoughts only made him walk faster.

it didn't make sense to him. He was supposed to be strong. He used his quirk often; The crystallized, hot fire dangerous and interesting. Yuuta, on the other hand, rarely used his quirk. Sometimes his blue flames would erupt from his palms and Yuuta would freak out, like he was scared of it. He hadn't done that as much lately, not since he and Shouhei started getting closer.

Shouhei was probably in 1-A as well. The only kid of the Bakugous' who had a quirk? Of course U.A. would take Shouhei.

His parents kept trying to reassure him 1-A and 1-B were the same, the only difference was they would have different homeroom teachers. But it didn't matter. He should've been in the higher class... he should've been better than Yuuta and Shouhei and everyone...

Yuuta hadn't even left the damn starting line during one of the tests.

It made him so angry. He watched his father and mother all over the news, constantly saving people, working so hard to do the best they could. His grandfather was mentioned often too. Him and Yuuta were legacy heroes... it should've been both of them in the first class... but no... of course they would split them up.

He hated how the anger boiled inside of him. He saw how frustrated his father looked and how his mother looked like she wanted to cry. He supposed he was the disappointing child.

And right now he was about to disappoint his father even more.

He didn't want to be weak... not anymore. He wanted to be as good as his father... better even. He wanted to prove to his parents and the world he was meant to be a Todoroki.

He swallowed, glancing down at his phone when it buzzed. He'd been looking at the map here and there, but he was purposefully avoiding his texts.

[Text from: Dad]: Where are you? Your mother and I want to speak to you. We're very proud and happy. We should be celebrating.

That was why.

After staying in his room all day yesterday, he decided to slip away after school. Of course, he forgot they said they planned on having a celebration dinner, mostly because he had absolutely no desire to participate in said dinner.

He also noted he had an unread message from Yuuta and far too many from his mother.

[Text from: Yuu]: Maybe we should talk? Just me and you? I promise I won't say anything to Mom or Dad.

Yeah, Yuuta was the last person he wanted to talk to.

[Text from: Mother]: Sweetheart, you didn't walk home with Yuuta. Did you go somewhere?

[Text from: Mother]: It's okay if you did... just want to make sure you're okay.

[Text from: Mother]: Arata?

[Text from: Mother]: If you need space... I'll be happy to give it to you. I just... want to know why you're so upset. Please talk to me.

This many texts wasn't exactly giving him space, but he did feel bad she was so worried. His mother always worried too much, and he did understand why. His father mentioned once or twice how difficult it was for them to actually be conceived. On top of that, being heroes in the spotlight made their kids targets for potential villain attacks. Still, Arata wished she would relax from time to time.

It had been years since he'd been to this neighborhood, and he praised everything for phones because he was certain he would've gotten lost by now. He reopened his map, double checking he was going the right way.

When he finally arrived outside the house, he took a deep breath. He felt his stomach flip flop with a mix of excitement and fear. He was going to be better... he was going to get stronger.

He opened the small gate, letting it creak shut behind him. Taking a deep breath, he pressed his finger against the small doorbell.

Within a few moments, he heard footsteps as the door slowly opened. There before him was his grandfather, Todoroki Enji, Endeavor.

"...Hi Grandpa..." he muttered, bowing his head. "I-I know I haven't seen you in awhile-"

"Arata?" Enji's voice was booming, and Arata forgot how much of a presence the man held. His brow furrowed.

Arata turned his eyes towards his grandfather, and quickly bowed again.

"Please!" he begged. "I want to be stronger! Please train me!"

[lovehatinganime]

BNHA role swap. The Villains are Yuuei Students: Shigaraki Tomura Edition

“I'm going to ignore the fact that Shigaraki would be called Shimura Tenko because I really don't like that name” this was my first thought and then a whole fanfic plot idea came out of it. 

Nana Shimura, after a night with her lover, accidentally got pregnant. This dude is foreign or a special agent, making it impossible for him to stay around. Nana and him spoke about abortion or giving the baby away. It was honestly the cleverest idea. However, Nana decided to have the baby as a single mom in the very last minute. She didn't tell him not to ruin his career... and well, mostly because it was against what they had arranged. (I actually hate this scenario, but I had to take the father out of the picture and that`s the only explanation it ocurred to me). 

Everything went fine because she had help from a lot of people to raise her kid (you can choose male or female, is not relevant to the story). Thanks to this, she could still continue with her job as, you know, world saviour. Nana`s child grew, fell in love, married and planned to have his/her own family quite fast (the next Shimura generation is simply a normal person. One who, although having a good quirk, never took an interest in following his/her mother`s steps). Here is when things got twisted. Nana had made a lot of enemies during her hero service years and the bad guy who hated her most, villain All Might, attempted to murder her offspring. The police and pro heroes arrived when he was torturing the pregnant woman. It was precisely Nana herself who ´saved` her daughter/ daughter-in-law. The doctors did all they could but unfortunately it was not enough to prevent her from dying. However, they were able to take the baby out. After a month of intensive care in the hospital, Tenko was like any other baby. Nana had no doubt this time, she could not keep him. That`s why handman is yet called Shigaraki Tomura in this au of mine. 

Kurogiri, a retired hero who used to work with the police, infiltrating in multiple crime gangs; became his legal tutor. In the present, Shigaraki is a 16-year-old hero wannabe and Nana is a still alive, kicking ass and quite young grandmother. Very few people know they are related, but Tomura is well aware of the whole story. The heroine tries to visit him as much as she can, taking extreme precaution measures. They get along very well. 

All this is like the background info, so the actual plot would start when Villain All Might`s successors (probably Deku and some other canon 1-A classmates) find out Shiggy`s existence and want to end him; to finish the job that got their master into prison. Maybe they try to recruit him to psychologically torture Nana... or directly try to kill him, not sure. Any way, they fail the first time, so the thing would be that now Tomura and some others who get stuck in the jambo mambo (probably the ones who canonly form the league of villains) have to survive on the run. 

Author Note: What do you think? (scratches the back of her neck) I would love to know your opinions. I am writing concrete headcanons now, so you get more info about other characters and how I imagine them in this parallel reality.  I am hoping to make a series out of this if I have enough time and inspiration. It is also a bit of a high school AU, to be honest. I've tried not to make it look like a soup opera but it sometimes just happens. I live for the tea.

Tomura would be this kid who never gets over his early adolescence emo phase: his hair is always covering his face, never shows the slightest amount of his pale skin and seems allergic to sunlight; wears hoodies on summer what the actual fuck; loves dark themes/topics and favourite colour is black, total edgelord, bitter sense of humor, MRC and BVB...

A videogame freak unable to open a book and study a bit. 

Watches anime because he is too lazy for the manga. 

Him as a student:

One of his teachers (All for one), for some reason, puts great trust on him, naming him class representative. 

Tomura is not amused. 

Complies to his duties, yes, but with extreme exasperation. 

AFO also believes Shigaraki has great potential as a hero. Insists on the idea that if he got better at fighting, with his quirk, he could disintegrate any dangerous weapon a villain had before they could hurt anyone. 

Moreover, this sensei affirms a Tomura in good shape would be impossible to escape as he is able to destroy any hiding place or possible obstacle someone tries to throw into the persecution. 

Considering all this, AFO stars training Shigaraki. 

Tomura is not giving much, tho. 

He is a bit depressed because he is sure he is never going to be like his grandmother. He passes all his courses with shameful results. He cannot find the motivation to make a bigger effort and just keeps going that way until... 

 a) he has a life changing experience when he disintegrates a broken building wall that was about to crush some kids. Tomura realises his quirk is very useful, actually perfect for rescue missions. 

b) Chisaki Kai arrives, transferred from Shiketsu. Contrary to Tomura, he is handsome, polite and with a quirk only destroying to create. He hates his guts. Although it seems to be one of the few people, if not the only one doing so. Kai is starting to become the yueei candidate for top class pro hero. Shigaraki does not like this a single bit. In his eyes, Chisaki is all a facade. Underneath that cool appearance he is just a weirdo prick with a superiority god complex. Tomura is not going to let someone like that enter the same category as Nana Shimura. That`s how he gets his act together (hate is a pure emotion, best fuel ever haha Nah, I am just a sucker for the Overhaul x Tomura relationship. Not in a shippy way, more like rivals). 

His hero costume:

Hasn't designed one yet. 

He starts thinking about it after the aforementioned epiphany. 

Interactions: 

Dabi is his best (probably only) friend, even if they are all the time bickering. He belongs to one of the most famous families in the hero society, him being the outcast. Tomura thinks of him as a total rebel without a cause. Despite his bad behaviour, Dabi has a natural talent that makes him one of the best at yuuei academy. 

The only thing Shiggy enjoys about being clas representative is the status it gives him. 

He cannot help but smile when he sees people who dislike him or would not talk to him in any other circumstance, be obliged to face him and treat him with great respect. 

Tomura gives a gay vibe and is popular with guys. 

Much to his disappointment because he is actually more into girls (I am saying “more” and not making him straight because my open minded multishipper ass always tends to give characters the possibility of discovering they are indeed bisexuals). 

Sadly for him, the only one who shows to have such interest is Toga Himiko, a first year unicorn lover, who is way too obsessed with him. 

Dabi, instead of helping him get rid of her (idk if you are aware of how ShigaToga is actually my favourite romantic ship for both of them BUT without the villainous context i can't see Tomura having the slightest interest on Himiko), encourages Toga and has lots of fun. 

[comicgeekscomicgeek]

Their Hero Academia, Chapters 5-8

Presented raw and unedited.   Edited versions will eventually be added to Ao3, where chapters 0-4 can be found here

Their Hero Academia – Chapter Five: Toshi Midoriya and the First Heroics Class

The next morning found Toshi rising early, as he usually did.  It was a habit he’d picked up from his dad years ago.  They’d go for a jog or another workout and then make it back home in time for breakfast.  He always looked forward to it and intended to keep up his exercise program while he was at U.A.  It was good for the mind and the body.

It was nearly seven by the time he returned to the dorms and most of the Class was already assembled in the common room, eating various combinations of breakfasts.  They were still in the process of developing a chore wheel for the dorms, which would end up including some light cooking. Sitting at one of the tables with Asuka and Izumi, Shinso gave him a sleepy wave, then beckoned Haimawari over to join them.   Good. That meant his efforts yesterday were being rewarded.  Not that he’d have expected anything less of his friends.

He returned the wave and headed to the small kitchen, where Takiyo Aoyama was preparing complicated looking omelet with the help of Akaya Koda.  He gave both of them a polite nod, while he searched the cupboard for his power bars.  “Smells good, guys,” he told them.

“Of course it does,” Aoyama said.  “I’m the one making it.”  

The blonde boy’s illumination was barely noticeable, but definitely growing as he spent more time in the light of both the lamps and the sunlight filtering in through the windows. Toshi understood that he kept his room totally blacked out while he slept, so that some of the light he absorbed throughout the day could bleed off.  By the end of the day, he’d be nearly too dazzling to look at, unless he burned off some of the power.  

He also understood that, like his adopted father, Aoyama’s Quirk was not entirely under his control, requiring multiple support items to use the light he absorbed for much more than glowing brightly.  Toshi couldn’t imagine what that was like.  Sure, he’d accidentally launched himself into the air when he was surprised, but to have that much trouble with a part of yourself…

Koda gave him a gentle nudge.  Despite her size (both the tallest and widest in the class), she was possessed of one of the gentlest demeanors of anyone Toshi had ever met.  “Arrogance ill becomes anyone, Aoyama,” she told him.  Her voice was especially incongruous with her build and size, soft, like the wind whispering through the grass.  “Especially after I convinced these peppers to grow, that they might season our meals.  Do not dishonor their sacrifice with your pride.”

The large girl had an… interesting perspective on things sometimes.  But to each their own.

The point seemed to be made with Aoyama, though, even if he didn’t seem to completely buy the idea of dishonoring the peppers’ sacrifice.  “As you say, Mademoiselle Koda,” he said, reluctantly.  “I...appreciate your help in these culinary matters.”

Not exactly a thank you, not exactly an admission of fault.   Of all the children of Class 1-A, Toshi knew Aoyama the least well. He hated to think badly of anyone, but he couldn’t exactly say he liked what he had seen.  Maybe he’d grow out of it?  Especially once they all really started working together?   Toshi could only hope.

Koda held Aoyama’s gaze for a moment, then decided that was probably the best she was going to get.  She helped him begin to plate the omelets.  “Would you care for any, Midoriya?” she asked.  There was clearly only enough for two, but he appreciated the gesture all the same, especially since Aoyama was making a rather unpleasant face behind her.

He shook his head, already biting off a piece of one of his power bars.  “I’m good,” he said.  “You two enjoy.”

Toshi  walked out of the kitchen, taking in the rest of the room.  The Iida twins were absent, probably at spending their pre-class hours in one of the workshops in the Support building.  Sero was busy filming Sato with his phone, no doubt streaming his friend’s eating of a cactus for all the internet to see.  Ojiro was pointing out something in a magazine to Shoji, who appeared to be doing his best to feign polite interest in whatever celebrity gossip the invisible girl was sharing and to Mineta, who was mostly drooling over the models on the cover.  Chihiro absently munched on a breakfast sandwich, lost in whatever music she had streaming through her phone.

That only left Katsumi unaccounted for and she was likely still up in her room, getting in her morning workout.  Where Toshi’s leaned more towards running, Katsumi’s involved more weight lifting and punching.   Probably nothing to be worried about.

His phone buzzed, letting him know he had a text.  

Dad: Hey, champ!  Ready for your first real Heroics Class today?

I sure hope so!  I can’t imagine what Grandpa Might has planned!

Dad: Just so long as he doesn’t have you fight Katsumi.  I don’t need to hear from Bakugo about that!

He wouldn’t really do that, would he?

Dad: Probably not on purpose.  But you know Grandpa Might!

Do I ever!   He keeps following me around!  They had to kick him out of the classroom four times yesterday!

Dad: I’ll talk to him.  And if that doesn’t work, we’ll get Grandma.

***

Their table of four looked like it was going to become a permanent table of five.  When they’d gone to the cafeteria, he’d made sure Haimawari knew he was welcome to join them.  It was good having someone else around who clearly had the same kind of appreciation for Heroes that he and Shota did.  Granted, it made more sense for someone like Haimawari to be into them, since he wasn’t from a heroic family.  Katsumi had frequently pointed out that being such fanboys when their families were already Heroes didn’t make that much sense. But neither of them cared.

“Anything interesting in Pro Hero news, Shinso?” Izumi asked.  Like Toshi, she had seen that their friend was practically vibrating with something to share.  Izumi was polite enough to offer him an avenue to let it out.

“Only the coolest!” Shota bubbled.  “Red Riot and Real Steel fought Diamondhead!”  He pulled out his phone, showing them video of the two Heroes fighting against a Villain who could turn his skin to diamond in a very similar way to how their Quirks worked.  As they watched, they saw the two Heroes land a punch against Diamonhead that caused a shockwave big enough to shatter all the nearby glass and knock loose objects over.

“The news report said you could feel the impact for miles away!” Shota added

“Oh, man,” Haimawari said, “that was one hell of a punch!”

“Yeah,” Shota said. “They’re both so manly!”

“Shinso,” Asuka began, “that was a lot of property damage…  Maybe we shouldn’t be cheering that.”

“But it looked so awesome!”

Toshi shook his head. “Red Riot and Real Steel are good at what they do.  They wouldn’t have done that if they had another choice.  Judging by his Quirk, I don’t think anything else would have knocked Diamondhead out.”

“Think Kirishima-Bakugo’s seen it yet?” Shota asked. “Bet she’d love to see her dad in action!  He’s all, like, “Pow!  Bam! Take that, evil doer, for my manly heart is pure!’”

Toshi had to laugh at that, catching Izumi politely chuckling and even Asuka trying to hide a laugh behind her hand.  “Okay, yeah, Uncle Eijiro does kind of talk like that.”

Haimawari frowned for a moment.  “Keep forgetting you guys are all pretty much family.  I can’t imagine what it must have been like growing up around that many heroes.”

“They’re just people,” he told him.  “If you’re only seeing them when they’re being Heroes, you’re not getting the full picture.  That’s part of who they are, sure.  Some more than others.  But that’s not all of who they are either.”

There were all kinds of things the public didn’t get to see.  Like the way Dad could cry at the drop of a hat or the way he still geeked out when he talked about working with other Pro Heroes (not that Toshi didn’t join him in the geeking out, mind you) or the way Mom obsessively checked their bank account or had their shopping cart total figured out to the penny before they got to the check out, even though financial insecurity was a thing she’d long put behind her.

“Trust me,” Asuka said, “my father’s “Darkness” speeches don’t work nearly as well when he’s telling you to pick up your room.”

Toshi knew from experience that Asuka’s mother could be far scarier with as single look of disappointment than her father could in full “warrior of the night” mode.

“What do your parents do, Haimawari?” Izumi asked.

Toshi could swear there’s the tiniest moment of hesitation before Haimawari answers, but he has to be imagining it.  

“Nothing as cool as yours,” he says.  “Dad owns a convenience store in Naruhata.  Mom’s a writer for a Pop!-Weekly.”

“The music magazine?” Toshi asked.  He’d seen Chihiro reading it from time to time.  When Haimawari nodded, he added, “That’s pretty cool!”

That got the skinny boy laughing a little.  “Guess it all depends on your perspective.  They’re just my parents to me.”

“Seriously though,” Toshi said.  “It is pretty cool.   You should tell Chihiro.  She’d big into music.”

“Sorry,” Haimawari replied, “still learning everybody’s names.  Chihiro is…?”

“The blonde girl with the ear-Quirk,” Izumi told him.  “Chihiro Kaminari.”

“Mineta’s friend,” Asuka elaborated.

“Ooooh,” Haimawari said.  “Her.   She’s got, ah, interesting taste in friends.”

“She’s not as bad as Mineta,” Toshi assured him.  “Try and talk to her.  Couldn’t hurt.”

“Yeah, maybe I will.”

***

For their Heroics Class, Mr. Aizawa and his grandfather had taken them to Training Ground Epsilon.  Unlike most of the Training Grounds, which were designed to replicate specific kinds of environments, Epsilon was essentially a long open field, with an observation bunker at one end.  It was a warm day, the sun shining, and the sky clear, though their gym uniforms were comfortable enough in it (apparently, the costume department was significantly behind this year).   Toshi was a little bit surprised that Mr. Aizawa could stand that much direct sunlight.

“Normally,” Grandpa Might said, “we’d start Heroics off with the Battle Trials, pitting Hero against Villain in a death-defying race for control of a bomb which might very well destroy the entire world!”

He waited a moment for a reaction from the class.  When no one other than Shinso (who cheered, of course) responded, he looked a little deflated, but he went on.  “Unfortunately, due to a… ah, Quirk misfire with Class 1-B, the Training Grounds for that is currently unavailable and undergoing repairs.   So we have prepared an alternative exercise.”

Okay, Toshi was definitely going to have to pay more attention the other Hero Classes.  If someone in 1-B had a Quirk powerful enough to do that kind of damage…!

Grandpa Might went on, “We’ll be splitting you into teams of four.  Your job will be to defend the Observation Bunker, where the rest of us will be.  Your job will be to defend the bunker from waves of robots that will be attacking!”

“However,” Mr. Aizawa said, “if even one robot makes it to the Bunker, then your team loses, no questions asked.  Because it means everyone inside is dead.”

Ojiro shot her hand up.   “Do we get to pick teams?”

“No.”

“As Heroes,” Grandpa Might explained, “you’ll often find yourself working with other Heroes you’ve never met before.  You’ll need to improvise working with a wide variety of Quirks on the fly.  This will help with that and help you get acquainted with your classmates’ Quirks!”

“And,” Aizawa added, “I don’t trust any of you to make good decisions about teams.  The teams will be as follows.   Team One: Midoriya, Aoyama, Sero, and Tensei Iida.  Team Two: Kirishima-Bakugo, Shinso, Ojiro, and Mineta. Team Three: Todoroki, Haimawari, Sato, and Sora Iida.   And Team Four: Tokoami, Koda, Shoji, and Kaminari.”

Okay, he could work with that…  Pretty good Quirk spread on his team.  Pretty good spread on all four teams, actually.  At least Aizawa and Grandpa Might were giving them a fighting chance.

“The hell?  You losers better not make me lose!”

…He honestly hadn’t expected anything else from Katsumi.

***

In general, Toshi thought he was pretty good with his Quirk.  He could lower his personal gravity until he could bounce off the walls. And with split second timing, he could increase it until he turned into a cannon ball and then bounce back away. He’d sparred with his dad and trained more than a lot of people his age probably had.  Being all second generation heroes, they definitely had some advantages going in, though they hadn’t all worked together much.  This would still be a real test.

He slowly adjusted his gravity, bringing himself back down to the ground.

“What did you see, Toshi?” Tensei asked.  While he could actually fly rather than float like Toshi, he was more like a rocket, needing to keep moving, which was not always as ideal for observation.

“Three one-pointers and two two-pointers,” he said.  “About 50 meters out, coming quick.”

Aoyama was glowing in the afternoon son, difficult to even look at directly.  Reflective wristbands likewise glittered in the sun. “Should go out after them?  Show them what we’re made of?”

“No,” Toshi said. “Our mission is to protect the Bunker. We need to stay close to it, but not let them get too close.  You and Sero need to hang back.  You’ve both got long range Quirks.”

“Aye, aye, Captain Midoriya!” Sero said, tossing off a little salute.

“Are you sure you and Iida don’t just want to grab all the glory for yourselves?” Aoyama sneered. “Keeping me on the bench while you get to be the heroes?”

“I don’t like your tone, Aoyama,” Tensei said.  “Toshi is no glory hog!”

“And perhaps I don’t like yours!”

Toshi’s bad feelings about Aoyama returned.  But now was not the place to get into it.  “Uh, maybe we should just…”

“They’re here!” Sero shouted, interrupting any further argument.

And indeed they were, three one-pointers rolling along on their treads, and a pair of floating two-pointers.  According to the further explanation Grandpa Might and Mr. Aizawa had provided, the waves would only get stronger.  They ten minutes.   Either they held the line that long, or one of the ‘bots got through and they lost.

He didn’t want to lose.  Especially not with his grandfather watching.  He didn’t want it to be this haphazard, he’d wanted some kind of plan. Dad had drilled into him how important having a plan was.  Now…

“Let’s get ‘em, guys!”

Toshi concentrated, bringing his gravity to near zero and took a jump, bouncing up like he had springs under his shoes.  It carried him up and over and then at the right moment he increased it three fold. He immediately fell like a stone, crashing into one of the one-pointers, smashing in its head.  Quickly, he switched back to low gravity again, bouncing off and landing on the sand.

Already, the blood was rushing in his head.   He couldn’t do that kind of rapid switching for too long, not without getting a killer headache.  Not to mention the effects of all that gravity on him.  He was tougher when he amped his gravity up, but it put its strains on him.

Around him, the others were tearing into the rest.  Tensei had flown through one of the other one pointers like a battering ram, propelled by his jet engines.  “As suspected!  They still have not fixed the structural flaw!  Quite disappointing, but good for our Team!”

Sero was quickly wrapping up the remaining one-pointer in his Acid Tape, this time making it as acidic as possible.  It was a good combination of his parents’ Quirks, really, the ability to create tape like his dad, but with all the different and variable properties of his mom’s acid.  “Die, evil robot, die!  Hey, with a dry, cool wit like that, I could be an action hero!”

And Aoyama… was staring down both two-pointers.  His glow intensified until it was blinding.  “Let’s see how these ruffians fair against my Dazzling Beam Blaster!”   Both of his arms snapped up and his wrist bands flared, each unleashing a powerful golden beam of light that punched holes right through the two-pointers. His overall glow was diminished after that, still lending him a bit of a sparkle and getting brighter by the moment, but it was clear he had spent a lot of energy.

He gave himself a small clap.  “That’s how you do it, boys.”

Okay, so Aoyama was powerful.  But that didn’t mean Toshi had to like working with him.

And then, just like that, a buzzer split the air, signaling failure.

“What? How?  We got all of them!” Sero said.

“Probably something you lot did,” Aoyama snapped.

“An unseen variable, perhaps?” Tensei mused.  “Some x factor I did not anticipate?”

“Uh, guys?” Toshi said, pointing behind them.  A one-pointer was already at the bunker, and others were moving in from the sides.

Mr. Aizawa’s voice came over the loudspeaker.  “Perhaps next time you’ll know to watch for all directions.  I expect all the rest of you to have learned something from their failure.”

“DO NOT WORRY, YOUNG GRANDSON!  FAILURE IS BUT THE FIRST STEP TOWARDS VICTORY!  I MEAN, AH, DO NOT WORRY, YOUNG HEROES!  YES, I WAS TALKING TO ALL OF YOU!”

…Maybe he’d be better off just floating away.  He could get a job as a parade balloon.  Anything sounded better than being here right now.

Their Hero Academia – Chapter 6: Isamu Haimawari and the First Big Mistake

He wasn’t hurting.  In fact, he felt like he was past the point of pain.  But he could hear people yelling, screaming.  Strange, he could swear he smelled something burning…

“Go!” he heard Aizawa yelling.  “Get them to Doc Clock!”

And it had been going so well…

***

Well, if the son of the Number One Hero could mess up on their very first real Heroics exercise, maybe Isamu didn’t have to feel so bad about how he was probably going to fail too. All four of the first team had had impressive powers, but they hadn’t been watching their backs.  Plus there was the whole thing where they’d been too busy arguing to pay attention to anything.  Still, he’d done his best to congratulate Midoriya on at least getting to smash one of them.  The green haired boy looked pretty down from his failure.  He would be too.

After the first group had returned, the second group had set out.  The absolutely terrifying Kirishima-Bakugo took the lead, with the other three following her.

She looked around. “Loud Kid,” she told Shinso, “you’re on lookout.  You two, you’re with me.  And for fuck’s sake, look around you!”

There wasn’t any arguing this time like there had been with Midoriya’s group.  Kirishima-Bakugo was simply too frightening for the rest. Ojiro looked the most like she was going to say something (Maybe.  You could only read so much body language on a floating gym uniform), but chose otherwise.

The robots were quickly upon them.   Kirishima-Bakugo raced out to meet the first one, letting out a scream of “DIE!” as she did so.  When she got close enough, she gave it an open-palmed slap on the two-pointer’s side and seconds later, a massive explosion rocked the robot, destroying it.

“That’s how you do it!” she screamed.

“Whoa!” Isamu yelled. He remembered how she’d made the spoons explode like firecrackers in the cafeteria yesterday, but he hadn’t know she could do anything like that.  

“Yeah,” Midoriya agreed. “her Quirk is pretty powerful.  She can release this liquid from her hands that does… something to whatever it touches and makes it explode.  The more she lets out, the bigger the boom.”

“…Remind me never to make her angry.”

“Trust me, Haimawari, when I say ‘good luck with that.’”

Kirishima-Bakugo had already destroyed another two-pointer, while the rest of her team were making short work of the rest.  Ojiro stopped in front of the one of the one-pointers and then simply… disappeared.

“Wait,” Isamu asked. “She can get more invisible?”

“Uh-huh,” Midoriya explained.  “What she’s really doing is bending light.  Her skin’s always doing it, but she can extend it to anything she’s touching, like her clothes.”

The one-pointer suddenly jerked and bucked, like something was trying to climb it, and then its head suddenly disappeared!  It stopped completely, staying still on the sand.  With the one-pointer distracted, Mineta gave it a powerful kick with one of her hooves, knocking it down.  The robot’s head reappeared as Ojiro returned to view, jumping off of it.  

“Oh, that’s good,” Midoriya said.  “She made its head invisible so its camera couldn’t detect anything!”

Mineta was doing a decent job of her own as well, even without team work.  She lowered her head, aiming her horns at one of the remaining one-pointers.  From the tip of teach horn, a stream of purple spheres fired forth, starting the size of a pea, but rapidly growing to the size of a baseball.   They stuck wherever they hit the robot, jamming its joints and obscuring its vision until it could neither move nor see, at which point she rammed it, knocking out its control panel.

“Hey!” she called out, “if I do well enough, do I get a kiss?”

“I thought I told you to stop hitting on me, horse-legs!”

“Sheesh!  You’ve really got no sense of humor!  Besides, maybe I was talking to Ojiro!”

“In your dreams, Mineta!”

The remaining one-pointer was demolished by a shrieking Kirishima-Bakugo, blowing its treads off with a pair of powerful explosions.  “More!  Bring ‘em on!” she yelled.  “Keep fighting, all of you!”

And the second wave was on them.   More two-pointers this time, but still a few one-pointers.  Like last time, some of these started coming in from the sides.

“From the left!” Shinso called out.   As one drew close, he took in a deep breath and then let out a long, low tone.  Isamu could see the air between him and the robot ripple and the ripple slammed into the robot, knocking it over as though it had been punched.  Shinso kept up the tone until the rippling wave punched a hole in the robot’s chest.

That was… that had definitely been a thing.  Isamu remembered how Shinso’d made the ground flow like a wave yesterday.

“What,” he asked, “what exactly is his Quirk?”

“Beats me,” Midoriya said. “They call it Vocal Harmonics.  He does a sustained pitch and stuff happens. Different things for different pitches. Nobody’s really figured out any logic behind it.  Trust me, they’ve tried.”

The others leapt into action too.  Kirishima-Bakugo exploding them, with Mineta and Ojiro slowing them down for her and Shinso.

It was in the fourth wave that things started to go south for them.  The one-pointers were gone, two-pointers making up the majority of the wave, along with a single giant three-pointer.

It started when the two-pointer had Ojiro down, one of its massive arms pinning her to the ground. Her clothes flickered in and out of visibility as she tried to squirm away, but to no avail.  “Argh!   No fair!”

“I’m coming, Ojiro!” Shinso called out.  He took in a breath again and started coughing.  All the explosions Kirishima-Bakugo had been setting off had stirred up a massive amount of smoke, smoke he sucked into his lungs.  Another two-pointer pinned him, face down on the ground.

Kirishima-Bakugo lashed out, heading for the three-pointer, causing explosions along every two-pointer between her and it.  Mineta fired off more sticky balls from her horns, but panic was throwing her air off, not to mention that the smoke was also interfering with her ability to aim.

Kirishima-Bakugo reached the three-pointer, sliding under its reach and tapping its arm.  But she was also clearly running out of whatever liquid she generated to make things explode, because the explosion she created was clearly much less powerful than she had expected.  She stared at her hands like they had betrayed her.

And then the failure buzzer sounded, as the three-pointer had reached the bunker.

“Well, you lasted longer than the first team,” Aizawa said, his voice ringing from the loudspeakers. “We’ll review everything tomorrow. For now, get back to the Bunker. We’ll let the smoke clear out before Team Three goes.”

“Good job, Team!” All Might said.  “Though you might want to learn to take it easy, Young Kirishima-Bakugo!  There’s a time for going all out and a time for caution!”

The robots released Shinso and Ojiro, the former of whom offered Kirishima-Bakugo a hand up, but she batted it away, getting up on her own and stomping towards the Bunker, her face set in a deep scowl.

Isamu finally remembered to close his jaw.  If his team lasted any time at all… it was going to get intense out there.  He was pretty sure his Quirk wasn’t going to be any good for smashing robots, but maybe he could be a distraction for some of the others?  Or get a couple of the robots to smash each other?

Midoriya gave him an encouraging grin.  “Hey, you’re up next!  You’re gonna do great, I know it.”

He returned the grin, maybe a little sheepishly.  “Maybe. Gotta try, anyway.”

Okay, deep breaths. He could do this.

***

When the smoke had cleared, Team Three was finally able to step outside the Bunker.   “So,” Isamu said, “how do we want to do this?”

They’d already seen the first two teams.  They definitely wouldn’t devolve into in-fighting like the first group, but hopefully they wouldn’t mess up the battlefield like the second either.  

“I’ll guard the rear,” Sato volunteered.  “My Quirk’s no good unless they get real close.”   Isamu remembered catching sight of him a few times during the Entrance Exam, tearing into a robot with his teeth.  It wasn’t something he was going to forget anytime soon.  

“Good,” Todoroki said. “Sora, Haimawari, you both have mobility-based Quirks.  Do you think you can control the left and right edges?”

“I’ll give it my best,” he assured her.  Hopefully that would be enough.

“Just leave the driving to me!” Iida said.

Todoroki nodded. “Then I will do my best to hold the middle.   Remember to support each other when you can, and try not to make too much of a mess.”   Her lips twitched slightly when she said the last part.  A smile, maybe?  Isamu didn’t know her well enough to know.

Really, Todoroki was quite the puzzle.  There was the strange power she seemed to have over the ginormously scary Kirishima-Bakugo.  And Torodoki herself was so reserved, quiet, but firm.  It was hard to know what to think of her.

And then the first wave of robots was upon them, the same mix as the other two times.  Two two-pointers, three one-pointers.  Iida went right, so he dropped to the ground and went left, his Quirk pushing him along like a bullet shot from a gun.   Maybe a little too fast, as he was coming up on the one-pointer faster than he expected.

He didn’t have nearly the power to go with his speed to ram his way through it like he’d seen Tensei Iida do in the first round… but maybe he had some skills they didn’t!  Instead of trying to dodge, he kept going and when he got close to the one-pointer jumped on the robot and kept going, sliding over it as easily as he had over the ground.  The nearest other one-pointer took a swing at him and he added an extra burst of speed, carrying him over the robot’s shoulder and down his back.  The second one-pointer’s blow hammered home on the first, smashing a hole in it and bring it down, giving him just enough time to hit the dirt and slide away.

He skidded to a stop. “I…  I did it!”  He’d managed it a couple times during the Entrance Exam, but he really hadn’t been sure he could do it again.

“Good job, Haimawari!” Todoroki cheered.  “But keep alert!’  

A two-pointer was nearly upon her, but she pointed a pale hand at it and frost began to appear along its surface, until its skin was frozen solid and it started to crack under its own weight.  Todoroki grimaced with the exertion of it, her pale features flushing.  She pointed at one of the one-pointers, this time unleashing a blast of flames that quickly took it down.  As she stopped the flames, her condition improved.

Weird, actually. Every time he’d seen her make ice, she made fire right after.  He didn’t know what that meant.

But he needed his head back in the game.  He saw Iida taking down the last one pointer, her jet engines giving her more than enough power to knock its head clean off.

“One more two-pointer,” he said.  “Heading towards Sato!”    The thick-lipped boy took up a defensive stance, but he wouldn’t last long against that.

Isamu threw himself forward and saw Iida keeping pace with him.  “There’s a design flaw,” she told him.  “Lots of them, actually.  But the leg joints are especially weak.  If we both hit it at the same time in a different leg, we should be able to take it down.”

“Got it!” he said, squinting against the dust their speed was kicking up.  He was definitely going to need goggles and a mask if he was going to keep doing this kind of thing.

He concentrated, pouring on the speed, kicking himself into a higher gear.  Iida kept pace, both of them racing to towards the robot.  Sato, to his credit, held his ground, bearing his teeth at the machine.  He and Iida reached the robot at the same time, both of them striking a leg joint. The joints buckled and the robot toppled over.  Sato pounced on it, opening his jaw wider than Isamu would have thought possible, taking a huge bite out of its head.  

“Blegh,” Sato said. “It’s stale!”

Yeah, he wasn’t going to ask any follow up question about that.

And there wasn’t any time. The next wave was already starting.

***

By the fourth wave, they were running out of steam.  Iida was down, having run out of fuel from overusing her Jetpack.  Sato was curled up on a ball, his belly bloated, moaning.

Todoroki looked dead on her feet, and even Isamu was exhausted.  This was the longest and hardest he’d ever pushed his Quirk continuously.  At least during the Entrance Exam, he’d had spurts where he could rest, catch his breath for a moment.

“You… okay?” he asked Todoroki, as the next wave came towards them.

“No,” she said.  “I do not think I can keep fighting much longer.” A hard, determined look set itself on her face.  “But I will go down fighting.”

She brought up both hands and Isamu could feel the temperature dropping.  A massive block of ice incased every last robot in the fourth wave, two and three-pointers both.

“Whoa,” he breathed.

Quickly, however, he noticed that Todoroki had gone even paler.  Her knees buckled and she began to fall.

He found himself moving before he could even think.  Even as he heard someone yelling, telling him no…

Too late, he remembered about the flames.  As he caught Todoroki before she could fall, her body erupted in flames and his world turned to pain.

***

He sprung up with a gasp, only to find he was no longer on the battlefield.  Instead, he seemed to be in… a hospital bed?  He had to be in the medical building. How was that possible? He’d taken a blast of fire that could melt steel to the face.  Isamu was pretty sure that he should be dead, or at the very least, severely burned. But his hands were unblemished and as he felt his face, he realized that was too.

“What?”

“You’re awake,” a voice said, as he heard the curtain around the bed part.  “Good.  You gave us all quite a fright when you were brought in.”

At the foot of the bed, he saw a woman in thirties, wearing a white doctor’s coat over a black and purple costume with a clock insignia on her chest.  She had blue-white hair down to her shoulders, but what was most noticeable was the horn growing from her head.  

“How…?” he began.

“Are you not dead?  Or at least not more severely injured?  That would be my doing.”

“I thought I heard someone say something about a… Doc Clock?  Is that you?”

The woman smiled.  “I never did like that name very much.  A friend of mine called me that when I was a student here and it stuck.  I am Doctor Eri Izumi.”

“Ah, nice to meet you, Doc. So do you have a healing Quirk or… Because I didn’t think there were any like that that were that strong.”

She shook her head. “Nothing like that. I can rewind living matter back in time.  It’s best if I have an idea of exactly how long.  But on the plus side, you’re now about twenty minutes younger than you used to be.”

Well, that was a new one.

“Are you feeling up to visitors?  A few of your friends are waiting on you.”

He nodded and she turned to a very elderly woman that he now noticed was napping in an electronic wheelchair at a nearby desk.  “Recovery Girl!”

The old woman’s eyes snapped open.  “Just resting my eyes!”

“Of course you were,” Doctor Izumi assured her.  “Do you think you could go get Haimawari’s friends?”

The old woman smiled. “Of course, dearie.  Just leave it to me!”  She threw the wheelchair into motion, nearly clipping a wall on her way.

Realization hit him. “Todoroki!  Is she okay?!”

Doctor Izumi nodded. “She’s fine, just resting like you. It was a brave thing you did.  Or as my father called it, “A damn fool heroic stunt.”  That’s practically high praise from him.  I’ve told him to have you take it easy for a few days though.  Rewinding can be stressful on the body.”

Wait.   What?  She couldn’t have been talking about All Might, so she had to mean…

He was going to file that under things he wasn’t going to think about.

“What do you mean I can’t see Izzy, you shriveled old crone!”

“Who’re you calling shriveled, you whipper-snapper!  Why, when I was your age, I knew how to talk to my elders!”

“That was my foot you just ran over, you senile old fool!”

“Young Kirishima-Bakugo…!”

“Katsumi, please…!”

Eventually, the noise died down and Recovery Girl brought Midoriya, Shinso, and Tokoyami, along with All Might.   The former Number One Hero, here to see him.  His heart was suddenly pounding in his chest.

“Young Haimawari!” All Might beamed.  “Quite the display of heroics out there!  Though I really would ask that you not do anything like that again!  This old heart of mine isn’t as good as it used to be.”

“Oh, really?” Doctor Izumi asked him.  “Did I not do a good enough job the first time?”

“What?  I, Eri!  You see…”

“Relax,” she told him. “I’m just teasing you.”

“Oh, of course…”

Doctor Izumi chuckled and shook her head.  “Just a few minutes, now, all of you.  Haimawari needs his rest.”

As his new friends gathered around his bed, Isamu thought he might actually be doing all right after all.

Their Hero Academia -- Chapter Seven: Izumi Todoroki and Trying to Make Amends

“Mama!  Daddy! Look!  Ice!  Ice!” She had been so happy the day her Quirk had come in, showing off her power to her parents by making ice cubes.

“Oh, wonderful, darling,” her mother had said.

“That’s good,” her father had said, smiling.  He smiled so rarely, always seemed so lost in thought, but he always smiled for her and her mother.

And then she had started feeling warm.  Too warm.  “Ow! Hot!  Hot!”  And little flames danced from her hand…

***

Under normal circumstances, Izumu would have been glad to see her parents.  But these were hardly normal circumstances.  Not when she was lying in a bed in U.A.’s medical building. Not after what had happened on the Training Ground. She had pushed herself too hard and had collapsed during training.  That too, would be cause for concern, but not as much as she was facing now.  If she’d had more endurance… maybe she wouldn’t have collapsed.  

Maybe she wouldn’t have injured Haimawari.  Her memory of the event was fuzzy, but she knew she had seen him racing towards her as she had collapsed.  He would have been at ground zero when she had ignited.

Mr. Aizawa had been direct, but not unkind, when he had told her what had happened.  She had badly injured the young man, burns over most of his body.  If it had not been for Doctor Izumi (He was injured by one Izumi, saved by another. The irony was not lost on her), he very likely would have died.  And only the doctor’s unique Quirk had saved him from a lifetime of permanent injuries.

He had told her, had not tried to tell her that she should not feel guilty.  Instead, he had told her to use that guilt to motivate herself, to make sure it never happened again.   She would.

She should never have tried to absorb that much heat at once.   Unlike her father, she couldn’t just lower the temperature to make ice. She absorbed the heat into herself. And that had to go somewhere, manifesting as flames.  She could hold it in for a little while, but the amount of heat she’d absorbed, coupled with having already reached the limits of her endurance during the training exercise, had overwhelmed her.  And when she had passed out, all of it had come racing out at once.  

“We’ll just bring you home for a few days,” her mother said, “so you can recuperate properly.  You’ll be feeling fine in no time.”

She hadn’t wanted her parents called in at all.  Students got hurt all the time during training at U.A.  It was to be expected.  They had a fine medical staff, even beyond Doctor Izumi.  And students pushing themselves too hard were nothing new either.  

But it had been a fight to even allow her parents to let her attend.  Her mother in particular had been extremely against it, worried over her health.  They had settled on a compromise, one suggested by her father.  She would be allowed to attend, but they were to be called if anything disastrous went wrong with her health.  And pushing herself to exhaustion definitely counted for that.

“I do not wish to return home,” she said, looking to her father for support.

“You collapsed, Izumi,” he said.  He looked over to her mother, then back to her.  “We need to look out for your health.  If you push yourself too hard…”

She could make her already fragile state even worse.   “But if I do not push myself,” she said, “I will not improve.  The only way to surpass my limitations is to push them.”

“We’re not asking you to drop out,” her mother said.  “Just to take a few days off from more intensive training.  You can keep up on your regular studies still.”

It sounded perfectly reasonable.  But she understood her parents, understood their caution and worry.  It would be a very short journey from coming home for a few days to staying longer to not returning to U.A. at all.  The arguments would be logical and well-reasoned.  And if she was forced to endure them, she could see her resistance wearing down.  

Which was why it could not be allowed to happen.

“Doctor Izumi already recommended the same to Mr. Aizawa,” Izumi said firmly.  “So I am already excused from active Heroics training for the next week.  Here or home changes nothing about it.  So I would prefer to stay here.”

In spite of the seriousness of the situation, her father let out a small laugh.  “Such a stubborn girl,” he said.

Her parents exchanged a glance and as one, both said to the other, “She gets that from you.”  This, in turn, prompted them both to laugh. Her father’s short and sharp, her mother’s longer, fuller.

“My health is always my concern,” Izumi went on.  “I am aware I cannot last as long, run as fast, or work as hard as some of the others. But I am where I want to be.  I want to be as good a hero as either of you. And I cannot do that if you treat me like a fragile flower.”

Her life had revolved around her health for as long as she could remember.  Long doctor visits, the best specialists an absurdly considerable fortune could buy, enough medications to fill a large truck.  Constant reminders that she just couldn’t keep up with her friends.  And even the bullying that Katsumi had protected her from.  But she truly was getting better.  Getting stronger.  Even months ago, she wouldn’t have been able to absorb that much heat fully rested, let alone exhausted.  That had to be proof of something.

She took in a breath.   “Please.”

Her mother looked like she was going to disagree, but finally managed a nod.  “All right,” she said.  “But I want you to have a visit with your regular doctor.  Doctor Izumi has my utmost respect, but her primary training is emergency medicine.”

“Probably as good a deal as you’re going to get, Izumi,” her father said.  

That was… better than she could have hoped.   She unclenched a hand she didn’t realize she’d been clenching.

“I can agree to that,” she said finally.  “Thank you.”

“Get back here, you hooligan!”

“Screw you, old woman!”

There was the sound of running in the hallway, until Katsumi appeared where the curtains parted, frantically looking behind her.  “Crazy old lady didn’t think I could jump over her, but I showed her.  Got halfway down the hall before she could even get turned around!”

She seemed to realize that it wasn’t just Izumi in the room and had the self-awareness to look slightly sheepish.

“Ah, hello, Mr. Todoroki. Mrs. Yaoyorozu.”

Her eyes widened, then narrowed with anger as she drew her own conclusions.  She dropped into a fighting stance.  “You’re not taking Izzy!  You can’t!  I’ll… I’ll fight you!  You’ll have to go through me first!”

She really didn’t mean to—Katsumi looked so serious—but Izumi actually burst out laughing.  Her parents just looked confused, looking back and forth between the two girls.

“Katsumi,” she said. “That was never an option under serious consideration.”  Not the whole truth, but it would prevent Katsumi from getting angrier.  “And we have reached a further agreement to allow me to stay.

“But thank you for your support.”

“Oh,” Katsumi said, deflating slightly.  “Well… good.”

A shriveled hand suddenly gripped Katsumi’s wrist.  “Got you!” Recovery Girl said.  “And I told you, no more visitors!”

The ancient Hero used her free hand to put her wheelchair into reverse, dragging Katsumi with her.

“Hey!  Let go of me, you crone!  You can’t do this!  I’ve got rights!”

When they were both gone, her parents both looked over to her, incredulous.  Izumi just shrugged.   “Katsumi is always watching out for me,” she explained.

There was another shared glance between the two of them, the meaning of which she did not fully grasp. In point of fact, her father’s expression was quite confused, while her mother seemed to be trying to communicate something she couldn’t even guess at.

“I see Bakugo and Kirishima’s daughter is the same as ever,” her father said.

“Your… friend is quite devoted,” her mother observed.

“She is,” Izumi agreed. “I am quite lucky.”

***

Once she was back at the dorms, Izumi sought out Asuka Tokoyami.  She could have gone to any of her closest circle of friends about this, but what she needed right now was the kind of bluntness only the bird-headed girl could provide.  Toshi would try to soften the blow and Shota would inevitably get derailed into telling her how awesome she’d been prior to that fateful moment.  So she needed someone who would tell her like it was. She just counted herself fortunate enough to have made her way back without having run into Haimawari.  That was another good reason to avoid Toshi or Shota as sources of advice.  They shared a floor with Haimawari.

She found Asuka in her room, the door open.  Her friend’s room was tastefully decorated, with bright, floral prints on the walls. Asuka was at her desk, where she was typing on a green computer, the monitor of which was shaped like a frog’s head. “Asuka?” she asked.  “May I come in?  I need to talk to you.”

Her friend stopped typing and looked to the doorway.  “Sure,” she said.  “Come on in.”

“Thank you,” Izumi said as she stepped inside.  Asuka gave a slight nod to the spare chair in the room and she took a seat.

“How’re you feeling?” Asuka asked.

“Well enough,” she replied. “I am on several restrictions as far as Heroics go for a time, and I must see my doctor, but I am being allowed to stay.  How is Haimawari?”

“Physically fine.  Doc Clock fixed him up.  We brought him back as soon as she cleared him to leave.  Toshi and Shota got him to bed.”

“And mentally?”

“Harder to say.  He was more concerned about how you were. But he did almost die.  Who knows how he’ll handle it when he gets time to process it.”

Not exactly what she had wanted to hear, but also exactly why she had come to Asuka in the first place. Bad enough that she had potentially damaged her own career, but if she had waylaid someone else’s as well…

“I would not know how to begin to apologize to him,” Izumi said.  “A simple “I’m sorry” does not seem sufficient for setting someone on fire.”

“Probably not,” Asuka agreed.  She placed a finger on her face, near her beak.  “But you should still try.  I’m sure he knows you didn’t mean to do it.”

“Would… would some kind of apology gift be appropriate?” Perhaps that was it?  Certainly, money was no object in that regard.  

Asuka shook her head. “Definitely not.  Don’t make it look like you’re trying to buy his forgiveness.”

There was a brief flash as Frog Shadow appeared, manifesting over Asuka’s shoulder.  “But if you’re throwing money around, we could use a new phone.”

“Really?” Asuka asked her familiar.

Frog-Shadow just shrugged. “Your phone’s boring.  No games!”

Green-feathers ruffled with irritation.  “I can’t take you anywhere.”

“You never go anywhere fun, anyway!”

Izumi got the feeling she was now intruding on something rather personal.  “I, ah, I shall leave you to your discussion, Asuka.  Thank you for your honesty.”

***

Izumi stepped into the hallway, closing the door behind her to give Asuka and Frog Shadow their privacy. She had known the bird-headed girl nearly all her life and considered her one of her closest friends, but she still could not even begin to understand the relationship between the girl and her Quirk.  Granted, there was much about most of her classmates and friends she did not understand.

Kaminari was outside her dorm room, sitting on the floor, occasionally looking down at a text book or scribbling something on a piece of paper.  She looked up.   “Get the advice you’re looking for?” she asked.

Izumi raised an eyebrow at that.  “How did you…?”

“I’m not that dumb, Todoroki.  I was there and I saw what happened to Haimawari.  And you’re probably one of the kindest people any of us knows.  So yeah, you’re probably worried about what to do next.  And everybody knows Tokoyami won’t sugarcoat anything.”

“I hurt him, Kaminari. I am not sure how you walk back from that.”

Kaminari shrugged, but it wasn’t a dismissive one, as far as Izumi could determine.  She brought up both of her Extension Cords, sparks dancing from the tips, then pressed the double-prongs of each together, setting off a spark that set her twitching for a moment, before she pulled them apart.

“You and me, we’re not that different,” Kaminari said.  “Your flames got out of hand, I can electrocute somebody or fry my own brain if I’m not paying attention.  See, I did that on purpose just now, but it doesn’t take much to set off a spark if I’m not careful.  All our Quirks can be dangerous if we’re not careful.  Yours, mine, even Shoji’s.”

Her right Cord pointed at Izumi.  “The real important thing is learning and not letting it happen again.  We all came here knowing it was going to be a rough road and we might get hurt.  Just gotta make sure it’s never the same way twice.”

Izumi nodded. “I…  Thank you, Kaminari.  I shall keep that in mind.”

The sound of hooves cut off any further discussion, as Mineta ran down the hall and into her room.   The door reopened for a moment and she stuck her head out.  “If anyone asked, I was here all night!”  The door closed again.

Yes, she was never going to completely understand all of her classmates.  But she especially was never going to understand Mineta.

***

It was not until the next morning that she was able to speak to Haimawari.  Though exhausted by the day, she had slept poorly, replaying the events of the previous day over and over in her mind, trying to figure out what she should have done differently and what she could say now.

She let him eat breakfast with Shota and Asuka, eating hers instead with the Iida twins.  They were too distracted with sketching something to bring up the events of yesterday.  It brought her a little respite, at least.

Finally, though, she had to approach Haimawari and the others.  “May I,” she began, finding her voice faltering.   He did not flinch from her, but seemed slightly uneasy in her presence.  That… that had to be something.  Something she could hold onto, build up from.  “May I speak to you, Haimawari, privately?”

“Come on, Shota,” Asuka said, rising. “I’ll help you with that homework problem before class.”

“What homework….” Shota began, until comprehension dawned on his face.  “Right.  Homework. Gotta go.  See you in class!”

It left the two of the alone.  Everyone else in the Common Room was busy enough.  Everyone had seen what had happened.  They would likely not be disturbed.  Even if Haimawari looked like he would rather be anywhere else.   “Ah… sure,” he said.  “We can talk.”

She took the seat opposite him and took a deep breath.  “I’m told you tried to save me yesterday.  Thank you.”

At this, he did smile. “Just doing what heroes do.  Felt like I was moving before I could think.”

Izumi nodded.  “I’m told many of us have had a moment like that.”

The silence hung before them like an uncomfortable cloud.  

“I hurt you,” she said when she could bear the silence no more.  “Badly.  You could have died because I pushed myself beyond my limits.  Because I was not strong enough to control or contain my Quirk.”

He looked down at the table and folded his hands in front of him.  “I definitely didn’t think I’d come that close to dying on my second day,” Haimawari said after a moment.  “But I’d do it again.  Even when I caught on fire, all I could think was “at least I went out doing the right thing.’”

“I am sorry,” Izumi said. “You should never have been put in that position.  Never should have had to face that.”

“Isn’t that why we’re all here?” he asked.  “Because we can’t help racing into danger?  You don’t have to apologize to me, Todoroki.”

“I must,” she said, now looking down herself.  She realized she was crying.  “If anything more sever had happened…  If Doctor Izumi had not been able to…   I do not know what I could have done.”

He reached across the table and took her hand.  “P—p—please,” he said.  “Don’t cry. I said you don’t have to apologize to me, and I meant it.  But if it means that much to you, I accept your apology.  And I forgive you.”

She looked up.  He was smiling and there was not a hint of malice or fear in his eyes.  “I was afraid you would hate me,” she said.  “Or fear that I might hurt you again.”

“Don’t really have it in me to hate people,” he said.  “Got plenty of room for friends, more than I’d like for fear, but no fear for my friends. I’ve got plenty of doubts all on my own. Like what I’ll do when my back’s to the wall.”

“I would guess you’ll probably rush in and try to do the right thing again.”

He laughed.  “Yeah, you’re probably right.”

“So,” she ventured. “We are… all right?  Things are “good” between us?”   Why did people have to be so complicated?

“We’re good, Todoroki,” he said.

“After everything,” she said, “I must insist that you call me Izumi.  It only seems right.”

“Only if you call me Isamu.”

“It is a deal.”

***

“See, Izumi?” her father said.  “You just have to make sure you let the fire out.  Careful where you put it though.”

“I know, Daddy!  I know!”

“Just keep it balanced,” her mother had told her.  “And you’ll do just fine.”

“We know you’ll make us proud.”

Their Hero Academia – Chapter Eight: Katsumi Kirishima-Bakugo and the Need To Woman Up

Katsumi’s fists pounded into the heavy bag hanging from her ceiling, letting her vent her anger and frustration.  At least, that was the theory.   As of right now, it didn’t seem to be doing her much good.  The events of the previous day kept playing over in her mind.

It had been one shit show after another.  First, her team had fallen in the fourth round.  She’d exhausted her reserves and run out of explosive power and the rest of her team had let her down to boot.  Some people might have said that lasting four rounds was good.  But not her.  She was aiming for the finish line.

And then Izzy…  She’d always known Izzy was powerful.  But she hadn’t realized just how powerful she was. That girl truly was silk hiding steel. Even if she’d pushed herself too far. But Katsumi did the same thing. She could hardly blame Izzy for that. Even if her heart had seized up in her chest when Izzy went down.

In some dumb way, she was grateful to the Newb.  If he hadn’t caught Izzy…   Dumb Newb had damn near gotten himself killed for it though.   Maybe she really could ease up on him.   A little.  She had a reputation to uphold.

But her thoughts lingered longest on what she’d said in front of Izzy’s parents.  She’d threatened to fight two Pro Heroes, one of them the Number Three Hero.  She’d threatened to fight them for Izzy, to keep them from taking her away.  Who knows what she would have done if that withered old crone hadn’t dragged her off?

Well, Dad probably would have laughed and encouraged her.  So that was something.  Papa on the other hand…

“You are a mess, girl,” she told herself, pausing to catch her breath.  “And you’ve got it bad.”

There was a series of knocks at her door.  Three short taps, one hard tap, a pause, then two more hard taps.  Go Beyond!  Plus…ULTRA!

Katsumi shook her head. “What do you want, Toshi?”

“Can I come in?”

“Before I answer that, do you have Loud Kid with you?  Because I cannot deal with him before I’ve had coffee.”

“Shota’s having breakfast with Asuka and Haimawari.”

“Then you can come in.”

Toshi slid the door open awkwardly, as he was carrying a pair of coffees and a pair of those Pro Hero branded power bars he liked so much.  “Thought you might like some breakfast,” he said, offering her one of each.

She eyed the coffee mug suspiciously.  “What kind of coffee is that?”

“It’s coffee-flavored coffee.  Black, no sugar.”   Toshi made what she was guessing he thought was an imitation of her scowl.  “Like my heart.”

She gave him a blank look. “Was that supposed to be me?”

His eyes went wide. “Ah… that depends on whether or not you liked it?”

Toshi could be annoying sometimes, but he did know how to make her laugh.  And whether she liked it or not, he was always looking out for her. For all of them.  Even if they didn’t want or need it.  She took the coffee mug and gave him an affectionate punch in the arm, nearly causing him to spill his own coffee.   “You’re all right, Toshi,” she said.  “Thanks.”

She accepted the offered power bar and took a bite out of it.   “So what’re you really doing here?”

“Why do you assume I have an ulterior motive?”

“Because you only bring me food and coffee when you wanna talk.”

“Well, you do get kind of hangry…”

She rolled her eyes. “Out with it, Toshi.”

“Just checking up on you,” he said.  “After everything that happened yesterday, I was worried about you.”

Her pride flared.  Who did he think she was?  Some kid who needed a babysitter?  She wasn’t somebody who needed looking out for, like Loud Kid.  “I’m a big girl,” she said.  

“I know that,” he said. “But yesterday… yesterday as rough.”

Sometimes, Toshi had a real talent for understatement.

“I mean, you and me, we know the risks.  Our parents are Pro Heroes.  We’ve seen them get hurt sometimes.  Sometimes badly.”

That was true.   Dad got hurt all the time, mostly minor scrapes, cuts, and bruises.  But she was still haunted sometimes by a memory from years ago, when Papa had been badly beaten by a Villain named Strongarm. She remembered seeing him broken and bandaged in that hospital bed, she remembered hanging onto Dad.  It was one of the only times she could remember seeing him cry…

“You don’t have to remind me,” she said.  “I know getting hurt’s a possibility.”

“You know you getting hurt is a possibility.”

She paused, coffee cup halfway to her mouth.  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I saw you, when we were watching Izumi’s group…”   He trailed off, as she began to glare at him.  “I didn’t mean to!  But you were getting kind of loud and everything! But, every time Izumi nearly got hit or had to dodge or when she collapsed…  I saw your face.”

“Probably the same kind of face you were making,” she snapped.  “It’s Izzy.  We all care about her.”

“Yeah, we do,” Toshi agreed. “And maybe I’m not a really great judge about this… but maybe you care about her as more than just a friend.”

She had him pressed up against the wall, one hand on his neck, before she knew what she was doing. Both coffee cups had clattered to the floor, spilling their contents on the carpet.  “The hell did you just say, Toshi?!”

His eyes were widening as he struggled against her grip.  “Can’t…  can’t… breathe…  Katsumi…”

With a growl, she let him go.   “I’m sorry,” he said.  “I shouldn’t have said…”

“Is it that obvious?” she asked.  Did the whole freaking school know?  How the hell was she supposed to make people quake in fear of her if everyone knew she was soft over somebody?  …Did Izzy know?

Toshi shook his head. “I don’t think so.  I mean, I haven’t talked to everybody about it, but Asuka noticed it even earlier than I did.  But I don’t think most of them know.  Shota definitely doesn’t.  And we’re not going to tell him.”

Okay, that all added up. And she could definitely cross Ojiro off the list of people who maybe knew.  If the invisible teen knew, the entire school would have known.   People in America would have known.  Theoretical evil twins from an alternate universe would have known.  No gossip was safe from invisible lips.

She jabbed a finger in Toshi’s direction.  “You tell no one about this.”

Toshi backed away from her finger, up against the wall.  “Is this… is this because you like girls?” he asked.  “Because we’re all okay with that.  Sero’s gay too, you know…”

“It’s not that, you idiot!”  She threw her hands up in frustration.  “First off, I like guys and I like girls!  And that’s still not the point!  It’s… it’s an Izzy thing.  I don’t know if she’d feel that way about me.  I don’t know what a girl like her would even want with a girl like me.”

Toshi held up his hands. “I don’t know what to tell you, Katsumi. I really don’t.  But I think you’re going to have to do something. You can’t just keep circling like that.”

He offered her a smile. “What I do know is you’re a pretty amazing person.  And you and Izumi have been friends a long time.  That’s not going to change, no matter what else happens.  And I’m your friend too.”

“…I really hate it when you make sense.”

The silence hung over the room for a moment.  “This isn’t the part where we hug, Toshi.   Get outta here.”

He laughed as he exited her room.  “Okay, Katsumi.  I’m… I’m rooting for you.”

***

When she stepped into the Common Room, Katsumi was a woman on a mission.  She was going to find Izzy and she was going to talk to her.  An actual talk, with words and everything. The kind of mushy, touch-feely talk Dad derided and tried to substitute grunts for and the kind that Papa was so good at.

Step One: locate Izzy.

Actually, Step One turned about to be: Dodge the Chaos.

“You take that back, Frenchie!” Mineta snapped at Aoyama.

“I just call them like I see them, Chéri.”the blonde snapped back.  “You prance around here, trying to seduce everything with a pulse.  You know what that makes you.”

“Okay, that’s it!”

“Bring it!”

What happened next… couldn’t exactly be called a fight.  Not with both of them just standing at arms’ length, flailing their arms and slapping them hands against each other.

And then some of the others started cheering them on.  Sero was recording the whole thing on his phone, Ojiro was cheering on Aoyama, Kaminari was cheering on Mineta, and the Iida Twins were yelling at everyone that fighting would not be tolerated…

Yep, she just sidestepped that whole thing, passing by Koda, who was watching the whole thing rather helplessly.

There.  Izzy was at one of the tables… with the Newb.

Great.  Just great.

Maybe she could try the whole “being nicer” thing?

Yep.  She was going to walk over there and ask to talk to Izzy. She wasn’t even going to threaten the Newb into moving.  She was going to put on her friendliest face, go over there, and talk to Izzy.

So why weren’t her legs working?

She was Katsumi Kirishima-Bakugo, the wo-manliest Hero-in-Training in the whole school, daughter of two of manliest and most awesome heroes on the planet.  She didn’t back down from anything.  Not from a fight, not from a challenge, and definitely not from a girl she’d had a crush on since she was eight.

One foot in front of the other.  She could do this.

So why… was the Newb… holding her hand?  And grinning like an idiot?  And Izzy was smiling too…

She ran.

***

Izzy was back in school finally, having been gone for a long time because she’d been so sick.  She’d ended up in the same class as Katsumi.

There’d been three of them.  She didn’t remember their names.  She just remembered what they’d done.  

She’d fallen on the playground, while they were running, playing tag.  She wasn’t as fast as anyone else, panting and out of breath.

“Why don’t you just stay down?” one girl had sneered, all three of her eyes cold and cruel.

“Nobody wants to play with a sick kid like you!” another had taunted, her spiked tail swinging behind her.

“Can’t believe somebody like her has Hero parents!” a third had said.  “They must be so embarrassed!”

“All of you, shut up! Leave her alone!”  She’d picked up a handful of rocks, letting her explosive power seep into them.  She wasn’t supposed to use her Quirk while at school or on the playground, but they just made her so mad…!   She threw the rocks, where they exploded at the mean girls’ feet, all bang and no flame, but more than enough to scare them off.

“Fine!” the three-eyed girl had snapped.  “You want her, you can have her!”

She offered Izzy a hand-up.  “It’s okay,” Katsumi had said.  “I’m here.

Slowly, Izzy’s sobs stopped.  “Thank you,” she’d said.  “I didn’t… I didn’t know they’d be so mean.”

“Don’t worry, Izzy,” she’d said.  “Anything happens, I’ll exploderize them!”

Izzy had pressed her hands to her face.  “I… I wouldn’t want anybody to get hurt…”

“Aaaw, maybe I can just exploderize them a little?”

“Maybe just a little, Katsumi.”

“Don’t worry,” she told Izzy again.  “I’ll take care of you.”

And Izzy was hugging her and she had never felt more like a Hero than she had right then.

***

Katsumi hadn’t gotten far, just under one of the trees in the courtyard.  She wasn’t going to cry.  She was not going to cry.  She was Katsumi Kirishima-Bakugo, and she definitely did not just go crying over anything.  

She was… she was happy for Izzy.  Yes. Izzy absolutely deserved all the happiness in the world.  She couldn’t be mad at her for finding happiness…

“ARGH!”  She let out a scream, releasing some of the rage she felt burning up inside her.  Katsumi was well aware that she had what some might call “anger issues.”  And sometimes, yeah, she let it out at the wrong times.  Usually when someone pissed her off or did something stupid.   But she had rarely been as angry as she was right now. Angry at the unfairness of it all, angry at missed chances, angry at herself for waiting so long.

She needed something to punch, something to explode.  But no targets presented themselves.  And she was smart enough not to just unleash random property damage.  She didn’t need the headache or the detention that would come with that.

Problems she could punch were so much easier to solve.

“Katsumi.”

She looked up and blinked rapidly, because she had to be dreaming.  It was Izzy.  But why would Izzy be out here?

“Katsumi,” Izzy repeated. “In all the time I have known you, I have never seen you run like that. What’s wrong?”

Words left her mouth before she had the chance to stop them.  “You came running after me?  You break up with your new boyfriend already?”

Confusion worked its way across Izzy’s face.  “My… what?”

She struggled to remember the Newb’s actual name.  “Haimawari. I saw the two of you.   I’m…  I’m happy for you.  Much as I hate to admit it… he seems like the Hero-type.  And you deserve the best, Izzy.”

“Katsumi,” Izzy said, still looking very confused, “Haimawari is my friend.  That is all. I don’t know what would lead you to believe otherwise.”

“I saw the two of you!  Smiling, holding hands…”

“Ah.”  Izumi nodded.  “We were just speaking to each other.  I apologized for setting him on fire.”

Only Izzy could have delivered a statement like that.

“He forgave me,” she went on.  “I was… grateful for that.  I was so ashamed of what I had done to him… I feared he might hate me.”

No one could hate Izzy, that much, Katsumi was certain of.

“So you don’t… like him, like that?” Katsumi prompted.  “You’re just friends?’

“Just friends,” Izzy assured her.

Relief washed over Katsumi like a wave, quieting some of the flames of rage within her.  Those flames were quickly replaced by icy, cold dread gripping its way around her heart.   Izzy might not have been involved with the Newb… but she still seemed blind to how she felt about her.

“I am sorry if I upset you somehow,” Izzy told her.  “I know… I am not always good at knowing how other people will react.  But I truly do not understand why it would upset you so.”

Katsumi looked away, the words dying in her throat for once, instead of escaping before she could consider them.  How could she tell Izzy how she felt?  What if she didn’t feel the same way?

“Katsumi.   Please.  Talk to me.”

It was now or never. Time to Woman Up.

“I’m in love with you, Izzy. Been in love with you for a long time.”

And then the dormitory exploded.

[haledamage]

So my free time has evaporated, but I still want to finish the MEA Countdown thing, so here’s all the ones left that I haven’t done, including the ones that haven’t come up yet, so I can make sure I get them done :)

19 Days: Where would Ryder fall in the classic Paragon/Renegade morality system? What would their D&D alignment be? If you know their personality type in any personality typing systems (such as MBTI and Enneagram - you can find various type descriptions and tests using Google), feel free to add and discuss them here.

Lottie is very strongly paragon, unless you fuck with her brother or her friends, in which case she is not above kicking you out a window. She’d probably be neutral/chaotic good; she’s a good person through and through, but she’s not above sowing a little chaos if the mood strikes, and she can be positively ruthless to enemies.

18 Days: What qualities does Ryder like and dislike in other people? Are there any things they particularly appreciate or can’t stand?

She likes empathy and curiosity. She likes people who care, basically, whether that be about knowledge or experiences or other people, she likes when people care about something. The worst thing a person can be, in her opinion, is apathetic.

17 Days: List some of Ryder’s favorite things - colors, food, music, etc. Is there anything of this nature that they hate? Do they have any hobbies or skills outside of combat?

Lottie loves music, and usually has something playing on her private channel on her com. She also tends to hum to herself, which I imagine would annoy SAM to no end if he’s capable of annoyance. Her favorite color is sea green, and she has a terrible sweet tooth; her favorite foods are mostly desserts, her most favorite being ice cream.

Outside of combat, she’s a tinker. She likes to build little things, or work on cars. She also makes some really nice jewelry, when the mood strikes.

16 Days: How would Ryder define their sexuality?

Pansexual. She cares more about forming connections with people, and it doesn’t really matter to her their gender or species.

15 Days: Delve into the Ryder family background - how is/was their relationship with their father, sibling and mother? Do they get along, hero worship, close twin connection, sibling rivalry, was it strained, was it distant, etc.

Scotty and Lottie have always been very close. Scott is her best friend. Mom and Dad both worked a lot, but tried their best, which Lottie understands, though she sometimes wishes they’d been closer.

14 Days: Describe some important or formative events in Ryder’s history. How did these impact and shape them?

When her biotics developed was pretty important, obviously. The fact that she's a biotic while her twin brother isn't was interesting to a lot of scientists, so she spent a lot of time in labs and hospitals “under observation.” It awakened a curiosity in her about how the world works, though, and she went to college for anthropology. It also awoke her wanderlust, as she learned she really didn't like sitting around all day.

13 Days: Why did Ryder join the Alliance military? Later on, what were Ryder’s reasons for signing up to the Andromeda Initiative? Were they seeking adventure (or glory, or a challenge), wanting a new start, running from something, following their family, trying to secure a future for humanity, did they simply feel railroaded into it, etc.

She joined the Alliance to see the galaxy, and because they'd pay for college. The Andromeda Initiative was a no-brainer. Lottie and Scott were both excited about it as soon as Dad told them about it; wanderlust is a family trait, and the Ryders were all very much on board to boldly go.

12 Days: How will Ryder feel upon waking up from cryo? Relieved, excited, scared, impatient to get going, lost, etc.

All of those, yes. Lottie first felt relieved that she actually woke up, then overwhelmed as the full weight of what they were undertaking settled over her. The excitement of exploring the unknown won her over fairly quickly, though.

11 Days: Once in Andromeda, what are Ryder’s goals? What drives them?

Pursuit of knowledge. Finding a safe place for her people to live. Finding her place in Andromeda.

10 Days: Will Ryder ever miss the Milky Way? What things and places will they miss most?

She does sometimes. She misses her old Alliance friends, and her apartment in the Citadel wards. She misses takeout food and microbrew beer and other little things that she never thought about until they were 600 years behind her.

9 Days: Did Ryder have any notable friends or connections in the Milky Way? How about past relationships? Which friendship or relationship was the most significant to them?

She doesn't have any really close friends she left behind. She was a rambler, and never stayed in one place long enough to form close friendships. She's friendly and open, though, so she made friends easily enough. Her closest friend has always been her brother.

8 Days: How does Ryder feel about aliens? Are they uncomfortable, wary, intrigued, curious, intimidated, not bothered, etc? In the Milky Way, where did they stand on humanity’s place in galactic society - Earth first, Terra Firma, human superiority, peaceful cooperation, pro-galactic integration & unity, etc? How will they feel upon discovering that there are sentient alien races in Andromeda?

Lottie is curious of aliens and other cultures. She loves to learn about other people's perspectives and try and understand their way of life. She is very pro-galactic integration, and wants to take that same approach to any alien races she meets in Andromeda. She believes that we're stronger together than apart.

7 Days: Ryder’s father gave the twins informal N7 training in the past. How did Ryder feel about this (pressured, resentful, grateful, motivated, overworked, excited, etc)? What are their feelings on “N7” as a symbol? How do they relate to it, if at all?

She recognized it as what it was: her dad trying to connect with his kids. It wasn't something she was really interested in, but she wanted to know her dad better and that was a way to do it. N7 never really meant much to her, and it was never something she aspired to, but she recognizes that it means a lot to her father, and that's enough for her.

6 Days: Does your Ryder know your Shepard? What do they think of Shepard? Would they get along? What would Shepard think of Ryder?

Lottie knows of Alexi Shepard, of course. Everyone knows of Shepard, but they've never met. She appreciates what the Commander does for humanity's relationship with the other Council races. I think they'd get along, though. Both are people who put others before themselves, and I think they'd find a lot of common ground there.

5 Days: Out of the squadmates, Tempest crewmembers and other characters shown so far, who do you think Ryder will get along well with? Who do you think they will get along best with? Why?

Lottie and Peebee will bond over the joy of exploration, and she and Suvi over a love of science. I don't think there's anyone she won't get along with. She and Liam will get along best, though. Both are idealists and proud space cowboys, and that along with the bonding power of fighting side by side will make them nearly inseparable.

4 Days: Out of the squadmates, Tempest crewmembers and other characters shown so far, is there anyone you think Ryder won’t gel so greatly with, dislike or otherwise come into conflict with? Why?

She'll probably get along with everyone, as least to be polite to, but she and Cora may butt heads a little. Cora knew Alec better than Lottie every did, and she'll always be a little jealous of that; Lottie ended up in a job that should have been Cora's, though, and that'll she'll always be a little jealous of that. They'll be friends, but I think that wedge will always be between them. She and Drack may have trouble seeing eye to eye, as well, as she prefers diplomacy as the answer and he much prefers to punch his way out of an argument; she'd wholeheartedly trust him at her back, though.

3 Days: Do you plan on romancing anyone with Ryder? If so, who? Why? What qualities would Ryder find attractive in a partner (if applicable)?

Lottie will either romance Liam, Peebee, or Vetra. I love all of them a lot and I don't know who I'll choose until it happens. She'd be very attacted to Vetra's intensity, Peebee's curiosity, and Liam's optimism (and to their faces, because they're all beautiful). I think Liam may end up edging out the ladies and winning Lottie's heart, just because they go through a lot of shit together before they ever meet Vetra and Peebee, and his support and compassion when she needed it most is something she would never forget.

2 Days: Provide a “famous quote” from Ryder that sums them up as a character (like the ones for the squadmates in their official character profiles).

“We're like the Enterprise, Scotty! Boldly going where no one has gone before!” (maybe I'll eventually finish and post the thing I wrote in which she says this lol)

1 Day: Which song/songs would be “theme songs” for Ryder? Are there any symbols you associate with Ryder? If you’ve created a moodboard for them, share it here. If not, what sorts of things would be on their moodboard? Describe their aesthetic. What Hogwarts house would they be sorted into? If you’ve written fanfic involving Ryder already, share it here. [you don’t need to do all of these, they’re merely intended as creative exercises]

“Born for This” - Paramore, “Wherever I Roam” - Metallica. Her aesthetic is cups of coffee and half-built machines, long walks under the stars and notebooks full to bursting and piles of photographs, blue and pink and black. She's probably a Griffindor, maybe a Ravenclaw?

1 Day too long: In Citadel space, AIs are illegal. How does Ryder feel about Artificial Intelligence? Are they wary or afraid, are they pro-AI, do they consider AIs to have personhood, etc? How does Ryder feel about SAM and their constant connection to it? Are they glad for the upgrade, do they find it invasive, have mixed feelings, etc?

She doesn't have a problem with AI. I don't know if she considers them all like people, because there are different levels of AI, but she thinks they have the capacity to become person-like. She loves SAM, she loves its bad attempts at humor and the way it always reminds her to eat and makes sure she doesn't overwork herself.

2 Days too long: How does Ryder feel about being thrust into the role of humanity’s Pathfinder (burdened, honored, rewarded, excited, etc)? Are they confident or unsure about this? How will they cope?

She is terrified, but wouldn't admit it even under torture. Pathfinder isn't a role that was meant for her, not really, and the fact that she's now burdened with the literal survival of the human race, maybe even the whole Initiative, is terrifying. She's her father's daughter, though, and knows that nothing was ever accomplished by giving up, so she does the best she can and trusts in her team and her friends. She's not alone, and that's what really keeps her going.