Chapter 43: A Little Push
He feels silly describing it this way, but if Denki had to put a word to what he is seeing, other-worldly comes to mind. Which is dumb, because of course he could call it that, since it's literally from another world!
World? Realm? Right. Nine realms that Asgard watches over, but realm means planet. Why can't they just call it that? Denki will admit, it sounds way cooler, but it's needlessly confusing and he's got enough to remember. About a bajillion different aliens, history, magic, multiverse, vampires, dimensions, living machines, planet eaters, there's just so-
"What do you think?" Thor slaps his shoulder, coming up behind his son, casually spinning his hammer in his hands. Denki refocuses on the rainbow bridge in front of him and the stars above him. It can't be true, but they feel closer somehow.
Izuku had told him after the Sports Festival this was where he had transported them for their final match, but being in an illusion of it, and seeing it with his own eyes, are totally different. The forests, the water beneath him, the golden palace.
"I think…I'm not on Earth anymore." It's honestly all Denki can think to say. He cringes a bit, afraid of embarrassing his father, especially since he's, you know, a prince around here.
But to his immense relief, Thor heartily laughs, putting the boy into a light headlock. "I suppose I can't fault your logic. We are not on Midgard anymore."
The blond relaxes. Glancing over, he feels solace wash over him as he sees amazement written all over Uraraka's face. Denki is suddenly much more relieved that Izuku brought her. He was already feeling self-conscious seeing Asgard for the first time, but at least he's not alone.
"I know it's not the moon." Izuku scratches the back of his head and laughs nervously. "And the Bifrost isn't a spaceship, but I hope this is alright?"
"Are you kidding?!" Uraraka screeches so much, her voice cracks a little. "You- He- They- You got me into space!! I'm on a different planet!! In a place most people only ever read about in fairy tales!!"
Uraraka gestures wildly in front of her. "There's so much color and different things to see! And the Bifrost is one of the prettiest things I've ever seen in my life!! And you're apologizing about not bringing me to the moon?! Seriously! This beats that any day! You- you technically made me an astronaut!"
It's commendable that Izuku doesn't fall over when Uraraka tackles him in a hug, the two giggling while the greenette hugs her back. He can't help but smile at the interaction; the pair's happiness is practically infectious.
"Yes, yes." Loki walks up behind them, shifting the comatose Gorr in his arms and shooting Thor a dirty look for dumping the alien on them when they arrived. "Not where I would've chosen, but the whole of Asgard is a suitable location for a first date."
As predictable as Denki waiting last minute to study for a test, Izuku and Uraraka separate almost immediately, both red in the face and sputtering.
The son of Thor waits for the denials and nervous laughter to start. But unlike knowing he will stay up all night playing video games when he has school in the morning, what happens this time isn't predictable.
No immediate denials, takebacks, or excuses. Both Izuku and Uraraka are silent, with the green-haired boy's eyes darting back and forth from the girl next to him, as if waiting for her to strike down what Loki said first.
But she never does. Instead, she chooses to fidget where she stands, looking nervous but having a small smile on her face all the same. Denki has been told that when he's confused, he looks as if his brain has short-circuited. Pfff, as if something like that could ever happen. However, he's imagining if it did, it'd look just like Izuku does right now.
He'll take pity on his cousin, and not laugh…until later when they're alone. He's a nice dude, but some things can't be helped.
'I should text Tokage to hang out when I get back.'
Feeling his cheeks heat up at the unsolicited thought, Denki looks to his dad for permission. When Thor nods, the teen takes a step forward from the golden dome they entered from, onto the Rainbow Bridge, his face lighting up in excitement when, with each step he takes, the bridge lights up.
Denki takes another step, then another, and another. He can't help but snicker, jumping in place and enjoying making the bridge dim and light on his command.
"Woah!" Uraraka jumps on the bridge next, laughing softly at how it lights up under her feet. She hops a few times like Denki, the two of them acting like little kids with a new toy. A very big, magical, alien toy, but a toy nonetheless.
"Should I turn you both into rabbits to complete the look or-" Izuku yelps when Uraraka pulls him onto the bridge, ignoring his protests and pouting at him to jump with them. Izuku tries to compromise, and says he'll stand there with them. Uraraka pouts harder and naturally, Izuku begins to hop with them.
Of course, he has to do it in his own way, turning himself into a bunny to jump around faster than either of them, and getting the bridge to light up more and more.
"Show-off," Denki scoffs good-naturedly. Well, he did, until Izuku the bunny jumps onto his shoulder and rubs his stupid, fluffy tail in his face. "What the-" He's cut off when two bunny feet use his face as a launching pad to jump away.
Stumbling back, Denki narrows his eyes dangerously at the creature who very casually scratches his ear in front of him. "You are so dead."
The bunny uses its leg to thump at him.
Challenge accepted.
Denki lunges at the bunny, almost certain he's gonna get his hands around its tiny neck, but at the last second, it jumps out of the way. Izuku makes sure to thwack Denki in the back of the head hard as he does.
"Stop moving!" In response to his simple command, the infuriating bunny falls on its back, wiggling its body at Denki in a way that he knows is meant to taunt him. This fucker.
He jumps on top of Izuku, but again, misses. "It's fine, I just wanna talk." Over and over, Denki and Izuku bounce around the bridge, while Uraraka decides to add her own commentary to the matter.
"Are you even trying, Kaminari?"
"He's right there, look! Look! Ohhhh, he got away again!"
"Too bad, Kaminari! You missed him by a… Hare."
Denki pivots. "I didn't ask for the play by play!" He goes low and like he had hoped, the stupid bunny jumps high in the air. Lightning surrounds him and Denki lunges, hand outstretched. Izuku is still in the air, no way to dodge! He's got his cousin this-
His face drops when his hand passes through the illusion of a bunny. Speaking of dropping, his body starts to copy his face as Denki realizes, oh, Izuku had tricked him into jumping off the Rainbow Bridge.
"Clever bunny…"
He doesn't fall for more than a second before a hand has him by the back of his shirt, stopping his descent. Thor deposits Denki back into the bridge, the teen working on slowing his heart rate while the God of Thunder sighs.
"I know you figured I'd save him, but Izuku, let's try not turning into a raccoon to trick family members into jumping off the Rainbow Bridge, shall we?"
There's a sniffle from beside them. Loki wipes his nose. "I'm so proud."
"Where is he?!" Denki jumps back on his feet. "Where'd he go?! I'm gonna skin and barbecue you, Izuku! Now get out here!"
"Shhhhh!" Uraraka shushes while, to Denki's eternal frustration, she cradles Izuku the bunny in her arms. "He's sleepy and trying to relax. He really tuckered himself out messing with you."
Okay, noooow Denki knows what it feels like to short-circuit. "Izuku- You- You can't just hide there after tricking me! Get out here and face your demise like a man!"
The bunny acknowledges his threat by getting more comfortable in Uraraka's arms, eliciting an 'Awwww' from the girl. Meanwhile, a tick mark might as well appear on Denki's head.
"You can't hide forever…"
The sound of hooves running across the bridge in their direction breaks Denki's glare, and he turns around. And immediately straightens. Behind him, Izuku hops out of Uraraka's arms, turning back into his normal self.
"He is here," Heimdall announces.
If his grandfather is trying to intimidate him, then Denki thinks Odin is doing a hell of a job in that department, arriving in shining armor on an eight-legged horse, flanked by other soldiers also on horseback. Behind them, a soldier drives some sort of floating platform.
Don't quote him, but Denki swears the entire bridge trembles when Odin slides off his horse, his footsteps heavy and with purpose. And it's at this moment Denki realizes he has no idea what he's doing.
"Dad…dad!" The blond whispers urgently to his amused father. "What do I do?! Do I bow? Salute? Kiss his hand? Hug him? How do I-"
Thor's chuckling cuts him off. "You don't have to do anything, son. We are on less formal ground here. Just be yourself."
"So, this is Denki, ay?"
A burst of electricity fires through Denki's system, making his hair stand on end. The poor teen stands at attention, facing his grandfather, and cursing his suddenly dry mouth. "Yes!!" He answers way too loudly. "That's me! I- uh- nice to meet you grandpa- sir- um…your majesty?"
By that point, Thor has had to turn away. He's laughing so much he can't breathe, while Denki is slowly wishing more and more that his father had let him fall off the bridge.
Odin continues to stare him down into what feels like a puddle for who knows how long, until the old man finally breaks and gives him a small smile. "Yes, there is no mistake that you are Thor's boy."
The God of Thunder's laughter abruptly ends. "And what's that supposed to mean?"
"You have to admit Thor," Loki steps up, handing Gorr to a few of the guards who came with Odin, "the boy is a chip off the old block with you."
"Ah, I see." Thor crosses his arms and smirks. "You refer to how my boy kicked your son's ass in battle, just like I do with you?" He turns to Izuku. "No offense, nephew. I was rooting for you until then, but Denki is my son…"
"That's no problem, Uncle Thor! He won fair and square!"
"Oh, good-"
"I'll stab you for that later," Izuku finishes happily.
Thor's sigh turns into a groan, turning back to Loki. "Talk about being a chip off the old block…" he mutters.
"They grow up so fast, don't they?" Loki adds fondly. "And besides, your boy only won through underhanded tactics. Again, no offense Denki, I was cheering you on until you faced Izuku as well-"
"Underhanded tactics?!!!" Thor roars, marching up to his brother. "You are the God of Tricks! Underhanded tactics are your bread and butter!!"
"Yes! My tactics!!" Loki stresses. "What makes you think you can steal my methods and teach your boy to use them against Izuku-"
"You cannot sit there and tell me you did not teach Izuku how to fight me specifically before the festival?!" Thor accuses.
"…Perhaps I did, but you see, brother, it's what I normally do-"
"And others cannot?!"
Uraraka giggles while the fathers keep arguing. "Is this normal?"
"Not exactly…" Izuku rubs his chin. "They usually come to blows by now…"
"As entertaining as your squabbling usually is," Odin chuckles, putting an end to the argument. "We have other matters to attend to." He faces Denki once again. "I am pleased that my son finally brought his own boy back into the family."
"T-thank you," Denki is able to stutter out.
The King of Asgard walks past him, looking Izuku up and down. "It's always good to see you, Izuku. And this must be Ochako Uraraka."
Again, relief sweeps through Denki when, like him, Uraraka stands at attention when the man acknowledges her. "H-hello! It's very nice to meet you!" She sinks into a low bow.
"Yes, a pleasure." Odin chuckles. "We've heard many things about you from Izuku."
Uraraka opens her mouth to answer but snaps it shut when what Odin said registers. "Wait," she spins to Izuku. "You told your family about me?"
"Well- I-"
"He has." Heimdall walks around the pair to address them, while Denki starts having to stifle his laughter. "Izuku sends ravens to us to speak about the matters of his life, and you have been present in quite a few of his letters recently."
"Guuuuuuuys," Izuku whines from inside his hands, while Uraraka, even being a bit red in the face, looks quite happy with the revelation.
"Either way," Odin stamps his spear, making his way back to his guards. "While I can't say I am pleased with the number of mortals who have learned our secret recently, a wise king knows when circumstances make certain things unavoidable. And I am most relieved to see that none of you were seriously injured."
"And that's all you have to say?" Loki raises an eyebrow.
"No, I suppose not," Odin laughs humorlessly before turning to their group. "I usually pride myself in being prepared, but I had grown comfortable during our time of peace. Because of this, I allowed a demon to deceive my watcher's gaze and make us unable to send aid in your time of need. And for that, I hope you accept an old man's apology."
"Mine as well," Heimdall acknowledges. "We are unsure how this was done, but we are working to prevent it from happening in the future. So, I apologize as well."
"It's okay!" Denki shakes his head fondly. Of course, it's Izuku who's the first to forgive. "Everything turned out alright, and you can't possibly be prepared for everything, right?"
Loki clears his throat.
"Yeah, what he said." Denki thumbs back to Izuku, agreeing with him. There wasn't any way for them to know, so why would he be mad? Uraraka nods in agreement as well.
"That's wonderful to hear," Odin sighs, looking reassured. "Very well, let us secure Gorr into our prison and we shall begin preparations for a feast!" The guards cheer in approval, while the king turns around, inspecting how they plan to move Gorr.
"So, Heimdall is the guy who can watch everyone on Earth, right?" Uraraka whispers to the verdant next to her. Izuku tells her yes. "So he watches people and can see if they're good or bad? He can tell if they're awake or sleeping?"
"Wait, are you saying-"
"He's basically Santa Claus!" Uraraka giggles gleefully into Izuku's side, causing the other teens to join her in her snickering.
"I wish!" Izuku whispers back. "He almost never gives me presents!"
"I am also able to hear all in the nine realms." Both teens freeze, and then turn slowly to find Heimdall smiling good-naturedly behind them. "And the real Santa is quite the powerful figure, so be sure to be on your best behavior while here." The pair can only offer their best innocent smiles in return.
Meanwhile, Odin's eight-legged horse walks up to Loki, with Izuku and Uraraka moving up to join his father. "Sleipnir," Loki greets, giving the horse an affectionate rub on the head. "You are well, I hope?"
"I am." Sleipnir takes a step forward for more pats. "It is good to see you, father. I hope you are doing well also."
Denki's eyes widen while Uraraka nearly trips over her own feet as she takes a step back. Yup, that's a talking horse. Right there in front of them. The horse is talking and everyone around him and Uraraka are acting like this is normal. This is his life now.
"As well as can be expected. I apologize for not visiting more," Loki says, standing back to admire his…son. "But I'm proud to see you are still serving your grandfather well."
"There aren't many battles these days for us to charge into, but I do what I can." Denki imagines that if a horse could shrug, it would have. "I spend most of my days in the stables or trotting through the woods. No one ever warns you how dull peace can be."
"At least you have plenty of mares to keep you company, no?" Loki teases, elbowing the horse while Sleipnir bashfully neighs at the quip.
"I suppose. But I see my brother is doing the same." Sleipnir looks toward the green-haired boy, whose face is radiating 'not you too!!' "Hello, Izuku. It's been a while. Did you end up enrolling in your hero school?"
"It's good to see you too, Sleipnir. And yeah, I did."
"That's good." He bows his head a bit to Uraraka and Denki. "It is a pleasure to make both of your acquaintances as well. I hope we can speak more tonight. And Izuku, I hope your new schooling may help you learn how to mount a horse."
Izuku groans, causing Denki to snicker. "Dude, you can't ride a horse?"
"I don't know!" Izuku defends pathetically. "He's constantly moving and shaking and I don't know which way he's gonna turn! So I fall off a few times, is that so bad?"
"It is when your brother is a horse and you have the power to turn into one." Izuku groans louder at Sleipnir's words. "Hopefully, though you have difficulties riding me, you won't have similar troubles with the young lady-"
Denki's eyes bulge, while Uraraka's face is set ablaze as Izuku muzzles the horse with his own hand. "So! We were going somewhere?!"
Izuku gulps as the large metal doors close ominously behind the group. After very quickly moving on from his horse brother's words, they had loaded up onto the floating platform Odin had waiting for them and were brought deep into the forests of Asgard. This wasn't the usual prison, Izuku notes in his head.
There were so many twists and turns that Izuku couldn't remember how they got there if he tried, before they eventually happened upon two giant gold doors that opened only for Odin. In between the grooves of the door, purple lines of power traced around the structure.
Inside, they were greeted by a dark hall where a few dozen guards sat ready. The purple lines weave through the facility seamlessly as they press on through the slightly depressing area. Each time they find themselves against a seemingly normal wall, Odin waves his hand and it lifts open to let them pass before sealing behind them.
"This is a lot," Denki whistles, checking out the architecture and the many mounted weapons aimed down at them from above. "How many people do you have guarding this place?"
"I cannot tell you the exact number, but be rest assured it is well past the hundreds," Odin vaguely answers while he leads them deeper inside. "Those guards, this facility powered by a source like no other, and three of the best warriors I know as wardens are here to guard, with the addition of Gorr, three prisoners."
"All of this for two people originally?" Uraraka also busies herself looking around, but the skepticism in her voice isn't lost on him. "Who are they?"
"You need not worry." They finally arrive at Gorr's new home, an empty cell surrounded by white walls on three sides with an energy shield, also purple, taking the place of the last wall. "That is more of a family affair."
The guards place Gorr inside the cell, sitting his back against the wall, and leave the cell with the former God Butcher behind to spend the rest of his days locked up. They stand in silence for a minute, before Odin stamps his spear again. "No sense in being here on ceremony, we should return to the palace."
Izuku moves to follow but stops, looking back deeper into the facility, memories of the one other time he had been there creeping back into his mind. He feels a tug on his arm and finds Uraraka's concerned face watching him. Izuku smiles at her, promising to talk later, and leaves. He was happy with the reunion he had with one brother, and would be even happier to leave the jail without having to talk with his other brother imprisoned here, Fenrir.
"I don't deserve your forgiveness," Loki chuckles after Izuku had forgiven him for what felt like the tenth time since Loki started apologizing for not being able to help with Gorr.
The pair stood in one of the palace libraries, with books that seemed to stretch for miles. His dad used to tell him that if you searched deep enough in here, you could find the secrets of the universe.
"But my boy tricking the God Butcher? I can't even begin to describe to you how proud I am!" Loki exclaims, pacing around his son. "And developing your use of the scepter?! I do not know if I should stab Gorr again for good measure or thank him."
"I mean…" Izuku cringes. "He did kill a lot of people…"
Loki stops in his pacing. "That does put a damper on the situation, doesn't it? Still, you faced him, survived, and won! And against that so-called hero killer. When I said you were to do great things, I never believed you would start so early. But, then again, you were never one to wait either-"
"Uh…" Izuku starts, unsure. He really doesn't want to say this, but he feels like he should. "Just so you know…it was also using my ice, and using it with the powers you taught me, that kept me alive during both fights."
Izuku doesn't like that he's never been able to read his father's face. Even when he is apparently an open book to the man. Loki studies him, deep in thought, before walking over slowly and looking down at the teen.
"Are you certain?"
Izuku nods without any doubt. "Yes. My ice helped me in both my fights, and if I wasn't trying to learn how to use my ice, I wouldn't have been able to use my scepter the way I did. Without it, I wouldn't have been able to fight Gorr, so yes. I am certain."
Loki's inhale is slow, and methodical. His eyes scan the room as if something will jump out and help him, but eventually he looks back down at Izuku. He exhales, and for the first time, he looks more tired than Izuku is sure he's ever seen him.
"I struggle to remember a time I was as afraid as when I realized I would not be able to aid you," Loki admits, and Izuku is stunned. He doesn't think his dad has ever admitted to being scared. It was always about controlling the situation and being three steps ahead. Never had Izuku even thought it was possible for Loki to be scared.
He's so stunned in fact, he isn't ready for when Loki pulls him into a tight hug, with Izuku regaining his senses enough to hug him back. "But you are safe. And I digress that if your cryokinesis played some sort of role in that…then I postulate that your ice powers cannot be the worst thing in the world."
Izuku hugs tighter, feeling his eyes water as his mind begins to work. It worked on Kacchan, so why not try here? "If they're not the worst thing in the world, then could you at least try to accept me using them?" He asks into his dad's clothing. "You know, maybe to also make up for not being there?"
Loki snorts immediately, ruffling Izuku's hair. "You wicked boy, using my guilt to further your goals. It's nice to hear that you are still using some of my lessons."
Laughing but still not letting go, Izuku says, "I figured there are a few good things in there that you taught me…but what do you think?"
He hears Loki sigh, still running a hand through his hair. "I don't like to make guarantees, so I cannot say if I will ever truly be okay with it. That side of me has only ever brought me pain and suffering. But today, those cursed powers returned you to me so, with that in mind, I give you my word that I will at least try to be okay with this."
"Thank you so much, dad."
"You don't have to thank me. I'd do anything for you, Izuku."
"So, how do you plan on doing this?"
"Sometimes, simple is better."
"Deku, there's no way this is going to work…"
"Shush! Don't talk when you look like that or you'll give us away! Here we go."
Izuku opens the door and walks down the stairs to Odin's vault with Uraraka at his side. The guards startle when they see him, or to be specific, when they see Izuku disguised as Odin with Uraraka disguised as him next to him.
"My king." The guards kneel to him.
"You are dismissed, I wish to show my grandson my room of treasure. Go enjoy yourselves at the bathhouses." Both men look at each other and, probably not wanting to look a gift horse in the mouth, walk away quickly, thanking him.
Waiting until they're gone, Izuku opens the door to the treasure room and doesn't drop their disguises until the door is closed securely behind him.
"What a rush!!" Uraraka says when she looks like herself again.
"I know right?!" Izuku agrees, looking normal again as well. "I don't know why dad always said this was hard."
A few minutes ago in Odin's throne room…
"Sire." A soldier jogs to the king's side. "Heimdall has just informed me that your grandson and his girlfriend plan to break into your vault, shall we intercept?"
Odin hums. "No…let them have their fun. And be sure to turn off the defenses so they do not die when they enter."
"Of course, your majesty."
"Wow…" Uraraka studies all the artifacts closely, running four fingers across a shield with American colors, before going over to awe at some giant golden glove, while Izuku giggles at her curiosity. A floating red cloak watches them carefully from the corner of the room.
"There's some crazy looking stuff in here…but if I'm being honest, I don't know what most of this is," Uraraka says honestly.
"Me neither," Izuku laughs, "but I actually brought you in here for this." He leads her over to one of the many podiums, where on top of it lay a dark blue box with wood handles that seemed to have some sort of energy swirling inside it.
"What is that?" Uraraka questions.
"I didn't know when my grandfather first brought me in here a couple of years ago. But after lots of research, I finally found out." Izuku tears his eyes away from the strange box. "Do you remember what I told you about Frost Giants?"
"It's what you technically are, right?"
Izuku nods. "Yeah. When my grandfather rescued my dad, to try and give him an easier life, he used a powerful spell on him to make him seem Asgardian. The same spell affects me too, making me more 'normal' I guess."
"So that's why neither of you are blue! I always wondered but was too afraid to ask…"
"It's alright." Izuku smiles at her to calm her nerves, and it seems to work. "But yeah, that's why I'm not blue. I've never even seen myself like that, because the only way I can is either to touch a normal Frost Giant or…" he gestures to the artifact.
"That can…" Uraraka is hesitant to finish, so Izuku does it for her.
"Yeah. Either I touch a Frost Giant or one of their artifacts. It's called the Casket of Ancient Winters, and if I touch it, I'll look like them. The thing is…" Izuku hesitates. "I wanna know what I look like, but I'm…I'm…"
To his surprise, Uraraka takes his hand in her own, being careful not to float him. Not that it helps; Izuku feels like he's floating anyway. "I'm here for you, no matter what you decide."
Any apprehension about what he might really look like evaporates with the tender look she gives him, so after giving her the best wobbly smile he can, Izuku uses his other hand and touches the casket.
Immediately, and for the first time ever, Izuku feels cold. It's like his own ice travels from his fingers up to his head and down to his feet, filling all the empty crevices in his body that he didn't know were there before.
Uraraka jumps, as he assumes his hand must've gotten really cold for a second, but she keeps holding onto his hand all the same, looking him up and down. He gulps when she doesn't say anything for a few seconds. "How do I look?"
Her head tilts for a moment, before she smiles softly and answers, "like you. Take a look." No point in delaying it. He creates a mirror image of himself as an illusion next to them and gasps.
He knew his skin would become blue, but there was so much more. It was true, his skin is blue, but not only that, it's a darker blue, with lines and patterns he's never seen before trailing up his neck to his cheeks and up to his forehead. His hair is darker and his eyes…the whites of them had been replaced with a red that was so prevalent, it even replaced the bright green color they usually are.
"Wow…" He reaches up, feeling the rougher skin and the etchings of the lines on his skin. It's weird for sure…but not overly so. "There's a lot more to it than I thought there would be…he glances at Uraraka, but looks away too quickly to get a good look at her expression. "What do you think?"
She puts a finger to her cheek in thought. "Do you still have the need to prank someone?"
Izuku sputters at the out-of-nowhere question, causing Uraraka to laugh at him. "W-what? I mean, yeah? But what does that have to do with-"
"Then it's like I said,'' she smiles, "you look like you. It doesn't matter if you're blue, green, yellow, or red, you're still you. So, if you found a way to stay like this, I'd be okay with it, as long as I still had my pranking buddy. Besides…" she lowers her voice to a conspiratorial tone. "I think Eri would love it if your eyes matched."
Izuku snorts, before breaking out into a full laugh, Uraraka joining him soon after. "I guess she would…" he barely notices when his hand slips off the casket and into Uraraka's other hand comfortably. He's a bit busy getting lost in her eyes, not even registering as the blue skin fades away.
They stand close to each other, both either not noticing or not daring to admit it. Izuku's heart is threatening to leap out of his chest-
The door to the vault is thrown open. "HEY!! Where are you, you stupid kids?!"
"Yeah!! You think you can trick us and get away with it!"
The two teens leap apart, looking from each other to the door, back and forth…before again, breaking into laughter. "Okay, they're gonna be after me mostly, so let's split up so I can turn myself invisible and lose 'em. Then, we'll meet up later?" Izuku suggests.
"Got it!"
The two split and Izuku runs to the doors, making sure to give the men a good raspberry before leading them away from Uraraka.
It doesn't take long to lose them, Izuku had memorized the halls of the palace long ago…and he can turn invisible, which tends to help. Once he's sure they're long gone, Izuku leans against the wall, panting, letting the adrenaline wear off.
And when it does, what was happening before the guards came in smacks him in the face.
'Ah! What was I thinking?! That could've been really weird if we kept going. Did she realize what I was doing and not say anything because she was being nice? Oh no-'
"Nuh-uh!"
Izuku jumps when his clone Thirteen materializes next to him. "Oh, crap! You scared me-"
"Nuh-uh!" The clone repeats, cutting him off. "Stop those dumb thoughts you were just having, right now! She likes you dude, and it's time you do something about it!"
"But what if-"
"No!"
"She was just-"
"Nope!"
"It was probably a misunderstanding-"
"Shut up!!"
"Look!" Izuku yells back, determined to get his two cents in. "I don't know what you think you saw, but it wasn't…it wasn't that! I think. I just need time to think and I don't want to ruin what we have by-"
"Oh my gooooooood," his clone Thirteen moans. "No! You hear me?! No! We're not doing this whole back and forth bullshit. No more overanalyzing or overthinking every detail. No more second guessing. Just go for it!"
"I can't- I can't just go for it!" Izuku protests. "I don't even know what I'd say!"
"EHHH!" The clone makes a buzzer sound to stop him. "None of that. No excuses. You're gonna practice with me and tonight, you're doing this."
"What?!" Izuku asks, flabbergasted. "I can't say what I want to say to her to you?!"
"C'mon, I know you're not that dumb!" Clone Thirteen insults him. "I'm gonna turn myself into Uraraka and you can practice that way, okay? Meet me by the palace cliffs in like, twenty minutes. Don't be late!"
"But-" The clone is gone before Izuku can protest some more. What had he gotten himself into?
Izuku assumes it's chilly by the cliffs, the wind blowing hard on the fields behind the place. The grass moves and sways with each change of direction of the air, while waves crash below at the bottom of the cliff.
It's a place he's familiar with. The view of the water surrounding Asgard is a beautiful sight, especially as the sun begins to set in the distance.
He senses a presence behind him and turns around to see Uraraka walking up to him, looking shocked. This was part of the plan, for his clone Thirteen to show up looking like Uraraka so he could practice confessing.
What was not part of the plan was his clone trying to pull a fast one on him. Did clone Thirteen really think Izuku couldn't tell the difference between his clones and the real thing? Unfortunately for him, he can. And Izuku knows he's looking at the real Uraraka.
Before he can say anything, she begins, "Deku? Like the real Deku? What are you doing here?"
Izuku internally rolls his eyes. If his dumb clone really thought he could trick him into confessing to the real Uraraka, he's dead wrong. "Sorry, one of my duplicates, Thirteen, told me to meet him out here…" something dawns on him. "Wait, why are you here?"
"O-oh!" She begins to twirl some of her hair around her finger. "Yeah, he told me to meet him out here too, but I've gotten pretty good at telling you apart from them so I could tell it was the real you when I walked up…" her voice gets quieter and quieter until she finally trails off.
"Why did you come out here to meet him?…" Izuku almost doesn't want to ask, afraid of the answer. Afraid that it might not be what he's thinking. But not knowing would be so much worse.
"To…" she looks down at her feet. "To practice something…"
"But…that's why I came out here…"
From a palace balcony overlooking the grounds, the clones Two and Thirteen watch, with the latter smirking. "Gotcha."
"S-so what did you- um, what did you come out here practice?" Izuku looked down as well, scratching his arm and trying to cool his overheating face.
"I-I asked you why you were out here first!" Uraraka tries, looking up for only a moment before looking back down. Neither one of them says anything, content to stand there awkwardly red in the face, while the setting sun pours light in between them.
Izuku takes his eyes off the ground to look back out to sea, his childhood of wishing he could fly coming back to him. Trying to use the old thoughts to calm himself down and form actual words, Izuku uses the sound of the breeze and crashing waves to dull his anxiety. The only thing better would probably be-
He feels five fingers touch his shoulder lightly and Izuku yelps when gravity is forcibly taken from him. "Uraraka?" he asks the giggling girl next to him, her blush marks still red as he floats a few centimeters off the ground.
"We were being dumb," is the simple reply she gives him, before she lifts him higher and flips him slowly through the air. "You always talk about wanting to fly, but never ask your friend who can float you?"
"I wasn't sure if that'd be weird or not!" Izuku says in between his flips, his arms and legs flailing aimlessly in his useless bid to get some sort of control over himself.
Uraraka laughs as he floats higher and higher. "Hold on, Deku. I got you." She taps herself and kicks off the ground to him, attempting to grab him, but unfortunately, she underestimates the power of his flailing limbs.
Instead of stopping him, Uraraka is dragged with him, forced to hold him close as their bodies spin and flip through the air. Izuku tries to apologize but as he does, Uraraka bursts into a fit of laughter, holding him tighter.
He laughs right alongside her, holding her close, as they let their bodies slow down naturally over the next minute, happy to ride the strangest roller coaster either had ever been on. Thankfully, their makeshift ride had them going more sideways than up by this point.
When they do stop, they carefully move apart but stay holding onto each other. Now, in the air, Izuku can see the palace next to them, with the Rainbow Bridge and the vast waterfalls not far beneath them as the last rays of the sun peak over the horizon.
It's a different feeling, floating as he is, but Izuku realizes that's why Uraraka probably floated him in the first place. To get out of their own heads and stop worrying. To just be free and have fun. She was right, they were being dumb.
There's still a small part of him that tries to stop himself, but up here, alone with her, he felt like he was on top of the world and could do anything. So… "the reason I came out here…was to practice confessing to you…"
It feels good when he finally says it, and he forces himself to look at Uraraka as he does. For the first few seconds, her eyes bulge out and her mouth hangs half-open with her face a very cute crimson.
It takes a few more seconds before she shakes her head, closes her eyes, and takes a breath to steel herself, before looking right back at him. "That's funny because…that's the same reason I came out here."
Izuku's breath hitches, becoming hyper-aware of how close the two are holding each other. Can Uraraka hear his heart with how hard it's pounding? He certainly can. Thank goodness for Uraraka's quirk floating him because there's no way he could stand with how wobbly his legs feel right now.
The girl in his arms let out a soft giggle, her cheeks glowing. Has she ever been more beautiful? "So…" she says bashfully. "Where do we go from here?"
Not sure if it's a good thing or not, Izuku's stupid brain seems to be mostly working. "Well…we came out here to practice…so let's practice."
She snorts. Is it corny? Probably. Definitely way cornier out loud than it sounded in his head, but she doesn't say anything so Izuku charges ahead before this feeling can leave him. "Uraraka. I grew up thinking I'd have to do everything alone. That…that it was the right way to do things, but you've forced me to see things differently. And I mean forced by the way, like, you would not take no for an answer."
Uraraka laughs, her eyes growing wet before Izuku continues. "But you…you're amazing, brave, kind…" he clears his throat. "And really pretty. You've opened my eyes to see that I don't have to do everything alone but more than that, you've shown me I don't want to be alone anymore…in several ways…" He finishes a bit hesitantly. "Uh…how was that?"
"How was that?!" Uraraka laughs. "I thought you said this was practice! How am I supposed to follow that? To tell you how safe you make me feel or how I could be worrying about something stupid, but you crack one joke and I'm laughing and forgetting why I was worried in the first place? Like how when I'm with you, no matter what's happening, I know your clever brain will find a way out?"
"I-I mean…" Izuku's hands subconsciously move around her hips. "Are you sure you're not the one who practiced first?"
"Positive!" Uraraka beams at him. "You're smart, funny, so nice sometimes it should be illegal!…not to mention handsome." There his breath goes, hitching again. "But you can also be so unpredictable at times, and it makes every day with you a different adventure. And it's one I don't think I ever want to stop experiencing."
Izuku sniffles, feeling tears prickle his own eyes. "I…yeah, no that was great. It was really good."
"You think so?" Uraraka places her hands behind his neck.
"Yeah…" Izuku nods. "When did you want to meet to do this for real?"
Uraraka laughs again, the two somehow getting closer. They enjoy a quiet but comfortable moment together before Uraraka looks at him. "I don't know much about confessions but…people usually kiss during them, don't they?"
Izuku's throat goes dry. "Yeah?…"
"Maybe…" her voice quivers a little. "To be on the safe side…we should practice that too?"
"R-right!" Izuku fails in not agreeing too quickly. "We wouldn't want to mess up during the real thing, yeah?"
Uraraka nods rapidly. "Yes! I mean- yeah, we wouldn't…"
It didn't take much effort. Their foreheads had pressed against each other without either realizing it, and looking into her soft brown eyes, Izuku felt the last of his worries disappear as he closes the rest of the gap, closing his eyes.
He feels Uraraka freeze for a moment, before relaxing and returning the kiss. Every nerve in Izuku's body flares up at once, all thoughts ceasing. The kiss is soft, warm, and nothing like he dreamed because how could he imagine something so amazing?
They separate and Uraraka can't stop giggling and using a hand to play with her hair, while Izuku is in a bit of a daze. "…cool…" that causes Uraraka to giggle even more.
"That was…wow, yeah." Izuku starts to copy Uraraka with her giggles. "I think we're ready to confess…"
"Yeah." The beautiful girl with him can't stop smiling. "I think we are too."
Down below them, two clones manifest, watching the pair spin slowly in the sky. "See?" the clone Thirteen asks, gesturing above them. "I told you. Simple is better. All they needed was a little push to realize what they both wanted."
Two hums, looking up at the pair of teens as well. "You knew you couldn't trick them into confessing, so you just made them both see they wanted to confess to each other."
"That's right."
"Not bad," Two concedes, looking over at his brother. "Not bad at all. How do you feel?"
His brother puts his head down, letting his hair cover his eyes as he sniffles. "Fulfilled." Two smiles, putting his arm around the other clone and letting him relax against him.
Back up in the air, Izuku tilts his head back and forth. "I think…you know, to be safe like you said, we should practice kissing a few more times. Again, just to be safe."
"Is that so?" Uraraka raises an eyebrow, pressing her forehead against his once again. "I don't think that's a bad idea. Though, that's something I'd like to do with someone I get to call my boyfriend?"
Izuku is smiling so much, it hurts. "Does that mean I'd get to call you my girlfriend?"
Uraraka giggles. "I think it does."
"Great," Izuku snickers. "We just have one thing to do first."
"What's that?"
Izuku looks around them. "How do we get down?"
A beat of silence passes between them, before the new couple erupts into a new round of contagious laughter, still making sure to hold each other close. Both were perfectly fine with never letting go.
Chapter 44: Because Shut Up
Izuku likes to be prepared for things. He feels he's established this about himself. But there are some things he just doesn't know how to be ready for. Things that have always eluded him.
Interning with a pro hero? He knew what he wanted help with before going to see Gentle Hero and La Brava. Both of whom, by the way, were amazing for the rest of the week after Hosu. Both opted to give Izuku tips on the finer points of being a hero and let him practice his ice and illusions for the rest of his time with them.
As well as other important lessons. Such as proper dress, since Gentle believed learning how to do so without a quirk was important.
And maybe because he asked for dressing tips for dates with Ochako. Maybe. Possibly.
He just wishes he had realized La Brava was in the room when he did. She had a lot to say on the subject, and about dating in general. Izuku is sad to say the one time he disappointed both of his mentors this week was when he said he thought shorts and shirt were fine to wear on a date.
For a smaller person, La Brava can yell pretty loud when she wants to.
But other than the crash course in dating Izuku received, La Brava also taught him how to start his own HeroTube channel if he wanted. Apparently, she thinks his pranks could be popular. Izuku wasn't sure about that one but thanked her anyway and told her he'd think about it.
He also reassured Gentle he'd give Tensei his card to contact him about appearing in a video since the man, and heck, most news stations, are still frothing at the mouth for any info about Ingenium's quirk miracle.
And no, Izuku isn't still freaking out that he got Gentle Hero's personal cell phone number on one of his phones. He got out most of his screaming that night.
But to sum up, yes, he prepared himself successfully for the normal part of his internships, leaving on a good note with his mentors and a promise to appear in more of their videos soon.
Yes, Izuku was prepared.
For the most part. Because while Izuku has demonstrated he could be ready for a lot, the one thing that will forever stump him…is social interaction. His Achilles heel.
Now, he's gotten really good at avoiding having to be social; turning invisible does wonders for this. But it's a bit harder when he's the one being sought out. Ah well, he should've figured that his classmates would have questions about Hosu as soon as they broke for lunch on their first day back to school-
"What was it like to be in a video with Gentle Hero?!"
Or not.
"Uhh…what?" Izuku asks lamely. The greenette had stood up in front of the class to make a few announcements as class president, not to be interrogated! He's not sure how, but somehow, Mina pouts harder. Looking around the classroom for help is no use, so… "it was fun?…"
"Boring!" Toru admonishes from next to Mina. "You have to give us more! Is he the same off-camera or is it all an act?"
"I must say," Tokoyami's deep voice travels well from his desk. "While I am usually one to revel in the darkness the world has to offer, I do not mind you making it just a bit lighter with your incapacitating of the Creature Rejection Clan."
"Fumi was cheering you on while he watched the video inside his blanket fort!" Dark Shadow adds, emerging from her partner.
"Dark Shadow! It is a space that allows me to meditate in peace, you know that! And how many times must I tell you-" Tokoyami groans, running a hand down his face. "Be that as it may, should you ever receive word from Gentle Hero that they have found another CRC cell, I would not be opposed to accompanying you for…educational purposes."
"I also greatly enjoyed the video," Shoji agrees from behind his mask. "But would not be opposed to helping in those operations in the future when we are legally allowed to do so."
"To be honest, I'm getting dizzy just thinking about it," Ojiro chuckles, rubbing his head. "But yeah, I liked the video too."
"Ribbit."
"Indeed!" Aoyama sparkles from his seat. "Those who persecute others for their quirk status deserve ce qui leur arrive! With swift and marvelous action!"
"Hear, hear!" Denki cheers. "We should start a CRC task force! Keep track of their movements and activities, and when they try something, crush them!"
Tenko nods. "When the news talks about them, it seems like when the heroes take out one CRC cell, another two spawn out of nowhere to take its place."
"Need I remind you all that we are unlicensed and could not act on this information by ourselves?" Yaomomo gently, but sternly, reminds the quickly growing excited students.
"Our vice-president is absolutely correct!" Iida stands, arms moving at a reasonable speed…for now. "Any information we obtain, which should be done safely, should be handed to the authorities as soon as possible! It would be irresponsible and reckless for us to go after these villains ourselves!"
"…really?!" Iida cringes at Tenko's harsh tone. "Really…you? Out of all- …really?!"
Iida clears his throat as most of the class share confused looks, before sitting back down, mumbling that's all he had to say. Ochako pats his shoulder sympathetically. "It's alright. I think it shows you learned your lesson," she whispers encouragingly, which earns her a grateful smile from her friend.
"Fiiiiine!" Denki moans, slumping back in his seat. "We wouldn't have much time for it right now anyway. You heard Aizawa-sensei this morning! If we don't pass these finals coming up, we don't get to go to the training camp!"
"You will be missed," Jiro replies flatly.
"We'll tell you all about it when we get back, bro," Sero nods sadly, pretending to choke up.
"Hey!"
"Speaking of that, Jiro?" Izuku gets the purple-haired girl's attention. "Any chance we can use your quirk to listen in on the teachers and see if we can figure out what the practical part of the exam would be?"
"Midoriya…" Yaomomo sighs. She had to say his name like that a lot. "I believe, even for you, that crosses the line into cheating, which is very much against the rules."
"Okay…" Izuku leans against the podium in the front of the room. "Well, Jiro's quirk gives her enhanced hearing anyway, so what if she just 'happened' to be in a place where the teachers were talking and 'accidentally' overheard what they were saying?"
"Teachers have those meetings after school, Jiro would stick out immediately," Yaomomo points out.
Izuku rolls his eyes. "I can turn her into a cleaning bot."
"Doing so ruins the 'accidentally overhearing the teachers' part of your plan," Yaomomo fires back.
"Then we make me the bad guy! We say I turned her into a bot as part of a prank and she was looking for Aizawa for help, better?"
"Hardly. You've forgotten a crucial part in all of this." The heiress gestures to her friend. "You have yet to ask if Jiro would even be willing to help you?"
"Yeah, I-"
"I can get you Luna Snow concert tickets early," Izuku interrupts, and Jiro's mouth snaps shut at the mention of the singer, with even Todoroki's interest piqued. And though he hides it well, Bakugo is listening intently as well.
Jiro eyes him suspiciously, arms crossed and leaning back in her chair. "How good of seats are we talking?"
"Middle front row if you really wanted?" Izuku offers, not bothering to hide his smile because he knows when he's won.
The punk teen pretends to think for a few seconds, before nodding. "Fine, I'll do it," she says to the cheers of most of the class. Yaomomo still looks unsure but doesn't protest. "How will we even know when the teachers are meeting about it?"
"Leave that to me!" Izuku is fairly confident he can get All Might to accidentally spill the beans.
"Well, now that we have all the boring stuff out of the way!" Mina stands once again, running up to Izuku. "Were any of them true?!" Izuku starts to ask what she's talking about, but Mina cuts him off. "During your video with Gentle Hero! The rumors about who you liked! Are you and Todoroki really together secretly?!"
No…not Todoroki. Izuku should've expected this. He and Ochako had agreed to keep their confession between them and their close group of friends for now, at least until they went on a few dates, at least.
Being tired from everything that had happened during their internships and knowing they had exams coming up, Izuku and Ochako actually had tried to have a study date the weekend before coming back to class, but uh…they didn't get much studying done…
So, they agreed to wait until after finals before going on a proper date.
Still, it was definitely difficult. Especially since Ochako had given him permission to call her by her given name! His clone Thirteen had just about fainted when he heard that.
Izuku had given her permission to call him by his proper name as well, but Ochako had elected to only do so in private to make it more special. He had to check to make sure he wasn't floating again when she said that.
But for now, until the two went public, it is last names in public. And for the record, through the dozen questions Mina had just asked about a possible relationship with Todoroki while he was lost in thought, the fire and ice user hadn't looked up from his notebook once.
"Todoroki!" Toru races to the scarred boy, who finally looks up. "What do you think about you and Midoriya being together?"
Furrowing his brows momentarily, Todoroki looks between her and Izuku. "I don't have strong feelings about it. We're together right now." Before Toru can finish gasping, Todoroki continues, "In here. We're together in the same room."
Heads hitting desks sound through the classroom, before Toru tries again. "No, I mean, what do you think about you and Midoriya dating?"
"Dating?" Todoroki taps his chin with his pen. "What would we be dating exactly? A tree? Artifacts?" He narrows his eyes, looking back at Izuku. "Artifacts of alien nature perhaps? Dating them could be useful to figure out how long extraterrestrials have been on Earth."
More heads hit desks.
Toru sighs. "Be glad you're pretty…"
"I guess that's a dud," Mina groans. "And there's no way you're with Bakugo."
Izuku laughs. "Me and Kacchan? Could you-"
A chair scraping against the floor silences them as Bakugo stands, head down. Izuku gulps but doesn't back away when the blond marches up to him, his face still hidden. "Uh…Kacchan…"
"You'd be lucky."
"Eh?" Izuku responds because he doesn't know what else to say.
Bakugo looks up, face filled with rage. "You heard me, ya damn nerd!!" He jabs his finger into Izuku's chest, and faster than Izuku thought possible, Ochako and Iida are behind him and Kirishima has his hand on Bakugo's shoulder. "I said you'd be lucky to be with me!!"
Everyone becomes a Frost Giant for a second with how they all froze. Only Izuku is able to thaw himself. "Ehhhhh?!"
"Those stupid extras really thought I'd settle for you?! I'm way out of your league!!"
"Wait, wait, wait, wait!" Izuku shakes his hands in front of him. "That's why you're upset?!!"
"Yeah!" Kacchan roars. "You think you're too good for me?! Hell no! I'm the one too good for you! And don't you fucking forget it!"
"What even is this conversation?!"
"I'm proving that I'm in a higher league than you!!"
"Not everything has to be a competition!"
"The hell it doesn't!!"
After a few more minutes of…whatever that was, everyone calms down and breaks off into smaller groups to discuss their internships or anything else. But Izuku had one more thing to do before lunch was over.
Beckoning Ochako and Tsu over to him, Izuku pulls Yaomomo and Toru to the corner of the room. "S-so…" Izuku starts hesitantly, not really sure how to say this. "I've had this idea on my mind for a little while…and…you know." Yaomomo and Toru turn to each other. "With how your…you know…is…I t-thought…"
"Ribbit…" Tsu sighs. "Midoriya has an idea on how to help you both reduce how revealing your costumes are if you want," she says without hesitation while Izuku moans into his hands. "He says they don't offer much protection and he wanted to help. He also asked Ochako and I here to explain that if he couldn't, which he clearly can't. Is that everything?"
"So far," Ochako confirms, rubbing Izuku's back.
"I don't want to overstep…" Izuku mumbles, removing his hands from his face.
"Awww it's okay Midori!" Toru coos. "We don't mind if you were checking us out."
"What?! Wait, wait, wait, wait!" Izuku's hands are moving so fast, they're a blur that even Iida is jealous of. "That's not what I meant! I didn't do that!"
He looks between Ochako and the other girls. "No, never! I didn't! It's just- just hard not to notice! Wait- no, that's not right! I didn't mean it like that! I just didn't look! Not that you're not worth looking at- I don't mean it like that either! It's just- you- them- I-"
Izuku looks between all of them for help, and Toru finally breaks, giggling so much she has to lean on the desk for support. Yaomomo and Tsu look on amusedly and Ochako gives his arm a light squeeze to let him know it's okay.
Taking a few calming breaths, Izuku slumps over. "I want to turn into a fish just so I can suffocate right here on the ground."
"I'd melt some ice into water to keep you breathing," Todoroki says without missing a beat from a few desks over, eliciting another groan from Izuku.
"Sorry…but are you guys happy with your costumes?"
Yaomomo hums. "I'll admit, my uniform wasn't…exactly what I had in mind, but for my quirk to work, I need to show skin. It'll rip anything I wear."
"And clothes ruin the whole point of my quirk!" Toru waves her arm in the air. "It's not really convenient, but mine lets me get completely invisible quickly, I've learned to just deal with the other stuff that comes with it, like being naked and barefoot."
"Right, but you shouldn't have to," Izuku says with a little of his confidence coming back to him. He conjures a bulky suitcase and places it on a nearby desk, unlocking it. "You don't have to use these if you don't want, but I thought I'd at least offer them."
Izuku opens the suitcase and turns it to the girls. "I actually got this idea from you Toru, when you were talking about being inspired by the Invisible Woman when we picked hero names. And my uncle has lots of connections so he was able to get me these."
Inside the case were two textured dark blue and black bodysuits. Izuku couldn't see it, but Toru's mouth dropped while Yaomomo ran her hand across one of the suits. "I am unfamiliar with this material."
"That's not too surprising, it's pretty rare. These are made of a synthetic material called Unstable Molecules," Izuku explains. "They're able to withstand wild temperature changes and can protect you from some damage."
"These…" They can see from her sleeve that Toru's arm is moving back and forth; it's clear she wants to touch the suits but keeps stopping herself. "These were the same suits worn by the Fantastic Four…"
"It's not the actual suits they wore but the same material, yup!" Izuku gives the invisible girl a thumbs up. "They're pretty durable. Heck, you can even wear them into space if you wanted!" The green-haired boy laughs a little to himself, before continuing.
"Yaomomo, the suits come with a touch-pad screen on the wrists," he turns the sleeve over to show her, "it can look up any formulas you need, so you don't need to carry that book around with you anymore. And…" Izuku conjures a knife and slices it into the suit, tearing a hole.
Almost immediately, the suit starts to repair itself, and after a few seconds, the hole is gone. "The molecules adapt and can self-repair. So, if you use your quirk, you won't have to worry about ruining your costume."
Izuku turns to Toru. "The suits also adapts to the user's physical traits, so if you wear one, Toru, then it will-"
"Disappear…" Toru whispers. "Like the Invisible Woman's suit did for her…"
"Yeah! It would let you have some protection and actually wear something for hero work." Izuku looks between both girls, unable to get a read on Toru's face while Yaomomo looks somewhere between stunned and grateful. "O-oh! And you can customize them for color or whatever else you need! But only if you want to use them! Like I said, you don't have to- urk!"
His words about choking come back to haunt him as Izuku stumbles when Toru tackles him with a hug, holding him so tight he can barely breathe. "Yes, yes, yes!" the girl screams, holding him tighter. "A million times, yes!"
"Need…air…"
"Thank you so much!"
"Dying…"
Ochako and Tsu finally help release him from the death grip so Toru can grab the suit and race over to Mina to show her. Yaomomo nods at him, looking hers over. "This is very kind of you. Something like this couldn't have been easy for your uncle to get. Please allow me to compensate you both."
"No, that's okay!" Izuku scratches the back of his head nervously. "We don't need the money, just try to remember this the next time I prank you?"
Yaomomo chuckles, picking up her suit. "I will try." She heads over to her desk to study her new hero costume more while Tsu, seeing that she is no longer needed, walks to Tenko's desk, leaving Izuku and Ochako alone.
"Hey…" Ochako's tone immediately puts Izuku on guard. "I have to know…did you ever check me out in my costume?" She whispers mischievously.
"Ochako…" Izuku can feel his face positively burning as he takes great pains to look anywhere but at her.
"You don't have to tell me but…"
Not wanting to look like a strawberry anymore, Izuku gives her a quiet, "yes."
"Oh, wow…" Ochako responds, as if surprised he actually answered her while going a bit red herself. "Thank you. And for the record…I think you look great in yours too."
And now Izuku can't stop thinking about kissing her while they're both in costume. Stupid hormones.
Tenya takes a controlling breath, trying to relax his muscles, even as he feels a foreign power coursing through him. He tightens his grip on the Ebony Blade, hoping that somehow, that might show the sword he is the one in charge, futile as it might be.
Tensei, or his brother's new form, the Ghost Rider, lets out a quiet snarl as the two circle each other. The demonic being raises the training sword he converted into a Hellsword higher, preparing for the next round.
Being their first day back, their school day hadn't been too strenuous, with the most exciting thing being the introduction of Tensei to everyone and a hero class that had them all racing each other while showing how they improved over internships.
But the day is over now, and with several of them needing to improve new skills they had acquired before the finals, mainly Ochako, Iida, and Tenko, Izuku's group of friends, who had agreed to train together after school. Currently, everyone is spread out through Gym Gamma focusing on something different, with the exception of Izuku himself, who had left to 'take care of a few things.'
That wasn't worrisome at all.
Back to the Iida brothers, the youngest spins the blade in his hand in an effort to relax his grasp and his fears. The whispers start again and Iida yells, jumping at the Rider.
Back and forth they go, with Tenya going through the motions as best he can, remembering the sword fighting forms principal Nezu had given him. Keeping his quirk off until he was a little more comfortable with his weapon, Tenya slashes, thrusts, and parries with the Rider, their swords clanging off each other with every clash.
Every miss, every block, the voices from the sword grow louder and Iida's frustration grows. He charges in again, swinging wildly.
"You're giving in," The Rider observes calmly, easily shoving Iida away. "I can feel the sins you wish to commit. Go ahead, I won't discourage you. But I will be there to make sure you face the consequences."
"No!" Tenya backs up, his hands quaking over the blade. "I am a hero, and will use this weapon as such," he recites to himself. "I am a hero. I am not-" his voice shakes a little. "I am not driven by revenge or blood. I am not Stain or Gorr."
Focusing on the memories of his friends fighting to save him in Hosu, Tenya runs in again, this time fighting the Rider with more poise and precision. Even so, he is easily disarmed and knocked to the ground, finding the Hellsword at his neck.
"Good," Ghost Rider compliments. "Never forget that the blade serves you, not the other way around." He lowers his sword. "The original Black Knight had the other knights of the round table to help him. It's only fitting you do the same."
"Thank you. It is a constant struggle to say the least. The sword speaks to me before I even touch it, tempting me. Wanting me to use it for more."
"And it will continue to do so." Ghost Rider doesn't sugarcoat it. "But know that heroes have used the sword successfully for generations. There is no reason to believe you cannot do the same."
Tenya gives him a look of gratitude, before moving to pick up his sword, but his eyes widen as he sees something behind Ghost Rider. His engines roar to life and Tenya shoots off, barely catching Tenko in time before he hits the ground.
"Are you alright?" he asks, slowly lowering Tenko to the ground.
"I- yeah, yeah I'm good," Tenko answers, panting. "Sorry, was using Blackwhip to swing from the higher pillars and I think I-" he touches his forearm and winces. "Ow, yeah that's tender. I pushed Blackwhip too hard, I think."
With a burst of fire, Tensei is back to his old self, kneeling by Tenko and looking him over. "I think he'll be fine, why don't you take five, Tenya?" His little brother nods and leaves after giving Tenko a few more words of encouragement.
"You definitely went way too hard," Tensei says, carefully holding Tenko's arm. "You should lay off your quirk the rest of the afternoon."
"I'm good," Tenko shrugs him off. "Just give me a few minutes and I can try again."
Tensei looks between the boy and his arm, before sighing with a slight smile on his face. "You know, this might sound ironic coming from the guy whose original quirk is speed, but it's okay to take things a little slower."
"Appreciate the advice." Tenko takes his arm back, softly rubbing it. "But not really an option for me."
"Because of your sister?"
Tenko glares at him, not exactly thrilled by all the insight that the Rider's powers gave Tensei on the boy's past. "Yeah, because of her. I have a lot to practice and no time to waste if I want to get her back. There's no telling what cutscene she'll appear in next.
"You saw the news, yeah?" Tenko continues. "With her and Lady Nagant. They were both there that night in Hosu, but my passive perception must've been too low to realize it. So yeah, I gotta be ready now."
"Right…" Tensei looks him up and down. "So, if she walked through that door right now, you'd be ready to fight her?"
"I'd figure it out."
"Uh huh…" the new TA puts a hand to his chin. "And you are aware that real life doesn't have reset buttons, correct? And you don't have infinite lives?" Tenko looks at him as if he's grown a second head. "What? I'm not that old, you know?"
"I suppose not." The decay user sighs. "But it's my job to bring her in."
"Sure, and what about everyone else here?" Tensei watches as Ochako removes her gravity and fires her rings ahead of her, letting them wrap around a pillar and fling her forward. "What will they be doing?"
"It's not their fight."
"Funny!" The pro hero actually laughs a little. "Tenya's fight at Hosu wasn't your fight, but you still stepped in anyway."
"That was different."
"How?"
"Because shut up."
Tensei laughs again. "Ah, my age helps and hinders me. Would you say that to any of your other teachers?" The look on Tenko's face says it all as he whispers a small apology. "It's fine, kid. I'm just trying to say, pushing yourself like this and trying to go all lone wolf isn't gonna help anyone, least of all her."
The two sit in silence for a minute while Tensei waits patiently for the teen to say something. Tenko won't look at him, head down and eyes hidden under his hair.
After another minute, Tensei speaks up. "You know, you could think of it like a raid."
That gets Tenko's attention. "Huh?"
"What? You know video games don't just belong to your generation, yeah?" Tensei teases. "And being the older son of the Ingenium line came with all sorts of pressures. And a way I liked to alleviate it growing up was playing games. And if I wanted a certain raid's rewards, I didn't go alone. I took my clanmates with me to increase my chances of success. Why is this different?"
Tenko stares at him, his red eyes wide before the gamer snorts into his hand. "That's not fair. And how the hell are you and your brother related?"
"Oh!…" Tensei grimaces. "I didn't realize you all still needed that talk. Well, you see, when a mommy and a daddy love each other very much-"
"You know that's not what I meant!"
"I know," Tensei chuckles, standing and gingerly helping Tenko to his feet. "Just think about what I said, okay?" Tenko inhales, before giving him a nod. It's a bit uncertain but a nod either way. "Great. I swear, All Might has taught all you kids you can do everything by yourselves. It's maddening."
Tenko laughs with him, but the laughter quickly turns into a bad cough. "Are you okay? I'll get you some water." Tensei jogs over to the cooler they brought, while Tenko removes his hand from his mouth, eyes widening at the sight of blood.
'What the-' The doors burst open to Izuku rushing in, so Tenko quickly rubs his hand off on his pants, planning to look into it later.
"Hey, guys!" Izuku greets, walking quickly over to Tsu. "Just checking in! Don't have much time."
"Hello, Midoriya." Tsu splashes some water on her face.
The gym shakes and the pair of greenettes watch as Todoroki uses a wave of ice to chase Denki around the gym, before the blond quickly changes directions mid-air. The son of Endeavor reacts by using his fire to melt the ice before it can engulf him, but that just leads to him being surrounded by steam. Todoroki can do nothing as Denki tackles him from behind, laughing hysterically.
"It's nice to see him using his brain more." Izuku smiles, before turning back to Tsu. "I just wanted to check in. We haven't had a chance to really talk since you got back and I told you the truth about me. Are you- how are you?"
"This week has been full of surprises, ribbit," Tsu acknowledges. "And I think any other week, I might've been more shocked than I already was. But between Hosu, Iida's brother, and what happened during my own internship, I was feeling a bit overwhelmed, so thank you for giving me a couple of days to process everything."
"It's no problem, Tenko told me you guys talked a lot over the phone last weekend." Tsu hums. "That's good, and I'm sorry for kind of putting all of this on you at once. I just didn't want you to be the only one who didn't know. But…you're okay?"
"I'm still getting used to it, honestly. Are you sure I'm not supposed to call you Lokison?" Izuku shakes his head. "But I know what it's like to be judged for what I am and not who I am, and I know you're a good person, so yes, I'm okay."
Izuku visibly relaxes. "That's- that's great to hear, thank you. But, if you don't mind me asking, you said something happened during your internship? The news said you helped stopped some smugglers at sea?"
"That is the official story, yes. Ribbit, ribbit." Tsu shifts, looking oddly unsure. "We swore not to tell anyone, so this makes me a bit uncomfortable-"
"You don't have to say anything if you don't want to!"
"No, ribbit." Tsu shakes her head vigorously. "Not telling you makes me even more uncomfortable after the trust you've shown in me. The villains only made it look like a smuggling job, but in reality, they were digging into some veins of a special metal called Vibranium under the sea. And we had help in stopping them." Tsu takes a breath. "Do you know a man named Namor?"
It's Izuku's turn to suck in a breath. "You met Namor?"
"You do know him."
"I met him once when I was younger with my uncle." The green-haired boy bites his lip. "He doesn't really like Asgardians. My grandpa made a truce with them a long time ago, but I should probably tell Denki we shouldn't go out on any boats anytime soon…"
"Why-"
The doors burst open once again. "Midoriya!!"
The color drains from Izuku's face. "It appears I am out of time." To prove his point, Aizawa's capture scarf wraps tightly around him and drags him back to his teacher. Everyone stops and stares in shock as Shota Aizawa glares harshly at his student with pink slime dripping from his hair.
"H-hi, Sensei! I like the color, really living up to your hero name-" Izuku chokes as the capture weapon tightens.
"I can deal with whatever this stuff is," Aizawa growls. "But switching my coffee with decaf?!"
"It wasn't me!"
"Yes, because you tried to blame me." Izuku smiles sheepishly when Yaomomo enters the room, covered in an uncountable number of feathers.
"Oh, hey...remember what I said earlier when I gave you that suit?…"
"A nice trick, Mr. Midoriya!" Izuku gulps as Nezu pops out of the rest of Aizawa's scarf on the man's shoulder. "Using your quirk to take the appearance of Ms. Yaoyorozu while you set the trap for Aizawa, and then turning into your teacher to make it seem as though Aizawa was the one who replaced my sugar packers with salt, all for the cameras. Very fun indeed!"
"I'm guessing that was you as Nezu when he told me to run that errand that led to…this?" Yaomomo gestures to herself.
"A flattering impression from what I saw on the camera footage!" Nezu exclaims. "Pranking all of us while, at the same time, framing each other for the pranks. I am impressed by the tenacity!"
"How'd you figure it out?"
"I will admit, I did ponder for a moment about the motives Aizawa would have for resigning from his post after watching the camera footage." That earns him a look from his employee. "But when Aizawa came barging into my office saying, what were the words? Ah, yes. Saying that Yaoyorozu had 'gone over to the dark side,' I realized what was happening."
"But you said you were impressed?…so you're not mad?"
"Oh, Mr. Midoriya," Nezu chuckles. "You ruined a perfect cup of tea, and I feel it is worth mentioning that due to poor wording in old laws, war crimes are legal outside of war."
"No!" Eri runs in but is stopped by Present Mic and Midnight before she can reach her guardian. "It was just a joke, 'Zawa! You can't hurt him!"
"You were supposed to watch her." Aizawa's glare turns toward his coworkers.
"She's slippery!" Present Mic cries, trying to keep hold of Eri while the little girl aims a vicious pout at Aizawa, who uses all of his willpower not to look. Behind them, Nomu shuffles in as quietly as it can.
So not quiet in the slightest.
"One chance." Aizawa hoists Izuku up. "What did you do with my sleeping bag?"
"Do your worst, Sensei," Izuku challenges. "I've been trained to resist several forms of torture."
…No one can tell if he's joking or not.
Aizawa huffs and drags Izuku out of the room before anyone else can protest. Even a defeated look toward Nomu doesn't save Izuku as even the creature seems to understand he had this coming.
Hizashi finally lets go of Eri when the doors slam shut behind Aizawa and the others who had been pranked, the little girl giving her fiercest glare at the hero. Her fiercest glare also being adorable, of course.
"Welp! Nothing to see here!" Tensei claps his hands. "Why don't we all get back to training? I'm sure Midoriya will be fine." Absolutely no one believes him, but the kids oblige anyway.
"YEAAAH! Let's get to training!" Tensei groans when Mic puts his arm around his shoulders. "Go ahead, bring out the Ghost Rider. Or as I like to call him-"
"Don't-"
"The Hot Tamale!" Mic roars with laughter. "The media came up with some great nicknames for you before they found out it was you!"
"Nemuri…help…" Tensei begs.
"He's right, Mic. Stop with that name!" Midnight crosses her arms. "I preferred The Flamer."
"Guuuuuys."
"Don't be sad, Undertaker, we're here for you!"
Midnight leans up against Tensei's other side. "Don't get too heated, Hot Cranium. Who knows how much more your body can take!"
"I think Skull Dude can handle it."
"True, they don't call him The Scorcher for nothing."
"Alright!" Tensei untangles himself from his snickering friends. "I've got some teaching to do, unlike some people." That just makes them snicker more as flames swallow Tensei once more, turning him back into the Ghost Rider.
"This is gonna be so much fun." Mic wipes a tear from his eye while Midnight agrees. "Okay, Eri let's-" he looks around. "Wait, where's-"
"Hi!" Oh, there's Eri…tugging on Ghost Rider's sleeve. "My name's Eri! What's yours?"
Letting out a low growl, the being turns around. "I am Ghost Rider, the Spirit of Vengeance. When innocent blood is spilled, I am there to avenge it, for when I ride, Hell follows me. The sinners and wicked may run, but I will always come for them. The guilty deserve to suffer and, from me, will learn the meaning of pain."
"Oh…" Eri blinks in thought, her face scrunching up for a few seconds. "Okay!" She smiles brightly at him. "I think I'll call you Ghosty! Is that okay?"
The Rider stares down at her.
Eri stares back, still beaming while her red eyes shine with hope that he'll say yes. The room is silent except for the crackling of the fire on Ghost Rider's head.
He looks up at all of them, as if looking for an explanation, before staring back down at Eri. More seconds pass until finally, he fixes his gaze on Mic. "Where is the one she calls Overhaul? I would like to speak to him."
Mic's usually happy face morphs into a scowl. "Get in line."
The Rider nods and moves to Tenya, but stops, snapping its attention to Nomu, who straightens a bit. "You… are unlike anything I have seen before. Constructed from past sinners and forced to commit vile acts against your will." Nomu's muscle's bulge, but Ghost Rider isn't concerned. "Do not move while I judge you."
He fires chains that wrap around Nomu and pulls the bio-engineered creature to him, but Nomu flips mid-air and plants his feet into Ghost Rider's chest, burying him into the ground. The Rider roars, jumping back up.
Nomu and the Rider grasp each other's hands, struggling to push the other down for a few seconds, both seemingly surprised at the other's strength. Ghost Rider begins to overpower Nomu, so it breaks its hand from its opponent's grip, regenerating it quickly.
Nomu rears its fist back, and Ghost Rider does the same, both combatants punching each other in the chest so hard, the rest of the room's occupants have to cover their eyes from the wind the shockwave creates.
"Do your best, Ghosty and Nomy!" Eri cheers while Mic picks her up.
Ghost Rider peers at his fist as he stands, looking up as Nomu sizes him up. "You're strong. Perhaps you can help me acclimate to this body."
Instead of answering, Nomu blinks next to him, kneeing the Rider into the air and jumping after him, punching the demonic being into the ceiling. Using his elbow thrusters from Tensei's quirk, Ghost Rider meets Nomu in the air, kicking him back down to Earth, before shooting down after him and bringing both his fists down on Nomu's gut.
No one can hope to get in between them as the two collide with each other several more times, with Nomu using its speed to get around the Rider's fire and pummel into him again.
Ghost Rider stands, rotating his shoulder. "Regeneration as well? I could probably halt it with my Hellfire, but I don't believe you are worth killing. It's rare to find another who can withstand my hits and is willing to fight."
Nomu gets up, wiping some rubble off of itself and chirping aggressively, getting into a fighting stance.
"I can tell you are enjoying this as well. You have not been able to use your strength since your fight with the hero, All Might. Allow me not to delay any longer." Ghost Rider jumps and Nomu smirks, happily roaring as it moves to meet its opponent head-on.
Mic's mouth hangs open as the fight continues, with Eri clapping and cheering them both on. "Yay!! I knew they'd be fast friends!!"
The voice hero eyes an equally wary Midnight. "What have we done…"
"Uh…" Shinso blinks; high winds from standing on the roof of one of UA's buildings blow through his hair. "Sensei, you said you wanted to talk, but um…what are you doing?"
Aizawa looks up at him as Midoriya dangles carelessly from his scarf over the edge.
"Teaching."