"Why me?" Oni asked the air as he strolled down the street.
"Because you're the smartest one in the class," Rei answered, "and they all look up to you for that, among other things."
"I mean… I guess. But still, when it comes to the subjects that the exams will cover, I'm not the only person who's proficient, and there are certainly others who're friendlier and more personable than I am. Why not ask one of them for help?"
"I told you. They look up to you. You're the fastest, strongest, and smartest one out of all of them, you're the class president, and despite other people maybe being more social, you are plenty friendly. And consider the fact that you've already helped them all when you were getting ready for the sports festival. Of course they're going to think that you'll be able to help them again."
Oni grumbled a bit under his breath. He saw the logic in her words, he himself had already considered those points, but that didn't make him any more comfortable with the situation. It wasn't even the case that he didn't want to tutor his classmates, he just didn't fully understand why they had come to him.
He supposed that it was simply a result of his upbringing. He'd spent so long with Rei as his only company, rarely even speaking to anyone else, and definitely no one his own age, that even after over two months of attending Yueii, he still wasn't used to a normal social setting. He still wasn't familiar with the social conventions that came with actually having peers.
"At least you're not alone." Tamako said. "It's not like I understand any of that either. We can learn together."
'Probably a mistake, to be honest.' Oni replied. 'The world is so much simpler when you don't have to socialize with other people.'
"Probably… But maybe your classmates, in addition to looking up to you, like Rei said, also see you as a friend? From what I've seen, friends ask one another for help, right?"
'Sounds about right. Familiarity and closeness with a particular person leading one to be more comfortable when admitting a weakness and seeking help to correct it. Most people wouldn't ask strangers, or even acquaintances for help with anything less than immediately drastic.'
"Yeah, there you go. They probably see you as a friend."
Oni let out a breath. 'Yeah well, the mystery of why they would ask me aside, I have to figure out howI'm going to tutor them. It's not like I'm teaching a subject from scratch. I have to figure out what exactly they need help with and teach a patchwork of multiple subjects. Not to mention, if they're coming to the apartment for it, I also have to figure out what I'm going to feed them.'
"You have to feed them? Is that also a part of friends asking for help?"
'No, that has to do with having guests in your home. I think. And besides, based on the number of them that were asking, I'm going to have eleven people to tutor, twelve if you include Ochako to the count. That's likely to take a few hours. It would make sense to feed th-.'
Their conversation was interrupted by movement in the alleyway Oni was passing.
There was a man approaching him. Oni had seen him a few minutes ago, sitting in the alley, covered in his own filth and staring at a wall, and had dismissed him as homeless. Apparently, he wasn't just homeless, but homeless and desperate enough to attack lone strangers, if the gun in his hand and the expression on his face was anything to judge by.
Oni stopped, a small smirk appearing on his face, before he forced a neutral expression, cracking his neck as he did. He also pulled on 'Metallum,' discreetly transforming everything beneath the skin to steel as he turned to look at the approaching mugger. A quick strain of his eyes and 'Appraisal' had information filling his mind.
Name: Yosai Kanagi
Quirk: Feedback. Passive. Focus.Utility/Information/Mental.
Allows the user to receive and interpret radio waves. The user must 'tune' themself to specific frequencies, and can do so at will.
"You." The man, Kanagi, said, already raising the gun. "Gimme your wallet."
Oni tilted his head. The man's mind must be pretty scrambled if he was approaching Oni like that. Maybe if he looked like a regular citizen, though it wasn't as if there would be many of those wandering the streets at midnight, then Oni wouldn't be surprised that the man would try to mug him. But Oni didn't look like a regular citizen in the slightest. His clothing looked—and was—more expensive than what the man's life was currently worth, and he was wearing a mask. Masks and eccentric clothing in present-day society were fairly indicative of heroes, villains, and vigilantes—all people who generally knew how to fight—and were usually a signal to not mess with that person unless you belonged to one of those groups yourself or were looking to be hurt, or even killed.
Granted, the expensive clothing could very well be the reason that the man had decided to rob him, and perhaps the gun made him overconfident. His confidence obviously didn't come from his quirk.
"Look at you…" Oni said. "You're quite brave, aren't you? Either that or you have no idea who I am."
"Shut up and give me your wallet, dumbass. Unless you wanna be full of holes."
Oni smirked. "Well, unfortunately, I don't have a wallet." He raised a hand and activated 'Hotbar,' extracting the bag in which he carried some of his Oni funds. He unzipped it to show the bundles of bills sitting within. "But perhaps this'll work for you?"
The man's eyes widened at the sight, and Oni half expected him to start drooling. The bag held a few million Yen. It was a jackpot for most people, and for a homeless man who was most likely addicted to at least one illicit substance, it was a veritable pot of gold.
He took a step forward, extending his free hand towards the bag.
"Give it."
"You want it?" Oni asked, smirk widening and taking on a dangerous edge as he let out a bit of bloodlust. He held the bag out. "Go ahead. Take it from me."
The man hesitated for a split-second, likely noticing, at least on some level, the danger he was in, but his desire to have the bag of cash to himself won out, and he stepped closer.
As he waited for the man to willingly come within arm's reach, so he could break something, probably starting with the hand holding the gun, Oni noticed a figure in the air behind him, just at the edge of his vision. He resisted the urge to groan at the sight, and settled for hoping that he would simply pass by without noticing what was happening.
That thought was quickly followed by a second urge to groan as, sure enough, the figure saw them, and proceeded to change his course. Some heroes were far too willing to stick their noses into anything that looked even marginally suspicious, especially new heroes.
Kanagi's gun was within reach now. Just another step, and Oni would break every bone in that hand.
As soon as that step was taken, however, and an instant before Oni was about to move, a voice rang out.
"What's going on over here?" The hero shouted, as he swooped down out of the sky just a short distance away. His voice carried with it all the Authority that came with being a hero that intervened in every situation that crossed their path. The sort of voice that made one sound like one of the 'righteous do-gooders' in every other hero-based television show that had come into creation since the emergence of Pro Heroes. Hearing that sort of voice from anyone but All Might—because of course All Might had that voice, he was very nearly the culmination of every 'perfect hero' stereotype in existence—was equal parts strange and amusing.
Were it not for the fact that the owner of that voice was interrupting his fun, Oni likely would've laughed at it. Instead, he rolled his eyes, partly at the interruption, and partly because the hero had gone and wasted his element of surprise instead of making use of his practically silent movement to go for the gun first. In the next instant Oni's free hand darted for the gun that had been swung around to point at the unexpected arrival.
The crack of the firearm sounded out in the night as it went off into the palm of his hand. His skin stung as the bullet pierced through, but the steel flesh underneath stopped it from going further, and 'Shock Absorption' had the now useless bit of metal dropping to the ground instead of ricocheting back at the mugger.
"Now now." Oni said, ripping the gun out of the man's grip. "Let's not play with weapons. Someone could get hurt."
A quick re-activation of 'Hotbar' had both the gun and the bag vanishing from sight as he stored them away. The hand that had been holding the gun darted out once more to close around Kanagi's neck, lifting the man into the air. As he did, his other hand gripped the man's forearm and snapped it with a quick clench. Kanagi shouted out, but was silenced as Oni's grip around his throat tightened just enough to cut off his air.
"Hey! What're you doing?" The hero shouted, coming a bit closer. "Put him down!"
"Excuse you." Oni returned. "I am defending myself from a mugger. He threatened me with a deadly weapon. It's only right that I break his arm in return, right?"
Looking over at the hero, Oni activated 'Appraisal' once more.
Name: Asuka Suou
Quirk: Flight. Focus. Utility/Transportation.
Allows the user to fly.
'Most likely achieved through a specialized form of telekinesis.' Oni found himself theorizing. 'The only thing it can move is him.'
"It's too bad that he's a hero. If he were a criminal, you could take it."
'Tell me about it. I would love to have a flight quirk like that. Much more discreet than wings.'
Oni had already had that thought when he first saw the hero's debut, as he usually did when he found an interesting quirk that wasn't in the hands of a criminal or villain.
This particular hero, Suou, was relatively new, having only been around for just over a year-and-a-half. Oni had paid a bit closer attention to him, not only for his quirk, but also because of his career, and the decision he'd made regarding it. Almost immediately after graduating from Ketsubutsu, he had gone to work at Endeavor's agency as an intern. Not a bad decision, as the number of successful heroes that major agencies such as that produced was fairly high. Recently though, Suou had decided to split away from the agency to become an underground hero.
That typically wasn't the direction most heroes tried to go. Though, it wasn't as if very many people pursued underground heroics. Most every underground hero started off as such, as being in the public eye in any capacity just made their job harder. Going from the spotlight to underground wouldn't do anyone any favors. But Oni supposed that, at the very least, such a quirk would be fairly effective in underground heroics. Greatly enhanced movement ability, which was almost completely silent. Combine that with the advantages it could provide in combat, from being able to create his own momentum to even being able to flee much easier if that became necessary, and it could almost be considered an ideal quirk for it.
"Wait a minute…" Suou said. "I recognize you… You're that vigilante, Oni, aren't you?"
"Oh, look at that." Oni said. "He has the power of recognition."
Turning his attention back to Kanagi for a brief moment, he cut off the man's struggles with a quick exertion of 'Conqueror,' loosening his grip to allow the man to breathe.
"What did you do to him!?" Suou shouted. The sight of Kanagi going limp in Oni's grip didn't seem to sit well with him.
"Relax, he's only unconscious. Don't worry, I'll drop him off at a police station."
"No you won't." Suou said, taking another step closer. "I can't just let you go free. You're a vigilante. That means that I have to stop you."
Oni rolled his eyes again, letting out a small laugh. "How amazingly noble of you, stopping the terrible vigilante."
"Please," he said, leveling a look at the hero, "don't let your naivete force you into a fight you can't win. You're much better off leaving me to heroes like Eraserhead. At least he's smart enough to know he can't fight me."
He extended a hand out towards the hero, and for added measure, for a brief moment, he exerted a bit of force with 'Conqueror,' letting some bloodlust flow with it. Suou's reaction was immediate, leaping back to put distance between himself and Oni. His face had gone pale, and the single instant of intent had sweat beading up on his face.
Oni laughed again. "Yep, not a fight you can win. As I said, just leave me to the heroes that know what they're doing. You're better off focusing your attention on people like Kanagi here."
As he said that, Oni tossed the unconscious man towards Suou who, after only an instant of hesitation, leapt into the air to catch him. The second that Kanagi was no longer in his grip, Oni sank into the shadows at his feet, and reappeared on a rooftop a few buildings away. Repeating the process a few times had him on the other side of the city, close enough to the coast that he could see the ocean.
Oni sighed. "Well, that was fun."
"Are you messing with a hero?" Rei asked. "Who was it?"
"A hero by the name of 'Spitfire,' despite not having a fire related quirk. Formerly a sidekick with Endeavor's agency and just recently making a switch over to underground heroics. And I wasn't messing with him too much. All I did was give him a little scare to dissuade him from trying to pursue me."
He moved over to the edge of the roof, sitting down on the barrier and spinning around so his legs dangled over the edge.
"Part of me does think that it's too bad he isn't a villain. I don't exactly want more running around, but I would love a quirk like that."
"Should I keep an eye out for flight quirks?" Rei asked. "As an early birthday present?"
"Please do."
He hummed to himself for a few moments as he thought about the quirk.
"I wonder how far a quirk like that could be pushed?" He wondered aloud. "Obviously there's going to be a limit somewhere to the acceleration and speed you can attain, but would that limit come because of the quirk or because of what the human body can physically withstand? Presumably, the user of such a quirk would have developed a more durable body in order to withstand higher forces, but again, what would be the limiting factor?"
"Oh, and speaking of gifts, I hope you didn't think I was just going to let you take your exams without having gifts prepared for when you finished."
"I definitely didn't think that." Rei said. "I just figured that you were waiting for the results to come back."
Rei had finished up her exams two nights ago, four of them, spread out across four stress-filled nights. She had been incredibly anxious throughout the entire ordeal, to the point that Izuku had taken those four nights off from his vigilante work to provide support in the form of reassurances before each one and food and a movie afterwards. And now that she was done with them, she was riding a high comprised of equal parts relief and anxiety. Relief at finally having gotten her exams over with, and anxiety—unwarranted anxiety, in Izuku's opinion—over how she did. Despite Izuku's reassurances that she no doubt performed admirably however, her nerves would not be soothed until she received proof of that, which thankfully would be coming soon enough.
Apparently, since her classes, and her exams, were entirely online, her results were supposed to be sent back fairly quickly. Actually, according to Rei, she was supposed to start getting them at any time starting tonight.
As soon as those results came back, and she could see that she passed each one with flying colors, he would drop whatever he happened to be doing and return home to congratulate her. He would still be setting up a proper celebration for her, but he intended to present her with the gifts he'd prepared for her as soon as possible to reward her.
Oni reached up to pull his mask off, setting it on the roof behind him. At the same time, his wings receded into his back as he pulled the quirk back into his chest. Spinning in place, he stretched his legs out across the roof barrier, laying back a second later.
He let out a small sigh as he looked out at the water. "If you were to find a flight quirk, that would give me something to do at least. Otherwise I'll have to go find some random group of criminals to torment for a few minutes. I'd much rather cause an upset by breaking into a prison or something."
"I'll see what I can do." She said. Oni could hear the smile in her voice.
"You wouldn't just sneak in?"
'Well, no, I probably would end up sneaking in. It wouldn't be smart to cause a huge commotion to break in and steal a quirk, that would attract too much attention. But once I've taken the quirk, then I'd probably show myself elsewhere to cause a stir. You could even help me. We could see if you could manage to get some of the prisoners riled up.'
"I probably could. I've managed to make criminals fight their own comrades. Prisoners shouldn't be any more difficult, right?"
'We won't know until we put it to the test.' He replied with a smirk.
Actually, talking to Tamako was giving Oni an idea. Maybe there was something he could do tonight. He wouldn't like it, but it might be a good idea, nonetheless.
He mulled it over for a few minutes as he lay there, watching the ocean. He kept that part of his mind hidden from Tamako, not wanting to reveal what he was considering until he was sure he actually wanted to go through with it.
As a quirk, Tamako was incredibly versatile. In addition to being a separate being, and all the benefits that came with that, they allowed for silent, undetectable communication between people, given that they were close enough to one another, they could spy and gather information by just sitting within someone's mind, and they could even manipulate someone's thoughts. But their greatest ability was that they could outright control someone if there was nothing to stop them. Anyone unconscious or that simply didn't reject Tamako could be controlled.
Though, as useful as it could be to control someone, not many people would willingly give up control, especially not in a fight, where such an ability would provide a significant benefit, and waiting for an opponent to be rendered unconscious wasn't the most reliable method.
Because of that, the greatest use for the ability to control someone wouldn't be to control others in a fight, but to control the user in the event that they could no longer fight.
Oni had already witnessed this ability the night that he found Tamako. After incapacitating the original user, Tamako, though probably not fully aware of what they were doing, as they weren't yet aware that they were anything other than an extension of the user, had taken control in an attempt to continue fighting.
That was what Oni was currently considering. He had, almost constantly with him, a back up plan in case he was, for whatever reason, incapacitated. Granted, it would have to be a somewhat extraordinary circumstance to lead to that. There wasn't very much that could pose a threat to him. He was on the same level as All Might when it came to combat, and was only getting stronger as time went on. Even if something were to damage him, he now had multiple regeneration quirks. And outside of a fight, especially now that he had 'All Sight,' he was usually fairly vigilant of his surroundings.
All the same though, regardless of how unlikely of an event it was for him to be incapacitated, it would be a waste to not have a backup plan. If nothing else, probably the most likely out of any scenario, if he were to encounter a mind control quirk, specifically one that functioned like 'Siren' or like Shinsou's, that separated the target's mind from their body, Tamako would hopefully be able to defend against it. Not to mention that having Tamako take control of him would hopefully help him keep his head if he encountered such a quirk again.
Whatever the case, the problem was that the two of them had not yet thought to put that to the test, to have Tamako take control of Izuku. There was a very specific reason that Izuku hadn't even considered such a thing until now, despite the fact that he'd known since the day he found Tamako that they possessed the ability to.
Unfortunately, that very reason also happened to be one of the reasons that he was considering it now. With the numerous potential benefits that were made possible by Tamako, it would be a waste to not make use of those benefits, nor would it be wise to consider that without first knowing whether or not he could even handle having someone else in control of his body. Because if past experiences were anything to go off of, he absolutely could not.
Oni bit at his lip, running the idea through his head one last time, before steeling himself.
"Actually." He started, slowly. "There might be something I can do, if you can't find anything."
"Really? What's that?"
He was silent for a moment, before answering. "Tamako, I'm not sure how much you remember from before, but on the night I found you, I witnessed you controlling the original user after he had been rendered unconscious."
"I think I remember that. Most everything before waking up in your head is pretty blurry, but I know I can control people if they're unconscious, or if they happen to not kick me out. Why do you ask?"
"I was thinking that we could give that a try."
"Woah, are you sure?" Rei asked, her voice suddenly going deathly serious. "Izuku, you know you don't respond very well to stuff like that."
"I know. That's part of the reason I'm considering this. As of right now, mind control quirks are probably one of my greatest weaknesses, if not thegreatest. If I can try to get used to it in a controlled environment, then maybe I won't react so harshly the next time it happens somewhere not so controlled. Besides, if something like that happens, Tamako may be able to take control, instead of whoever is attacking. It would be better if they had practice doing so."
"I.. suppose that makes sense. But…" She sighed. "I'm not going to lie and say that I'm not glad that you're working to improve something about yourself. I'm actually really proud of you for wanting to do this. I just want to make sure that you're certain you want to."
"I'd be lying if I said I really want to, but I know that I should, for several reasons, and I'm willing to at least give it a shot to see if I can manage it."
"Alright… Just promise me you won't push yourself too far."
He smiled softly. "Don't worry, I won't. Despite how much I let myself get injured, I care about myself at least a little bit."
"If you say so." She said. "Where are you doing this? Did you want to come home? Try it somewhere comfortable?"
He shook his head. "No. As much as I would like to, it might not be the best idea. I'm not too sure how I'll end up reacting, so it would probably be best to do this in an open space away from the stuff I care about."
The 'and the people I care about' went unsaid, but was understood nonetheless.
Izuku trusted Tamako. After spending as long as he had with the quirk in his head growing and developing as their own being, of course he did. In fact, he hoped that-that fact would help to ease him through this. But no matter how much he might trust them, it wouldn't change the fact that he absolutely despised the idea of not being in control of himself, of being robbed of his free will. The very thought of such a thing dredged up horrible feelings of weakness and emptiness, and memories better left forgotten.
Nonetheless… He would at least give this idea a try. He would be remiss if he did not at least do that, even if the idea already had his heart beating a bit too fast to be comfortable.
"Alright…" Oni said, forcing his voice to remain steady, an act betrayed only by a slight wobble in the breath he took immediately after. 'What do you say, Tamako? Want to give it a shot?'
"Are you sure you want to do this, Izuku? We don't have to if you're uncomfortable."
Oni nodded. The concern that both Rei and Tamako were showing warmed his heart a bit, and bolstered his confidence. 'I'm sure. It's one of your abilities, and if we can make sure that you're able to properly utilize it, then you'll become the ultimate backup plan for me. If ever I end up unconscious or incapacitated, then it'll be up to you to handle things.'
He took another breath, this one a bit steadier as he forced his body to relax.
'The concept of someone else having control of me isn't going to be any less appalling to me unless I do something about it. Better to get it over with now than run into a situation later that makes me wish I had done it sooner.'
"Alright. If you say so… Just let me know when you're ready."
Oni closed his eyes, taking another moment to steel himself.
'Do it.'
Immediately, Oni felt his arms begin to move without his input, a very slight tingling sensation spreading through his limbs as Tamako took control.
The very next instant, Oni blanched, tearing control over his body from Tamako's grip and cutting off the connection with such intensity that he had almost pulled the quirk back into his chest before catching himself. He gasped, sucking down a breath as he sat straight up, hands coming up to clutch at his chest.
It had only been for the briefest of moments, not even a full second, but the sensation of someone other than himself willing his body to move had a familiar icy terror welling up like an automatic response. It had his stomach squirming and disgust rising in his throat.
"Izuku!" Rei and Tamako both exclaimed, perfectly in sync. They spoke at the same time to voice their concern.
"Is everything okay? What happened?"
"Are you okay Izuku?"
"Izuku!"
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have-."
"No." Oni gasped. They both went silent.
He took a deep, shuddering breath, gritting his teeth as he pushed past the terror threatening to cloud his mind.
"I'm fine." He forced out. "Let's try again."
"What? Izuku no. You don't have to force it if you can't do it yet."
"Yeah Izuku. You don't have to do this."
"Yes." He said. "I do."
More than anything else, more than the fear that clung to the edges of his mind or the disgust that lingered in the back of his throat, he felt frustrated. Frustrated that he continued to be so affected by this. He didn't want to be. He wanted to be able to simply brush it off. He had virtually nothing to fear, in general and especially in this situation specifically. He trusted Tamako, and as his actions a few moments ago could attest to, he could regain control with nothing more than a thought. Why couldn't he just deal with it for a few measly seconds?
No. This might've just been a somewhat spur-of-the-moment idea to both take up some time and improve himself, but now that he had started, he had to see it through.
He had to do this. He needed to.
'Let's try again.' He said after a few moments of composing himself.
Tamako didn't respond. He could feel their concern and hesitation.
'Tamako, please. I need to get over this sooner or later. I'd prefer sooner.'
"…Okay… Alright. If you say so. Just tell me when you're ready."
Oni nodded, and after another second to take a deep breath, he gave the signal.
Once more, he felt his limbs begin to move of their own accord as Tamako took control, that same faint tingling sensation making itself known. This time though, he managed to hold back his gut reaction of yanking control away from them. He suppressed the urge, ignoring and pushing past the terror and the memories.
Once Tamako realized that he wasn't going to kick them out, they took it further than simply moving his arms. They shifted his body to spin in place, setting his feet down on the surface of the roof, then used his legs to stand up off of the roof barrier, wobbling a bit as they did, both from the slight lack of familiarity when it came to controlling a human and because of a slight lapse in concentration on Oni's part that very nearly had him stopping them.
Now that he was experiencing this for longer than a split-second, Oni had the opportunity to push past the terror and observe what it was like, despite the colossal amount of willpower it took to do so. Holding back his instinct to defend himself and remove that which was controlling him took almost all of his focus. It was like holding in a breath when he could feel his lungs beginning to burn, or holding in a sneeze, or resisting the urge to scratch at an itch. It was like all three of those things, only infinitely worse.
Despite that, he did his best to take note of what he was feeling—physically, at least—so that he could attempt to analyze it later.
Aside from the tingling sensation traveling through his limbs, there was also a slight sense of vertigo, most likely due to his body moving, but not through his input. Some subconscious part of him recognized that what he was seeing was not matching up to what he was doing.
His sense of touch was still registering, feeling the impact of his feet on the surface of the roof as Tamako began to take a few steps, and the breeze cooling the sweat on his forehead. He could also still feel his quirks bundled away in his chest, their comforting warmth still present. It was likely due to the fact that his mind hadn't been completely separated from his body, that he was simply holding back from giving his own input, but the realization brought him a bit of comfort, as did the fact that he could feel all of Tamako's thoughts and intentions.
Most of the time, Tamako kept themself somewhat segmented from Izuku, just enough so that he wasn't hearing their thoughts at all times. In turn, Izuku kept their connection a bit segmented from his end as well, so that they wouldn't be hearing him at all times either, though not to the point that Tamako couldn't access his senses. This had actually been a suggestion on Izuku's part, in the hope that Tamako would have a chance to develop into their own being without the constant influence of Izuku's thoughts.
Now though, Oni could hear every thought that passed through Tamako's consciousness, and as such could feel everything they intended to do. He knew what they would do, what movements they would make with his body, before it happened.
That simple realization, along with the fact that he could take back control at any point, provided a significant comfort to Oni. He clung to them as he continued to resist the urge to struggle.
Tamako walked all across the rooftop, carrying on for what felt like an hour to Oni, but which in reality was only about a minute-and-a-half. He managed to hold himself together for that long, until the effort required to do so had mounted to the point that he likely would've been shaking if he were the one controlling his body.
Tamako was standing in the center of the roof when Oni knew he couldn't hold on any longer.
'Alright stop.' He commanded, even his internal voice strained with the effort.
Immediately, Tamako receded, drawing back from him and returning to their place in his head. Oni, his sense of balance off-kilter with how quickly he'd been put back in control, collapsed to his knees, then to all-fours. Where just a moment ago his body had been breathing normally, with a steady heartbeat, in the space of just a few short moments, his heart was thundering uncomfortably in his chest and he was a step away from hyperventilating.
"Are you okay?" Rei asked, once again at the same time as Tamako, as they asked, "How are you feeling?"
As Oni struggled to get his breathing under control, fighting against the terror and memories that still clung to his mind, he reached for his quirks. Between one second and the next, he pulled on twenty-eight separate quirks, all enhancers, and activated 'Metallum' to turn his flesh to steel once more. Fire surged through his limbs with the quirks, and their boost to his body had his fingers cleaving through the stone of the rooftop as he clenched his fists. The fire made him feel safe, and as such brought comfort. In this state, disregarding his being on the edge of a panic attack, he could go toe-to-toe with All Might himself.
Loosing the desire to even remain somewhat upright, he let himself fall over on his side, his arms coming up to cover his chest as he gripped at his shoulders.
Oni closed his eyes, dry swallowing before forcing himself to take long, deep breaths. He could practically feel Rei's anxiety through the earpiece, and he could actually feel Tamako's anxiety.
"I'm-. I'm alright." He said between breaths. "I'm-."
He let out a shuddering breath, and the metal flesh of his shoulders groaned in protest as his grip tightened. Any further, and he'd probably end up tearing away a chunk or two.
Oni might've been able to push past the fear and memories long enough to not struggle against Tamako, but that didn't mean that they weren't still present. He needed to make sure he didn't lose himself within them. Focusing on the heat of his quirks helped with that, the fire providing a distraction as he counted through and catalogued them.
Eventually, he was able to start getting himself under control. Using the warmth of his quirks to ground himself, he managed to persist and focus until the memories were no longer quite so insistent and the terror no longer threatened to consume him. He let out a sigh, and the vice-like grip on his shoulders, that had his metal flesh creaking, relented.
After a few more seconds, he rolled over onto his back, his arms still crossed over his chest. He opened his eyes, staring up at the sky, and after a few more seconds, his breathing still harsh but finally beginning to settle, he smiled.
It was a lopsided grin, a bit wobbly, but genuine nonetheless.
"I'm good." He said, letting out a sigh. "I'm good."
Remnants of the terror, and flashes of memories still lingered, but they couldn't compare to the satisfaction he felt.
He did it. It might've sucked in a big way, it might've taken every ounce of his willpower to hold on as long as he had, and it still had him essentially incapacitated by the time it was over with, but he still succeeded. He had experienced someone taking control of his body, and he had kept himself from drowning in the panic.
It wasn't as if he had gotten over anything, not even close. He'd been on the edge of completely terrified the entire time, but that wasn't the point. The point was that he had survived a bit of time—granted, it was an extremely short bit of time—not in control of himself, and hadn't been reduced to a shell of himself, controlled only by instinct, or even worse, an empty husk, not controlled by anything.
Tamako's relief at his words was palpable, though there was still an undercurrent of concern beneath it, and he could still just about feel Rei's anxiety.
"I'm good, Rei. I'm here."
There was an audible sigh of relief. "I'll believe that once you're home and I can see for myself."
"Yeah." He said. "I don't think I want to do anything more tonight anyway. Give me a sec, I'll be right there."
Closing his eyes, he reached for his quirks, deactivating all the ones he had just pulled on and letting them return to their spot in his chest. In the same moment, he deactivated 'Metallum' as well. Ignoring the exhaustion he was beginning to feel from pulling on, and then releasing, so many quirks at once, that which probably wasn't helped by the stress he'd just put himself through, he focused on 'Sciakinesis,' visualizing his destination. A moment later, he sank into the darkness around him, reappearing in the apartment.
Almost immediately, Oni was being yanked up off the floor and pulled into a crushing hug.
He smiled. "See? Told you I'm fine."
As he said that, he felt Tamako vanish from his head, presumably to go to Rei. He wasn't sure what they said to her, but whatever it was had her grip around him tightening.
"I'm so sure." Rei said. Then, after a breath, "I stand by what I said, I'm proud of you for trying to improve a part of yourself and work through stuff, but please don't scare me like that."
His arms came up to wrap around her, reciprocating the hug. "Sorry. Once I started, I felt like I needed to see it through."
"I know." She said, rubbing small circles into his back, right between his shoulder blades. "I know. Just… next time, let me help."
"…Alright. I promise. No more impromptu trauma recovery sessions. I'll be sure to schedule them in advance from now on."
That got a small huff out of her. She moved a hand up to the back of his neck, giving him a small squeeze.
"Thank you. Now, do you think you're good enough to be moving around?"
"Yep. My hands are still a little shaky, but I ought to be fine."
She moved her hands to his shoulders, pushing him back a bit until she was holding him at arm's length. "Good. Go get cleaned up so we can relax and watch some movies until morning."
Oni smirked. "Sure thing. Be right back."
As soon as the words left his mouth, he slipped out of her hands and into the shadows at his feet, reemerging in his own room, where he set about transitioning back to Izuku. He showered, despite having the ability to clean himself instantly with 'Shower in a Can,' because he felt that, after what he had put himself through, a proper shower was necessary. He set aside the outfit he'd been wearing to be taken to the drycleaners, and in the process realized that he left his mask on that rooftop. By this point, he'd already shifted his quirks around until he was Izuku again, but 'Ghost' ensured that he was completely hidden when he slipped through the shadows to retrieve it. Within a few short minutes he was exiting his bedroom, freshly cleaned and dressed in a comfortable t-shirt. Rei had already gotten situated in the living room, with a movie ready to play.
He settled down next to Rei, both of them laying across their tails. Rei pressed into his side, and Izuku stretched out his wings to cover the two of them like a blanket.
The two of them stayed like that for a good while, just soaking in each other's presence, watching movie after movie. It was nice. Relaxing.
Well, Izuku always enjoyed spending time with Rei. Out of everything, that was probably his favorite thing to do, even when considering his analysis and his vigilante work. But now, after the night he'd had, it was especially pleasant.
The only interruption to their night came a few hours in, when Rei's phone dinged with a notification. Izuku didn't pay it any attention, barely even noticing it at all, at least until Rei was making a sound like a squealing tire in his ear and pushing his wing away so she could get up.
"Holy Shit!" She exclaimed, practically shouting.
"My thoughts exactly." Izuku responded. "What happened?"
"I passed! I passed my exams!"
"That's wonderful!" Izuku said, rising up off the floor, movie already forgotten. "You already got back the results for all four, then?"
"Yep! They sent them all at once."
Rei was practically vibrating with excitement. Izuku smiled, pulling her into a hug.
"This is terrific news, Rei." He said. "I'm really proud of you."
"Also," he continued, "it's fortunate that Ochako decided to spend the night with Tsuyu. Because you definitely would've woken her up with that."
"Hey." She said, pulling back from him a bit so she could look at him. "I couldn't help it. I'm excited."
"As you absolutely should be. But on the topic of excitement, we can't forget about your gifts. I did say I would give them to you when you got your results."
"Give me just a moment." Izuku said, separating from Rei.
Backing away, he pulled his t-shirt off, and quickly pulled on the multi-arm quirk, sprouting an additional pair of arms a moment later. With them in place, he activated 'Hotbar,' reaching for the pocket he had stored her presents in. As soon as he did, a box appeared in his hands, big enough that Oni would most likely fit in it.
Following what he'd learned when he'd bought his weapons, shortly after acquiring the quirk, if he used more hands, he could store larger items. This held true when the number of hands used was more than what a person would typically possess.
Using the multi-arm quirk had also increased the number of pockets—doubled it to twenty, actually—but that wasn't a permanent change. Those extra pockets would only exist for as long as he had the additional set of arms. If he stored anything in those pockets, then deactivated the multi-arm quirk, whatever he stored would immediately be expelled back into the world.
The box had a large manila envelope taped to the top, which Izuku carefully removed once he set it down.
"Woah." Rei said, looking at the size of the box. "What's in it?"
"Open it and find out."
With a smile on her face, she did just that. She opened the box to reveal that it was filled to the brim with a mass of fabric the same shade of pale blue as her hair. Reaching in, she grabbed at a bit of it and lifted it up.
"It's really soft." She said. "What is it?"
"That," he replied, "is about four-hundred square feet of fabric."
Her eyes widened. "Wait, you're telling me this is all one single piece?"
"It is indeed."
That prompted Rei to start pulling the item out of the box, stretching it out across the floor, where it reached from one end of the room to the other.
"I had to go through a support company that works more for civilians than heroes," Izuku explained as Rei examined it, "but that is essentially a giant sweater for your tail."
"Oh shit, really?"
"Yep. I bought one for myself to test it out. It's a bit tricky to get into it at first, but it's quite comfortable, and the fabric was durable enough to withstand my weight when I tried to move around."
"Wait." She said, picking up an end of the piece that she'd finally found. "Is this a cord coming out of this?"
"Oh right, that's the best part. The whole thing is basically a giant heated blanket as well."
Her eyes widened again. "Holy shit… You realize that I'm basically never going to end up taking this off, right?"
"Trust me, I know. The one that I got for myself has the same function."
"How do you put this on?" She asked. "I think I'd like to go ahead and give it a try."
"Before you do, I would recommend taking a look at your second gift." Izuku said, holding out the folder. "There's a chance that you'll like it even more."
With a tiny bit of reluctance, Rei put down the mass of fabric that she was about to try to figure out how to get into. She returned to him to take the proffered envelope. Opening it revealed a small stack of papers, the topmost of which adorned with the giant, flashy insignia of Might Tower.
"What is this…?" Rei murmured, flipping to the next page to see a letter addressed to her.
"Miss Reiko Etsumi." She read. "We are pleased to inform you that, upon the request of All Might, owner and primary hero of Might Tower, a position on the Might Tower Legal Defense Team has been created and reserved… for… you…"
Suddenly, she blanched, holding the papers away at arm's length.
"Izuku." She said, looking over at him. "Is this what I think it is?"
Izuku smirked. "Well, I'm not entirely sure what you think that is, but what those papers are, is basically All Might's legal team saying they'll hire you if you want them too. All you have to do is send them all the proper forms and whatnot, and you'll be good to g-."
His words cut off as Rei slammed into him, wrapping him into an even tighter hug than earlier.
"Thank you! Thank you so much! How did you even get this?"
"I'm friends with the owner of the agency. All I had to do was ask him for a favor."
She gave a small laugh. "Right. For a second I forgot that you see All Might basically every day."
He smiled. "I know that he's your favorite hero, and I figured that you might like a basically guaranteed job position once you were done with school. And obviously, there's nothing saying that you have to go with this. You're free to look for a job with any firm or agency you want. And if the one you want doesn't hire you, we can always just have Oni persuade them to."
Rei let out another small laugh. "Don't worry, you won't need to do that. If I can actually manage to get in with All Might's team, I'll be happy."
She sighed. "Thank you, Izuku. Seriously. This means a lot."
"You're very welcome. I ended up with my dream job, it's only fair that you get yours as well."
The two of them lapsed into a comfortable silence with that, sitting there embraced for a few long seconds, before Rei spoke up once more.
"By the way, how exactly do you put the blanket sweater thing on?"
Izuku laughed. "You put it on almost like a shirt. You pull it on over your head, ball up the fabric around your waist, and then you have to pull it down the length of your tail, the entire way."
"Here, let me go get mine and I'll show you. Then we can get back to watching the movie."