Chapter 49: It's About Fcking Time Deku!
Sitting around a table, the teachers were going over the results of the exams that had concluded earlier that day. Now running late into the evening, they were all but finished with their conclusions.
"Before we adjourn, is there anything else anyone would like to bring up?" Nezu asked as he pushed aside his papers with the pass / fail results. "Overall, I would say the first-years of class 1-A did remarkably well. Granted, there were those who failed the practical but, none exhibited anything that I don't think can't be fixed relatively easily."
Midnight looked over the papers for Rikidou, Yuuga, Eijirou, Mina, Denki and Hanta. "Everything is a learning experience, wins and losses. However, given the… intensity of these exams, I'm at least glad to see that none of them expressed any feelings that these exams were unfair. That would make the lessons harder to learn from."
Aizawa grunted. "The world isn't fair."
Midnight suppressed an eye roll. "Of course it isn't, but let's be realistic here. We just put these children through a test that their seniors would, and will, struggle with. While it seems like this idea worked out, it's very possible that it could have backfired on us. These young men and women could have come out of this with feelings of betrayal. That is not something so easily won back. And this time, it wouldn't just be you Aizawa, that would have to deal with it. Every teacher here would. All I'm saying is, that we dodged a potentially nasty bullet."
Aizawa leaned forward. "Is that supposed to be a shot at me?"
Midnight sipped her coffee. "When was the last time anyone from 2-A talked to you?"
The teachers all chuckled nervously. That whole episode had been a rather unfortunate period for the school. Having a class that held such open disdain for their homeroom teacher had made things incredibly awkward. The saving grace being the old class had only directed their ire toward Aizawa.
Said teacher didn't look phased in the slightest. "They all came out better for it. If they hate me, it's not relevant to me. And if you're done worrying over things that didn't happen, I would like to discuss something that did happen today. All Might," the shrunken hero flinched, "there are some things I feel need to be discussed before we end this meeting."
All Might scratched his neck. He had really hoped he wouldn't get called on. At least not after the chewing out some of the teachers, namely Midnight and Recovery Girl, had given him. It had been made abundantly clear that he had overstepped the spirit of the exam in their eyes, going so far as to almost brutalize Izuku and Katsuki. He had been shocked to hear that if not for Gran Torino stepping in, Recovery Girl had been ready to end the exam on the spot. "I think I covered everything in my summary. What else did you want to talk about?"
"Didn't you tell me that you had banned Midoriya from using that technique until after finals?"
All Might laughed loudly. "Ah, that. Well, it seems that Young Midoriya and Young Uraraka took my words a little too literally. I had banned it because he still couldn't control it well enough yet. Buuut," All Might shrugged, "since the two made a breakthrough, technically they weren't breaking the rules I set."
Midnight chuckled. "I swear, those two are a bad influence on each other."
Aizawa grunted, but accepted the explanation. "Then that leaves one last thing."
"Which is?"
"What in god's name happened before Bakugou re-entered the match?" Snipe asked over Aizawa. "Midoriya was ducking and dodging around just as fast as your punches."
The teachers in the room all nodded and turned their full attention toward All Might. "Oh, um…"
"I'll be the first to admit that Midoriya has made progress that I wasn't expecting," Cementoss added, "not that I didn't think the boy would make it, he has a drive that puts some pros to shame. But the way he was moving, it was like he was predicting your movements. Even you seemed surprised at the end."
Midnight tapped the table. "Maybe it's something to do with his Psychokinesis? Maybe he's becoming psychic now? But that's a huge change in his Quirk."
"The kid has had one already though," Snipe pointed out, "and it gave him that fire."
"A Quirk awakening on its own is extremely rare. It happening again is unheard of," Aizawa said. "So All Might. Do you have some insight? Did Midoriya say anything to you? Because if his Quirk is still in a state of flux, we may need to continue to keep an eye on him."
"AH!" All Might held up his hands. "That won't be necessary! It's easily explained!"
Nezu leaned forward. "Oh?"
"Er… Yes!" All Might coughed into his hand. "You see… During my time these past weeks helping Young Midoriya train and develop his Quirks, I was also giving him some close combat lessons. Since he was trying to mimic my power with that tactile move, I thought it wouldn't hurt to put him through a few drills. The punches at the end were actually one of the routines we worked on. During the match, I defaulted to it, and Young Midoiya caught on immediately."
The teachers all blinked and looked at each other, some looking like they had some doubts about that explanation. Nezu however chuckled. "Midoriya does make a habit of paying extreme attention to the moves of the heroes he admires. If he knew what was coming, well, instincts can save us when we least expect it."
All Might tried not to sigh in relief too loudly, but Nezu wasn't done. "But just so we are clear. There's no reason to expect this is a further escalation or growth of his Quirk? Nothing that would need to be looked after, for Midoriya's well-being?"
"No. Nothing to be concerned with," All Might answered definitively.
"So look, you're going to need to talk to All Might." There was a long pause on the other end of the line. Himiko could almost see the unhappy expression on Inko's face at that answer.
A while back, Inko had called Himiko out of the blue, worried that a villain she had run into as a child might still be around. Himiko had just about swallowed her tongue when Inko dropped the name All for One.
Himiko had dug a little, trying to figure out how in the unholy hell Inko of all people could know who All for One was. After some prodding, Himiko was able to get out a few tidbits. Mostly that Inko had been a bit of a troublemaker as a kid, sneaking off or sometimes skipping class. One of those times had led her to go exploring in the city, and she had come across a man stealing someone's Quirk.
"I don't think… that's a good idea."
"Look, all I can tell you is what I heard on the streets. Rumors and shit. That All for One was pretty much the monster under Japan's bed. Kingpin of crime, and the guy pulling all the politicians' strings from the shadows." Himiko twirled her eyepatch around a finger as she spoke into her phone. "I can give you some more descriptions, but the best way to put it is, he was the monster that controlled all the other monsters."
"I… I see."
Himiko frowned as she flung her eyepatch away and lay down on her bed. It was late now, but she had promised to contact Inko after she had 'researched' the villain she ran into as a kid. And now that finals were done, she really didn't want to sit on this anymore. Maybe she was passing the buck to All Might, but damn it, she wasn't paid enough to be the only one involved in this mess.
"But if he's as bad as you say he is…"
"Why aren't there any records? Government probably didn't want people freaking out that some monster was walking around that could have totally wrecked their shit." Himiko waited, but she was surprised that Inko didn't immediately try to deny the idea of a government coverup.
"So he just vanished?"
Himiko held back a sigh, reaching into her bag of 'not quite lies' and pulled out what she thought would be best for Inko to hear, "I can only tell you what I heard while I was on the streets. One day, the man just was gone."
"He must have been old by then…" Inko didn't seem satisfied with this at all. Himiko couldn't blame her. Running into All for One as a kid had left a pretty big impression on her, Himiko thought. So of course she'd want to make sure that this monster wasn't still around now that her son was trying to be a hero.
"But if you want something concrete, you need to talk to All Might. Those two fought. A lot. He's the expert. And you really don't have a reason to be scared of asking. He's not going to care if you were a delinquent as a kid."
"…Is there really no one else I could ask?"
Himiko had to bite back a 'you could ask your fucking son.' But while she was a troublemaker, there was no chance in hell she was going to be the one to pull the pin of that grenade. "All for One was All Might's greatest adversary, at least that's the word from where I'm from. You want answers, you gotta ask him."
"You wanna have a party?" Ochako confirmed as she took a bite of her breakfast. Sitting at the Midoriya table, Ochako, Inko, Eri and Izuku were all having breakfast before the pair would be off to school. For the last day of class of the term.
"I dunno, I just thought that it might be fun if we get everyone together to celebrate. Last couple of weeks when we were together, it was either for training or studying." Izuku picked at his breakfast. "Maybe we could go to the park and have a picnic, or to the beach and have a barbecue."
"You know… a barbecue does sound like fun," Ochako conceded. "I think our old stomping grounds do have those… tent things… um…"
"Gazebo," Inko filled in.
"Right, gazebos for people to do cookouts."
Eri tapped her chin. "What's the beach like? I don't think I've ever seen one."
Ochako blinked. "Well… it's… sandy and has the ocean."
"Pfft!" Izuku covered his mouth to try not to laugh at Ochako, whose cheeks puffed out in annoyance.
"Hey! It's a surprisingly hard thing to describe to someone who's never been to one."
Izuku mimicked Ochako's voice poorly. "A beach is sandy."
"Grrr!" Ochako slapped at Izuku, who just leaned away from her attacks.
While fending Ochako off, Izuku smiled at Eri. "Well, if you haven't been to one, then I think we should definitely try and have our party at the beach."
Inko clasped her hands together, smiling brightly. "I think that's a wonderful idea."
Mid-slap, Ochako paused and winced, not wanting to be the one to pour cold water over the idea, but, "Isn't Toga still not allowed to leave U.A.?"
Izuku's mood came crashing down. "Oh… right."
Eri tilted her head, looking a little confused. "Is Himiko in trouble? Is she grounded?"
Ochako patted Eri on the head. "No no. She's not in trouble or anything. It's just…" Ochako frowned, trying to think of the best way to tell a child that Himiko was being kept inside U.A. because the school was worried about the people hurting her, or that villains might come after her. "… complicated."
"That sounds stupid," Eri huffed.
Izuku crossed his arms. "It sure does. What's even the point now? It's like they're punishing her even when they're saying it's to help her."
Inko tapped her fingers on the table, before standing up and walking over to the phone. After making sure she had the right number she dialed away and waited. Izuku and Ochako exchanged glances, wondering what was going on.
"Yes, hello." Inko smiled brightly as she talked. "Oh, and good morning, Principal Nezu."
That got some startled looks from the pair. Though Izuku shouldn't be that surprised. Ever since the attacks and incidents at U.A., all the parents of the children in the hero department had been given personal lines to the teachers and faculty. A move to help give the adults some feeling of control and safety, letting them have direct access in case there was ever a problem again.
"Oh no no, everything is… well, actually, everything isn't fine. There's an issue I'd like to discuss with you. Regarding Toga." Inko paused. "An in-person meeting would be appreciated. I was hoping some of the teachers that also have a hand in Toga's upbringing could also be there as well. I think that would be Midnight and All Might?" Another short pause. "Of course, if your staff is busy, a phone conversation would be alright… This afternoon? At what time… that would be just before the end of the day, right? Yes, that would be just perfect. Thank you."
Hanging up, Inko sat down and went back to eating breakfast. "I'll see what I can do to get those silly restrictions off Toga so you all can have a nice party, Izuku."
Waking into 1-A, you would be surprised to learn that it was the last day of the first term. Instead of the students being excited about summer, almost everyone was sitting in their chairs trying to not shift around nervously. The rest? They sat with their heads down, forlorn and looking certain they were about to meet with an abysmal fate.
"Why would you open your dumb mouth, Sero," Minoru groaned, slinking into his chair. "Just because you're doomed, doesn't give you the right to drag us all down with you."
Hanta wilted at some of the death glares shot his way. "It was just something that popped into my head, is all."
"'Oh, hey, just because someone's team passed the practical exercise, do you think they could still fail the practical test personally?'" Kyouka repeated sourly. "'Cause, it's Aizawa-sensei after all.' You deserve what's coming to you."
Hanta gulped. "C-come on guys…"
"Imma stab him," Himiko hissed.
No one in the class said anything to stop her, making Hanta gulp and look over toward Izuku pleadingly. "Please don't let her."
Izuku sounded so bored and uninterested when he pleaded, "No, please Toga. Don't. Think of your future and… such and such."
"Imma stab."
"I tried." Izuku then laid his head down on his desk, trying not to worry about possibly failing after passing.
Before, there had been some worries about their written exams. While it may seem small in comparison to the practical, their written tests were just as important. So when Sero had dropped the idea on the class, everyone started looking back at their wins and began to second-guess the decisions they had made. If they had done things differently, could their wins have come faster? Did they make tactical decisions that in the real world could have gotten them killed? A great weight was now pressing down on everyone on top of the initial worries from before.
When Aizawa walked into the class, he raised an eye at the melancholic mood. He of course was expecting some of the class to be awaiting their doom, but the whole class? They either must be worried about their written tests, which realistically wasn't a possibility. Nervous would make sense, but this was fear and dread he was observing. Which meant it was more likely they were waiting for him to drop a bomb in their laps.
At least they're learning.
Taking his spot, Aizawa addressed the class. "Good morning. Judging by your expressions, you know that unfortunately some of you did not pass the final exams." There were some visible flinches from his students. "So accordingly, for the training camp planned for this summer in the woods…" Aizawa paused for dramatic effect. "Everyone's going!"
The smile on his face when he dropped the news was creepy. Enough that it froze everyone on the spot before his words sunk in.
…
"IT'S A LAST SECOND TWIST!"
Mina was weeping in joy while Yuuga returned to his dazzling self. Ejirou raised his hand excitedly. "We all really get to go?!"
Aizawa nodded. "Correct. No one failed the written exam. It's obvious you all took it seriously and did not make the mistake of some previous classes and brushing it off. However, Satou, Aoyama, Kirishima, Ashido, Kaminari and Sero failed the practical exam."
Kyouka sighed in relief. "God, Sero. You got us all worried over nothing. Making us think we could have failed even after winning."
"You could have," Aizawa cut in, making Kyouka jolt in her seat. "A win did not automatically mean an individual would have scored high enough on the test to pass. You were all graded on your performances separately on top of your team effort and exam outcome."
Collectively the class gulped.
"This time for the exam, everyone on the villain side made sure to leave a way for the students to win. The teachers then all watched to see how you all took on the task at hand. If the villain side hadn't purposely left open avenues for you all to take to achieve victory, then you would have all lost before even having a chance to get started."
When the class considered just how hard their tests had been, the idea that they could have been even more challenging was like a punch to the gut. Himiko felt annoyed. She didn't like getting played. "So all that crap about coming to crush us, then?"
"Simply, it was to make you feel cornered," Aizawa answered.
"What about the ultimatum of not getting to go to the camp?" Tenya asked. "Another deception on your behalf, sir?"
"Perhaps, but if you think about it logically, the training camp in the woods is one to increase your strength. To deny those that failed a chance to attend would have been counterproductive. They out of everyone would most benefit from it. They need to get stronger. So, in the end, it was a rational falsehood."
Collectively the class twitched at that. It's the quirk apprehension test all over again!
Ochako frowned. Like Himiko, she wasn't exactly thrilled that she had gotten played again. "Aren't you worried that all these lies are going to make us not trust you? You're supposed to be our teacher. How are we supposed to learn from you if we have to question everything you say?"
Aizawa paused and seemed to choose his next words carefully. "It's something I've been told to consider moving forward."
Himiko blinked. …the fuck, is he actually listening to Midnight? I know for a fact she hates the shit he likes to pull.
"However, I wasn't lying about everything. Those that failed will be participating in extra lessons on top of the training camp. Frankly, you all may wish that you had been left behind when it's said and done."
Collectively, Rikidou, Yuuga, Eijirou, Mina, Denki and Hanta all flinched.
When the bell rang at the end of the day, Midnight hummed as she filed away some papers. "Alright, that's it for the day and the term. Congratulations on making it!" Midnight offered the class a cheer which was returned. "Now, I know you all are eager to get your break started, but don't forget my assignment. I want an example of pre-Quirk modern art that didn't change once the Quirk phenomenon swept through the world. And no, comic books will not be an acceptable answer."
Several boys groaned at that.
While Midnight went back to packing up her stuff, Tenya stood up and got everyone's attention. "As we will be leaving our class for several weeks, let us make sure we spend some extra time cleaning everything as a show of our appreciation." While some in the class were less than thrilled, none of them really minded all that much. So soon the class went to work pulling out brooms and dust cloths while others helped move the desks and chairs around.
"Midoriya, Toga, would you give me a hand with my things? We can just drop them off at the teachers' office." Midnight motioned to some stacks of papers. Himiko grumbled under her breath that even if Midnight was an old woman she could carry her own shit. Izuku however just nudged her along.
"Come on. Would you rather be sweeping?"
"You'd be surprised what I'd rather be doing than helping the old lady," Himiko hissed.
Midnight's eye twitched, but she bit back her remark and just led the two out into the hallway. Once they were out of the classroom, Izuku suddenly felt like he was being watched. Which was no surprise since when he looked around, he saw that Himiko was looking right at him. Intently.
"Ummm… Yes?"
"So have you asked her out yet?"
"EH?!" Izuku's face went red and he started stuttering and sputtering, all the while not paying attention to the fact that Midnight had stopped walking so she could look over her shoulder and give the conversation her full attention. So he just about ran into her. "T-T-T-Toga! You can't just ask me that. And in public too!"
Himiko gave Izuku the biggest "seriously" side-eye. "You really think no one knows at this point?"
Izuku recalled Katsuki mentioning something along the lines of 'worst kept secret,' and promptly wanted to die.
"Well?" Midnight asked before Himiko stepped up and kicked her to keep walking.
"You stay out of this!" Himiko then turned back. "Well?"
"Umm. It's only been one night, Toga," Izuku answered uneasily. "We still need to… you know…"
Himiko blinked. "Wait… Wait, hold the fuck on. You did tell her how you felt after the finals, right?"
"Um." Izuku started to wonder if it would be a good idea to put up a barrier.
"MIDORIYA IZUKU! YOU DID TELL HER, RIGHT?!"
Yup, I definitely need to put up a barrier— ACK! Izuku tried not to drop the stack of papers as Himiko reached up and grabbed the stump that was his tie.
"You can not be serious! How?! Why?!"
Izuku struggled to free himself. "C-Come on, Toga. It wasn't like there was ever a chance for me to tell her after everything. We were tired after it all."
Himiko sighed, and let Izuku go. "So nothing happened? Damn."
Izuku chuckled nervously. "No. There wasn't a chance. All that happened after we left the school—" Izuku then broke down everything from the walk to the train. The train ride itself and then their goodnights to each other. "See. There wasn't really… what?"
"She… you… You fucking asked her about the flirting?! She had your face cupped in her hands… and you're going to stand there and say there wasn't a chance for you to confess?" Himiko looked like she was about to burst a blood vessel. And as Izuku backed away for his own safety, he suddenly realized that Midnight was also giving him the same annoyed look.
"L-L-Look! It's not like I'm just sitting on my hands or anything!" Izuku floated the stacks of papers as he dug around in his pocket for his phone. After some swipes, he pulled up a list of restaurants and parks. "See! I'm looking into places that would make great confession sites! Unfortunately, there aren't any amusement parks open right now. So I'm having to look outside of what I know. I'm not just going to pull her aside and just confess! It needs to be special! But some of these places are expensive! But I can't just take her to a movie! That's too cheap!"
Himiko blinked and leaned in to look at the list. "Izuku… there are like over a hundred different spots here."
"Like I said. I'm not sitting on my hands," Izuku muttered with a blush. Putting his phone away and plucking the stack of papers out of the air.
Himiko sighed and scratched at her neck. "Okay… okay I get it. You want this to be special. That's… actually kinda sweet. And totally in form now that I think about it. Just… don't take too long. My sanity can't handle the waiting much longer."
"… You have sanity?" Izuku sounded genuinely surprised. Even if he had a smirk inching across his face. Which was quickly wiped away when Himiko reared back and gave him a solid kick in the backside.
The trio made it to the teachers' office and walked in. It was relatively empty, save for All Might working at his desk. He waved to the trio as they carried the papers to Midnight's desk.
"So Midoriya," Midnight began as she sat at her desk, "I bet you're excited about your upcoming trip."
Izuku finished putting the rest of the papers on the teacher's desk and looked over at her, head tilted to the side. "Trip?"
All Might stopped typing at his computer.
Midnight laughed. "I guess all the exam excitement made you forget. Your reward for coming in first at the sports festival."
Himiko scratched her head while she dug through the teacher's fridge, looking for a snack. Izuku meanwhile looked totally lost. "Trip? Like to a museum or something?"
Himiko cheered as she pulled out an unmarked slice of cake. "Maybe it's for a park or like a trip to a fancy restaurant."
That … could be nice, Izuku thought. Maybe it's somewhere I could take Uraraka to. This might solve my date problem.
Midnight stopped laughing and was now giving Izuku a strange look. "Noo. I'm talking about your trip to I-Island."
"…My what?"
All Might was sweating bullets now, and Midnight's eyes were soon cast in his direction. "Surely you know. All Might was so excited to tell you the news himself."
Now all eyes were on All Might. The hero coughed into his hand before he bulked up in a puff of steam and rushed over towards Izuku, grabbing his hand in a handshake. "Congratulations Young Midoriya! You've won an all-expenses paid trip for yourself and one guest to attend I-Island's I-Expo!"
Silence.
Midnight and Himiko had matching expressions as they looked at the man. You're the worst.
"The I-Expo is a world-class exposition showcasing the results of research and development on I-Island. All the companies that work in hero support have a hand in it. You'll get early access with this pass, so you'll get to see some amazing sights. The Pavilion has cafes, and musical shows. It's almost more like an amusement park than a technology showcase."
"Ah…! An amusement park…" Izuku, who had been struggling to keep up with everything he was being told, latched onto that, talking to himself. "That's the best place for a date. You can hold hands and split a crêpe…"
Himiko felt her heart go doki doki. "Oh my god, that is the purest shit I've ever heard."
Midnight agreed. "Young love is the best."
"…Please don't make this weird."
"I don't want to hear that from you."
All Might continued on pretending he hadn't heard them. "There are also games that heroes get to play, like Villain Attack. It's a time attack trial, and extremely popular with the heroes that come to attend. The last time I visited I set a record… I think it's still there too." All Might scratched his chin proudly at that before continuing on. "And on opening night, there's a reception party. A really fancy event."All Might flashed Izuku a thumbs up. "Quit a reward, huh?"
Izuku nodded, then he started nodding faster, as his excitement bubbled over. "THIS IS PERFECT! You said one guest, right?!" Izuku latched onto All Might, eyes sparkling. "I can take someone with me?!"
"That's right!"
And just like that, the answer to Izuku's problems fell into his lap. "This is great! This means I can invite—"
"Oh, Izuku, of course I'll go out with you." Himiko slid into Izuku's arms, nuzzling his neck with her cheek. "You, me and no parental supervision. Just think of all the naughty, amazing fun we could get into." Himiko's smile dripped sex, and the look in her eye didn't leave any room for imagination about what she was thinking of doing.
Izuku froze. Which was funny because his body was heating up to the point smoke was puffing out of his nose. "T-T-T-T-Toga. I. I mean… I was… What I… Um…"
Himiko's sultry expression shattered as she broke into hysterical laughter. "Oh my god Izuku, I'm never going to get tired of this." As she pulled back, she gave Izuku a quick peck on the cheek. "You know what you need to do, and I do too." Izuku, red from everything Himiko had just done, still nodded, which wasn't good enough for Himiko. "Say it."
"I'm… going to go ask Uraraka to come with me to the I-Expo."
Himiko shook her head. "Nuh-uh, try again."
Izuku gulped, but then clenched his fist in determination over his chest. "I'm… I'm going to go ask Uraraka on a date. A romantic date!"
"There you go!" Himiko cheered. "And when are you going to do it?!"
"RIGHT NOW!" Izuku hugged Himiko, making the (mostly) ex-serial stabber chirp in surprise, then bolted from the room, leaving the three remaining people behind to watch him go in amusement.
"Get her Izuku!" Himiko cheered.
Midnight chuckled before she stopped. "Wait… All Might, did you tell him when the event was? Because it's only a few—"
All Might bolted out of the room to chase after Izuku, knowing he couldn't let Izuku ask Ochako out without knowing that the I-Expo was only a couple of days away.
"…He's a moron. The number one hero is a moron." Himiko groaned into her hands, even though she was still smiling.
Midnight watched Himiko closely, careful as she picked her words, the topic one that she went out of her way to avoid as she felt, despite how sure Himiko was, it was a touchy one. "Are you okay? With all of this?"
Pulling her face out of her hands, Himiko regarded Midnight strangely. "Eh? What's got you all worried all of a sudden?"
"This plan of yours. Pushing Midoriya and Uraraka together, then well," Midnight hesitated for a second, "slipping in with them. I'm not seeing a lot of progress in the whole ménage à trois angle you're shooting for."
Ever since Himiko had brought up her 'plan', Midnight had been careful to openly discuss it with her, even during their therapy sessions. It felt like the topic could become a landmine at the drop of a hat. But with potentially big moves happening between two people that Himiko openly loved and cared for, Midnight knew she was going to need to test the waters, so to speak.
When Himiko just shrugged, it wasn't really the response she had been expecting. Nor what she said next. "I guess… Hmm, yeah. I kinda get that feeling too. Might've missed the bus on that one." Himiko pulled out a knife and cut into the cake she had found. "But, it's weird but at the same time… I feel like the plan is working too. Missed the nine o'clock bus, but the nine ten is just coming around the corner."
Himiko stabbed the cake slice and shoved it into her mouth. Not bothering to even finish chewing she kept on, "Don't know what that means, but my gut and my heart are telling me to just keep on doing my thing. So that's what I'm going to do. Simple as that."
Midnight thought about that but chose not to keep pushing. If Himiko herself wasn't really sure what was going on with herself, then it was best to let her have the time to figure it out. Though the idea that she knew she missed something but felt like there was something else coming around the corner was an interesting analogy. She had meant it when she had said she didn't see any progress in Himiko setting up a polyamorous relationship, but that didn't mean there wasn't something there already. It was abundantly clear that Izuku Ochako and Himiko had something between them. At this point, all Midnight could really do was let the three of them figure it out for themselves. At the very least the trust they had built between them would act as a great safety net if things got rocky. Not that she was overly worried about that.
Even if things are about to get interesting now that there's about to be a new player stepping up.
Midnight almost hated that she was cursed with a sixth sense when it came to all the shipping that went on in U.A. Almost. Because it was still so gosh darn cute seeing all these romantic comedies playing out. Way better than any rom-com or soap on tv.
Humming, Midnight searched through her desk before finding a plastic fork, rolled her chair over, and plucked a bit of cake off the plate. "Just so you know, this was Snipe's cake."
"I won't tell if you don't."
"A FEW DAYS!" Izuku's hands shot up and grabbed his head. "If there's a reception party, Uraraka and I will need to have clothes dry cleaned and prepped! I haven't worn my suit since the dinner party! It's still just hanging in my closet! Is that enough time?! Do dresses take longer?!"
"Don't worry Young Midoriya!" All Might flashed Izuku a thumbs up. "The school has your and Young Uraraka's measurements from your costumes. I'll make sure you both have something to wear for the expo! Being the number one hero has its perks. I know many of the best clothing designers. It'll all be taken care of."
Izuku sighed, letting his hands fall to his sides. "Thank you, All Might. I don't even know if Uraraka would be able to…" Izuku frowned. "Nevermind. You'll take care of it so it's fine."
Izuku was almost worried if Ochako would even be able to afford to get her dress laundered. He was sure his mother would pay for it, and if not, he'd be more than happy to pay for it. But Ochako was not one to take anything she thought as a handout without getting her pride pricked. And Izuku did not want to get Ochako into a sour mood before he tried to ask her out.
"I guess I'll need to make sure it's okay with Mom if we can go. It's such short notice after all." Izuku let his eyes get a little cold as he looked at All Might, who laughed nervously.
"Fear not, I shall make sure all your mother's worries will be dealt with. I shall inform her of the news myself and assure her that I will personally chaperone you two for the event."
Izuku's initial relief that All Might was going to take care of everything went cold. "Oh, you're going to come with us?"
All Might laughed and put a hand on Izuku's shoulder."Unfortunately, you set yourself up for this one."
"Eh?"
"Wanting to use the expo as a chance for a romantic rendezvous with Young Uraraka is wonderful, but er… well, I can't really in good conscience let you two go off on your own. You know, in case you two get… a little too handsy."
Izuku's eyes almost popped out of his face at the same time every part of him went red from complete embarrassment. "A-A-A-ALL MIGHT! I'D NEVER! I MEAN, I WOULDN'T! I MEAN—"
While Izuku was left to completely deny that he would ever try anything like that, All Might was glad he had come up with a convincing enough reason to go with Izuku. While acting as a chaperone to a couple of teenagers could have been a good enough reason, in truth, All Might wasn't sure he was completely comfortable letting Izuku travel so far unprotected. There were still threats out in the world that Izuku wasn't ready to face just yet. "Now, you go run along and find Young Uraraka. I have some business to attend to."
He was glad that Izuku seemed more concerned with speaking with Ochako than pressing the issue. Of course he trusted Izuku not to do anything untold, so he imagined this trip was going to be a breeze. And of course, All Might knew how to make himself scarce if the situation needed it. Which, he had a feeling Izuku was going to think it was needed. Though perhaps not too scarce. Because Izuku was a gentle lad and there was a good chance Ochako might just gobble him up.
Walking back to the teachers' office, All Might rubbed his chin. It had been a little while since he had last been to the island. And by extension, it had been a while since he had seen his friend David, though they have had several phone and video calls since his last visit. So it wasn't like he wasn't keeping in touch, though this past year those calls had been more spread out than normal.
But David was apparently hard at work on some intense project, so that ate up a lot of his time. He was also unusually hush-hush about it too. So that meant either nervous investors or governments were involved. Neither one sounded all too fun to the hero. It also wasn't like All Might wasn't engrossed in a project of his own with Izuku and Ochako, something he too had to be hush-hush about.
All Might briefly thought about giving David a call to let him know that he would be coming to I-Island but a smug smile split the hero's face. Why spoil the surprise? It wasn't often he got a good chance to surprise David like this.
There was also Melissa, he knew it was far past time since he checked in on her. He couldn't wait to see the look on her face when he popped up out of the blue. He was sure she'd be excited. If he could keep it a secret, that girl had ears everywhere it seemed. Though maybe he'd be able to slip past her this time since from everything he had been hearing, she was getting quite busy herself.
Like father, like daughter, he supposed.
Making it back to the office door, he was met by both Midnight and Himiko. "I suppose it's best for us to get going, then."
"Yes, best not to keep Nezu waiting."
Himiko's ears perked up. "Nezu?"
Midnight waved her off. "Never you mind. You go help your class clean up your classroom."
Himiko grumbled and flipped her off before walking away. Honestly, at this point, she really didn't care what the teachers and that crazy principal were up to.
…
Okay, that was a straight-up lie, but supposedly Izuku was actually going to ask Ochako out, and she kinda wanted to see that, and the fallout, more than worrying about sneaking around so she could listen in on some boring old—
"Oof!"
"Urk!"
Himiko hadn't been paying attention to where she had been going and had bumped into someone.
Ah great, now I have to apologize to whoever was dumb enough to not move out of my… oh, what?
"Hello Toga," Inko smiled brightly. "Fancy running into you here."
Himiko almost had to do a double take. "Mrs. Midoriya? What are…you doing here?"
"Hi Hi!" Eri cheered happily and waved up at Himiko. Himiko gulped and waved back, suddenly a little nervous. She had to be on her best behavior around Eri. Her-slip ups from before still haunted her. Teaching the little pipsqueak Izuku and Ochako were looking after swearwords and middle fingers was not a great look for her. Plus, the kid was adorable and she kinda wanted to keep her that way.
Inko's hundred-watt smile didn't drop. "Oh, I'm just here to have a little meeting with Principal Nezu. I just need to find the teachers' lounge first. He told me that Eri could wait in there while we talked. But I think I got turned around."
Eri nodded her head. "We've been going in circles."
"Oh, you hush now, no we haven't."
Eri used her pointer finger to draw a circle in the air. Over and over again.
Himiko pointed behind her. "Just take this hall all the way down and then take a right. Keep going and you'll see a little sign."
"Thank you so much."
Himiko watched the pair leave and now found herself suddenly very interested in whatever meeting Nezu, Midnight and All Might were having. While she doubted it had anything to do with their talk from last night, her curiosity was now piqued.
Izuku skidded to a stop right outside the large doors to his classroom. Putting a hand over his heart, he worked to steady himself, wondering if perhaps it wasn't the brightest idea to sprint all the way back to class. He didn't want to be out of breath when asking Ochako out on a date.
…Oh my gosh I'm asking Uraraka out on a date.
Briefly, some old instincts tried to interject and say that maybe this wasn't the best idea. But they were promptly shoved aside and given a kick in the ass for good measure. Izuku was not going to back down now. Not when something so wonderful was just within reach. No, there would be no running away. But he was going to take a second to make sure he looked presentable. If he was going to ask Ochako out, he was not going to make a mess of it.
…
…
He was also just standing out in the hallway not doing anything. But to be fair, not doing anything did prevent him from making a mess.
I should probably just… go in then.
Izuku took a step forward. Then back.
Just go in there and do it.
One step forward. One step back.
Just gotta get into the class…
But the class was closed off. So that would be a tall—
Open the door!
Izuku promptly slid the door open and went inside. Head on a swivel, he immediately found Ochako up at the front of the class, cleaning off the blackboard. She smiled when she saw him walk back into the class. "Deku! You're just in time to help me reach these top corners. Think you can lift me up… hey? Where's Toga?"
"Eating cake in the teachers' office."
Ochako put down the rag she was using, and palmed her fist into her hand, cracking the knuckles. "One second. I'm gonna have a word with her."
Ochako had that scary smile on her face. Izuku gulped. "Um, what kind of word?"
"Violence."
"Um! Before you do that," Izuku side-stepped to block Ochako's path, "You'll never guess what I just found out."
Ochako, only slightly annoyed that her path keeping her from delivering divine retribution was blocked, looked at Izuku curiously. "No? Is this the good kind of found out, or the kind that makes me wanna smack you?"
Izuku scratched his chin. "Not me, nope. I'm totally innocent here."
"…" Ochako took a second to digest that before it clicked. "So I'm guessing All Might told you something he forgot to tell you about earlier." Again!
"Pretty much."
Ochako rubbed her brow. "Remember the first day, he had that little book to help him teach. He should use it for other teacher duties too."
"So get this," Izuku said as he tried to pivot away from All Might. "Apparently I won a reward from the sports festival."
"Oh, really? What kind of reward?" Ochako asked as she picked up her cleaning rag to get back to work.
"I got a ticket to go to I-Island for an expo! And I get to bring a friend with me." Izuku was practically bouncing now. "So you wanna come with? It's only a few days away, so I know it's short notice."
"Isn't that the huge man-made island? That all the tech companies made? Oh, that sounds fun. Yeah! So is it like a field trip kind of thing? Like do we get to sightsee or…" Ochako trailed off when she noticed that Izuku's bouncy attitude seemed to fade and he was looking—actually, he seemed to be looking off into space. "Deku?"
SMACK!
Ochako jumped when Izuku reached up and smacked himself in the face. "D-Deku?!"
"Argh! I screwed that up! It was all wrong!" Izuku held his face in his hands and groaned loudly. "I wasn't supposed to ask you like that!" Suddenly he stood up straight. "Uraraka!"
"Y-yes?" Ochako chirped at the sudden intense calling of her name.
"Just forget I said anything."
"I… Huh? Do you not want me to go or…" Before Ochako's feelings could actually get hurt, Izuku waved his hands about frantically.
"No! No that's not it. Just… Pretend I didn't say anything and just… Give me a second." Not waiting for Ochako to reply, Izuku turned on his heel and quickly marched out of the room, closing the door behind him.
Ochako stood there, wavering between not knowing what the fuck was going on, and worrying about what could have Izuku acting so strange. Then the door opened back up, and Izuku was standing in the doorway. Looking extremely peculiar. Speaking of strange.
Izuku walked back in, stiff as a board. With every step, his face got redder and redder. By the time he was standing in front of Ochako, again, smoke was starting to puff out of his nose. He stood there, motionless and neon red, for a good few seconds, just looking at Ochako intently.
He opened his mouth, but no words came out. He closed his mouth, then tried again. A few tries and one would think he was trying out for the role of a fish-out-of-water. After the last failed attempt to say anything he held up a finger, signaling for Ochako to hold on a second, and turned and left the class again. Closing the door behind him.
"…Okay what is Deku up t—!"
BANG!
THUMP!
THUD!
Ochako gaped at the sound of something slamming into the wall just outside the classroom. After the third collision, there was a few seconds of silence before the door to the class opened again, and Izuku, with a very noticeable red bump on his forehead, walked back into the classroom.
"Hi."
Ochako almost tripped, an amazing feat since she was standing still, and struggled to find a good response to the nonchalant hello Izuku just offered up. "Hey?"
It was hard to ignore the pink blush on Izuku's face, or just how nervous he was. Ochako also felt herself grow a little nervous because of the way he was looking at her. It was like she was the only thing he could see. Almost like he was mesmerized by her.
"Uraraka, I… So about the I-Island trip. It's not just the expo, it's also early access to the expo. It's kinda like a huge amusement park, with booths and games and loads of food. And at the end, there's going to be a fancy reception ball."
"Sounds like it's going to be a really fun time," Ochako said honestly. It had been a long time since she had gone to anything like an amusement park. Everything there was always expensive.
"It does yeah, and… I want to go to it with you." Ochako was about to say he had already asked her to go and she had said yes. "So Uraraka. Would you go out with me? I mean… would you go to the expo as my… as my date?"
Ochako's brain promptly shorted out, as it tried to comprehend what she had just been asked. And who had just asked it. Izuku. Izuku fucking Midoriya had just asked her out on a date. So while Ochako's brain was stuttering to a standstill, Ochako's heart was beating to the constant victory chant of, fuck yes fuck yes fuck yes! Most impressive was that with her whole words either exploding around her in shock and joy, she was still able to casually echo out, "Date?" And only sound a little like a dumbstruck fool.
Izuku scratched at his neck, nerves making him ready to bolt at the slightest provocation. "Yeah, I… wanna take you out on a date. That is… if you wan—-"
"YES!" Ochako practically screamed her answer, while at the same time taking several steps forward. Almost as if she was afraid Izuku would leave again and she'd lose the chance to say anything. "Er… I mean." She immediately calmed herself down and tried again. "I mean yes, I'd love to go with you to the expo… as your date."
Now it was Izuku's turn to look stunned. "Wait, really?"
"Yup."
"With me?"
"Uh-huh."
"Really?"
Ochako rolled her eyes and reached up and grabbed Izuku's shoulders. "Deku. I want to go on a date with you. Can I be any clearer?"
Izuku didn't say anything at first. Then, with a cheer, he jumped into the air and pumped his fist high. "YES! Yes yes yes yes yes!" As he celebrated he did a little spin. Upon landing, he finally got a good look at the rest of the classroom. And saw that everyone was still there. Some with their phones out, like Mina who had the biggest grin on her face.
"That's going up on my insta for sure."
Ochako also remembered that the class wasn't empty and stared back at them blankly. "Oh right… you guys are still here." She promptly turned red and floated up to the ceiling, hands covering her face.
Kyouka, phone also out and recording, smirked. "You know, if you wanna be more clear, you could just kiss him. By the way, you better make sure Toga gets a copy of that, Ashido."
Mina smirked. "Waaaaay ahead of you."
Izuku chirped and squeaked. "N-no! That's supposed to come after I con— I mean while we're at the I-Ex— I mean…"
Ochako, back hitting the ceiling, peaked through her hands, and stared down at Izuku. While he only got a few words into each of his excuses, Ochako got the gist immediately. Which got her heart rate going from the million it had been into the billions. Oh my god, this is how he's going to do it?! An amusement park and a fancy reception ball… Wait…?
While the wheels in Ochako's head were still turning, Tenya stepped up. "While as your friend I must applaud and congratulate you two for finally taking the necessary steps to further your relationship," Izuku almost physically groaned cause it sure sounded like even Tenya was in the know at this point, "as your classroom representative I must remind you that such forward public displays of affection are inconsiderate for your peers. While U.A. does not have rules against students dating, I must ask you to ensure you act in a way that properly represents our great school."
Denki snickered. "So pinkies out when you're making out."
Hitoshi looked at Tenya with a bored side-eye. "You say that and yet you haven't done jack all when Toga does something."
"Like any great leader, I must know which battles to fight."
Tsuyu tapped her chin. "You know she'd stab you, right?"
"Precisely."
"AHHHH! A FEW DAYS?! MY DRESS NEEDS TO GET CLEANED!" Ochako screamed as realization just smacked her in the face.
Izuku quickly moved in to deal with that. "Oh, you don't have to worry, Uraraka. All Might said that everything we need will be taken care of. We'll have clothes for the reception waiting for us."
Ochako sighed heavily, relieved that at least All Might was going to make sure some things were taken care of. So now she could just focus on the fact that Izuku had just asked her out. He had asked her out and was taking her to a far-off island where it would just be the two of them.
The two of us… alone… Just us… alone to eat and play and… maybe kiss and… and then… Ochako's face got redder and redder as her imagination started whispering all kinds of fun things she could do with Izuku if she got him alone on their date.
Tenya looked over at Izuku pointedly. "I trust that you two will have proper supervision during this trip?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah, um, All Might said he would chaperon us. He has some friends that live on I-Island that he'd like to see so it all works out."
Above everyone, Ochako's thoughts turned from all the fun she could have to all the different ways she could make All Might suffer.
Tenya turned away from them and pointed his finger at Mina. "And Ashido! Don't think I didn't hear that! Uploading something so personal to Midoriya and Uraraka to social media is disrespectful of their privacy!"
Mina just rolled her eyes. "Fine, fine." She didn't mention however that she had already sent the video to Himiko. What happened after that, wasn't her problem in the slightest.
Katsuki practically growled after everything was said and done. "Can we just finish cleaning the fucking room? If I have to stay here any longer after watching that shit show I'm going to puke."