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We cleaned up, the sun starting to set. Selkie stretched. "Not bad for a rest day."
Ryukyu nodded. "We needed it."
Nejire flopped onto my back again. "Carry me."
"You are getting too comfortable with this." I sighed but didn't shake her off. "You are gonna have to pay rent soon if you keep living on my back."
She just hummed, resting her chin on my shoulder.
Sirius was still staring at the net, hands on her hips like she was trying to process how the hell they had just lost. "How did we lose to students?" She wasn't looking at anyone in particular, just directing her question at the universe. "We were four pros. Okay, three and a sidekick, but still."
"You lost to students because you are old and washed up," I said. "Also, Nejire fights like her life depends on free dinner."
Selkie scratched his chin. "Yeah, that is kinda embarrassing."
Mirko stretched her arms above her head. "Tch. Could've won if someone didn't fuck up a block."
"What?" Sirius muttered. "Like you didn't miss three."
Nejire, who was still wrapped around my back, wiggled triumphantly. "Victory tastes so sweet."
Uraraka fist-pumped. "And expensive!"
Mirko gave her a look. "You pick the most expensive thing, I will drown you myself."
"I will pick the second most expensive thing."
"Still drowning you."
Tsuyu tilted her head. "How does that even work? Wouldn't she float?"
Mirko crossed her arms. "I will tie a rock to her."
Uraraka waved a hand. "You wouldn't."
Nejire grinned. "She absolutely would."
Selkie exhaled, grabbing a bottle of water. "Fine. We lost. You get your overpriced meal. Just don't expect me to sit through a five-hour dinner."
Nejire hummed. "Hmm. Four hours then."
Sirius groaned. "Just get on the damn boat."
We packed up, dragging ourselves toward the boat. Nejire, of course, still hadn't let go of me. I shifted my weight, adjusting her slightly. "Are you actually gonna walk at some point?"
"Nope."
"Figures."
Mirko nudged my side. "Let's throw her in the water."
Nejire gasped, squeezing me tighter. "Traitor!"
I considered it for a second. "...We could."
"Ryuu, I am your best friend and sister."
"Hmm. Bribing me could work."
She groaned, bonking her forehead against my shoulder. "Ugh. Fine. I will get you extra dessert."
I kept walking. "Acceptable terms."
Selkie's crew worked fast, getting the boat ready while we loaded in. The ride back was calmer, the sun setting behind us, painting the water in reds and golds.
Uraraka leaned against the railing. "That was nice."
Tsuyu nodded. "Peaceful."
Mirko smirked. "Too peaceful."
Nejire let out a dramatic sigh. "Ah, yes, let's ruin it."
Mirko popped her knuckles. "I am just saying, we could shake things up a bit."
Ryukyu, who had been half-asleep in her seat, opened one eye. "No."
Mirko scoffed. "I didn't even say anything yet."
"No."
"I wasn't gonna do anything."
Uraraka hummed. "You were definitely going to."
Mirko leaned back, resting her hands behind her head. "I have no idea what you are talking about."
Tsuyu stared at her. "You wanted to throw someone overboard."
"…No proof."
Nejire snickered. "There is always proof."
Selkie steered the boat toward the dock. "I will pretend I didn't hear any of this."
Sirius rubbed her face. "You guys are a lot."
Nejire beamed. "We are."
The boat docked smoothly, and we climbed out. Mirko stretched, cracking her neck. "Alright, food time."
Ryukyu checked her phone. "There is a place not far from here. They serve a little bit of everything."
"Everything Uraraka can't afford."
Uraraka scowled. "I can afford things!"
Nejire tapped her chin. "But at what cost?"
"Money. That is literally the cost."
Sirius waved a hand. "Come on. Let's just eat before I change my mind about paying."
Ryukyu glanced at Uraraka, raising a brow. "You know, you can just stop asking to pay your share to be polite. That way, you won't worry all night." She gestured at me. "Look at Ryuu, he doesn't care at all. And he is rich."
I grinned. "Damn right."
Ryukyu sighed. "It wasn't a compliment."
I tilted my head, looking at Mirko. "Sounded like one, right?"
She nodded. "It sounded like a compliment to me."
Nejire rested her chin on top of my head. "Ryuu, since you are rich, take me out all the time."
I shifted, making her wobble. "You mean like right now?"
She hummed. "Mmm, more. Like, always. Everywhere."
Uraraka side-eyed her. "You want him to be your sugar daddy?"
Nejire gasped. "What? No! Sugar daddies are old. Ryuu is just my convenient financial option."
Mirko snorted. "That is just a sugar daddy without the wrinkles."
"Not true," Nejire said, poking my cheek. "You take advantage of me anyway."
I rolled my eyes and hopped her onto my back as we reached the diner. "It was you who wanted to mooch off my heat, then ended up curling into my embrace."
She stuck her tongue out and jumped off. "You were naked."
Sirius shrugged like it was common knowledge. "Your fault. Everyone knows Ryuu sleeps naked."
Everyone turned to her. Tsuyu blinked. "How do you know?"
Sirius looked back without hesitation. "Did I stutter? EVERYONE KNOWS!"
Mirko snorted. "Tch. Not surprising. Kid probably spreads out like a starfish every night."
Nejire leaned against me. "Nah, he just radiates heat like a human furnace. Best sleeping spot ever."
I smirked. "I am the one getting taken advantage of."
"You sound like you mind." She nudged me. "You don't."
"That is beside the point."
Uraraka shook her head, laughing as she stepped inside. "This conversation is already cursed."
The place was warm, filled with the kind of smell that made you regret eating before coming. Booths lined the walls, dim lights giving everything a comfortable glow. The kind of spot where regulars had probably been sitting in the same seats for a decade.
Ryukyu found us a table near the window. We crammed in, Mirko stretching out like she owned the place while Nejire immediately grabbed a menu like she was preparing to commit financial war crimes.
Sirius waved the waiter over. "Alright, let's get this over with before these kids destroy the bill."
Mirko leaned back. "Too late. I already spotted the wagyu."
Uraraka made a strangled noise, like she was personally offended by the thought of someone ordering that without a coupon.
Nejire flipped the menu toward me. "What are you getting?"
I glanced over. "Dunno. Steak, probably."
Mirko kicked my shin under the table. "Copycat."
"Or maybe I will just order the same thing you do and eat it better."
Her eyes narrowed. "That a challenge?"
Nejire hummed. "Are we doing a steak-eating contest? Because if so, I want in."
Ryukyu sighed. "You all have the energy of unsupervised children."
I grinned. "And you are our exhausted mom."
Uraraka grinned, pointing her fork at Ryukyu. "That reminds me. Ryuu once said you and Mirko are like two lesbian moms. One responsible, the other the cool one."
Mirko raised her hand. "I am the cool one."
Ryukyu barely looked up. "Not even a debate."
Nejire gasped. "Oh my god, wait… so does that make me the favorite daughter?"
Mirko smirked. "No. That is Tsuyu."
Tsuyu blinked. "I didn't ask for this."
Nejire pouted, slumping back dramatically. "Tragic."
Ryukyu took a sip of her tea, setting it down with a slight clink. "If we are a family, then I am deeply disappointed in all of you."
"Damn," I muttered. "That is some real mom energy."
Nejire pointed at her. "And you still take care of us. You love us."
Ryukyu didn't even blink. "I tolerate you."
Mirko leaned back, arms crossed. "Nah, she loves us. She just sucks at saying it."
Uraraka tapped the table. "Okay, okay, but who is the weird uncle?"
"Selkie," I said immediately.
Nejire nodded. "Oh yeah, for sure. Sirius is the tired aunt."
Sirius, who had just taken a sip of water, nearly choked. "Excuse me?"
"Face it, you fit," Nejire said, shrugging. "You are tired, you try to keep people in check, and you roll your eyes a lot."
Selkie froze. "Why am I the weird uncle?"
I tilted my head. "You eat fish."
Mirko smirked. "He did let us onto his private beach. That earns points."
Sirius rubbed her temples. "I don't know what is worse… the fact that this conversation is happening or the fact that it kind of makes sense."
Nejire clasped her hands together. "Exactly! It is perfect!"
Ryukyu sighed. "I am going to regret acknowledging this."
Mirko grinned, kicking back in her chair. "Too late."
The food arrived before anyone could get even more stupid with the conversation. Plates hit the table, conversation shifting to who got what. Nejire immediately leaned over to steal from my plate, but I blocked her with my fork.
"Hands off."
She pouted. "Sharing is caring."
I pointed at her steak. "Care about your own."
Mirko already had half of hers demolished. "Amateurs."
Uraraka was chewing slowly. "I feel like I should savor this."
Tsuyu tilted her head. "Just eat."
Sirius picked up her knife. "Yeah, before Mirko starts stealing."
Mirko grinned, completely unapologetic. "If you are slow, it is your fault."
Nejire hummed. "So, after this, what is the plan? We going back or we doing something?"
Selkie scratched his chin. "Depends. You wanna be responsible or you wanna have fun?"
Mirko snorted. "What kind of dumbass question is that?"
He shrugged. "Dunno. I think I started to like the idea of fun uncle."
We rolled our eyes and moved on.
Dinner wrapped up, and we went our separate ways. Selkie and Sirius headed back to their base, off to do whatever sea people did when they weren't punching traffickers. The rest of us returned to Ryukyu's agency.
The work-study blurred into the usual hero work, training, and whatever dumbassery came with being stuck in the system. I picked up new skills along the way, three of them standing out enough to make me take a second look.
Impact Overflow
That one came from getting smacked around a little too much. Every hit I took built up force that I could unleash in a single strike. Didn't matter if I dodged or blocked… the energy still stacked up. First time I used it, some idiot tried blindsiding me, and I sent him through a car windshield. Mirko laughed for five minutes straight.
Devourer's Instinct
This one kicked in when fights dragged out. Landing hits drained the other guy, giving me a burst of stamina and making everything sharper. I figured it out in the middle of a prolonged fight when I suddenly wasn't feeling as gassed as I should've. Mirko tested it by making me spar her for an hour. I survived. Barely.
Pulse Shred
I took Uraraka and Tsuyu on second dates. The date with Uraraka was exactly as usual. Cute, predictable, and filled with enough moments to make her all flustered. She insisted it wasn't necessary, that she didn't need something extravagant, but she was the one grinning the whole damn time, so I could say she enjoyed it.
She didn't bring a jacket, of course. I sighed, dropped mine on her shoulders, and muttered something about her being a dumbass. She didn't argue. Just pulled it tighter and tried not to look too happy about it.
We walked around, grabbed some street food, stopped by some overpriced dessert place because she wanted to try something with too much sugar. She got tired at some point, her feet sore from walking, so I carried her without saying anything. She squawked at first, but then she just leaned into it, acting like it wasn't a big deal.
Dinner was at some small restaurant, the kind that had warm lighting and background music nobody paid attention to. She picked something normal, I got whatever looked decent, and we talked about shit that wasn't hero work. For a little while, it felt like we weren't constantly preparing for whatever came next. She made a half-assed attempt to pay, of course I refused and paid.
The movie? Boring. Some romance flick she picked. It wasn't terrible, but halfway through, I started focusing more on how comfortable the seats were. I could've taken a nap and missed nothing. She liked it, though. She got too into it, reacting to every dramatic moment, and I just let her have it.
At the end of the night, I walked her back. She didn't let go of my jacket. "I will give it back later," she said.
I shrugged. "Keep it. You will forget next time too."
She blinked, kissing my cheek, then smiled. "Thanks."
The second date with Tsuyu was… different. In a good way. It was not cutesy like Uraraka's, but it was not awkward either. A chill day at the park with a paddle boat ride, then hitting up one of those animal cafes where you could feed sugar gliders and raccoons.
The boat ride was fun... mostly because she kept critiquing my paddling form like she was my gym teacher. "Ryuu, you are going crooked." "Ryuu, you are splashing the ducks." "Ryuu, do not make the boat capsize." Yeah, yeah. I pretended to paddle harder just to make her lean forward and grab the steering lever. "You are like a grandma," I said.
"You are like a toddler," she replied flatly.
This woman was two seconds away from steering us into frog purgatory. And honestly? I deserve it.
After the boat ride, we hit up the animal café. I figured she might like it since she was into frogs and nature stuff. And hey, she was way too calm holding a hedgehog like it was a damn teacup. Meanwhile, a sugar glider tried to climb up my hair like I was a tree. Tsuyu took a picture of me mid-chaos and smirked. "It suits you."
"What does?"
"The sugar glider. You are both hyper and clingy."
"Wow. That is rich, coming from the girl whose tongue wrapped me a few times."
She side-eyed me. "Do you want to find out if I can use it to strangle someone?"
Cute. Terrifying. Kinky. I liked it.
Dinner was ramen at this tiny place off a back street. She ordered seafood, obviously. I went with pork miso. Conversation was easy with her... she was blunt, but not in a mean way.
When we walked back, she surprised me by hooking her pinky around mine. No big romantic gesture. Just her small way of saying she was comfortable.
"You had fun?" I asked.
She glanced at me. "More than I expected."
"Wow, don't oversell it, Tsuyu."
She smirked faintly, leaning in to kiss my cheek. "Shut up."
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