Chapter 80: Confessing Conversations
Shota doesn't know what he was expecting when he came to check on his class this morning. Maybe some sense of order? Maybe some sense of calm since the kids have had a few days to acclimate to their new living situation? He doesn't know why he'd even hope for that, or have any hope left if he's being honest. He blames Mic.
So, what does he have at the dorms this morning? He sees the floor is covered in broken up ice. Sero makes himself visible from his spot on the ceiling where he's watching the chaos below. His newly found camouflage powers had been a surprise two days ago. Hopefully, whoever Nezu is bringing to help him knows what he's doing.
In the middle of the room, Midoriya is trapped in hardened foam, looking defeated while his pet shark licks his face. Shota can't believe that's a sentence.
Off to the side, Melissa shows an excited Toru the arrow that was probably responsible for trapping his problem child. Mental note to ask her to make more later. And on the other side of the room, Todoroki tries to protect himself in vain as Jiro jabs him repeatedly with her jacks.
Shota can swear he sees the ghost of a smile on the kid's face as he weathers the attacks, Todoroki clearly enjoying himself or whatever he did to incur her mock-wrath, not that she is hurting him anyway. But her quirk does not seem able to hear his apologies.
"Good morning, sir," Yaoyorozu greets him brightly, looking proud of herself. "You will be pleased to know we successfully thwarted Midoriya's planned prank on you this morning."
"Uh huh…" Shota slowly responds, looking around the ice-covered room. "And maybe next time, you can thwart Midoriya without the living room as a casualty."
"She played him!" Jiro calls back happily while continuing her tirade on Todoroki. "She knew Sero and Toru were hiding to ambush us! But she only pretended to get caught to lure Midoriya out!"
Todoroki raises a finger, claiming to have learned his lesson, but Jiro whirls her fury back onto him. "I said you were dead, dude! And you don't look it yet!" Her jabs become even more fierce. "The next time you wanna use music that I showed you as a distraction: Don't. Do. It!" She punctuates every word with a jab.
Shota eyes Yaoyorozu again. "What was he planning on doing?"
"He was going to create an illusion of a cat trapped in the dormitory walls knowing that you would spend the entire day attempting to save it."
Shots re-examines the damage to the room in a new light. "Because of newly found evidence, the sacrifice of the living room here was warranted." Yaoyorozu beams. "But the consequences are not. Get this place cleaned up. We have a couple of things to talk about. Make sure the whole class is here if they aren't."
"Yes, sir!"
"Stop griping, Shota," Nemuri lightly chastises him with a smirk as she brews her coffee. "So what if they trashed the living room? No one got hurt. And we did much worse when we were in school."
"Only because you and Hizashi dragged me along."
"You're welcome," the R-rated hero giggles. "And we're alone now, so you don't have to pretend to be in your perpetual bad mood here."
"Who's pretending?" Shota groans from across the teacher's lounge, his head resting against a couch cushion, eyes closed as he lets the warmth of his sleeping bag envelop him.
"You," Nemuri answers without a hint of irony.
"Says the woman who pretends to be horny all day." Shota is an underground hero, he knows to strike fast and go for vulnerabilities.
"Ask my boyfriend if I'm pretending." Nemuri winks at him. But sometimes, Shota's opponents are ready for him. "Besides, you can fake being all moody and hating life all you want around the kids, but I've seen that extra kick in your step lately."
Shota finally creaks open his eyes, barely lifting his eyes so Nemuri can see how bloodshot they are. "See?" she asks. "You look more alive than ever!"
"Which is more than I'm going to be able to say about you in a moment if you don't drop it."
"Fine, fine," Nemuri acquiesces. She reaches up in the cabinet for a couple of mugs and some sugar packets. "But speaking of the kids, are they starting their license training today?"
"Technically not," Shota replies, relaxing once again into the couch. "But I did explain to them our expectations before I left. Development of their ultimate moves, displaying acceptable control over new support items, etcetera. They will hopefully use today to figure out what they want to focus on while Nezu sorts out his guest instructors."
"Like who?"
"The Avengers have been looking for you, brother."
Loki chuckles as his brother closes the door to his and Inko's home. "It's great to see you too." He stands by a window, arms behind his back. "I assume you're here because you were also invited to help Izuku's class prepare for their exam? And Inko told you I was here?"
"She did."
Shrugging a little, Loki hums. "I suppose I cannot blame her. She always becomes so excited with the prospect of getting involved in Izuku's life. Only a fool would stand in her way, and I am not one."
"You're avoiding the subject."
"No, just merely trying to engage in some friendly small talk." Loki turns fully around to face Thor. "If I don't go with you, do you plan to bring me to them in chains? It wouldn't be the first time," Loki quips with a small devilish grin.
"No, because you are not in any trouble." Thor softens his stance, taking slow and methodical steps forward to get closer to Loki. "I simply want you to come back with me so we can all have a nice and simple conversation about where you obtained the Reality Stone."
"Thor, you wound me." Loki acts mock-offended, placing a hand on his chest. "Has your trust in me been shaken so easily? After I have been almost nothing but a model citizen for centuries now?"
"You have stabbed me more times than I can count in those centuries." Loki shrugs his words off. "You knocked down several pillars of Stonehenge, baffling human scientists." The God of Mischief doesn't react. "You convinced a surprisingly large number of humans that the world is flat."
"I didn't think that one would work."
"And that birds are government drones."
"That one either."
"The point is," Thor gets them back on track, "even you can admit you haven't exactly been a saint during that time." He shakes his head. "My trust in you is stronger than ever, but brother, you must meet me halfway. Trust goes both ways, does it not? So, if you are unwilling to speak with the team," he sits at the dining table, placing his 'umbrella' down with a large clank. "Perhaps you'll speak to me? Brother to brother. No chains. No judgment. As it should be."
Loki takes a long while to move, content with simply staring his brother down. But Thor is steadfast and doesn't waver, not budging until Loki decides he's had enough. He goes over and grabs a basket of bread rolls Inko made and brings them to the table as a sort of peace offering.
"Very well. I can see you are in one of your stubborn moods, so if it will move this conversation along, I will-" Loki pauses as a bread roll smacks him in the face, before taking a deep breath to calm himself. He opens his eyes after a second breath to glare at Thor.
"I just needed to be sure you are here."
Loki sighs. "Very well," he repeats. "I will trust you, as you have done the same for me." Thor smiles. "To start, brother, I have a confession. I have not been totally honest with you."
"…I have never been more shocked by anything in my life."
"Thor…"
"And that is coming from a man who summons lightning to himself everyday!"
"Thor!" The God of Thunder snickers. Loki is already deeply regretting his choice. He exhales again. "Do you recall what happened to the Reality Stone after the war?"
"Of course." Thor leans back into his seat, biting into his bread roll and humming in approval. "We gathered all six stones, and it was Thanos who suggested we use the Power Stone to destroy the others. It was only after the Time, Mind, and Space stones were gone did we realize we could not destroy the Power Stone without all other five stones, but by then it was too late."
He takes another bite of his roll. "Do you have any butter?" Loki nods and gets up, taking a few rolls with him. He retrieves a stick of butter from the fridge and begins to cut the bread up. Thor continues. "Without a way to destroy them ourselves, we gave the Reality and Soul Stones to the Celestials to destroy, while Father kept the Power Stone. But the Soul Stone proved to be too powerful, so it was hidden-"
"On Vormir." Thor turns around in surprise as Loki continues to slice up bread. He glances back at his brother. "Don't look so surprised. Mother told me before she passed."
The God of Thunder chuckles, shaking his head good-naturedly. "Of course she did. But no matter. That stone should be safe. I'm sure she also told you that to reach the stone, the planet requires a soul for a soul-"
Loki's knife slips, scratching his cutting board with a horrible grating sound. Thor peers up, shocked, but the other god doesn't seem to notice what just happened. "It wasn't just a soul brother, it requires the soul of someone you love," Loki corrects him quietly.
"Yes… it does," Thor says slowly, still confused by what happened. "Loki, your hand." The Mischief God looks down and sees he left a sizable gash in his palm. "There's blood on it."
Loki stares at it for a few seconds. "Yes. There is." He moves the cutting board out of the way to clean his hand in the sink.
"Strange," Thor observes. "I don't remember the last time I saw you falter with a blade."
"Even gods make mistakes." Loki wraps a bandage quickly around his hand and finishes up with the clean food he had prepared. "Want something to drink? I'd offer you tea but I know your preferences." He opens the fridge to show Thor a shelf of beer, which causes him to laugh. Loki chuckles a little too.
He brings the food to the table, clinking beer bottles with Thor, before they both chug them in a single gulp and shatter them on the ground. "Dammit," Loki shakes his head, a rueful smile on his face. "I'm going to have to clean that up before Inko gets home."
"Indeed, but I'll help you." Thor grabs another beer, getting one for Loki as well. "Now that we've established I remember where the Reality Stone went after the war, the question remains, how did you come by it?"
"There isn't much of a story there." Loki plays with the bottle in his hand. "You know how those poser-god Celestials operate. They treated the stone like a trinket for years before they became bored with it, allowing it to become lost in the cosmos." He flicks the cap off the bottle. "Eventually, it landed in the hands of the Collector, and after some… persuasion, I obtained it from him."
"That begs another question, why did you want it?"
Loki scoffs humorously. "The allure of owning an infinity stone isn't enough for me?"
"No," Thor laughs, taking another big swig of his beer. "Brother, you carry a lot of madness with you, but there is always a reason for it. Which means you wanted that stone for something."
"Maybe I've underestimated you." Loki sips his drink. "But you are correct, I had a reason." Thor waits patiently while his brother finds his words, an unusual occurrence. "Growing up on Asgard, I wished for many things." Thor frowns. "As a child, I wished to know why I had been born so small. Why my peers cast me aside, despite us looking the same. Why, despite my mother constantly claiming that with my magic, there were no limits, I could not use my power to make myself truly one of you?"
He places his drink down. "Why could I not change anything?" He picks up a piece of bread. "And by the time I found an item capable of shaping my reality to whatever I wished, that part of my life was gone. And not long after, I had a family to look after. A son. And I can use the stone to make sure I do it right this time."
Thor hums. "And why does that require a stone? I'm sure you are more than enough as you are."
"I'm really not."
"Don't say that."
"I will. You insisted I not lie."
"Loki, you never needed an infinity stone to be a good father."
"I do."
"That's ridiculous."
"Is it?" Loki challenges. "Let's tally up the score of my children, shall we?" He waves his hands and illusions appear on the table as he speaks. "Narfi and Vali are dead. I had to use Jorm as a bargaining chip with the Atlanteans so they would not start an all out war with Asgard over Rogers' damn shield. Sleipnir is bound to Father in service. And lastly, Fenrir is rotting in an Asgardian prison consumed with his hatred of me. So, pardon me Thor, but yes, I do believe I needed a stone to be a good father for once!"
Loki takes a breath, his eyes widening a little when he realizes he's standing, having just pounded his fist on the table. He sighs, fixing his tie. "I thought the stone was the key to giving at least one of my children a good life. Would you not do the same for Denki?" Thor doesn't answer.
The God of Mischief nods, exhaling and falling back into his chair. He places the beer bottle to his forehead as he stares up at the ceiling. It is Thor's turn to mull over his words. "This is probably little comfort now, but things always seemed different to me about you and your family here. And I think you could've done a fine job without the stone."
Loki rubs a hand down his face. "You're right." Thor brightens. "That was little comfort."
"Brother-"
"I joke!" Loki leans forward, laughing, causing Thor to do the same, the brothers just taking the moment to enjoy each other's company. That is, until Loki speaks again. "Since we are being honest… I have another confession to make."
"Go on," Thor replies cautiously.
"Another reason I did not come forward with the stone is because I may have used it in a few ways neither the Avengers or especially you would have approved of."
Thor's next word comes out as a tired groan. "Loki…"
"It was for a good cause, I assure you." Loki uses his telekinesis to grab them more beers. "Call it a second chance. Like the one I received from all of you."
"What did you do?"
"I'll tell you, and when I do, I know you'll immediately want to involve Izuku and Denki. I just request that we wait until after their exam to tell them-"
"Loki, my patience is thinning."
"I just warn you brother, because I know of your tendency to treat every problem like a nail because of your hammer-"
Thunder rocks the sky outside.
"Very well, I'll tell you! But the boys?"
"I swear not to say anything until after their exam," Thor repeats, annoyed. "Now what is it?" Loki tells him and after he does, Thor thinks on it for a moment, trying to be rational.
That also lasts a moment.
"YOU DID WHAT?!"
"I know I haven't spent as much time with your class as you have Shota…" Nemuri chews her lip as the coffee maker beeps. "But I think they're going to crush that exam."
"It's still our job to ensure they are as prepared as they can be."
"You didn't disagree with me," Nemuri points out with a smirk. Shota says nothing. "Anyway, while you were brooding in the corner, I visited the dorms earlier too."
"Nezu's test for Hizashi's new best friend, Wilson," Shota figures.
"Do I detect a hint of jealousy?"
"It's relief. Finally, someone to take him off my hands. Now I just need to find someone for you."
"Don't worry, Shota, we'd never abandon you," Nemuri snickers when Shota groans some more. She knows he doesn't mean any of it. "But yes, I went with Wade, he insisted I call him that, to see for myself how he conducts himself in front of the kids."
"How'd he do?"
"Give me a challenge," Deadpool mocks Midnight. "What his hero name should be is obvious!" He gestures to a pissed-off Bakugo.
He's met with silence by all the students around him. "What? It can't just be me. C'mon! He's Japanese and likes to blow up? His name should be Kamikaze-!"
"What's your sign?" Toru asks Deadpool.
"Cancer."
"Media relations? I can do that!" Deadpool spins around to face the class. "When dealing with reporters, I've always found it best to take the 'necrophiliac alone in a morgue' approach."
"Wade, wait-"
"Fuck everyone! Who cares what they think about you?! Just be yourself!"
"Some actual good advice."
"Not helping, Shota."
Wade flips through the textbook. "Oh! Here we go. Okay, class, you see a black man being attacked by two other men as they use racial slurs, what crime do you charge the men with?"
"Assault?" Ojiro asks.
Yaoyorozu shakes her head. "It sounds as if there is actual physical harm, so they should be charged with battery to start."
Deadpool makes a buzzer sound. "Wrong! Impersonating a police officer. Next-"
"This is a mall. This is the Grand Canyon. This is the bodega that makes some of the best chimichangas you'll ever have." Deadpool flicks through his presentation to the class. "That's Avengers tower. This is what it looks like when security escorts you out of Avengers tower. And oh! This is a typical American gun range."
"Wade, that's a high school."
"Villains love to monologue. Odds are, at least one will do it to you when you go pro," Deadpool explains to the class. "It's just one of those things that's like kids with cancer, it never gets old." He flips a page in the textbook. "So, anyway-"
"That's a pretty dark joke to make," Shoji says aloud.
"I was going to allude to the same thing," Tokoyami speaks up. "It is pretty morbid."
"No, no, you can't use both! There's a difference!" Wade snaps the textbook close. "A dark joke is about ten kids in one dumpster. A morbid joke is one kid in ten dumpsters."
Nemuri carefully pours her and Shota's coffee in their mugs. "He may need continued supervision."
Class 1-A's homeroom teacher hums. "Such a waste of time. I hope the others are at least finding ways to make their time today useful."
"Let me get this straight."
Tenko tries not to cringe as Tsu unabashedly stares at him right in the eyes. Even with that, he doesn't miss the reeling faces of shock from all of his closest friends around him. "Not only does our class have two aliens that are related to literal myths, but you inherited the quirk of the number one hero, who chose you to be his successor? A quirk that has been passed on for generations to beat the guy it just took a city full of heroes to stop? Did I get everything?"
Tenko really doesn't want to say it, but he'd rather rip off the entire bandaid now. "Uh…" He rubs his hands together nervously. "I have one more confession. I am also, sorta, randomly unlocking the quirks of all the heroes that had One for All before me…" Tsu's gaze continues to bore into him. "Just so you know…"
"…Ribbit." Tenko didn't think it was possible for Tsu to be at a loss for words but here we are. Is it dumb his biggest worry right now is if she'll still want to go out with him? Dammit, he's an idiot. He should've told her this first! Especially since he has no idea how everyone else will-
"Your class keeps getting better and better!" Tokage exclaims, being the first of the squad to move, jumping to her feet. "Aliens, gods, and now All Might's successor?! This is- wait, what?" She listens to something for a moment. "If you knew, why didn't you tell me?!"
Venom forms its head next to Tokage. "It is obvious."
"I'll show you obvious-"
"You knew?" Tenko tilts his head at the symbiote.
"Of course." Venom untangles its head from where Tokage had tried to 'choke' it. "We are quite familiar with the third user."
"So, you can help me learn their quirk when I unlock it?!"
"For a price."
"You can't eat All Might," Tokage tells the symbiote flatly.
"I would never!" Venom whirls its head around, insulted. "Have you seen how damaged his organs are?! He'd be hardly worth a bite!" It looks back at Tenko. "How would you feel introducing us to the hero Fat Gum-"
"That's enough out of you!" Tokage yanks Venom's head back, covering its mouth.
Shinso clicks his tongue. "Apparently, after learning one of the biggest secrets in the country, I can watch a girl argue with the alien parasite in her body and not blink. Neat. This is what I get for giving friendship a chance."
Midoriya gives him two thumbs up. "And there's no going back!" He replies with a big grin. "You're officially part of the group!"
"When did that happen?"
"Me and Denki talked about it and we decided it becomes official after surviving at least two villain attacks with everybody." Izuku conjures a notebook and flips to a certain page as Denki nods beside him. "That and you have to help with a prank, which you did." Todoroki snickers. "We have a few other requirements you have already passed. Although, those could have been waived if you were dating someone in the class."
"Well that's not happening." Shinso's phone dings and he peers down at it, a little smile appearing on his face at the picture Mina had sent him of her cat stretching.
"Yet?" Denki snickers, leaning over to get a look.
"I will make you walk off a bridge." That just makes the other boy laugh harder. Shinso sighs, eliciting more giggles. "Listen, Tenko, you're still cool," The decay user brightens at his friend's approval, some of his worry over the talk crumbling, "but these reality shattering conversations are getting tiring, so if anyone else has a huge secret, you should just say it."
"One secret at a time!" Uraraka grabs her head. "My parents warned me how much different the city would be to Mie…"
"I don't think aliens and ancient quirks are what they had in mind," Midoriya jokes.
"It's still crazy though!" Uraraka replies.
"Says the girl wearing the ancient magical rings on her arms that are probably older than Tenko's quirk?…" Kaminari points out. "Unless you finally get wanna give me one-"
"No!" Uraraka immediately shuts him down. "But this is different from the whole alien thing! Maybe it's not as shocking, but it's different because it's All Might! He's always been so pure, it's impossible to picture him keeping a secret like this!" She sighs, falling against Midoriya. "Just when I thought we knew everything…"
"All we truly know is there is a lot we don't know," Iida's mouth forms a thin line.
"That wouldn't be bad on a shirt…" Midoriya speculates, before Uraraka suddenly jumps off him.
"And you! How are you so calm?! You just learned the biggest secret about your favorite hero ever and you're thinking about shirts!"
"You too, Kaminari." Tokage narrows her eyes.
The alien bros stiffen under the intense stares. "Oh my goodness!" Midoriya tries to sound convincing. He's not. "What a crazy secret we j-just l-learned, right Denki?"
"Right!" Kamianri swallows, not looking anyone in the eye. "This is brand new information!"
"Wow! What was it called again? O-One for None?"
"No, no Izuku, I think he said One for Some!"
"Ohhhhh!" Midoriya and Kamianri laugh loudly, scratching the back of their heads. "Well that-"
"You two knew, didn't you," Uraraka says. It isn't a question.
"Yeah, we knew."
"One hundred percent."
Shinso looks back and forth between the demigods and the rest of them. "How did they keep the fact they're aliens a secret for so long again?"
"They kind of didn't." Tsu places a finger to her cheek. "Uraraka had Midoriya confessing to her three weeks after they met." Said green-haired alien blushes while his girlfriend smiles smugly at him. "Iida, Tenko, and Todoroki found out right after during Hosu, which prompted Midoriya to tell me so I wouldn't be left out - that was appreciated by the way, ribbit - so if you really think about it, they didn't do a very good job at-"
"Thank you, Tsu!" Midoriya finally interrupts her, redder than ever. Her face remains neutral, but Tenko can tell she's pleased with herself. Shaking his head and letting some of his blush die down, Midoriya gives an apologetic look to his girlfriend. "And sorry. I would've told you at the mall, but I didn't think it was my secret to tell."
Uraraka waves off his apology, giving her boyfriend a side hug. "You don't have to apologize. I'd never expect you to tell me something like that."
"You said you are expecting to unlock the quirks of the past users?" Todoroki asks, looking up from his notebook. He is the only other person who's face hasn't changed. "Because Blackwhip was never a power we saw displayed by All Might, we can assume that's one of them?"
Tenko nods. "Yeah, the fifth user's." Todoroki writes that down. "You're not freaking out?"
"Your quirk never made sense to me. I had several theories as to why," the two-toned boy responds matter-of-factly, not looking up. "Although, I admit, none involved All Might. Perhaps if you had displayed the strength part of your quirk sooner, I could have deduced it. Just as I deduced that Midoriya is related to Star and Stripe."
"Todoroki! Not this again! You know my powers are magic!"
"Yes, and I have ruled out secret love child."
"Thank you-"
"But not aunt. Or perhaps a distant cousin."
Both Uraraka and Kaminari instantly grab Midoriya when he conjures a knife. The former is quick to stir the conversation away. "Well, whether it's learning to control your strength or one of your new quirks, we're going to be there to help you! Right everyone?!"
"Absolutely!" Iida jumps to his feet. "We have been entrusted with this secret! How could we call ourselves heroes, much less friends, if we did not support Tenko when he needs us!" The group responds with a 'yeah!' The loudest being from Tsu with even two quieter ones from Shinso and Todoroki. "That's the spirit of hero students! And because of that, I will not even comment on the irony of how upset Tenko was learning that Midoriya is an alien, when he himself was harboring secrets!"
Tenko facepalms while Tsu pats his back, laughing softly. He opens his mouth to argue, but Midoriya's phone dings before he can. "Looks like Aizawa-sensei wants everyone downstairs to have that talk."
Everyone offers their support to Tenko one more time before slowly filing out of the room, leaving Tenko and Tsu alone. He exhales, trying to get rid of his jitters. "Are you mad?"
Tsu blinks slowly at him. Again, her face is neutral, but he can somewhat tell what she's saying to him. 'Really?' "About not telling me about your quirk? Of course not. About you lying to us so we'd leave when your sister was around at the camp? A little."
Tenko doesn't even try to stop his cringe this time. "I know. And I know it's cliche to say I wanted to protect you all 'cause that's All Might would've done but…" he sighs. "I can't use the same build as him. The items that All Might used just won't work for me. Like not telling anyone close to him about One for All."
His eyes widen when Tsu takes his hand. A part of him is still stunned with how easily she holds his hand, gloved or not. "I'd say you're off to a great start."
"Sorry for lying at the camp."
"Sorry for not getting to you in time."
Tenko shakes his head. "You don't have to-"
"And neither do you," Tsu cuts him off. "There's no point in us trying to go around in circles to try and take them blame for what happened or who feels sorry more. Let's just promise to be better, okay? Ribbit."
Tenko is stunned for a moment before smiling. "Did I ever tell you I love how direct you are? Takes all the guessing away and I always sucked at those games." Tsu croaks out a chuckle, squeezing his hand as the pair make their way to the door.
Tenko stretches his free arm over his head. "Hopefully this won't take too long. I'm over all of these confessing conversations we've had lately."
"Traitor?!" Most of class 1-A yells at Aoyama.
"You really did it, huh?"
Shota emerges from his cocoon at the smell of coffee. "Yes. Confessing to the class his part in the USJ attack was one of Aoyama's conditions to stay enrolled." He takes Nemuri's coffee while she's looking for a spoon to add sugar and cream to it.
She smiles, seeing he knows exactly how much she likes. "How'd they take it?"
"About as you'd expect." He passes back her coffee and begins to prepare his own. "Shock. Denial. Anger. Lots of yelling. Mostly from Bakugo." He swirls an unhealthy amount of sugar into his drink. "But there was one unexpected thing that happened."
Shota sighs while Aoyama, for the first time, looks like he hates being the center of attention. Sorry kid, this is necessary to move on. But at the same time, the underground hero doesn't stop him when Aoyama subtly moves closer to him for comfort.
"No, no! It was only at the USJ, I swear!" Aoyama crosses his heart, shaking as he waves his hands at the onslaught of questions and accusations his classmates had been throwing at him.
Shota raises an eyebrow when it's Ashido of all people who stands up, her head down and mouth twisted uncomfortably. The class quiets down as she marches up to Aoyama. Shota doesn't believe she'll do anything, but he puts a hand on his scarf anyway.
Finally, she looks up, her dark eyes wet. "Just the USJ?" Ashido asks, voice trembling. Aoyama, for his part, makes an effort not to look away from her as she gets closer and closer to him. "You mean the USJ where we all had to fight villains, fight for our lives for the first time? The USJ that I had to run from crying to get any teachers to come back with me and hope I didn't come back to a building full of my dead new friends? That USJ?!"
Aoyama ducks his head a little, his hair covering his own wet eyes as he nods. Ashido's trembling starts to translate to her entire body. "Was any of it real? Was anything you told us true?"
"Oui, oui!" Aoyama nods his head so rapidly, a few tears fly off. "Everything! Besides my, uh, affiliations, everything I told you about myself was true! I swear!" He crosses his heart.
Ashido sniffles, wiping her nose. "Including that they'd kill your parents if you didn't listen?" The tears start to fall for real from Aoyama's eyes as he nods again. Ashido continues to glare at him for seemingly minutes on end.
"S-sorry," Aoyama whispers, almost too afraid to speak.
Eventually, Ashido raises her hand. Aoyama flinches, but she shoves a finger in his face. "I love my parents a lot," she says in a low voice. "And I don't know what I would've done if I was in your shoes." Aoyama's eyes grow wider. She drops her arm. "Sorry isn't good enough. Not yet. You're on thin ice, mister."
"Good on her, I always knew Ashido had it in her." Nemuri clinks her coffee with Shota, taking a long sip.
Shota nods, letting the bitter roast help open his eyes. "Thanks." He holds his coffee to her. "Will you be able to check in on the kids this evening? I have to take Midoriya out of school for a little bit."
"No problem. I have to go back with Wade to observe him some more anyway."
"Perfect. I'll be off the ground just in time for that." He sips his drink. "The entire class should be present, except for Kaminari." Nemuri raises an eyebrow, and Shota shrugs. "Nezu approved that little trip of his."
"You're crazy to bring us here, you know that?"
"What? Dr. Strange owed my dad one last favor."
"And I still can't believe you're using it on me!" Tokage screeches. "I mean, the most powerful sorcerer on Earth says he'll do you a favor and you use it to show me dinosaurs?!" She gestures to the forested area they walk through.
"Is that supposed to be a bad thing?" Denki snickers in response. "I promised you Dinos for our first date and the Prince of Thunder always delivers."
Tokage snorts. "Dork." There's the sound of a twig snapping and Tokage whirls around eagerly, looking for her first dinosaur, but she can't find anything.
He winks. "Always. Now we just gotta find 'em." He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a paper map of the Savage Land, unfolding it. Turns out that the ancient world located beneath Antarctica doesn't have cell signal. Go figure.
"Wait, what are those places you circled?" Tokage asks, getting a good look at his map as he finishes opening it.
"Okay, confession time. I didn't know much about the place when I promised to bring you here. So, I borrowed some of Izuku's books and read a ton about it before we came." Denki points to the location he emphasized with black pen. "These are all the places I wanna show you."
"Dude!" Tokage gives him a light shove. "You didn't- you didn't have to do all that! I thought we were just gonna go hiking!"
"And have people say that Denki Kaminari half-asses a date? Never!"
"This coming from the guy who barely does his homework?!"
"I actually care about this!"
Tokage shakes her head in fond exasperation, looking back at her map. "What about all of these places you crossed out in red?"
"Oh, that's to make sure we don't go to those areas." He pointed to each place as he talked about them. "Like this place is the Altar of Death, that should be obvious. This one is skull island, also obvious. This area over here is where all the tribes are. Human, monkey, bird, reptiles, hybrids, you name it. Better to avoid them. And this large area over here is owned by the Atlantean Empire. Apparently, if we go there we can cause an 'international incident,'" he air quotes the last part. "So we should- why are you smiling so much?"
When Tokage doesn't answer, it dawns on him. "Me describing all of those places made you wanna go more, didn't it?"
She nods shamelessly. "Hell yeah! What do you say? Causing an international incident on a first date isn't too much for you, is it?" Before he can answer, she starts to laugh again. "I'm just messing with you! Besides." She lifts up the map. "It looks like you worked hard on this, so I wanna see what you have to show me."
He smiles brightly, excited. He's so excited that he doesn't notice how just seeing him happy makes Tokage go a little red. "Okay! I have the perfect spot!"
After another twenty minutes of walking, Denki is about to point to a top of a hill that overlooks a popular watering hole for dinosaurs, before they hear the sound of sad whimpering through the trees. It stops the teens in their path.
"Did you hear that?" Tokage asks. Denki nods, straining his ears to listen. She detaches her ears to help search for the source. The whimper sounds again. Tokage's ears whiz in the direction. "It sounds like it's hurt! C'mon, this way!" Before he can stop her, the green-haired girl is sprinting through the trees, leaving Denki no choice but to run after her.
To be fair, he did have them aimlessly running through a dinosaur-riddled forest at some point today, but it wasn't supposed to be this early!
It only takes a minute before they find the dino, moaning in pain on the ground. The Pterodactyl hisses at the hero students as they slowly approach. Its long beak opens slightly, exposing rows of large jagged teeth. It backs up awkwardly against the trees. One of its wings is bent at an awkward angle, probably broken.
"Holy shit," Tokage breathes. "An actual real life- and it's right in front of me. Dude. Dude! DUDE! Do you see it?! Right there! Right. Freaking. There." She emphasizes every word with a point of her finger.
"It's k-kinda h-hard to m-miss!" Denki manages to say as Tokage shakes him. She realizes what she's doing and stops, but that does nothing to wipe the widest grin he's ever seen on her face. "Thanks. How did a Pterodactyl get its wing broken?"
For the first time since they saw it, Tokage looks away from the Dino, shooting Denki an offended look. "Pterodactyl?! Don't insult him like that! That's a Tropeognathus! Look how big it is! Most Pterosaur can only ever hope to get that large!"
Tokage slowly approaches the agitated creature, her hand extended. "Did you know that at some point in the mid nineteenth century, every large fragmentary pterosaur known was involved with the Tropeognathus?"
Denki shakes his head. He can honestly say he didn't know that. Or what exactly that means. Tokage nods, her excitement seemingly knowing no bounds. "Yeah! I never imagined I'd ever get the chance to pet one! Come over here and try! Just don't touch the crest on its beaks, they were pretty weak."
The Tropeognathus growls and Tokage squeals. "Kaminari! Did you see that?! It just threatened us! So cool! And how could it not be?! It's a Pterosaurl!! A dinosaur!! Living and breathing! I mean okay, it's technically not a dinosaur but a flying reptile but screw all those people, there's a dinosaur in front of us!" Tokage reaches out and in the blink of an eye, the flying Dino snaps its head forward, biting her hand clean off.
"Oh my gods!" She screams, reeling her arm back to look at the stump where her hand used to be.
"Tokage!" Denki grabs her in alarm. "Are you okay-"
"This is the best day ever!" The son of Thor deflates as his date celebrates her amputation. "Not only did I get to see a dinosaur, but get my hand bitten off by one too?! How many people get to say that?!"
Denki can't help himself. The last few seconds have been so ridiculous, he starts to laugh. "I guess not many. Doesn't that hurt though?"
"Loads!" Tokage happily admits. "I am in so much pain right now! But don't care 'cause this is the greatest day of my life!" She spins around joyfully. "Well, that, and I can do this. Venom?" Her hand regenerates. "That's better," she sighs, flexing her fingers.
She uses her newly formed hand to crush Denki in a hug. It's like she's trying to copy the dinosaur with how fast she moves, he doesn't even see her coming. "Thank you! You're amazing! Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou!"
Another pained moan escapes the Tropeognathus' mouth as the ancient creature attempts to walk away but can't fold its broken wing in properly to walk. The flying reptile seems to make a noise of frustration, before trying to force its wing in, but that only causes more pain.
Watching the first dinosaur she's ever seen be in so much pain puts a damper on Tokage's mood. "Oh no…"
"Yeah…" Denki responds, wishing he could do something to help.
From Tokage's back, Venom's head emerges. "I know you told me to remain silent while you are with your mate," both teens blush a little, "but you do have a way to help the creature."
Tokage tilts her head. "How?"
"This is awesome!!"
"Okay, maybe having an alien parasite choose you as a host has its perks!"
Denki and Tokage yell when the giant flying reptile they're riding suddenly takes a dive. Turns out, Venom's idea was to have it bond with the Tropeognathus and use his healing abilities to fix its wing. The part about riding the now symbiote-infused Dino? That was all Tokage.
After Venom reassured her it would be fine of course.
Despite Venom having a hold of their legs with a few of his tendrils, Denki can't help but lean forward, grabbing onto the Pterosaur as best as he can to keep his balance. He gasps when he feels Tokage doing the same, but grabbing him instead.
The feeling is intoxicating. The wind rushing past his face, Tokage holding onto him and laughing. The only thing he could do without is Venom giving him a tiny wink.
Tokage snugs closer to him as they level out, flying over a waterfall.
…Okay maybe Venom isn't the worst wingman.
In more ways than one as the symbiote takes them down through an open plane, flying past so many dinosaurs, Denki couldn't keep up. But Tokage certainly could.
"Look, look! That's a Spinosaurus! And the one with the armored tail fighting it off? That's an Ankylosaurus! I bet Tetsu would love that guy! And- holy crap! You might not believe this but that Dino there has five-hundred teeth!! It's called a-"
"Woah, Venom! Low bridge dude!" Denki calls out as a Brachiasaurus suddenly whips its tail out in front of them. But Venom reacts quickly and flies them underneath, close to the ground. So close they begin to glide at the same level a small pack of Velociraptors are running.
"I wish they were as big as they are in the movies!" Denki leans a bit closer, trusting Venom to keep a hold of him. Something his dad says he shouldn't make a habit of. "'Cause right now, it's like we're flying next to a bunch of chickens!"
"Don't listen to him babies!" Tokage detaches her hands, and they float over to the Dinos, dodging the snapping maws of one of the velociraptors to pet it. The dinosaur-loving teen squeals. "That's right! You're still a ferocious bird of prey who wouldn't hesitate to gut and eat us! Yes, you are!"
"Uh, Venom?" Denki prompts. The symbiote doesn't need any further explanation and with a flap of its wings, lifts them high back into the air.
"So, you've been watching Dinosaur movies huh?" Denki peers behind him, trying to look innocent, before working to keep his blush down as Tokage once again leans forward onto him, wrapping her arms around his midsection. She wriggles her eyebrows at him. "Which ones?"
"Any I could find!" Denki laughs and admits. "I even watched a few documentaries so my brain wouldn't be completely fried when you start to nerd out!"
He snickers when Tokage tickles him in the side. "Watch it!" she teases him. Denki tries to swat her hands away, but it's no use. He's subjected to her retaliation for the next few seconds, the pair laughing together as they enjoy the feeling of flying through the air. "But thanks, dude… you didn't have to do that."
"Nah, it's alright. It wasn't as many as you think-"
"No, I mean any of this!" Tokage swats him playfully. "You know I would've been cool with like, dinner and a movie, yeah?" She says in amusement, part of her still not believing the things she had seen that day.
Denki half turns around, resting one of his legs on Venom to face her. "Yeah, but Tokage-"
"Setsuna." She bursts out laughing at his bewildered expression. "What? C'mon man, you're making my one dream I never thought possible come true! If that doesn't earn you first name rights, I don't know what does!"
Venom makes a sound of disgust. "Bleh. So corny!"
Tokag- Setsuna leans over. "Shut it, you!" She turns back to Denki, laughing somewhat nervously. "So, yeah man," she leans back on her hands, trying to appear nonchalant but her constant clenching and unclenching of her fists betray her. "You can call me Setsuna if you want. You don't have-"
"Denki!" The teen demigod replies way too quickly and with a far too high-pitched voice. He clears his throat. Setsuna giggles but doesn't say anything. "Denki. You can call me Denki." He shrugs, surprisingly doing a much better job at appearing casual as he smirks at her. "You know, if you want."
"Why you-" A roar from down below catches them off-guard. Setsuna looks down, eyes going wide while a huge smile spreads across her face. On the ground, several dinosaurs make a break for the tree line as a Tyrannosaurus Rex chases them down. It corners one of the herbivores, before chomping down on its prey with its gaping jaws, killing it with a giant crack!
"Wow…" Setsuna chuckles, shaking her head, not taking her eyes off the scene despite how gory it is. "Guess I was wrong about the T-Rex."
Denki watches it too with wide eyes. "I won't hold this one against you..." he says in awe, still watching the ancient predator tear apart its meal. He begins to turn back to Setsuna. "But you won't be so lucky next ti- oof!"
His eyes nearly bulge out of his head as, before he can even register what she's doing, Setsuna was kissing him.
It's like his brain is short circuiting, unable to process what's happening, not even to close his eyes. Seconds feel like hours until Setsuna backs away, looking far too smug for his liking. She gets a good look at him.
"So… still feel that spark between us, dude?" she asks, her smile not dropping. Denki's mind flashes back to when they first met.
"I'd stop if I were you." Denki walks up beside Setsuna. "Midoriya and Uraraka have a teasing quota and if you go past it, he'll fall over and she will leave you on the ceiling for way longer than you think she can…"
Setsuna laughs. "Nah, that's fine." She bumps shoulders with him. "I felt more of a…spark between us dude."
An actual bolt of electricity shoots up Denki's body before he answers by being the one to kiss her next. Like him, she's caught by surprise but recovers much quicker, snaking her arms around his neck to pull him in for a deeper kiss. He reciprocates by pressing his hands to her hips, feeling satisfied when she leans forward into his touch.
The kiss is sloppy. They bump noses several times. The wind is still whistling in their ears as it blows both their hair in every direction, and Denki wouldn't change it for the world.
They separate when air becomes a problem, laughing at one another. "And here I thought the flirt would have more experience," she teases.
"And you call what you were doing experience?!"
The pair continue to laugh together, holding each other, their faces not far apart. When the teens finally begin to calm themselves, Denki falls into an easy grin. "Enjoy yourself, Setsuna?"
He makes sure she knows he can feel her shiver. And it's not from the cold. "You blew those boyfriend standards out of the water, Denki." Maybe he shivers too. "But that just means it's time for me to raise the girlfriend standards! Get ready 'cause I'm gonna rock your world on our next date!"
She flashes a mischievous smile at him. "But I wanna be a much better kisser by then…"
Denki understands the assignment. "Sounds like you could use some practice?" They lean in again, their bodies feeling significantly hotter than the first time, but before they can kiss, they're both drenched in water.
"Venom!!" The new couple yells. The symbiote had flown them through a geyser of water.
"Hey, do not forget whose back you're on before you get too hot back there!" Venom snaps. "Or I'll have to cool you off again!"
"Young love," Nemuri coos while Shota scoffs.
"More like distraction."
"Don't be such a grump, Shota." The other hero gives him a sharp look. "You wouldn't say that about Emi."
"I would and I have."
"Suuuure. You know what I think? I think you actually like the attention she gives you!" Nemuri accuses. She laughs loudly when he glares at her, activating his quirk.
"Midoriya should be here by now." Shota finishes his coffee. "He and I should get going." Nemuri gets ready to point out how he's using his student to get out of the conversation, but before she can, the door opens and Logan walks in.
He stalks over to the table, sniffing the coffee. "Got anything stronger?"
"Your kids giving you a headache too?" Nemuri snickers.
Logan just grunts. "Yeah. I also brought Kamala to the school today. Hope the kid can get her fangirling out of her system before the rest of 'em start their training."
"Aww." Nemuri looks past him. "Where is she?"
"Waiting room."
Midnight nods. "Well, if you want something stronger, you're better off checking Power Loader's hidden stash in his office. Right Shota?" She expects her friend to make a snide comment, but when he's silent, Nemuri really looks at him. He's gone deathly pale. "Shota? What's wrong?"
He doesn't answer, looking up at Logan. "You told her to go to the waiting room?"
"Yeah? What's the big deal?"
"…That's where I told Midoriya to wait for me." The three educators look at each other momentarily, before rushing out of the room.
By the time they get there, it's too late.
"You're just grasping at straws!"
"And you're ignoring the facts! Look!" Midoriya conjures a notebook so both he and Kamala can look at it. "See? I've taken extensive notes. Miruko has enhanced strength, speed, agility, reflexes, everything! She stomps Squirrel Girl in a one on one!"
"Now who's ignoring facts?!" Kamala swipes to something on her phone and shoves it in Midoriya's face. "Squirrel Girl has all of that too! And an enhanced jaw! She can chew through steel! Can Miruko say that?"
"Yeah, well, look at Miruko's ears! Enhanced hearing!"
"Squirrel Girl has enhanced sight because of her squirrel abilities! And night vision!"
"Miruko is a master of hand-to-hand combat!"
"Squirrel girl has a knuckle spike she can retract!"
Wolverine looks at his fist.
"That's so cool! But Miruko's animal senses let her know of any danger nearby!"
"Squirrel Girl can actually talk to squirrels!"
"Miruko has a better pain tolerance than almost any hero! Not to mention she's just ferocious and cool!"
"…Okay, I'll give that to you, she is extremely cool! But Squirrel Girl has the cutest, most bushiest tail you've ever seen - that she can use in combat!" Kamala puts down her phone. "Just a warning, no one knows more about heroes than me. I can do this all day."
"Then you've met your match! No one out-heroes Izuku Midoriya!"
Kamala gasps, surprising the other teen. "Izuku M- I knew you looked familiar! You were the runner up at the UA Sports Festival!"
Midoriya's jaw drops. "You recognize me?"
Kamala nods eagerly. "Yeah! Your last fight with Denki Kaminari was amazing!" She stretches out her hand. "Kamala Khan! Super nice to meet you!"
"Kamala-" It was Midoriya's turn to gasp. "You're Ms. Marvel!" And now it's the other girl's turn to drop her jaw. "You- you go out on missions with both the Avengers and X-men!" He bows, taking the teen hero aback. "It's an honor to meet you!"
He conjures a different notebook as Kamala stretches her arm to grab a notepad on one of the end tables.
"Hey-"
"So-"
"Can I have your autograph?" They ask each other at the same time, holding their papers out. They each look down at the other's hands. "What?! Me?!" They continue to parrot one another.
Shota decides to go find Power Loader's stash with Logan.