"Shoto."
It was his only warning as Enji grabbed his son by the wrist, him and the other students freezing up as he was pulled away from them, toward the wall of doors. Shoto tried to break himself free of his father's insane grip, but his struggle was futile as he was dragged to the other side of the room. Until someone stepped up.
"Let him go!" Denki exclaimed, Enji pausing in his step before his arm was wrapped up in cloth, causing him to release Shoto, who backed away instantly, accidentally bumping into Toshinori, who rested his hands on his shoulders to steady him.
"If you're going to force him to train, at least allow him to eat first." Shota reeled his scarf back around his neck as Enji turned to glare at him, Denki moving to stand between him and Shoto, his arms spread out in protection.
"Shoto eats after he finishes training."
"If he is hungry now, he will eat now." Shota glowered at the other pro hero before blinking away his anger as he looked over to Shoto, who appeared torn from what was happening until he called to the teen, "Shoto, if you're hungry, you can go ahead and eat."
"I know what's best for my son- Eating before training will only hinder his progress."
"And it's good to take a break every once and a while so that the body can recover. Refueling the body is part of this recovery." Shota remarked back as Denki began to lead Shoto away from the arguing adults, letting Toshinori step beside the other to show his support, staring evenly back at Enji, who scoffed.
"He's a child, Endeavor."
If only that sentence had any effect.
Instead, the flaming hero walked away, choosing to head to his own door instead of the kitchen as Enji slammed it shut, scaring a few of the students. Assuming that he went to train on his own, Shota and Toshinori glanced at one another before turning around and going to get their own food. Just then, one felt a tap on their shoulder.
"Um, Aizawa Sensei…?"
Stopping in his path, Shota and Toshinori glanced back to find Mina and Tsuyu.
"Is there something you need, young ladies?"
"Um, I wanted to ask if one of you could talk to Aoyama…? He doesn't seem okay and I thought maybe one of you could talk to him since Ojiro tried before, and… it obviously didn't go so well." Mina requested while she eyed the floor, Shota listening as he scanned the room for a sign of the blond student.
He found Yuga sitting at a table with a couple others, but it was clear by his stature that he wanted to be alone, Shota turning back to the two and nodding, "I'll talk to him. You two try not to worry about it and go get something to eat."
They both brightened at his reassurance, moving past the pair as they headed for the kitchen while Toshinori quietly questioned Shota, "Do you want me to come with you?"
"No, I want you to keep an eye on Shoto. You don't have to keep him from Endeavor, per say, but when he's clearly uncomfortable, do everything in your power to take him to the side and let him calm down." Shota advised with the other showing his agreement as he nodded along. He began to step away from Toshinori before he paused, remembering something as he looked back at the blond hero while saying, "Oh, and All Might, there's something I want to ask you before we begin the next viewing period."
"Of course, Aizawa-kun. Just let me know when." Toshinori dipped his head as he headed for the table where Shoto sat at with Denki as Shota went for Yuga.
Approaching the table, Shota cleared his throat first to gain their attention before he focused on the student he was looking for, calling, "Aoyama, can I speak to you for a moment?"
He took notice of how Yuga physically jumped, a panicked look in his eyes that crossed over his facial expression before blinking it away as he stood, nodding meekly. Shota then led the blond boy back to the row of couches and sat down in the front row, gesturing for him to do the same. Once the kid sat down, he turned his body to face him as he best he could while the other's lavender gaze stayed glued to the floor.
"Aoyama, your classmates are worried for you."
"C-Classmates…?"
"Might as well stop beating around the bush." Shota shrugged in response to his slip up. Even though it had only been two days knowing one another here, constantly listening to the students refer to each other as classmate and friend on screen felt right to say, but that wasn't the point, emphasizing this as he spoke again, "But they're worried about you."
"Wh-Why would they need to be…? I'm fine…" Yuga's smile sent signals in Shota's brain that told him otherwise.
"If you really were, there would be no need to worry. I know it's only been a couple of days, but if there's anything you want to talk about, with anyone, you can let me know."
"There's nothing I want to talk about- I'm fine, I promise…!" Yuga swallowed the lump in his throat, shaking the thought from his mind that told him he could tell Shota.
"Is there something you need to talk about?"
Yuga wished he could have covered up the gasp that left his lips, but it was no use. He knew Shota had heard it, and saw the stiffness that came after that question as he gripped his knees. There was no getting out of this conversation unless he admitted something, anything that could get rid of the worry and concern his peers felt toward him.
'But what should I say…? I can't just…' Yuga bit his lip as he tried to think of something before looking down to the belt around his waist, blinking his tears away as he remembered why he was being this distant in the first place.
"Even though we've gotten so close…!"
It was what Mina had said last night and he couldn't stand how he wanted it to be true, thinking that he could get close and be friends with everyone. Not when he was like this.
"Um…" Yuga brought his hands to cover his stomach, avoiding Shota's eyes on him as he started, "...when I was younger and my… quirk manifested, it… it wasn't suited for my body… That's why I have to wear this belt to prevent my laser from leaking out. I… always felt different because of this, growing up and observing my peers wield their quirks without any hindrance."
"All quirks have a drawback to them, they are physical abilities after all, but there's always a way to fix this by aiding your body in what it needs. Your belt is what your body needs to help with your quirk, you shouldn't have to feel different because of something your body needs to function. There's nothing to be ashamed of about that."
Yuga appreciated his words, showing it as he softly smiled up to Shota, "Thank you… It is not something I am ashamed of, but I do fear of being perceived as different… Being different is scary."
"Everyone is different." Shota stated, with Yuga looking up from where he had curled into himself as the teacher rested a hand on his shoulder, explaining, "Everyone has different needs, wants, powers, features. It's what makes us different, but also unique."
"I-I more so meant 'bullied' for being different, but… I understand what you're trying to say, yes."
Shota didn't seem to think so, angling his neck to look at the group of unique and capable students as he told Yuga, "Perhaps instead of assuming things will be the same, you should give them all a chance."
"I… I can't- It would only hurt them in the end…"
"Why?" Shota looked back over to Yuga, who stiffened after he realized what he said. His mouth went dry as he racked his brain for any kind of explanation, but he didn't have to think for long as he heard the dark-haired man soothe, "I understand if you don't want to tell me. I won't force you, but I will say that whatever you're trying to protect them from, they can't hurt you here. I promise you that."
Yuga wanted to believe it, but he knew his abilities, and there was no way he would be able to protect these people from who could hurt them. However, he slowly nodded to what Shota said with the man standing up beside him.
"But as I said before, it doesn't hurt to give them a chance. You might find out how similar you are to them instead."
Shota had no idea how much Yuga wanted those words to be true, sniffing as a new wave of emotions crashed into him while he tried to hide it away. Taking a moment to himself, the teen wiped at his eyes before taking in a deep breath.
"Perhaps… I was a bit too harsh… on both myself and… them."
"Maybe, or maybe not. You won't find out staying here." Shota shrugged his shoulders as Yuga raised his head to look up at the man, "I'm not forcing you to socialize; I'm the last person to be saying that, but I will say that you need to eat. Either way, you'll have to make your way to the kitchen soon."
"Yeah, I… Yes, you are correct…" Yuga rubbed at his nose while a tight-lipped smile formed on his lips. He swallowed the mucus in his throat before softly asking Shota, "Um, would it be all right if I had a moment to myself…? To think about what you said?"
He nodded, the pro hero stepping away as Yuga sighed. If he wanted the worrying looks and concern to go away, for now, he would have to build a facade that told everyone he was fine. It may not fool Shota or Toshinori, but tricking the others might work as long as his expression didn't waver.
Meanwhile, as Shota was making his way around the couches, he was caught off guard by a question that made him focus his attention onto another student.
"Shoji-chan, where are you going?"
Mezo blinked, pausing in his step as he turned around to find Tsuyu behind him, her finger to her chin as she stared up curiously at him. Her question also grabbed the attention of the others, the activity slowly coming to a stop as they all looked over to the pair.
"Oh, I was just going to my room, that's all."
"Why?"
"My quirk makes it easier to eat around people, so I thought perhaps going to my room would be fine. Since our quirks are disabled." Mezo explained to the shorter girl, causing Izuku to gasp at this information, quickly asking Kyoka for his notebook back.
"Oh, we didn't tell the guys that went to bed early about what we learned last night, right?" Denki glanced over to Mina and Hanta, both nodding with the blond sharing as he took a bite of his food after, "We can use our quirks in our rooms."
Mezo slightly widened his gaze at this phenomenon as Ochaco added, "Yeah, though if you activate it in your room and try to walk out into the theater, it just goes away… Which is really freaky!"
"Really…?" Hitoshi raised an eyebrow to that, prompting the brunette to say more on the matter.
"Right?! It's like manual deactivation because I used my quirk on Deku-kun and he immediately fell on his face as soon as I took one foot back into the room!" Ochaco sharply glared at Katsuki as the ash blond began to laugh at the recollection, but he soon stopped after Tomura's cackling overshadowed him.
"Interesting…"
Shivers ran up everyone's spine.
"I don't think it's right to let you eat in your room alone."
Mezo blinked back down to Tsuyu before rubbing the back of his neck as he sheepishly admitted, "Well, I do it at home as well, so it's nothing new… I just don't want to scare my baby brother."
"What's so scary about you? You're like a super sweet guy…!" Mina's exclamation was backed up by all the girls, to which Mezo appreciated their compliment.
"Thank you, but I was talking about my face."
"Is that why you wear your mask, kero?" Tsuyu croaked, her question catching them off guard until Mezo nodded.
"Are you saying that because of a comment someone made and you believed it?" Shota wondered, everyone turning in his direction as his dark eyes carefully watched Mezo for his reaction.
"When I was younger, I made a little girl cry because of how I look, so I'm very aware that I may look a little scary to some. That's just how it is for some of us heteromorphic types."
At those words, a few like Tsuyu and Fumikage went quiet and ducked their heads, understanding, while those like Mina and Koda didn't. Nevertheless, the rest of the students and Toshinori felt sympathetic toward those that Mezo mentioned.
"I understand how you feel, but I still don't think it's right to eat alone." Tsuyu persisted as the gray-haired teen was still taken aback by how committed she was to.
'Perhaps that's just the kind of person she is…' Mezo thought as he sighed, bringing one of his hands up to slowly slip the mask off his face and looked up only after he heard their conjoined gasps.
Their expressions all showed shock to his appearance, but not fear. Something that Mezo was very grateful to see.
"I can see how someone might find you scary." Tsuyu stated with his nod of agreement until what she had to say next blew Mezo away, "But you look better without your mask."
The chorus of agreements that came from the others made Mezo almost slip it back on out of embarrassment, ducking his head as he smiled. He didn't cry, no, he was very happy, overjoyed even. But he should have expected them to be welcoming, knowing that most of them had come from the cities and that if Izuku being quirkless didn't bother them, why would his appearance? It was nice.
While he was coaxed back to the kitchen, a few commenting on his scars, Yuga tuned out the present conversation, scanning the group of teens for one in particular. He eventually found who he was looking for, heading to approach the boy until Shota cleared his throat, catching everyone's attention.
"Since this is our second day and you all are getting to know one another better, I feel I should say this, as I'm sure we have more days ahead of us where we will be stuck here together."
"Ahhhh, not cool…" Tomura was acknowledged, but ignored.
"If there is a problem you have and you want to talk about it in private, my room will be open. You can tell me on the side, away from others, that you want to speak with me, and I will take you to my room. I don't want any of you bottling up your emotions only to unleash it in unhealthy manners."
"Eraser Head, Eraser Head…! One problem, hehe- I can't do that, you see, there's a little thing called… Well, I guess to you heroes it would be something to be called, but ugh, since I've murdered people, I can't talk to you about any problems, Eraser… A shame, you seem like a fun person to chat with." Tomura chuckled after he was done, going back to his game and thinking nothing of what he just said.
"Do you have any problems you need to discuss with me? Because I have several."
"Huh?"
Shota was now standing at the boundary, narrowing his eyes on Tomura, who blinked a couple times over to the pro hero.
"First off, I have a problem with not knowing who you really are, Shigaraki Tomura."
"Oh, come on now, Eraser, that's not how this works…!"
Leaving the man to… whatever he was trying to accomplish with the villain, Yuga turned back around, continuing his pathway. Approaching them from the side instead of behind like last time, the shy blond nervously cleared his throat until heterochromatic eyes looked to him.
"Um, To-Todoroki?" Yuga squeaked, anxious for what look he would give him this time. Once Shoto eventually glanced his way, he swallowed the lump in throat before bowing his head, "I… I want to apologize; for what I said to you yesterday. I asked you something that was an extremely insensitive topic without any regard to your feelings, putting my curiosity over how asking such a thing would have an impact on you. For that, I want to sincerely apologize for it."
Yuga bowed further, waiting for Shoto's response as he squeezed his eyes shut.
"I don't care. You got the answer you wanted in the end."
The other tried not to flinch at his words, but Yuga determined that it was the best response he could get from Shoto anyway. It was better than his unresponsiveness and glaring stare from yesterday, so he closed the conversation there. It didn't sound like forgiveness, but that wasn't what he was looking for. However, he was hoping for it from someone else.
"Ojiro…?" Yuga walked over to the next table, fiddling with his thumbs and tensing up as Mashirao's gaze landed on him, causing the long-haired boy to lose his voice as he choked out, "Um, uh… I-I…"
"Aoyama-kun, before you say anything, let me apologize to you first." Mashirao stood from his chair as he faced Yuga, who gaped in surprise as he looked back up into his eyes.
"Why are you apologizing…?"
Mashirao was taken aback by the question, causing him to falter as he stuttered out, "Well… I kept pushing you to tell me how you were feeling when you were clearly uncomfortable… It made me feel horrible, so… I'm sorry-"
"Please, it is not you that needs to apologize. I was the one who was being stubborn and pushed you away just from you showing concern. I do hope you can forgive me-"
"Of course I'll forgive you, Aoyama-kun!" Mashirao quickly reassured the other, waving his hands out as Yuga looked up to him again when he sheepishly asked, "Just know that we're people you can trust and talk to when you need it…"
Yuga glanced down as Mashirao offered his hand, smiling at it before reaching to shake it as he looked back up to the other blond.
"Okay."
Taking the opportunity with Enji out of the room, Shota went to where Toshinori was sitting with Shoto and called the man over to speak with him. As they made their way back to the couches, the number one hero showed his concern with leaving the teen alone while he tried to reassure that the boy would be fine.
"We can't keep him away from Endeavor the entire time, it wouldn't be logical, and we have to trust the kid without hovering over him constantly." Shota replied to his worries, turning around after he stopped only to blink as he caught Denki trying to talk to Shoto. Sighing, he faced Toshinori and started, "Anyway, what I want to know should be quick, depending on your answer."
"Is that so?"
"I want to know more about this villain that Shigaraki calls 'Sensei'." Shota asked and Toshinori immediately stiffened, the younger adult catching this as he noted, "Shigaraki said that you thought you killed him and you looked on edge ever since finding out he was still alive. It almost makes me wonder if he has something to do with 'One for All'."
Toshinori should have anticipated that others would be curious and soon question about the villain he and Tomura were familiar with. But out of everyone present, aside from Enji, he thought that Shota would have an idea or knowledge of just who All for One was. But then again, maybe just saying his name would remind the man.
"His name is All for One." Toshinori narrowed his eyes as he spat out the name and picking up on Shota's hair-raising expression, the Symbol of Peace realized that he was right while beginning to explain quietly, "And you are correct, he does have something to do with One for All."
"...shit."
"Indeed. What I am about to tell you is something that stays between you and me, for now, Aizawa-kun. Since Young Midoriya is not burdened with this battle quite yet, it is logical that he stays out of the know, yes?"
The nod he received from Shota showed their mutual agreement as Toshinori began to recall the horrors and origins of the century-old villain that escaped death.
"Yo, Todoroki?"
Shoto scowled up at Denki, who had called his name, with Tenya and Momo standing behind the blond.
"Is it cool if we talk to you?"
"You're talking to me now."
"I meant outside of the kitchen. Like, down by the couches, opposite where Aizawa Sensei and All Might are." Denki pointed over to the area where the bathrooms were, Shoto eyeing the door to his father's room that still hadn't opened.
"Fine." Shoto let the three lead the way, glaring at the floor as they walked and feeling eyes following them, hating the feeling because they knew something that they shouldn't.
Once they stopped at the front row of the couches, Denki slumped onto the armrest and sighed before he looked up to him with guilt written on his expression, saying, "Look, Todoroki- Or would you rather us refer to you by your given name since… your father's here now."
Shoto blinked at the question and Denki's tone before he replied back as he turned away from them, "I don't care."
"Okay then… Shoto, um, we wanted to talk to you about how you're feeling and the results of the cavalry battle." Denki cautiously spoke until heterochromatic eyes looked back over to glare at him just as he slipped in with a strained smile, "Of course, only with what you're comfortable with discussing. I understand this is a very heavy subject, but please know that we're here when you're ready to talk."
"However, do know that limiting your power use to just your right side due to personal feelings will only hinder you, Todoroki-san."
"Yaoyorozu-"
"Do you recall anything that we reviewed from Bakugo-san and Midoriya-san's fight yesterday?" Momo asked, with Shota glaring back in response to her raised brow, bringing her to say next when he wouldn't answer, "We may have proceeded to the final round as we were, but this does not excuse you from willingly holding yourself back. Your fire is a trait passed down by your father, but it should not hinder you as it shows. What you do with your quirk is not a direct reflection of Endeavor's name."
After she finished, Momo turned around and walked back toward the kitchen, with Tenya reaching out a silent hand to stop her until he met golden eyes staring at him. It seemed the blond was allowing her to leave, her words sifting through the air as the three men digested it. Once they did, Denki sighed and looked over to Shoto, thinking over what he wanted to tell the other before he spoke up to catch his attention.
"Shoto, I just want you to have someone that you can trust and talk to while your father's here. I know all of us hardly know each other and we're still getting used to this whole thing, but please… if there's anything you want to talk about- or sit in a quiet room with anyone -ask. You're not a burden and you're not a tool to your father." Denki brought a hand to rest against his chest before he clenched his fist, taking the fabric in his grip as he tried so hard to get his words across to Shoto, "I'm here- We are all here for you. I just want you to know that…"
Instead of replying, Shoto looked at the blond before he broke his gaze away, starting to walk back toward the kitchen until Denki called out to him, "At least hear us out…! I don't want you to get hurt, Shoto- More than you already are…"
There were probably better ways to say that, Denki realized that after he said it, but he waited for Shoto's response before he took to regretting them. However, the multi-colored teen paused for only a second more before he continued his way back up to the kitchen. It caused him and Tenya to both feel bad that they couldn't do more for their peer, but if this is what they could do for now, hopefully it would get better throughout their time here.
"Well, that could have gone better…" Denki huffed before dropping his head into the palm of his hand as he sighed, "I should have said more or… something."
"I believe you said all that you could, Kaminari-kun." Tenya rested a hand on his shoulder, Denki glancing up at the touch as the blue-eyed teen stated, "Todo- Shoto-kun is going through a lot currently and even if he did not listen, at least you were able to get the words out that you wanted to say."
"Yeah, guess you're right… It just hurts when there's nothing you can do about the situation."
Tenya blinked at his phrasing, knowing Tensei had to deal with a lot of abuse cases every now and then as he asked Denki, "Are you familiar with this sort of situation?"
"Um, well…" Denki appeared uncomfortable from the question, with Tenya about to apologize before the blond whispered to him, "If I tell you this, promise you won't tell anyone else…?"
Once he nodded, Denki sighed before he softly began to explain, "One of my friends is also currently being abused… It's mostly verbally bad stuff, but that doesn't mean he doesn't get hit every now and then. He had made some repeated jokes about it when one of our friends eventually connected the dots and asked if he was really okay. Of course he said 'Yeah, I'm good! See, I don't get hit, so it's not like I have anything to show of it!'... I… became worried after that. Especially the couple times when he would 'joke' about… suicide…"
"How long has this been going on?"
"Couple… few years- I'm not really sure. We found out a couple months ago and realized that he had been making those kinds of jokes since the beginning of first year." Denki wiped at his eye before he continued somberly, "I felt useless there too… because there wasn't much we could do either. So knowing that it's happening again and I… to say that I can't do anything for him… for Shoto…! It's… It hurts…"
"Kaminari-kun, I'm certain being there means just the world to them. Trust me, my brother says it all the time when he is called in for an abuse case. I am also certain that he would be able to help you and your friend, despite the little evidence that is shown of this vile behavior."
Denki sniffed after he heard those words, trying to work up a smile before he blinked, then looked up to Tenya's gentle expression as he murmured, "I forgot your brother was a hero…"
They let that information sink in, Tenya understanding that this was a heavy subject to bring up and talk about while Denki wondered if the pro hero could help. If there was anything that could be done for both his friend and Shoto.
"I just wanted to make sure Shoto was okay…"
"Hopefully he will be once he knows that we are here to listen."
"I… I want to make sure Midoriya's okay, too…"
"Midoriya-kun?" Tenya blinked, taking a few quick steps back as Denki stood up while he wondered what the greenet had anything to do about the topic.
"You know… constant bullying and with no one to help you… it can put you… in pretty dark places…"
While Tenya didn't believe that Izuku was one to fall into these dark places, he didn't object as asking never hurt anyone, so he nodded, and he and Denki headed back to the kitchen. They noticed that Shoto had moved from his original seat to a table where currently no one was sitting, and that Momo was sitting quietly with Kyoka, Rikido, Koji and the rest of Izuku's friends. Hitoshi caught sight of them approaching first, causing the rest of them to grow quiet as Tenya waved over to Ochaco, who had her hands held up to the purplenet.
"Heyo- Can we borrow you for a sec, Midoriya?"
"Oh, um-" Izuku exchanged a quick look with Kyoka and the others, making sure it was okay as they nodded back to him, excusing himself as he walked with Denki and Tenya back to the couches as the conversations started again.
"Anyway, so as I was saying- Toe beans."
"Shinso-kun…"
"Am I wrong…?!"
Tenya was a little confused by what Hitoshi was talking about with their friend, tapping Izuku on the shoulder as he asked, "Midoriya-kun, what were you discussing before?"
"Um, Jiro-san, Sato-kun and I were reviewing the song lyrics from yesterday because Sato-kun thought there might be a connection between the lyrics from all four of the songs."
"That is interesting to say the least, Midoriya-kun, but I was more so referring to what Shinso-kun was saying to Uraraka-kun; my apologies."
"OH!" Izuku gaped before breaking into a small chuckle as he replied, rubbing the back of his neck, "Sh-Shinso-kun was comparing the pads on U-Uraraka-san's fingers to those of a cat paw."
"Wait, really- Holy shit, he might be right, actually!" Denki laughed at this discovery just as they arrived back to the front of the seating area, shifting the mood as he faintly dropped his smile while cautiously starting, "Anyway- So, Midoriya, we, uh, wanted to talk to you about something really important- But! If it makes you uncomfortable at any point, lemme know, okay, cause I don't want to make you feel uncomfortable."
"Okay…?" Izuku was a little nervous.
Denki nodded, taking a deep breath in until Tenya suddenly grabbed the greenet's shoulders, turning Izuku to face him as he softly exclaimed, "Midoriya-kun, are you suicidal…?!"
"Iida, you don't ask a question like that…!"
"You do not? But I was always taught to be straightforward when confronting a problem or asking a question."
"Yeah, but not for these kinds of questions!" Denki huffed, pinching the bridge of his nose before he looked back to Izuku, not catching how on edge the boy appeared as he gently tried to say, "Sorry Midoriya, I wasn't trying to-"
"How do you know about that?" Izuku's question scared the two, that feeling slowly morphing into horror as they realized the implication behind it.
"Know about… what…?" Denki gulped as he asked, tense while they awaited a response.
However, Izuku then looked confused at what he said before he gasped, slapping his hands over his mouth as he took a few steps back, his eyes wide with fear.
"Midoriya-kun, are…" Tenya was petrified to think Denki's concerns were true, tears forming in his eyes as he choked out, "Are you really-"
"No- NO! I-I-I-I would never…! I-I would never-never do something like-like… that!"
"Then… what did you mean… by that…?"
"Midoriya-kun, did someone tell you… to…?" Tenya very carefully asked Izuku, and if the side eye from the greenet had anything to say about that, he gaped, towering over his friend as he demanded, "Who…?"
"I-It's nothing- It's no one…! It-It technically hadn't-hasn't hap-happened yet, but, um… it… it was just- it was just something Kacchan said-"
"BAKUGO-KUN?!" Tenya knew the blond was one of Izuku's abusers, but he didn't think the boy would go so far.
Katsuki and the others in the room raised their heads at the exclamation of his name, Shota and Toshinori also pausing their conversation as they looked over to the three. While the greenet tried to shush Tenya, Denki was already making his way over to the rest of the group, which had Izuku spiral into further panic.
"YOU…!" Denki shouted as he entered the kitchen, pointing straight at Katsuki, who raised his brow as everyone backed away from the sparked blond in fear, jumping in surprise as he slammed his hands on the table before he yelled out in complete rage, "You fucking told Midoriya to fucking KILL HIMSELF?!"
'Shit…!' Shota whipped around, him and Toshinori thinking the same thing as they quickly sprinted over to the kitchen while the teens were left in a state of shock.
"Oh ho ho…! This just got interesting…" Tomura chuckled under his breath as he set his game aside to listen in.
Katsuki placed the chopsticks he held back onto his plate before he replied back to Denki's accusation, "So what? I tell everyone to fucking 'die'."
"You bastard-"
"Hey, hey, Kaminari, calm down first. Try to breathe." Shota instructed as he approached from the side of Denki, gently prying his hands from the table while he tried to get the boy to pay his attention to him instead of Katsuki, "Kaminari, look at me. Tell me what happened."
"Midoriya said that Bakugo told him to kill-"
"NO- STOP!" Izuku exclaimed, interrupting Denki, but they already knew what he was going to say.
Some looked over to Izuku only to blink at how panicked he was, tears streaming down his face as Tenya stood behind him. The blue-haired boy seemed just as surprised as they were to hear what the greenet had yelled, hovering over his trembling form so he wouldn't fall. Denki didn't let this shock affect him for long, pushing himself out of Shota's hold.
"Why do you keep defending him like this…?! Midoriya, he hurt you- All he's done is hurt YOU and yet, you think he's your friend…?! Is this how you think friends are supposed to act to one another?!"
Izuku flinched at his yelling, casting his eyes down to the carpet as the tears continued to fall. His expression haunted Denki, the feeling of guilt residing within him as he remembered the night before just as the sound of a chair squeaking across the tile echoed.
"You shitty bastard-" Katsuki didn't get to finish before Denki suddenly whipped around, the ash blond widening his eyes as the other's fist zipped by his cheek, dodging the surprise attack before he swung his own square into the other's face.
Shouting erupted throughout the room, with Shota and Toshinori grabbing each of the teens before a fight could break out, Tenya rushing over to try and help as he left Izuku behind. The greenet looked completely stunned as the two blonds jolsted to get out of the heros' hold on them, ignoring them being told to calm down while everyone else backed away, unsure what to do. As soon as it began, Denki and Katsuki started to calm down, breathing heavily as they wasted most of their energy on trying to get free. They both glared at each other, neither adult releasing them until they knew for certain that it wouldn't start again as soon as they let go.
"Have you both calmed down now? Are you ready to act your age?" Shota questioned the two as he held Denki, who gruffed as he put his strength into separating the dark-eyed man's arms from him.
Shota let it happen, carefully watching the blond's movements as Toshinori slowly relaxed his grip around the other student, Denki's nose beginning to bleed lightly. Tenya held his arms out in between the boys, Katsuki glaring at the other before he scoffed, rolling his shoulder as he made his way back to his seat.
Taking this opening, Denki tried to get the jump on Katsuki before he was stopped by a sturdy arm, looking up in a fury to blink into the steeled eyes of Tenya.
"Iida, what the hell?!"
"Kaminari-kun, don't start this again."
"Nah, let the kids go at each other…!" Tomura's mocking voice faintly surprised them, everyone looking back to see the older male leaning back in his chair while he laughed as he picked up his console, "It was getting too giddy in here anyway… Besides, Bakugo would've won against that Spark punk; it'd be entertaining to see that showdown."
Denki scowled at the villain's words while Katsuki presented himself to be unbothered, continuing to eat, as others grew uneasy.
"Is that true, though…?" Tsuyu bravely stepped up, asking the question that she, and others, were afraid to know the answer to. Shota looked over to her as she clarified with the room growing silent after, "Did Bakugo-chan tell Midoriya-chan to kill himself…?"
The gravity of the subject had an icy grip on everyone, Izuku avoiding any eyes that were looking at him as he fell and curled up into a ball. Tomura awaited the answer to this question with pure joy, wanting to see what other kinds of secrets the heroes were hiding.
Shota looked Tsuyu in the eye, taking in her worried expression until he had enough, glancing over to Toshinori as he sighed, "I'll let you explain since you were here to witness it…"
His vague answer horrified them, with Toshinori nodding to the underground hero before he addressed the children.
"Students, this is information that was meant to stay between Young Midoriya, Young Bakugo, Aizawa-kun and I. But… to answer your question, Young Asui… While Young Bakugo's words were phrased as a threat, he meant no harm to Young Midoriya."
"Then, what did he say exactly, huh? Cause telling someone to kill themselves sounds pretty solid to me." Denki scoffed at the poor defense Toshinori had for their peer, Katsuki narrowing his crimson eyes back on the blond.
"I do not wish to repeat them…"
"SO YOU SAY- Just because Bakugo didn't 'mean it', supposedly, he still said it…! From how I see it, a suicide threat is still a suicide threat!" Denki shouted, as if challenging anyone to tell him he was wrong before he turned away, looking in the direction where Izuku was as he called out to him, "Right, Midoriya?!"
They were surprised to find the greenet shaking his head, rapidly muttering words that no one could pick up. It wasn't until someone quietly walked over to comfort Izuku was she able to understand what he was saying, making out sounds that were repeating a simple sentence.
"Kacchan, didn't mean it- Kacchan didn't mean it- Kacchan, didn't mean it-"
Over and over.
No matter how angry she felt toward Bakugo after knowing this information, Ochaco couldn't help but smile as her eyes perked up with tears. No words were strong enough to waver the stubbornness and determination that resided within him. That's just who Midoriya Izuku was, it seemed. She didn't know if that should scare her or not.
"Come on, Deku-kun… It's okay." Ochaco softly soothed the small boy as she gently wrapped her arms around his petite form, picking him up with a bit of a struggle as she carried him back to the kitchen while he sobbed into her shoulder.
The slamming of a door broke through the tension in the air, making just about everyone jump for a second time that hour as they spun around only to freeze when Enji emerged from his training period. His fiery blue gaze swept over the room, meeting the sparked blond's glaring eyes for a moment just before he spotted Shoto, sitting by himself once again until Toshinori quickly moved to stand by his side, causing the other to spit before taking his next steps to the buffet.
"Shoto will start his training before this meal period is finished."
"I'll be observing, then. As a professional hero for criticism."
"Fine by me." Enji, surprisingly to Shota, agreed to his claims, turning his eyes briefly to his as the number two hero huffed under his breath, "Your words will have no meaning, however."
The man sat down on the table close to Shoto, who pressed himself into the chair until hands rested on his shoulder, glancing up to find Toshinori gently smiling down to him before he looked to his father, "Aizawa-kun and I will be talking with Young Shoto momentarily before his training."
Enji eyed his rival with suspicion, slowly chewing his food until he swallowed, eventually responding as he picked up more rice, "Make it quick."
Wasting no time, Toshinori swiftly took the two back to the seating area, confusion written over Shota's expression about what the hero wanted to discuss with Shoto. Once they stopped and faced each other, the younger boy realized after the older man started speaking that it was just a repeat of what Denki and Momo wanted to talk about.
Meanwhile, that same blond was currently being treated for his luckily-not-broken nose, Ochaco dabbing the blood with a handkerchief provided from Momo.
"Thanks…" Denki nasally remarked, the brunette smiling at that while a blush rose up from his cheeks.
"It's no big deal… I appreciated how you stood up for Deku-kun about this kind of thing… And while I would have really liked to watch you punch Bakugo-kun in the face-"
"Uraraka-kun…?!"
"-Right where he deserves it-"
"URARAKA-KUN!"
"-Maybe don't jump straight to conclusions either, yeah…?" Ochaco let her head lean to one side as her hair fell against her shoulder, leaving Denki unresponsive for a few seconds as he took in the sight.
"Yeah…"
Glancing over to Izuku, seeing how small he was trying to be in the chair, Denki was starting to feel guilty for what had happened. He didn't regret what he did, but he didn't want to upset his friend in the process. Katsuki had gone too far, but no one else seemed to care but him, standing up to the ash blond like that only to get his ass kicked. Even Toshinori and Shota were trying to defend his actions, which made no sense.
"The hell is wrong with everyone…"
"Hey, Kaminari, you remember what Midoriya said last night, right…?" Hanta asked, his arms folded on the back of the chair and resting his chin where it was comfortable. When Denki blinked over to the raven-haired boy, what he got in response was a soft chuckle, then provided the answer as he glanced over to Izuku, "Midoriya still sees that guy as a friend… Talk about toxic, but, even so, hearing that threat and all, I think it's safe to say that Midoriya knows Bakugo best outta all of us…"
"So you're saying that what he said was fine…?!"
"What? Oh hell no, that shit is messed up, but you gotta remember that Bakugo yells out 'DIE' and 'I'M GONNA KILL YOU' all the time. Besides, we don't know the context of what led up to Bakugo saying… phrasing it like that." Hanta stood up from his seat, looking down at Denki with a small grin as he stated, "Our primary teachers all the time told us how context was important, yeah? Maybe we should all try talking with Bakugo or Midoriya and get their side."
"I think this is something that we should keep ourselves out of…" Mezo softly spoke up, the pair glancing over as he placed his mask back over his face before explaining, "This is a matter between Midoriya and Bakugo, only. It happened in their time at junior high, and from Aizawa Sensei's wording, I assume that the suicide threat hadn't been made by Bakugo quite yet; meaning it was predicted to happen in that timeline."
"Oh, cause he said for All Might to explain it since he was there…!"
"Precisely. We already know All Might and Midoriya met sometime during his third-year at junior high, but I'm pretty sure All Might would be more weary around Bakugo if he had witnessed it back home. Also, it is- or was- supposed to be our first day back to junior high, so the clues make their own points."
"Huh, when you put it like that…" Hanta rubbed the back of his neck as they took in what Mezo said, the dark-haired teen looking back to Denki, who blinked up to his friend, hearing him add on, "Midoriya doesn't hold a grudge against Bakugo, so why should we? I know this stuff is really touchy and abuse is abuse, but we've seen how both Bakugo and Midoriya were brought up… It wasn't pretty, but hey, no one's perfect."
"Well, yeah, but-" Denki stopped as Hanta raised his finger up.
"It's not our place, Kaminari. I get you're trying to help, but remember where we stand in this matter. Same with the Todorokis'." Hanta sighed, stretching his arms up and cracking his back before he headed over to Izuku, who was now accompanied by Tenya. When the designated vice spotted him, the former tried to coax the greenet into looking up until he asked, "Hey, Midoriya, you wanna analyze my quirk? There's something I wanna try that I just thought of."
At the mention of analysis, Izuku slowly raised his head, drying tear trails staining his cheeks as he sniffed, trying to wipe them away as he choked out, "O-Okay…"
"We don't have to right now, but I thought it would make you feel better."
"Midoriya does have a couple ideas written in here about some of our quirks." Kyoka spoke up from the other table, Izuku ducking his head back down while Hanta looked over to the purplenette as she chuckled, "Sorry for prying Midoriya, but some of them actually look like they could work. And at least this way, hopefully Kaminari's better prepared for the hero course."
"Hey, what's written in there about my quirk?"
As the mood slowly began to lift at the sound of Izuku's shriek, attempting to get his notebook back from Kyoka while she continued to keep it just out of reach, Hanta called out to invite them into his room to experiment with their quirks. Many of the students were thrilled to join in, Hitoshi snatching the item from the purplenette to hand it back to his friend as they followed the others to the black-haired boy's door. A few decided to stay behind, mainly the adults and the Todorokis', so when Enji stood up, Shota and Toshinori immediately shadowed Shoto.
They cautiously headed over to the number two hero's room, Eijiro noticed as he watched them, with Shota and Toshinori eyeing each other as they entered and closed the door. It only took about a minute before they came rushing back out, Shoto in both of their hands, with Enji's voice carrying into the theater at both men's panic.
It wasn't funny by any means, but Eijiro couldn't help but let out a quick laugh, coughing to cover it up, which alerted Katsuki.
"The hell are you doing?"
"HUh?!" Eijiro jolted in his seat at the question, glancing over to Katsuki and his raised brow before he recollected himself while rubbing his neck, stuttering back in reply, "Oh, uh, I- uh, I just was- was just… uh…"
"If you don't have a fucking answer, don't fucking say anything." Katsuki scoffed before going back to stabbing his food.
Eijiro faintly winced at his words, then opened his eyes to observe the expression on the ash blond. He hadn't overheard what Hanta and Denki had discussed earlier, so watching the boy, he was making his own opinions and thoughts on Bakugo Katsuki.
"The fuck are you staring at me for…?!"
His only problem was being subtle.
"AH- I-I'm sorry…!"
"Sorry my fucking ass- You know what, answer the damn question! I wanna know why the hell you're sticking your nose in shit that doesn't fucking concern you when you would usually be lollygagging with the other idiots…!" Katsuki shouted out as he backed out of his chair, grabbing the guy by the collar of his shirt as Eijiro panicked when he was pulled forward, freezing up at the snarl from the blond.
"I-I-I don't know, honestly, I just- I don't know, thought you'd be lonely-"
"What the hell gave you that kind of idea, hah…?!"
"Because you're actually a really cool person and everyone seems to be making you out to be some bad guy…!" Eijiro managed to squeak out, Katsuki taken aback by this as he hesitated for a moment on what to say next.
"Wh-What the heck…?! That's stupid- You're stupid, get the hell out of my sight!" Katsuki shoved the teen back, Eijiro quickly catching himself before his chair leaned too far back.
Sighing in relief, he glanced back over to Katsuki, slowly sitting back up and readjusting his chair while he pondered on what could be going through the other's mind. So, given the opportunity, Eijiro decided to speak his.
"I don't get it; why everyone seems to treat you like something to be avoided. I mean, sure, you're kind of… unapproachable-" Eijiro paused for a moment, but continued when he noticed the neutral, angry look of Katsuki's, "-and not the easiest to talk to, but I don't think that matters. I still think you're really cool, and you're kind of right in a few things you said… Like Shinso and Midoriya not being ready for the hero course because they don't have any prior training. I still think they deserve a spot, but I totally agree that they have to earn it."
"The hell are you getting at- Is there a point to this bullshit…?!" Katsuki was starting to get a little irritated by Eijiro's defense of him.
"Uh, not really, I guess… I just thought that you-you're maybe not what you seem… Like, you actually care for others, but you just show it differently than what others would expect it to be shown."
"You really are full of shit, aren't ya?"
Eijiro tried not to let his hesitation show, taking a deep breath before he got the last of what he wanted to say out, "Li-Like how you actually care about Midoriya, too, but-"
"The FUCK?! I don't give a damn about what that shitty nerd does, you hear me?!" Katsuki's outburst caused Eijiro to jump back, falling out of his seat, as the ash blond stood over where he landed.
"Th-Then why save him at USJ…?!"
"Are you fucking stupid?! Did you want that stupid nerd to fucking die…?!"
"Then why say a suicide threat if you don't mean it…?!" Eijiro implored Katsuki to find an answer, sitting up off the floor as the red-eyed blond had a look of uncertainty, the other taking his silence as an opportunity to say, "I think, because of how everyone treated you as a kid and with what morals you were raised up to believe, you did what you thought you would make Midoriya stop pursing heroism. Which, obviously didn't work, and you didn't think he would… go through with it… You can never assume these kinds of things, though, but… I'm just relieved you were right…"
Glancing up, Eijiro swallowed the lump in his throat upon seeing the perplexed expression on Katsuki's face, looking down at his hands, muttering, "What you said was super unmanly, but I think it also comes from you not knowing what to say… You're a good person who grew up with too much put on you, so you feel like you have to prove that or you'll feel worthless… useless…"
Eijiro didn't know what he was saying anymore, but he didn't get to think long before he was pulled back up on his feet again.
"Stay the fuck away from me." Katsuki hissed before pushing the raven-haired teen back, stumbling on his feet as the blond sat down, his head lowered with Eijiro taking a step toward the boy before recognizing that he overstepped.
So, Eijiro walked away. Shota took his place.
"I think you should listen to your friend."
"He's not my friend… And you don't know what you're talking about."
"Perhaps, but I don't believe Kirishima had any ill intentions with his words."
"He was looking down on me…!" Katsuki choked out with his fists beginning to shake, Shota noticing.
"What did he say?"
"Who the fuck cares! It doesn't matter…!"
"It does if it's affecting you."
"Just leave me alone…! Nothing's fucking wrong, nothing's fucking affecting me, and Shitty Hair is definitely wrong about what he said." Katsuki grumbled, pushing his plate away from him as he placed his arms around his head resting on the table.
Shota sighed, standing back up and hoping that Katsuki was thinking about what was said. Meanwhile, Kyoka was approaching the table that the pro hero had left, Toshinori raising his eyes to look over at her, noticing a sheet of paper in her hands.
"Young Jiro, is everything all right?"
"Oh yeah, I just wanted to show Shoto something." Kyoka held up one hand as the two-toned boy turned his eyes over to her. The purplenette took the seat beside the number one hero, then slid over the piece of paper for Shoto and Toshinori to look over, noting, "I thought reading over the highlighted part would help with whatever's going on with you."
As his heterochromatic eyes caught sight of what Kyoka wanted him to look at, Shoto felt his anger shimmering again with how everyone just kept putting themselves in his family's business.
[ 🎶 You know that I try my best
But within my depths
There's a mess inside of me
But like an ember, I'll remember
There's a fire inside of me
Tell me to forget this, but I want this
It's all I'll ever need
Now I can feel the fire burning deep within me
I'll be the hero and no one can stop me 🎶 ]
"Aw, Young Jiro, this is very thoughtful… What is this, exactly?"
"It's the second verse in the 'peace sign' song, and I thought maybe Shoto could use something like this. You know, with how he feels about his fire and stuff." Kyoka explained while leaning forward, trying to get a look into what the boy was thinking before Shoto turned his glare onto her, causing her to flinch back in surprise.
"Will all of you leave me alone…?! Stay out of my business!" Shoto lashed out at the girl, grabbing the piece of paper and throwing it off the table with Kyoka reaching out to try and catch it.
"Young Shoto, I understand that you are experiencing some deep emotions from what was presented, but please try not-"
"You know, I was just trying to help, but I guess someone who's born with everything doesn't think they need it…!" Kyoka scoffed in response to the other's outburst, Katsuki and Shota turning their attention toward them at hearing her words as they watched her walk away while shouting behind her back, "You and Bakugo think you guys are so much better than us all because you were born with the perfect quirk!"
She left with that, heading toward Hanta's room as the four men watched her. They contemplated what she had said, Shota and Toshinori both looking over to each other as Shoto and Katsuki appeared to have brushed her words aside if they weren't true.
What if it were true, though? They didn't know, at least not now.
As Kyoka approached the open door, she was almost hit with a piece of Tape flying out of the room, poking her head around to yell at whoever did that before she saw the scene. Hanta blinked as she appeared before giving her a sheepish grin, catching Denki, Izuku and Momo near his bed as they read over something in the greenet's notebook, with Hitoshi sitting on the floor, his cat in his lap, looking absolutely petrified.
"Sorry if I hit you, Jiro…!"
"You… didn't…" Kyoka muttered back as she entered, asking when she stopped in front of Hanta, "The hell's going on in here?"
"Oh, everyone's kinda doing their own thing. Midoriya was helping me out with my quirk before he got interested with Kaminari and Yaoyorozu's quirks. He was asking some really bizarre questions that I had never even thought about before like… 'How do you rip the Tape off?'." Hanta chuckled before he caught the curious look from Kyoka, as if telling him to answer the question. Instead, he aggressively ripped the piece of Tape from his elbow, waving the strap around while saying, "See?!"
"Yeah, but… do you have little claws in your-"
"Oh my god- No! It just tears! Like how Tape does!"
"Tape tears off by those claws, Sero. I don't think you know how Tape works."
"Of course I know how freaking Tape works- It's myfucking quirk!"
"Anyway, what's the deal with Shinso? He looks pale." Kyoka changed the subject, with Hanta's playfully rage simmering as he looked to where he sat with a few of the others.
"Oh, they're going into more detail about what we watched yesterday since Aizawa Sensei had apparently only explained the basics."
"Let me get this straight…" Hitoshi addressed the three that stood before him, Ochaco, Tenya, and Tsuyu, relaying everything they told him as Shota had put it, "You came in, saw the entrance exam and how Midoriya blew away one of those robots from the obstacle course, then watched Bakugo blast Midoriya, the two almost killing each other, then right after, an attack to kill All Might that almost killed all of you… And that's why Eraser has all those bandages… When the hell did the suicide threat happen…?!"
"We weren't here for that. All Might said he was, so I'm assuming it happened in one of the first few episodes since I came at the end of the… fourth? Or was it the third?"
"Third, Uraraka-kun, because Aoyama-kun arrived at the beginning of the fourth."
"Right." Ochaco snapped her fingers to Tenya's answer.
"But you're saying all of that happened in one day…"
"We watched it in one day, kero, if that's what you mean."
"Yeah, yeah… wow…" Hitoshi was having a hard time digesting all this information.
"He looks absolutely horrified."
"I mean, we were horrified watching the USJ attack." Hanta defended the purplenet before going back to the original subject, shaking the piece of Tape off from his hand as he stretched his arm out again, "Anyway, watch this."
He shot out another strip, the end landing onto the invisible boundary, which surprised Kyoka, until Hanta started walking out of his room. Just as he was about to step into the theater, suddenly, the Tape that was latched onto the border snapped, reeling back toward the boy like a fishing line and slipped back into his elbow. He grinned as he looked back to the girl, whose jaw dropped at what she just saw.
"What the…?"
"Uraraka was right- Your quirk just deactivates when you step out of your room." Hanta chuckled, bringing Kyoka to try something out herself, letting one of her lobes stretch out, then walk out as well. The same thing happened, but she was slapped in the cheek as her Earphone Jack reeled back, rubbing the spot as the raven-haired boy hissed, "Ouch, you okay?"
"Fine, but damn… Didn't know these things could pack a punch." Kyoka thought about that until she was shoved forward, spinning around only to whip back at the sound of Denki's laughter.
She blinked a couple of times at what exactly he was wearing.
"I'm the real life God of Lightning…! Bow before your new ruler, Electro Man!" Denki, decked out in all kinds of trinkets, full body armor, and a cape, screamed at the top of his lungs while waving around a metal pole in his hands.
"What in the actual hell is going on…?"
"Midoriya-san had informed Kaminari-san and I about how he has written various thoughts and ideas toward Kaminari-san's Electrification quirk, and that he requested my help in bringing those items to life." Momo answered, the greenet beside her shrinking as he held his notebook up to hide his flustered expression.
"I-It was just that K-Kaminari-kun really like-liked them and… and I, um, c-couldn't say no…"
"What did he like exactly? He just looks like a kid that found some junk in the dump and called it armor."
Izuku faintly winced at the girl's harsh description while Momo went to walk out of the room as he tried to explain, "Well, um, I-I remember hearing you say how K-Kaminari-kun sho-"
He was cut off by a scream, everyone's heads turning up to watch shadows rise from the carpet, outlined in the shape of hands as they grabbed the various items on Denki, who stood frozen in fear as he covered his eyes. Fading back into the floor with Momo's Creations, everyone waited a few seconds until the electric blond looked around, then scrambled away from that specific area. He leaned against the arm of the sofa, catching his breath as the others rushed over to make sure he was okay.
"I'm okay, yeah, yeah, I'm… good." Denki kept reassuring Izuku as the greenet sobbed out apologies. Momo also felt a shred of sympathy, along with a sense of weary for what the quirk cancellation did for hers.
Watching the scene and thinking of the events from before, Hanta stood by his door frame as he blurted out, "You know what's sad?"
"Shoto-chan." Tsuyu replied, which surprised the boy before he blankly stared back at her.
"Haha, real funny, Tsuyu-chan."
"It's not funny, kero. You just said it was sad."
"Okay, yeah, but I wasn't really talking about Todo… Shoto." Hanta waved out his hand before looking back over, seeing Izuku on his hands and knees while Denki tried to stop him, answering his own question, "It's sad that all this horrible stuff happened to Midoriya all because of something he had no control over."
"Kero."
"I mean, his biggest bully is someone who he sees as his biggest hero…! That's fucking messed up."
"If what we saw from his preschool still applies to junior high, then it's not Midoriya-chan's fault for thinking that way. Everyone was praising Bakugo-chan on his quirk and abilities, so all of that got to Bakugo-chan's head, and since kids will believe anything they hear, it also got to Midoriya-chan. It's not that much of a surprise on why Midoriya-chan still sees Bakugo-chan the same way from when they were kids. And putting distance between him and Midoriya-chan is probably Bakugo-chan's way of handling things." Tsuyu presented her thoughts on the relationship between Katsuki and Izuku, Hanta listening with full interest as he processed what this might entail.
"You know, that's actually a really smart observation."
"Thanks, kero. I do agree that their situation is messy, but it's not entirely their fault either."
Their conversation was interrupted by Shota calling them all to get ready for the next viewing and to get any last minute items before then. Some quickly ran over to the buffet table and grabbed a few snacks, or went to the fridge for a quick drink. Tomura was still in his room and, with no other choice, Katsuki ventured over once more to slam open the door and yell at him to come out.
"You're getting too comfortable around me, aren't you, Bakugo?" Tomura teased the kid as Katsuki caught his breath from running back to his side.
"Fuck you and fuck off." Katsuki snarled before walking past Eijiro and his friends.
Except he didn't just pass by them, he also dragged Eijiro with him.
"Wha-?!"
"No, my twin!" Hanta cried out, following behind the two with Denki scurrying along as Katsuki plopped himself back on the third row, pulling Eijiro down next to him before he rested his chin in the palm of his hand.
Others also chose their new seats, as they saw the fifth sofa to be avoided because of Enji, but a few brave souls chose the end where the fiery hero wasn't, Mezo, Mashirao and Fumikage seated on the right side. Rikido and Koji went for the fourth couch, sitting on the same side as the other three, with Yuga and Minoru joining them since the ball-head boy was kicked from the third row where the girls were. Izuku and his friends reclaimed their spot on the second set of rows, calling for Hitoshi to sit with them.
"Are… Are you sure?"
"Of course, silly!" Ochaco grinned as she pulled on his wrist, placing him in between her and Izuku, who gave the wavy-haired purplenet a big smile. Hitoshi looked away in embarrassment, scratching at his pink cheeks, but he couldn't say he hated the feeling, quite the opposite as he felt his lips turn upright.
Shoto fell into the far right seat on the first row, the furthest away from his father, while Shota took to the middle as Kyoka and Momo sat on the far left. Since there wasn't enough room on the third sofa for all the girls to sit together, but they didn't mind.
Taking one last glance over to the boy, Shota sighed as the loading screen resumed play and the next episode began.
'Wait…' Izuku, thinking back to everything that had happened before, gasped as he silently looked up to Toshinori, whose eyes stayed on the TV screen as the greenet thinned his lip, gripping his notebook as he realized, 'I never asked All Might about One for All…'