Chapter 58: Observations, Schemes and Discussions
"There's a good… almost one hundred percent chance my son was directly involved in repelling the attack on I-Island last night," Hisashi said blankly after he hung up his cellphone.
Normally, answering a call when you were sitting in on a meeting of the top brass of the Meta Liberation Army, would be absolutely insane, and a quick way to a gruesome death. So, a smart rule of thumb would be: keep your phone off. But Hisashi had been told to make sure his family always had a direct line to him. So, he of course had to answer it when Inko suddenly called him.
At first, Chitose's dry mocking laugh and Geten's cold stare as he had to answer in the middle of Rikiya talking was the only real reaction to the call. But after he relayed what he had been told from the very brief call, he saw that this was not the news anyone in the room expected. They knew of the attack, of course, it had been all over the news. But any involvement of individuals outside of professional heroes hadn't been mentioned.
Rikiya, some dark splotches forming on his skin, pushed back the papers he had in front of him, clearly indicating that whatever had been on the night's docket was now getting moved back. "Okay. Let's see if we can define, 'directly involved.'"
If Hisashi wasn't such a nervous wreck, he'd be astonished that Tomoyasu was now displaying an emotion besides condescension. He was genuinely nervous about having to follow Rikiya's order. As the group waited for him to work, Hisashi, as he regained control of himself, overheard the hacker mentioning that I-Island was still a nut he hadn't cracked yet. That any real results would require him to be onsite with direct access to I-Islands security servers. Like Tartarus, this was a place that just wasn't feasible at the moment.
Rikiya sighed, disappointed. "Out there is a place where our ideals are the closest to being a reality, but it's still in the grasp of government dogs." He tapped his fingers on his desk. "But, if things go our way, once Detnerat breaks into hero support items, maybe it'll finally be our chance to set up roots there."
Soon, Tomoyasu was able to, as he phrased it, jigsaw together an apparent summary of the events of the night, using security footage from the site of the attack. He warned, that due to the initial takeover and then the whole system being reset, on top of a lot of files seemingly having been removed from the servers outright, most likely by those in charge to secure and bury, that it wasn't going to be a pretty thing to watch. And this was only the things he could skim off the top of the servers without triggering any security measures.
Fortunately, that seemed to be enough for Rikiya, and everyone turned to the projected screen as the video was played.
The footage started up in a closed off hallway. Izuku, along with his classmates, were in some kind of meeting. The audio was next to nonexistent, be it because of their hushed voices or the corrupted nature of the files. Chitose noticed that among the group, there was an odd one out, a blonde she didn't recognize from the class, but who Izuku and Ochako were standing to the side with, in some kind of deep discussion.
"Everyone, I have an idea."
The cameras picked that up. And while again, the audio was spotty, it was clear Izuku had come up with some kind of plan, and was getting his friends on board.
"Interesting," Chitose hummed to herself. "The boy has leadership qualities."
Rikiya seemed to be in agreement. "After watching those sports festival clips, especially the second round, I'd say you're right on the money."
Chitose glanced over at Hisashi. Well we know he didn't get those qualities from you.
Things played out, with the footage skipping along until the kids were forced to exit the stairway into the hallway. The resulting fight with the security robots was informative. At the very least, it gave the group a chance to see how U.A. was training their students. Kuokuu noted how well Izuku and Ochako seemed to work together, which got some hums of agreement. Geten begrudgingly also pointed out that everyone seemed to have concerning levels of combat proficiency.
"That blonde girl isn't doing anything," Hisashi said with offhanded mockery. And Chitose was not going to admit she had found that odd as well. Tomoyasu, after running a quick face match, was able to pull up some school records from the island, and found out the girl was Melissa Shield and was Quirkless.
Before anyone had a chance to scoff at the girl, he went on, adding she was the daughter of David Shield. Rikiya recognized that name, without connecting it to anything hero related. The man was a certified genius in the field of support items. As the CEO of a support item company, he knew the big players.
"So that's his daughter. I must say Midoriya, your son seems to have a habit of finding himself connected to very influential individuals," Rikiya said. There was an undertone of annoyance. Since, if Hisashi hadn't so completely failed in regards to his son, then the MLA could have manyinroads that would be incredibly advantageous through Izuku.
When the scene continued and the group began to split up, Rikiya nodded in approval. "You were right, Kizuki. That boy does have great leadership potential. It's one thing to get people to follow you. It's another that they are willing to sacrifice for you."
The next few minutes of footage was interesting. Hisashi became visibly annoyed, almost embarrassed by proxy, when he saw his son had the gall to hide as two less than impressive men exited the elevator. Or when it was Ochako and another student that stood to block their path while the rest split off. Apparently, now Hisashi was expecting Izuku to impress everyone in a specific manner.
This bastard is riding his son's coattails into a seat at our table and he still wants to complain. And this is the guy that's supposed to be winning his wife over? Chitose shook her head. It'd be a funny joke if it wasn't so fucking pathetic. Rikiya may be working to teach him the proper way to handle himself, and she wished her leader the best. Because she wouldn't put up with the headache.
While Izuku and what remained of his group ran off, the footage stayed on Ochako. As the fight began, Hisashi showed no interest, looking over at Tomoyasu, expecting things to switch back to his son.
Tomoyasu clearly didn't like the look he saw and shot Hisashi down with a curt, "Don't forget, we're still working under the impression we're trying to get both of them to join us."
Kuokuu grinned at the junior getting put in his place, while Chitose openly laughed. Getting trained for a seat at the table, didn't mean Hisashi got to act like he was already there.
The top brass watched the fight, noting the ferocity Ochako was fighting with. Rikiya noted that having people around you that were not only ferociously loyal, but also just ferociously destructive was a sure way to make sure things got done. Geten immediately sprang to everyone's mind as they gave the cold man a quick glance.
But as they assumed the fight was about to end, it took a turn.
"Trigger?" Chitose questioned as the purple ogre exploded out of the rubble as a giant raging boar.
"Nasty stuff."
Hisashi frowned, and did something that some at the table found very annoying. He asked a valid question. "Do… do we know who this group belonged to? Organized, apparently well connected if they were able to gain access to the island's security, and with access to Trigger? That's not just something some random group of thugs have."
Could you not actually have a point? Just be your natural boot licking self, Chitose grumbled to herself.
Tomoyasu shook his head. "Nothing from the reports I could skim, and I don't think that's just from me not being able to dig. I-Island doesn't know."
"Hmm," Rikiya leaned forward while watching the fight come to an end. "Let's have our soldiers keep an ear out. We already have those upstart League of Villains thugs thumbing their noses. I'd rather not learn too late that another group is trying to make a name for themselves."
With the battle ended, and more than a few in the room impressed with the brutal way Ochako put the rampaging boar down, the video switched back to Izuku, funnily enough, with him answering his phone. "—And she's All Might's niece. Say hello Melissa."
"Hello Melissa."
Everyone visibly cringed. At the same time, Hisashi sank a little in his seat. Because not only was this girl the daughter of a very well known inventor, but had some kind of connection to All Might, that was close enough that she called herself his niece.
Then, came a moment that stunned the group. Izuku making a barrier to deflect bullets was impressive but something that could be expected. What wasn't was what Izuku did next. His green glow changed into electric sparks and with a single punch, he put a man into the stairs.
Heads swiveled to look at Hisashi. "Super strength?! When the hell did your son get super strength?!" Kuokuu asked in shock.
"I don't…. He's never…" Hisashi was floundering for an answer. But it was Rikiya who had it.
"What was it your son said, back towards the end of dinner. He was experimenting with new ways to use his Meta Ability on himself? To boost his physical strength."
Chitose whistled. "Well, it certainly seems like he's done that."
The footage showed the group splitting off again, but then suddenly, the footage switched to a helicopter landing pad at the roof of the building as it was getting torn apart. Tomoyasu mentioned again that the footage was pieced together, and that there was stuff that was just missing. Overall, they had about a five to ten minute gap.
All Might was now suddenly on the scene and was in the middle of a fight, one that looked like he was struggling with. The man he was fighting was throwing around a lot of metal.
But, for him to be free, must have meant that whatever Izuku's plan was, had worked.
Then things took a turn, one that had Rikiya's immediate attention. "Multiple Quirks. So this was All for One."
Kuokuu nodded. "That would… certainly explain a lot on how this group got so far into I-Island."
An unease settled over the room. Everyone knew who All for One was. They also knew that after a particularly brutal battle with All Might, which had resulted in a reported death that turned out to be vastly exaggerated, the nation's boogie man had taken a very hands off approach to things. He was still there, an ever present being in the shadows, but he just didn't take direct action. This, if it was him, would mark an extreme change in tactics. Even if he wasn't leading the charge, having someone with multiple Quirks leading an attack had his fingerprints all over it.
"Girlfriends back," Chitose said with a smirk. "And she's… Oh."
"Well, that was impressive for someone that doesn't have a strength boosting Meta Ability," Kuokuu noted. "Also, she still seems very angry."
"You do see the travesty she's wearing, right?" Curious added, but as things continued, and she watched the masses of metal Ochako had broken apart reform into one giant mass, she whistled. "So, we're sure the kid didn't die?"
The cube dropped, then.
BOOM!
At the same time there was a flash of green, the speakers blew themselves out at the sudden thunderous explosion from the screen. Everyone was covering their ears, hissing and swearing while the video then suddenly ended.
"The hell?! What the hell just happened?"
"I think the sound system just broke."
"No kidding, but what the hell did it?"
Tomoyasu, ears still ringing, was quickly going over the footage. "Something exploded on the roof, and it maxed out the security's audio. It also obliterated any remaining cameras. That's the last of any feed I could find."
"All Might?" Chitose asked.
"He was still tied up," Kuokuu answered while rubbing his ears.
"Then what…" Chitose trailed off as the footage was replayed, muted and slowed down. And everyone could now watch as Izuku, bathed in bright green lightning, launched himself at the ungodly monolith of metal, and punched it into oblivion.
It suddenly didn't matter that everyone's ears were still ringing, because now, no one had anything to say. They just sat, in complete shock, at the display or raw power. Finally, after several long seconds, Chitose turned to look over at an equally gobsmacked Hisashi and asked what everyone was thinking. "What the hell is going on with your son?!"
Hisashi looked over at her, completely unable to answer. Rikiya had a deep frown on his face, as he sat in thought. Tomoyasu's fingers tapped on the table. "What was it the kid said during that call? About his awakening. That his Psychokinesis was potentially a lot stronger now?"
"'Potentially,'" Chitose agreed. "I think that kid was underselling himself."
"We need to figure out a way to get our hands on the boy, sooner rather than later," Rikiya said finally, his voice carrying the bubbling agitation he kept under the surface. "There are too many eyes on him now. The heroes will not ignore such raw potential for much longer. The only saving grace is that it's still new and raw. They'll wait to make sure he can control it. But not that long. A baby faced young man, there are some in the Commission I'm sure are just waiting to send an agent and make him the next face they plaster everywhere."
"There's also the League of Villains, they may try another attempt at his life," Tomoyasu added.
"Too many eyes," Rikiya repeated.
"We have people in the courts, correct?" Hisashi asked. The heads of several important people turned to regard him. "Then how about a transfer of guardianship? If I was the sole parent in charge of Izuku, I could—"
"You want to take the boy from his mother, and you think that's the way you'll endear him to our cause?" Chitose said with a frown. "Does he even like you yet?"
"I'm his father," Hisashi said, making it clear he thought that reply covered everything.
Chitose's look made it clear she thought he was full of shit. However, Rikiya held up a hand. "Removing Midoriya from his mother's care… is an option, but should be considered a nuclear option. Until I decide that measure is needed, you," he pointed at Hisashi, "will continue with the orders you have been given. You are not to take any actions without my personal approval that deviate from that. Am I clear." That wasn't a question.
"Crystal sir!" Hisashi confirmed, like a good soldier.
"For the rest of you, start looking into different angles we can take." Rikiya rested his elbows on the table, folding his hands in front of him. "Uraraka, and her family could be of use. That failing business might provide an opening to her, and then to the boy. That inventor friend of his, Mei, support-courses show off their tech during U.A.'s cultural festival. I had planned on Detnerat agents making her several offers regardless of what's shown. I believe the key may be the people Midoriya keeps around him."
"Perhaps we could have Slidin' Go intern someone from the boys inner circle? Or—" Kuokuu frowned when Tomoyasu gave him a look. "I understand he's not the most well known, but we shouldn't just ignore that we do have a pro hero we can call on."
Rikiya was back to looking at the paused image of Izuku. "The boy has made many connections. With many influential individuals. Let's use that to our advantage."
As Chitose neared the door to leave the meeting, she overheard Rikiya reminding Hisashi that he should call Izuku and check on him. When Hisashi seemed surprised at the idea, stuttering out an affirmative that he would make that call, Chitose almost turned and said something that might get her in her leader's dog house. Hisashi was his little pet project, so he got some special privileges. She was also not on the most stable ground after her failed attempt to discredit the heroes over the Himiko situation. Her position wasn't in jeopardy or anything that drastic, but she knew it was best not to make a scene.
Still, that apparently Hisashi was so himself, that the idea of calling his son after a villain attack, again, hadn't occurred to him, staggered Chitose. This is the man that's supposed to win over his family by making nice with his wife? What a joke.
Retiring for the night, Chitose entered her private room in Deika City's Central Tower. The room was lavish and brimming with creature comforts befitting a woman in her position. But she didn't head towards her bedroom. Instead, she entered her office, and smiled when she found a certain brunette reporter waiting for her. But more importantly, she was holding a very stuffed manila folder.
"Yu, is that what I think it is?" Chitose couldn't help the smile that was spreading over her face. Predatory and hungry.
Yu chirped, before quickly nodding. "Yes ma'am. These are everything our man inside the Hero Public Safety Commission was able to retrieve from their files about the Bespin incident. And about Nenshouki Inko."
Like a kid suddenly presented with a pile of presents, Chitose pounced, ripping the stuffed to the brim folder out of Yu's hands and hurried to her desk. Opening the folder, Chitose began spreading the papers and pictures out over her desk. At Chitose's suggestion, Rikiya had contacted their member inside to begin looking for anything about Bespin and the unofficial satellite branch of the Meta Liberation Army.
There were two reasons that they had to risk their spy for this info. One, was that the old president of the Commission had a very old way of making sure files were protected. Nothing was digital. Every mission-report was kept analog only. Typewriters, polaroids and old-fashioned pencils on paper. It was old, antiquated, and for someone like Tomoyasu, the perfect defense. So, it was down to old-world, cold war tactics.
Fortunately, since the spy knew what he was looking for, he was able to eventually find it. According to him, these things were buried deep. Someone did not want anyone finding these old reports. Not the Bespin one, or any of the other multitude locked away. But, it was clear they had value to the current leadership, since they still had them and hadn't disposed of anything.
The second reason Chitose pushed for these, to the point she almost tipped her hand and earned another stern warning from Rikiya, was that she did not, under any circumstances, trust Hisashi's retelling of the Bespin events. Oh, she was sure Hisashi hadn't lied about anything. He was shrewd enough and too cowardly to try something like that. But, the man was not above inflating his own importance while diminishing others. Especially, Chitose assumed, his wife.
"Will there be anything else, ma'am?"
Chitose started to wave Yu off, but after a few flicks of her wrist, she snapped her fingers, drawing the reporter's eyes. "Any update on Toga?"
Just because she was interested in someone new, didn't mean she had forgotten about Himiko. She might not be able to use Izuku for any more of her schemes, but that girl was still so interesting.
"Nothing so far."
"Hmm." That was boring. Clearly everyone was still trying to put their best foot forward. But someone like Himiko, it wasn't a question if things would go sideways again, it was when. "Keep an eye on her. Sooner or later she'll step out."
"Do you… still plan on meeting her?" Chitose's look she gave the woman was her answer.
With that, Yu bowed and left, and Chitose finally had the privacy to look over everything. Lazily, she pulled out one of the pictures from the file, a scanned polaroid, taken from some distance, of Inko. In her prime. Even from the image, Inko's intensity shined through. Some might think it was crazy that the same woman she had sat down to eat with only a few weeks ago, was the same young woman in the photo. But, Chitose had seen the way Inko's eyes had changed, if only briefly.
And she wanted to know just what kind of woman Inko really was.
So she read, and studied. And after a bit, it dawned on Chitose that there was more to Inko than what anyone could have guessed. She personally led a guerilla war against a stronger force. She liberated her whole home. And apparently, she went toe to toe with Lady Nagant.
Chitose ran her fingers through her bangs. "She was insane."
There were a lot of reports to get through, but what she had been able to read painted one hell of a picture of who Inko used to be. Clearly, even Hisashi had no idea of some of this stuff, because she knew he wouldn't leave out that his fucking wife got into a shoot-out with Nagant.
Then there was a report, a summary of Inko, written by the former president of the Hero Public Safety Commission himself.
'Nenshouki Inko represents a potential threat to governmental stability that we haven't faced since the Hero Public Safety Commissions founding. That she was able to go from a barely scraping by orphan to a leader of a new meta liberation movement in only a few short years can not be overlooked. Like Destro, this woman has a quality to her that makes others want to follow her. Flamboyant and charismatic, when she speaks, people listen.
She also has a terrifying aspect to her personality. She is vengeful, cold and murderous. She won't send others to do her dirty work. She'll do it herself. And the body count she's racked up, shows she's become very proficient at it. I recommend extreme caution when dealing with her. If Tsutsumi's training missions are passed, as I assume they will be, she will be our best bet to deal with this.
However Nenshouki can not simply be killed. While her followers are small, relatively speaking to the original movement, her lieutenants could whip them up into a frenzy. A hundred plus radicalized movement could do unspeakable damage to the image our agency has crafted. A world that has moved on from the dark days. As such, until a method is determined that can handle Nenshouki, her lieutenants and the people in one fell swoop, it is in our best interest to watch and wait.'
Chitose looked at this report, to a hazy image of Inko, standing in front of some government building, dressed in army drab, speaking to a large group of people. Some time after she must have driven the yakuza from her home.
"She had them scared. She had the whole fucking thing shaking in their boots. Not because of what she was, but what she could become." Throwing back her head, Chitose laughed at the pure insanity of the whole thing. That the same woman she had met at dinner, was this same woman in the reports. It boggled belief.
And yet, all the evidence was in front of her. And the crazy thing was, some of the insanity she was seeing about Inko, explained a fucking lot about Izuku. The boy had some natural leadership, the video from earlier showed that. But also, apparently his friend group was named after him. Plus, there was that viciousness and madness everyone saw during his later fights at the sports festival. It was pretty fucking clear where he got that from.
Leaning back in her chair, Chitose was also beginning to see a major issue with Rikiya's plan to pull Izuku into the fold. It relied on Hisashi making nice with the family, and by extension pulling Inko back into the Meta Liberation Army. Putting aside that the man was insufferable, there was a huge power dynamic at play now that no one had known about.
Inko was not a follower. This woman was a leader. A general that stood at the front lines and was the first through the gate. Hisashi had followed her. And after seeing those eyes Inko had during that meal, there was no way Hisashi had what it took to lead Inko anywhere. Doesn't matter she was 'just' a housewife now. That power dynamic was still in play.
No, Hisashi was not going to cut it. Hisashi had nothing that could entice Inko. He had no charm. No charisma. No power.
Nothing that Chitose could see that would attract and entice a woman of power.
But as she thought about the failed enterprise and how she was in no position to tell her leader that his plan was doomed to fail, a new thought slithered its way into her head. A thought that began to grow into an idea, and bloom into a plan.
Power attracts power.
And what Hisashi lacked, she made up for in spades. Maybe, maybe Hisashi might get some sway back with his son. The boy seemed like the kind of child that may take him back. Kind, naive, and apparently extremely forgiving, if the Himiko situation was anything to go on. But Inko, no. No, Inko, would require someone that was more like her.
Chitose was the perfect choice.
Even now as she plotted and schemed how she'd do it, it made perfect sense to her. Of course she'd have to be the one to pull Inko back. They were women of power. They demanded respect and could be quite harsh to those that crossed them.
They were two of a kind.
And it wasn't like Chitose wasn't going to get something out of this. One, bringing Inko back into the fold would all but ensure Izuku followed. So that would clear away any remaining issues between herself and Rikiya. Her slate would be wiped clean. And two, well, it would give Chitose a chance to wet her appetite. Because the more she read about Inko, the stronger her curiosity.
Power attracts power, and Chitose felt quite the pull after finding out just who Inko was.
Granted, Chitose knew it wasn't like she could just saunter over wearing some low cut blouse and extra short skirt and expect to have Inko eating out of her hand. There was a lot she was going to have to chip away to reach the leader, the killer, that lay in Inko's heart. But, it was there. And it was a journalist's joy to uncover things buried away.
After a few days away, some of which were much more intense than she had planned in more ways than one, Ochako welcomed falling into her bed and going to sleep.
Parting ways with Izuku when he had dropped her off had been hard. There was him helping her carry her bags inside. Their laughter finding the teddy bear he had won for her already moved into her room. Then there were the hugs. Nice warm goodbye hugs.
Then Ochako pushed up on her toes and kissed him. A soft, playful peck on the lips. They laughed, arms still around each other. Then he leaned down and kissed her. Soft, playful, innocent. The next few pecks they gave each other stayed like that. Until they didn't.
Ochako sucked gently on his bottom lip when he had started to pull away from his little peck. And suddenly the flood gate opened. At least they were about to, until a warning cough from outside Ochako's apartment reminded the pair that All Might was still with them and needed to take Izuku home next.
So Ochako retired, and while at first she found herself missing her snuggle buddy, she was honestly so tired that she fell asleep all the same and expected that she was going to sleep through her alarm. If she even remembered to set it.
At least that's what she had been expecting. But in the dead of night, it turns out someone had other plans.
Ochako may have been sleepy, but she wasn't so exhausted and out of it, to not be woken up by someone getting into her bed and feeling their weight on her. Eyes opening, Ochako groggily tossed and turned, only to realize that someone was definitely sitting on her stomach. Which was a little alarming.
Ochako's hands shot out, intending to float whoever this intruder was, but they had been expecting that, as they suddenly grabbed her wrists and pinned them next to her head. The move did bring them closer to Ochako, giving the girl a half decent look at who they were. And when she saw, Ochako's alarm turned into dull annoyance. "Toga?"
Ochako blinked, trying to clear some of the sleep from her eyes since her hands were still being held down, and grunted a little at the weight on her lap. Yup, Toga is sitting on me. While I'm in bed. In my apartment.
Glancing around, Ochako looked as if she was expecting something.
Himiko squinted as she looked down at her. "What?"
"I'm just wondering how much longer until Deku shows up in a cute French maid outfit."
…
"You're awake."
Ochako hummed. Since there was no Izuku wearing a short short skirt, then the 3 AM flashing on her clock was real. And Himiko was real. Soooo. "You forget I said a damned thing."
"No chance."
Welp, things are back to normal now that I'm… home…
As Ochako was able to focus, it dawned on her just exactly the situation she was in. Himiko was in her apartment, in the middle of the night. Which she should definitely not be.
Himiko seemed to realize what was going through Ochako's head, because she cut off the sudden questions she knew were about to get launched at her.
"I snuck out. No, I didn't tell anyone. I have no idea if they know I'm gone. And no, I do not care about any of that right now."
Ochako blinked and kept her mouth closed because now she was starting to get worried. There was a tone in Himiko's voice. Hard to make out beyond the manic, but it was there. She'd recognize it anywhere after hearing it the first time. After the incident with Saito, when they'd caught Himiko trying to leave the school. The twinge of panic and stress in her voice. Something had Himiko's flight or fight instincts acting up.
So something was about to get its head bashed in.
"Tone it down, don't need bunny-girl junior right now."
"Never call me that again."
"Mini-Miruko?"
"Toga," Ochako growled a warning.
Himiko let go of Ochako's wrists and covered her face with her hands. "I'm in deep shit and need help."
"Reporters?"
"No."
"The HPSC?"
"No."
"Tartarus?"
"No."
"1-B?"
"Fuck them, but no."
Ochako was running out of people she thought would have it out for Himiko. Parents? Villains? Some Stain fans?
"It's Tsu," Himiko admitted.
"What the hell did you do to Tsu?!"
"I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING! SHE'S THE ONE THAT SHOVED HER TONGUE DOWN MY THROAT!"
Ochako stared, eyes wide as that new tidbit of information made its way into her head, and for a few moments played havoc with her imagination. But shaking her head filed that picture away, and she refocused, and comprehended exactly what Himiko was saying meant.
"Wait? She actually did it?!" Ochako would have sat up in shock, but Himiko was still sitting on her, so all she got was a sudden jolt.
"Yeah!" Himiko's hands were at Ochako's collar, intent on some throttling. "Because apparently Izuku is handing out relationship advice now!"
"Did, did she do the lip bite thing?"
"She cut her tongue and wiggled it all up in here." Himiko had one hand now waving at her mouth.
There was a brief period of silence before Ochako smiled brightly and held up her hand for a high five. "You go girl!"
Clap
…
"AHHHHHH I HATE YOU!"
And there was the throttling. If not for the gloves Izuku bought her, Himiko would be attempting it while floating away, but with the way she was acting, Ochako guessed she'd still be able to do it.
By the time Himiko stopped, she had moved off Ochako, so now the two were sitting side by side.
"You got that out of your system?"
Himiko huffed. "Maybe."
"Uh huh," Ochako eyed her friend. "So. You wanna talk now?"
"I'm in, a fucking committed relationship," Himiko breathed out, "and I have no fucking idea what that means, or what I'm supposed to do." Wringing her hands together, Himiko's voice quaked from the panic slipping out. "I just fell in love with a girl that's had a crush on me since the USJ. There was someone, who fucking liked me, and I did not know. And now we've kissed, a lot, and she might expect things of me and I have no idea what it all means and I'm freaking the fuck out."
Ochako had to admit she was shocked. Himiko seemed like this was the one thing she had a handle on. Himiko took some offense to that, she had a handle on a lot of things. The issue was, she was on the wrong side of this.
"I fall in love with others, and I know all about sex. One or the other with Tsu would be just fine. But someone coming after me is fucking weird. How do I not screw this up? You're in a relationship now, you gotta help me."
"Only just!" Ochako countered quickly, "and you know damn well getting here was like pulling teeth."
That got a small chuckle out of Himiko. So that was a positive. Ochako continued, "But what about when you were coming after Deku and me? I mean, you must have had some idea what you wanted out of a relationship where everyone shared the same feelings?" Ochako scratched her neck. "I mean, you weren't exactly hiding what you wanted."
"Well, I guess I'm like a dog chasing a car. Because I have no idea what I'm gonna do now that I caught it."
"But, this is good though. Right?"
Himiko huffed almost bitterly, but without any ill will as she looked at Ochako. "Did you not hear the dog and car thing I just said?" She paused and pointed a finger at Ochako. "If you use that analogy to call me a bitch I'm stabbing you."
Sighing, Himiko slumped forward, head down. "If I'm being honest, I never had a chance of catching either of you so it was always safe. You two only have eyes for each other. Which is fucked because how can I be in a committed relationship when I still love you two even knowing I got no shot of anything happening. And, AND! Supposedly she's not surprised I got feelings for you two."
"Oh, Deku pretty much spelled it out when he explained how you feel about us."
Himiko frowned deeply. "What? So suddenly you guys are experts on me?!"
"I mean… yeah?"
"You wanna stress test that?!" It wasn't a real threat, but she was letting Ochako know she was annoyed. "How do you think you understand anything about me? Or how I feel being in love with people. None of you understand the fucked up situation I'm in right now. I'm getting strangled by feelings that shouldn't be returned or won't be."
Ochako frowned. Then, without really thinking about it said, "You know Deku and I love you, right?"
Himiko's head snapped up.
"And we let Tsuyu know that when we encouraged her to go after you." Ochako smiled nervously at the stunned silent expression on Himiko's face. "Surprise?"
Aaaaand Himiko's hands were at Ochako's throat again. "DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW MUCH THAT DOESN'T HELP ME RIGHT NOW?!" In the middle of the throttle, Ochako was suddenly pushed backwards, down into her bed and Himiko mounted over her, eye glowing and cheeks flushed. "Do you have any idea what hearing that makes me want to do right now?"
Ochako had seen that look before, back at Hosu City hospital so she had a pretty good idea what Himiko wanted.
Himiko leaned in, but instead of a lip lock, she buried her face into the blanket besides Ochako's head. "And I can't fucking do it because I will not be a soap opera cheating skank to Tsuyu only a day after her confessing to me."
Ochako reached up, and stroked Himiko's hair. "It's alright."
"Fuck you."
"Not without Deku here."
A heartbeat later, and Himiko was laughing, pressing her head into Ochako's shoulder.
"God, that would kill him."
Ochako smirked. Especially when Himiko tugged at the collar of her shirt, and eyed the very obvious marks on her skin. "You might be surprised."
"Damn, maybe you're right."
It took a while, but soon, Himiko pulled away, and lay down next to Ochako.
"I'm scared."
"Yeah."
"This is really scary."
"And I'm glad you came to me to help you."
Himiko snorted. "So besides letting me vent, and then dropping your damned L bomb on me, which thank you sooooo much for making things even more complicated, you ain't done much."
"…Then let's fix that. Can you hand me my phone?"
Himiko could and without really giving it much thought tossed it to her. Ochako flipped it open and started typing away. She reread it a few times to herself before she hit send. "Okay, that's one…" Ochako then started typing again, until finally she was done, after sending out another message. "Okay. I've helped."
"Huh? You've helped?" Himiko frowned when Ochako put her phone away. "What did you just do?"
"Just texted Deku and Tsu and told them they need to come over tomorrow morning." Ochako rolled over so she could face Himiko. "So we can all talk."
Ochako then proved she was an expert on Himiko, because as the other girl started to move, Ochako wrapped her arms around her and pulled her into a tight hug. "Aaaand you're staying here."
"Nope! Not doing this! I don't do talks!"
The hold Ochako had tightened, and Himiko was forced to concede that Ochako was much stronger than her. So she wasn't going anywhere. "Damn you and your tree trunk arms. Urk!"
Was that squeeze necessary? No. Did Ochako do it anyway? Yes.
"It's scary, but if we're going to figure this out, everyoneneeds to be here. We need to talk. You know this or else you wouldn't have snuck off to come see me in the first place."
Himiko hated that she knew Ochako was right.
Fuck.
"And the other message?" Deciding that arguing was just going to get her crushed, Himiko submitted to the inevitable.
"I texted the school. They gave us all emergency contact numbers for you. Let them know where you were. That you were staying the night, and probably wouldn't be back until after lunch."
As the hug relaxed, Himiko was able to snake her arms around Ochako. "You dorks really do look after me, huh."
"Always will."
The fury of knocks on the door grabbed everyone in the room's attention. Ochako smirked and held out her hand. "Pay up."
"Midoriya rushing over here in a panic even though your message said it wasn't urgent, but important. Who would have thought, kero."
"The fuck you think I have cash? I'm in my pajamas you dolt."
Neither guest moved to put anything into Ochako's hand, making her narrow her eyes. "You don't bet unless you have something to pay up with, Toga."
Himiko pointed at Tsuyu, but it seemed like she was the one Ochako expected payment from.
"God you're greedy. But I shouldn't be surprised by that from someone that cheats at Monopoly."
Ochako gasped, like she had been stung. Before she turned in a huff, ignoring the pair of eyes looking at her, daring her to try to say anything. "The door's unlocked, Deku!"
The door swung open and Izuku rushed inside, green sparks crackling, as he swung the door closed behind him, hopped out of his shoes, and tried to skid to a stop, which was almost a disaster as his socks had next to no grip on the smooth wood floor.
The three watched him powerslide almost into a wall, before he scrambled to stand up and present himself to the trio of amused girls. "Sorry I'm so late! I had trouble convincing Mom that I wasn't just sneaking over to Ochako's to have hankyyyyy…" Izuku trailed off and coughed. "I mean, I'm here to help with whatever's wrong."
Himiko snorted. "God he's a dork."
"I know, isn't it great," Ochako said with a disgustingly love struck sigh.
"You're weird."
Ochako turned, her neck snapping around with a crack to look at her. "You're not in any position to call anyone weird."
While Ochako and Himiko bickered, Tsuyu held up a box that they had been snacking out of. "I picked up some muffins."
Seeing that any worries he might have had seemed to be unfounded, though he was pretty sure he might need to get ready to come to Himiko's defense when they brought her back to U.A., Izuku relaxed visibly. "You know, I could pound back a few of those. I kinda skipped breakfast."
Like a cat getting a piece of string waved in front of it, Himiko's head snapped up, and she zeroed in on Izuku with a look that put Ochako on edge. Oh this… isn't going to be good.
"So," Himiko started, sounding way too innocent, since this was Himiko talking and she's never innocent. "You like to pound muffins, huh?" Then, while grinning, Himiko side-eyed Ochako. Ochako blinked back, not registering what she was supposed to be getting. Then Himiko's smile turned, for lack of a better word, naughty. It took another second before some reality smacked Ochako right in the face.
One, Himiko somehow knew about Izuku's Muffin-Button nickname for her, and was weaponizing it.
Two, she was going to have to kill one of her friends because one of them talked.
But focusing back on current problems: pounding muffins.
…
Oh, the images that flashed in her head, and the sounds that echoed around, both of which were totally Himiko's fault, turned Ochako such a shade of red, it would have been a sight to see, if she hadn't immediately covered her face and floated away.
She needed a life line quickly. Someone to make sure this horrible reality stopped, and would help her not think about the things she was thinking about. Tsuyu chose not to be the hero Ochako needed.
"Wait, do you pound a button?" She asked, like she wasn't opening the door to Ochako's damnation.
Izuku paused between his chomping, because that's how you eat a muffin, and scratched his chin, totally not noticing his girlfriend having a full on crisis. "Um… No, I'd smash it."
Ochako started screeching into her hands, because god help her, hearing Izuku say that, just made the fucking sounds in her head get turned up to eleven. Then, just when she thought she couldn't take anymore embarrassment, Izuku suddenly got the joke. "Ooooh." The smirk on his face was a little alarming to see. And Ochako hated how he sounded so sure of himself, so god damned cocky. Because if he actually realized what was happening, and was playing along, she was screwed. "I'm going to smash my Muffin-Button like you wouldn't believe…"
Himiko's jaw actually dropped.
Tsuyu croaked as her face heated up.
Ochako made a sound best described as horrified, excited, wailing.
"…The next time we spar!"
Or at least, Izuku thought he got the joke. Izuku went back to chomping on his muffin, while Himiko, Tsuyu and Ochako dealt with the horrific realization that Izuku was still Izuku.
Feeling like she had been doused with ice water, Himiko lunged for Izuku, screaming, "Why are you the way you are?!" Tsuyu was doing nothing to stop her, while Ochako let out a breath that had enough heat to it you'd think she'd somehow copied Izuku's fire Quirk.
Oh thank you god, Deku wasn't talking about fu… about that. He was talking about fighting.
A second later, Ochako's relieved expression soured. "Heeey! Wait a second! The heck do you mean you're gonna smash me next time!"
After Izuku was sufficiently walloped by both Himiko and Ochako, during which time it finally clicked what the joke actually was, resulting in a smoke screen that saved his life, because everyone then had to rush to open all the windows and doors before they got smoked out, the four were now sitting around Ochako's tiny bedroom, apparently ready to have their talk, over whatever it was Ochako felt they needed to talk about.
Tsuyu had some suspicions, given everything that had happened the day before. A look over at Himiko, who was sitting beside her, leaning against Ochako's bed next to Ochako's legs, gave her a general idea of the possible issues.
Izuku might not have much of an idea what the problem was, but he was smart enough to get the major pieces of the puzzle lined up. Tsuyu being with them narrowed things down. And when he saw the quick glances between Tsuyu and Himiko, it made things all the more obvious.
"Congratulations?" Izuku kinda wanted to kick himself. Because that felt like a dumb thing to say just off the cuff.
Tsuyu kero'd while Ochako just rubbed her brow, muttering under her breath. "How? How is he so observant at the worst possible time?"
Himiko clapped her hands. "Well, that takes care of the meeting. Same time never? Okay, bye b-URK!" Ochako reached down and grabbed Himiko by the back of her collar and pulled her back down.
"Yeah, no. No chickening out now." Ochako made it clear this was happening. "We are going to sit, and have an adult conversation. And you are going to show Tsu the respect she deserves by taking this seriously."
Himiko glanced at Tsuyu before looking up at Ochako. "That last bit wasn't fair."
Once she was sure Himiko was going to behave, Ochako cleared her throat and got started. "Alright. So last night, Toga broke into my apartment, having a bit of a panic attack…" She then pointed at Himiko who looked like she was about to say something. "You broke in, don't even try to deny it. Given what she was panicking about, and how it involves all of us, I think the best thing to do would be to get everything out in the open and just have an honest conversation about what's going on with all of us."
"What was she panicking about, kero?"
What followed was Ochako taking the time to break down everything that Himiko had unloaded on her last night. And informing everyone just what she had said. Towards the end, she then offered Izuku a quick apology, given she had spoken for him over his feelings for Himiko without his permission. Though Izuku was quick to say that given how things were, Ochako was in the right. Though he was still clearly embarrassed, and was making it a point not to look over at Himiko until he was back to being 'normal.' Himiko found the whole thing rather funny.
"Toga," Ochako said after that. Leaning down and giving her a soft look. "Would you like to say anything? I've been doing a lot of the talking for you, but I think it'd be good for everyone to hear you say something."
It wasn't often Himiko was careful with what she said. Everything was usually off the cuff and spur of the moment, a real reflection of her life and how she lived. But right now, as she looked at everyone, she was clearly choosing her words carefully. "I… am terrified about screwing up, because I do not know… how I should be acting now." Himiko glanced over at Ochako then back at Tsuyu. "She didn't mention the part where I came pretty close to kissing her."
Himiko's demeanor was timid. Like she was expecting some harsh treatment coming her way. Tsuyu's expression didn't change, but her tone was soft. "Close?"
"Yeah. It was right after she said how her and Dense Boi over there felt about me."
Tsuyu regarded Himiko silently, her big eyes looking at this normally very full of life and vigorously-defiant person acting meek. When she reached out, her hand getting close to her, Himiko seemed to be waiting for something. Her body language made it pretty clear exactly what that was. Instead, Tsuyu cupped her face and pulled her forward, so she could lean in and give her a small but tender kiss on the forehead.
To say Himiko was left stunned, was an understatement. "Wha, you? You're not…?"
"Mad at you?"
Himiko nodded.
"I told you, I came and confessed to you, knowing that you still had feelings for them. I wanted to be one of the people you had feelings for. I never intended for you to suddenly stop having feelings for them." Tsuyu brought her other hand up so she could wipe away a few tears dripping down Himiko's cheek. "Or for you to stop acting on those feelings. I just want, and hope that you'll act on those feelings with me."
Himiko took a deep breath through her nose, and like a switch was flipped, had a very new expression on her face. New as it wasn't like the one she just had, but not new because everyone in the room had seen it at one point or another. It was Himiko's naughty hungry face. "Hey, you two wanna step out for—"
"Not a chance," Ochako cut in, amused and happy that things seemed fine with the two, but no way was she getting kicked out of her own place. "Besides, we're not done talking."
Himiko pouted, but her amorous wants were soothed when Tsuyu brought her into a hug, and got her to sit in her lap.
Izuku saw that, looked over at Ochako and quickly decided that Tsuyu had the right idea. It took Ochako a few squealing seconds to figure out what Izuku was doing, but once she was snuggled up in his arms, she wasn't complaining. Though she did bop him a little. The whole scene got some chuckles from everyone and helped lighten the mood.
"Okay," Himiko said while she ran her fingers over Tsuyu's hands. "I guess I'll just ask. Tsu says she's okay with it, but… are you two okay with me playing with you?" She chuckled at the twin chirps that came from them. "I mean, part one of my master plan was a complete success. But um, there was a part two."
Izuku and Ochako both nodded. Both were acutely aware of that, figuring it out when they had finally sat down and talked about things after Izuku had overheard Ochako and Himiko talking in the hallway the evening before term finals. While before they had both decided to address it after they got their own house in order, well, their house was in order and it was time to decide what to do with things.
Izuku chewed on his words. "I think… we're both okay with it. At least, we're okay with letting things continue as they are?" He frowned, not sure if that was the best way to say it. "I mean… um…"
"What Deku's trying to say is that we're not telling you to stop." Ochako glanced over her shoulder. "Right?"
"Right," Izuku nodded. "I think, we all know that things are… I'm going to say weird, I'm sure there's a better word but I can't think of it, but things are weird between all of us."
Himiko smirked. "Nah, I'm weird."
"Okay, things are weird and you're the center of that weirdness, but it's not bad. And letting things keep being weird isn't bad either. Maybe there's something there."
Ochako snickered. "Oh, there is."
"Yeah. But," Izuku was most definitely trying to pick his words, "I'm not sure if it's something we should be actively pursuing." Almost immediately he waved his hands around, trying to dispel any negative feelings that might turn up. "I'm not saying that if something happens, we ignore it or deny that it happened. I'm just thinking…" Izuku's arms wrapped around Ochako, hugging her. "We both just started something. Ochako and I. You and Tsu. I think… We should work on what we've started first. Our relationships are brand new. I don't think it's fair to any of us if we suddenly start… complicating things." Izuku paused, and nervously added, "If that makes sense. I'm pretty sure I'm not the best person to… you know… actually talk about this kind of stuff."
The twin snorts from Himiko and Ochako, along with the eye roll from Tsuyu made him blink.
"Deku, ever since term finals, all you've done recently is give out relationship advice. Which, infuriatingly enough, has turned out pretty darn good."
Himiko nodded. "You gave Tsu some really good advice. Top notch stuff. Ten out of ten."
"I have a stabby, bitey, girlfriend now thanks to you telling me what I should do, kero."
Serious conversation aside, Izuku blinked and looked at Tsuyu. "Wait. You mean you actually did the things I said?"
"Yes."
"…Including the… you know…"
Himiko answered, with a manic smile. "Oh, she was all up in me."
Izuku squeaked.
Tsuyu moved on while Izuku composed himself. "I do think Midoirya makes a good point. We should focus on our own relationships first, but if things naturally happen, they happen. And we'll take it from there, kero."
Ochako nodded. "I think that's a perfect way to leave things. Good job Deku, more great relationship advice."
"…Could you… not sound mad when you say that?"
"No."
While Izuku began to worry over the risks brought by having a firecracker sitting in his lap, Himiko looked up over her shoulder at Tsuyu. "Hey. What about you?"
"Me?"
"I mean, this is all well and good, but you're kinda going to be the odd one out."
"Being in a metamour relationship with Uraraka and Midoriya is fine." Himiko blinked and Tsuyu added, "It means non romantic." Himiko pouted at that. "But, I'm going to imagine that even if we're taking the time to spend with ourselves, we're going to also be spending a lot of time with each other too."
"Double dates?" Ochako chimed in. "Oooh that sounds like so much fun!"
Tsuyu nodded. "Yeah, things like that. We don't have to force anything. It's like Midoriya said. If something happens, it happens."
Izuku scratched his cheek. "So… would you say we're in a proto-polycule then?" Every. Fucking. Head. Swiveled to look at him, genuine looks of complete and utter shock on each girl's faces. Which put Izuku on high alert. "What? What'd I say?!"
"How in the fucking fuck, do you know what a polycule is?!" Himiko screeched.
"I… I mean… It's just common knowledge, right?"
Ochako put her face into her hands, and screamed.
"Double dates. Need to make sure places fit everyone's dietary needs. Toga likes pomegranates so look for places that may have those for desserts. Tsu likes jelly… Hmm, look into pomegranate jelly desserts…Make sure it's locations where we can talk and become comfortable with each other while not infringing in each other's spaces as we build our own relationships. Movies, sporting events, possibly… Need equal parts closeness and space…" Izuku was muttering away as he pulled out his Romance Analysis for the Future notebook and was making new entries.
"How… Where was he hiding that?" Himiko asked. "Also, how does he know I like pomegranates?! I never once told you guys that… At least I'm pretty sure I never said it?"
Ochako shrugged, not able to answer.
Tsuyu tapped her chin. "I'm also pretty sure I never said I liked jelly to him either."
"Izuku is fucking scary."
The girls nodded.
"At least he's committed to things though," Himiko began and smiled evilly when Ochkao was nodding, not really paying attention to her. "Imagine what's going to happen when he puts that energy into learning all the fun things you're wanting him to do to you."
The kettle Ochako had picked up to prepare some tea for everyone floated out of her hands. Ochako quickly whirled around. "I don't want—"
"Fun things?" Izuku looked up from his notebook, like something had just clicked in his head. At first everyone was prepared for it to be par the course with him, but when his cheeks darkened, it became pretty clear he knew exactly what Himiko had meant. "Um… how do we want to handle… fun?"
Ochako, floating up to grab her kettle, waved Izuku off with a chuckle. "Calm down Deku. We don't need to document when we hang out. If you're hanging out with Toga, you don't need to come tell me or check in."
Himiko cleared her throat. "Ochako, that's not what he meant."
"Eh?"
Kettle in hand, Ochako glanced down, and saw a blushing Izuku, covering his face with his notebook. "Oh? Oh. Oh!" Well, there's something Ochako hadn't thought about.
Tsuyu helped pull Ochako back down. "I'm assuming you're talking beyond Himiko's flirting with everyone."
Izuku nodded, still hiding behind his book.
Himiko smirked and swayed over behind him before she leaned on his back. "Look at what you've done to this poor boy, Ochako. You've put such naughty ideas into his head." Clapping her hands together in prayer she added, "Thank you!"
Ochako rolled her eyes and pointed at her. "Oh, this isn't me. Ever since Deku heard about how you kissed us differently, he's been so jealous!"
"That or," Tsuyu lay a finger on her chin as she looked down at Izuku, "he's trying to figure out how to get a kiss from me."
Ochako nodded sagely. "He did suggest tongue really fast, didn't he?" Ochako put her hands on Tsuyu's shoulders. "Deku, are you saying my kisses aren't enough for you? You're going to openly lust after Tsuyu?"
Tsuyu put two fingers over her mouth, in a V, and let her tongue slip out between them by a good foot. The pink appendage twisted and writhed before it knotted up and formed a little heart.
The absolute stunned silence from the other three at that display, made Tsuyu look at their gawking faces with some smugness. "Huh, I can see why Himiko has so much fun teasing you two."
Himiko recovered first and snickered. "Tsu showed me exactly what her Quirk can do. Neither of you are prepared for any of it. Best you both just stick to the kiddie pool for a while." Puffing up with no small amount of pride, like she had done anything besides hold on for dear life when Tsuyu 'showed here' what dat tongue do.
While Izuku and Ochako sputtered and fought the losing battle of not thinking about just what Tsuyu had done to Himiko, and what she could do to them, Tsuyu took her eyes off the pair, and looked at the boasting vampire dead in her good eye. With the bluntness she's so well known for, Tsuyu instantly popped the girl's bubble when she dropped some facts on her. "I have not shown you exactly what my Quirk can do."
Himiko shuddered. "Oh, I love that you made that sound like a threat."
Ochako frowned, her face slowly returning to a possibly normal shade of pink. "Okay, but what else is there besides… you know…"
"Her massive tongue game?" Himiko said while wiggling her eyebrows.
Aaaaand Ochako was back to being red, with a scandalous chirp. "Yeah," gulp, "that."
While Himiko teased, she was doing her best to hide the fact that she was also a little panicked on the inside. The idea that there might be more, sent chills and bolts of excitement running through her body. Izuku suddenly went scarlet, and made every effort not to make eye contact with Tsuyu.
Tsuyu, though, picked up on this instantly. And knowing Izuku like she did, she might have sealed her own fate. Shooing Himiko back, Tsuyu sat beside Izuku, and noted that Iuzku still found random spots in the room more interesting than her. "I told you my Quirk lets me do whatever frogs can do." Izuku nodded sharply, all but confirming to Tsuyu what she suspected. "You did a 'frog facts' search, didn't you? For potential stuff to add to your notebook."
Izuku's face was so red, and he was heating up so much, it was a wonder he wasn't burning his freckles off his cheeks. Still he nodded. With Ochako and Himiko looking, Tsuyu leaned in and motioned for Izuku to whisper what he thought he knew. Izuku, as hurriedly and as cleanly as he could, said it.
Himiko and Ochako both felt their eyes go wide when Tsuyu blushed, and nodded. Now both Izuku and Tsuyu matched. Greenettes so red, they would look right at home during christmas.
It took some time, and some not so subtle threats from Tsuyu to Himiko that not dropping the subject could end with her finding out what it means to be in her dog house, that the group finally, maturely, dealt with Izuku's question.
Because jokes aside, it was completely possible, if not absolutely probable, that something was going to happen. Either with the group together, in just the right mood, at just the right time. Or, maybe a pair off on their own, and there's a spark that just, leads to something happening. Planned or sporadic, something was gonna happen.
"If we do," Ochako began nervously, "decide that… we wanna try something." She ignored the small chuckle from HImiko at the word 'if'. "Then everyone should probably… most definitely be involved."
"So like, no me grabbing you and Tsu for some locker room play time, while Izuku's out by himself." Himiko nodded sagely. "Yeah, that seems fair."
Tsuyu poked her. "Don't make the locker room weird, kero."
Ochako thanked Tsuyu for getting Himiko under control, which got a sour look from the vampire, before she continued, "It's a good example at least."
Izuku agreed, just ignoring the other bits. "No planned hanky panky that doesn't include everyone."
"…Oh my god did you really just say hanky panky." Himiko rubbed her brow while she muttered under her breath.
"Okay, but what about if something just happens? Like if," Izuku scratched his neck, "if say Toga is doing her normal thing and I kinda… don't stop her or… um…"
"You kiss her?" Ochako asked, with an understanding smile.
"Yeah. We should probably stop right away and call… What?" Izuku noticed some frowns from the others.
"Midoriya, just stopping, might not be the best thing. Assuming we're talking about if things are beyond the normal at this point, just stepping on the breaks could lead to hurt feelings and misunderstandings. For everyone involved," Tsuyu reasoned.
Ochako agreed. "If something does start, no one is going to get mad it happened so, let it play out. But," Ochako held up a finger to make her point. "Afterwards. Tell us. No being ashamed and trying to hide it or thinking 'oh no, we just made out in the closet during the third period, better make sure not to say anything.' None of that."
"Communication is key," Izuku said with certainty.
"Exactly."
"It's a good way to view things," Tsuyu agreed as well. "Maybe something will happen, maybe it won't. But what we don't want to do is to hurt each other by not being honest."
Everyone agreed that this was the way to go. And as they all sat there, it really dawned on the four that they had just squared away something that they had no idea where it was going to go. But for now, it all seemed like it was going to be okay.
Himiko checked the time. "Welp, I'm hungry and it's getting close to lunch time. Wanna send the school a text asking if they can bring me some clothes I can go out in public in and we go grab a bite to eat?" Ochako had her phone out and was getting ready to type. "Oh, and who wants to place bets that in under a minute of sending that, there's gonna be a knock on Ochako's door?"
Ochako froze, while Izuku and Tsuyu glanced out some windows. "Wait, you think they have Ochako's place stalked out?"
"Oh, absolutely."
"…That's creepy."
"Have you met our principal?"
Images of a tea drinking, maniacally laughing animal, popped into everyone's heads.
"Okay, yeah, they got people out there."
After a good laugh, Ochako went back to getting her message sent out. Unfortunately Himiko moseyed on over to her. "Soooo we're all being nice and honest now, huh?" Oooh, did hearing Himiko say that not fill anyone in the room with any pleasant feelings. "So I was just wondering. During your little date, did you let Izuku find out what was soft, and what was hard?"
Izuku collapsed onto the floor in a smoking heap, while Ochako had the fun task of telling Himiko that no, they hadn't.
"…You're fucking kidding me."
"We kept getting interrupted."
"During your bath?!"
"…Oh yeah, that might have been the best time." Ochako said it like she just realized she left the light on or something.
Himiko turned to Tsuyu, waving at Ochako and the out of it Izuku. "See, welcome to my hell."
Tsuyu tilted her head. "Bath?"
Himiko had her phone out, getting all the pictures and videos Ochako sent pulled up to share. Laughing as Ochako tried to swipe it away. The commotion soon turned into the pair openly bragging about their dates, comparing makeouts and all sorts of things that had Izuku and Tsuyu flushed and heads bowed in embarrassment. But as the two steamed, Tsuyu looked over at Izuku. "Your hero agency have any spots open for heroes specializing in water rescue?"
Izuku was happy to say, there was a spot open for that field.