Chapter Text"How big do your hands get?! Does it start from your wrist or above that?! Do you get stronger the bigger they are?! If you only use your quirk on one hand, can you make that one twice as big?!"
Itsuka blinks. Then she blinks some more. And finally one more time. "Umm…"
Hado gets in front of Izuku, looking just as excited as him. "What if you made them only a little big? Could you do that? What about your feet? Or like your head? Can you make those bigger too? Oh! Maybe you can use it to stretch your arms or-"
"Wait, wait, what's going on here?" Ochako walks up next to her orange-haired training partner, confused to see them. Tokoyami and Yanagi eye the exchange from afar. "How did you two get here?"
Izuku looks up from his notebook. "Oh! We're going around trying to help as many people as we can with their training. Hado's been carrying me."
"She's carrying you?!" Ochako yells. Kendo snorts at her reaction.
"Well, yeah, but I turn into a bunny so I'm not as heavy!"
Kendo laughs harder as Ochako's nostrils flare. "I don't think that's what she's worried about, bud."
"Thanks for turning into a bunny by the way and not like a hedgehog or something." Nejire makes a face. "They're so spiky! It would've been hard to carry you! But as a bunny, you're so fluffy!"
"Hey!" Ochako stalks up to Hado, holding her finger up to her, while the blue-haired girl tilts her head curiously. "No one gets to feel how fluffy he is except for me!"
"I'm fluffy?" Izuku feels his hair. "And why is Ochako so upset?"
"Yup," Kendo answers. "Actually, if I wasn't afraid of getting an up-close look at space for doing it, I'd probably ask to touch your hair too," she jokes. "As for Uraraka, hmm…" she taps her chin. "Okay, let me explain it like this. How would you feel if someone started talking about how much they love her blush marks?"
"I'd stab them in their left kidney, why?" At Kendo's agape look, he continues. "What? They only need one."
"That's not-"
"Ohhhhh wait, nevermind. I understand now."
"There you go." They sit in silence for another second, but Kendo can't help herself. "Okay, but why the left one specifically?"
"I can't touch his fluff- oh!" Hado slaps her forehead. "No no, you got it all wrong! See, I think Midoriya is cute-" The blue-haired girl is unaware she is moments from disaster. "But cute like a little brother!"
That stops Ochako in her tracks. "Huh?"
"Yeah! He's got that little adorable brother vibe to him! With how much energy he has and how he bounces all over the place! It's kind of like how I feel with Mirio and Tamaki. I see them as brothers too, but brothers more my age. Now that I think about it, that's how I've always seen other boys. But I don't see most girls as my sisters? Isn't that weird? Ah well, more to think about later I guess."
Izuku can practically smell quirks nearby not being used to their maximum potential. "Let's go, Hado!"
"Okay!"
Before they leave, Izuku gives Ochako a quick hug. "Don't worry, all my fluff is only for you!" He whispers before jumping away, making Ochako blush before glaring at a snickering Kendo.
"So, what is it exactly you're trying to learn, kid?"
Denki shifts uncomfortably around on his feet, not looking either of the two adults in the eye. The demigod stands in a room cluttered with tech used for communication, one of Peter's many songs playing softly over the speakers in the background. It is meant to be a panic room for civilians if the station is under attack, which conveniently also means it is able to withstand large amounts of damage. Or in this case, one of Denki's lightning strikes in case he loses control.
A large bay window has been opened in front of him so he could peer out to the station, letting light into the dimly lit area. He holds Thunderstrike in both of his hands in front of him, running his thumb down the handle, the heat generated from the friction offering some comfort.
To say he's uncomfortable would somehow both be an understatement and completely accurate. The problem isn't the question he'sasked. Denki knows the answer to it. It's who he has to answer to that has him uncomfortable. Thinking back to what Izuku told him about his own experiences in attempting what he's about to try, the blond can't help his nervousness.
Well that, and having one of the most well known heroes in the world helping him, after meeting only minutes ago. Denki is sure Izuku got an autograph when he met the man, so would it be bad if he asks for one too?
Shaking his head to get back on track, the demigod exhales. "I want…to be different," Denki replies carefully, still trying to figure out how to word the next part of his answer.
"What? Being the son of the God of Thunder isn't enough to separate you from your peers?" Dr. Strange raises an eyebrow at him, his hologram flickering slightly. "And don't even get me started on your mother."
"Watch your tone, Strange," Thor warns from a couple of meters away, his father also communicating via hologram. While most may cower at the god's words, Denki is proud to say he knows his father well enough to recognize when he isn't being completely serious. Either that, or Thor is terrible at hiding it, which is also equally possible.
To prove his point further, Strange smirks just the smallest amount. "As you wish." He turns back to Denki, arms crossed. "Alright, kid. Time to stop being deliberately vague, what do you mean by different?"
"Patience, Strange. We go at his pace, not yours," Thor cuts in. Denki can feel some of his unease melt away when his father grins at the other hero. "Afterall, it's the least you can do after so cruelly barring me for bringing my own son to the meeting with Izuku-"
"As I have already explained to you several times, the topics being discussed were highly sensitive and on a need-to-know basis-"
"Denki informed me that he and Izuku had trained together several times using his scepter." Strange's words die on his tongue at Thor's confident rebuttal. "I'm sure he could have provided some unique insight or perspective on the situation. Plus…" Thor crosses his own arms, tilting his head back and forth while deciding his next words carefully. "What kind of father wouldn't want to show his son where he works for a day?"
Strange groans. "Shouldn't your brother be the one with the alligator tears?" The old wizard shakes his head, waving Thor off. "I get it, okay? I made a bad call, is that what you want to hear? Now can we move on? I know I helped Lokison with his powers, and it's only fair I do the same with the kid here. So, can we just focus on that?"
When Thor doesn't say anything at first, Strange nods and begins to turn back to Denki. But not before the God of Thunder gets one last dig in. "All these years and you still hate admitting when you're wrong."
Thor chuckles, reaching out of view of the hologram for a giant mug of alcohol before raising it up to drink. "Heh." Strange flicks his finger at the god, muttering something, and then finally returning his attention to Denki. "Back to you. Being different and standing out. How teenage of you. What are you looking for exactly?"
Behind him, Thor struggles with his mug, but no matter what way he holds it, the beer will not pour out, much to his dismay.
It's now or never. His father has just gone to bat for him with the freaking leader of the Avengers, and his silly antics behind the hero had Denki struggling to hold back his laughter. He feels better than he had this entire conversation. "I need help standing out from my dad."
Strange hums, and Thor peers up from trying to reach his tongue inside his mug. Neither man says anything, so Denki continues. "It's just…" He rubs the back of his head. "I've been watching Izuku learn to be better with his ice and start to become his own hero and…" Denki gathers what's left of his courage and looks up, staring straight at the heroes. "That's what I wanna do. I don't want people to see me and just think of me as a mini version of Dad."
He gulps, but Denki keeps his head high as the adults process what he said. Something that becomes harder when Thor steps forward with a slightly confused look on his face. The demigod braces. "You seem passionate about this. How long has it been on your mind?"
Denki's shoulders sag just a little as some of the tension leaves his body. Truth be told, he had been expecting his dad to ask 'Why?' The blond is a little relieved he didn't. "A while? I'm not sure how long exactly?"
"And you didn't say anything?" Thor asks, continuing to look confused. Denki is just happy it's not a look of hurt.
"I wasn't sure exactly how you'd take it?" Denki answers honestly, trying not to cringe as he finishes his sentence. "Izuku and Uncle Loki don't exactly see eye-to-eye on his new powers. And they've known each other his entire life! And we only met-" Denki's mouth snaps shut, a horrified look on his face.
He lets his head fall, hair covering his face. "S-sorry. I didn't mean for it to come out that way."
The next few moments of silence are the longest of his life, but Denki is pulled out of it when he hears Thor sigh, now standing right in front of him. "I suppose it was foolish of me to believe we would be completely past the growing pains of getting to know one another. But you have no need to apologize."
Denki's head creaks back up, eyes wide. "You're not mad?"
"Am I meant to be?"
"Well, uh, no. I hope not?" Excuse Denki as he tries to use the few brain cells he has to figure this conversation out. "But ever since you came back, we've spent a lot of time together training and getting to know one another, and I didn't want you to think I was unappreciative or that I wasn't super grateful for everything you've done and-"
His body lurches as Denki focuses everything on keeping his mouth shut and the next words in his throat. It practically feels like he's going to puke with how much the end of his sentence wanted to come out, but the blond uses all of his willpower to keep it in. As if he's somehow afraid that if he says it, he'll somehow will it into existence.
'I was afraid you might leave again.'
That isn't fair to think. Thor has given Denki no reason to believe he'd do that, but still, the thought persists. Even when he didn't know it was there. The demigod always dismissed doing things any other way from his father and Denki believes this is part of the reason.
It's kind of scary knowing he can feel a certain type of way and not even know it. Is this why Izuku has his clones? To more literally tell him how he feels? Denki doesn't think he could handle a dozen copies of himself, unless it was for video games or something.
But it wasn't until after I-Island that Denki started to realize he might feel this way. When Izuku started to tell them all that had happened during his capture by Ultron and some of the things the android had said to him.
'Do you believe a parent's love is unconditional?'
'Children are nothing more than an extension of their parent's ego.'
And Izuku had told them his honest answer. No. There are parents whose love is conditional. A sentiment that Todoroki seemed very quick to agree with as well. So, while it's true that Denki doesn't just want to be seen as his father, maybe there's a part of him that wants to know what the condition of his dad's love is.
"Denki." Well, his father isn't yelling so it's a good start. Slowly opening his eyes, the demigod lowers his bright blue eyes until he's looking into his dad's identical pair, the God of Thunder having knelt in front of him, a sympathetic smile on his face. "Let me tell you a quick story. Long ago, there was a god of Asgard. He was strong, as fast as lighting some would say, brave on the battlefield, and not bad to look at either. Remind you of anyone?"
"Balder the Brave?"
Thor snorts. "Well done. I'll have to let Balder know you said that. He believes that people on Earth have forgotten about him." He shakes his head. "Anyway, for all the gifts this god possessed, he held many curses as well. He was immature, brash, quick to anger, and thought himself above others. And why was the god like this?"
Denki doesn't answer, prompting his dad to answer. "Well, if you asked his brother, it was because he was a spoiled brat. And in essence, he wasn't wrong. But part of the reason was that the god was trying to imitate his own father in how he thought he ruled, wanting desperately to prove he was worthy of both the throne and his father's praise. But in fact, he was the farthest thing from worthy."
Thor reaches out, as if to place his hand on his son's shoulder, before correcting himself and letting his arm fall. "It was only after," he grimaces, "let's call it an extended time away from Asgard, did I realize I had a lot to learn and would rather first be a good man, than a great king. And I had to do it my way. Go my own path. Travel down my personal branch of Yggdrasil. Not try to do the exact same as those who came before me. That's what made me worthy of the throne in my father's eyes at the end."
"And…" Denki swallows, trying to push the words out. "Did it make you worthy of your dad's praise too?"
"That's the funny thing," Thor chuckles, grinning at him. "He was always proud. Do you understand what I'm trying to tell you?"
"Y-yeah." Denki rubs his eyes, looking away. "Yeah, I, uh, I get it." Sniffling and wiping his nose, he faces his father once again. "Thanks. A lot." Thor nods at him, standing back up and Denki exhales, feeling the growing weight on his shoulders finally lighten.
"Oh, Strange." Thor realizes the Avenger is still behind them, sitting cross legged while floating in the air, meditating. The God of Thunder clears his throat. "I had forgotten you were there. How much of that did you hear?"
"Not to worry." Strange opens his eyes. "The feed cut out," the Avenger responds with a slight smirk.
Thor offers him a grateful smile in return, moving back to his original place as Denki calls out to him. "Oh, and dad?" He hums. "You messed up. You started out by talking about 'another god' before saying it was you."
It only takes a second of thought before Thor groans. "Dammit. I had been trying to employ my brother's use of subtlety."
"It was never subtle," Strange mutters, stretching his legs out. "If we are ready to move on?…" He eyes both of them, getting nods in return. "Good. Now, kid. How would you like to separate yourself from your father?"
"Oh, I have no idea."
Huh. Strange is giving Denki the same look Aizawa gives Izuku when he wants to strangle him with his capture weapon. Weird.
"Hey, Kacchan! You need-"
"Get the fuck out of here, Deku!" The green-haired nuisance and Hado give him a thumbs up, before flying over to Kirishima, Tetsutetsu, and Monoma to ask them. Katsuki shakes his head, getting ready to launch back into the air, when he sees Deku come from around the corner. "I thought I told you to beat it!"
"We have to talk," Clone Ten crosses his arms, glowering at the bond.
"You gotta time it right. C'mon, you almost got it."
Kyoka grits her teeth and kneels on the ground, placing her palm against it. She tries to block everything else out, except for her enhanced senses, waiting for any change in the air. She doesn't know when it's coming, just that-
There! Kyoka feels it. The change of vibration through the air is subtle, usually enough for her to ignore as she has done in the past. But she knows better now. Using the gauntlets on her forearms the hero student got from I-Island, Kyoka picks herself up and spins just as a cannon fires a powerful shot of vibrating air at her.
The gauntlet activates and Kyoka's arms shake as the attack hits, but like they did with Ultron, her new gear not only nullifies the attack, but absorbs it as well, shown in a helpful bar screen off to the side.
"Behind you."
Scared as it seems her teacher is adding something new, Kyoka turns around as fast as she can, finding Rocket aiming some sort of gun at her. Without thinking for a moment, the purple-haired girl pumps both of her hands, firing the vibration attack she had just absorbed at the raccoon.
Only to miss.
With both hands.
"You know what I'm gonna say, right?" Rocket hadn't put the gun down.
"I should've heard you coming," Kyoka bemoans her mistake.
"Damn right, you should've. Your quirk gives you enhanced hearing and those fashion statements on your arms make it even better! How in the hell did you not know I was coming?"
"Oh, I don't know!" Kyoka gestures wildly to the cannon sticking out of the wall behind her. "Maybe it was the giant gun firing at me!"
"That's not an excuse!" Rocket dismisses. "Take it from someone who gets shot at regularly, you always gotta know what's happening right next to you. You get distracted, you get dead. Simple as that."
"Got it." Neither of them move. "You gonna put that gun down now or?…"
"I mean, you did fail."
"Yeah?"
"So I gotta shoot ya," Rocket says matter-of-factly, raising his weapon just a little.
"…You really don't."
"I feel like I have to."
"No, it's okay-"
"I wanna make sure the lesson really sticks-"
"It's stuck, don't worry about that."
"I'd just feel better-"
"No-"
"BAM!!"
Kyoka jumps about a meter in the air when Rocket yells, before glaring as the raccoon laughs obnoxiously at her. "You should've- you should've seen your face!" Rocket shouts through the laughter.
"Yeah, so funny." She rolls her eyes. "We done now?"
"Yeah, one sec. HAHAHAHA!!" Rocket laughs some more, wiping a tear from his eye, calming down a bit. "Alright, yeah, we're done."
"Good-"
"But I still have to shoot you."
"Wait-"
Bam!
Izuku gives a thumbs up to Toru, who cheers. She had just successfully sneaked up on Komori through her field of mushrooms, the invisible girl having used his tips to make her steps quieter. Meanwhile, Hado lets a few of the space bugs crawl over her hand and holds them up to Koda to show him they're not so bad.
Fumikage rolls when he hits the ground, and while he grunts from the initial impact, his dark armor protects him from any additional damage as he slides. And while that's well and good, it's not gonna do much to the boot heel coming down onto his face at an alarming speed.
Squawking in urgency, the new Moon Knight rolls out of the way just in time, the foot smashing into the ground he had just laid on, cracking it. But there's no time for Fumikage to breathe as Drax is on him immediately.
The pair fight in one of the station's distribution centers, with platforms moving up and down all around them, loading material and goods onto the correct platforms. What makes this location more significant for Fumikage is how dark it is.
Not that it seemed to affect Drax in the slightest. Before, he had assumed that the muscular man would be a lot slower, but the Guardian made him pay for that assumption, slamming him on the ground repeatedly when he wasn't ready.
Using everything he learned so far from Midoriya and Kendo, he's able to dodge and block the first few strikes from his teacher before seeing an opportunity. He jumps, twisting in the air, trying to ram his own foot into Drax's face.
Only for the hero to catch his ankle mid-air.
Ah. That would be a problem.
Drax yells victoriously as he swings the teen around, slamming him against a wall. "You are defeated once again, bird-man."
"It appears so…" it takes a second but eventually, Fumikage is able to get himself back on his feet, the robes around his head retreating to reveal his face. "You have won the battle, sensei. But you've lost the-"
"My name is Drax."
"Um…" Fumikage sweatdrops. "What?"
"My name," the Guardian clarifies, "it is Drax. I am not this sensei person you speak of. But I understand your hang-up. We did just meet, it will take time to get acquainted. There is no shame brought onto you."
"No…" Fumikage shakes some of the ruffles out of his feathers. "I…where I come from, we refer to our teachers as 'sensei.'"
"I have known many Earthlings and have never heard this term uttered. Are you sure of your origins?"
"Quite sure," Fumikage confirms. "Earth is made up of a great number of cultures and people who use different forms of dialect."
"Ah, such as the 'metaphor' Quil refers to?" Drax asks rhetorically. "That is interesting. As you can probably decipher, we do not spend too much time on your backward planet. So, tell me. Quil says it is not normal for your fathers to regale you with stories of impregnating your mothers, is that true? Or was Quil just being an imbecile again?"
Another thing Fumikage has learned from his training is that his new armor reacts to his emotions as much as his thoughts. Case in point, the robes quickly reformed his face mask to cover up the look of disgust and wide eyes the boy had just created.
"What a mad banquet of- no, no. That is not something we have ever done." Fumikage shakes his head.
"Pity. You are missing such beautiful tales."
"I will take your word for it."
"Sometimes, we would invite the whole family over to listen. My grandfather was once moved to tears as he listened to how his daughter-"
"Sensei." Fumikage brings the man's attention back to him but more importantly, gets him to stop. Drax lifts his head, acknowledging him. "As I was saying before. You won the battle against me, but you lost the war." He sticks his fingers in his mouth and whistles.
Drax doesn't have long to wonder what's happening before a heavy crate drops on top of him, trapping him inside.
"We did it!" Kendo shouts in both happiness and exhaustion, shrinking her hands now that she is no longer holding the trap. "What took so long?"
"Yeah!" Dark Shadow places Kendo on the ground. The pair had been working together, with Kendo holding the crate and Dark Shadow keeping the orange-haired girl floating in the air while Fumikage led his fight with Drax to the drop zone.
"Apologies. I was distracted for a moment by…" he eyes the crate. "By conversation. Are we certain this is the proper way to obtain victory in this fight?"
"C'mon man, we've had classes with Midoriya all semester!" Dark Shadow argues. "Sensei told us we just had to try and win, he never said how!"
"If you say so…"
"That suit's pretty sick up close." Kendo looks him up and down. "I was trying to avoid heavier armor with my hero suit because I thought it would hinder my movement. You don't feel weighed down at all?"
"I do not." Fumikage raises his gloved hand, staring at it and clenching his fish. "But I do not feel the weight of the armor at all. It is as if, when I put it on, this suit becomes me. Or perhaps, I become it. We are perfectly in sync and it only serves to enhance myself."
"Right…" Kendo replies after a minute, a little uncertain.
"Armor from a magical bird god does that I guess," Dark Shadow shrugs.
"I'm just gonna go ahead and agree with you because most of this kind of stuff is still going right over my head." Kendo makes a swiping motion with her hand, laughing a bit nervously.
"That's probably for the best."
The door to the area creaks open with Cosmo walking in, Uraraka and Yanagi behind her. "Hello comrades, could you direct me to Drax?" The three who had been previously talking silently point to the crate. "Is he under it or was he turned into it?" When Kendo confirms he's under it, the dog sighs. "Oh, Drax. Uraraka, please."
"No problem!" Jogging over, the gravity user places all five of her fingers on the box and easily tosses it into the air, only to be stunned, as is everyone else. What they find isn't Drax, but a hole in the ground.
"He seriously didn't-"
Cosmo is interrupted when Drax bursts from underneath the ground next to her, shouting triumphantly as he waves his knives above his head. "I have done it! You thought you could keep me confined in your ingot crate, but I have thwarted you with my ingenious tactics and unwavering compromise!"
Cosmo looks back and forth between the hole and her teammate. "Your tactic of digging a hole?… like any dog would do?"
"Precisely!"
"…I LOVE IT!" Cosmo jumps up and down in excitement, her tail reaching speeds that Iida's hand chops can only aspire to. "This is what I've been saying for years! If the team acted more like dogs, we'd get so much more done!" When Cosmo spots the students staring, she gives off a tiny bark. "I'm sorry. Got distracted. Drax, I need you for a quick security meeting. No fighting until he gets back, okay humans?"
"Yes, sensei!"
"Does it feel weird for you to say that to a dog?" Dark Shadow whispers to her partner as Drax finishes digging himself out of the hole.
"Our principal is some sort of mouse," Fumikage deadpans in return.
"Touché."
Cosmo and Drax make their way out of the platform room, but not before the latter stops in front of Uraraka. "It has come to my understanding that you are bound with the feral green-haired boy, am I wrong?"
"Nope," Uraraka giggles at the admittedly accurate description of her boyfriend.
"I see," Drax hums, looking over at Cosmo. "As these 'teachers,' we are meant to impart wisdom onto our students, yes?" The dog nods. "Excellent." He turns back to Uraraka. "Then some advice. One of my father's favorite ways for my mother to show him affection was to hunt large game for him to cook. Consider doing so as well. You can use the bird-man as practice should you need."
Fumikage opens his mouth in protest but Dark Shadow covers it. "No! This is better!"
The heroes say their goodbyes and exit the structure, leaving the students to their own devices. Yanagi attempts to move the platforms floating around them off-course while Urarka and Kendo stare the other down, each thinking the same thing.
"She said no fighting, ya know?" The president of 1-B smirks.
Uraraka matches that smirk. "That's fine. It won't be much of a fight."
"You think you're hot shit since the festival?" Kendo challenges. "Yeah, you beat me. But that was partly because I underestimated you. And trust me, that's not happening again."
"I've done nothing but get better since so prove it!" The brown-haired girl meets Kendo's challenge head-on and the pair begin to move away from the others to have some space.
Looking around as the others spread out around the facility, Fumikage opts to sit on the ground, cross-legged, and meditate. While covering him, his Moon Knight suit did allow him more control over Dark Shadow in darker environments, but that didn't stop the constant pull he can feel his quirk giving him to be free and rampage. He hopes meditation will extend his control further.
Peering out at the other teens and the rays of light coming from the high ceiling above, Fumikage closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. Followed by another. And then another, letting his mind wander. The teen's hand twitches. As his mind vacates, memories begin to fill in the cracks, flooding his mind.
Memories that cause him to tighten his eyes, his chest to feel tight, and stomach to burn.
"To lose two from only a singular death, what a shame."
The words, the first words that were said to him by the one who saved him that night on I-Island echo through him.
"Do you long for the darkness so much that you're willing to give into it with such ease?"
Ease?! That same anger he felt that night at that ridiculous accusation comes to the surface again. He wasn't giving up! He doesn't long for that type of darkness! But he was mortal, with all the limitations that come with it. What could he have done?!
"I thought I might find a worthy avatar tonight. But all I see is a selfish boy, perfectly content with all the lives that will be lost tonight."
Fumikage tries to keep his breathing steady. He's had a lot of time to go over that night again and again in his head. And still, no matter how he meditates, he can still feel those emotions in his state, in his dreams. The anger, regret, sorrow, guilt…the desperation of wanting to do anything to not die. To keep his friends from dying. Even if that meant making a deal with the-
"Please do not compare me to the Devil. My goals are much more noble than his."
That's not a memory.
Gasping, Fumikage's eyes open in surprise, the boy falling back on his hands as Dark Shadow forms at his side. "Fumi!"
Grabbing his chest and panting, the hero student tries to calm himself, immediately noticing the difference in their surroundings. While they were still in the same room of floating platforms, the lights above had dimmed and blinked constantly. But more urgently than that…everyone else is gone.
"Afraid of the dark, are you? No. That's not it. Afraid of the unknown."
Fumikage's next breath is cut off, a slight strangling noise coming from his throat as when he blinks, a figure appears before him. It is clad in a bright white suit and gloves, a wide-brimmed white leather hat on its head, and in its hand, a white cane with what appears to be a crescent moon decorating the top.
But the thing that catches the teen's attention the most, the thing he can't tear his eyes away from, is the head, where the skeleton of a bird head sits, twitching slightly as it stares him down from its empty eye sockets.
"Do not waste your breath on asking, you know who I am."
"Khonshu." Fumikage slowly rises to his feet, Dark Shadow taking care to stay in front of him. "Egyptian God of the Moon. And the one who offered me a second chance at life that night." He takes another calming breath, his heart finally starting to slow. "You finally reveal yourself to me."
"If you are to carry out my will, I must ensure you are up to the task."
"I will not assist you in any way until you reveal what you've done to the others!" To better prepare himself, Fumikage unclips two of his crescent darts from his chest, readying to use them.
"So quick to anger, so unsure, so…unbalanced," Khonshu observes calmly. "Just as I had hoped when I chose you." He lifts a hand, gesturing to the empty space between them. "You question the location of your peers, but what you should really be asking is…is any of this real?"
The room goes dark for a moment and when the light returns, Khonshu is gone. Where-
"Or is it all in your head?" The speakers above screech to life with a short clip of a song that ends quickly as Fumikage jumps back, the god materializing right next to him, throwing one of his darts in reflex, but the projectile crumbles into sand before it can hit Khonshu. "Your reflexes are improving. Perhaps you will not die as quickly as I had feared."
There are several things going through Fumikage's head right now to ask. Answers he wants- no, needs. But first. "This must be real," he argues. "I have seen gods walk among us. I have no reason to believe you would be different."
"Let's come back to that." Khonshu raises his hand, sand reforming the crescent dart that had been recently thrown at him. "I believe your next question was going to be about your mortality. How you could survive being shot dozens of times the night of your rebirth?" Fumikage doesn't want to admit that's exactly what he is thinking about, but he has a feeling Khonshu knows that anyway. "That was me."
The lights blink again, with Khonshu vanishing and reappearing some ways away from his avatar, the clip playing again. "On nights of the full moon, if you agree as you did that night, I may boost your abilities with my own, allowing you to wield my godly strength and durability."
"At the cost of allowing you to control my actions," Fumikage includes darkly.
"A mere reminder that you are still mortal, even under that armor." Another flicker of light and burst of music and Khonsu reappears on one of the platforms. "Armor that you have not even begun to use to its potential. It is much more than defense, it is offense." His platform begins to rise. "Come to me and I will reveal the whereabouts of your friends."
"Get to him?!" Dark Shadow asks incredulously, looking around them helplessly. "How?! We can't fly!"
"We may not have to." Before Dark Shadow can ask what her partner means, she follows Fumikage's eyesight to the spot Khonshu just stood, where two black short thick metal sticks lay. Walking over and picking them up carefully, the teen raises an eyebrow. "Truncheons?"
"How are these supposed to help us?"
The quirk's question falls on deaf ears as Fumikage, as if feeling some long forgotten instinct take over, lifts one of the weapons and points it at the platform Khonshu is on, hitting a button underneath the weapon.
A grappling hook bursts from the tip at blinding speed, and before either can stop it, both hero student and quirk are pulled up to the platform, landing on it with a heavy thud.
"Rise to your feet quickly, young one. Enemies do not wait for you to gather your bearings." Fumikage quickly rolls to his feet, returning the hook back to his truncheon just as Khonshu swipes down on him with his cane.
Reacting with instinct again, Fumikage combines both the sticks together, the ends extending outwards to create a bo staff that he uses to block the attack. "Good," Khonshu compliments before swiping at him twice more. Fumikage blocks both before trying the offensive himself, counter attacking and forcing Khonshu to lean back to block. "Very good."
"Where are they?" the teen growls.
"I have already given you the answer. Ask yourself, is this real?" Another flicker of the lights and song and Khonshu is gone again, standing on another platform that moves parallel with Fumikage's. "You have much to learn, but you are starting to listen to the armor. Just wait until you see how you can combine it with your quirk."
"Enough games!" Dark Shadow yells in frustration. "You better start answering some questions for real!"
There's a silence between them for almost a minute after that, the platforms continuing to move them in sync, but Khonshu remains as still as a statue until finally, "you ask why I do not walk amongst you. Why I necessitate an avatar to do my bidding?" Fumikage nods his head. It's a start. "The Butcher."
A full body chill runs down the boy's spine. He wasn't there that night, but if any of the stories Izuku and Denki have told about the man they faced in Hosu are close to accurate…
"I was there that day," Khonshu narrates. "In Omnipotence City when he arrived. I watched helplessly as countless gods were struck down. And I knew then that it was a sign. A sign for me to pick a new champion once more. For who could protect the travelers of the night if I am being hunted?"
"But…no," Fumikage interrupts. "The butcher was defeated. Even before our trip to I-Island, he was no longer a threat."
"But is he dead?" His beak snaps shut at Khonshu's words. "While the Butcher lives, myself and all gods are at risk. I told you that my goals were nobler than those of the Devil. You, Fumikage Tokoyami, my Moon Knight, my fist, will carry out justice as I see fit. And when the opportunity arises, you will kill the God Butcher where he lay and finally put a permanent end to his reign of terror. Thereby saving all of those who would die at his hand, should he rise to power again.
"Granted, I will admit, you are not the ideal choice of avatar, I am proud of my selection nonetheless given the short timeframe I had. And while I prefer my champions to typically be a bit more…mentally unstable…you will suffice for now."
"…"
Khonshu hums at the silence.
"You called me selfish." The god tilts its head at his words. Fumikage twists the staff in his hands, separating it into two pieces and attaching them to his side. "You dare to call me selfish when I was at the end of my life while you sit there, using me for your personal gain, while having the gall to say it is for the benefit of all." Khonshu chuckles, amused. "You claim to be a benevolent protector of the night, all as you cower behind me until I do what you cannot."
Fumikage glowers at the god, with Dark Shadow mirroring him. "Know this, I am a hero. Not a murderer. And as such, I refuse your order. Take your powers away if you must, I will not do it."
"Bravo!" Khonshu claps. "Nicely put. Your words move me and if you wish, at any time, I have no qualms of taking my power away…and leaving you exactly as I found you."
Fumikage staggers, his armor vanishing as he falls to his knees, struggling to breathe. "Fumi! Fumi!" He can hear Dark Shadow calling for him but the world spins around him, his vision going blurry and his head thumping in pain. As his chest grows tight, he puts a hand on his stomach but wrenches it away at how cold it feels. "No…" Dark Shadow whispers as they both look at his hand, blood dripping off of it.
"Now that I have answered one of your questions, maybe you can answer mine." Fumikage looks up, unable to move as Khonshu stands over him, using the little light left to cast his shadow over the boy. "Is. This. Real?"
Fumikage's eyes snap open once again, before he immediately has to shut them, the outside light burning him. "What- what-" Cracking his eyes open, he finds a water bottle being offered to him and takes it, greedily drinking almost all of it before realizing something important.
One: The bottle hadn't been handed to him. It had just been floating there. And Two: He was outside of the distribution center.
"I apologize for moving you, but your nightmare seemed very disturbing. Uraraka thought some light would help. She will be back soon with Kendo and one of our sensei's," a quiet voice says beside him.
Rubbing his eyes, Fumikage clears his vision to find Yanagi sitting beside him. "Nightmare?" He asks, voice a little hoarse.
"Yes," she confirms, not looking him in the eyes. "You appeared to fall asleep during your meditation as we all trained. Not long after, you began to yell in your sleep."
"Nightmare…" Fumikage realizes. "Yes, a dream. Yes, of course, that was it. A nightmare, a dream. Nothing real." He coughs, Dark Shadow patting his back while he looks down at the water bottle. "Thank you for assisting me. You didn't have to."
Yanagi shrugs it off as no big deal.
Dark Shadow elbows him lightly, but Fumikage pushes her back, he knows what he has to do. Clearing his throat, he awkwardly says, "I am willing to return the favor if you ever need."
"That is equally unnecessary." Her eyes finally find his for a quick moment, before moving away just as fast. "But appreciated." She picks up a few empty water bottles beside her (how long had she been sitting there?) and moves to leave, when Fumikage stops her.
"Your quirk is telekinesis, yes?" She confirms it is. "I have projectiles I need to practice throwing. Perhaps we could work together? Myself throwing my darts and you catching them with your quirk."
She responds surprisingly quickly. "Yes, I think that would be most helpful." Yanagi walks away to dispose of her trash without another word and he sighs, cursing his more isolated upbringing. But alas, at least his dream had passed.
He moves to get up when all of a sudden, Dark Shadow begins to tug on sleeve rapidly. "F-Fumi…" He gives her a confused look before looking down, and gasping in horror. Because down on the ground is his hand. The one he had used to touch his stomach in his dream. The speakers behind once again blare to life.
His hand is still covered in blood.
"You've been getting around today?"
"I guess I have." Izuku scratches the back of his head. "But we only have so many teachers, and I just wanted to make sure everyone was making progress. Apparently, it's like you said, we just never know when a villain might attack these days!" He tries to laugh off his statement as a joke, but it's hard to miss how strained he sounds.
"Never if I have a vote." Ochako files how weird he's being for when they get to…wherever he's leading them. Izuku shifts his hand to a more comfortable spot as they hold onto each other, sitting inside one of the two-person pods that fly through Knowhere, transporting people from place to place. They have a little extra time to themselves as the student's training ended early today because of some security meeting the adults have to attend.
Ochako knows she should feel like a fish out of water to put it very mildly, with all the different species of aliens running around her as the pod makes its way above one of the more crowded parts of the station, but honestly, she's actually getting a little homesick. With how close the shops are to each other and how the natives seem to all greet and know each other, even to the sort of rundown buildings they pass, the station gives her a somewhat small town feeling.
"I thought I was supposed to plan our next date," Ochako giggles as the pod has to stop to let an elephant-sized creature stomp across the street before continuing on.
"This is more of a spontaneous thing so it doesn't count!"
"It doesn't- you can't use that as a loophole!"
"I think I just did!" Izuku counters.
The pod slows as it tilts, turning in a different direction and getting ready to descend, distracting Izuku. Ochako seizes the opportunity, digging her fingers into his side when he's not looking. "Still a loophole now?"
"Wha- no, Ochako! Stop! Wait- haha!" The green-haired boy begs in between fits of laughter, trying to keep himself quiet as she tickles him. "That's not- that's not fair!"
"Since what has that mattered to you?!"
"Ah- hah! Good point! Okay!- okay! I give! It's not a loophole!" Having gotten what she wants, Ochako decides to have mercy on him. But not before looking around to check the coast was clear, more out of habit as she doubts anyone would be looking up at them, and planting a quick kiss on the demigod's cheek. And sure, she can feel her cheeks warming up, but it's so worth it to see how red he gets while touching the spot she kissed him in.
"Thanks for admitting it."
"Uh, y-you're welcome…so was there anything else you wanted me to admit or-"
"Deku!" Ochako laughs, giving him another quick tickle before peering down at the ground. "So, where are we?
"Epicenter of the station." The pod touches down gently, opening up and depositing them onto the roof of a very loud establishment. "It's where most of the hotels, restaurants, bars, and just everything is."
"I can see why we're not allowed here," Ochako whispers, looking down through one of the windows at the many unsavory individuals below.
"Yeah, exactly." He beckons her over to a large dome-shaped structure in the middle of all the interconnected buildings. "I think we could have gotten permission to come here eventually, but that would take days, and I don't know if Aizawa's training schedule would've let us, so I didn't want to waste the chance." He touches a panel by the door leading inside, and it slides up, revealing a biometric scanner. "Besides, where's the fun in coming here when we're allowed to?"
In a quick flash of green light, Izuku turns into Peter and places his hand against the scanner, having to only wait a moment before it beeps, unlocking the sliding doors. A gust of warm air and music playing quietly over the room's speakers brushes over them as it does.
"Teenage rebellion?" Izuku turns back into himself, holding his hand out.
"Hmm…" Ochako glances back and forth between the doors and Izuku. "I guess it's not robbing banks like we talked about doing during our battle trial…but this is a good start." She takes his hand. "Teenage rebellion."
They step inside, the doors sliding shut behind them, and their mouths drop. To try and simply describe what Ochako is seeing, it's a tree. But nothing like she had ever seen before. It's taller than any building in the station, besides the dome it rests in. Dark brown wood runs from the branches up high to the roots down below and out of sight. The green leaves don't stay green for very long, constantly shifting through a rainbow of colors to match the tree's overly shiny aesthetic.
"W-what is this?" Ochako questions, not wanting to take her eyes off the sight before her for a second.
"They call it the Spirit Tree." Ochako doesn't realize he's watching her more than the tree. "No one knows who planted it since it happened a long time ago, just that they wanted to add some color to this place. It's mostly used as an alternate way to power the station." Izuku shrugs, snickering a bit. "And they use its nectar to make a bunch of alcoholic drinks."
Ochako rears her head, giving him a look but Izuku's quick to put his hands in surrender. "I don't know that from personal experience! Just read about this place a lot growing up."
"Okay…but I'm watching you, mister!"
"If you say so." Ochako hates how much she loves it when he gets that slick grin on his face. It usually means he's figured out something, is about to pull a prank, or get the win over everyone in the room. Unfortunately, she's the only one here. "My dad gave me a few sips of stuff growing up. But you can't tell me that's more than what the daughter of a man who runs a construction company got!"
"Hey!" She wags her finger at him. "As far as my mother knows, no alcohol has ever touched these lips!"
"And your dad?…"
"I'd like another question."
"That's not how this works!"
Laughing together, the pair lean against a railing placed ahead of them, staring up at the tree. "Yeah…" Ochako sighs. "Thinking about growing up…looking at this tree… makes you remember the simpler times. Before all these villains and learning there's this whole massive universe out there." She covers her boyfriend's mouth before he can open it. "Don't say sorry, you didn't bring all of these things into our lives, they were already there. And it's not your fault for you being you."
She uncovers his mouth, snorting at the stunned dork next to her. "How did you know exactly what I was thinking?!"
"I'd like to brag it's because I know you best but…" her tone switches to deadpan. "Everyone knows you'll jump at the chance to take the blame for something."
"Sorr-" Ochako narrows her eyes. "Um…my bad?" Izuku tries.
"Better…I think," Ochako laughs. A comfortable silence falls between them again for a few minutes before Ochako speaks again. "So, speaking of the universe, you said others, like other universes, really exist?" Izuku hums the affirmative. "How many?"
"Theoretically? Infinite," he responds with the casualness of someone who doesn't realize how crazy that is. "With more branches being created every day."
"And these 'branches' have other versions of us?" He hums again. "That means there's an infinite number of me… and an infinite number of you! That's so many.." Ochako looks down at her hand, staring at the beans on her fingers before looking back up at the tree that stands high above them. "With so many versions of you, have you ever wondered…like…"
"If what you do matters? Because there's so many versions of you?"
Ochako wants to be surprised but she's not. "Look who's guessing what the other person is thinking now?"
"And unlike you, I will take credit for knowing you so well." The brown-haired girl moves to retaliate with tickles, which Izuku promptly defends against fiercely. And although her plan is foiled, the couple leaves their hands interlocked. "But yeah, I've thought about it. But it doesn't bother me."
"How?"
"Maybe what I do doesn't matter to the multiverse as a whole…but it matters to you, doesn't it?" Ochako is quick to agree. She catches the slight sag of his shoulders in relief. This boy. "Then that's good enough for me. If someone cares enough to have my actions affect them, then I matter." He scratches the side of his head, looking away bashfully. "And you should know, what you do matters a lot to me too."
Turning his face back towards her, Ochako doesn't reply verbally, opting to hook her arms around his neck to pull him in for a deep kiss instead, getting lost in their world for a moment. Yeah, screw the multiverse. She doesn't care if this technically doesn't matter; that won't stop the gravity user from enjoying it. And given how close Izuku holds her, she thinks he might agree.
Remembering that people need to breathe, the two separate, panting a little. "You're just all types of unfair today," Ochako shakes her head, grinning like an idiot. "How did you manage to make me feel better while complimenting me at the same time?!"
"Uhh…silver tongue? I supposedly have one, but I think that's up for debate."
Whether or not it is doesn't matter too much to Ochako and the new idea she just got. He isn't ready, but she pulls him in for another kiss anyway and after a few seconds, he reels back in surprise, causing her to go into panic mode.
"Sorry!" she apologizes quickly. "It's just, we were having a moment and tonight seemed to be about being spontaneous and I wanted to try- oh, was it too fast? Should I have asked first? Oh I'm so-"
Izuku grabs her arms, pulling her out of her spiral. His face is neon red, as she would imagine hers is, but he still manages to give her a reassuring smile. "Ochako! It's okay! It is! I promise! I'm sorry for how I reacted, you just surprised me is all and I wasn't ready! But it wasn't bad at all, I promise. In fact, I really liked it…and wouldn't mind doing it again really soon?"
Some of the red on Ochako's face lessens at Izuku's reassurances. "Okay."
"But maybe next time, warn me before you use your tongue," Izuku laughs nervously, running a hand through his hair.
Oh, it's payback time. "But you said we didn't have to plan for spontaneous stuff!"
"No! That's not what I- no I didn't mean- that's not fair!"
"Sucks, doesn't it?" Ochako does her best to imitate his smirk. Judging by his pout, she succeeds. Letting each other calm down a bit and enjoy the sight of a tree, Ochako gives it a few minutes before approaching her next subject. "You were right when you said the things you do matter to me. But it's also the things you don't do that matter to me too."
Izuku turns to look at her, but she keeps going with her question. "Why didn't you work on any training for yourself today?"
"Oh, that!" He chuckles, the hollowness to his voice from before returning. "Ochako, I've been training with my powers for over a decade, I have a pretty good handle on them. I could be doing more by helping everyone else work on theirs."
"Right. Now give me the whole answer, Izuku."
He deflates, knowing she's right. Serves him right for thinking he could sneak something past her. "I just don't think it's that big of a deal worth mentioning. It's like I said earlier, it feels like villains are attacking us every few months and I just want to make sure everyone is as ready as they can be."
"Does that not include yourself?" Ochako points out. "There are still tons of things you don't know how to do! You can't turn other people invisible, you can't make ice from thin air, you can't fire energy blasts or use telekinesis, or what about-"
"I had to nearly watch all of you die." Ochako cuts herself off real quick at Izuku's words, looking up at her boyfriend in alarm. His voice is shaking, eyes wide, skin a bit pale, and somehow, even colder to the touch than usual. "Back on I-Island… I was helpless in the tower, and thought I was going to have to watch all of you die! One by one, you all went down and I couldn't- I couldn't!…"
Ochako pulls him in for a bone-crushing hug, not commenting on how tightly he holds her or the wetness she feels on her shoulder. "Shhh." She gives him all the time he needs to calm down and cry it out. And maybe she uses the time to cry with him. He certainly doesn't say anything when his own shoulder starts to become wet.
Whether it's a few minutes or a few hours, she doesn't care to keep track. Once he does, he pats her to let go. To which she responds by tightening her hold for a few seconds before releasing him.
"Thanks," Izuku sniffles, wiping his eyes. "I didn't know I needed that… and sorry for making you cry too."
"Anytime." Ochako mirrors his sniffles. "And hey, I knew laughter was contagious but not crying!" They laugh together at her dumb joke, wiping the last of the tears from their eyes. When it seems they've calmed down a bit, she takes his hand again, rubbing the back of it with her thumb. "Why didn't you say anything?"
"Glorious purpose." Izuku moves to sit on the ground, his back to the tree and leaning against the railing as Ochako follows him, raising her eyebrow at him. "You know that thing I say about having a glorious purpose?" She nods. "I only started saying it because my dad did. And I always thought mine was to be a hero. But I kept forgetting the first part of it. That purpose is a burden. And how could being a hero be a burden on me? I love it! But maybe, it's less about being a hero, and more the type of hero I want to be."
"And what kind of hero is that?"
"One that can take the pain away from them. One that can make everyone around him laugh when they're feeling their lowest, to pull them up when they're down. To pull their own burdens away, even if just for a little bit."
"Like you did at the hospital after I-Island? You spent pretty much our entire time there pulling pranks." Izuku snorts at how quickly she catches on. "And what happened to not doing things by yourself?"
"I'm doing this so I won't have to be by myself." He scoots his knees to his chest. "It's how I spent my time growing up, thinking it had to be that way, but after having all of you in my life, I don't want to be alone again."
It takes everything in Ochako not to pull him in for another hug, mainly because he's still talking. "I'm hoping that if I ease your burdens, help you all train, you'll never leave me." Izuku makes a noise between a snort and sniffle. "I guess it sounds a bit selfish when I say it out loud like that."
Sighing and leaning against her boyfriend, Ochako shakes her head. "What are we gonna do with you? If you're not putting everything on your shoulders to be alone, you're doing it for the opposite."
"…To be fair, you met all my clones before we started dating, you knew how messed up I was," Izuku giggles, leaning against her as well.
"Yup. You're right. I took one look at you and thought, I can fix him."
The green-haired boy has to hold onto his stomach he's laughing so hard. "Oh, yeah? And how's that going?"
"A little slow, but I figured it would since he keeps finding new ways to break himself that I have to stop." She gives him a mock glare and Izuku at least has the decency to look sheepish. "But if we're being honest Izuku…it's a little selfish. Because maybe you're taking some stuff away, but you're not thinking about how it makes us feel. How you're giving us the burden of having to worry about you instead."
"Darn it…" he bangs his head on the railing behind him. "Don't say it like that…"
"I'll say it however I have to to get it through your thick head!"
"Okay okay, you got me there but…" Izuku trails off for a second. "What do I do with all of this?" He points to his chest. "I can't- how do I stop worrying about losing you all?"
"I don't know." Ochako surprises herself as well as Izuku, but she sighs, smiling at him anyway. "I don't! You saw me once we got back! Even now! I can barely stand letting go of you after watching you get taken! I have no idea how to stop worrying about you!"
"But-" She tries not to laugh at how lost he looks. "But you always have the answers!"
"I guess not this time…" Ochako ducks her head to hide her warning cheeks, grinning at how Izuku sees her as someone who has all the answers. "But I'm willing to try and find the answer." She holds his hand closer. "Together." Ochako drops her voice. "But you have to promise to stop neglecting your training. I worry about you too and would feel better knowing that if you're out there, you're the best you can be."
Izuku makes a noise of disagreement that's similar to a dog pouting. He sighs. "Okay, as long as we're together then? I'm not sure when I'll exactly be able to get over just… everything that's happened."
"Me either!" Ochako admits. "But I guess that's just part of becoming a hero." The couple hugs it out once more before getting to their feet. "We should probably get back, yeah? It's probably past curfew."
"Yeah!" Izuku begins to make his way out with her. Maybe we can come back another day and see where the tree's branches lead and how they- woah!" He reacts to Ochako's sudden stop, the brunette turning to look back at the tree. "Are you okay?"
"Huh?" She turns back around. "Oh, yeah, I'm fine. I was just thinking. You said the planets in Norse Mythology sort of form a tree, right?"
"Yggdrasil, yup."
"I know this might sound stupid…" Ochako laughs nervously. "But you said earlier that other universes are called 'branches?' Does that mean the entire multiverse could be a tree too?"
Izuku raises a finger and opens his mouth but stops as he tries to figure out what to say. "I never thought of it like that before, that's crazy…but I hope it's not like that." When Ochako asks why, Izuku clarifies. "My grandfather has spent most of his time on the throne keeping the realms at peace. Only the last couple of centuries haven't had war. If the multiverse was like Yggdrasil, I hope someone wouldn't have to look after it. I mean, I don't even want to be King of Asgard, I'd hate to have that job."
"That sounds lonely," Ochako says sadly as Izuku wraps his arm around her, leading her out.
"It does. Compared to me, they really would be burdened with glorious purpose."
"What are you two doing out here?"
"Nevermind us, what are you doing here?!"
"Training," Bakugo barks as Kirishima shrugs and nods. Izuku and Ochako look around the trash yard they had been taking a shortcut through full of old ships. If he's being honest, it kind of reminded the demigod of the old dirty beach he used to practice at with his dad. "So find some other place to make out!"
Kirishima bounces a bit on his feet. "C'mon man, don't be like that! The more the merrier! Maybe we can finally get some payback for the first day of hero class!"
Bakugo's intensity immediately lowers as he calms down. "That's actually not a bad idea, Shitty Hair."
While he thinks it over, Izuku slides over to his red-haired classmate. "Teach me your ways."
"You just gotta word things in a way that'll appeal to him. Like, don't say 'calm down.' Say 'let's go blow something up.' Or tell him something in his training seemed off and he'll march off to fix it."
"HEY!" Speaking of marching, Bakugo does so in their direction. "Don't whisper about me! If you got something to say to me, say it to my face!"
"Sometimes you can be a bit intense for people, bro," Kirishima responds and Izuku gives him a look that clearly conveys 'have you always had a death wish?' "Just telling Midoriya how sometimes I get ya to blow off steam another way instead of blowing someone up."
The next few seconds are the longest of Izuku's life, but much to his relief, Bakugo merely huffs. "Huh. Yeah, right. Guess you do do that." That relief quickly dissipates when the blond reaches for Izuku's collar. Something he'd normally stop, but the grab seems much less aggressive than normal. As in, it's more about just getting his attention than actually threatening him. "You two stay here. Me and Deku gotta talk."
Ochako grips the explosive boy's wrist hard. "Like hell-"
"It's okay." His girlfriend looks at him, asking if he's sure. She really does worry. The thought puts a tiny smile on his face. "Yeah, I'm sure. We'll be fine. C'mon, Kacchan." His old bully makes a noise of impatience but lets him go, stomping away.
The pair don't make it very far across the shipyard before Bakugo starts. "So, you're really an alien, huh?" Izuku kinda figured it was about the time they had this talk.
"Partly. Only on my dad's side."
"And Uncle Hisashi's name isn't really Hisashi?"
"No, he's Loki."
Bakugo makes a face Izuku hasn't quite seen before. "Yeah, I know. I started looking up those myths about him." The blond shivers, actually shivers. "Half of that fucking stuff better not be true holy hell."
The two stop at a clearing, and Izuku can't help but wait for the blow up. And while Izuku hasn't been present for the other boy's therapy sessions, it's a testament to Hound Dog that Kacchan hasn't started yelling yet since they left. It's actually a little creepy how calm he is.
Near them, one of the largest Excavators he has ever seen works on moving ship parts from one part of the yard to another, lowering its giant claw to pick up some of the debris and lift it higher into the air, the song the operator is listening to coming into earshot.
"This is what I used to train," Bakugo explains, still strangely calm while not facing him. "That thing up there drops its load, and I've been spending all day practicing not getting hit by trash or blowing it out of my way."
"Kacchan, what's the point in all of this?"'Izuku can't stop the fatigue he feels reflecting on his voice. "It's been a long day, so if you wanna yell at me for not telling you I'm an alien, then yell. If you wanna fight, then fight. Let's just do this already."
"You're right, Deku. I am mad at you." Bakugo finally turns around, his familiar snarl on his face. "Actually, fuck that, I'm pissed at you!!" He steps forward, cracking his neck and knuckles. "So, we're gonna fix that right here! Right now!! So get ready ya damn nerd!"
Izuku breathes a long, very long, sigh. There it is. "Look, Kacchan, it wasn't just you I didn't tell, it was everybody-"
"What the hell are you talking about?"
"I couldn't exactly just go and shout I was an alien from the rooftops- wait, what?" Izuku tilts his head, an action that has had him compared to a befuddled puppy before. "You're not mad I didn't tell you I'man alien?"
"Hell no! I'm not a dumbass, I know you couldn't tell anyone that stuff!"
"Soooo you're mad I told Ochako and everyone else in my group before you?"
Kacchan huffs again. "No. I wouldn't have said shit to me either after what I pulled growing up." He kicks some flammable parts away from him. "Do you seriously not get it? I'm mad 'cause you didn't let me earn it!!"
That puppy Izuku was before is now just lost. "Huh?"
"Back during the Sports Festival, I wanted to know what the hell was up with you. Now I know it was all this alien bullshit, but I didn't want to until you told me! Not 'cause some dickhead of a robot forced you to tell us!"
Behind them, trash slowly falls from above, landing with a heavy crash against the ground, spraying dirt and gravel everywhere. "Katsuki Bakugo earns everything he's given! You hear me! Whether it's being number one in the country, world, universe, or being told that fucking aliens exist! I won't accept anything else!"
Boom!
The sound of an explosion is all the warning Izuku gets before Bakugo is on top of him. Instinct kicks him and the demigod rolls under the other boy, delivering a swift kick to the chin for his trouble. But when he jumps back to his feet, ready for the next move, Bakugo isn't attacking, just rubbing his face.
"There we go," he says, satisfied.
"You do wanna fight then?" Izuku accuses.
"Yeah! But only because you're being a moron!"
"What are you-" Izuku's eyes widen as someone walks out from behind one of the piles of trash, smirking at him. It's his smirk. "Ten! What are you doing?!"
The angry clone shrugs, leaning back. "What you should be. You're keeping way too much inside, all of us can feel it." To make his point, a few more clones materialize next to him, nodding in agreement. "So I appeared to that piss poor excuse of a hero student-"
"Watch it!!"
"-To tell him how you really feel!"
Izuku gulps. "And how did that go?…"
"We had a productive conversation."
"You son of a bitch!"
"Say that again, ass-clown!"
"If you looked up asshole in the dictionary, your picture would be by it!"
"At least my dictionary doesn't have pictures, you fucking idiot!"
"Shut up!!" Bakugo roars. "I can't stand to listen to you talk to yourself all day!" Ten glares but doesn't say anything while still stands, ready for whatever the blond might try. "Point is, Deku, I know you've been keeping shit inside, and it's making you useless! And I'm gonna put an end to it!"
Boom!
He explodes after the green-haired boy again but this time, Izuku just dodges. "By attacking me?!"
"Hell yeah!" Bakugo slides as he lands, spinning around. "Just like the Sports Festival! You said it yourself! It helped you get shit out of your system so we're gonna do it again!"
Boom!
Izuku flips over Balugo as he flies by, regaining his footing. "That's it then? You're trying to fight me out of the goodness of your heart?!"
"Have you not been listening to anything I've been saying?!" Boom! Another attack and another dodge. "I wanna earn being told you're an alien! And if this is how I have to do it then so be it! It's like I told Sand Hands on I-Island!" Does he mean Tenko?! "Stop holding back and figure your crap out!"
Boom! Dodge.
Boom! Dodge.
Boom! Dodge.
"Fight back!" Bakugo yells in fury.
Izuku can't respond before having to dodge a piece of ship falling from above, their 'fight' having moved them closer. "No! This is stupid, Kacchan! You don't need to earn something like that! And if you did, you more than have! I know you helped save Yoshinaga during the Hosu attack! And you were with us when we fought Ultron! Isn't that enough?!"
"NO!"
Boom! Dodge.
Boom! Dodge.
"Do something! Anything Deku! Throw a knife at me! Scream at me! Stop pretending nothing bothers you!"
Boom! Dodge.
"There are much healthier ways to get stuff off your chest, you know!"
Boom! Dodge.
"I don't care! This is the best way I know how!"
Boom! Dodge.
Bakugo whips his head towards him, the pair both having to dodge another piece of falling debris while gasping for air. He wipes some sweat from his forehead, letting off a few sparks in his palm.
"Is- is this about you still feeling like you weren't punished enough?" Izuku pants.
Boom! Dodge.
"No, this is about you being a fucking hypocrite!" Boom! Dodge. "You gave me all that shit about having to open up but you haven't been following your own advice!"
Another Dodge of falling debris. "I have! Just not to you!"
Boom! Dodge.
"Say whatever mushy shit you want to your girlfriend, I don't care! But you're angry and I know it! But you won't let it out! Boom! Dodge! "So just fucking let it out already!"
"I'm not-" Boom! Dodge. "I'm n-not angry!"
"Liar!"
"I literally can't lie!" Boom! Dodge. "Would you stop attacking me already?! I'm not gonna fight you!"
"Then leave!" Bakugo challenges. "You can turn invisible and walk right out of here if you wanted to, but you haven't! Because part of you wants this too!"
Boom! Dodge.
Boom! Dodge.
"Fine!!" Izuku throws up his hands in frustration. "Yeah, Kacchan, I am mad. I'm mad because I couldn't do more to protect everyone on I-Island. Or Hosu! Or the USJ!"
With every sentence, Bakugo's grin grows. "FINALLY!" Bakugo laughs. "Something that isn't a lame joke!" Boom! Instead of dodging, Izuku jumps over the other boy, freezing some of the mud beneath their feet into a hammer that he uses to pummel the blond into the ground.
Bakugo recovers quickly, sweeping Izuku off his feet and returning the favor with an explosive punch to the chest. They both roll to their feet, now covered in mud.
"I'm mad that my powers aren't coming as easy to me as they did with my dad!" He stomps his foot, sending a wave of frozen mud to smother his opponent but Bakugo blasts through it easily, gut checking the green-haired boy with his shoulder.
Izuku slides across the ground, a few cuts to go with his muddier appearance. He slams his fist in the ground in frustration. "I'm mad that despite everything I'm trying, Shigaraki and the League are still out there!"
He turns invisible and twists his hand, freezing Bakugo's feet to the ground before reappearing in front of the teen and returning the favor by driving his fist into the blond's stomach. "I'm mad that sometimes, my friends can't see how amazing they are to me! And I'm even madder that I had my scepter taken away, which was my best chance to protect them! And!"
Boom! The demigod uses the mud to create a dozen protective cocoon around himself that Bakugo promptly destroys. "I'm mad at myself for even feeling this way!"
Conjuring one of his daggers for the first time in the fight, Izuku swiping it across the explosive boy's arm, leaving a nasty cut. "And I'm mad at you for dragging me out here!" If he wasn't so angry, he might've noticed the satisfied look on Bakugo's face.
But even if he's satisfied, doesn't mean Bakugo will just let himself lose. He rushes Izuku again but during the teen's rant, neither boy notices a particular large part of a spaceship falling right above them.
They still don't notice as Izuku ducks Bakugo's swipe and grabs him, throwing him into the ground and mud beneath their feet. Both of their emotions are out on their sleeves, as Izuku and Bakugo breathe heavily, tired both physically and emotionally from their fight. It's because of that they don't notice until it's too late.
"Bakugo!"
"Izuku!"
The calls wake them up to the large sheet of metal that's about to crush them. If Izuku had still been ranting, he'd say he was mad he was about to die in such a stupid way. But there's no time for that. There's no time for anything. Just action.
Still feeling the rush of letting out his anger, Izuku doesn't realize it when his palms begin to glow, trembling with power. Nor does Bakugo feel the smoke emanating from his foot as he raises it up, his hands having had the sweat washed off by the mud.
Boom!
Boom!
The metal is blown to bits in a brilliant explosion of orange and green as Bakugo and Izuku are launched back out of the smoke and caught by Kirishima and Ochako respectively.
"Guys! Are you okay?!"
"What happened?!"
Shaking their heads in disbelief, both teens stare at each other, mouths open, before looking down at the same time. "Did I just…" Bakugo whispers. "Did I just make an explosion from my fucking foot?!"
Izuku raises his hand, watching as the green glow in his palm dims. "Holy woah…"
"Izuku?"
He looks up at Ochako, looking happier than he has in a while. "I think I just fired an energy blast!"