Chapter Sixteen: Scoring a Continue
A thunderous clash of fists. A narrow escape from the clutching fingers that sought to crush his very bones. The off-putting feeling of his counterattack slamming into his opponent's flesh, yet not reverberating with the satisfying impact of a blow well-struck.
Indeed, All Might felt as though his attacks were being resisted to an unnatural degree, precisely as young Midoriya had warned him. Were it not for this heads-up, he might have been surprised enough for Nomu's retaliatory grapple attempt to work, but it was not to be.
This was not the first opponent that All Might had ever faced whom he could not simply take down with a single blow; his career as a Hero had been long and eventful, especially in his prime before his reputation had begun to truly proceed him. In that time, he had faced numerous opponents with Quirks as varied as their appearances. No two were ever precisely alike and amongst the hundreds, nay, thousands of opponents that he had faced, there had been more than one who had been able to stand against him as a worthy foe.
One in particular had stood out from all of the others, but All Might tried not to think about him too much. Even the barest brush with those memories made his blood boil and his ruined body throb with remembered pain. Deep pain of the kind that left one feeling hollow in its wake.
A shame that he was forced to remember every time he looked in a mirror or scratched his chest. Every time he got a little too excited or laughed a little too hard. Every time he tried to take a deep breath and let it all just…fade.
The anger was with him even now. Indeed, it was far stronger than he could remember it being in recent memory. The reason was clear to Toshinori Yagi: these Villains had threatened his students, incapacitated one of his comrades, and even driven his protégé to nearly sacrifice himself to buy what precious little time he could.
Seeing his broken form, hearing his weakened voice, feeling his clammy forehead, smelling the telltale scent of char and knowing all too well the kind of desperation his successor must have felt…
…Toshinori knew where the lion's share of his rage came from and it only served to throw more fuel onto the fire.
"I do not know whether or not you can understand me, Villain, nor do I believe you would be inclined to listen if you could, but even so I feel that I must express something to you: You have committed what I consider to be an unforgivable act here today. Moreso than my duty as a Hero, beyond what is expected of me as the Symbol of Peace, and deeper than the flame that yet burns within me, I shall fight against you with everything that I have. Your well-being shall be none of my concern, so for your sake I hope that your regeneration can keep up."
The next punch was different. It was as though his words had removed some unseen shackles that had restricted his movements before. As Nomu slid several feet backwards, surprised but overall unharmed, All Might realized what had changed:
He had stopped worrying.
When fighting against another living being, All Might had always needed to be careful to avoid fatally injuring them or causing unnecessary collateral damage to buildings or civilians in the area. To compensate for this reality, he had, over time, built up certain mental restrictions for his Quirk. He was aware of them, of course, but some were so seldom removed that they became second-nature to him. The last time he had truly gone all-out had been when he had fought his true Archenemy and emerged forever changed as a result.
This opponent was not one he was concerned about killing. He needed to be stopped quickly and decisively no matter what it took.
So, as his foe roared and charged him once more, All Might allowed One For All to flood his body unrestricted. As he brought Nomu's head crashing into his knee and hurled him through the air with a twisting wrench that would have torn the head off of any lesser being, All Might saw a set of telltale ghostly flickers in the corner of his eye.
He knew what they were and though he truly wished to turn and look, just so he could see her face one more time, he knew in his heart that there was no point. She, just like the other six, was nothing more than an imprint left behind when she had passed on the torch. A fragment of soul that served as phantasmal proof that Nana Shimura was once a wielder of One For All.
Would young Midoriya even be able to see her face, or would she appear as all of the others did to him, as a black silhouette? As violent winds whipped through All Might's hair while he closed with his target, he found this thought to be almost unbearably sad.
Getting sentimental as I get older, am I? It really has been too long since I've delved this deeply into One For All if it is affecting me this much. Perhaps I should start training again?
Having reached Nomu, All Might seized him by the wrist with both hands and began spinning as quickly as he was able, feeling the bones begin to crack under his iron grip before he hurled him towards the ground, following after with a momentum-assisted double-fist focused upwards.
"OKLAHOMA…NEW HAMPSHIRE…SMASH!"
The two impacts happened so closely together that onlookers could be forgiven for thinking that they were a single event. Nomu's body, while still dealing with the impact that had just created a sizeable crater in the ground of the plaza, was suddenly and violently subjected to the force of All Might's considerable mass crashing into him like a meteorite.
Shock Absorption, while an extremely powerful Quirk on its own, was not enough to nullify such mighty impacts coming from opposite sides simultaneously. Nomu's familiar roar became a shrieking gurgle as a glob of gore was forcefully ejected from his mouth.
Under any other circumstances, All Might would have called the fight right then and there. Having heard accounts of the creature's incredible regenerative capabilities, however, he knew better than to assume that he had won. He elected to flip himself onto his knees to straddle Nomu's back and begin excavating a new lake via ground-and-pound.
Later, when he had time to reflect on the events of the day, Toshinori would be glad that none of his students had been able to see him as he was then: an embodiment of fury doing everything in his power to viciously render his opponent into paste.
That regeneration sure was something though. More than once it had seemed as though Nomu was about to throw him off, but he had been able to keep him grounded by making sure to keep his shoulders as pulverized as possible. Along with his spine. Just generally every part of the beast that his countless punches rained down upon.
Eventually, after a solid three minutes of non-stop pummeling moving at speeds that the human eye had difficulty following, All Might needed a breather. He leapt out of the basin that he had created, hoping that Nomu wasn't about to get up and follow him out like nothing had happened.
Fortunately for All Might, Quirks were physical abilities and were therefore subjected to limitations. Having part of his brain carved out, being mostly incinerated, being blasted across USJ via Zero-Gravity Explosion Express, then having his ass kicked literally through the ground by arguably the most physically powerful man in the country, if not the world, for three straight minutes was apparently Nomu's limit. All Might watched warily as his opponent's body convulsed and twisted itself back into shape, but the eyes that bulged out of the exposed brain were dull and lifeless. The fact of the regeneration was all of the proof All Might required of his condition, however.
"After all that…still alive. In my prime there wouldn't have been a single soul that could have survived that. I really am getting weaker, huh?"
Whatever the case, I doubt I have more than a few minutes left in my Muscle Form for today. I need to see to it that this monster is restrained before he can recover!
Toshinori swore to himself that he would not make the same mistake he had made that morning ever again. He had only meant to help with that one incident but then it had turned into another…and another…and another. Before he knew it, he had spent nearly all of his transformation time just helping people on his morning commute!
It was like young Midoriya had said: being a Hero was about more than just his personal desires. He wanted to help everyone he came across, but his responsibilities to his students needed to take precedence now. Had he been able to accompany them like he was originally supposed to, the situation would have never escalated as much as it had and his protégé would never have been injured so badly.
He would apologize once this was all over. He wanted to apologize to all of his students, but he could not rightfully do that without revealing his secret. He would have to redouble his efforts as recompense instead.
But, first things first. His co-workers should be arriving at any moment and they would have the situation well in-hand when they did. All Might needed to find some cover so he could un-transform and save his precious remaining minutes for when he needed them most.
Then a scream of despair tore through the air and sent him reflexively leaping in its direction.
That sounded like Ashido! What could have happened now?!
T – o – r – c – h – b – e – a – r – e – r
Shigaraki's words seemed to linger in the air for an unnatural length of time after he had finished his speech. He had spoken with a combination of conviction and fervor that demanded the attention of those who heard him. In many ways, to the ears of Mezo Shoji it sounded like the speech of a trained orator.
Mainly, it came across as trained because something felt offabout it. A person who was skilled enough in speechcraft would come across as nothing but genuine. One could not tell the difference between the work of a master and the heartfelt ravings of a zealot off of the streets save for the fact that the master would garner a much larger following. He would always know exactly what to say to plant the correct thoughts in the heads of his audience. He could have you so thoroughly wrapped around his finger that you would propose his very plans and believe that they were your idea to begin with.
Tomura Shigaraki's words did not feel like this. Oh, he believed every single thing he said, of that Mezo had no doubt, but his heart wasn't in it. He was reciting that which had been taught to him, using those techniques that had been instilled in him, for the explicit purpose that the speech had been prepared for. It was well done, to be sure. Mezo would have to spend some time in meditation to clear the lingering taint out of the corners of his mind and the edges of his heart, but the fact still remained:
"Your words are hollow, Shigaraki-san."
It was very difficult to talk circles around a man who could hear you from multiple angles at once.
"What was that?" this was clearly not the reaction that the Villain had been expecting.
"It is as the boy said, Villain." Thirteen responded in Mezo's stead, giving him a brief pat of approval on one of his many shoulders, "You want to break things down and discuss them at a fundamental level? Very well. It may be true that there are Heroes out there who naively aim to completely eradicate evil from the world and create a society in which nothing bad ever happens to anyone. There are Heroes who shrug off the collateral damage they cause because they believe themselves to be above such things due to their righteousness. There are, as much as I am loathe to consider it, Heroes who only care about pandering to public opinion so that they can make money and feel vindicated."
"However," here Thirteen cut off Shigaraki just as he was about to respond, "at least Heroes are genuinely attempting to improve the world in one way or another, at least for the most part. We are all human and subject to the same flaws and weaknesses as everyone else, but we can still do our best to be just a little bit better! To help just a little bit more! To show people that, even if it's just a little bit, that they can make a difference! We don't have to be what nature has made us, Villain, and that is what your kind has so much difficulty understanding!"
An incredible impact from the far side of the plaza sent a cloud of debris into the air and caused the ground beneath their feet to vibrate. The thunderous report of superhuman combat became a constant thrumming in the air.
"No. We really can't." there was genuine sadness in Shigaraki's voice, though Mezo was unsure if anyone else could hear it, "There have always been people who have said things like this all throughout history. Philosophers, activists, saints, idealists, the list goes on. There have been so many people who were touched by pretty words and noble actions…and the last thing all of them saw was the same world they were born into, just with some upgraded graphics and a pretty little list of patch notes."
"Do you get what I'm saying here, Hero? If humanity hasn't changed after thousands of years, then what makes you think that some people running around in costumes with superpowers is going to do anything? You may have added another game mode, even changed the meta around a bit, but the title on the splash screen is still 'Welcome to Life: the Fuck You Edition.' I don't know about you, Thirteen, but if I have to be stuck in a world like that anyway, then I may as well try to wake as many people up as possible!"
"People are waking up, Shigaraki!" Thirteen was getting caught up in the passion of the argument, and Mezo could not deny that he was too, "Do you have any idea how many talented individuals apply to Hero Courses each and every year?! U.A. applications alone number in the thousands! Then you have post-educational courses, police training, medical school, public works, civil servants, infrastructure for chrissakes! Now, more than any other point in recorded history, people are stepping up with a genuine determination to do good! They've seen with their own eyes what just one person can accomplish if they try and they've been inspired! Even you must have thought at some point, 'I saw so-and-so do such-and-such thing, so maybe I could be capable of that too?' What made you become a Villain, if not for the fact that you saw someone else succeed at it in some capacity?!"
"I was saved."
"What?"
Mezo understood Thirteen's confusion. The answer was so transparently honest that it had thrown him for a loop, especially when one considered that usually such an event inspired one to become a Hero.
"Oh, not by one of you." Shigaraki clarified, "You all left me to rot. I was saved by a Villain who just so happened to be passing by."
"You were indoctrinated then. You chose this life because it was all you had ever known."
"Pfft!" Shigaraki had to take a moment to recover from the seemingly involuntary exclamation of laughter, "As if! No, he kept things open-ended the entire time. I could have chosen whatever sort of future I wanted. I stuck around and eventually things…just started to make sense. I started to understand the world in ways that I hadn't before. With his help, I was finally able to see the bigger picture! For example, do you hear that?"
Nothing. Silence.
The sounds of All Might's fight with Nomu had ceased. The battle was over.
"I'd say that means that it's just about time to wrap things up here, wouldn't you? NOMU! COME TO ME!"
Mezo tensed. Did Shigaraki have some way of knowing that Nomu had won? Even with the extra pair of eyes scanning the field, he had lost track of things after the pair had slammed into the ground.
The silence was maintained.
There was no answering bellow like there had been before. No black shape hurtling through the air towards them.
"No…" Shigaraki had seemingly realized what this meant at the same time as Mezo, "No! That's…that's not possible! He was created for the sole purpose of killing All Might! NOMU! COME HERE! COME HERE RIGHT NOW!"
"Your monster will not be coming to your aid, Villain." Thirteen stated, "All Might has emerged victorious. Your plans end here."
"Woo-hoo! That's right you gropey-looking freakshow! You got your ass handed to yo-"
"ASHIDO, NO!"
For just a brief moment, Mezo had been distracted.
For just a brief moment, Ashido's constant surveillance of their captured foe had wavered.
For just a brief moment, everyone's attention was elsewhere.
And if the sudden flood of black mist around Shigaraki was any indication, it had cost them dearly.
"Shit!" Mezo saw Ashido's incredible reflexes in action as her arm whipped around like a snake, spraying acid at the warping Kurogiri. There was a sizzling noise and a growl of pain, but he was already too far gone.
"Well, looks like I scored a continue. See you all at the next session."
"No! Black Hole!" Thirteen engaged their Quirk in a final act of desperation, but only succeeded in taking in the last fading dregs of black mist from where Shigaraki had just been standing.
"No! NO! GOD DAMNIT NO!" Ashido's screams rent the air before her voice cracked and she broke down completely, sinking to her knees just as Asui rushed to her side to try and comfort her.
"What has happened?!" All Might crash-landed in the middle of the staircase, iconic hair whipping around wildly as he frantically searched for the source of his student's distress, "Is someone else injured?! Where are the Villains?!"
"I'm sorry!" Ashido sobbed, "All Might, it was all my fault!"
"No." Shoji interjected, "I am also to blame."
"I am sure you can be forgiven, but please tell me what has happened!"
As Thirteen relayed the events to All Might, Mezo felt a sudden chill run down his spine as things started to click into place.
Why had Shigaraki been so quick to comply with Thirteen's demands? Why had he been so eager to engage him in conversation? Why make such a production out of it?
To stall for time.
We were played! All he needed was to distract us enough to give Kurogiri just a moment to escape! He was probably preparing for it the whole time, using his body as cover while he prepared a portal on the ground!
And they had fallen for it.
"Excuse me, Senseis," Mezo said as he walked towards a nearby cluster of trees and bushes, "I think I am going to be sick."
Mezo was, indeed, sick.
He did end up finding out where Mineta had gone, though.
T – o – r – c – h – b – e – a – r – e – r
"Wheeeyyy~"
"Ah! Prez, get back here! I know you're feeling a little Psychedelic right now but you can't just go wandering off like that!"
"Whey?"
"That's right. Stay by me and Yaomomo."
"Derp."
This was the situation that Kyoka Jiro found herself in and the sudden turn in Kaminari's personality was giving her whiplash.
He had been so cool just a little bit ago. Yaoyorozu had managed to generate an insulating sheet big enough to cover the pair of them completely (destroying the upper half of her costume in the process), so she hadn't actually seenthe big attack itself, but she was sure the pyrotechnics on it had been top-notch. Kaminari was the type to go all-out on stuff like that.
And the way he had charged those baddies like that? Sick. Guy looked like the world's most badass bouncer charging straight into a mosh pit with his baton and everything. Even now, when he was all beaten up and apparently had his brain fried by his Quirk or something (mental note: let him have it for that later) he was still giving the thumbs-up and walking around with a big, goofy grin on his face.
Unfortunately, Yaoyorozu had not yet finished creating a new costume for herself, so he got an eyeful of what she was working with. So did Kyoka and she was impressed, but leaping in front of her classmate to protect her modesty came first.
She wasn't completely sure if the Class President had completely processed what he had seen, given his current state of…derpy-ness, but she held onto the hope that he wouldn't remember when he recovered.
…He was going to recover, right? This wasn't permanent? That would suck. She should check.
"Hey, Prez?"
"Derp derp whey~" Kaminari was currently attempting to communicate something to Yaoyorozu, who had just finished changing into her new costume and was looking as pristine as ever.
"My apologies, President Kaminari. I am not sure what you are trying to tell me. Oh! I could make you some paper and a pen if you'd like? Would that help?"
"Oi, Kaminari?"
Was he ignoring her on purpose, or was he just running on base instinct right now and paying attention to Yaoyorozu because of her…femininity?
"Ah, Kaminari-san? I believe that Jiro-san would like to ask you something."
"Whey~"
"Damnit, Denki, turn your ass around!"
"Wh-derp?" for some reason Kaminari's head whipped around at that.
"Oh, so now you can hear me? What, do I have to yell at you to get your attention when you're like this?"
That would bite. She didn't really like yelling. It hurt your vocal cords if you did it too much.
"Actually, Jiro-san, I have an idea I'd like to try."
"Huh? Sure, knock yourself out."
"President Kaminari?"
No response.
"Denki-san?"
"Whey?" he turned back around to face her.
Could it really be that simple?
"Yo, Denki."
"Derp?" he turned around and looked at Kyoka.
"It would seem that when he is in this state, he only responds to his given name. I would imagine this is lingering conditioning from his childhood. No doubt his parents drilled the response into his head over the years with how often this must have happened while he was learning how to use his Quirk." Yaoyorozu rattled off with a thoughtful expression on her face.
Geez that girl was smart. Kyoka knew that but still, damn. She pitied whatever poor sap that thought he had a chance with her. Body like that with brains to match and a Quirk that would let her create whatever she needed to beat your ass into the ground? You could go body-surfing on the endless stream of suitors she'd have.
Kyoka wasn't jealous or anything. Well, maybe of the smarts, but she didn't want to be popular in that way; it seemed like a pain. Like when your fans figure out where your tour bus is and decide to mob it or when some overzealous individuals manage to find their way backstage without passes and you have to kick them out but you don't want to because they just really, really wanted to meet you in person and what if they start something on social media or something talking about how horrible you are to your fans and it spirals out of control and becomes a huge celebrity dirt story and your career suffers from it until the day you disband but even then people won't stop giving you shit about it.
That kind of thing.
…Jesus Christ, Kyoka, where'd that come from? Lay off the rave drugs.
"Whey?"
"Gah!"
While she had been off in la la land, Kaminari had gotten right up in her face without her noticing and was staring at her with his vacant gaze and stupid grin. Well, until she let out her exclamation of surprise, which he apparently took the wrong way because he was backing up and…cowering?
"Oh, oh no, you're okay! It's fine! You didn't do anything wrong."
"Whey…" oh he looked like a guilty puppy. That wasn't fair.
"Denki, you're fine. It's okay." she patted him on the head, "There there."
"Eyyy~" that seemed to have perked him back up. Maybe he was easier to deal with than she thought?
"I wouldn't be so quick to jump to that conclusion, girlie."
An unfamiliar voice suddenly emanated from the ground by her feet.
"As an electric type myself, I know how to avoid attacks like that. Now I've got you all right where I-AHHH!"
"Pulse-Pounding Powerslide!"
The rocky ground cracked and crumbled along the path of Kyoka's Special Move. She had plugged her jacks into her Stereo Boots and cut loose as she dropped into what she considered to be an on-point powerslide.
"Ow."
These rocks were a bitch on the knees though. Maybe she should consider getting some kneepads if she planned on using this move often? It might clash with her costume's design though. It wasn't like she was the front man or anything.
An image of Kaminari performing a powerslide while shooting lightning in all directions and throwing the horns with his cool-guy smile on made its way unbidden into Kyoka's mind.
…Shit. That might actually make him a little too cool. Probably shouldn't do that.
"Lightning President: Jamming Whey. Pfft."
There. Now she was back to not taking him seriously.
"Wheeeyyy~"
"If I might make a suggestion, perhaps we should go and see what that large impact was earlier? It seemed to be rather close by." Yaoyorozu was on top of things, as usual.
"Why now? I thought we were staying put because this cliff face means nobody can ambush us from behind?"
"Well, the ambush we were worried about just happened, even if it was shut down rather quickly. If there had been a group of Villains, then they would most likely have attacked all at once, so we can probably assume that there are no others in the immediate area."
"…Sure. Why not? Come on, Denki."
"Derp."
The impact and subsequent vibrations had, as it turned out, been the result of a fight if the unconscious…thing…laying at the bottom of the massive crater and surrounded by rust-stained rocks was any indication.
"Oh my," Yaoyorozu walked partway around to get a better angle, "to think that such a struggle was taking place just on the other side of our protective wall…who could have done this? For that matter, how is this poor creature still in one piece?"
"Hey, isn't that the thing that was with the Villains?" Kyoka chimed in, "Must have been one of ours then, right? Do you think that Midoriya could have done it? I don't think that Sato or Shoji would've had the stopping power and I'd have heard Bakugo's explosions.
"No, I do not believe so. For one there isn't any char from his fire anywhere nearby and for another I do not believe he could have caused this much destruction with only one or two attacks. From what he has shown us so far, it appears that using too much power at once causes him large amounts of physical harm. Perhaps if that were not the case…" the Creation Quirk user trailed off, apparently deep in thought.
"You know, you should try talking to him sometime." Kyoka suggested, "When you get all analytical like that you start to sound a bit like him when he goes on his rants about Quirks or tactics or whatever. Except you get quiet while he just keeps going. You'd probably get along."
"I appreciate the sentiment, Jiro-san, but I am not sure that Vice President Midoriya would be interested in me that way. Or vice-versa really."
"What are you talking about?! You're smoking hot! Not to mention he's probably one of the only guys in class that could actually carry on a conversation without you having to dumb it down a bit."
"Oh, do not misunderstand, I am sure that we will become very good friends before long and whoever he ends up with will be lucky to have him. He is just not my type. Simple as that."
"Oh? What is your type, if you don't mind me asking?" Kyoka wasn't usually the gossipy type, but there are some topics that people just can't help but latch onto.
"Hmm…" Yaoyorozu took a moment to consider, "Well, you were correct about intelligence being important. I guess I'd like someone a bit more…classically masculine? It is a poor choice of words, but do you understand my meaning?"
"I think so. You're looking for someone a bit taller, not quite so innocent-looking, but still smart?"
"Well, I'm not actively looking for anyone at the moment, but that sounds accurate, yes."
"Hmm…Iida, Shoji, Todoroki or Bakugo, I guess."
"Bakugo-san?" Yaoyorozu raised an eyebrow, "Really?"
"Hey, if we're just talking 'classical masculinity' and intelligence, then he qualifies. I'm not sure if he's technicallytaller than you, but his hair has to add at least a couple of inches."
"…Why are you trying to pair me off with someone?"
Why was she trying to pair Momo off with somebody?
"Mental exercise?"
"That sounded like a question."
"I mean-"
"What if I were to turn your query back on you, Jiro-san? What is your type, I wonder?"
When did this become about her?!
"Well, obviously they'd have to be cool. And that's subjective, so…"
"Nice try."
Note to self: do not try to out-think Yaomomo.
"Okay. Fine. I'm really into music, in case you couldn't tell, so that'd be a plus. Rock in particular. I don't think I could deal with anyone who was high-strung and stressed all the time. They'd need to know how to just chill for a minute, so that'd rule out anyone like, say, Iida. I'm honestly not all that into super-sappy romantic stuff either, so no Aoyama."
"Bakugo-san?"
"You must be joking."
"You suggested him first."
"Fair enough. At least I didn't suggest freaking Mineta."
"Please do not joke about that."
"Whey?"
"Yeah, yeah, Denki. You're a good boy."
"Whey~"
Momo just rolled her eyes and smiled to herself.
"Oh, Yaomomo?"
"Yes, Jiro-san?"
"You can call me 'Kyoka' if you want."
"I will do that, Kyoka-chan. Thank you."
"Whey?"
"Getting a little ahead of ourselves aren't we, Denki?"
"Whey…"
Chapter Seventeen: Clear Skies, Expect Rain
Denki Kaminari shook his head and kneaded his temples with his knuckles, trying to shake the foggy feeling out of his head. This sort of thing always happened when he overused his Quirk, so he was more or less used to it, but it always made him feel really crappy. It was like he had woken up from a really terrible night's sleep and his mind just refused to get itself going.
Bus. He was on a bus. Why was he on a bus? Hurt. Him? No, Midoriya. Midoriya was badly hurt and over half of class 1-A had insisted on accompanying him to the infirmary. Aizawa too, though he was being transported separately. What had happened to him?
Focus. Remember. Play it all back and piece it together. He had done this hundreds of times throughout his life, but it still wasn't a perfect process.
Villains. He had been fighting Villains with Jiro and Yaoyorozu. They had a plan, but they needed time. He gave them that time by distracting the Villains. It had gone a lot better than it could have, but he had taken a few hits.
Okay, that explained why he hurt all over. Progress.
He had fired off his strongest move after that and fried his brain. Jiro and Yaoyorozu were alright. Their plan must have worked. No surprise there, they were smart girls. Yaoyorozu in particular. Was that why he had the nagging feeling that he had seen something amazing that was Yaoyorozu-related?
Not important. Don't get hung up on the details. Keep going.
Jiro. For some reason the next chunk of his memories were centered around Jiro…being nice? Sort of? He just had a general impression of "Jiro equals nice." Well, that was fine as far as Denki was concerned. Better to be on good terms with cute girls than not, right? Right.
He was doing it again. Focus. Remember. Play it all back and piece it together.
Teachers. The teachers had all shown up after that. They had gotten straight to work with first aid and Villain cleanup. Their first priority had been getting Midoriya and Aizawa proper medical attention. There had been a bunch of big words and medical jargon thrown around that Denki wouldn't have understood even if he had been completely lucid. The end result of all of that was that Bakugo, Uraraka, Iida, Kirishima, Asui, Todoroki, Aoyama, Sero, Hagakure, Shoji, Ashido and himself were all on the bus that was taking Midoriya back to U.A. for emergency treatment.
Hang on, that meant there were seven others that weren't with them. Ojiro, Koda, Sato, Tokoyami, Mineta, Yaoyorozu and Jiro. Where were they? Shit. He didn't know. He was Class President. He should probably know that. Especially since his Vice-President was currently unconscious and being carried by Shoji, who looked as though he was being extremely careful with him.
Denki shook his head again and smacked it with a grunt of exasperation.
"Prez? You back with us, man?" a clap on the shoulder caused him to look to his left to see that Sero was the one sitting next to him. He liked Sero. Sero was a cool dude.
"Rrrgh!" another smack to the head. Focus damnit!
"Whoa, take it easy! Yaomomo and Jiro were telling us what happened before we headed to the bus. You really went Plus Ultra back there, Prez, so just chill for a moment. It's all over now."
"Jir…Mo…'vryone…where?" forming coherent words was still difficult. It didn't usually last this long. Maybe he really had gone Plus Ultra?
"Oh! You wanna know where everyone else is?" fortunately, being a cool dude, Sero understood him.
"Whey-er, yeah."
"Well, we still don't know exactly where Tokoyami and Koda are." Sero explained, a few of the other students nodding as they realized what was going on, "It seems like they ended up in that big dome and don't know how to get out. Thirteen went to go find them, since they know it better than anyone. It looked like Hound Dog wanted to go, but apparently that's the Downpour Zone so he'd have a hard time in there. At least that's what the principal was saying. By the way, the principal's a little, white, mouse-bear thing that can talk, so, that's a thing."
"He's actually super cute! I just wanted to pick him up and cuddle him!" Hagakure gushed.
"Ribbit. That seems like a good way to get detention." Asui suggested.
"How funny would that be though?" Hagakure giggled, "Imagine explaining to your parents that you got detention for cuddling the principle! I think that's a risk I'd be willing to take! Right, Mina?"
"Huh?" Ashido seemed to be in a bit of a daze, "Oh, yeah, sure." her response lacked any of her usual enthusiasm, especially for such a topic.
"Anyway," Kirishima got the conversation back on track, "Yaomomo, Sato, Ojiro and Jiro all stayed behind to help with things. Their Quirks were in high demand for a situation like that, especially Creation and Earphone Jack. Sato was helping to move debris and heavy Villains and Ojiro was showing the teachers where he had been fighting in the Ruins Zone."
"Good call." Bakugo supplied from where he stood next to Shoji and Midoriya, "Place was a fucking maze."
Okay. So far everything was making sense. Denki couldn't help but notice there was one particular student that they were avoiding though.
"Mineta?"
"He…" Shoji seemed to be searching for the right words, "…he is in a bad way, Kaminari-san. He did not appear to be physically injured when I saw him, but I fear that he has taken a different type of wound."
"Ribbit, he's been traumatized."
"I daresay we all have," Iida confirmed, "but he certainly seemed more…affected. I wish I could say that everything will be fine with him but, well…" he trailed off.
"It's part of the life." Todoroki continued for him, "Being a Hero means facing harsh realities. Having a strong Quirk or a quick wit isn't enough."
"Oui. You must have a will strong enough to endure and a heart strong enough to recover." Aoyama concluded.
There was silence after that as, unbeknownst to the students of class 1-A, they all asked themselves the same question:
Can I be strong enough?
T – o – r – c – h – b – e – a – r – e – r
Mezo Shoji was leaning against the wall of the infirmary, arms all crossed and his duty complete. There was a strange, lingering feeling from holding the unconscious Midoriya. He had felt so…wrong. There was a bizarre mixture of heat and cold that was only partially due to the thin layer of ice that Todoroki made sure to constantly refresh on their way there. He was limp in Mezo's arms and the only way he could detect his breathing was when he had at least two tentaclears working in tandem. The boy that Shoji knew to be amongst the strongest of them felt so incredibly…fragile.
He had seen Midoriya's stand against Nomu. He had borne witness to the entire thing. He had seen, more than ever before, the true strength of Midoriya's convictions. There was no "if" in Mezo's mind regarding the boy's future as a Hero. Anyone who had the capacity to do what he had done, to sacrifice himself to protect others in such a way, was already a Hero in all but name.
Mezo wished that he could have done more, but his pragmatic nature had stopped him. Had he gone to confront Nomu, he would have been nothing more than a liability. His strengths in combat were his versatility in close-quarters, his awareness of his surroundings, and his actual strength. None of this would have mattered against a monster like that. It would have been absolutely pointless.
So Mezo did what he could. He watched, he waited, and he bore witness. He would go to the police later. He had no doubt that there would be some on U.A. grounds for at least the rest of the day, if not longer. He would tell them everything he had seen and heard. Everything he knew and had guessed. Everything he feared, though could not prove.
This was how his Quirk could be used to help others and, as Mezo looked on while Recovery Girl worked her magic on Midoriya and his classmates watched intently, he felt his resolve strengthen once again.
If this is what I can do, then I am honor-bound to do it.
…I am sorry that I could not do more.
T – o – r – c – h – b – e – a – r – e – r
Katsuki Bakugo was kind of a mess, though he wasn't about to let anyone else know it. It didn't matter anyway. His actual injuries were minimal. Hell, he had hurt himself more with those back-to-back super explosions than anything the so-called Villains had managed to do to him. His arms were killing him, but all that meant was that they would heal up and be stronger for it.
Not everyone else was so lucky. Twinkles was moving a bit too gingerly and the President looked like he had been put through the ringer.
Then there was Deku.
Dear god.
He had seen Deku beaten up before. Hell, more often than not it had been him who had done it as a part of their no-Quirk sparring or one of Deku's experiments gone wrong. The most beaten up he had seen him up until that point had been at the end of their match just two days ago.
This was different. This was wrong. He wasn't just beaten, he was fucking broken! Stupid motherfucker could have gotten himself killed if Katsuki had been just a few seconds slower! If Uraraka hadn't been there to make his plan work! If his flat-out inhuman willpower hadn't managed to keep him standing until the last possible moment!
If, if, fucking goddamn COCK-SUCKING IF! He fucking hated that word right then. It made him want to just breaksomething. What? The Villain responsible? Deku for getting himself into this mess? Himself for not being able to stop it? All Might for not being there because who-the-fuck-knows-why?!
Aizawa. Aizawa and Thirteen knew why. They had been talking about it. All Might himself, for that matter.
Aizawa was in even worse shape than Midoriya right then, so that was a no-go. Thirteen was dealing with shit back at USJ, so that was also a no-go. Fuck if he knew where All Might was and like hell he was leaving he infirmary right then anyway.
He would have to wait. He hated waiting. Especially when he felt like such a piece of shit.
He had known. He had known that something like this was going to happen! His instincts had been screaming it at him but he hadn't picked up on it until it was nearly too goddamn late! He had let himself get carried away just like he always did when it came to fighting. He couldn't help it; it was a huge part of who he was. In the fight was where he had always felt the most alive, the most himself. He could just cut loose and let his instincts carry him away in the moment. In the fight, nothing mattered but the fight itself and Katsuki lived for that. It was practically orgasmic.
Violence: his anti-drug. It just made everything so simple in the times when he just really, really needed something to be simple. Gods knew nothing else was anymore. He couldn't even tell Deku about it. Not this. This was the lastthing he wanted his best friend to know about.
So Katsuki got angry. He got angry because being angry was easier than being sad. He yelled and cursed and lashed out because that was easier than just breaking down where he stood.
People asked questions when you cried. They wanted to know what was wrong so they could help, even if there was nothing they could do. When you got angry, nobody really asked questions. They just got the hell out of your way and that suited Katsuki just fine.
He didn't want the questions. He didn't want the pity. He didn't want people to try and help him because there wasn't a goddamn thing anyone could do and he knew it.
So he would do what he knew best: He would be there.
He would be there for Deku and damned if anyone was going to take that away from him.
"Hey, Bakugo? You alright, man?" it was Redhead.
Katsuki blinked and realized that Recovery Girl was no longer in the room. She must have done all she could for Deku and given a dose of healing to everyone else who looked like they needed it. The four girls had all been given chairs and were currently lined up at Deku's bedside. The boys were left to mill about.
"I'm fine. A bit surprised that Recovery Girl let this many people stay though." at least the second part was true, Katsuki figured.
"Oh, that." Redhead latched onto it, just like he had hoped, "Iida actually asked if she would let everyone stay and she just didn't have the heart to tell him 'no' from what I could tell."
"Her exact words were, 'You children have been through quite enough for today. If being here will help put you at ease, then you may stay this time. Just keep it down and don't expect to make a habit out of this!'" Glasses supplied, "It really was quite touching. She was thinking of everyone's emotional health in addition to our physical health."
"Yeah, Recovery Girl's great! I kinda wish she was my granny or something." Invisible Girl piped up, "What do you think, Mina?"
"Yeah. Sure."
Katsuki had noticed that things had been a bit too quiet on the bus ride back. He had attributed this to the fact that they had all just dealt with some serious shit and needed time to process, but this gave him a secondary theory.
"What's your deal, Raccoon Eyes?" he felt something flick him on the back of his head and saw Frog Girl retracting her tongue.
"Ribbit. Insensitive as that was, we're worried about you too, Mina-chan."
"You shouldn't be. You should be mad at me." she wrapped her arms around herself and seemed to be gripping tightly, "You should all be completely disgusted with me right now."
"What?! No! Why would we feel that way, Mina?!" Invisible Girl sounded horrified at the idea.
"Because it's my fault!" Racoon Eyes shouted, the waterworks starting as she did, "It's my fault that the Villains got away! I had one job but I'm so stupid that I couldn't even do that right! If I had just kept my shit together then…then…" she had broken down completely at this point and seemed incapable of further speech.
"Nobody blames you, Ashido." Redhead of all people was the first one to act. He was standing behind her with his hands on her shoulders, "We all…" he choked on his words for a moment before starting again, "…All of us wish that we had done something different, but that's how hindsight works. If I could go back and do things over, not just today, there's more than one thing that I'd do differently."
Redhead turned her chair around with little apparent effort and knelt down so she was looking at his face.
"You're beating yourself up right now. I know that feeling. I know it so well that it freaking hurts, but you can't overload yourself with pressure like that! You said something similar to me before, so I'm gonna give it right back to you, Ashido. I still can't say that I've done what you've asked and it might be a while before I even come close, but I still stand by what I said then! Don't regret and keep moving forward!"
…What the hell was he talking about? Apparently those two had some kind of history. Maybe Katsuki would ask him about it later if he decided he still cared.
"Shit, I'm sorry, Ashido, I'm no good at this kind of thing." Redhead had one hand on the pink girl's shoulder and was looking at the other one with some sort of enigmatic emotion on his face, "I never know what to say in situations like this so I keep spouting off the same cliché crap. I just don't want to see my horn buddy making the same mistakes that I did, so…"
Raccoon Eyes didn't say anything back to him, but in Katsuki's opinion, the way she buried her head into Redhead's chest and clung to him like a lifeline said enough.
He envied her, in a way. From what he'd learned, she was the type who was always open and honest with how she felt, for better or worse. Hell, Redhead was the same way. He'd known that from the moment he'd met the guy and it was one of the reasons he trusted him.
"Hey, I'm gonna step out for a bit. Get some air. Hold down the fort, alright, Kirishima?" he clapped the other boy on the back.
"Yeah." Kirishima said, sounding slightly choked-up as he rubbed Racoon Eyes' back, "Yeah, you got it, man."
Katsuki walked to the door, but was stopped by a low voice that was pitched so only he could hear it.
"Bakugo-san." it was Tentacles, who was leaning against the wall by the door. He hadn't moved, but one eye was gazing at Katsuki from beneath his silver hair. What little of his expression Katsuki could see spoke volumes. Statements unmade, questions unasked, but there all the same.
Katsuki held his gaze with the corner of his eye for a moment before shaking his head slightly. A nod in return told him that Tentacles had understood his meaning: not now.
No, not now, Katsuki thought as he closed the infirmary door behind him and started down the hall towards room 1-A.
Right then, he had something else he had to do.
After a brief stop in the empty classroom to grab his phone, Katsuki exited the building and found a secluded spot to make his call, cell phone usage not being allowed in the building except in the case of emergencies.
His call rang a few times before he was connected.
"Hello? Katsuki-kun?"
"Hi, Inko-san. Sorry to bother you."
"Oh don't be silly, dear! You know you're always welcome whether it's in-person or by phone. I was just surprised to hear from you at this time of day. I thought you'd be at school?"
She was unintentionally making this difficult. Izuku's mom was a sweet lady who had always treated him just like one of her own and he knew he was about to make her day so much worse.
It had to be done though. He knew she would rather hear it from him.
"I am. There was…an incident. We were doing a training exercise and…something went wrong."
He heard Inko start to talk a couple of times before she took a deep, slow breath.
"Are you alright?"
"Yeah."
"Is Izuku alright?"
"…No. He will be, but right now he's in the infirmary."
"…I see. Am I right in assuming that I don't want to know the specifics?"
She was a smart woman. Deku might have a natural knack for his brains, but Inko was the one who helped cultivate them.
"Inko-san, you know I'm not the type to beat around the bush, so I'm going to be straight with you, okay?" he just needed to rip the bandage off.
"Please do. Thank you for the warning."
"It's bad. Recovery Girl was able to heal the worst of it so he's not in any immediate danger and he hasn't been maimed or anything like that, but I think that if I went into detail right now it would only make you worry. I just wanted you to know that he's going to be alright, but if he comes home tonight it'll be late and he'll still be recovering. I'll be with him if that happens, so try not to worry yourself too much, impossible as that might be."
"…Thank you, Katsuki-kun. I appreciate you taking the time to tell me this and I appreciate your honesty. You've always been a good friend to Izuku, so I will gratefully accept your offer to watch over him. I apologize for the imposition."
No. Please no.
"It's fine. I'd have done it anyway. It's the least I can do."
"I know. You're a good boy."
God damnit…
"Are you sure you're alright?"
"Yeah. Yeah, it's just raining a little bit. Had to come outside to use the phone, so…"
"I understand. I'll let you go. Go back inside when you feel up to it."
"I will."
"Goodbye, Katsuki-kun."
"Bye, Inko-san."
The call disconnected and Katsuki let the hand holding the phone fall limply to his side.
He really did hate when it rained on clear days.
It tended to give people the wrong idea.
He would just…take a moment.
T – o – r – c – h – b – e – a – r – e – r
Tenya Iida was experiencing some very complicated feelings.
On the one hand, he was grateful that nobody seemed to have been permanently injured in any way. He also felt pride that this was, in no small way, thanks to him managing to find All Might and Principal Nezu in a timely manner. He felt relief that Midoriya was going to be alright. He felt empathy towards his classmates with whom he had shared the day's hardships. He felt admiration for how well many of them had acquitted themselves. He felt worry for their homeroom teacher. He felt anger at the Villains that had attacked them and then escaped.
One especially powerful emotion, however, was regret. He wished that he could have been faster. That he could have found All Might and Nezu just a little bit sooner.
Tenya knew that he was not the only one wrestling with such emotions; Ashido and Kirishima had flat-out professed to feeling similar things, Bakugo had felt the need to excuse himself and Uraraka…poor Uraraka. She had sat herself down at Midoriya's bedside and not said a word the entire time. Indeed, Tenya was not sure if she had spoken at all since they had left USJ.
"I'm taking off." Todoroki was addressing Kaminari, who seemed to have regained full use of his faculties, "You guys don't need me here anymore and I might be able to do something useful back at USJ."
"I shall accompany you." Shoji said, unfolding his arms and stepping away from the wall, "I wish to have a word with the police."
"Alright." Kaminari nodded to the pair, his expression grim, "Do your best, you guys. Good work today. If you see anyone else, tell 'em I said that."
"I also wish to commend the pair of you in particular." Tenya piped up, "Todoroki-san, your quick thinking and the use of your Quirk was instrumental. Had you not been there, the outcome could have been so much worse. You as well, Shoji-san. You saved Thirteen-sensei and managed to make it so that Midoriya-san was transported here without suffering further injury. For this, you both have my utmost thanks." he emphasized his point by bowing.
"Bye, Todo! Don't mess with time!" one of Hagakure's disembodied gloves waved from her chair.
Todoroki grumbled something unintelligible in response to this bizarre statement and left, Shoji following after.
Over the course of the next few hours, students started to trickle out of the infirmary. By the time Bakugo returned after being gone for about an hour, Asui, Sero and Aoyama had left. Another hour after this, Hagakure excused herself and Kaminari followed suit shortly thereafter.
Around the time when class usually ended, Ashido spoke up. She was in much better shape than she had been, although she was still a little subdued and there had not been more than a foot of distance between her and Kirishima since her earlier outburst.
"Kiri, don't you need to go home?"
"I can stay."
"But your train-" she was cut off as Kirishima looked directly at her, expression unreadable to Tenya.
"I can stay."
That settled the matter.
Therafter, they took it in shifts to leave briefly to change out of their Hero Costumes and retrieve their belongings from their classroom. This especially was a relief to Tenya, who had grown somewhat tired of wearing his armor. He surmised that he had simply not gotten used to it yet.
Ashido had to coax Uraraka out of her chair and leave with her, as the girl seemed dead-set on neither moving an inch nor speaking.
"Come on, Ochako. Look, Baku, Iida and Kiri are all here. They won't let anything happen to him. We'll just be gone for a little bit and then we'll come right back. Promise."
"All will be well."
"Ain't nobody getting through me!"
"Get out of here, Uraraka."
She eventually caved and the pair returned within ten minutes, Ashido looking as though she had needed to jog to keep up with the shorter girl.
At around six-thirty, Kirishima had no choice but to leave. He started to protest when Ashido brought this up, but she reminded him that his next train wouldn't be until past ten if he stayed any longer.
"Ahh…fine. Here, take my number, Bakugo. You let me know when he wakes up, alright?"
"Yeah, sure."
The pair exchanged contact information and then Kirishima was gone. Ashido followed suit just after seven, citing similar reasons.
"Don't worry about texting me. I'll make Kiri do it. Yay for delegation~"
"Right," Tenya broke the silence a short while thereafter, "I take it we are all in for the long haul then?"
"Looks that way." Bakugo confirmed. Uraraka said nothing, but had not moved.
"In that case, I believe it would be pertinent for me to go on a snack run. Any preferences or spare change?"
T – o – r – c – h – b – e – a – r – e – r
Katsuki watched the door close behind Glasses as he left to get food and drinks for them. Guy was a total stiff, but he had to admit that he was reliable and had a good head on his shoulders.
"…It hurts."
Bakugo did a double-take at the voice that he had not heard for the better part of the past seven hours. She was uncharacteristically quiet, but there was no doubt that it had been Uraraka.
"Say what?"
"Do you feel like this too, Bakugo? I don't know what it is but…it hurts. Right here in my chest. I've been trying to figure it out but I just can't. It won't go away."
"…You dumbass." did she really need to ask? "You don't like seeing Deku get hurt and you were there when it happened. You feel like you should have been able to do more and in spite of Kirishima's pretty speech, you're beating yourself up about it. Can't help it."
Katsuki closed his eyes and tried to let everything out in a single sigh. For just a moment, he let himself be honest.
"…Yeah, Uraraka. I'd say I feel exactly the same way as you do. Sucks, doesn't it?"
Neither of them said anything else until Glasses returned with their refreshments. Katsuki hadn't realized just how much he had needed a pick-me-up until after he had devoured some bread, a bag of spicy chips and one-third of a bag of cookies before chasing it all down with a bottle of soda in a single go.
"…Holy shit I feel alive again. Thanks, Iida."
"Thank you, Iida-san."
At least she was talking again, even if it was just a little. Things were starting to get downright depressing.
"You are most welcome. It is gratifying to know that my hunch was correct." Iida responded between sips of orange juice.
"Incidentally," Iida asked after a while longer had passed, "I do hope that neither of you will be getting into trouble for staying here so late?"
"I'm good." Katsuki responded. "When I left earlier I called my mom. Called Deku's mom too."
"I live alone." Uraraka stated, "My parents live far away, so I have an apartment."
"Ah, very good then. I myself took a moment to step out and call my family after changing out of my costume. They were very understanding." Iida concluded.
The minutes ticked by. At around nine, Uraraka slumped forward onto the side of Deku's bed. When she didn't sit back up, Katsuki figured she had fallen asleep.
Hell, if she wants to sleep, let her. She's been driving herself crazy all day so maybe that's the best choice?
"Bakugo-san," Iida had leaned in and was speaking quietly out of consideration for Uraraka, "I am going to step out and partake in some light exercise to get my blood flowing. I do not know how long we will be here, but I would not feel right falling asleep just yet."
"Right. I might do something similar in a bit. Oh, also we don't have class tomorrow."
"What? How do you know that?"
"Got an email about it. They sent it out to everyone about an hour ago. Has Nezu's personal signature on it, so I'm pretty sure it's legit."
"Bakugo-san! Usage of cellular devices within the school is strictly-"
"Shut up and go for your jog."
Iida responded by pointing to his own eyes, then at Katsuki's. Katsuki's rebuttal involved flipping him off. He was pretty sure he had won that argument.
Sure enough, not even fifteen minutes later Katsuki felt the day starting to catch up with him.
"Stepping out. Don't go anywhere." he muttered to the silent room before dimming the lights and leaving.
T – o – r – c – h – b – e – a – r – e – r
Softness. A bed? Must be. So tired…
Izuku Midoriya gradually came to a state of semi-awareness. His eyes half-opened to a dimly-lit room that he vaguely recognized as the infirmary. Of course he'd be there. The last thing he remembered before this was pain. Lots and lots of pain. It made sense that he'd be there.
The pain was still there, but it felt foggy and detached. Painkillers? Or maybe he was just still half-asleep?
There was a shape off to one side. He could hear soft breathing. Izuku did not turn his head so much as he allowed it to flop to the side, but it did the trick.
Brown hair. An angelic face. Who was that?
…Oh, it was Uraraka. What was she doing here? It must be late if it was this dark.
One detail stood out to Izuku as incredibly important in his half-awake state: one of Uraraka's long side-bangs had fallen across her face. It didn't look right.
Without really considering his actions, Izuku lifted his right hand and tucked the hair behind her ear.
She was soft. And warm.
Izuku's hand lingered for only a moment, but this was enough time for the sleeping Uraraka to latch onto it and shift so her head was resting on their hands.
In any other situation, Izuku would likely have been incredibly flustered by this, but he just couldn't bring himself to care right then and fell asleep shortly thereafter.
T – o – r – c – h – b – e – a – r – e – r
"…ku. Deku."
It was a voice that Izuku would know anywhere. Slightly hushed, but it was unmistakable.
"Nngh…Kacchan?"
"Yeah. You know where you are?"
Izuku's eyes opened. His mind was still a bit hazy, but much clearer than before.
"Infirmary. It's late." Indeed, the clock on the wall said it was just after ten.
"…Aw, crap." Izuku realized, "My sleep schedule for tomorrow is shot."
"Tomorrow's classes are cancelled. I already called our moms."
"Oh…good."
"You've been out for a while. Everyone else already left except for me, Iida and Uraraka. I swear she hasn't moved from that spot in the last nine hours except to get changed. You gave everyone a real scare back there, you bastard."
"Wow…you all stayed? You didn't have to."
"Of course we did. Finish waking up so you can stop acting stupid."
Izuku decided to give it the old college try and succeeded in regaining a bit more of his awareness. Enough awareness to realize that his right hand was currently underneath something soft and warm.
"…Oh."
"Yeah. 'Oh.' You should probably do something about that."
"You couldn't have woken her up first?"
"Where's the fun in that?"
"You're evil."
"I've been told I make a good Villain."
Izuku sighed and then decided to try sitting up. This decision, while successful, was one he immediately regretted.
"Hnngh!" it felt like he had been given the most thorough beating of his life, only centered entirely on his upper torso.
Okay. Okay that's fine. Just take a moment and then figure out a nice way to wake her up.
"…Not leaving…go 'way…"
It seemed as though his grunt of pain had woken her up…at least partially. Either that or she was a slow-starter.
"Well, ah, Uraraka-san, that'll be hard unless you let my hand go."
"…Comfy."
"Well, if you've been sleeping in that position for any length of time, then that'll probably change when you stand up."
At that point, she looked at him and Izuku's heart skipped a beat. With her half-lidded brown eyes, slightly parted lips and innocently confused expression, Uraraka looked absolutely adorable.
Izuku felt his face heating up as he saw comprehension slowly dawn on her, her face reddening and her expression shifting into one of horrified realization before she buried her face in the blankets and let out a muffled whine.
…Same.
The door opened and Iida stepped through.
"Of all the times to need the restroom! I got your message right after I arrived, Bakugo-san! Midoriya-san, how are you feeling?" as he took in the scene before him, Iida adopted a puzzled expression, "…Did I miss something?"
As Izuku wracked his brain for an appropriate response, one detail stood out to him as incredibly important:
Uraraka still hadn't let go of his hand.