When Izuku walked out of the locker room, dressed, wired up, and ready to go train, he was a little startled to find Ochako and Himiko, both in their U.A. sweats. Ochako carried a large duffel bag while Himiko was wearing all her old costume's knives, both waiting for him.
"Guys?"
"Well, there you are, we were just talking about who was going to go in there and see if you were alright," Ochako said with a smile, "You were taking so long we were wondering…" Ochako's smile fell when she noticed his nose, "...Hey Deku? Why's your nose all red?"
Himiko rubbed her chin, "Looks like you got popped in the face."
Izuku laughed wildly, "Oh come on! That's so… rude! I mean, why are your cheeks so pink, Uraraka? Asking about a person's looks is really rude, you know."
Ochako blinked, head tilting to the side as she was not sure what to make of that sudden diversion. Himiko smirked at Izuku's horrible attempt to throw them off, "That was pretty sad, Izu-"
The door to the locker room swung open, and Katsuki, dressed in his sweats with hands stuffed in his pockets, stomped out. He glared at Izuku, who just laughed nervously, "What?"
Then Katsuki noticed Ochako and Himiko who were more than a little startled to see him come out. Ochako looked at him then her eyes drifted back to Izuku. Then she focused on his nose. Her eyes went back and forth.
Nose.
Katuski.
Nose.
Katsuki.
Nose, red and a little puffy, like someone had punched the poor innocent Izuku in the face.
Katsuki, someone that would punch Izuku in the face just because they are a horrible shit of a person.
Ochako's duffel bag dropped to the floor, making a very loud and surprisingly crisp thud before she began quickly advancing on Katsuki, "You disgusting monst-!"
Izuku, alarmed at the sudden violent intent coming from Ochako, wrapped her up and held her away from Katsuki, who took his hands out of his pockets and looked ready to defend himself, "Whoa whoa whoa! Uraraka, hold on a second! It's not what it looks like!"
"It looks like he punched you in the face, Deku!" Ochako growled out as she pulled against Izuku.
Katsuki rolled his eyes, "Because I fucking did."
"Kacchan! Not helping!" Izuku called out in dismay. More than a little worried at how hard it was to hold Ochako back. In fact, his feet were starting to skid on the title floor as Ochako pulled them both forward.
Katsuki, no longer bothered by the pair, looked over at Himiko, who was glaring at him but hadn't moved from her spot, "Hey nerd. What's her deal? She's part of that team you made, right? Green Drink Anonymous or some shit? Whatever it was you three were talking about before hero lessons today."
"Green Tea Rescue," Himiko corrected.
"Whatever, what's her deal, Deku?"
Izuku, now holding on to Ochako for dear life, glanced at Himiko and suddenly understood what Katuski was asking, "She knows."
Himiko blinked, "I know wha-"
Katsuki turned back to Ochako, stomped right up to her, and pointed at Izuku, "I punched the nerd in the face because it was his fucking fault I got attacked by that sludge bastard last year."
One second, Ochako was reaching to Katsuki's throat, then next the fight in her vanished. Unfortunately, Izuku had still been pulling her back, so when she stopped trying to attack Katsuki, they both tumbled backward and landed on the floor in a mess of limbs.
"Fucking spazzes. If I knew Deku couldn't lie for shit, I'd never believe they were both trained by fucking All Might."
Ochako's jaw dropped in shock, "What? How? You can't-"
"Uraraka, stop. He figured it out like Todoroki did." Izuku hoped that would be the best clue for Ochako and Himiko to get what was going on. He looked over at Himiko and saw her eyebrow raise before she discreetly nodded. He could also feel Ochako relax. Not a whole lot, but enough to know she got the message. Shouto knew about All Might's training but nothing else.
Ochako, getting up and straightening herself out, glared at Katsuki, "How'd you figure it out?"
Katsuki shrugged, "Was it supposed to be hard?"
"He eavesdropped when Todoroki and I talked during the sports festival," Izuku answered, not bothered by the death glare Katsuki shot him.
"I don't eavesdrop. You two morons were talking in the middle of a fucking hallway."
"The hallway that Todoroki took me to that was empty so that we could talk privately. About private matters," Izuku countered. Again, Izuku hoped his message was clear, this time for Katsuki. Leave everything else about that talk out of this.
Katsuki huffed, "Whatever. That shit isn't my problem. My problem is that Pink Cheeks needs to understand that you fucking deserved that punch, so I don't have to put her down."
Ochako growled, but crossed her arms and turned away from Katsuki. Which was enough for him, "My other problem is that if this is supposed to be a secret, you guys suck at it. All of you."
Izuku laughed, rubbing his neck, "I mean, that's a little ha-"
"No, no, he has a point. All three of you really suck at the whole secret thing," Himiko cut in with a finite nod. Izuku sighed in defeat while Ochako rubbed her brow, feeling like it was Izuku and All Might that sucked at this. She was just guilty by association.
Katsuki just waved Izuku off, "Look, not everyone in our class is an idiot. Get better at this shit, or pretty soon the whole fucking school is going to know." He frowned and pointed at Ochako, "And before you say anything, no, I'm not going to go around talking about this. So don't even waste my time with that shit." Ochako growled in response but didn't press the issue. 'As for you, Deku, I'm keeping my eye on you. Whatever special training you have to do to get your Quirks under control, you better not let it make you start lagging behind because of it. If I don't like your progress, I'm going to drop you right then and take my place as the strongest. Got it?"
"That's not going to happen, Kacchan," Izuku said with confidence.
"Hmph, we'll see," Katsuki said before turning around and storming off.
With Katsuki gone, Izuku, Ochako and Himiko were left in the hallway by themselves as they digested everything that had just happened.
"So he knows about All Might now," Himiko stated simply.
"Yup. He's known since the sports festival but this was the best chance to confront me about it."
"Fun," Himiko said with a chuckle.
Ochako picked her bag up, "Not the word I'd use."
Izuku shrugged, "It is what it is. All in all, it's not the worst thing to happen, and he isn't the worst person to find out about it." When both Himiko and Ochako looked at him with varying degrees of doubt, Izuku quickly added, "He's just as big a fan of All Might as I am. He'd never do anything to make trouble for him." Both Ochako and Himiko looked like they accepted that, though Ochako still didn't look happy, "Hey Uraraka, it's fine really. And my nose doesn't even hurt. He had every right to be upset about what happened to him with the sludge villain."
Ochako shrugged her bag onto her shoulder, "Just because he had a right to be upset doesn't mean it was okay for him to hit you, Deku. After everything he's done, I don't like that the default action he takes against you is still violence. Doesn't matter the reason."
"I see, I see." All Might had his arms crossed as he nodded his head as Izuku informed him of everything that had just happened with Katsuki. The group of four were out in a heavily wooded area in U.A., which was perfect for Izuku's training as far as All Might was concerned. It was away from buildings and people so no one would get hurt by stray fire or psychic attacks. And without anyone around, it was safer to talk more openly when Izuku began to work on his control of One for All.
"That Young Bakugou was able to put together something was up because of a conversation he had overheard shows that going forward we need to exercise a bit more caution when discussing ourselves and, of course, One for All," All Might said sagely. Ignoring the fact that Ochako was looking at him pretty hard because he was guilty of letting the same thing happen with Aizawa.
"I figured that as long as Kacchan only learned about the training that it should be fine. I did have to go into a little more detail about how everything happened, though," Izuku rubbed his hands together, "A lie of omission was easier at that point."
"Probably for the best, Izuku," Himiko said as she flipped a knife around in her hand. While she had her own training to get through, she tagged along to make sure she was on the same page as everyone else. Though the chirping from her phone made it pretty clear she wasn't going to be able to stay long. "If you got tripped up over your story, it'd only make Baku-Bitch more suspicious."
"Overall, I think everything worked out for the best. Right now, Young Bakugou, Young Todoroki, Eraser Head, and Midnight are the only four that know I trained Young Midoriya and Young Uraraka. We should endeavor to ensure this number of people does not expand past what it is."
That last name got a few raised eyebrows. All Might quickly explained that he spoke with Principal Nezu and that the two agree that given Himiko's relationship with the teacher as her counselor, that having her be totally in the dark was unacceptable.
Izuku winced, "I never even thought of that when I told you, Toga. I'm sorry. I didn't realize I was putting you into such a difficult position."
Himiko quickly waved off his concerns, "Please don't start worrying over silly stuff like that. It sounds like it got taken care of, and even if it hadn't. I gave you my word I was going to keep your secret safe." She then smiled wickedly, "Though if we're being honest here, it's you guys that seem to be bad at keeping everything a secret."
Izuku flushed and shuffled his feet while All Might poked his fingers together. Ochako looked absolutely offended, "Hey, don't lump me in with these two. I've kept my mouth shut."
All Might quickly clapped his hands together, "Well, moving on, Young Midoriya. I assume I don't need to tell you why you're here."
"No, sir."
"Good. I have complete faith you will rise to this challenge. You've shown great determination, grit, and a desire to become a hero. Now we just need to refine how you go about doing it."
Izuku nodded, "I'm ready to start… though I do have one question."
"Yes?"
"Why is there a kiddie pool full of ice over there?" Izuku then pointed to the brightly colored plastic of the pool in question, filled to the brim with water and ice cubes.
"Ah. That's there in case you get too hot or catch on fire."
Ochako and Himiko looked at the pool, then at Izuku, who looked like he wanted to go home. Himiko then smirked and leaned over towards Ochako, "if he has to cool off, he might take some clothes off before he jumps in. If he's topless, I want pics."
Ochako blinked twice, imagining Izuku standing in the kiddie pool, his wet t-shirt clinging to his body before he tossed it away. Showing off his abs and pecs and-
Shaking her head violently and making sure Izuku didn't see how red she was, Ochako took a swing at Himiko to ducked away laughing, "Welp," Himiko said with a wave, "I think that's my cue to get out of here. I've got target practice to get to. Izuku, don't burn to a crisp. Ochako, don't forget what I said."
Ochako growled, "You'll get nothing from me!"
Himiko gasped, "So greedy! Keeping them for yourself!"
Ochako went even redder, "No, that's not-! Aaaaand she's gone." When she turned around, she saw Izuku looking at her, clearly confused at what had been said, "Deku. Don't ask. You wouldn't understand."
Izuku nodded. He had long accepted that there were things that were said between ochako and Himiko he was never going to hear or understand. Life was simpler by letting it slide than sticking his nose into it, "So what will you be doing, Uraraka? It looks like you have something to keep you busy."
Izuku leaned over to try and get a peek at her bag, which she pulled away. A teasing smirk on her face, "You worry about yourself, mister. I'm just going to get some practice in for the new gear I ordered."
Izuku waited for a second for her to continue before he crossed his arms in a huff, "You're not going to tell me what you're getting added, are you."
"Nope."
"You're mean."
Ochako laughed before she walked off into the woods, "All Might, please make sure he doesn't set himself on fire!"
"I will try my best!"
And then there were two. Alone with All Might, Izuku sighed. He had to admit he had kinda hoped that Ochako would be staying around. It would have been like the good old days at the beach. Which admittedly weren't that good. They were, in fact, a garbage hell, but he got to spend them with Ochako, so it made them much better. Izuku knew that it couldn't always be like that, though. Ochako needed to also focus on herself, especially if she had new gear she needed to train with. It was also the case with himself, as his Quirk training was really a one-person thing. It wouldn't be fair to Ochako to just make her stand around and watch him.
Still, even though he knew all this, he was a little sad to see her go. I guess I just really love spending any time I can get with Uraraka.
Izuku blinked at his own thoughts before his face flushed, and twin puffs of smoke burst out from his nose as he overheated in shock at his own words.
Don't say the L word! Don't! Bad Izuku! Next thing you know you'll be using it for other things too. Like, loving the way Uraraka looks, or loving the way she's always in control, or just loving her…AHHHHHHH!
This time fire blasted out of his mouth as Izuku had a crisis. All while All Might tried his best not to laugh. Izuku was so obvious that it was almost painful to watch. Still, as funny as it was to watch his protégés completely miss the obvious clues right in front of them, he was here for a reason.
And so was Izuku.
"Well, Young Midoriya? Are you ready to get started?"
Izuku, collecting himself, looked up at All Might and nodded.
Ochako hadn't gone far before she set her bag down. The area was open enough for her to work but surrounded by just enough trees to give her plenty of privacy. Opening up her bag, Ochako began to unload and get her training gear set out. First, she pulled out a set of metal cans with small targets painted on them. Looking around, Ochako began to set them up on a large log lying on the ground. With that done, Ochako went back and started pulling everything else out. First was the largest item, Mei's Hover Soles. Picking one up, Ochako examined it closely. For such a large boot, it was surprisingly light, which made sense given how she recalled Himiko's acrobatics from the sports festival. Even with the boost these things gave her, she wouldn't have been able to move if they weighed her down. Of course, being light was a double-edged sword for Ochako at this point. While the boots would help her with one aspect of her training, it was pretty obvious that they were going to fail at the other. Being so light and so clearly fragile, she was not going to be able to wear them when she wanted to practice the kicks Miruko had taught her. Nor did they really simulate what her costume's boots felt like. With all the gear her boots had in them, they were much heavier than these Hover Soles.
And they're only going to get heavier. At least that's what Power Loader warned me about.
If Ochako was being honest she didn't really think her costume was all that heavy, but at this point, it was easier to just let everyone else worry about it. Still, she needed to be prepared in case her suit did get noticeably heavier on her legs, so after putting the Hover Soles away, Ochako pulled out a set of ankle weights and dropped them onto the ground, where they made a very satisfying thunk and sunk into the soft grass. She'd wear those for her kicking drills.
Next, Ochako pulled out a book of martial arts moves and step-by-step instructions that she set aside. The book, written by Hanzo Hasashi, had been a top recommendation during her internet searches, and she had thought she had been lucky to find a copy in the school library. After visiting though, Ochako had learned the library had a whole wing dedicated to training manuals for different fighting styles from all over the world. From ancient to modern. Putting the book where it would be easy to read, Ochako opened it up and turned to the first page of the instruction. With that ready to go, Ochako pulled out the last piece of the training gear she was going to use. This was a simple thing, that the support department had taken all of a minute to get put together for her.
A cord that was about a few meters long with an attached billiard ball.
Wrapping the cord up around her hand and wrist, Ochako gave the weighted end a few experimental swings and smiled at the whooshing sound it made.
Oh, this is going to be a cakewalk.
"I still think you should go have that looked at Young Uraraka." All Might said carefully as he, Izuku, and Ochako walked back to the school after a rough day of training. One look at the two was enough that anyone could tell their day had not ended very well. For Izuku, his training hadn't really had a chance to start. Izuku had struggled to use his Boric Pyre on command. More often than not, when they would attempt to begin, Izuku would spend minutes blowing out air or smoke before he could get a flame going. All Might had expected this, it was a whole new Quirk, so of course there would be hiccups. When Izuku was still only able to blow smoke, All Might had been ready with a compliment and reassurance that the smoke could be useful down the road. Perhaps as a smokescreen or distraction. This still had done little to placate Izuku, who was growing more and more frustrated. All Might knew why, of course; Izuku was worried about falling behind and not being able to take his final exam. It was when frustration had started to turn to panic that All Might stepped in to let Izuku know that Aizawa was not going to fail him after one day. He was tough, but he was still fair. Most of the time. He knew this was a Quirk Izuku was starting with from scratch.
After that, a calmed down Izuku took a few more tries before he was able to start breathing fire. Which while initially celebrated, soon turned into a small disaster. First, Izuku almost started a small forest fire when he completely missed a target All Might had set up and had hit the trees behind it. In his panic to try and help All Might put out the fire, Izuku then accidentally set his shirt on fire, which caused him to panic and breathe even more fire which ignited even more trees. All the while, Izuku was beginning to overheat. So All Might quickly put out the fires and tossed Izuku into the icy water of the kiddie pool.
This was when Ochako had returned, with an unexplained black eye, swollen lip, and a lump on her forehead that made it look like she was growing a horn to match Eri. Once the shock at what she was seeing passed, and she saw that both All Might and Izuku were looking at her in utter confusion, she went on the offensive, poking fun at the sorry state Izuku was in.
"Only you Deku could find a way to be burned and soaking wet." Poking one of the floating ice cubes, she smirked, "But at least you're not hot, I take it?"
Izuku glared at Ochako before he and the water he was in glowed green. A giant glob of water lifted out of the pool and hovered over Ochako, who took a step back and held up her hands, "Okay, Deku, don't you-"
Splash!
Izuku then promptly dropped the water on Ochako, leaving her just as soaked as he was, "-dare…"
After that, All Might made sure he stayed between the two as they made their way back to the school. So that they couldn't start an impromptu spar that he was sure would level the rest of the forest.
"I still think you should go have that looked at Young Uraraka."
Izuku and Ochako were glaring daggers at each other as they swiped at one another around All Might's body. Hearing that, Ochako reached up and pressed a finger against her eye, "It's not that bad. It doesn't even hurt."
"What did you even do?" Izuku asked.
Ochako stuck out her tongue, "None of your business. What did you do today, huh?"
Izuku crossed his arms, "Feel like I wasted my afternoon."
"As I've said, Young Midoriya, this is all brand new for you. Give yourself some time."
"I know… I know. It's just I'm starting at square one again while everyone else in the class is moving forward. It's annoying."
"You're worried about falling behind, aren't you?" Ochako asked, hitting the nail on the head immediately.
"At this point, everyone is starting to really find their groove. Just look at how everyone performed during that race. Everyone was comfortable enough to be able to use their Quirks to help them in the race. Ashido was skating around on pipes and ledges like a pro. Sero too was using his Quirk like we'd never seen him. Ojiro too. You and Kacchan didn't even have to touch the ground once you started. Think back to Aizawa Sensei's test. At the sprint and long-distance runs, people were struggling to think of a way to use their Quirks. Now look at them!" Izuku shrugged before he kept going, his voice steadily getting louder, "And look at where I am. It takes me almost an hour before I can even use my Quirk on command. And while I'm busy thinking about it, I'm not thinking about new ways to use my Psychokinesis!"
Izuku stopped and took a breath, surprised that he had almost started yelling at the end, "... Sorry. I don't mean to sound ungrateful for all the help, All Might. Or sound like I'm jealous or resentful at how strong everyone is in class, and especially you Uraraka. It's just… I went through this before, and it took me ten months. Having to do it again while at U.A. is just…I dunno, stressful, I guess. I know I need to do it. I can't keep accidentally blowing fire into people's faces or setting things on fire. And after what happened in Hosu City," All three shuddered at their memories of that night "… I get why I have to do this. I do."
All Might nodded, remembering having to remind Izuku earlier in class that he was to sit out. He was driven to become the next number one hero, and you don't get to that spot by letting your classmates get ahead of you, "Young Midoriya, I understand. I think anyone trying to reach the heights you are would be frustrated right now. Just have faith in yourself and in the work we are trying to do. I wouldn't have set such a definitive timeline for you if I didn't think you'd be able to do it."
"He's right, Deku," Ochako chimed in, "You're thinking it's going to take you the whole two months to get control of your fire breath, but I bet you'll have it down in way under half that. And it's not like before when we trained. You didn't have the experience you have now nor the faith in your own Quirk. You had to build that up first. Now, you already have that faith, so it's just applying it to your Boric Pyre and then One for All."
"Well said, Young Uraraka. I couldn't have said it better myself."
"Thank you," Izuku said bashfully, tears starting to well up in his eyes. Thankful for their encouragement.
Ochako, seeing Izuku start to get emotional, reached over and ruffled his still dripping hair, "I still say you're going to go through at least five tops before you're done, though."
Izuku looked down at himself, topless except for the numerous data recording devices that were thankfully fire and waterproof, "Maybe I should just come to practice topless from now on. Save some sweats from becoming ash. What do you think, Uraraka? Think I can pull off the shirtless look?"
Izuku then proceeded to flex while wearing the goofiest grin he could. Ochako looked at Izuku, let her eyes wander from his unbearably adorable freckled face, down his chiseled chest to abs, that looked hard enough to grind solid stone, to his waist where his wet sweatpants hung down just enough to let her see a little extra navel and the edge of some blue and yellow boxers.
God, Deku, that is so unfair… Wait, is he serious about being topless from now on? Oh fuck me, I'm going to be changing my sheets every night if he does that.
"Uraraka?"
Snapping out of her daze and realizing she had been staring, Ochako quickly coughed into her hand, "I mean… If you're comfortable being topless in front of Mei, and Toga, and anyone else that decides to come see how your training is going. Maybe Tsu might drop in. or maybe Jirou and Yaoyorozu come looking for All Might for advice and see you."
Izuku turned bright red, "I, um… I think I'll keep wearing my shirt."
Okay, got Deku to keep his top on… Wait, was that what I wanted?
"Honestly, Deku, it's not that big of a deal. We've already used the school pool as a class when Aizawa Sensei wanted to make sure we could swim."
"Yeah, but that's at a pool. It's totally different. Though maybe I can just splash everyone that visits with water, and it'll be fine." Izuku said with a laugh.
Ochako frowned and pulled at her wet black shirt, "I'm still gonna get you back for this, by the way. And I'm pretty sure anyone else you splash will want your head too. I mean look at what you did to me."
Izuku did as she asked and looked. And kept looking. Now that Ochako had brought attention to it, it was very hard for Izuku to ignore just how the wet shirt clung to Ochako's body. How it made every muscle stand out and how it bunched up perfectly over her perfect curves. Izuku could also make out the outline of Ochako's sports bra, and as he followed that outline, his eye fell upon her chest.
…Preeeetyyyyy… WHAT AM I DOING?!
Izuku ripped his eyes away before Ochako caught on and mumbled out a quick apology for getting her wet while also promising not to do it again. Ochako, startled at how ashamed Izuku suddenly seemed, immediately waved it off with a laugh. Saying it was fine and that she was kinda asking for it when she was poking fun at him.
While this was all going on, All Might had to physically hold back his groans and laughs at just how unbelievably clueless these two were.
"Oh man, my plan to introduce myself is kinda ruined now. You already addressed your problems with working on your Quirk."
"Does that mean we can leave?"
"Wooooow. Was that supposed to be flirting? That was so painful to watch. But cute too."
All Might, Izuku, and Ochako stopped as three new voices reached them. Looking up, they found two students in front of them on the patch back to the school and one floating overhead.
Izuku and Ochako both blushed scarlet and shook their heads in denial, "No one's flirting!" they screamed at the same time.
The flying girl pouted as she floated down to join the other two boys, "Awwww, that's too bad. You'd both be super cute together."
All Might coughed into his hand, Young miss, you're not supposed to just come out and say that… I think? After All Might let the dangerously accurate comments pass, he finally got a good look at the students and felt himself feel a little guarded. Wait a second…
Now that he was focused, All Might immediately recognized the three students in front of them, though his eyes zeroed in on the young man standing front-and-center of the small group. The blunt and curious Hadou Nejire, the king of introverts Amajiki Tamaki, and the loud, brash but honest Toogata Mirio. All Might eyed Mirio carefully but kept his smile up.
Young Toogata does work for Sasaki, but I can't hold that man's actions against him. I promised I would judge this young man on his own merits, and I'm not going to change that.
Ochako tilted her head to the side, "Ummm, hello." Now that Ochako recovered, she found herself curiously looking at the three students. All three were in U.A. sweats and she could tell they were older than she and Izuku. She thoughtthey looked familiar but was having trouble placing them. Also, the strange reactions from All Might and Izuku were throwing her for a loop. All Might was on guard, and Izuku, while partially excited, also seemed conflicted and strangely nervous. Ooooookay. What am I missing here?
"Young Midoriya, Young Uraraka. Allow me to introduce U.A.'s Big 3. Officially recognized as the three strongest students here. You probably just saw them take the podium spots during the third year's sports festival."
Tamaki tried to disappear behind Mirio, horrified that All Might was introducing them like that. Mirio just grinned, "That's such high praise, sir. Thank you!" He then turned his attention towards Izuku and Ochako, "it's nice to meet you two. I saw your matches. They were spectacular!"
While Ochako blushed at the compliment, Izuku rubbed the back of his head, "that's kind of you to say." Izuku felt weird. This was the person that had been originally planned to receive One for All under Sir Nighteye's recommendation. Considering that whole mess that had just happened, Izuku couldn't help but feel a little twisted up. Of course, he knew that holding those feelings against the other student wasn't right, but there was something the other boy had said he couldn't ignore, "if you don't mind me saying this, it almost sounds like you were looking for us or waiting for us. I thought I heard you say something about introducing yourself?"
"That's completely correct. I had heard you were taking part in some special Quirk training because you'd developed a secondary Quirk you had no control over."
Izuku blinked several times, "Wait, you know about that?"
Nejire snickered, "When a student who just won his first sports festival and gets selected by All Might, people are going to pay close attention to everything he does. Especially if he develops a new quirk and his classmates talk about it in the cafeteria where anyone can hear."
Izuku flushed as he realized neither he nor All Might were doing a very good job keeping a low profile. His embarrassment wasn't helped by the knowing look Ochako was shooting him, Not helping Uraraka!
"So," Mirio continued, "When I heard all that, I thought it was the perfect excuse for us to meet so that I could offer some advice on the situation. I had my own troubles with my Quirk. But I happened to overhear a little of your conversation, and it seems like you already have the right mindset to deal with your problems," Mirio laughed at that, "Just a little behind it seems."
Izuku was about to offer his thanks again, but then he paused and replayed what Mirio had just said. 'I thought it was the perfect excuse for us to meet.' That phrasing was odd. It almost sounded like, "Excuse me, but it sounds like you were going to come find me regardless of my Quirk situation, as it's just a convenient excuse?"
Ochako frowned, "Deku, that's a little harsh. I'm sure that's not the case at all."
"No, that's totally the case," Mirio confirmed, startling Ochako.
Nejire nodded, "Wow, he caught on immediately. You were right on the money, Toogata."
"I don't want to be here," Mumbled Tamaki, "This is going to be a pain…"
"I think you should explain yourself, young man." All Might said seriously. He had a rousing suspicion where this might be going, and he didn't like it.
Without missing a beat, Mirio answered, "I'm here because Sir Nighteye wants me to keep an eye on Midoriya."
There was a pause as the three took that fact in. Then Ochako immediately stepped forward and put herself between Izuku and Mirio, "You're working for that fu- freaking jerk!?"
"Young Urar-"
Ochako wasn't in the mood to listen as she advanced towards the three students, "Give me one reason I shouldn't throw you to the freaking moon?! Do you have any idea what that horrible person said to Deku!"
"Young Urarak-"
Jamming her finger into Mirio's chest Ochako continued to let loose, "How dare you just show up here pretending you care one lick about the issues Deku is going through!"
"YOUNG URARAKA!" All Might finally powered through Ochako's rant, "Please refrain from threatening your fellow students. As for you, Young Toogata, I regret that Sir Nighteye had thrust you into this type of situation. It is unfair to you and, quite frankly, is a new low. So I must inform you that you will not be-"
"Um," Izuku nervously cut in, "Can I say something, please?"
Everyone looked back at Izuku, who shifted around nervously but still kept his head held high as he walked up, past All Might and Ochako, and looked up at Mirio, "Toogata, I'd like to ask you something. You could have just spied on me if Sir Nighteye wanted you to keep an eye on me. Or you could have not said you were here because of him."
Mirio nodded, "That's true, but the whole subterfuge thing isn't really my strong suit. You see, I'm aware that All Might and Sir Nighteye have some issues between them and that, unfortunately, it seems like you and Sir have some bad blood now as well. I heard he used his Quirk on you, and while I haven't been told what he saw, it was enough that Sir Nighteye wanted me to keep an eye on you."
"But why come out and say it?"
"Because the how I keep my eye on you was left up to me. While our teachers have issues, I didn't want us to have issues. So I decided to be honest and to come to you with a genuine offer of help. In regards to your Quirk and other areas. As a third-year I feel like there are things I may be able to help you with that you wouldn't be aware of as a first-year. You," Mirio looked over at a glaring Ochako, "and your friends. I know you have yourself an inner circle that you keep close. Same for me. That's why I told my friends what I planned on doing so that they could also help you and yours if you needed it."
All Might raised an eyebrow while Ochako's angry glare lessened. For both, it seemed pretty clear that Mirio was telling the truth. While they weren't a fan of the cause of his actions, the way Mirio had chosen to go about it was something else altogether. Izuku, for his part, was thinking the same thing. It really seemed like Mirio was here to help, and if that help extended to his friends, he did feel grateful. These three were the best U.A. had, and it would be crazy not to take them up on the offer.
"I think I'd like it if we could get along. Honestly, watching you on tv, I thought the way you fought was really cool." Izuku said, making sure he kept up a friendly demeanor, "Though I have to ask. Why does Sir Nighteye want you to keep an eye on me? After everything that happened, it'd be easy to think he didn't like me very much."
Mirio shook his head, "I think that's the furthest thing from the truth Midoriya. He was worried about you. As I said, he kept what he saw to himself, but I think what he saw has him worried about your safety. He's not so callous as to wish or hope for harm on someone. If anything, I hope you believe that."
All Might crossed his arms, "It's a fair point. The two of us have our issues, but Sir Nighteye would never willingly put a child in harm's way because of a grudge. I may greatly disagree with his methods, but," All Might sighed, rubbing his brow, "I suppose they do come from a good, if ill-advised, place."
Ochako frowned, "He still sounds like a jerk."
"Oh, he undoubtedly is. Good intentions do not excuse cruel actions… Young Toogata, let me ask you something. If I told you you were not to come near Young Midoriya, what would you do then?"
"Ignore you, of course." Nejire laughed while Tamaki looked for a hole to crawl in. Mirio held up his hand, "While you're a teacher, Sir Nighteye is my boss. And, the concerns for Midoriya he had, I feel trump everything else."
All Might had to admit, it was very brave to take a stand like that. Especially against him, "So you are truly here to offer him help."
"Completely and absolutely."
There was a moment's silence as the two groups waited to see what happened. It was then that Izuku realized that everyone was waiting for him to give the final say. Which was alarming for him, even if he realized that since he was the reason for everything that of course, the final decision was going to be him.
I guess since I have One for All, I'm going to be the one that ends up making a lot of the final decisions on things… Greaaat.
"Um, Toogata, I would be honored for your help. I agree that we should endeavor to keep our relationship on good terms. Despite everything. And if you're also going to help my friends, I would be grateful."
A little while later, after Izuku had gotten changed and Ochako had gotten a little healing done, the two were on their way home. Every so often, Izuku would glance over at Ochako, who was deep in thought, "You alright?"
"Grrrr, I really don't like that Sir Nighteye."
Izuku laughed, "Just wait until you actually meet him. He's much worse."
"Grrrr."
"Oh, come on. Honestly, this isn't that bad. Having the Big 3 available to help everyone else is a huge deal."
"I know, I know."
"Which you seemed eager to take advantage of."
Ochako conceded the point. After everything had concluded, she had gone up to Nejire and privately asked if she had any advice on flying. Something the other girl seemed eager to talk to her about. So overall, this seemed to be a net positive. Still, there was something bothering her, "Hey, Deku."
"Yeah?"
"When you and All Might first saw Toogata. You both seemed a little on edge? Is it because he was working for Sir Nighteye?"
Izuku nodded, "Yeah. Actually some of the bad blood between everyone is because of Toogata…" Izuku frowned and quickly added, "Not because of anything he did, of course. It's because he was who All Might was going to give One for All to on Sir Nighteyes suggestion."
Ochako's eyes bulged, "Wait, what?!"
Midoriay: Toga
Midoriay: Plz com 2 th front g8
Midoriay: Need 2 talk b4 class
Midoriay: Super Important!
Himiko had been pacing in her room since the early morning, going back and forth over her decision to let the whole class know about her past. In only a few minutes, she and her friends were going to meet in Nezu's office, and she was going to spill the beans. It was nerve-wracking. So to suddenly get a text from Izuku and have an excuse to get out of her room, was a godsend.
Rushing out of her room and pushing past the growing number of early-bird students, Himiko hurried past them all on her way to the front entrance to the school. Reaching the front gate, Himiko groaned as she saw the growing sea of reporters as she looked around for Izuku, Oh look. The fuckers are back. I swear to god, if they try and breach the perimeter again, I should be allowed to shank a few of them. Why are they even here? Has All Might done something recently? Ah fuck it, where's Izuku?
Himiko scanned the sea of people, looking for the fluffy green mess of hair that belonged to the most oblivious boy in the world.
"Toga?"
Speak of the cute devil, Behind Izuku was Ochako, cute devils, Himiko thought with a smile.
"Hey guys," Himiko greeted with her trademark grin, "busy morning, huh?"
Ochako rolled her eyes, clearly annoyed that once again reporters were clogging up the front entrance to the school, "It's ridiculous. What even is going on?"
"Maybe they're here because they want to interview All Might about his capture of Stain."
Himiko scrunched up her face, "Riiight. Because that's totally what happened."
"Toga," Izuku quickly motioned his hand across his neck to get Himiko to drop the subject, making her roll her eye.
"Yeah, yeah. I know."
Ochako, not wanting to be around the press any longer, motioned for the gate, "Well, let's get out of here. We have… a meeting to get to."
Somberly Izuku nodded, "Yeah. How are you feeling, Toga? I'm sure this hasn't been an easy morning for you."
Himiko shrugged, "It is what it is. Nervous… yeah, I guess, but honestly, this is probably for the best."
"And we'll be there for you," Izuku added quickly.
Ochako nodded vigorously, "Totally. You aren't alone, Toga."
Himiko felt a blush creep across her face, once again amazed at the two dorks she was madly in love with, "You two are just incredible. You know that?"
Both teens smiled and together began to walk towards the gate before Himiko called out to them, "Hold on a sec, Izuku."
"Yeah?"
"What did you want to talk about that was so important?"
Izuku frowned in confusion, while Ochako looked between him and Himiko, "I… what?"
"Your text you sent me," HImiko said, fishing for her phone, "You said you wanted to meet out here. You had something super important you wanted to talk about before class."
Izuku was completely still as he listened to that, "I… are you sure?"
Himiko pulled her phone out, "Yeah, look here's the texts you sent. You didn't hit your head or anything this morning, did you?"
"N-no? Toga, I haven't sent any texts this morning," Izuku was checking his phone now. Making sure he hadn't gone completely insane since waking up.
Ochako, looking at Himiko's phone and after reading through the texts, frowned deeply, "Toga… That name is spelled wrong."
Himiko blinked while Izuku put his phone away and looked at what Ochako was pointing at. Ochako pointed at the name displayed, "See. That says Midoriay. Not Midoriya."
The three looked at the phone in utter confusion, "The fuck?"
Izuku rubbed his chin, "Check the number. Click on the name and check the number." Izuku suddenly didn't like what was going on.
Himiko tapped the name and pulled up the phone number. Izuku looked at it and his feeling of unease got worse, "That's… almost my number, but the last two digits are flipped."
Ochako pulled out her phone and pulled up Izuku's contact info, confirming that the number that had texted Himiko was indeed a fake. The three stood, completely unsure at what was going on. Izuku pocketed his phone, "Guys, I think we need to get inside. This feels… bad."
Ochako nodded her head, "Yeah. This is beyond weird."
Himiko felt her stomach twist. All of her instincts, honed from years of survival on the streets, were screaming at her that she had just walked into a trap. She needed to get the fuck out of where she was. She needed to leave now before something-
"TOGA!"
The world came to a screeching stop. The noise from the crowd was gone. Himiko couldn't even hear Izuku and Ochako anymore. The only thing echoing in her ears now was the voice that had called her name. A voice she never thought she would hear again. Slowly, painfully slowly, Himiko turned and felt her world shatter around her. The crowd of reporters, camera men and cameras had all turned to look directly at her, and the young man they had parted to let through.
Saito marched through the parted crowd, face twisted in rage as he walked into the opening and pointed right at Himiko, "I finally found you, you monster!"
We interrupt your regular new broadcast to bring you a breaking story. We come to you live, at U.A. High School, where wanted serial killer Toga Himiko has been confirmed to be in attendance. We will continue to bring you up to date news on this developing story. We now go live to our reporter on the scene.