Chapter 62: Yesterday's Horror is Tomorrow's Trauma
Wrapped up tight, Izuku was pulled down into darkness. Falling until—
Izuku hit the floor with a thud, jostling everyone in his room awake at the hard crash. But while that sound got people to lift their heads from their pillows, it was Izuku's sudden scream that had them throwing off their covers to rush into action.
Izuku screamed and thrashed about wildly as he tried to pull the bed covers off himself, but was only succeeding in wrapping himself up tighter. In a panic, green lightning began to crackle around his body.
"Deku!" Ochako dove into the mess and wrapped her arms around him, desperately trying to get him to regain his composure. "Deku, it's alright! Stop!"
Ochako wasn't sure what had Izuku freaking out, but she did know that if he suddenly started throwing One for All around, people were going to get hurt.
Getting her hands on his head, she wrenched it to face her. "Deku!"
She winced at how clammy his skin felt under her fingers, how pale he looked, and how wide and unfocused his eyes were. But, those dazed green eyes snapped back into focus. They darted around, before landing on her. "Ochako?"
The floor wasn't a beach. The air wasn't salty. And the darkness was suddenly dispelled as Himiko flipped on a light, and Izuku found himself in his room. Ochako was holding him. Himiko had massive bed hair. Tsuyu was crouched on the floor, looking ready to leap into action, and Eri had crawled to the edge of her bed, looking at Izuku with wide eyes.
"I… huh?" Izuku's mind was having a very hard time catching up. Because he swore a second ago he was—
The hall was suddenly flooded with chaotic crashing before the door to Izuku's room was thrown open as Inko, carrying a very heavy wok in her hand, barged in, followed closely behind by Hisashi, holding a less than impressive coffee mug like he was ready to chuck it.
Izuku could only dumbly look around, while everyone looked down at him. Finally, Izuku dumbly fumbled, "I think I had a nightmare."
Once the group had a chance to collect themselves, Izuku was taken into the living room and sitting on the couch. Ochako took a spot next to him while Eri quickly moved to sit in his lap. Inko went into the kitchen to fix everyone some coffee and tea. Himiko and Tsuyu grabbed seats next to the others on the couch and Hisashi, who Izuku had to do a double take to make sure he wasn't seeing things, grabbed a chair and sat opposite of everyone. After he took the time to pick up a pillow and blanket that was oddly on the ground.
Izuku was still very confused. He couldn't remember coming home at all. In fact, thinking about it, a good chunk of yesterday was just a blur.
Himiko scoffed gently. "I mean, you were pretty out of it the rest of the day… What exactly do you remember? We can fill in the rest."
Izuku thought back, a surprisingly hard and unpleasant thing to do. "I was… there were some explosions at the mall, and Ochako and I ran to see what had happened. We found Mom…" Izuku shuddered visibly. "Then… we got taken to the hospital. After that…"
Izuku tried to peer through the fog in his head. What he got was like an echo of a bad memory. Yelling. Cruel words spoken in anger. "O-oh." Izuku's face paled noticeably as he turned towards Himiko. "Toga, I didn't mean to, oh I'm so sorry!"
"Er, huh?" Himiko blinked at the sudden waterworks.
"I said such horrible things to you and Kacchan and—"
"Whoa, whoa Deku, you never did anything like that," Ochako quickly cut in, alarmed at how distressed Izuku was starting to become. "You never said anything to anyone."
"Yeah, you were pretty much a walking zombie for the whole day," Himiko explained. "You changed and washed yourself but you were more or less sleepwalking."
Tsuyu nodded. "You didn't even react when Toga made a joke about helping you change to try and liven the mood."
Himiko coughed. "Right… joke."
Tsuyu and Ochako gave her tired but amused looks.
Inko came back and started handing out mugs. "Maybe someone should tell him what happened, then. So he's not getting his bad dream mixed up with everything."
Ochako volunteered. "So we were taken to the hospital. Your Mom," Ochako motioned to Inko, "got a clean bill of health. So it looks like things just… looked worse than they actually were." Himiko took a long sip of her coffee. "Eri apparently had a hand in that." Izuku blinked. "She healed her after the attack."
Izuku looked down at Eri who was looking up at him, maybe not totally understanding the implications. "Eri… has a healing Quirk?"
"A crazy one," Himiko added. "Big energy storm came out of her horn. Was nuts."
Izuku noticed that her horn was now little more than a nub on her head. He gave her a tight hug, which she welcomed with a smile.
"We all gave statements while at the hospital, though since you and I didn't actually see anything, All Might convinced the officers that you were fine to be left alone until later."
"Ah."
Tsuyu then raised her hand. "The attack got reported on the news, though they really downplayed it." Himiko and Inko took long sips of their drinks. "But I decided to come to the hospital when Toga said she was fine. Thanks to Uraraka letting me know she wasn't."
"I was fine," Himiko grumbled.
Tsuyu looked at her. "Uraraka sent me photos of the room you destroyed."
"…"
Ochako continued. "We all," she motioned to herself Himiko and Tsuyu, "decided that it would be best to stick around. Given everything, we didn't like the idea of leaving you all alone."
Izuku blinked, and it seemed something finally clicked. "You were all in my room." Blankets and pillows on the floor and Ochako in Eri's bed. "Oh. Oh, I had girls in my room spending the night." There was a puff of smoke.
Himiko let out a long sigh. "Oh thank god he finally reacted. Him not freaking out was weird and I didn't like it."
Izuku quickly recovered, then his eyes fell on his father. Which was a very confusing person to see. Hisashi seemed to realize it was his turn to add something to the conversation. "Ah, I saw the report on the news as well. And rushed over from Deika City. I met you all when you were just returning home. Offered to sleep on the couch and be available if anyone needed anything."
Izuku glanced at the pillow and blanket.
Around him, no one mentioned how exceedingly uncomfortable that initial meeting had been. Or that Inko and Hisashi had gone into her room to have a brief private talk. Even Tsuyu, not having any of the experience the others had, could tell that things were frosty and weird. And that him staying the night, was the upper limit of what Inko was comfortable with.
Izuku seemed to accept this, and the rest of the story for that matter. With everything laid out, he was noticeably more relaxed.
He did again try to apologize, but Himiko pointed out it was a dream. And if he needed to vent and deal with the events of the day in a dream, then it was fine. She didn't need an apology. But…
Himiko leaned in, smirking over her coffee. "Okay, I do wanna hear what you said to me though." Izuku made a distressed face. "Nuh uh uh, you were all weepy when you looked at me. I wanna hear what you said."
Izuku looked down at his tea. "Can we leave it at 'it was really mean?'"
"Hell no."
Izuku looked over at Ochako for help. She just looked thoughtful for a moment. "I'll back you up, if… you can look me in the eye and say at no point since waking up you were also considering apologizing to Bakugou for what you said in a dream."
Izuku just turned to Tsuyu. "Please tell Toga she doesn't need to hear this."
"The sooner you tell her, the sooner we can go back to sleep, kero."
Izuku slumped. And while under the watchful eyes of everyone, groaned and relented. Though he did cover Eri's ears while he was at it. "I said that…that I thought you were supposed to be good at killing, and that this was the one time I needed you to be a monster."
A huge smile split her face. "Fuck, dream you is savage." Himiko said with a cackle, taking advantage of the fact Eri wouldn't hear that. Though she still got a poke in the side from Tsuyu.
"What'd you say to Bakugou?" Ochako asked. She totally wasn't using Izuku's nightmare as a potential source of ammo for the pain-in-her-ass later. Or for a look at how Izuku might view the jackass subconsciously.
Izuku scratched at his neck. "…This doesn't leave the room, right?"
Ochako really wished Himiko wasn't giving her a knowing smirk. "I won't say a word." Himiko, Tsuyu and even Inko gave her a look that said they thought she was full of shit. Which she was, but they didn't need to rat her out in front of Izuku, for crying out loud.
Fortunately, Izuku had complete faith in Ochako, and took her at her word. Which made her feel kinda crappy but not enough to tell Izuku not to say what he had said.
…
Oh I'll just give him a kiss or something to make up for it.
When Izuku repeated his dream rant, again keeping Eri's ears covered so she didn't hear such mean things, Ochako was very obviously cheery. Okay Deku gets two kisses cause this is gold.
At this point, Izuku decided it would be easier to just keep going and tell everyone what had happened in his dream. Or at least most of it. He left out any mention of One for All when talking about being mad at All Might, but Ochako could fill in the blanks.
"And then… I ran off."
Ochako frowned. "Ran off. Like out of the room?"
Izuku found the ceiling very enticing, and decided it was far better to look at it and not the girlfriend that might have permission from his mother to kick his ass.
Himiko blinked, then groaned and rubbed the bridge of her nose. "Oh my god, you ran off after Shigaraki, didn't you?"
"You ever wonder how they paint ceilings and yet you never see drips on the floor?"
"Deku!"
"Oh, come on. You know I wouldn't actually do something like that, right?"
Tsuyu tapped her chin. "Are we going off previous track records of less than brilliant ideas or—"
"Hey!" Izuku frowned grumpily. "All my ideas are brilliant."
"Sludge villain, the zero pointer, what you did at the end of the USJ attack, your every choice at the sports festival," Ochako started counting off.
Izuku puffed up. "Saved Kacchan, passed the exam, saved your guy's lives and I won the sports festival."
No one noticed Hisashi raising an eyebrow hearing this back and forth. He was busy taking some mental notes. Apparently things were not all sunshine and rainbows between his son and the heroes. Good to know.
Himiko added with heavy sarcasm, "Apparently deciding that this is the hill you wanna make a stand on makes the list too, huh?"
Izuku blinked, noticed the looks he was getting, and promptly sunk into the sofa. "I wouldn't chase after Shigaraki like that." He was sulking, but at least he was being honest. Which everyone accepted.
Ochako, deciding that this wasn't something she actually had to worry about, or really wanted to deal with—because, damn if Izuku couldn't be stubborn at just the worst possible times—moved on. "So, what happened after you chased after him in your dream?"
"Huh?"
"I mean, you woke up screaming and ready to fight. So what happened?"
"…"
"Deku?"
"Um… nothing?" Izuku frowned, then scratched his head. "I think that portal villain Kurogiri warped in front of me. I… jumped in… then… I woke up."
…
"Can someone smack this cringy dumb child!" Himiko asked loudly.
"Hey!" Izuku then bravely pulled Eri up so she was standing on his lap, so he could duck behind her.
"Well, Izuku's not freaking out anymore, so I think it's safe to go back to sleep," Himiko stretched, "I really don't want to be packing up for camp drowsy. Knowing my luck, I'll forget something important."
Ochako and Tsuyu made grunts of agreement. Izuku though, paused. "Oh… that's right. Summer camp is tomorrow."
Izuku sat and everyone around him watched as his face became creased with some heavy thoughts and worries. Everyone saw him take several glances at Inko. Then a few at Eri. Izuku made a face, like he had decided on something. "I don't… I think I should call U.A. in the morning… let them know I won't be going to the summer camping trip tomorrow. So I can keep an eye on Mom."
"Deku…" Ochako couldn't say she was surprised. After the attack, it made sense that Izuku would want to stay by his mother's side. "Are you sure? I mean… This isn't just a camping trip. Aizawa-sensei said it's training too." She didn't need to ask if he was fine potential falling behind the rest of the class and putting the rest of his school year and dream as a whole in jeopardy. That question hung over the room.
Tsuyu looked uncertain. "Would Aizawa-sensei even let you skip it?"
Himiko nodded. "Knowing him, he just might show up here, tie you up and drag you off."
Izuku's eyebrows knitted together and there was a shocking amount of heat that burned in the back of Izuku's voice when he replied with a quick and decisive, "He'd regret trying that."
Almost everyone in the room did not like hearing that come from Izuku. There was no mistaking the threat of intent.
Inko decided she was going to cut this off before someone said something that they'd regret, and with a sigh she shook her head. "Oh honey, of course you're still going on your trip."
The dark look on Izuku's face vanished instantly, replaced with gobsmacked shock. "I am?"
Hisashi's face mirrored his son's, but for very different reasons. "He is?"
Izuku and Hisashi's surprised reactions happened at the same time. It had been a little disturbing how alike they sounded.
"Izuku, I'm fine. Was it scary? Yes. I got a little roughed up, but that's in the past now." Inko caught the way Himiko glanced at her and shook her head. "And it's not your job to keep an eye on me. So you don't need to go trying to do that. You have your own responsibilities, young man."
Himiko kept her peace but it was pretty clear that Inko was trying to sell the story the way all the news had reported it. Which could be summed up as, downplay downplay downplay.
"You were attacked, Inko," Hisashi cut in, carefully. "These League of Villains… this Shigaraki seems to have a grudge against our son." If Hisashi saw any of the cold looks getting directed at him by Ochako or Himiko he didn't acknowledge them. "And you were attacked because of that. Our family has plenty of reasons to be cautious now. We can't just pretend this didn't happen."
"Oh, absolutely. But that's not Izuku's responsibility to deal with. It's the heroes and his teachers, the adults, that need to step up. Izuku should only be worrying about his schoolwork." Inko slyly glanced over at the girls with a little mirth in her eyes that only they noticed. "And doing what all teens his age should be doing. Getting into trouble and trying not to get caught."
While a flustered Izuku tried to reassure his mother that he was a good boy and wasn't running off getting into mischief, Himiko leaned over towards Ochako and whispered, "Did you just get permission from mommy to get in some trouble with Izuku?"
Ochako gulped.
Tsuyu tapped her chin. "Was it my imagination, or was she looking at all of us?"
The three girls briefly met Inko's eye, and she smirked before quickly going back to letting Izuku know she knew he was a good boy.
"Oh, she knows," Ochako gulped with a flush.
"How, kero?" Tsuyu had to stop herself from waving nervously.
"Inko is scary and is way more street-smart than anyone knows," Himiko said definitively.
Only their small group of friends should know about their building relationship, but clearly Inko had caught on. Fortunately for the dorks, she was happy to let them just play it out.
Ochako gently patted Eri's as Izuku picked her up. "Would you tuck her in? Me and the girls are going to freshen up a bit before we go back to bed."
Izuku didn't have any issue tucking Eri in, but he did tilt his head at the excuse Ochako used to pull Himiko and Tsuyu away. But after weighing the pros and cons of asking Ochako any questions about what the three would be actually doing, he took Eri and went to his room.
With him out of sight, Ochako grabbed Himiko and Tsuyu and dragged them to the restroom. She barely got the door closed before she hissed out in alarm, "Deku is not okay!"
"Oh good, you noticed that, did you?" Himiko replied with heavy sarcasm.
"Himi…" Tsuyu warned. "Midoriya does seem… wound up."
"Coiled springs aren't wound up as much as Izuku is right now," Himiko said with a huff. "And while I'd love to see Izuku give old Dry Eyes a good thumping… the fact he even brought up the idea he'd fight back is a little… not great."
Ochako didn't like this at all. Clearly Izuku was still reeling from the attack on his mother. And it wasn't that long ago that their group had dealt with a similar situation. "Toga… you were with Iida after…"
"We're not at that stage. Inko being alright probably saved our asses on that front," Himiko quickly answered softly but directly. Putting that bad line of thought to bed instantly.
"Still, he's thinking about it." Ochako said with a frown.
"Having a bad dream where he does something and actually doing it are two different things, kero."
"Well… he's stubborn. And when he's acting stubborn he'll do stupid stuff," Ochako countered.
Himiko shook her head. "You're worried about him, so you're grasping at any straws. You can't hold a dream against him. Maybe, maybe he does wish he could go find Shigaraki and bash the fucker's head in. But he's not actually going to go do it." Himiko motioned towards Ochako. "Take you for example. How many times have you dreamed of unaliving Bakugou in a gruesome fashion?"
"Um…" Ochako wasn't ready for that.
"Dreams don't count, cause you don't act on them. Same with Izuku. What we need to do is focus on helping him feel better. Him lashing out a little right now is normal. Not good, but normal."
Ochako rubbed her hands together. "Okay… okay, I'm just worried."
"We all are, kero. It's why we're here to keep an eye on him."
"I'm less worried about him running off, and more worried about what kind of trouble that short fuse will get him into," Himiko explained with a huff.
"Deku… wouldn't do anything bad." Ochako frowned when Himiko just looked at her. "What?"
"We have a pretty good example of what he's willing to do when that short fuse gets lit."
Tsuyu blinked. "We do?"
"Izuku punched Baku-Bitch in the face when he bad-mouthed Ochako here."
"…Oh wow, if Bakugou sets him off while he's like this, Deku might actually hurt him."
"…"
"…"
"Oi, try saying that again without the smile." Himiko gave Ochako a poke. "We're worried about something bad happening here."
"Bakugou getting punched is bad?"
"…Izuku getting into trouble for punching him is bad."
Ochako nodded slowly before it clicked and she immediately agreed. "Right! Yeah, we can't let that happen."
"Wow, you're not even subtle anymore," Himiko came in with the verbal jab, but Ochako was already moving forward.
"So, we'll keep an eye on him then. Help make sure he stays out of trouble."
"Or trouble stays away from him." Himiko finished.
Tsuyu tapped her chin. "I would hope that whatever training we're going to do will help make our jobs easier." While none of them knew exactly what to expect for training, given their teacher, they were pretty sure it was going to be intense.
Ochako recalled some conversations during the last day of class. "Aizawa-sensei said it was training, but he was still calling it a summer camping trip. So it seems like it won't all be training. We might actually have some time for some camp fun."
Himiko palmed her fist into her hand. "If that's the case, leave it to me. I'll come up with some ideas to keep Izuku busy when we aren't training." She didn't bother to even try to hide the huge grin on her face.
"Okay."
"Sounds good, kero."
"…Eh?!" Himiko was expecting questions. Inquiries and maybe even a few threats to make her divulge what she had planned. Nothing about her could have possibly led either her girlfriend or her crush to assume her methods of keeping Izuku busy were pure or trustworthy. "Wait? Aren't you going to ask what I have planned?"
"Nah."
"It's probably something that's naughty or will get us in trouble. We don't need the specifics, as long as it keeps Midoriya happy and safe. And we get to have fun too, kero."
"…" Himiko pointed at the pair. "You two are taking all the fun out of being a troll."
"We know," they said as one.
It said a lot, given the lengths Himiko was willing and able to go, that both girls were just automatically onboard with whatever she had planned. Not even needing or caring to guess what diabolical methods she had planned to keep Izuku out of and away from trouble during the trip.
With the three in agreement over Izuku, they exited the bathroom, just in time to see Izuku step out of his room, a blanket and pillow under his arm. They looked at him. He looked at them.
"I um, figured someone would want my bed so… I'll just sleep out in the hall an— Eek!"
Ochako didn't even bother to point out that they had already gone through most of the night just fine. Or that the two of them had actually slept in the same bed together back on I-Island. So instead of arguing, and dealing with Izuku being annoyingly bashful and kind, she just floated him up and let Himiko and Tsuyu pull him back into the room.
Eri found the whole thing hilarious.
Inko took a breath as she closed her door, and readied herself as she turned around to face Hisashi. She had purposely worked to avoid having any lengthy talks with the man tonight. She had accepted his reasoning for showing up and had just decided to roll with it since it meant she could get to bed faster.
So much for that now.
She had a feeling this conversation was not going to be fun or accomplish anything for anyone.
"You know what the definition of insanity is, right?"
Oh good, there's the wiseass, Inko sighed.
"Inko, at some point we're going to have to have a serious discussion over what we're going to do."
"Which part? Pulling Izuku out of school, or, you moving us to Deika City?" She didn't snap, or raise her voice. God forbid this conversation make it out of the room for anyone else to hear. But the fact she hit the nail on the head on her first swing, made Hisashi jerk. She had a feeling she wasn't supposed to have guessed that Deika was where he had in mind. Or that he wanted to move Izuku at all.
"How…?"
"Bark Head, after all these years, how have you not figured out you're not subtle?"
…
Inko paused, shocked at herself for using that old nickname of Hisashi's. Nenshouki was still causing her issues, saying stuff she really shouldn't be saying. Inko was going to need to get a handle on her soon. Or she was going to get her in trouble. Story of my life.
Quickly, Inko brushed her slip-up aside. "It's been a very long day."
"Clearly." Hisashi composed himself. He, like Inko, had been startled at the old name. "But… as for your point, it's the second one. For now."
"For now," Inko echoed.
Hisashi seemed to wait, expecting something. But Inko didn't say anything else. So maybe she was open to the idea? Hisashi wasn't sure. It suddenly felt like he really needed to keep his cards close to his chest. More so than normal.
Still, he had to take this opportunity to at least get the idea out in the open, to move his and Rikiya's plans closer to their goal. "In Deika City, you'll have protection you don't have here. Mr. Yotsubashi's private security, reliable protection for Izuku, you… and Eri, of course."
Inko noted how he hurried to say that last bit.
"So your company had a magic bullet to deal with a villain that can create portals? Something more effective than the heroes and U.A.?" Again he's trying to get Izuku there, and closer to his boss… he keeps mentioning him every time he brings up that place…
Inko almost wanted him to say yes. Because that could lead to a whole new conversation.
Actually, maybe I better wait to have that conversation later. I don't have the information I really need to prove anything. Though, I might know who I can get it from. Inko's eyes drifted momentarily to where her purse was. Where an innocent business card was tucked away.
Hisashi didn't answer with any proclamation that the city's security was better, like Inko had almost wanted him to. Instead, "So you suddenly trust the heroes?"
Inko almost punched him.
"The League of Villains are making themselves too big. We both know the HPSC doesn't like it when that happens." Inko crossed her arms. "It's a fine line between being a useful distraction and a thorn to get pulled out. Our son has a direct connection to All Might. So do I. We've both been attacked. What conversations do you think are going on between him and the ones in charge right now?"
Hisashi couldn't exactly argue with that.
"I'm not… going to say that if things don't get better, that there aren't options that might need to be considered," Inko relented. Mostly to keep things cordial, and because she figured a confrontation now would cause issues down the line. She was going to let Hisashi think that the idea of moving was planted at least. And in some ways it was, at least the idea of moving Izuku someplace more secure. At least until things with the League were settled.
"But I don't think we're at that point. Izuku has so much more now, moving him might risk that. And I don't want to have him throw that away if I can avoid it."
"You mean… the girl?"
"Ochako," Inko corrected with a glare. "And not just her. He's happy. He's happy, Hisashi. That matters. And I'm not going to make a decision that up-ends that."
Both parents looked at each other and both seemed to realize that this wasn't the time to push this conversation more than it was. So an unspoken agreement was made and it ended there.
Hisashi moved for the door. "I'll be heading back in the morning, unless you need me to stay? I don't want to overstay my welcome."
Inko politely declined. "I'm fine. Today wasn't… my first brush with death. Was like seeing an old friend, more than anything."
That actually got a chuckle out of the pair. An old, forgotten ghost of a feeling. A shared moment from their shared past.
Hisashi's hand was at the door…
"Hisashi…" Inko's voice was soft. And far away. But it stopped him. "When I die… will you make sure I'm taken home… and buried next to them?"
Hisashi didn't say anything for a few moments. Didn't turn to look at her. Inko wondered how long it had been since he had thought of home. Of them.
"Yeah… I can make sure that is taken care of."
For that brief moment, Inko felt it was the man she married that answered her. Then he took a breath, "Never thought of that…" and left.
It was packing day, and Ochako huffed as she looked over her list of items and everything she had shoved into her worn out duffel bag. This was the fourth time she had done this since getting home. She would open the bag, rummage through it with the list to make sure everything was there, close it up and sit down, and then that just left her alone with her thoughts. And after everything, that wasn't exactly fun. Those thoughts were angry and full of righteous fury.
So Ochako would double-check her things, just to keep all the bad thoughts away, but after doing and undoing her luggage, the repetition of the task stopped doing anything for the thoughts bouncing around in her head.
"My master… she lost everything because of All for One. He killed her husband and after that, she gave up her son to protect him."
Ochako sucked in a shuddering breath as pieces of her talk with All Might bubbled up. Some time after Izuku had spoken with him and then asked her out, All Might had come to talk with her. Giving her the same talk, the same warning, he had given Izuku.
After the attack yesterday, that warning was now damn near the loudest thing bouncing around in her skull. Second only to the questions. What was she supposed to do now? How does she prevent this from happening again? She had promised to protect Izuku, but what did that really mean?
This attack felt like it didn't follow the rules. U.A. had never said anything to them about the risk of villains attacking their families.
Considering who their homeroom teacher was, you'd think that would have been covered at least by day two.
This attack felt like it was ripped from a history book during the old times when heroes and villains were only just emerging. During those times, it was killed or be killed.
Ochako's fingers froze on her bag's zipper. "Old times… kill or be killed…"
This wasn't the first time death had crossed Ochako's mind. But that hateful action she had felt was going to be reserved for someone she was sure was going to stab Izuku in the back.
"…" Ochako closed her bag and grabbed her phone, quickly scrolling through her contacts before calling. She needed answers to her questions, and right now there was only one person she felt had the answers to them. Someone that had been an ally to two other wielders of One for All.
"Hey kid." Gran Torino sounded tired when he picked up the phone. "How's your pain in the ass half?"
Ochako stumbled over how to reply to that first question. "He's… aware."
"…Aware, acting normal, but small things that normally wouldn't get even a bat of the eye now got him acting out?"
"H-How—?"
"Kid… Midoriya is way too much like Toshinori… and he took after Nana way more than he knew. I know what's up." Gran Torino sighed. "I'm guessing you're already getting plans together to keep an eye on him?"
"Yes."
"Good. Best advice I can give, let him vent. Step in if he's about to do something stupid that'll get himself or someone that doesn't deserve it hurt. Other than that, he needs to let the venom out." There was a brief pause. "He's a good kid, but he has buttons that can't get pressed right now."
"We're going to keep an eye on him during the school trip."
"Hmph, good. Sure, he doesn't want to be pulled away right now, but some isolation may be the best thing for him."
"Mrs. Midoriya is basically ready to kick him out."
"Ha!" Despite the heavy tension in the call, it was a genuine laugh. "Toshinori has told me about her. Seems like she's a strong woman. Keeping the kids' heads on straight."
"…All Might talks about Deku's mom?"
"Yup."
Ochako was pretty sure she didn't want to pull the pin on that grenade. Neither did Gran Torino. That whole thing was potentially really messy. It's also not why Ochako had called. "I… had a question I wanted to ask you."
"Oh?"
"What…" Ochako chewed on this. "What are our responsibilities? How are we… supposed to protect the person with One for All?"
Gran Torino took a second. "What are you really asking me, kid?"
"Have you… Have you ever had to kill someone because of your responsibility?"
Another long pause. "Kid… this is a heavy topic for someone your age. You don't… need to be worrying about this kind of stuff yet." Gran Torino grimaced towards the end. Even he couldn't finish that sentence without it feeling like a lie.
"First the attack on the USJ. Then Hosu City. Now what happened yesterday? I think I do need to be fucking worrying about this." Ochako took a breath to steady herself. She'd almost started yelling, but she wasn't going to do that. "Shigaraki and his League of Villains are the face of everything, but All Might has told us how All for One likes to use people to do his dirty work. They aren't… They aren't regular villains. So… how did you deal with them?"
"It sounds like you're asking for my permission, kid. Which you sure as shit weren't asking for with that loudmouth."
Ochako snapped back, "Shigaraki and Bakugou are different situations." Ochako was sure of that, but she didn't feel like trying to figure out the reason. "And you're avoiding the question."
"Alright. You wanna have an adult conversation, we'll have an adult conversation." Gran Torino's tone changed. It had an edge to it. A hardness. Not out of frustration with Ochako or anything like that. It came from the life he's lived, the choices he's made and the pain people around him have gone through.
"I've killed villains. Never went looking for them, but when you're fighting in a war and it's your life or theirs, or their life or the person you're protecting, well, you do what needs to be done. And at the end of the day, Uraraka, that's what our job is. To do what needs to be done in this war so whoever is holding the torch has a clear shot at defeating All for One."
"…"
"Unfortunately, you and your group are going to have to face this reality." Gran Torino winced when he heard Ochako suck in a breath. "Part of the job. I sometimes wonder if this was another reason Toshinori and Nana kept their group so small. They were able to take on the threats themselves to try and make it so we didn't have to make those decisions. They were both very good at dealing with things non-lethally.
"Gran Torino…" Ochako didn't like the thought that had slithered into her head. It made her feel sick. "When you're talking about Deku and how he has to defeat All for One. What do you mean by defeat?"
The other end of the line went very quiet and Ochako suddenly felt like she was going to vomit. "No."
"Kid—"
"Fuck you, no. You don't just get to… Deku…Izuku isn't capable of taking a life." Ochako shook her head. "No… All Might wouldn't give Izuku One for All and expect him to kill someone with it."
"Rules change when you're in a fight for your life, kid." Gran Torino answered with grim certainty. "You can't go into a fight with All for One thinking it's just another fight. That it'll end with him in cuffs and locked away like a comic book bad guy… Toshinori had to learn that lesson the hard way."Ochako legitimately thought she was going to throw up as she stumbled into her little bathroom. "He wanted to stop All for One. Hell, he hunted the bastard down like a man obsessed. But it wasn't until his guts were falling out that he was willing to kill. Because he knew he didn't have a choice."
"Fuck you," Ochako didn't even try to hide her disdain and horror at the very thought of Izuku being forced to make that kind of decision. "Izuku will never… I won't let… oh god," Ochako dry heaved.
Gran Torino gave Ochako a chance to keep herself from throwing up. "The idea of the kid having to take a life fucks you up pretty bad, huh." Ochako muttered out a string of swears. "Makes you wonder how he would feel hearing that you're all ready to get your hands bloody."
For the next few seconds, Ochako forgot how to breathe. "Wha? Izu… No he…"
"That kid adores you. It'd probably rip him all up inside even just thinking about the shit you're getting ready to do."
"Wait, wait wait wait. You just said we're having an adult conversation. That there were facts that we… I had to face. Now it sounds like you're trying to talk me out of everything? You're backtracking?" Ochako was completely lost, sick and desperately trying not to imagine a situation where Izuku would ever know what she was willing to do for him.
"Kid, we just had an adult conversation so I could get it through your thick head, you're not an adult yet. So you need to stop worrying about this bullshit right now."
"I'm not a kid," Ochako started to argue back, but Gran Torino cut her off.
"No shit you're not a kid, kid. You're more grown than a lot of hero students even in their third year. But you ain't a grown-up yet. And these grown-up issues aren't something you need or should be focusing on."
Gran Torino was glad that Ochako didn't immediately start talking as she listened. Thank god that hard head of hers was a little porous.
"I understand that this attack hit home and everyone, everyone, is a raw nerve. You want to do something, you don't want to let this happen again. Kid, I get that. Doesn't mean what I said isn't true but, you aren't at that point in your lives. Hell, the burden of making these choices isn't even on Midoriya's shoulders yet. Much less yours."
"But… One for All and…"
"You all still got All Might around. You think he's not doing everything he can to make sure he can solve this whole thing before his time is up?" Gran Torino winced at that phrasing. "Toshinori is a bumbling mess, but while he let Izuku know the history before giving him One for All, he wasn't about to unload the responsibilities he's shouldering onto Midoriya just yet. It was important he knew what taking One for All meant, but that final burden hasn't passed yet."
There was a sniffle and Gran Torino really hoped Ochako didn't start bawling. But at the very least he took the tears as a good sign that he'd gotten Ochako off the war path. For a little while at least.
"Enjoy your youth and each other, kid. Go drag your other half someplace and make some mistakes. Get in trouble and when the adults aren't looking, snicker and say it was worth it behind our backs. Be happy, Toshinori spent a lot of time making sure this era was peaceful after all. Reap the fruits of his labors. Don't waste them trying to reach the dark days ahead of schedule. It's good you're not naive, kid, but that doesn't mean you have to take on things too quickly."
There wasn't much left to be said after that, except a quiet but sincere, "Thank you."
"So, what are the odds that no one will make a big scene when we show up?" Izuku asked as he and Ochako walked the school grounds towards where the buses were parked, ready to take classes 1-A and 1-B on their summer trip. The buses were only just coming into view, and the two could hear the hustle and bustle of the classes. Which suddenly quieted.
Izuku knew that didn't bode well for him.
"So, you want me to sugarcoat my answer or…"
"How about running interference?" Izuku asked hopefully. Trying to pretend he didn't see heads in the crowd turn to look at him.
"Deku, I love you. But no."
"Pwease?" More and more it was becoming obvious he was becoming the center of attention for the classes. "I'll give you kisses?"
"Have some pride, Deku."
"Money?" Each step was closer to his doom.
"…" Ochako paused and looked at Izuku. "Are you trying to weaponize me being poor?"
"That's what people that have money do to people without money right?" Oh, Denki was pointing at him. "Also, was that a 'no?'"
"…" there wasn't enough time for Ochako to answer because suddenly, they were swarmed by their classmates and friends.
"Midoriya!"
"Are you okay?!"
"Toga wouldn't tell us anything!"
"How's your mom?!"
"Is Eri doing alright?!"
"Bakugou won't tell us anything either!"
"HE WASN'T THERE SHITTY HAIR!"
Izuku, overwhelmed by the sudden onslaught, tried to say that everything and everyone was alright. But as that was more or less what he had said when replying to all the texts he had gotten, it didn't exactly do much to placate anyone.
It also wasn't just 1-A that was looking for answers. 1-B was crowding around him as well. But at least this time, they seemed to be showing genuine concern for his wellbeing. It wasn't like the other times their classes interacted.
At least most of 1-B seemed concerned.
Most being the key word. "I don't see why you all are making such a big deal."
1-B collectively groaned while several of 1-A gave Neito warning looks. Itsuka was already enlarging her hand to chop the living 'chip on his shoulder' in the back of the neck.
"The news said it wasn't a big deal, so obviously since he'shere it wasn't." It was an interesting thing to feel the whole outside get colder and Shouto not be the reason. "Otherwise 1-A's shining star must not care about his dear mother to leave her so soon. Though maybe she just hasn't had a chance to milk this little incident yet. To let us know that it really was a horrible attack. That way she can get all the media attention she feels she deserves. That would be a 1-A thing to do. Like son, like mother, right?"
Several things happened. Itsuka had her hand raised, about to deliver a very potent reminder that Neito needed to shut his mouth. Many 1-B students were groaning that their classmate was picking now to cause issues when they hadn't even started their trip. Several 1-A students looked like they were tempted to get to Neito before Itsuka could make him shut up. As for Izuku. He stepped forward, and there were green sparks around his—
BOOM!
Katsuki raised a hand above the crowd and popped off an explosion. "FUCKING TIRED OF WAITING!" Everyone flinched around him. "You all can talk to the damned nerd on the fucking bus. Him and me are having our talk now!"
Katsuki grabbed Izuku by the scruff of the neck and dragged him out of and away from the crowd, making sure they were far enough away and had the busses between them and the rest.
Out of view and earshot, Katsuki shoved Izuku against the side of the bus with enough force that neither teen would have been shocked if there was a dent. Not giving Izuku a chance to recover, Katsuki jammed a finger into Izuku's chest. "Two things you dumbass nerd." Katsuki was practically seething. "How's your mother and the kid?"
Izuku, still a little rattled at the sudden manhandling, sputtered out, "Mom's fine. She got grouchy when I kept following her around the apartment all of yesterday. Eri's good too. No horn aches either which were starting to happen a little too frequently. Probably connected to her Quirk."
Katsuki nodded with a tsk. "Good. If she can get grouchy at you then she's made a full recovery." Then he was back to sneering. "Alright, so what the fuck do you think you were just about to try and pull? Are you a fucking idiot? After how close you came with teach coming down on your ass after popping me, you were just going to step up and slug that loudmouth?"
Izuku stood up a little straighter. His face hardened and got that look that Katsuki fucking hated. Granted, he hated pretty much every look Izuku had, but he knew this one was the 'I'm a stubborn fuck' face. He wore it a lot now that he got a backbone.
"Didn't even want to come to this," Izuku grumbled, which got Katsuki to raise an eyebrow. "Mom should have someone with her right now. My father bolted first thing in the morning yesterday and it's too soon after the attack." Izuku crossed his arms. "She almost threw me out the door when Ochako came to pick me up."
"Imagine that, your mom's smart, you idiot. What's she going to say if you get sent home not even an hour later?"
Katsuki knew how to win this argument and it was playing up the fact that Izuku was the biggest mama's boy in the world. Best way to throw cold water on his dumbassery was to hit him with the idea he might upset his own mother.
That damned stubborn look cracked as Izuku broke eye contact. "I wasn't going to hit him that hard."
"You were sparking up, you dumbass."
"…Hard is relative."
"Define relative," Katsuki pushed.
"I'm sure Recovery Girl would have been able to fix his jaw."
"Fuck sakes, leave the violent shit to your girlfriend and psychopath."
"Hey, they aren't violent." Izuku objected.
"…"
"…"
"You wanna try saying that again and sound like you fucking believe it?" Izuku didn't exactly step up to the plate there.
Katsuki sighed, at the very least Izuku didn't look like he was ready to fire off at the hip now.
"Look, the extra's rep probably already knocked the loudmouth out. So why don't you make yourself useful and go find the teachers and Inventor Chick?"
"Huh? Inventor… wait, Hatsume is here?" That for some reason seemed very alarming to Izuku and he wasn't sure why. Probably because Mei was Mei.
"Yeah, she's about to drive Aizawa up a wall and if he's in a bad mood, then we're fucked."
Katsuki pointed in the direction, and Izuku rushed off. When he was gone, Katsuki put his hands in his pockets and nonchalantly turned. "You fine with that, Round Face?"
Ochako came out from around the other side of the bus. Katsuki raised an eyebrow when Himiko and Tsuyu joined her. He had expected either the girlfriend or the whole damned squad. Maybe her and Himiko. Just these three, was interesting.
Ochako looked like she wanted to swallow glass, instead of saying what she was about to say. "Thank you for that, Bakugou." Tsuyu patted her shoulder in support.
"Fuck," Katsuki didn't like hearing that just about the same as Ochako didn't like saying it. "He's not in a good way."
"Not when there's a douchebag throwing what happened in his face," Ochako seethed out. She took a breath. "We were going to try and keep an eye on him. Just in case something set him off. Didn't expect it to happen right out the gate."
"I spoke with 1-B's rep as she was loading that shit-head's unconscious body into the bus," Himiko added. "Let her know that if he does something like that directly at Izuku again, I'm slitting his throat."
Katsuki blinked. "Directly?"
Himiko pointed a thumb back at Tsu. "She told me to be nice so I wouldn't get in trouble with the teachers. So I made the threat very specific. His normal A vs B rivalry bull is fine but he has to keep Izuku and his mom's name out of his mouth. Or else."
"It's all 'take what you can get' right now, kero."
Katsuki nodded. "Sure, whatever. You do your shit and leave me out of it. Don't need to be spending my time worrying about the damned nerd." No one brought up that being in on the One for All secret meant that was exactly one of the things he was supposed to do. They knew he knew and let him blow off steam. He paused and looked at Tsuyu. "You told Butter Knife to play nice?"
Tsuyu nodded.
"Hmph." Katsuki didn't elaborate. He looked at her. Looked at Himiko. "Hmph." He looked at the three, made a hard tsk sound and walked off.
"This is outrageous! An insult! A set back for the rights and privileges of support departments everywhere!"
When Izuku reached the other end of the parking lot, he wasn't exactly sure what he expected. It certainly wasn't to find Mei standing on top of one of U.A.'s little robots so she could be eye to eye with a very annoyed and 'done with this shit' Aizawa.
"Look! See! Midoriya is here now! He'll back me up against your tyrannical stupidity!"
Hatsume just used my name, and called Aizawa-Sensei stupid in the same breath. Oh fudge.
Hovering around the scene was Melissa's drone, with Melissa herself appearing to be sitting, watching the show like it was one of those trashy reality tv shows you know you shouldn't be watching but you know something juicy is about to happen so you tell yourself just five more minutes. Which was eight seasons ago.
Things stopped being a laughing matter when Aizawa turned to look at him. "Midoriya, why is she here?"
"Because she does what she wants and no one alive seems to be smart enough to figure out how to stop her, since her every action so far has only gotten positive results, to the point that Power Loader has given her power and responsibilities that even some of the third years don't have yet." Izuku blinked and wondered if that maybe wasn't the best answer to give his 'away on his case' teacher.
A barely hidden snorting laugh from an advancing Midnight, carrying a suitcase, thankfully saved Izuku from any immediate reprimands. "There's hitting the nail on the head and then there's that, Midoriya."
Aizawa frowned. "So you decided to come after all, huh."
Midnight nodded, and Izuku wasn't sure but he thought she glanced at him. "I have."
Off in the distance, Himiko wailed.
Izuku, deciding that this was a situation he better deal with quickly before he got into trouble for something that wasn't his fault—again,he grumbled in the back of his head—turned to Mei. "So, um… why do you even want to go with the hero classes on this trip? Wouldn't you rather be camping out in your workshop?"
"Oh, definitely. But I have responsibilities that means I have to go with you," Mei answered like it was obvious. "You all are going to be doing Quirk training."
"We are?" Izuku asked while looking over at the teachers. No one really knew what training they were going to be doing during the trip. It was really odd Mei knew though.
"How do you know that?" Aizawa cut in.
"First years always do some kind of Quirk training in the summer. Though this is the first time I think U.A.'s taken the classes off to some remote redacted location." Mei saw Izuku's look. "You hear stuff when second years are in the studio."
"Smart kid," Midnight said with a smirk.
"Wait? Redacted?" Izuku asked.
Aizawa sighed. "U.A. has gone through some extra steps to ensure that while classes 1-A and 1-B are on their trip, they will be secure. Only the staff know the exact location where the camping trip will be taking place."
"Oh… so no school planner or parent permission slip the League of Villains can get their hands on to find us," Izuku reasoned out. He hadn't thought about it, but thinking back, the slip he had to get his mom to sign just said camping in the woods. There actually wasn't ever a real destination. "Okay, but that still doesn't really answer why you want to go, Hatsume."
"Quirk training. Out of all the training you do, that's the kind I need to be heavily involved in, obviously," Mei answered. "If I'm going to keep your gear and support items up to date, I need to know exactly what sort of advancements you're going through."
Aizawa crossed his arms. "Which you will get upon his return. Even professional support agencies don't have twenty-four seven access to their clients."
Mei pointed at Izuku, "None of them have a client with such a weird and constantly changing Quirk." Izuku chirped. "His Quirk is in a very strange state. Who's to say it's not going to act up and go through another change? Or get weirdly stronger?" Izuku chirped again. "I need data to make sure Midoriya isn't going to be using gear that'll cause him issues. Last time I made that mistake his brain got…" Mei then did something no one expected. She stopped talking.
It was super weird.
Midnight and Aizawa shared glances. Then they looked at Izuku. Izuku knew staff knew of his injuries, but going by the raised eyebrow on Aizawa's face, they didn't know anyone else knew. Or that Izuku would be willing to share that. Granted, only because All Might had a big mouth.
"Hatsume… you know I don't blame you for my, um…" Izuku tapped his head. Maybe he was being overly cautious, but there were people around with super hearing. And while letting his close friends know about it was one thing, he wasn't willing to tell the whole class.
"Not an issue of blame. It's responsibility. I have to make sure my babies keep up with your Quirk's growth. Especially since yours is crazy." Translation, One for All is nuts.
"Respectable. However, the answer is still no," Aizawa said. He ignored Midnight looking like she was going to interject. "Putting aside you don't have permission from your guardian to go on the trip. Or the fact this trip was cleared for only the hero classes for security reasons. Or that as you pointed out, this will be Quirk training, and being around that could put non-combat students in unnecessary risk. Or that the support course already has their own summer activities that will be taking place during the same time." Everyone waited for what the reason Aizawa was going to use to deny Mei the opportunity to go. "The buses don't have any spare seats you can use." Mei opened her mouth. Aizawa closed it, "No one is standing. And no one is sitting in anyone's lap."
Izuku really, really didn't like that Aizawa looked at him when he said that.
Oh… that felt like a warning about me and Ochako for some reason. Not that he had all that long to dwell on that as Mei, jaw set and a look in her eye that he found absolutely terrifying, turned on her heel and stormed off. Oh, this is somehow not going to end well for me.
"Good, that's settled." Izuku didn't have the heart or backbone to tell Aizawa that it probably wasn't. "Midoriya, you should join the rest of your classmates in preparing to leave. The teachers will be joining you shortly after we get everything squared away." Aizawa took a step, paused and looked over at Izuku. "I trust I don't have to pull you and Uraraka aside to remind you both that this is a school trip and you both need to behave."
There was a loud grinding noise. It took Izuku a second to realize it was his own teeth. Midnight sighed, rubbing her brow. "Dating is allowed at our school, remember? We went over this. We're not a bunch of military prudes like Shiketsu."
There was a very quiet moment between the two teachers that was heavy with unspoken tension, before Aizawa turned and walked off.
"Sorry about that. Aizawa has… opinions on the school's dating policies. But then again, he has issues with a lot of U.A.'s policies. Don't worry about it," Midnight said, trying to wave off the disaster that was Aizawa and his inability to be subtle.
When Izuku didn't say anything right away, Midnight assumed things were good. He wasn't one to make a scene and was one of the more level headed students.
"It's good to know that all the hard work I've put in to make sure I was even allowed to go on this trip by passing the term final clearly meant nothing to Aizawa-sensei since he thinks so little of me."
Midnight nearly tripped when she heard that. She had to do a double take to even make sure she had heard what she'd thought she heard. When she turned to call out to Izuku, he was already well on his way back.
Midnight stood there, and took a deep breath. She had been worried about Izuku's mental state after the attack. The fact he had been more or less dead to the world the whole time he was at the hospital had her worried, to the point that his well-being had been at the forefront of her mind when she had decided to come on the trip. And less her worries of whatever mischief Himiko was going to get into.
And just from that, since she knew Izuku wasn't one to badmouth anyone, made it pretty clear her worries were warranted. She knew he was now most definitely added to the list of people she felt compelled to talk to. Him, Ochako, Himiko and Katsuki.
"Soooo… You okay?"
Melissa was worried. She felt he had a pretty good handle on Izuku, given the short amount of time she actually knew him. Booksmart with a strategic mind, but severely lacking in street smarts. Innocent but not as naive as some would think. Kind and compassionate, but had a right hook that could take your head off if you even looked at certain people the wrong way. He might have a little gremlin in him, but he wasn't one to snap and be blatantly disrespectful.
So that little back talk, almost begrudgingly venomously grumbled from just before, was a little off-putting. So was the brief look he shot at her before he shook his head and looked at her apologetically. "Sorry… yeah, I'm fine."
"…It gets exhausting telling people you're alright, doesn't it?"
The mask slipped, even though Izuku was quick to put it back on. He reached up and rubbed his tired dull eyes. "Is it wrong to say it is?"
"Not at all. We smile for the public, but we let our friends see us frown."
Izuku briefly recalled what All Might had told him about his smile. "That from All Might?"
"All red white and blue." Melissa wasn't making eye contact. "Maybe there's a little inspiration from something Uncle Might said."
Izuku stopped walking as something had just clicked. Izuku looked up at her. "Oh… oh, I wasn't this bad with you, was I?" He recalled that he was pretty aggressive in checking on her back on I-Island.
Melissa chuckled. "Ehhhh maybe a little." The short time after everything with her father had been rough. "But that worry and concern helped me out a lot. It was good, knowing I had people who were worried for me."
"I just wanted to help," Izuku muttered. A little lamely, he felt.
"And you did." Melissa reassured him. "And if I learned anything from you and Uraraka and everyone, is that having friends means having people that are going to look out for you and worry about you." She was glad Izuku nodded. "Now, I don't think your mom would have sent you out here to be all grouchy and worrying about her, right?"
Izuku recalled a wooden spoon being pointed at him the night before after an exasperated Inko had again told Izuku he was going on this trip. "Ha ha haaaa, yeah."
"So chin up, shoulders back and prepare yourself because I get the feeling that if you don't have your head on a swivel, you're gonna be doomed."
Izuku gulped loudly. "Yeah… this is a U.A. trip with Aizawa-sensei… the bus might explode before we reach where we're going and we'll have to survive in the wilderness or something."
The two laughed. Then, as Melissa felt things were good, she noticed that Izuku had a look on his face that implied he was having an idea. Melissa wasn't exactly a fan of how similar that look compared to her uncle. Or to her when she was in hero mode, but she would never ever admit that publicly.
"Midoriya?"
"So where exactly do you store this thing?" Izuku tapped the drone.
"State secret."
"Wanna store it in my room while I'm on my trip?"
The hologram of Melissa flickered. "Are you trying to find a roundabout way to ask me to keep an eye on your mom and Eri?"
Izuku looked away. "I'm not not asking you anything that would probably get my mom mad at me. Just offering you a place to store your drone. Oh! You don't have to have the projector on while the camera is on, right?"
"…So, moms are moms, and you know they see through this kind of stuff, right?" Izuku tried to say he wasn't doing any kind of stuff but, "And what you're trying to do is if your mom does catch on, somehow I'm the one that'll get in trouble for spying. While you get off scot-free."
"I'm not not saying that. And aren't we friends now?" Izuku turned on the puppy dog eyes.
"You know that kind of look only works if we're dating, right?"
"Everyone! Please ensure you follow the provided seating chart to ensure we are able to quickly take our seats so as not to delay our bus driver!" Tenya chopped at the air while he addressed the class, or at least the members of the class that were actually paying attention to him and not talking amongst themselves excitedly. Momo was beside him, going over a checklist. No one knew what exactly was on the list, but they suspected that somehow the whole trip plan was written down in great detail. The class rep and vice rep were just scary like that.
Ochako crossed her arms as she looked over the provided copy. "Why am I so far away from Deku?"
Also Tsu and Toga are on opposite ends of the bus too…
Tenya turned. "As this is a school function and we are expected to conduct ourselves in a manner befitting students of the prestigious U.A." Momo took a step back, putting some space between herself and Tenya, "I felt it was wise to ensure that everyone was seated next to someone to minimize any distractions or uncalled for interactions."
Ochako nodded slowly. Taking a few seconds to digest this before answering with a straight to the point, "Okay."
"…"
"…You're not mad?" Momo asked carefully. She had expected Tenya to be getting thrown through the bus at this point.
"Oh, I'm furious," Ochako said with a big grin.
Tenya and Momo shared looks before Tenya asked, "But you're going to be a responsible student?"
"I'm going to stay right here and watch what happens when you two tell Toga about this."
Momo nodded slowly. "Iida, I'm suddenly remembering what we forgot to think about the night when we came up with this idea."
"The key skill that anyone in a position of leadership must master is delegation," Tenya said with the air of someone raised around money. "And as the class representative of 1-A, I pride myself on working to master all skills that a responsible leader should know. As such," Tenya handed Momo the clipboard with the seating chart, "I will leave you in charge of ensuring everyone knows where they will be seated for this trip, while I ensure all luggage and supplies are properly stored in the bus."
Tenya promptly turned and marched away, leaving Momo to stand there. "What just happened?"
"Iida just delegated his stabbing to you. Like any good leader would."
Momo nodded slowly. "I… see… ahem." She turned back to Ochako. "How much to persuade you to compel Toga to… refrain from stabbing me?"
"You're assuming I can be bought."
"Yes," Momo said matter-of-factly.
"…At some point I'm going to ask you for reservations at a really really nice restaurant. I want the best seats, and the best service. And I want it all covered." Ochako sounded like a mob boss making someone an offer they couldn't refuse.
Momo blinked. "Oh, is that all? That won't be a problem at all." Ochako blanched. "Really, I thought you were going to try to extort a significantly lavish bribe or such. But you want a nice place for a date, that's so adorable."
…Motherfucker, I keep forgetting Yaoyorozu is rich rich.
"I'MMA STAB!"
Oh, Toga's seen the chart.
"Cool your jets, I already got our bribe for dealing with this," Ochako called out as she made sure she was standing between Himiko and the focus of her ire.
Soon after, with Izuku returning to the group, both classes got loaded up on their buses and set off for their school trip.
If Izuku had been wanting a calm relaxing bus ride, those hopes were brutally dashed as Mina turned around in her seat and looked down at him, a sparkle in her eye. "So, I want details!"
"Huh?"
Izuku felt his stomach drop. He really really didn't want to go into detail about his mother's—
"Yeah! You and Uraraka are dating now. Come on, I gotta hear how that's going!"
Oh? Oooooh, Ashido just wants to hear about my love life.Izuku visibly relaxed. It wasn't what he had been worried about. …Oh, Ashido wants to hear about my love life. This time, Izuku's inner thoughts were filled with a different kind of dread. Things weren't helped as it was so very obvious that many in the bus wanted to hear this too.
"I-I mean… wouldn't you rather ask Ochako this?"
"Oi," Ochako warned from the other side of the bus.
Minoru jumped up in his seat. "He used Uraraka's first name!"
Mina smiled. It was terrifying. "Oh, I'm gonna get to her at some point, don't you worry."
"…Can you say that in a way where I'm not terrified for my girlfriend's safety?" Izuku was pretty sure Hanta and Denki almost fell out of their seats, laughing as hard as they were.
"Gasp! Midoriya, how could you say something like that?"
Eijirou, from the far back of the bus, said, "Because he's been around you."
Minoru pointed accusingly. "I don't believe for one second that Midoriya knows anything about being in a romantic relationship. Uraraka is totally the one pulling the strings."
"No shot Midoriya has worked out the mystery of how girlfriends work," Hanta said with a sagely nod.
"Hey!" Izuku didn't like the way many of his classmates were nodding. He was also pretty sure he saw Midnight nod as well.
Denki snickered. "His poor brain would fry trying to compute, how does one do girl?"
Izuku stood up and proudly declared, "I'll have you know, I know all the fun things boyfriends and girlfriends can do!"
"All the fun things?!"
"Whaaaa?!"
The class was freaking out while Aizawa forced Midnight to turn around and told her not to engage in the students gossiping.
Izuku puffed out his chest while around him there were several gasps. "That's right, and Ochako's always happy and smiling after."
"She is?!"
Heads turned while Ochako sunk deeper into her chair. Whimpering, 'Deku nooo.'
"You wanna know everything I do with her?" Izuku asked, looking way too overconfident in himself. Ochako for her part was freaking out because she recalled how Izuku was on I-Island. And how he was completely unashamed of all the kiss marks she'd left on him. She hated that Mina was looking at her with that knowing, scandalized smirk.
"No way, now way, no way does Midoriya have game."
She hated that she almost stood up to say that Izuku in fact did have game and was fucking good at it too.
"I have the best game," Izuku defended and Ochako started hyperventilating. "Ochako and I held hands the whole time during our date. We shared crêpes, and I've gotten her so many presents!"
…
…
"Um, Midoriya… what do you think 'game' means?" Kyouka asked.
"Having game means making sure I keep my beautiful girlfriend happy!" Izuku said with a beaming smile.
Ochako, blushing at the 'beautiful' part, pressed her face into her hands. "Thank you, thank you god."
Mina pouted, clearly hoping for something a bit juicier. "That's it? Come on, there has to be more!"
Minoru groaned back a dry chuckle. "Man, at this point it really is a dead heat between Midoriya and Bakugou over which one is gonna get laid first. Midoriya is too damned innocent and Bakugou… is Bakugou."
Himiko nearly choked, while Katsuki had to be held back by Tenya so he didn't reach the poor boy. Mina chortled, "Bakugou's never going to lose his virginity, because he never loses at anything."
"FUCK YOU RACOON EYES!"
"SOMEONE FINALLY SAID IT!"
"IT'S SO TRUE!"
Katsuki turned his rage at the choked up Denki, Hanta and Eijirou.
Izuku, ignoring the dig, was more focused on what Mina had said before. "Boring? Ochako had a lot of fun on our second date, you know!"
Mina and a few others ignored the raging Katsuki at this news. "Wait, hold on. You already went on a second date?"
"Really? He had enough bravery left in the tank for a second date?"
"I thought for sure he used it all up for the first one."
"That's right. Wanna see pictures?" Izuku was pulling out his phone. While he did, Ochako, Himiko and Tsuyu all started wondering exactly what pictures Izuku was about to show off. I mean, it's not like he'd show off the cosplay photos to the whole class right? Having them shared with their close group, and to Katsuki to annoy him, were one thing. But the whole class?
The three looked at each other, and instantly realized that Izuku would show those off.
"Oh my god, why are you wearing a skirt?!"
All three girls sank into their seats while Izuku's phone was passed around the bus, much to their embarrassment.
Minoru plunked the phone as it was getting passed. "Hold it! Hold it! You said this was proof of a second date! Asui and Toga are here, that's not a date!"
"It was too a date! It was a double date for my birthday!"
If one didn't know any better, one might think Izuku had played the class gossip game before and had just used Himiko and Tsuyu as his sacrificial lambs to save himself from more of the class's scrutiny. Because upon learning that there was another couple in the class, no shot was anyone going to leave that alone.
Buuuut that's assuming a lot with Izuku. Easiest thing to assume is that he's an innocent baby and leave it at that.
Heads turned and eyes bugged out. Himiko shot Izuku a look, but she couldn't decide if he was just being himself, or if that was an intentional way to get the heat off. His smile told her nothing, because it was just his big cute goofy smile.
Mina, practically salivating at this news, looked at the two excitedly. "Is he serious?!"
Tsuyu bluntly answered, "I confessed while Midoriya and Uraraka were at I-Island." More gasps. "I've had a crush on Himi-chan since she saved me during the USJ attack."
Mina freaking squealed. "HIMI-CHAN?!"
Himiko groaned. "God damn it, only she's allowed to use that name." She then shot Midnight a look because she could feel her eyes on her. Smirking like the damned bitch that she was. "Say one word. One word and you'll regret it."
Of course many wanted to hear the story. They found the idea of Ochako giving Tsuyu advice absolutely adorable and sweet, but not a single person on the bus seemed to buy that Izuku was as involved as Tsuyu led them to believe. Izuku was openly offended but was ignored.
Yuuga struck a pose. "What a dazzling histoire d'amour. But I'm confused, was not your heart stolen by Midoriya?"
Tooru from beside him pointed out, "Wait, I thought I saw you getting pretty flirty with Uraraka though."
"Yes it was, and yes I have been since Hosu City when she also stole my heart so they can share it," Himiko answered without missing a beat.
"Whaaaa?" Denki looked like he had just unleashed one of his volt attacks as he tried to process that.
Tsuyu tapped her chin. "You all think you're getting a straight answer from her?"
Rikidou scratched his head. "Wait… so Toga is che—" It was very interesting to see three of the four dorks give Rikidou such looks that he immediately shut his mouth out of fear for his immediate safety. Himiko just looked smugly bemused. None of which did anything to answer any questions anyone outside the squad had. A few students noted that members of that circle of friends weren't exactly making any effort to know what was going on. Nor did they seem shocked by the little display by the four.
It was also very telling that none of the four seemed to be in any hurry to divulge exactly what was going on between them. Whatever it was, it was personal. And while some were very very interested in hearing the juicy details, they could relent that maybe trying to pry it out of them when the whole class was sitting in a bus was not the exactly best time.
Though when the boys and girls were separated, might be the more opportune time. Mina was already making plans on how to get her gossip and some of the guys were trying to figure out what the best way to hogtie Izuku and get some answers out of him was.
Momo at least figured she could ask one thing, "You all are good with things?"
"Yup."
"I'm totally fine."
"I knew what I was getting into from the start, kero."
"I'm a hungry carnivore and I'm sitting at a Brazilian rodizio. So I'm golden."
At the very least, that would placate the worst of the gossip mongers for the time being. So things, much to Aizawa's relief but Midnight's disappointment were calming down. At least until Minoru decided to take another look at the photo as Izuku took back his phone. "Okay, out of the four of you, how does Midoriya have the nicest legs here?"
Tsuyu made a distressed croak like she had swallowed allof her tongue while Himiko grabbed her seat partner and whipped him around. "You wanna repeat that?!"
Izuku was quick to help the grapet get free from the suddenly murderous vampire. "Come on, you shouldn't get mad at someone for just being honest." The bus got ever so quiet. "I mean, look, it's not even close."
For the next few miles, the class got an impromptu training exercise in keeping someone safe from three pissed off individuals who wanted Izuku's ass.