Chapter 86: And Then There Were Three
Chapter Text"New books will be delivered to you tomorrow evening. I'm hoping the variety will be enough to keep your mind occupied for the time being." Frigga walks to the other side of the furnished cell and looks down at the small side table placed next to the bed. "How about a new shelf?"
She turns around to face her imprisoned son. "Maybe one with a work desk attached? It would allow you to read more comfortably and, if you are feeling so inclined, write. Perhaps to me? I'm hoping not having a space to do so is the reason you haven't written to me."
Loki stands in front of his mother with his hands behind his back and a skeptical look on his face. "Yes, I wouldn't want you to miss my riveting tales and misadventures while I'm locked away. We could discuss how I stared at the wall to the left all day. And how the next day, in a stunning turn of events, I stared at the wall to my right."
"And here I thought I was finally above your fabled quips." Frigga checks one of his books to see what page he's on, before looking back at Loki's bed. "How are you sleeping at night? Would you like your bed rearranged?"
"If I do, I will move it myself," Loki reassures her, taking the book back from her hands. "Something tells me I'm going to have all the time in the world to figure out precisely where I want everything."
"Not from what I hear." Loki puts the book down and turns around, tilting his head questioningly at Frigga's words. "Your brother tells me that you have been a great assistance to his team of heroes on Midgard." Loki groans, but it doesn't damper his mother's smile.
"Thor exaggerates my contributions."
Frigga's smile brightens. "Does he now? Then why don't you explain how in my first letter?"
Loki opens his mouth to argue but reverts to mock-glaring at his mother when he realizes what she's done. "Manipulating me into admitting there are topics I could write to you about," he chuckles. "And here I thought I was above such deceits."
"From your mother? Never." She walks up to him, amused. "You've always-" A sudden coughing fit cuts her off.
Alarmed, Loki helps her to the bed. He carefully helps her sit as she continues to wheeze. "Guard. Guard!!" The wall opens and a soldier runs in. "Get her some tonic. Now!" The guard runs back out, and Loki holds Frigga until her coughing fit subsides.
When she begins to finally relax, Loki looks away. For her sake, he pretends not to notice as she plucks a handkerchief from her robes and uses it to wipe the blood from her hands and mouth. When she's done, he lifts her hand, running his fingers down her arm. Frigga's veins glow brightly for a moment, before they darken into an oozing black and purple color.
"The infection has gotten worse," Loki grimaces, waving away the magic. "But whispers throughout the palace say the healers have found a promising lead for a cure."
Frigga laughs softly, staring down at her hand. "I'm sure they have. And I am sure they are hopeful. Just like they were half a century ago when they said the same thing." She sighs, grabbing Loki's hand and smiling sadly at him. "I do not have much longer in this world."
"Mother-"
"No, Loki, we are going to speak about this," Frigga cuts him off with a stern tone, before softening. "Please, my boy." Her voice grows more tired. "I grow weary of pretending I will be okay. Can we not be honest for a moment?" She looks around the room. "It fills me with joy to see you swallowing your pride and helping your brother. It makes me hopeful." She looks back to Loki in the eyes. "I do not wish to pass knowing one of my children is locked in a cell."
Loki quickly breaks eye contact. The master of hiding his emotions is unable to conceal how uncomfortable the conversation makes him. Not that it surprises him. Words are powerful. He knows that better than anyone. A few could rally an army to battle, or inspire the greatest art. But in this case, it can strip the illusion away that Frigga is going to survive, shatter the fantasy her family has been happily living in. And he hates it.
So, like always, Loki resorts to what he's best at.
The God of Mischief scoffs, taking his hand out of his mother's grasp. "Then let me ease your burden with some honesty of my own. None of your children are locked away, because I am not your son. So you may pass in peace."
Frigga is undaunted by the hurtful words. Almost as if she expected them. "You hope to spare us both pain by pushing me away." Loki makes a noise of surprise but refuses to look at her. "Don't sound so startled, my boy. It is the same tactic you've used your entire life. But tell me, by your logic, if you are not my son, then does that make me not your mother?"
Loki clenches his teeth. "I suppose not."
"Is that what you want?"
"The better question is why would you want that?!" Loki finally looks at her, agitated. "Do you not see the opportunity I'm granting you?! After all this time, you can rid yourself of the beast Odin 'saved' and forced upon you as a son. For the last years of your life, you can finally be free of the shackles my lineage trapped you with. You do not have to pretend to be my mother anymore."
"And if I wasn't pretending?"
Loki shakes his head. "It is all part of the illusion Odin made when he made me look," he gestures to himself, "this way. The facade would shatter if you saw the real me."
Much to his surprise, she smiles once more. "So unpredictable to everyone but me."
From her robes, Frigga pulls out a bright blue gemstone, causing Loki to scurry off the bed and retreat to the other side of the cell. "Where did you get that?!"
Frigga laughs a little. "Did you believe you were the only one aware of Asgard's secret entryways?" She holds the gemstone out to him. "Come, let's test your theory with this artifact of the Frost Giants." Loki involuntarily shakes his head. "Why not?" When her son doesn't answer, she says, "you know I wished for an honest conversation."
"Because you'll leave." Loki's words are soft. Frigga probably wouldn't have heard him if they weren't enclosed in a cell. "I do not wish to take that risk."
"Is that not what you wanted mere moments ago? For me to leave?" Loki is silent as Frigga stands, her words stabbing him more than any knife ever could. "Or was it that you wanted me to leave because you said so? On your terms?" She looks down at the gemstone. "That has always been your issue."
Loki's eyes flicker up to her in confusion, but he looks away just as quickly.
Frigga explains herself, slowly walking up to him. "Loki, you are always hiding. From me, from Thor, from everyone. And by concealing your true self behind your pranks and snappy repertoire, you believe you can prevent yourself from ever being hurt. Without that fear, you believe you can hold the upper hand in any relationship. Control it as you wish. But it is a double-edge blade, my boy. Because while it may stop the hurt, it also stops the love. It prevents you from ever forming a real connection with someone."
"And why would I want that?" Loki asks bitterly.
"Don't lie to me." Loki reels back at the accusation, but Frigga continues. "You are in this very cell because of it." Her tone becomes just a bit snarky, mimicking her son from earlier. "Did you not let loose a beast on Midgard just to get your brother's attention?" Loki looks uncomfortable again. "You want that kind of connection with him, but you will not say it. Because," she gets close to him, holding up the gemstone. "You do not wish to take the risk. But with family, it's a risk worth taking."
"Your argument is flawed." Loki doesn't take his eyes off the gemstone. "We aren't family."
"Says who? Our blood?" Frigga laughs as if it's a bad joke. "Your family is who you choose. And I choose you." Loki chokes a little on air. "It's a risk, I am aware, but I am willing to try for you." She presents him with the gemstone. "Would you do the same for me?"
The air is thick as mother and son stand in front of one another, neither moving. Loki won't take his eyes off the floor, but Frigga continues to smile at him. He won't give her the satisfaction of a complete victory. His pride will never allow for that. He will never say she's right.
But damn her for being right.
Like ripping off a bandaid, Loki snatches the gemstone from Frigga's hand and closes his eyes. For the first time in his life, he knows what it feels like to be cold.
He waits and listens, ready to hear the sound of the cell wall opening and his mother leaving. When it doesn't come, he assumes she might be in too much shock, horror stopping her from leaving. Even so, he can't bring himself to open his eyes and check.
That is, until he feels a soft hand on his cheek. He trembles a little but waits, just in case the hand wishes to pull away. When it doesn't, he slowly opens his red eyes to find Frigga still smiling at him, her hand not shying away from his cold and blue skin. Her eyes are not bothered by the new etchings and grooves that run up his body.
"I still choose you, my handsome boy."
She hugs him, and Loki is so stunned, it takes him almost a full minute to react. But eventually he does, hugging his mother back. For his sake, she pretends not to notice the tears spilling from his eyes.
"I choose you too, mother."
Loki slowly opens his wet eyes, blinking a few times to regain control of himself. Thor does a double take from the driver's seat of the car they're in. "Nice to see you have returned, Loki. I thought I was going to have to wake you up once we got there."
"I wasn't sleeping."
"Really?" Thor sighs, leaning back. "That's a relief. You're always such a pain in the ass to wake up."
"As usual, you're exaggerating."
"Exaggerating?!" Thor replies in disbelief. "You tried to stab me in the eye!"
Loki scoffs, straightening out. "Only because you got too close."
"The one time I attempted to wake you up from a distance, you threw a knife at me! And guess where at? My eye."
"You struck me with lightning when I stirred you from sleep once."
Thor blinks. "Very well, I'll concede that one, but I still maintain your attack was much worse. It just felt so personal."
"Your point is moot anyway," Loki points out. "Because again, I was not sleeping."
"Then what were you doing?"
"Noth-" Loki pauses, thinking back on the memory. He watches the world pass him by from the window. His eyes begin to wet again. "Thinking about mother."
Loki doesn't dare look over at Thor. He doesn't move. He barely breathes. The topic of Frigga's passing was something they rarely spoke of. Like a taboo subject they silently agreed to never bring up. An agreement Loki has just broken.
But instead of being upset, Thor places his free hand on his shoulder. "I think about her too."
Loki looks away, wiping his eyes. For his sake, Thor pretends not to notice.
"How was I supposed to know that every villain and their moms would be out today?!" Hawks throws himself into the chair across from Nighteye, leans his head back, and sighs. The pair sit together in his quiet office. The evening just barely pokes out over the horizon.
Nighteye looks up from his computer. His face and hands are covered in bandages, but he doesn't let that stop him from working. "Isn't intelligence gathering your specialty at the commission?"
Hawks lifts his head up. "Did I ask for your logic and facts?" Nighteye doesn't respond, choosing to continue working on his computer instead. Hawks takes a minute to relax, letting the sounds of the other hero typing on his keyboard wash over him and allowing his mind to wander.
After a couple of minutes, the winged-hero pushes himself to his feet with a groan, walking around Nighteye's desk. "What are you working on anyway?"
"Your job, apparently." He turns the computer toward Hawks. "Now knowing the Skrulls are infiltrating villain groups, it's more imperative than ever that we track their activity. At best, it could give us insight on what the Skrulls could be planning. At worst, we still know what various criminal organizations are getting into."
"Wow, so organized," Hawks comments, scooting the computer closer to him. "I usually just keep track of this kind of stuff in my head."
"Is that really the wisest choice?"
Hawks shrugs. "Intel can't be stolen when it's all in your head." He scrolls to the top of the document. "Alright, let's start at the top here. The Hand? They were with us stealing data at the archives."
"Yes." Nighteye folds his hands together. "But unfortunately, since I was guarding our own data transfer, I wasn't able to check theirs."
"No worries. I figured as much, so I gave their screens a glance during our fight." He winces a little. "Got a nasty cut on my arm for my troubles, but I was able to make out some old subway tunnel maps they were downloading. I'd bet that's where they're hanging out these days." He hits the tab button a few times. "That and extorting hostages for money. Typical villain stuff."
"I'd rate them as unlikely to have a Skrull infiltrator anyway," Nighteye adds. "Their group is highly skilled at evading capture. I read a report from Eraserhead that his student, Izuku Midoriya, defeated quite a few of them during a hostage rescue operation today."
"No kidding?" Hawks whistles. "Glad the kid is at UA. The HPSC might've tried to snatch him up after reading something like that."
Nighteye hums. "He did. However, when police arrived to take the villains into custody, all they found were a few holes in the walls, and bloodstains on the ground. So while not unlikely, I find it doubtful the Skrulls have ingrained themselves in their group. We should move on to someone else as a higher priority."
Hawks scrolls down the doc and glares at the next name. "Taskmaster." Nighteye isn't happy at the mention of the name either. "He was after the same thing we were. Why?"
"Indeed." The bespectacled man taps his foot. "But he is only a mercenary. The real question is, who was he working for?"
"Once again, the HPSC has failed to protect you!" On a TV in a dark room, Koku Hanabata yells into a speakerphone at a gathered crowd. He stands on a totaled car with the ruins of a building behind him. "After the tragedy that was the Night of the Sentinels, they promised they would do better! They promised you were safe! And now, mere weeks later, does this look safe to you?!" He gestures at the destroyed street around him.
The crowd yells back a resounding, "No!"
"And yet they still deny your God-given right to protect yourself!" Hanabata eggs the crowd on more. "The President of the HPSC and her staff would rather let a villain kill innocent people with their quirk, than allow a good person to protect themselves with theirs! How does that make any sense?!" The crowd roars back to him in agreement.
Taskmaster doesn't pay the TV any mind, handing over the USB drive to Skeptic, who plugs it into his computer with glee. "Yes, yes! This is everything we could've hoped for! So many little secrets! All at my fingertips!" he gushes.
Taskmaster clears his throat.
Skeptic spins around, beaming. "Don't worry my friend, I didn't forget about you!"
He hits a key on his keyboard, and Taskmaster's phone pings. He checks it. "What's my next job?"
Skeptic giggles. "Ah, I see you noticed the little bit extra you received?"
"You don't seem like the type to give tips."
"Astute observation!" Skeptic whirls back around to his laptop. "You may consider the extra money as both pay to keep you on retainer and as a down payment on your next assignment." He pulls up a video someone had posted online of the attacks earlier. "While scrubbing through this footage, we couldn't help but notice these free agents running around."
Skeptic zooms in the footage on an image of Dabi and Daken. "We'd like you to bring them to us."
"Those two?" Hawks questions, reading the police reports on Daken and Dabi. "Looked to me like they were just out there raising hell for the fun of it."
"Partly." Nighteye pulls out his tablet to show the other hero an image of an office building. "Until today, those offices were the home of a shell company owned by the CRC. It seems the pair of villains discovered this and took it upon themselves to… rid the company of any cult members."
Hawks raises an eyebrow when he taps on the screen, getting a good look at the crime scene. "That's a lot of blood." He keeps tapping. "Halloween's not that far away, you know. With how torn up these bodies are, if we do something about the smell, I bet we could make a killing with a haunted house."
Hawks looks up, grinning. Nighteye is decidedly less amused with his humor. Realizing he's not going to get a laugh right now, Hawks goes back to the tablet. "Anyway, why? I mean, I'm not exactly complaining, but wouldn't raiding this place be the hero's job?"
"Usually, I'd agree." Nighteye pushes up his glasses. "But from what I can gather on the HPSC's profile of Daken, he has been a constant target of harassment for the CRC for years. Both for his appearance and mixed blood. So, it would seem this was a more personal attack by Daken. And Dabi was willing to help."
Hawks finishes putting the notes down on their document. "Right. So if we keep track of Daken, we'll also find more about the CRC and vice-versa, got it. Next we got… Wolfram and Dictator. Seems like they were destroying warehouses holding Sentinel remains for storage. Which, again, I can't say I disagree with. Maybe we let these guys blow up a few more before we catch them? What do you say?"
Nighteye is still not amused.
"Oh c'mon, I'm only joking! Kinda," Hawks reassures him. Sorta. "But you gotta admit, the less sentinels the Skrulls have to play with, the better."
"I will agree to that."
"Good, because I think these guys should be close to the top of the priority list." Nighteye raises a skeptical eyebrow, so Hawks explains himself quickly. "If we track them, maybe we can figure out the source they're using to locate the Sentinel warehouses for ourselves. We've seen the damage those things can do. We have to stop any chance of the commission turning them back on."
Nighteye leans up, snatching the computer back to type a few new notes. "That is an excellent point. Assuming they weren't…" he checks the police reports. "No, they were not captured."
Wolfram slumps over as Dictator helps him onto their boat, his blood leaking onto the floor from his hastily done bandages. With the sun gone, the docks had grown dark in a hurry, giving them the cover of night to escape back out into the ocean. Though, they had upgraded considerably since escaping I-Island by stealing a small yacht from someone who would probably never notice it was even gone.
"Wait here, I'll go get the med kit and redo the bandages." Dictator runs to the ship's bridge, leaving Wolfram alone.
He scoffs, repositioning himself to get better footing on the swaying ship. "You have been tracking us for a while. So say what you want to say and be done with it."
"Are you that confident we are not going to kill you?" A woman's voice comes from the darkness around him.
"I'm confident you would have already if you wanted too."
"There is a video of you and your speech from I-Island," the woman tells him, still not revealing herself. It didn't bother Wolfram. He could sense the metal on both her and her associates. He knows exactly where they are. "We have discussed it and think we can help each other."
"How so?" Wolfram growls. He grows tired of the prolonged conversation.
"It seems like you could use some more manpower. And we could use some help recovering our boss."
"And where is he?" Wolfram turns around, sensing them approach.
From the darkness, the woman emerges. "I-Island." Slice brushes some of her red hair out of her face. "That's where All for One left his pet scientist."
"Looks like the 'not' League did a jailbreak in the middle of all this." Hawks shakes his head, scrolling to the next report. "Hopefully, we don't have to deal with another one of those anytime soon. But because of Kurogiri and his portals, tracking them will be difficult."
"Thanks to him, the base of these strays can technically be anywhere. And that includes outside of Japan." Nighteye exhales in frustration. "Finding the exact limits of his quirk will be crucial. But onto the last of our villain groups, the Yakuza and the Silvers."
"Most of the Silvers were captured." Hawks checks his phone. "But none seem to be talking yet."
"Not just them, but a few officers working for Overhaul were also apprehended."
"Great," Hawks bemoans, leaning back in his seat. "So on top of Skrulls impersonating people, we gotta worry about corrupt cops too."
"This can't be the first time you're hearing about this."
Hawks levels Nighteye a glare with no real heat behind it. "Obviously not. Cops taking bribes is a pastime as old as they've been around. It's the Police Union and the 'donations' they receive that make them untouchable. Maybe Overhaul found a way to get to them there?"
"Hm." Nighteye does a quick search on his phone. "Doesn't seem likely. Their biggest contributor is Detnerat."
"I guess we'll have to try another angle then." Hawks stops the report on Overhaul's name. "I can't tell you how exactly he's getting to the police, but there is one thing I can tell you about Overhaul."
"Every other investigation you have? Shelve it. I don't care what it is or who it hurts, I'll smooth it over. This takes priority." The HPSC president throws the report on Overhaul onto her desk so all the heroes can see.
"And not just for us. But that goes for every hero. Bring in everyone and anyone you can to help. Tell them unlimited overtime is approved. I don't want anyone resting until we find him and raid his compound." She slams her hand on the desk. "And no matter what happens. Or what it takes. He does not leave that raid alive."
"The Skrulls will be coming after him with everything they got now." Hawks shows Nighteye his phone. "I assume you got the team-up request too?" Nighteye nods. "We need to be part of whatever operation they're planning. And we need to keep him alive."
"While I agree with your sentiment, what is the rest of your plan?" Nighteye questions. "Even if Overhaul makes it to a prison, he won't survive. So what do we do then? Imprison him ourselves? Force him to use his excruciatingly painful quirk on anyone we might suspect is a Skrull and hope he reassembles them after? And what happens if that person is not a Skrull? Hawks, there are so many factors here you aren't considering-"
"I am!" Hawks argues, letting his stress consume him momentarily. He takes off his goggles, rubbing his eyes. "I am considering them. And I don't have an answer for you right now. All I know is that step one is to keep Overhaul away from the Skrulls. I don't know what the hell step two is."
Nighteye considers him for a moment. "That's a fair assessment." It's not an apology, but it's probably the closest thing Hawks is going to get. "Until then, I have something else we can work on." He opens a new document on his computer and shows it to the other hero.
"What is this?"
"As a precaution, I memorized everything I could about our own data as it was downloaded. In the event that we lost it, which we did, we would have other leads to work on, and we do." He hits a button. "I couldn't determine what exactly it was, but from what I saw, this man was instrumental to winning the first Skrull invasion."
"Reed Richards," Hawks reads. "Mr. Fantastic, huh? So you're saying he's important to all of this?" Nighteye hums the affirmative. "Well, that's perfect!" The winged-hero immediately fires up the web browser.
"If it was as simple as finding it on the internet, I would have located it by now."
"Maybe it is." Hawks finishes typing and shows him. "Want info on a hero? Check the forums and ask the nerds."
Nighteye leans in. "You created a post asking to list all of Richard's accomplishments?"
"Precisely! I bet within a day, someone will have our-" the computer pings. "That was fast. Now let's see what we've got- oh."
"What happened?"
Hawks turns the screen toward him. "My post was taken down and my account was banned by some lawyers from Latveria."
"Dang." Izuku slumps in disappointment, pushing himself away from his desk. It's so rare to see posts about Mr. Fantastic on the Hero Forums, so he was ecstatic to actually find one! Only to have his dreams crushed as the post was taken down seconds later, before he could even begin to gush about the old hero.
His computer pings with a message, and he chuckles when he sees the frustrated message from Kamala about not being able to comment on it either. He messaged her back that they'd find a way together.
And he means that. The hero deserves to be celebrated. That's the reason why Izuku wants to do it so bad. And not just to distract him from his thoughts-
Izuku screams as he's stabbed in the side.
"Yoshinaga, get away from here!"
"I would rip Eri apart a thousand, no, a million times more if that's what it took to make us normal again! And I would be more of a hero than any of you pretenders could ever dream!!"
It had been a long day, to say the least.
He sighs, looking around his dark room. The only light comes from his monitor. Most of his classmates had already planned to go home that weekend following the exam to celebrate with family. Spending the afternoon rescuing people had made the decision even easier.
Which left Izuku and only a few others left in the dorms waiting for their parents. Supposedly, his dad and Uncle Thor were coming to pick both he and Denki up tonight as well. The blond had chosen to wait by playing video games with Tenko and Tokage downstairs. They had invited Izuku, but he wasn't in the mood.
So what was he in the mood for?
Conjuring a couple of throwing knives, Izuku creates an illusion of Overhaul by his wall and begins whisking knives at it. Over and over. Blade after blade. He's hitting the illusion in every non-fatal spot he can think of as the knives stab the wall behind the yakuza. He'll have to ask Yaomomo for help covering it up before Monday, or Sensei is going to kill him.
He conjures more knives. Throwing them like it's second nature. He doesn't even need to aim anymore. It's more like muscle memory at this point. Which allows his mind to wander.
Izuku grits his teeth, his vision darkening, and throws more blades.
'Eri belongs to me and I can do whatever I see fit to her.'
There aren't enough knives in Overhaul yet! He starts throwing them two at a time. Three. Four.
'You are all just pretending! You never cared about actual justice!'
More. More!
'I am more than capable of causing this little girl great anguish without killing her. We both know I have plenty of experience in that area.'
"Deku?"
Izuku jolts just before he lets the knife go. He misses.
But before he can fully turn around, Ochako is hugging him. Her embrace is an electrical shock to his system, restarting him. His vision comes back. His dark thoughts float away. And, ironically, he feels warmer. Finally feeling like he can breathe properly for the first time in hours, Izuku hugs her back tightly. "Hey, are you okay?"
"I should be asking you that." She buries her face into his shoulder. "You almost died and nearly got kidnapped again today. And then I come in here and you're throwing knives at an illusion of Overhaul?"
"I was playing darts?"
"With knives?"
"You know that's something I'd do."
Ochako chuckles, sniffling into his sweatshirt. "Stop it, you're not joking your way out of this one."
"Sorry."
"Don't say sorry. Nothing that happened today was your fault."
"Okay, sorry."
"Deku!"
"Right, sorry! Wait-"
Izuku looks up to explain himself, but when he and Ochako lock eyes, they just break out into laughter. It feels so good to laugh. Especially with her. The two lean in for a soft kiss. Izuku uses it as an excuse to pull Ochako in closer, not that she minds. In turn, Ochako uses it as an excuse to run her fingers through his hair, not that he minds.
The two separate, and Izuku can finally feel himself calming down. "Sorry," Ochako apologizes. "For just ambushing you with the hug. I came in worried after what happened to you today, and then I saw you and what you were doing and just moved without thinking."
"My hero," Izuku smiles. Ochako snickers. "And what did we just say about saying sorry for stupid stuff?"
She mock-glares at him. "Fiiine." She sighs, leaning back but keeping her arms around his neck. "I knew what I was getting into when we started dating, but that's not going to stop me from worrying."
"But you don't have to apologize," Izuku reassures her. "Trust me, with the amount of times I'm going to have to hug you after being worried, it will more than make up for it."
"You promise?" The couple giggles together.
"Not that I don't want you here, but wasn't your train home scheduled to leave already?" Izuku asks. He waves away the illusion of Overhaul and begins to pluck the knives out of the wall.
"It got delayed."
"Oh, well, when my dad and uncle come to pick me and Denki up, they could drop you off at the station if you need?" Izuku offers, conjuring his phone.
"I'd really appreciate that."
Izuku nods, sending a text and going back to picking up the knives. Ochako sits on his bed, looking down at her feet. "So I have a pretty good idea of what you were thinking about…" Izuku pauses. Well, the illusion of Overhaul was probably a dead giveaway. "But did you want to talk about it?"
"Yeah, it was Overhaul." He stops, keeping a tight grip on one of the knives. "I'm just frustrated, is all."
"I think it's more than that."
He glances back at her. "Why do you think that?"
"I've seen you frustrated before, and you've never locked yourself away in your room because of it."
"…That's true," Izuku concedes. "I don't know. It just feels like- like I'm not going anywhere." He rips the knife out of the wall with a lot more force than needed, spilling plaster on the floor. "I've been training myself ragged all year, surviving all these villain attacks and unblocking new powers. But when I finally have the chance to get justice for Eri, one of the first people I ever saved, I get myself knocked out by a ninja clan, and the guy who haunts her nightmares gets away."
Not knowing what else to do, he stabs the wall with the knife again. "I was useless! I couldn't fight or even figure out where his base was. I just laid there, failing Eri, like a useless D-"
Ochako is across the room in record time, holding onto his arms. "Don't. Don't ever use my name for you that way. That's not what it means. Not anymore." Her tone allows no room for argument, shutting Izuku up at once. "Deku is the name of a boy who can do anything! And that includes catching Overhaul."
Izuku takes a few calming breaths, giving his girlfriend an apologetic look. "Yeah, I'm worried about that too." Ochako softens, waiting patiently for him to continue. "When I said I wasn't going anywhere, I didn't just mean physically." He gestures as best he can to himself. Ochako won't let go of his arms. "When I was younger, I created my clones because I didn't have anyone to talk to. Because I felt alone. But now I have UA. I have this class, my friends, and you, but it feels like they're somehow getting stronger? And I'm getting worse.
"And on top of that, I always knew I'd probably have to kill, but today…" He hesitates, slightly terrified of what Ochako might think of him.
When he still won't say anything after a minute, she softly grabs his cheek and moves him to look at her. "Tell me."
"I'm afraid you'll leave. I-" He chokes up, trying to look away, but Ochako won't let him. She never lets him. "I don't want to risk it."
Ochako pulls him close, leaning their foreheads together. "Have I ever left before?"
Izuku still looks uncomfortable and like he wants to look anywhere but at her, but Ochako doesn't let him. She keeps his eyes right on her. Only her. Staring into her brown eyes that hold nothing but care for him, Izuku's breathing starts to slow. If he's going to say it anytime, it'll be now. So like he's ripping off a band-aid, he just blurts it out.
"I wanted to kill Overhaul."
"Wow." Ochako's eyes widen a bit, but she doesn't break eye-contact with him. She doesn't move. Not even a little. He starts to get nervous when she doesn't say anything else for a few seconds but eventually, she surprises him with, "I get it."
Izuku jerks his head at the admission, but Ochako keeps him in place. "What?"
"I get it," she repeats. "I mean, don't get me wrong, this is all new for me too. And you're the only one who's seen him up close, so no one's feelings would be as strong as yours, except for Aizawa. But after finding out what he's done to Eri and now you?"
It's Ochako's turn to be nervous, but she powers through. "I wouldn't care if he died. In fact, knowing it would let Eri live a normal life, it would make me happy. And that scares me a little. Aren't heroes supposed to help everyone no matter how evil they are? To always be empathetic? Deep down, I think I'm still a good person, but do those thoughts negate that?"
"No!" Izuku immediately denies. "Absolutely not."
Ochako smiles. "I still think you're a good person too."
Izuku opens his mouth to protest but shuts it when he realizes what his girlfriend just did. She manipulated him. She knew if she just told him he was a good person, he'd argue. So by making him acknowledge she was good first, he's now lost any argument he had for himself.
Oh yeah, he's head over heels for this girl.
Izuku laughs, sniffling a bit as he shakes his head in disbelief. "That was mischievous of you."
Ochako giggles. "I learned from the best." No matter how many times she does it, Izuku just can't stop himself from going red when she compliments him. "Do you feel better?"
Izuku nods, returning her smile. "Yeah, thanks. And my bad for making you do this. I hope you feel better too?"
"I do," Ochako confirms. "I just needed to hold you for a bit. But…" she narrows her eyes. "Saying my bad is just another way of saying sorry…"
"…Dangit." The two share another quick chuckle. "So should we-" Izuku catches movement out of the corner of his eye. In one swift motion, he pulls Ochako closer with one hand and with the other, whisks a knife at their intruder, stabbing and pinning it to the wall by the door.
Izuku and Ochako share a look, before moving closer to get a better look at- "Oh, c'mon, really?!" Izuku exclaims. "Tokage!"
"I swear we didn't hear anything!" Tokage opens the door, poking her head in.
"That's kind of hard to believe when I have your ear at the end of my knife!"
"We just got here!" Denki swears, poking his head in next, doing a much worse job at hiding his guilt.
"They're lying." Venom pokes its head in last. "We heard everything."
"Venom!" Tokage and Denki yell at the same time.
The symbiote ignores them, extending itself closer to Izuku. "You have nothing to fear, little demigod. Killing is simple." It circles the teen. "So stop being a pussy. You will not be the one to kill Overhaul anyway." At Izuku's confused look, it explains. "Did you forget? We have bonded with the child. We have seen Eri's memories. If anyone is going to tear his heart out of his chest, rip his spine out while he screams, and feed him his own entrails, it will be- Jeff!"
Venom is distracted when Izuku's pet shark wakes up and waddles over from its spot on his bed. "Mrrrr."
"Yes, I would be disappointed if you weren't there to help us." Venom extends a tendril from Tokage's arm and uses it to give Jeff all of the belly rubs.
"Sorry man," Denki apologizes, both him and his girlfriend fully entering the room. "We saw Uraraka go upstairs, and we all realized you had been up here for a while by yourself, so we wanted to be sure you were okay."
"Told you he'd be fine." Tenko walks in behind them, headed straight for Izuku's desk. "Uraraka was up here. If she couldn't make him feel better, what chance did any of us have?" He rifles through his drawers. "Dammit, where's that controller cord…"
"Well…" Ochako glances at Izuku, who nods. "It's okay. Maybe just knock next time?"
Tokage grins, her sharp teeth on full display. "Oh trust me girl, we know to knock now after that one time we walked in on you two-"
"Okay, good to know!" Ochako squeaks, running up to cover the other girl's mouth. "No need to say anything else!"
Tokage pulls her hands away, undaunted. "Don't act all shy after the way you were going after that boy's neck! I'm surprised he doesn't have any bruises-" realization hits the green-haired girl like a truck. "Illusion magic?"
Despite Ochako turning away or how red her face is, there is no mistaking her look of satisfaction. "Illusion magic."
"No way… are you hiding them now?" Izuku is interrupted mid-blush by Denki grabbing him and rubbing his neck, as if his magic can be wiped away.
"No, get away!" Izuku tries to shove him away but unfortunately, when it comes to physical strength, his cousin is stronger.
"How do I know you're not lying?!"
"You know I can't lie!"
"You could've been lying about that this whole time!"
"Do you really think that's something I'd do?!"
"Yes!!"
Ochako and Tokage giggle at their boyfriends' shenanigans, watching in amusement together. "By the way, I heard how you took care of that Camie girl after she tried coming for your boy there." The lizard girl gestures to Izuku. "Badass."
"Thanks." Ochako shifts her feet, opening and closing her mouth while trying to figure out how to put her feelings into words.
"Just spill it already." Tokage shakes her head fondly.
Snapping her mouth shut again, Ochako sighs in frustration. "I don't know. There's just something that comes over me when I think about another girl looking at Deku the way I do. Imagining kissing him while probably playing with her blonde hair-"
"Oooooh," Tokage purrs, putting her arm around the gravity girl and leaning in close. "Is little Uraraka the possessive type?" she asks, smirking.
"I- I, that's not- it just sounds so bad when you say it that way-"
Tokage laughs, cutting her off. "Don't sweat it so much!" She shakes Ochako a little. "I am too."
"Really?" Ochako looks her up and down. "You?!"
"Oh yeah," Tokage confirms, straightening up. "Anyone even thinks about getting near my sparky, I'd let Venom eat them." The symbiote re-emerges from her side. "Like, we were at the mall a week ago, and I turned away for a second to look at those little dinosaur carts they let kids ride, and bam! Some girl is trying to get his phone number! Right then and there I thought about-"
"Denki!" Venom calls, rushing over to the blond. "Quickly! We must get you back to the mall! Fresh innards hang in the balance!"
"What?!"
"How do you deal with that?" Tokage hums at Ochako's question. "How do you handle feeling… jealous?" She whispers the last word.
Tokage snickers at her antics. "Listen, I get wanting to let the alien parasite that attached itself to your body without permission tear apart anyone that even looks at your guy. But when that happens, keep in mind it's natural. Other guys and gals are gonna look at you two, and why wouldn't they? You're both adorable. Just remember that with all these girls' eyes on him, he's only looking at you. And why wouldn't he? You're hot, babe."
Ochako gives her a light push, laughing and blushing. "Stoooop."
"No, you are! And I'm tired of you pretending you're not! Both of you! I can't believe neither you or greenie realize how hot you are. It was definitely the first thing I thought when I saw him."
"Yeah, well it's just- what?!"
Tokage can't breathe when she sees how fast Ochako got upset, laughing as the brown-haired girl shakes her, demanding to clarify what she means. "Sorry, I'm sorry! I couldn't resist!" she apologizes before she gets thrown into the stratosphere for her troubles. "But don't forget what I said, yeah? It's not that you don't got nothing on any of those girls, it's that they got nothing on you."
"Thanks… " Ochako says after calming down a little. "That helps. But I don't think it'll make the feeling completely go away-"
"Oh no, you don't understand. This is just to make you guys feel better. If someone gets too close to what's yours, take their head off dude," Tokage encourages. "Assert that dominance! Stick your tongue in his mouth right in front of her if you have to!"
"Tokage!"
"How do you think I got rid of that girl at the mall?" The green-haired girl brags. "Trust me, I know it sounds crazy. But just think of it like this, would you mind if he did that to you?"
Ochako doesn't have to think about it long. "No…"
"That's what I'm saying!" Tokage throws her hands into the air before calming down a little. "Anyway, sounds like you're on the hunt for blondes?" Ochako reluctantly confirms that. "Nice, want me to handle the green-haired girls?" She lifts her own hair up for emphasis. "I think besides me, it's just Ibara in my class-" Another epiphany slaps her across the face. "Wait."
"Ibara?" Ochako tilts her head. "Isn't she-"
"Oh my gods," Tokage snorts. "If she met Midoriya, she'd either worship him or burn him at the stake!"
Ochako bumps her, attempting to cover up her own chuckles with her hand. "C'mon, don't be mean. But besides her, the only other green-haired girl I can think of is-"
"You don't need to worry about Tsu," Tenko cuts in while he still rifles through Izuku's drawers.
"Oi!" Tokage looks around Ochako. "Are you listening in on our conversation?!"
Tenko scoffs. "You're one to talk."
Tokage gets ready to respond, but one look from Ochako tells her she's already lost this fight. So she changes tactics. "I guess it makes sense you'd wanna listen in. Afterall, Tsu is gonna want to start doing this stuff with you soon too."
That gets Tenko to turn around in a hurry, his eyes wide and breath picking up. "What? Do you- I mean- will she really want to do that with me?"
Like the predator she is, Tokage pounces. "Oh absolutely. And I can't even begin to imagine what she can do with that tongue-" Red explodes all over Tenko's face as the poor boy goes catatonic, falling against the desk. Tokage laughs. "They're too easy sometimes."
She leans in close to Ochako again. "And just between us, girl to girl. I gotta ask, because there's literally no one else that would know, and the boys are all distracted." Currently, Izuku is on Denki's back, trying to choke him out. "Don't you feel powerful when you make an actual demigod putty in your hands?" Ochako looks away, bashful. "C'mon, be straight with me. You feel it too?"
There's a clear struggle inside Ochako's mind on what to say but eventually, she relents and turns back to face her dino-loving friend. "Girl talk so no one else knows?" The other girl nods fervently. "Okay, yes!" Tokage looks thrilled. "It's just, Deku's dad is a legend! A god to some people! And yet, when I kiss him, I know I can do…" she goes red again. "Whatever I want with him."
"It's intoxicating." Tokage swoons.
There's a knock on the door and Todoroki walks in. "Midoriya- oh, hello." He waves to the rest of the room. "I just came to make sure Midoriya was fully healed."
Denki looks up from where he positions himself to punt a tiny bunny with green and black fur across the room. "He's healed… right now at least."
"May I speak to him?"
Izuku shifts back into himself, shoving Denki away for good measure. "Yes?"
"How did you know when you had feelings for Uraraka?"
The entire room's attention is on him now.
"Dude…" Denki slowly places Thunderstrike down, abandoning his plans to retaliate against Izuku with it. "Do you have a crush on someone?" Tenko gets up and walks over to the group, now interested in the topic of the talk.
Ochako and Tokage squeal while Todoroki looks conflicted, bringing his hand up to his chin. "I am unsure. I've been documenting my symptoms ever since the training camp, and I've noticed whenever I'm around them, my heart begins to race even when I'm sitting. My face heats up despite no fluctuations from the fire side of my quirk. And when I see them joyful or accomplish a goal, I feel… happy. And not my usual happiness as in when I run my father's credit card up or Quill praises me. This is different."
He clicks his tongue, lowering his hand. "Now, I'm not dumb. I know this can mean I've started to develop feelings for them but considering what we've witnessed," he raises a hand toward Tokage. "I didn't want to rule out the possibility of some alien infection. So I came here. I thought Midoriya could help me in both scenarios."
"I still don't understand why everyone thinks I'm the expert on relationships," Izuku says deadpan. His phone dings and he checks it. "Yes!!"
"What is it?" Ochako asks.
"I know I should keep it a surprise but I'm just too excited! Look!" He shows his girlfriend his phone. "I was able to pre-order one of the new hero Thirteen figures!"
"What?!!" Ochako quickly snatches the phone away to see if he's telling the truth. "But how?! They said they were only making fifty of them?!" She scrolls down. "And that the figure's costume would be made from the same material as Thirteen's! Meaning they could survive in space!"
"I wanted to get you something for passing the exam…" Izuku explains.
Ochako's eyes water. "You dork!" She leaps at her boyfriend, hugging him.
Denki groans as Tokage grins at him. "You know I passed the exam too, right?"
"Izuku," he fumes.
"Well, to answer your question Todoroki," Izuku says once his girlfriend lets him go. "I, uh, knew I had feelings for Ochako when I accidentally created a new clone for it," he laughs awkwardly. "Which I don't think helps you much…" Clone Thirteen materializes and gives him a thumbs up, causing Izuku to facepalm.
Ochako shrugs apologetically as well. "Sorry. I knew I had feelings for Deku when a villain girl in disguise told me I did."
Todoroki nods, looking to the others. Denki and Tokage both shrug as well. "We always knew," they say at the same time.
"But if it helps!" Ochako cuts in again, not wanting their friend to be discouraged. "Even before then, I was already starting to suspect I saw Deku as more than a friend. With the way he inspired me or somehow always made even my biggest problems feel so tiny." Izuku is positively burning up at Ochako's admission.
"There's also wanting to be around them all the time," Denki adds.
Tokage blushes a little. "And finding everything they say funny. Even if it's not."
"Hey!" Tokage makes it up to Denki with a kiss on the cheek.
"You'll overthink a lot," Tenko says quietly. "Everything you say. Everything she says. You'll analyze every part of it, convinced you embarrassed yourself somehow."
"And when she's not there, you'll miss her. A lot more than you're willing to admit." Izuku scratches the side of his head sheepishly. Ochako pulls him close to her with a smile.
"There's also the blushing," Tokage points out.
"Oh yeah. Lots of blushing," Denki agrees. The couple send teasing grins Izuku and Ochako's way. Class 1-A's power couple don't help themselves by blushing in embarrassment over the accusation.
"This has given me a lot to consider." None of them are sure about when Todoroki took his notebook out. "But thank you all. This has helped tremendously."
"Soooo Todoroki, you kept saying you were catching feelings for them?" Tokage notices. "Who's them?"
Todoroki hums. "That's another complication. These new feelings are for… two girls."
"Holy whoa," Izuku and Ochako react at the same time.
Tokage nods knowingly. "Now I'm getting it. You can't decide on which, huh?"
"Not exactly…" While Todoroki had always been a little awkward, which is understandable, one of his biggest strengths is somehow both not noticing and not caring about it. But right now, Izuku had never seen his friend so anxious. "I am not well-versed on these type of social situations, but if everything you all have said is true, I've noticed the same signs when they look at me. And when they look at each other…"
Three whole seconds pass as the dots click for everyone else in the room.
"My man!" Denki slaps his back.
Tenko nods in approval. "Nice."
"Well hey, if you ever need any help on putting the moves on those lucky ladies." Denki shoots him finger guns. "You know where to go."
"Yeah, if you like corny jokes and terrible pick-up lines, he's your guy," Tokage teases.
"Say what you want, but it worked on you babe." Denki laughs as Tokage tickles him, unable to argue.
"Kaminari's right, though. He is the guy you should go to for help." Tenko walks back to Izuku's desk. "He is the only one of us in a poly relationship."
"What are you talking about? I'm not in a-" Denki freezes when Venom reforms its head next to Tokage. "No no. That's not a-"
"And then there were three," Tenko smirks. Tokage whispers in Venom's ear. Which Izuku realizes is completely just for show since they have a telepathic connection.
"Oh Denki," Venom chokes out in its attempt to be sad. "I thought you felt the same way."
"NO! No! That's not what we're doing!"
"So you're saying you wouldn't date an alien?" Izuku questions innocently. The glare Denki gives him could kill a man. "That seems xenophobic."
"Yeah, and are you saying that you hate people who date aliens now?" Ochako piles it on, unable to stop the smirk on her face.
"Guuuuuuuys!" Denki whines, making them all laugh.
"Midoriya. Kaminari." The students are interrupted by their teacher at the door. "Your dads are here. Time to go," Aizawa tells them.
"Okay sensei!"
Izuku moves to get his stuff, but Aizawa stops him before he can, lifting his hand and hesitating. Not sure what's happening, the green-haired boy opens his mouth to ask what's wrong, but the hero places his hand in his hair first, rubbing it affectionately. The simple action is more effective in shutting up Izuku than anything Aizawa has tried in the past.
"I heard you cut off Overhaul's hand during your confrontation today. Good job, son." Then, just as quickly as it started, Aizawa's head pats are over, with the disheveled man heading back to the door.
"Wait!" Izuku calls out. "Does this mean you see me as-"
"You're grounded for freezing your blood inside your body," Aizawa states, leaving without another word.
"I'm going to take that as a yes!"
"I thought we were headed home?"
Izuku and Denki share a confused look between one another as his dad and Uncle Thor drive through a gated entrance. "We will. There is just…" Thor takes a deep breath. "Something we need to do first."
"What do we- wow." Izuku is stunned out of his question, too busy admiring the very large mansion they're headed for. While nothing can really compare to the palace on Asgard, this place certainly seems like it's trying its best. With its robust white and gold trimmed walls, long circular driveway, and expansive balconies outlining the various rooms across multiple levels.
They make their way past the large and healthy lawn and park next to a fountain ordaining the front of the home. "If Ochako saw this place, she might faint," Izuku remarks, getting out and climbing the wide marble steps. Thick white columns surround the entrance.
"Dude, we could fit like, three Height's Alliances in here and then some." Denki has to lean back to see the top of the mansion from where they are.
"I apologize for our abrupt travels." Loki turns around to face them. "I would have preferred to give you the weekend to-"
"You have delayed in telling them long enough." Izuku can't help but notice how sharp his uncle's tone is. Not something he usually hears when his dad and Thor talk. "You swore you would do so after their exam ended and it has. This way, they can have the weekend to digest tonight's events."
"If you insist." Loki whirls around heading for the door. But before either Izuku or his cousin can follow, Thor stops them.
"Boys, no matter what happens, stay behind me," Thor orders. His grip tightens over the 'umbrella' in his hand. If Izuku wasn't confused, now he's nervous. What could they possibly be doing that has the God of Thunder on edge?
Sensing the seriousness in his tone, Denki scoots closer to Izuku and the pair trail behind Thor. They make their way to the entrance just as it opens for Loki, allowing them all in.
Unsurprisingly, like the mansion itself, the hallway is large, with white walls and a dark red carpet lining the floor. Various statues and plants give the hall some extra color and life as the quartet of Asgardians walk down to another set of ornate doors on the other side.
The doors start to part as for the first time since they arrived, someone comes to greet them. Izuku and Denki stop in their tracks as the girl sinks into a well-practiced curtsy. "It is a privilege to welcome such esteemed guests into our-"
"Yaomomo?!"
"M-Midoriya?!" Their classmate shouts in surprise, straightening up. "Kaminari?! What are you doing here?!" It's just then she seems to realize their dads are there as well. "Oh! Hello." She offers them a quick bow. "I am so sorry. It's just- when my mother tells me she's having guests over, it's usually- well I didn't expect-"
"This is your house?" Denki whistles, taking another look around. "Izuku, we've been spending our money wrong bro."
"No, no! We didn't know we were coming here either!" Izuku is quick to reassure Yaomomo. "But wait…" he trails off.
"Momo? Are they here?" A voice asks from behind the doors.
Yaomomo looks back. "Yes, mother," she confirms, still sounding a bit bewildered by the unexpected turn of events.
The doors budge, fully opening as Thor takes a step in front of the boys, raising his umbrella. Izuku can feel the lightning practically buzzing off of his uncle. He looks past him to Loki. "Dad, what's going on?"
The God of Mischief looks thoughtful for a moment, before casually shrugging. "I took a risk."
The doors finish opening to reveal a woman in a green and black business suit. Unlike her daughter, Yaomomo's mother lets her black hair flow halfway down her back, her dark eyes contrasting greatly with her slightly pale skin. But to Izuku, she might as well be glowing because it's like he's seeing a ghost.
He's seen this woman before. And how could he not? She's been portrayed in paintings, textbooks, scrolls, and even plays. To some, she is a savior meant to bring the reckoning of a better new world. To others, she is a villain hell-bent on bringing nothing but death and destruction to society as they know it.
To those Izuku's age, she's nothing but a boogeyman. A legend meant to serve as a warning of how power can corrupt a person. A myth that is supposed to be locked away in Asgard's most secure prison. But to Izuku, he's only ever known her as one thing.
"Aunt Hela?"