Fist to Fist, Heart to Heart - Yojimbra - 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia (2024)

Chapter 1: First Contact!

Chapter Text

“Hyah!”

The dojo had a distinctive scent to it that no matter how many times the hard wooden floor was cleaned hung in the air welcoming all that entered. It was the scent of sweat, of hard work, of dedication, with a healthy dose of incense all bound together through years of training and practice.

“Hiyo!”

She turned the slow movement as they changed from stretch to stretch was reflected by her fellow disciples, some rushed ahead of her, others lagged behind, and a few got the positions wrong. A mirror ran along the far wall of the dojo. One of her earliest memories of this dojo was about that mirror, her father warning her not to lick it when they had first arrived. That was eight years ago.

While the students changed like the seasons the biggest change was her father’s mustache, though there was still a bit of pepper hidden among his grey hairs. Her father was a tall slender man that looked more at home in his white training gi than he did in a t-shirt. For as long as she could remember he had served as her father and her Sensei even if he only let her into the “Adult” class just last year.

“Hyah!”

Once more they all shifted, their legs pressed straight against the ground while they tried to touch their toes. It was a standard stretch one that was even done at school, but still a good stretch, at least that’s what her father told her. Outside of knowing that stretching was good for her, she didn’t know much more outside of that.

The door opened, allowing the invasive sounds of the nearby road to puncture their tranquility. Lifting her head up just the slightest amount she looked towards the entrance. A plump green haired woman was shuffling her feet to take off her shoes while a green haired boy did the same.

A bandage was stuck to the boy's cheek covering several of his freckles, and another was wrapped around his right hand. Somehow he managed to look twice as nervous as any newcomer that came before him. With his slender stature and the way his posture was slouched, he looked like a nerd.

It was probably some concerned mother trying to toughen up their son to give them more confidence. There wasn’t anything wrong with that, but few of those students lasted. Fewer still stuck with her father’s class.

“Itsuka, lead for a moment. Stretches, crabwalks, sweeps.” Her father said, holding out a simple hand gesture, his smile large enough that it nearly forced his eyes closed. That limp she had known all her life was present in the first few steps before his posture corrected itself.

“Kiya!” She shouted, directing the group into the next set of stretches.

“Hello, and welcome to my dojo,” Her father gave the standard greeting, always eager to take on new students, it was a shame he was just as enthusiastic as sending them to what he thought were better teachers.

“Y-yes! Hi!” The woman squeaked, apparently, she was just as nervous as her son. “My name is Inko Midoriya, I spoke on the phone with a Kendo-sensei?”

“Ahh yes, Mrs. Midoriya, it’s a pleasure to meet you.” Her father said, no doubt giving a small bow to the pair. “And this must be the young man with a heroic soul, Izuku?”

“You, you, your-” The boy squeaked, maybe he learned his nervousness from his mother.

“Kyo!~” She shouted, forcing the group to the turn again.

“You’re Kotetsu Kendo the Hurricane Striker!” Izuku blurted out. “Your quirk allows you to extend your legs, you used this in combination with your martial art skills to catch villains off guard!”

“Ohh, I didn’t realize there were any fans still interested in a retired pro like me.” Her father’s laugh drew the attention of everyone. A sharp glare and a quick clap got everyone back on track. “Though don’t think I’ll go easy on you just because you buttered me up, now please, follow me we can talk in my office.”

The office wasn’t so much an office as much as it was just a room to the side that allowed him some privacy while still allowing him to see the dojo floor. There was no door, no desk, just two benches, and a small table.

“Ha!” She shouted, turning to face the rest of the disciples, clapping her hand as they all stood. “Alright, we’re doing crab walks, get against the wall.”

XXXX

Should he ask him for his autograph? Did he even bring the correct notebook that had his quirk profile? That one was in his tenth notebook right? It should still be on his desk. Would that be weird? It was his fourth time meeting a hero that he had taken notes on, and this was the longest one so far.

Wait, wasn’t he going to be his sensei? Would that be awkward?

“My, you sure do mumble a lot don’t you.” Hurricane Striker gave a small laugh, stroking at his well-kept beard that was a mix of black and white hairs a bit like pepper, his long black hair was smooth and pulled back into a small ponytail. He looked older than he did in the pictures but just as frightening.

“Sorry,” He sucked on his lip trying to sink down into the bench. “Mr. Hurricane Striker-sensei sir!”

“It’s fine my boy, but before you can call me Sensei, I do have a few questions I’d like to ask you.” The retired pro-hero leaned forward, placing his elbows on his knees, his smile fading so that his pale blue eyes were visible. It was amazing how much a simple smile can change a man.

“Yes, Sir!” He shot back into his seat. There was a wave of terror radiating from this man that went well beyond his status as a pro-hero. His mother likewise did the same, place a hand over his chest like they were riding a train and it was coming to a sudden stop. This might have been a mistake.

“Your mother,” he gestured towards his mother, she looked halfway to passing out. “Called me yesterday, asking if there was anything I could do to help you. She says that you have a habit of trying to help people, even when it would put your life in danger and she’s worried about you.”

“I know,” he knew better than anybody that he wouldn’t be able to do anything, that he couldn’t stop them, but that boy was in trouble, and he thought they might listen to him, instead they both got beat up.

“I’d certainly hope so,” Hurricane Strike’s gaze continued to bore into him, it was hard to look him in the eyes, but harder not to, it felt like he was looking both into him and past him. “But, I didn’t ask if you know. What I want to know is, why did you do it?”

He swallowed, finding the words stuck to the back of his throat like frozen grapes, cold, hard, and vaguely sour. The principal had asked him this too, he didn’t really know then either. He still didn’t know why he didn’t get suspended, or why the bullies confessed, but the burn marks on their clothes looked similar to Kaachans quirk.

“I don’t know,” he said weakly, offering up a small shrug while twidling his thumbs. He spared a look to his mother, who was looking at him with just as much worry as before. He hated making her worry. “He needed my help.”

“And what else?”

What else was there? There wasn’t. He just saw someone in trouble and the rest was history. “I don’t know, my body just moved on its own.”

A low hum came from across the table, closer to the rumbling of a landslide than the deep chuckle that it was. A spark ignited in Hurricane Strike’s pale blue eyes and he could once again see a smile pulling at his cheeks. “I see, tell me young Izuku do you wish to become a hero?”

“Yes!” He blurted out hands shooting down to the rough wooden bench he was sitting on. That bravado was as short-lived as a bottle rocket, fading before he even knew it was really there, just that one flash remained. “I mean, I do, but I don’t have a quirk so I don’t know if I can.”

“I did not ask if you could,” He placed his hand down on the small wooden table that separated them. His hands were rough, full of calluses, with strong well-defined muscles trailing up into his white sleeve. “I asked for your desire, now, place your hand in mine, face up.”

He did as asked, the moment his hand touched Hurricane Striker’s the man reached across the table sliding his own sleeve up to the elbow exposing his thin arms and nonexistent muscle.

“You have the heart and soul of a hero Izuku, but you do not have the body or mind of one, truly you are a divided individual.” Kotetsu dragged a finger along the creases in his palm touching each of his fingers before sliding up his arm. “You are as weak as you are unsure of yourself, unfortunately, the last time will not be a last time, you will act again even when your mind and body are screaming at you to stop, your heart and soul will push you forward until you reach that last time.”

“I’m not fool enough to believe that martial arts alone will allow you to stand up to those with devastating quirks. The strength I can teach you will not allow you to save people, it will simply allow you to survive when your heart and soul drive you once again.” His smile vanished and his eyes turned into hooks pulling at his very being to shake loose any truths that he himself did not know. “Will, that be enough?”

A sharp pain and the warm irony taste of blood poured into his mouth, had he been biting his lip that hard? His heart was pounding in his chest, someone was giving him a chance. Someone was saying that he could do something, even without a quirk. Even if it was small. But he couldn’t lie to him. Not now. His heart spoke first. “No.”

A roar of laughter that was closer to that of a crazed war cry erupted from Kotetsu, one hand slapping his knee, while the other enclosed around his hand. “That’s the answer. That is the answer! Very well young Midoriya, from this day forth you shall be one of my disciples. You won’t let me down will you?”

“N-n-no, sir!” Something surged through him, growing with each passing moment, a new desire that flowed into his dreams of becoming a hero, a small flame that was the hope of success, a dream within a dream, the ambition of ambition. He wanted to study Martial Arts, and he wanted to be good at it. “I won’t.”

“I know you won’t,” Kotetsu grabbed his hand forcing it into a fist before placing both hands onto the table. “But I’m going to make you wish you did.”

That didn’t sound ominous at all.

“Now then, I will talk to your mother payment, as well as address any concerns she might have.” Kotetsu, err, it was probably Kendo-sensei clapped his hands twice and paused. Nothing happened. He looked to his side and clapped again. “Hello, glorious first pupil of mine?” He leaned out of the room, “Itsuka! That’s you get over here!”

A girl, about his age, with long orange hair tied into a ponytail that ended just below her shoulder, walked into view. She was taller than him, with teal green eyes and a half annoyed, half polite look on her face. She wore a white training outfit just like Kendo-sensei did though her belt was a different color. “Yes, Sensei?”

Kendo-sensei pulled her in by the waist giving her a quick hug and smiling wide enough to show off all his teeth. Much to the girl's embarrassment. “This is my prized pupil and daughter Itsuka. Today, she will be getting you your equipment, takings some measurements, and leading you through stretches.”

“But dad,” Itsuka began to whine.

“Ahhh ahhh, It’s sensei right now. Now, listen to your sensei, one of the most important lessons to learn is how to teach others, because that will lead you to teaching yourself, it’s a very important milestone in your growth.”

“Uh-huh, and how do I know you’re not just being lazy?”

“Ahh, but that is another lesson to learn, now please, take young Izuku for a moment, you two are the same age so I hope you become friends as student and master.”

The girl smiled at the last word. He was starting to get the feeling that Kendo-sensei was a master at motivating people. Before he could so much as say hello Itsuka reached over and grabbed him by the wrist, pulling him up and out of the room with ease. She was a lot stronger than she looked. “Come on Izuku, let’s get going.”

A girl was touching him! And she was going to be talking to him? What was he supposed to do? He never talked to a girl before! Did this counter? He was talking to a girl.

Despite the fact that he hadn’t even said anything yet.

XXXX

She had a pupil! A disciple! Wait did that make her a master? Was this her father’s unofficial way of saying that she was a master now? No! That wasn’t it, this was a test! A test to see if she could handle her own class! If she had her own class she’d be a paid, which meant she’d be able to start saving up for her own motorcycle once she turned sixteen.

Ahh, this was going to be so great!

And thankfully she wasn’t being forced to teach a little kid. Just a red-faced, scrawny, nervous-looking featherweight that had two left feet. No big deal, that was one of the first things they tried to correct. Balance and control over their own body, there were a lot of people that weren’t aware of their own muscles.

She pulled him past the dojo, into the back room that was a mix of storage, locker, break, nurses office, and weight room with curtained changing rooms. Her father’s massage and acupuncture table sat in the middle, with a pile neatly stacked mats underneath it. Practice weapons, namely staffs, both padded and pure wood were stacked in a corner near a variety of punching dummies. It had been a while since they had used them, even in the child class where the uncoordinated children loved to flail at them. Or hug them. It was 50/50 with most kids.

Releasing her new disciple next to the scales and height measuring equipment, she looked around the room looking for the charts her father kept. He stood where she left him, his mouth as moving and he was making noises but they weren’t words. When she looked back at him, he stood straight, mouth shut, hopefully he wouldn’t be too nervous to speak.

“So, how old are you?” She asked opening a drawer, finding what she was looking for, a clipboard and a stack of forms that her father filled out for their students. “Oh, and what school do you go to?”

“fourteen!” he squeaked and bowing at his waist hands at his sides. He shot back up a second later. “I go to Aldera Junior High.”

“Oh, I think I went there once with the Martial Arts club,” She marked his age on the charge, smiling in hopes to put him at ease. It didn’t work. He bowed again. “I’m from Dantooine Junior, it’s nice to meet you Izuku.”

“Likewise.” He bowed again. “Kendo-sensei.”

She laughed, nudging him closer to the measuring device on the wall. He was a bit shorter than her, but that was true for a lot of boys her age. But she was probably done growing at her 166 cm (five foot five and one-quarter inches) the boys still had a few years to catch up and pass her. “You’ll be calling my father that a lot, so why don’t you just call me Itsuka? Besides, I don’t think I’m your actual Master.”

Her father was good at telling people what they wanted to hear. Especially her.

“Right!”

“Now stand straight, I need to get an accurate reading for your height.”

“Yes, Sensei!”

She rolled her eyes and took his measurements. He was 157 cm (5’2), with a bit extra and weighed a whopping 53 kg (117lb), which meant that he actually did weigh less than her.

“Alright, now that that’s taken care of,” she tossed the largely unfilled chart to the side, her father could do the rest if he really wanted it, weight and height were really the only important ones for practicing. The only other thing that was important was - “Oh, wait, what’s your quirk?”

“My quirk?” He stuttered, fidgeting with his fingers and shuffling his feet, his face was redder than most girls got when they talked about boys.

“Yea, we need to know if you need anything special done for your Gi, your quirks part of your body so part of training is learning your quirk too.” She held out her hands, forcing them to grow. It was slow, but, bit by bit they grew to be roughly the size of her own body. “I’m still working on how fast I can make them grow, and how big I can get them.”

“Woah,” His face lit up. “Your quirk is amazing, if you can increase the speed of the growth fast enough you can add the extra force to your punches, or maybe not, they don’t appear to be weighing you down does their weight not change?”

“It does! My hands are also stronger, watch!” She placed a single finger underneath the massage table and pulled it upwards with great ease. “I can also carry a lot more stuff when they’re like this too.” She put the table down lightly and began to shake like she was drying them her hands to make them shrink. “Still takes a while to get them back to normal.”

“That’s an amazing quirk you have, it’s almost like your hands stay the same size but everything else shrinks.” Izuku looked at her with wide-eyed intrigue.

Only her father had called her quirk interesting before and had been going out of his way to figure out a way for her to use it in Martial Arts. “Thanks, but what about your quirk?”

Izuku’s excitement vanished, replaced with that nervousness once again. “Oh, I don’t actually have a quirk.”

Oh. That kind of explained a bit actually. At least she wouldn’t have to go back and fill out that box. “Oh, well, okay then, I guess that you’ll just need a regular gi then.”

Digging through the storage locker she pulled one out and handed it to him. “Here, put this on, it should fit.”

She hummed, waiting for him to finish changing behind the curtain. He didn’t have a quirk huh? In a way that almost made him stand out more, it probably made him a target for bullies or teasing. Which was probably why he was in here, to begin with. Well, it was her job to make sure that he would be able to defend himself! Even just a little bit!

“How’s it feel?” She asked.

His response was a gasp, followed by some incoherent babbling. Hopefully, he got over his nervousness before it drove him to quit. It’d look bad if her first pupil quit on her.

“Fine,” he squeaked. “It’s easy to move in.”

“Good! That means it’ll be easy for you to stretch in and then learn some real Martial Arts.” She stood in front of the curtain, hands on her hips smiling in his general direction. He needed to see that she was comfortable around him, and maybe that would make him more comfortable around her. Besides, despite what her classmates said, she was not a scary person. She could just kick their asses. “Come on out, let me see.”

The curtain was opened so slowly that it was painful, then Izuku stepped out. He was practically swimming in it.

Still, it was better than nothing.

“Alright, now you look the part of the pupil.” She folded her hands in front of her and bowed towards him. He took a moment and mirrored her stance. From there she moved her hands in a circle, drawing herself upwards and into one of her favorite stances. One hand near her head, palm out, the other fully extended and ready to strike, while standing on one leg, the other drawn up so that her foot touched her knee. “Are you ready to learn Izuku?”

He tried to copy her, there was so much wrong with his stance, from the stiffness of his motions to the awkwardness of this resting angle, that it was easier to say the one thing that he did write. He tried. A moment after his foot left the ground he fell forward, barely catching himself before landing on the ground.

“Don’t worry Izuku, you’re still new, it’s going to be a while before you feel comfortable going through the stances, but that’s what we’re going to teach you. But first, let’s practice stretching!” She kept her eyes locked onto his. Keeping her knees straight she leaned forward, bending at the waist while pushing her hands down to her toes, then pressing her palm flat against the floor. She turned to look at him, a kind of amazed look on his face. “Alright, now you try to touch your toes.”

He leaned forward like a robot, his knees bending ever so slightly, as his waist came to a right angle and stopped, his arms dangling without even touching his legs. He tried to push forward but lost his balance taking a step forward before catching himself.

Okay, maybe this was going to be a bit more work than she thought.

He gasped, falling forward so that she had to catch him before he crashed to the floor.

A lot more work.

Chapter 2: Second Strike

Chapter Text

“You can make the first move,”

She wasn’t being polite. Itsuka bowed to him once more, fist inside of her open palm, and smiling at him. When it came to skill, grace, and strength, she was really amazing, and somehow managed to defeat him without actually hurting him. It also felt like he learned more going against her than he did following the stances. Sweat glistened on her forehead and her breathing was heavy but measured.

After a month of training and learning the basics, Kendo-sensei had decided that it was time for him to have some experience. Unfortunately, the only opponent in his weight class - and it wasn’t by a small margin - was Itsuka, which was a bunch of different problems all tied into one. First, that she was a girl, and he could barely talk to her while looking her in the eyes, second, he saw her take down the tallest man in their class.

Fortunately by the third, maybe the fourth time he had been - gently - flipped onto the mat, the whole her being a girl thing didn’t really matter.

He returned her bow, his breath came in short rapid bursts. Everything about martial arts was still foreign to him, from breathing, to where his feet belonged, to even how to properly do the moves. Nothing felt right, but, it did feel better than last week.

Hopefully, that meant he was making progress.

He shifted his stance ever so slightly seeking the position that wasn’t the most comfortable, or the most natural, but the one that was right, that perfect spot that Itsuka, Kendo-sensei, and all the others seemed to carry about with them. He didn’t find it.

Foot forward, arm up, palm open, fingers curled, he moved forward, his back foot sliding forward as he closed the space between him and Itsuka. She had a greater reach than him, in part due to her height, but the way she controlled her body. In theory, the flow of a fight was just like following a script, just one that he couldn’t read, and one that Itsuka didn’t need.

If he struck her stomach she’d block it and pull him into another toss, or press him down onto the matt again ending the bout. If he attempted her chest she’d deflect the blow, pushing him out and away before pushing him down onto the ground. There was only one option, a strike to the arm.

Thud.

“Bweh.” The air was forced from his lungs as he stared up at the ceiling. Either it didn’t hurt or it hurt so much that he couldn’t feel it. A dull soreness, the briefest ghost at the back of his foot where Itsuka must have hit him.

A hand appeared above him, and Itsuka’s face blocked one of the few dull lights that gave off a natural illumination. Her orange ponytail bobbed close to her as she smiled at him. “Sorry Izuku, I didn’t think you’d fall that fast when I tripped you. I think your center of gravity was off.”

With his limited knowledge of martial arts, or how he even ended up on the ground in the first place, that sounded like something he’d mess up with. He took her hand and he was pulled up more by her strength than his. Muscles that he had long neglected that were already burning from the previous training sessions were now on fire.

They bowed once more, and despite his mild cause of severe exhaustion, and at least two heart attacks at touching a girl - again - he found himself smiling to the point that his cheeks hurt. “Thank you for the match.”

Itsuka returned his smile. “Likewise, you’ll get the hang of it if you keep it up.”

“Well done Izuku,” Kendo-sensei gave him a short clap, his eyes shrinking under the weight of his smile. “There is something to be said about being able to smile at your opponent, especially when he tasted defeat eight times in a row to the same foe and still stood up. Though, perhaps his perseverance is a bit too much.”

His face felt hot. And not just from the usual things like being tired, or being in the spotlight, or existence. Looking at the ground cooled his face just enough.

A clap from Kendo-sensei drew his eyes back up. “Now then, take a small break to recover.”

XXXX

Izuku was just as odd, skittish, and well, to be frank, weak as her first impression of him was. But he was not without surprises, he took to the concepts of moves and technique faster than most of their seniors, in many ways it was his body and inexperience that really held him back. That, and his constant habit of second-guessing his every action that made him move even slower.

But the part of him that most people didn’t see was that he simply didn’t quit. It was just like her father said, he had more perseverance than just about anybody. Very few students could handle losing eight times in a row and still get back up on their feet and smile at their opponent ready for more. She doubted even her father could do that.

Turning her back to the wall she slid down next to him, popping open her water bottle and taking a good long sip. He nearly jumped away from her, right, she needed to remember that he was a bit like a cat and she needed to approach him slowly. Or wait for him to get used to her. “You know, I think you really impressed my fa- our sensei.”

“I did?” He half stuttered looking to her for just a split second before staring at his water bottle. “But you beat me every time, and that last time was so fast.”

“I think he was testing you, he wanted to see if you’d give up. But, you didn’t, so he had to give up instead. I’ve seen him do it before as some kind of a test, most people get fed up around four losses in a row before they’re done.” She punctuated the sentence by taking another sip of her water. “And when I was going up against you it felt like you were studying me and trying to find a weakness, you never did the same thing twice.”

“Thanks,” he said to his water bottle.

“I mean it, did you watch a lot of fight videos or something? Maybe some action anime?”

“Just, videos about heroes and stuff,” he nodded to where her father was talking to a few other students. “It’s how I knew about Kendo-sensei, well not about, but his quirk and stuff.”

“You seemed pretty excited about my quirk too, do you study them or something?” She knew of weirder hobbies, some people let their quirks dictate their personality. Probably because of the nicknames associated with them, if only she could get them to stop calling her man-hands.

Izuku winced looking at her again for that half second, a frown appearing on his face. “I find quirks interesting, mostly those used by heroes and I umm, try to figure what they can do and other things.”

“Really? That’s a cool hobby, do you have notes?” His face went red. He had notes. “If you have some on my dad you should let me see them, oh, what about other pro heroes, like All Might or Ryukyu, she’s still pretty new but I think she’s going to make it into the top ten this year.”

“Yes!” Izuku turned to look at her eyes wide and a smile on his face. “She’s been doing great since she started her own agency and with the combination of her quirk Dragoon and her charity work she’s quickly becoming a favorite, last week she stopped the hijacking of an armored car by picking it up and flying it to a police station.”

“That was so cool!” she half squealed, the event took place while she was in class but she managed to watch the video during lunch. “She and Mirko are my favorites, and part of the reason why I want to become a Pro-hero.”

The other being her parents.

“All Might is my favorite,” Izuku beamed. “I want to be able to save people with a smile on my face like he does.”

“Well, to do that you’re going to have to keep training hard, right?” She bumped her water bottle against his, an incredibly lame and awkward toast to nothing. Maybe he was planning on becoming a police officer, or a firefighter. Or something like a paramedic.

“Yea.” He stared at his water bottle again staring at it intently as his hand shook slightly. “That’s why I want to go to U.A.”

U.A. was the school she wanted to go to. It was the school that everybody that wanted to be a hero wanted to go to. It was the top school for those that wanted to use their quirks or be a part of the hero world. “To be a hero?”

He nodded, lip bitten into silence.

“But,” She should say this. It was the obvious truth. One that he knew all too well, one that he had to live with every single day of his life. “You don’t have a quirk.”

To late.

Izuku nodded again, thumbing at the cap of his water bottle. “Yea, I know.”

A clap echoed through the building, break time was over. She hopped to her feet, and he stood up slowly, looking more defeated now than he had when she put him on the ground eight times in a row.

“Izuku, I’m sorry,” she said as he stood next to her. “I shouldn’t have said that.”

“It’s fine,” he didn’t smile when he said that, instead he just rubbed the back of his head, looking away from her once more. “It’s just the truth.”

She could apologize to him better after class. Once she figured out how to cheer him up.

XXXX

“Izuku,” Kendo-sensei called to him when training was over, many of the senior students were already on their way out the door, dressed in whatever clothes they came in with. But his sensei stood in front of the mirrors gesturing towards a lone pair of mats that had been placed there. “Have a seat, I’d like to speak to you for a moment.”

Every muscle in his body was sore again and his stomach was already grumbling with hunger, he might have to stop and get something on his way home this time. Things were only made worse by the feeling in his stomach that this was not going to be a good conversation.

“Did I do something wrong sensei?” He kneeled down on the cushion, placing his hands over his knees. He sat like this a few times with his grandpa, but this was the first time where it actually scared him.

“Oh, no, quite the opposite,” Kendo-sensei sat opposite him, back completely straight with the kind of posture that he’d only seen in old movies with Samurai or Yakuza. His sensei’s smile was wide, pulling his eyes so tight that the blue of his iris was little but a spark. “You have been in my class for about a month now, and I just want to know your thoughts.”

“My thoughts?” What were his thoughts? Did he like the class? He liked Sensei and Itsuka, and he wanted to keep going. But, there was so much he didn’t understand, it felt like he was moving slower, watching the other’s spar they were so fast, so certain of themselves.

“I mean in regards to you.” Kendo-sensei made a simple gesture with his wrinkled and calloused hand that compared to his smooth under worked hands were like the bark of a tree. “Are you enjoying yourself? I didn’t push you too hard today. Did I?”

That was a good question. He opened his mouth before he had his answer, and closed it soon after. “I like it an all, but, its just I.” He paused grabbing his white pant legs and staring at the ground between them. He knew what was bothering him. But saying it was different.

“You don’t have to be afraid Izuku, you’d be doing both of us a disservice.”

“It doesn’t feel like I’m making progress.” He kept his head down and to the side. “I know that it takes time and that I’ve only been doing it for a month, but it feels like I’m so far behind, that no matter what I do, I won’t catch up.”

Kendo-sensei hummed into a small chuckle. “That is because you are still a beginner Izuku, everybody begins somewhere. You can’t expect to catch up in mere weeks.”

“I don’t,” he muttered. “I just-”

“Give it time Izuku, but hold onto that feeling and try to find a way for it to motivate you.” Kendo-sensei placed a hand to his mustache brushing the black and white hairs in thought. “Ahh, I know, you’re a fan of All Might, correct?”

How did he know? Did he see his All Might theme underwear? He didn’t wear those to school anymore? Was it the key-chain? Everybody had that key-chain! “Yes.”

“Don’t look so shocked, your mother told me.” he reached behind his cushion, pulling out a thin leather book, that was dated for nearly forty years ago. Some kind of yearbook maybe? “That’s why I dug this out. Now, where was that page, a-ha. Here we are.” He stopped near the middle turning it around so that he could see it.

It was a class photo, one of U.A. with the same Blue and White gym uniforms they still wore today. There were numerous people in and he recognized none of them. “This is Class 1-A from when I was in my final year at U.A. Does anybody stand out among these future pro heroes?”

He shook his head scanning for anybody, he brought up All Might, but none of these people looked like him. And this would be before All Might went to America, and photos before his return were rare. He’d only seen a few of him in America on the web. None from his time in U.A.

“No, I don’t,” He admitted. Maybe Kendo-sensei turned to the wrong page.

His sensei moved his finger without looking at the page towards a boy with long blond hair and blue eyes. He was smiling at the camera as best he could, a bandage was wrapped around his head and his right arm was even in a sling. “This,” Kendo-sensei said, voice filled with pride and nostalgia. “This is Toshinori Yagi”

“That’s All Might?” He grabbed the book, shoving his face into it and staring right at the young man. Yes, now that he was told it was obvious, the blue eyes, the hair color, even the stance were all very All Might, with the sole exception being his injuries. All Might was all but invincible, nothing could hurt him.

“Shocking I know.” Kendo-sensei placed both hands on his knees, a smile taking over his face once more. “But, All Might wasn’t always all mighty. Despite his great strength, he had absolutely no coordination and his fighting instincts were far below average, even going so far as to not even make it to the first round of the Sports Festival. I believe he scored so low on both practical exams that he was nearly kicked out of U.A.”

“No way,” This was first-hand Rare-Might facts! One that nobody would ever believe. Was he shaking? He might be shaking. He was shaking.

“My point is Izuku, even somebody like All Might had to start from somewhere.” Kendo-sensei tapped the yearbook. Drawing his attention upwards. “You have the discipline Izuku, all you need is to find the motivation for that to matter.” He rose to his feet smiling. “You can borrow that if it interests you so much, your mother did say you were All Might biggest fan after all.”

“I’ll be sure to give it back as soon as possible Sensei!” He stood, nearly slipping as the cushion moved under his feet. The fan boards were going to freak out about this! He needed to get home and scan this as soon as possible! “Thank you Sensei!”

He sprinted towards the door, he had a spare set of school clothes he could wear, but first things first he needed to take care of this! Wait, what if there was more than one All Might picture in here? He might as well have a national treasure on his hands!

“Woah,” he nearly ran into Itsuka, as he hurried to put his shoes on. “Everything okay Izuku?”

“Yea,” He said, sparing her a glance, she was out of her usual training uniform, instead she was wearing a simple T-shirt with shorts. He plopped one shoe on and smiled at her, getting the other one half on as he made his way towards the door. “I just need to get home as soon as possible! Nothing bad, I’ll see you tomorrow for more practice!”

He was out the door and sprinting down the staircase.

“Hey!” he heard her call from behind him. “Wait! We don’t meet up tomorrow!”

XXXX

Damn it. There went her chance to apologize, and waiting to do so will just make things awkward, chasing after him would just be weird, but he didn’t seem to upset, if anything he looked really excited, so maybe he forgot about it? She groaned scratching the sides of her head and pulling at her ponytail.

If she didn’t apologize to him it was going to eat her alive until she did.

Why did she have to speak her mind?

She let out a sigh that turned into a raspberry. She’d just have to wait.

Her father came in from behind her, placing a pair of cushions back into their storage place.

“What did you tell Izuku?” She asked, spinning on her heel and shouldering her book bag if she did have homework she’d leave it down here, but school was demanding more and more of her time. “He seemed excited.”

“Motivation is an important tool of a sensei.” Her father hummed locking the entrance. He walked over to her and placed his hands on her shoulder, pushing her towards the Mirror. “Motivating you is simple, you simply hate losing so you’ll try harder and harder until you win.”

“Well, yea, who-

“In that way, you are so much like your mother. And you look more like her with every passing day,” Her father said freezing the words in her mouth, he rubbed her shoulders, his smile firm, but it did not hide the sadness in her father’s eyes. “I’m certain that she would have been proud of the woman you are growing into. I know I am.”

“That’s not fair,” She ignored the water droplet that had somehow appeared out of her eye and turned to smack her father in his chest.

Her father scuffed, holding his chest like he had suffered a severe wound. “What? Saying that I’m proud of you? It's your own fault for being such a good daughter.”

“No! Using mom like that to motivate me!” She was already giving it her all.

He smiled a soft smile that let his blue eyes still shine through. “I simply reminded you, nothing more, nothing less.” He turned towards the back door and towards the staircase that led up to their home. “Now, let's get dinner started, I’m feeling a teriyaki bowl.”

Chapter 3: Third Bout

Chapter Text

Fridays were supposed to be fun, exciting and the perfect time for her to relax. She didn’t have training, her two friends were busy with family stuff and by some miracle she only had an hour or so of homework, which left her in the rare state of having absolutely nothing to do. Guilt, as opportunistic as ever, saw fit to fill that void.

She knew what she said was the truth. But she didn’t have to tell him that. She didn’t have to state it. He knew better than anybody. All she did was kick him while he was down. He was sure that there was something he could do at U.A. They even had a business and general courses as well, sure those courses were for people that wanted a license to use their quirk, but there had to be something for him.

“Gah,” She scratched at the side of her head trying to get this annoying thought out of there. She didn’t have a way to talk to Izuku until training on Saturday. She’d apologize to him them. It was that simple. And Tokyo was a big city there was just no way she was going to randomly bump into him just by wandering around.

Slapping her cheeks she put on a smile and took a deep breath. There was nothing she could do right now so she might as well just try to enjoy herself. With being bored. “Where am I anyways?”

A busy market street stretched out in front of her, she’d been to it a few times with her friends, there really wasn’t a lot interesting there. “Maybe some coffee?”

She could also go window shopping and stare at some leather jackets for when she got her motorcycle license. Just a few more years. And convincing her father to let her get one but that shouldn’t be a big problem if she got good grades and got into U.A.

The sidewalk shook under her feet as thunder roared past her, stunning her for a second before she turned towards its source. Smoke rose into the clear blue sky, it’s base dyed orange by flames. Another explosion went off, this one nearly sending her to the ground.

Panic spread like wildfire. People ran from the explosion while others - heroes mostly - ran towards it. She wasn’t a hero, not yet, she shouldn’t be rushing towards danger she might only make things worse. She should just let the professionals handle it

But, then she’d miss out on a chance to watch some pros at work! Or maybe there was something she could do!

She followed the crowd towards the explosion.

A crowd gathered at the entrance a few pro heroes and police officers were blocking civilian entry. She recognized a few of them with the likes of Mt. Lady looming in the distance unable to enter the narrow shopping district and Kamui woods attempting to rescue people from the fire, and even Death Arms fighting against what appeared to be liquid sewage that was going wild.

The sludge whirled back, she saw a face and an eye somewhere in that mass of goo. That wasn’t just somebody’s quirk. That was somebody. The idea of having a quirk that would turn her into a living pile of sludge made her queasy. No wonder the guy was a villain.

“It’s no good!” She heard a hero say, it was impossible to tell which one as the whole line of them retreated back. “I can’t seem to get a grip and he’s taken a student with a powerful quirk hostage, the explosions make it difficult to even get to him.”

There was a student somewhere inside of that? Another set of explosions went off this time blasting away part of the sludge and for an instant, she saw the hand of the boy that was trapped inside of there. What on earth was happening? How was he struggling so much? When the heroes said he had a strong quirk they weren’t kidding.

“Still, there has to be something they can do right?” She asked herself, looking for another hero or something. Everybody was just standing around watching this go on. What were they waiting for?

“Hey, isn’t that the villain All Might dealt with earlier?” Someone from the crowd said just loud enough for everyone to hear.

“Did he escape? Where’s All Might?”

“All Might’s here? Why isn’t here dealing with this?”

“I hope he show’s up soon, no matter how strong that kids quirk is he’s been going at it for a while. He has to be tired.”

“Where’s All Might?”

She bit her lip standing on her tippy toes to try and look over the crowd of people. None of them looked like heroes. Not even remotely close. There was a skinny blond man next to her that was looking like he might have a heart attack, his face was twisted into a scowl of pain and anger.

“Hey, are you alright?” She took a step closer to him, the last thing this situation needed was someone else needing a hospital trip.

“Oh, I’m fine, thank you.” The smile he put on lasted for a few seconds before he glared back at the situation. “Just frustrated that I can’t do anything to help is all.”

Maybe he was a retired hero like her father was. He’d get furious that he wouldn’t be able to save anybody. That might be why he was so diligent about teaching people martial arts. “Don’t-”

“Idiot! Stop!” Renewed panic brought out from the crowd. “You’ll die!”

The crowd was in the way, she saw Death Arms trying to grab at something, she saw the slime monster, the student trapped inside of it. And then, between the two sides, mixed in the flames and smoke she saw Izuku sprinting towards the danger.

“Izuku!” She turned, pushing her way through the crowd. That stupid. Idiotic. Giant pig-headed moron! What the hell did he think he was doing? She broke through the crowd and kept going heading right towards Izuku. If she got there in time she might be able to save him. Stop him from hurting himself or just making things worse. He was going to get hurt. Or worse. “Get back here!”

A strong arm blocked her from moving forward, nearly knocking her to the ground, before she was grabbed and pushed back into the crowd. “Don’t be stupid! We don’t need anybody else getting hurt!”

“Then stop him!” She pushed his hand back pointing towards Izuku. The villain was ready to strike at Izuku it’s sludge spiraling upwards and drawn back like a whip. From the destruction around them, there was little hope in Izuku surviving a blow like that. “He’ll die!”

“I know,” Death Arms growled. “But that doesn’t mean you have to.”

Izuku tossed his bag at the monster, by some miracle hitting it in the face and stunning it so that it’s attack missed dropping back down into the whirling ball of sludge. That would have been his chance to escape. But Izuku that stupid idiot. Charged forward grappling at the slime to try and get the student still trapped inside of the creature.

“I don’t know why!” she heard his voice carry through the destruction. “My legs moved on their own!”

Ahh, so that’s what her father had meant about him. Hopelessly heroic.

“You looked like you were asking for help.” Izuku was pushed back by the slime and it wound up another attack.

The slime swung its massive jagged tooth maw opening up to shout. “Stop it! Stop getting in my way!”

“Does he have a damn death wish! He’ll die for nothing!” Death Arms and Kamui woods and the other heroes all tried to move forward - desperate to save Izuku’s life. But it was too late. A blow like that.

She turned away, unable to watch him. Then she saw him. It was for less than a second, faster than a flash of light. But the wind that followed guided her back towards the action. Smoke covered the area.

“The lesson I left you with! I should practice what I preach!” It was a voice that everybody recognized and everybody looked up in speechless awe at the number one pro hero. All Might, he had Izuku by the arm, the other student as well. “A pro should always be ready to risk his life!”

“Detroit Smash!” She saw the punch, how it moved, the raw strength behind it. Then she felt it. The force of it was enough to kick up a vacuum sending her hair and skirt flying. Something wet fell on her face, at first she was worried it was that sludge monster.

Then reality kicked in and she saw the clouds come flying in. With a single punch, All Might had changed the weather. Guess that was why he was the number one hero.

And Izuku was on the ground, looking completely out of it.

She took a step forward and stepped on a notebook. It was blue and looked like it was burned, water damaged, and that it had been through a lot. It was titled “Hero Analysis for the Future by Izuku Midoriya no 13.” This was one of the notebooks he mentioned last night.

With the heroes on crowd control and the ambulances arriving she wouldn’t be able to get to Izuku anytime soon. But at least he was safe now.

Thumbing open the notebook she saw that it was filled with detailed notes on Pro Heroes and their quirks, from Kaumi woods to Mt. Lady, even a few that she hadn’t even known about. There were a few on some students, and then she got near the center, and found herself.

Izuku wasn’t an amazing artist but he certainly had a cute style. She was drawn in her training gi, complete with a crane pose. Despite only seeing her use her quirk a few times he had some good notes on it, combined with thoughts about how she could use it in combination with martial arts in ways she didn’t think of.

He was rather good at this. “Maybe this is something he can do at U.A?”

Flipping to the last page she saw it was an autograph of All Might. That was neat, at least he wouldn’t have to ask him for his autograph after being saved by him.

She needed a pen or something.

XXXX

“You must be out of your mind!” Dearth Arms all but screamed at him the other heroes were also glaring at him. “There was absolutely no need for you to put yourself in danger! You could have made things much much worse! If All Might hadn’t of shown up then-”

He nodded, trying his best to not break out into tears, well, any more tears. There was a good chance that he didn’t have much crying left in him for today. Oh, who was he kidding, Kaachan was right and he was nothing but a cry-baby. Even today, all he did was cry and make things worse for everybody.

“What were you trying to even-”

“At least he was doing something!” A voice he recognized tore him from his inner thoughts and pushed back Death Arms scalding. He looked up and saw Itsuka in her school uniform. She looked weird in a skirt. “You guys just stood there and waited for someone else to show up.”

“What?” Death Arms reeled back looking like Itsuka had just slapped him across the face. “Listen I know that you were worried about your friend, and we wanted to help the other kid, but there was just nothing that we could do without putting more lives in danger.”

Itsuka stood between them, her arms crossed, the notebook that Kaachan had ruined today was in her hand. “Then back off, he’s just some kid, don’t take out your own useless out on him.”

“Itsuka,” He said forcing a smile onto his face and looking up at her. “It’s fine, I know he’s right, I really shouldn’t have gone out there.”

“Oh, I know, I just wanted to yell at you instead of him.,” She turned to him, a great big smile on her face before she bopped him on the head with his notebook. “You dropped this by the way.”

He grabbed the notebook holding it to his chest and staring at Itsuka’s feet. She was right about yesterday. All Might had confirmed that. “Thanks, I didn’t know I dropped it.”

She grabbed him by the wrist, pulling him to his feet. There was something off about the whole thing, and he was forced to actually look at Itsuka, her lips were twisted into a half frown while her green eyes bore into him. He wasn’t good at reading emotions and even less so when it came to girls.

She was probably furious at him. They were friends, weren't they? He thought they were, but maybe she’s just annoyed he did something stupid. Just like All Might must be. He needed to apologize to both of them.

“I want to say I’m sorry.” Itsuka let out a long breath, one hand running through her long orange hair. She looked away from him and tried to smile.

“Huh? What? Why are you apologizing?”

She shrugged gesturing to the scene around them. “Last night, I said that you wouldn’t get into U.A. without a quirk.”

Oh, right. “Well you’re not wrong,” he lowered his head, clutching his notebook to his chest. It hurt. The truth really hurt. It took all of his strength to not hold onto the dream of becoming a hero that saved people. Apparently, he still had tears left to cry. “All Might even told me I should give up on becoming a hero.”

“I don’t think you have a choice in the matter.” Kendo turned to the side, both hands behind her back. “I mean you knew that you couldn’t do anything this time, but you still had to do something right?”

“Yea but-” Why was she trying to support him, he nearly died, and he could have caused other too! And this whole thing was his fault to begin with if he hadn’t have grabbed onto All Mights legs then maybe this wouldn’t have happened. It could have gone so much worse. Especially with All Might’s time limit.

“Look, I don’t want to see you get hurt either.” She pressed a finger into his journal. “But, I think that this is something you could do. So I think you should try to get into U.A. besides they have a general course, I’m sure you could fit in there if you want to get a job working with heroes so they can save people better right?”

It wasn’t the same. But, maybe she had a point. But it wasn’t the same. “Thank’s Itsuka, But, I think I need some time to think.” There was no point in getting his hopes up that could just make things worse later. “I’ll see you later.”

“You’re coming to training tomorrow right?”

He didn’t know. Maybe it was time to start dreaming of a more realistic future. One where he got an office job and tried to stay away from heroes, even if he knew he wouldn’t be happy with it. And tricking himself into thinking that he was doing something special by studying martial arts. Even if he wasn’t good at it.

“I think I might take a day off.” He laughed holding up his arm. “I’m a bit sore after everything that’s happened today.” It wasn’t a lie. But it wasn’t the whole truth. Far from it.

“Oh,” She frowned, “It’s been fun having you around, so I hope you make it.” She tossed her long orange ponytail over her shoulder. “Well, I’ll see you later Izuku, I should go let my dad know I didn’t do anything stupid.” She waved to him, placing her hands in her pockets and headed off. She turned, walking backward and smiling at him again. “Oh, and check my page in your notebook!”

She saw his notes on her? Oh no, what did that mean? Did she think he was a creep for drawing her? Was she weirded out by him? Did he see his notes? Of course, she saw his notes. Did he get something wrong? He barely managed to wave goodbye back to her before his panic was showing.

Death Arms walked up behind him and patted him on the back. The adult smiled down at him and rubbed his nose. “Look, kid, she seems like a nice girl, but next time try not to do something so stupid just to impress a girl.”

It probably wasn’t a good idea to tell him that he didn’t even know she was around. Instead, he nodded opening up his notebook to her page. Everything looked the same save for a bit of sidewise writing. It was a small pouting face with Itsuka’s sideways ponytail next to a phone number and a “Text me!!!!!!”

He blinked, rereading those two numbers, and making sure that all the numbers were there. They were.

“Well, I guessed it worked.” Death Arms slapped him on the back once more. “Way to go kid you got her number. Now don’t do anything stupid again.”

Somehow despite everything that had happened today getting Itsuka’s number was a highlight of it.

That was until on his way home All Might found him again and told him he could become a hero and that he could be the next vessel of One for All.

Chapter 4: Four hit combo!

Chapter Text

Kotetsu found the empty spot left by Izuku Midoriya unsightly, yet he could not look away from it. After the events that transpired Friday, he had hoped that perhaps Izuku would have thrown himself into his training. Though it was beginning to seem as though his fear that it would drive Izuku away and crush his spirit before it could become tempered into something stronger.

It was more frustration than a shame. Perhaps it was because of how much Izuku reminded him of his brother, but that young Midoriya had become his second favorite student - right after his own daughter of course. He was frustrated at the abandonment of potential, but the greatest shame was that he could not be able to see what kind of man he could forge Izuku into.

He shook his head, nearly laughing to himself, though perhaps he was giving himself to much credit as a Sensei. It had only been two days, and perhaps Izuku was simply resting, nearly dying was a trying ordeal - one that Izuku seemed far too familiar with for a boy his age - it only made sense that he would seek to take a day or two off.

Itsuka looked at him, caught mid-stretch - he’d remind her that her pose was off later - and offered him a shrug. No doubt she was wracking herself with guilt about not helping him more.

“Alright,” he clapped his hands, drawing the attention of his students towards him. “You all have performed excellently today.” With a fist in his hand, he gave them a bow, one that they eagerly returned. Respect certainly was a wonderful thing. “Class is dismissed, I will see you all Tuesday.”

The students all began their usual shuffling, some stretching to relax their posture, a few forced their joints to pop obnoxiously, a few went right for the door, most went towards the locker room. Perhaps he’d have a nice cup of tea. Tea sounded wonderful right about now. Maybe he could even get his daughter to serve him tea?

“Itsuka, could I trouble you for-” He began with a smile, extending a hand out to his daughter, every day she was looking more and more like her mother, though that might just be his lonely heart talking and the orange of her hair. Personality wise the two couldn’t be more different. Aside from the headstrong part.

Her daughter rolled her green eyes, one hand going to her hip. “If you’re going to ask for Tea, save it, I have homework tonight, and Sundays are your night to cook.”

“Tea does not take so long,” he folded his arms and looked towards the lone clock, hoping to coax her eyes into following. “Besides, I ended class early today. And it would make your-”

Izuku stood in the entrance way breaking the flow like a rock in the river. He was dressed in shorts and a shirt that was self-aware enough to have ‘t-shirt’ written on it. There was a tiredness about him, not from lack of sleep, it was the kind of glow that followed a hards day work full of purpose. Guarded in his hands like it was sacred texts was a stack of papers.

And then there was a fire in his eyes. Friday’s events had changed Izuku, but he had been a fool to worry.

“If not for me, perhaps you’d be so kind as to make some for our tardy disciple?” He ruffled her hair in the way that annoyed her the most and walked towards the conflicted young man. Only looking back for a moment. “Though, I’m sure he’d think it awkward to be the only one to receive Tea. He might get the wrong idea.”

His headstrong daughter simply rolled her eyes and headed towards the kitchen. “Fine, just don’t scare him off or anything, you tend to make things worse.”

When had he ever done that?

Clapping his hands he felt his cheeks pull into a tight smile. “Ahh, Izuku, I’m afraid you’ve already missed class for the day.”

Izuku jumped, feet, legs, and shoulders squirming while his hands remained perfectly still less they so much as crinkle those sacred texts. Still nervous and unsure of himself as ever it seemed. “I umm, was waiting for class to be over.” He bit his lip and calmed himself, if only for a moment. “I, umm, kind of wanted, well, not that I want to, it’s just that I have to, because, I don’t think that I’ll be able to, that is, I umm.”

A single hand on his shoulder calmed Izuku for half a second before the jittering started up again. “Come now Izuku, whatever you need to say can be said simply. Just state your intent.”

His finger clenched, wrinkling those papers, and his eyes were drawn towards the ground. “I won’t be able to come to class anymore.”

“I see.” This was unacceptable. Both, the way it was spoken, and the act itself. “If that is what your heart desires I will not stop you,” he motioned towards the meeting room where he had first spoken the boy. “But, come, I think an explanation will do us both some good.”

“Okay,” Izuku muttered his head still down.

He took his usual seat on the bench, once more regretting the decision to not cushion the damn thing for the sake of aesthetics and authenticity. Just because they trained their bodies to ignore pain did not mean that did not relish comfort. “Now then, you said that you won’t be able to come to my class anymore, why is that?”

“I know it is not fear or lack of desire that drove you to say that.” He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table and covering his face so Izuku could not see his smile. The difference was subtle in Izuku, or perhaps he was just reading what wasn’t there. Then again, he hadn’t been wrong before. “I can see it in your eyes Izuku, you have a purpose now, a motivation to match that discipline of yours and I won’t be letting that slip through my fingers without proper reason.”

While Izuku had no inherent love for martial arts there was an eagerness in there that gave him hope that one day this young man could become quite exceptional. But, again, that could just be because this was something that was still new and exciting for the young boy.

“Well, Friday, I met someone.” He refused to look him in the eyes and bit his lip. That lone crinkle in those papers was all that marred them. “And I, well, he was my, err, well he’s someone that I looked up to a great deal.”

It was All Might. That much was obvious. With the events, the way the boy spoke, and his unwillingness to so much as giving a name, that was the only conclusion.

Izuku bit his lip and finally made eye contact. There it was, there was that roaring fire, it was fueled by mind, heart, and soul, with only the body unable to join in its intensity. Such a fire might consume the boy if his body couldn’t keep up. But that was where he came in. “He said that if I worked hard enough that my dreams would come true. And that he would help me along the way. But that I needed to do a lot of it on my own. So, I’m going to give that a shot.”

What ideas was that weirdo Toshinori feeding this boy?

“I see, well, I’m happy you have found a direction for your heart to take.” He held out his hand gesturing towards the papers. “And this is the path this man has set out for you?”

“Yes,” Izuku nodded his back pressed against the wall.

“May I see them?”

It took a moment, like coaxing a cat out of a bush with nothing more than sweet words, but eventually, the papers were in his hands.

‘ALL AMERICAN DREAM PLAN!’ was written at the top. Yep, it was All Might.

The plan itself was sound, including both dietary, and a scaling work out plan for the next ten months that was targeting the whole body. It was designed with Izuku’s body, potential growth rates, and current state in mind, to ensure that he would work out to the maximum each and every day assuming that Izuku would follow through with it.

There was just one problem.

The plan didn’t account for Izuku’s drive.

“I see, and are you committed to this path?” There wasn’t much of a point to ask that question. “More specifically, do you plan to follow this plan to the letter, even when you feel as though you can do more? Should do more. Are you going to give it your all and -” what did All Might say? “ - go even further beyond? Are you going to give it your Ultra plus?”

“Plus Ultra dad,” His lovely daughter corrected him, placing a warm cup of tea in front of Izuku first, before placing one in front of him. It smelled lovely, like a good fresh Oolong. “It’s good to see you Izuku, are you feeling better?”

The boy tensed up like he had just drunk an entire pot of the most caffeinated coffee on the market. Black, with no sugar. He sucked his lips that usual shyness he had around his daughter - or indeed any girl - was back again. He grabbed the cup taking a small sip of it, before staring into it to avoid eye contact. “I’m fine, thanks.”

“That’s good.” Itsuka sat down next to him, across from Izuku, and looked between them a curious look in her eyes. “You’re not going to quit are you?”

“Well, I mean, it’s not like I want to or anything,” Izuku began, holding the cup with both hands, his body trying to become as small as possible so that he might fit down into it.

Ahh to let his disciple suffer or to come to his aid? Hmm, best to strike while the iron was embarrassed. “Actually, we were just modifying Izuku’s schedule.” Both sets of green eyes locked onto him. He shuffled the stack of papers, fanning them gently. “Izuku has been offered a chance for something great, but he still desires to train here with us. As such, he will be making it to class when he can, and he will even show up during his free time for intensive physical training.”

“No!” Itsuka shoved a finger into his side. “You’re not going to scare him away with your hellish training!”

“He can take it.”

“You want to keep training me?” Izuku asked, his eyes were wide but he was smiling now. “Why?”

“Because you are my student. And it is my duty to see your training through.” He placed a hand down onto the wooden table between them. Standing up and looking down at his Disciple. “I am a selfish man Izuku when you say the word Sensei your heart will know that title is mine above all others. Now then, will you allow me to -”

He paused feeling the cursed blessed words on his lips once more. Memories of his own time undergoing the training flashed before his eyes. Cruel was an understatement. It had taken all of his own willpower to merely survive that harsh physical conditioning. More than a few had left that school before the first day had ended. There was no great secret to the training, just an application of pushing the body beyond its own limit so the spirit would carry it further. With the right motivation, Izuku might be able to take it.

“Harden your body with the ancient techniques of a thousand schools bound together by the teachings of Ryozanpaku?” He tossed the papers to the side and held out a hand to Izuku. “Will you trust me?”

Izuku grabbed his hand faster than he had thought. Only time would tell if that eagerness would be able to weather the torment he was about to inflict upon Izuku.

“Will I still be able to follow that plan?” Izuku asked, looking down at the scattered papers.

“You won’t need to, my training will give you those results two-fold.” Maybe one and a third if he pushed it. But still better results. “But, I do have one requirement. For this, one small request.”

All eyes were still on him, his daughter rolling her finger to tell him to get on with it. “Well?”

He sighed, sitting back down and restacking the papers. The wind was gone from his sail now. “Despite having been a Dojo for eight years now I haven’t had a reliable team for competitions, and as such, I have no trophies, those that come to my school with the desire to compete quickly go to the other larger dojo’s or join their school teams. However, I would like to change that.”

“In about seven months there will be a tournament for middle schoolers, I would like both of you to compete in it.” He shrugged. “I was going to ask you closer to the actual date, as I felt like it would be good practice for you both.

And he really wanted a trophy.

“By then Izuku would only be practicing for like nine months.” Itsuka pulled at her ponytail and ran a hand through those long orange locks she got from her mother. “I mean I’ll go, but are you sure Izuku will be ready?”

“I know that you wish to go to U.A.” He placed a hand on her head, messing up her hair in the way that annoyed her the most. “And unless I misoverheard, so does Izuku, the entrance exam to U.A. will be much harsher than some middle school tournament and its three months after that. Besides, I believe I can get Izuku ready in seven months.”

At least good enough not to lose in the first few rounds. To badly.

“I’ll do it.” Izuku nodded, his timidness fighting a losing battle against his resolve.

“Excellent.” He clapped his hands. “We’ll start right now!” He used his quirk, hearing his knee pop loudly as he stepped over his daughters head with his elongated legs and then once they were normal length (and a few more pops) began to walk towards the yard. “Come Izuku, there’s still daylight!”

“Hey! You’re supposed to cook dinner tonight!”

XXXX

After an hour or two there were many things Itsuka had expected when she came down to check on them, Izuku passed out from exhaustion, a team of paramedics, her father throwing her a shovel claiming that Izuku wasn’t feeling very well while he shouldered a body shaped bag of trash. Naturally, the reality of the situation was both better - in that Izuku was alive - and worse in that her father was actually doing something that was borderline barbaric.

Izuku was strapped to a pull-up bar around the knees, securing him in place in a way so that he could do a hanging sit-up. Coming from a boy that could barely do a push up two months ago it was impressive. Though the fact that he was still lighter than her probably helped matters.

But it wasn’t so much what Izuku was doing - struggling - as much as it was what her father was doing.

He had a small fire bit going directly below Izuku.

And this was why he never got any serious students.

“Dad? What the hell are you doing?” She stopped over to him. Did he think this was some anime or something?

“Pain is a powerful motivator.” Her father turned to her, showing his teeth, and that cold glint in his blue eyes was present. Yep, he had to enjoy the pain of others to some degree. He stood dusting off his knees and stretched. “But hunger is not, what’s for dinner.”

She snorted, rolled her eyes, and stomped over to put out the fire. “I made me instant noodles, you’re on your own.”

Izuku let out a groan his body relaxing fully once the fire was out. “Thank you.”

“You’re crazy.” She pulled at the straps holding him up and helped him to the ground. “Look, if you’re going to do this training, don’t let my dad do anything that involves fire. It really doesn’t help. Or sharp things.”

“Got it,” Izuku nodded, dusting his legs off and letting out a groan. A hand went to his stomach as he tried to stand. “I don’t think my stomach has ever hurt this much.”

“Are you in your rebellious phase?” Her father asked, all but pouting that he’d have to make his own dinner or eat ramen noodles. “I thought we agreed that you’d tell me if you were entering your rebellious phase.”

There was only so far she could roll her eyes. “You’ll be fine Izuku, just don’t do a sit up for a while and you should be fine, also sleep on your back. Do you think you can make it home okay?”

“I’ll be fine,” His laughter died into a groan. “I made it here after this morning I should be able to make it home.”

“What did you do in the morning?” Her face scrunched up, it was Sunday. Their day off, even she slept in on Sundays, and she normally woke up when her dad did.

Izuku stood straight, wincing at the sudden motion. “Oh, uh, just helping someone out with some appliances is all. But, you’re right, I should probably head home, I’m sure my mom is worried about me.”

A secret huh?

“Alright, text me when you get home so I don’t have to worry about you collapsing at the train station.” And this was why people called her bossy. Still part of her was curious to see if Izuku could stick with the training, and what would happen if he did. She waved him off, “See ya.”

He waved back, nearly stumbling on the first step back inside. “Bye.”

Her father stood behind her, smiling ear to ear. Clealy he was overjoyed that he was able to walk his inner sad*st for a bit. “Now, about my dinner.”

She rolled her eyes and groaned. Maybe she should start her rebellious phase.

Chapter 5: Fifth Round KO!

Chapter Text

Summer vacation meant many things to Itsuka. Most of them were boring. It meant waking up early with her father to see the sunrise, it meant doing chores, getting extra training, being bored out of her mind as the steamy summer heat suffocated her. It also meant wishing that she actually had a close group of friends to come and invite her out to do stuff.

Or for her to invite out to do stuff.

It wasn’t that she was an outcast, rather she just didn’t really belong to any one group. Most of the time it wasn’t that big of a deal, she was normally to busy with the Dojo, school work or various other things. It just sucked when she had free time, like right now.

Maybe she should see if Izuku was free to do something. Assuming he could even stand straight long enough to do anything. Even without the ‘extra motivation’ her father wanted to use he was still training an insane amount and was tired constantly. She’ll ask him when she saw him next, he deserved at least some kind of a break.

Before he trained himself into the hospital, at this rate he was going to be too tired to learn any martial arts to use for that tournament her father signed them up for.

Tightening up her shoes, and checking her phone one last time - surprise, no messages - turned on her music and adjusted her running gear. This was her first time going out before six for a run, but it was the best way to beat the heat and get out of the home and dojo.

That and it didn’t cost any money.

“Okay!” She called, looking back half expecting her father to be looming behind her with some kind of a chore for her to do. He wasn’t there, he might not have been in earshot. “I’m heading out for a bit! I’ll see you later!”

“Oh?” Her father stuck his head out from the corner, his salt and pepper mustache was wild this morning, and his black hair was free falling past his shoulder. “Where are you going?”

“Just a run,” She smiled bouncing on one foot to the other. These new shoes felt pretty great “I think I’ll head to the beach for a bit, I’ll be back in time for class!”

She had a hand on the door before her father could try to stop her or worse. Join her.

“Bye! See you!” The door slammed shut behind her and she hit the ground running, clearing the three steps that lead into the dojo with ease. Normally she would head left to get the train and head to her school, instead, she went right, heading deeper into the Musutafu prefecture.

From there it was a mile of back roads until she came to a river she didn’t know the name of despite rolling on its artificial banks as a child several times, then she’d follow it down stream until she found the beach. Once at the beach, she’d head right again, rulling along the pathway that stretched all the way to the next river. She’d probably turn around once she reached that beach that had basically become a junkyard.

Finding her stride was the hard part of running, going just fast enough to feel the burn, to get a runner’s high without exhausting herself. She always wanted to go full sprint, to charge until the very end even if doing so would leave her panting for breath halfway through. That was the only reason why she didn’t come in first during physicals this year!

“Gah!” She half panted half shouted taking a hard left at the river and following it downstream. Her speed was increasing and she glared ahead, her breath coming with every step to push her forward. Izuku was probably out there giving it is all just so that he could get into U.A. without a quirk. And she was just taking things at the same pace she always had.

If he was doing this to get in U.A. then why wasn’t she? Just because she had a quirk? Just because she was stronger and knew how to fight already? What if he passed her up. What if he managed to beat her because he kept pushing himself harder and harder while she went on cruise control.

f*ck that.

“Damit!” She shouted, going past a casual run into a full sprint. She didn’t want to just be another hero, she didn’t want people to ask her name when she saved them, she wanted them to know, she wanted to be at the top. And that wasn’t going to happen if she kept standing still! Stupid Izuku! Stupid father! Stupid everything! This was all her fault!

By the time she reached the end of the river her legs were screaming at her to stop, her lungs burned and her brow was slick with sweat, the T-shirt she had worn in favor of a tank-top was proving to be a mistake as it began to bunch up around the middle from her heavy movement. And her sweats were proving to be more of an annoyance than anything it was summer! She should have worn shorts!

But she wasn’t going to stop! She was going to reach the end of the beach even if it killed her! In the space of a breath, she had just enough time to blame Izuku once again, apparently his motivation, discipline, or whatever the hell her father saw in the kid.

In reality, she was just a very competitive person and when she was a child got in a staring contest with her own reflection (she won).

Her legs were burning, her stomach was grumbling, her lungs were on fire, and her posture had all suffered fatal blows by the time she neared the end of her run. The walkway was ending and turned right to go up a hill but beyond that sat what once was a beautiful beach, now covered in trash.

But her goal was in sight, a lone truck half-way filled with junk was parked in front of the entrance to the beach turned junkyard. Just a few more steps. All her energy was drained from her when she touched the truck, a few dying steps were all she could manage before she fell onto the well-maintained grass.

The sun was still low in the sky, but she didn’t have the faintest idea of what time it was, nor did she have the energy to check. “Way to go Itsuka, you wore yourself out.” she flopped onto her back, enjoying the cool sea breeze and warm sun rays for a moment. “And now you have to go all the way back.”

Her legs threatened to cramp in response. At least her feet didn’t hurt, new running shoes were a success.

With a groan she slapped herself on the forehead, wiping off the gallon of sweat that must have been there before she let out a laugh - that hurt - and a smile. That also hurt. “I can’t believe I basically just sprinted five miles because of Izuku.”

She wasn’t going to stop though.

“Come on you blind fanboy, we’ve been at it for an hour and the truck is still half full!” The voice was harsh and cut through the air like a whip. “Your summer vacation is almost over isn’t it boy? We still have a lot of work to do if you want to get into U.A!”

“Coming!” another voice replied, though she had to strain herself to be able to hear it over the waves. “I’m not giving up! All Might!”

All Might? Wait, she recognized that whiney voice! It was Izuku!

With a second wind that was barely strong enough to get her to her feet she looked out onto the beach, there was a swath being carved into the junk, and in the center of that swatch was a gangly blond man that looked familiar wearing a black tracksuit, and further down the beach wearing a green tracksuit was Izuku.

He was struggling to carry an appliance that must have weighed at least one hundred lbs made only worse by its awkward shape and size. She looked around, why did he say All Might? Who was that man? Was he cleaning the beach? Why? Maybe it was part of his training, didn’t the blonde man say something about U.A.?

Stepping down onto the beach she walked towards them, hands behind her back as she stretched into the warm sun and cool sea breeze. Summer mornings were something magical. At least until the unbearably wet sticky heat left the entire country covered in sweat.

“Izuku?” she asked standing near that familiar old man, she’d seen him somewhere. “What’s going on did you get some kind of a summer job?”

The appliance gave a soft thud when it fell to the ground embedding itself loose sand. “Itsuka! Wha-what are you doing here?”

She shrugged, letting out another pant as she caught her breath. “I went for a morning run,” he didn’t need to know that it was because she had nothing better to do. “And heard you two from the street. Do you need some help?”

“No!” Izuku nearly shouted, flailing his arms about and taking a step back. His cheeks were red, he must be pushing himself hard. “I umm, no, that is, I umm,”

“This is part of his training,” the blonde haired man spoke groaning as he ran a hand along the back of his neck. “If he follows my workout plan and manages to clear this beach of trash he’ll be that much closer to going to U.A.”

“Uh-huh,” this didn’t sound fishy at all. “Who are you?” She looked back towards Izuku, “And didn’t I hear you say All Might? Is he around?”

“Oh, uhh, well that is, I,” He took another step back looking between her and the man. “I was just,”

“You misheard, he was calling my name, though I don’t think we’ve been introduced properly” The man smiled, something that sent a chill down her spine, and gave a small and rather lackluster flex that sent him into a coughing fit, “I’m Small Might, All Might’s personal trainer.”

All Might has a personal trainer? And it was this guy? Were they like family or a childhood friend? She needed to be less judgemental of new people, it wasn’t healthy. Wait, All Might? “Oh, I think I saw you when All Might saved Izuku from that slime villain.”

“That’s correct,” Small Might clapped his hands in front of him and smiled like an over eager shop keeper. “I recall seeing you then as well, and how you stood up to those Heroes for bad mouthing young Midoriya’s bravery.”

“So, why are you training Izuku?” She looked around the beach and gestured towards the mountains of scrap. “And why by cleaning up the beach?”

“Two birds with one stone,” He shrugged shaking his head. “This beach used to be a beautiful spot, so cleaning it up is good charity work and a good work out, and I’m training Izuku because I was impressed by him and his desire to go to U.A.” A spark seemed to flicker in the man’s sunken eyes as he looked towards Izuku. It was the same glare her father would get when he was excited about something. “I believe that going there would help him and other even if he doesn’t have a powerful quirk.”

He laughed, standing up straight with both hands on his hips. “At least it worked out for me!”

Oh, now it made a bit more sense. “But, why haven’t I heard about you before? Wouldn’t All Mights personal trainer be highly sought after?”

“We thought it was best to keep it a secret.” Then why tell her? He clapped his hands and motioned towards Izuku, a frown back in place. “Now then, that’s enough of a break! Get back to work!”

“Yes sir!” Izuku chirped, grabbing the appliance and shifting it until he was under its weight. “Sorry Itsuka, I’ll uhh see you later?”

“Uhh yea, sure.” She stood there watching him slowly walk towards her, the extra give of the sand making a simple trip that much more difficult while the stairs would also add to the challenge. It actually might be a good workout. “Oh, wait, when you have free time do you think we could hang out? When we’re not training or something? It’s been kind of a boring summer.”

“Oh! I, umm, I’m-” there he went stuttering again, shame they couldn’t train a backbone into him. “I might not have the -”

“There’s a fireworks festival this friday, why don’t you two go?” Small Might nodded, folding his arms. “Yes, that would be a good way to relax before the exam season starts up and then you really won’t have any free time, I’ll even see if I can’t get All Might to make an appearance.”

“Yea! That sounds like fun!” especially since it was actually doing something. “But, let’s not dress up for it, a Yukata is so not my style.” That and she didn’t own one. “What do you think Izuku?”

His face was beat red and he looked out of it. “A fireworks festival?” he squeaked, adjusting the appliance. “I umm, yea! Just the two of us. Right. Yea! Sounds fun!”

Operation make her summer vacation not completely suck was a success.

XXXX

It was not a date. They were just two friends, wearing casual clothes, going to a fireworks festival. It was not a date. It was not a date. It was just them, a boy, a girl, hanging out, at a fireworks festival. Nothing more, nothing less, there was absolutely no way that he could even think of it as a date.

Which was why his stomach had been upset since he woke up, and he showered twice and kept staring at the clock wondering how early he should go there and how long he wanted to wait around incase Itsuka was late. But what if she was early? How long would he keep her waiting? She was a naturally early person, made she was already there and hadn’t texted him yet?

It was not a date.

Izuku groaned running his hand through his still wet hair. Hopefully he didn’t smell like sweat right now. Not that Itsuka probably cared to much about that considering how most of the time he was around her he was drenched in sweat. Or in some kind of pain. What was he supposed to talk about? What was he supposed to do? The only time he went to the fireworks festival was with his mom! And they haven’t done that in a few years!

It was not a date.

Should he comb his hair? If he did what would she think? Would she think that he was trying to dress up to impress her? What if he didn’t comb his hair but she didn’t? What if she put in an effort and showed up with a cute hair-do and a flower in it? No, that wouldn’t happen, this was Itsuka, she didn’t really do girly stuff like that. Well, at least, that’s what he thought. It just didn’t seem like the kind of thing she’d do, her nails were always rough, and he’d only seen her wear her school skirt, but that wasn’t really enough to go off.

Drumming his finger along his shorts he glanced up at his All Might clock. He still had a while to go. A long while. Maybe he should be training again? A little bit of extra weight training wouldn’t hurt anything - or at least he hoped it was normal to be in a constant state of soreness. Besides it might help him relax and take his mind off the not date he had with Itsuka.

His phone buzzed, tearing his attention away from the hand dumbbells and back into a state of panic. Was she canceling? Was All Might going to make him do something? Was it a death threat from Kendo-sensei? He seemed like the type.

It was a text from Itsuka and his heart sank.

“Hey Izuku, do you mind if we meet up a bit early? I’m bored out of my mind here and I think my dad is trying to think up chores to give me.”

Oh, he was worried over nothing he was still going to go on his not date with Itsuka. “Yea, sure, same place?”

It took him a bit longer to text that than it should have, considering how his hands were shaking so much that he hit the buttons several times.

“Awesome!” She put in a smiley face emoji. “I’ll see you there!”

It wasn’t a date, it wasn’t a date, it was not a date.

They were just friends going to the fireworks festival alone.

Slipping on his shoes, he told his mom where he was going and slipped out the door before she could start making assumptions.

Finding Itsuka was the easy part, her orange hair made her stand out even among a crowd of mutation quirks, though it was probably just because of how often he looked at her hair that he was able to find it so easily among the loose crowd of people that was gathering as twilight approached.

She was wearing a simple a jean jacket that went to her waist, and a light blue sundress that went all the way to her bare knees, and boots. Heavy duty boots, the kind that would suck to get kicked by and were made more for climbing a mountain than walking around a festival. But she was also wearing a dress - a sundress was still technically a dress.

A smile broke out onto her face when she saw him and she waved him over while heading right towards him. This wasn’t going to be one of those cases where he thought someone was excited to see him but it was actually someone behind him. He still checked behind him. “Izuku! Hey! How’s it going?”

Words failed to come out of his mouth. He wanted to say that she looked cute, but that might be to much, was he supposed to say that to a girl? A girl that was just his friend? He never had a friend that was a girl, hell he barely had a friend that wanted to do stuff with him in middle school.

“You’re wearing a dress.” That was what he managed to say.

Itsuka snorted looking down at her outfit her hands still in the jacket pockets as she shrugged. “Do I really come off as such a tomboy? Really when I start worrying that my nails might break when I’m practicing, then you can worry about it.”

“Yea,” he mumbled, fidgeting with his fingers. “I can’t see that happ-” he paused looking up at her. “What happens to nail polish when you use your quirk?”

“Falls off,” she shrugged pulling out one of her hands to show him, “helps me clean them though, just grow them a bit and the dirt falls right now. But enough about that, let’s go enjoy ourselves before school starts up again!”

She grabbed him by the wrist and pulled him into the corridor of stands. They went with the crowd, pausing at every stand that caught their interest, there was a Takoyaki, Taiyaki, even a few candies, all of which Itsuka was quite happy to eat and force him to eat.

It was the game booths were the real fun was had, attempting to catch fish - neither one of them were good at that game - ring tosses, baseball throwing, and more, it felt like that they went through every single game stall before the sun even set, and another half by the time the fireworks were supposed to start.

“Hey,” Itsuka pulled on his arm again pointing at a path that lead up hill do a flat area, the Ryukyu mask she had won sitting on the back of her head. She had been smiling ear to ear since the festival started. “Let’s go watch the fireworks up there, I bet we’ll be able to see the fireworks pretty good.”

“Yea,” he let her take the date, never more than a few steps behind her as they walked the winding trail up the hill top. It was subtle, but there was a change in atmosphere, the groups of people they encountered were growing smaller, from families with children, to groups of friends, until once they reached the top, there was nothing but couples. “Uhh Itsuka?”

“Hmm?” she asked barely looking back as she bounded over to the railings, placing both hands on it and jumping up. If she noticed the other couples around them, holding hands, kissing, and the romantic atmosphere around them, she didn’t care.

And why should she, it was not a date after all.

“Thanks for uhh, inviting me out tonight, it’s been a lot of fun.” Even if All Might was going to push him hard tomorrow, and probably Kendo-sensei.

“Yea! thanks for joining me, it would have sucked to go out on my own.” She hopped up onto the railing, twirling her legs so that she sat on it and gestured towards an empty spot next to her. “We should do it again sometime, as important as training, studying, and practice is, I think we need to relax a bit every so often.”

A firework exploded, lighting up the night sky with All Might smiling face, followed quickly by Endeavour and the rest of the top ten heroes in order. He might have missed his birthday training, but this was as good as any.

“We have six months until the U.A. entrance exams, and only three before that tournament,” he kept his eyes on the sky, watching as the fireworks went up and exploded, his voice carried over the booms easily. “I want to give them my all.”

“I’ll do the same, I don’t plan on letting you out do me anytime soon.”

Chapter 6: Six Finger Death Slap

Chapter Text

Itsuka broke his guard. She went in towards his exposed chest fully intending to finish this match in the opening move.

Not now, not again.

Izuku took a step back deflecting her attack so that it grazed his arm. His limbs felt heavy, muscles screaming at him from the combined assault of working out, training, and now sparring, no doubt Itsuka would be leaving yet another bruise on him before this was over. He regained his footing with a stomp, planting himself firmly in place to deal with her next attack.

They had two days before the tournament, and for the past week, Kendo-sensei had been drill martial arts into his mind and body non-stop. In many ways, it was worse than All Might’s training, but that might be because All Might was still pushing him to his limits and even further beyond.

There was not a single part of him that didn’t hurt.

A pause, barely more than a moment, passed between them, Itsuka’s hot breath barely visible in the chill autumn weather that choked Japan in its grips. She was tired, they’d been at this for hours now, her brow drenched in sweat. But there was a smile on her face that betrayed her tiredness.

Was he smiling too? He couldn’t feel his cheeks.

If he waited too long then Itsuka would go on the attack, if he acted too soon then Itsuka would block into a counterattack that would finish him quickly. But it was better than being on the defensive. He lunged forward, keeping his feet low to the ground and under him. His first blow was aimed at the center of her black-top, where she would have to block him.

She did, with one arm, windmilling his attack up and away.

Perfect.

Leg sweep, hook below the ankles, pull.

Her eyes went wide when she felt her footing slip out from under her. Had he done it? Had he finally managed to beat Itsuka? It had only taken a thousand or more tries. Then he saw her smile as she went down, bending backward and catching herself on her hands.

Feet aimed directly at him.

She pushed off the ground rocketing towards him in a spiral.

Block! He had to blo-

He blocked her kick with his exposed open chest and was sent to the ground, the wind all but forced from his lungs. Once more he found himself staring up at the ceiling the taste of defeat was fresh in his mouth and his entire body was screaming at him that it was ready to go on strike if working conditions did not improve drastically.

Evidently, today was not the day he would beat Itsuka.

“sh*t!” He heard Itsuka swear. “Izuku I’m sorry I just kind of got sucked into the fight.” She stomped over to him, her long auburn hair pulled into a ponytail that glistened with sweat. She wiped a hand on her black baggy sweatpants and offered it to him. “Are you okay? I also kind of thought you’d block that.”

Her hand was warm, firm, and full of callouses. She pulled him up with a surprising amount of ease. “I’m fine,” he smiled placing his hands on his knees to keep from falling over. Despite the fact that his muscles were plotting a mass spasm that would have him hospitalized he was fine. Every breath burned like he was finally getting fresh air after years of drowning. “I’m just a little worn out.”

“As you should be.” Kendo-sensei placed a hand on his shoulder, his smile was wide enough that barely a spark could be seen of his eyes. “You are still in the forge, while the shape is there you still need to be tempered.” He brushed his mustache offering him a half shrug. “And just like forging a blade it is important to cool the body before it is ready. Maybe, I don’t know how to forge a sword, I’m not that kind of sensei. I don’t even own a sword.”

“Yes we, do,” Itsuka, took a step back to avoid her father’s hand from falling on her shoulder. “It’s hanging in the dining room.”

“Oh, that’s just a hilt and a scabbard.”

Itsuka’s face twisted as she rolled her eyes. “Whatever, but do you think we’re ready for the tournament this weekend?”

“You? Certainly.” Her father flipped his hand a few times like he was moving an invisible abacus. “I think you’ll either make it to the finals or semi-finals.” Kendo-sensei turned to him, finger on his chin. “As for you Izuku. Try not to lose in the first round.”

“Dad!” Itsuka swatted him in the chest, “Show some more support!”

Kendo-sensei laughed, his whole body shaking. “Come now Itsuka, He’s only been training with us for what nine months now? Many of the students participating in the tournament have been eating and breathing martial arts since they were born.” Kendo-sensei grabbed his head, roughing up his hair and jostling him around a bit. “I’m not going to lie to one of my favorite pupils. He can catch up to them, but many are beyond his grasp. Besides, it’s his first tournament, expecting success the first time you do something is to set yourself up for a bitter defeat.”

“Expecting to lose readies you to learn from your mistakes.” He paused, shrugging once more and waved his hands. “It also sets you up to lose, don’t be negative and you’ll do fine.”

“Was that supposed to help?” Itsuka glared at her father’s back, hands on her hips.

“I’ll do my best Sensei!” he bowed, stomach muscles protesting at the sudden movement. He was only expected to get to the second round. He’d get at least into the quarterfinals! Besides, All Might was going to be there, he had to prove to him that all this extra training would also help him become a vessel worthy of One for All.

“Oh, I expect you’ll give me more than your best Izuku.” Kendo-sensei turned to him, the cold silver of his blue eyes burning deep expectations into him. “But just so you know, once this tournament is over, your real training begins. If you thought what we did previously was harsh, you’re about to enter a whole new level of-”

“Dad!” Itsuka stomped her feet at her father. “Stop trying to act cool!”

“Fine,” Kendo-sensei deflated, letting out a breath, his smile still present. “But I will be stepping up your training after this, but for tomorrow, your training is to rest, no sense in you showing what you can do when you’re half dead. Though perhaps that might be a boon if you’re entering U.A.”

XXXX

This, felt like a waste of time.

Both for him and Young Midoriya.

Toshinori found a seat high in the stands where fewer people sat. But, true to his word, young Midoriya had kept to his word, somehow managing to balance school, his own grueling training on the beach, and whatever training the boy’s Martial Arts instructor had been given him.

And somehow managed to stay alive. If the boy had anything it was mental fortitude. Months ago it had gone from a matter of will the boy becomes worthy to when. Not that he’d tell him that, One for all would remain with him until that beach was clean, It was just a matter of making it to U.A. this year.

The stadium was sparse, taking place at a high school gym and was primarily for middle school students just on their way to high schools. Higher schoolers made up much of the crowd, likely club members looking for potential new recruits for the next year. Parents made of the minority of the class.

“Kid made it sound like it was something much more important than some middle school tournament.” He smiled shaking his head and leaning forward it was easy to find his disciple, was that the correct word? Future successor? Protege? It really didn’t matter what title he gave Izuku.

Besides, he couldn’t let the public know, not yet, not with All for One still out there.

It was easy to find Izuku, if not for his green hair then for the fact that he often stood next to that girl with orange hair that could stand out just about anywhere, it really was an eye-catching color. His student was kneeling next to the girl, dressed in a Martial Arts gi and looking as nervous as could be. Behind them stood Izuku’s ‘Kendo-sensei’ a happy faced old man that looked ever so familiar.

The girl - Itsuka if he remembered Izuku’s mumbling correctly - looked right at him and smiled, elbowing Izuku in the arm before nodding at him. Izuku’s eyes went wide, his fanboy nature kicking in as he recognized him. He only glanced at him half a dozen times over the course of a minute while trying to maintain still. He nodded and smiled at the boy, but that did little to calm the boy's nerves.

Placing one hand on his head he groaned, why did he have to choose such a fanboy? He blamed Dave.

The tournament, if it could even be called that, started promptly, there would only be four rounds in the tournament. It really did feel much smaller in scale than anything U.A. ever did. There was probably going to be more students in his class than were present here. “Come now, when did I become such a bitter old man!”

He slammed a hand to his chest and leaned forward, might as well enjoy the show.

There was something to be said about martial arts, in theory, they served as a way of directing force and energy to make attacks more effective. There were many in the hero world that used them, often with a quirk that modified their body in some way to allow them to use modified techniques more effectively. And results often varied wildly.

Of course, there were those that used martial arts to subdue criminals in a non-violent way.

But, often times fights were decided by determination, equipment, allies, and the sheer power of one's quirk and ability to use it.

For him, with One for All, learning martial arts wouldn’t add much. That’s not to say he couldn’t throw a punch, his old sensei beat that into him. But there was little point in attempting to Karata-chop when a good old American Haymaker would do the job ten times over! Gah, what was he thinking if Gran Torino heard his thoughts he’d get another beating!

“Still,” he rubbed his eyes and looked at Young Midoriya once more. The boy was different from him in many ways. For starters, he was a whole hell of a lot smarter. “Perhaps he might be able to make some use of Martial Arts.”

Itsuka stepped into the ring, her posture perfect, a balanced amount of pride, self-confidence, and respect for her opponent. She was light on her feet, and her stance was strong. Her opponent, a large boy that had 20cm on her and a lot more bulk were closer to a bull in a china shop.

From the moment the match began Itsuka was in complete control, not only through technique, strategy, and patience. But through strength as well. It was over in a matter of moments, with the boy being pushed out of bounds.

He might enjoy these matches more if he knew the rules.

Izuku’s match was a few bouts later, on the opposite side of the bracket. He leaned forward focusing on his student. Seven months had passed when he first met that scrawny little child that had no hopes of ever doing a simple pull up, and while by most standards he still was scrawny, he was not the same child. At least on the outside. Izuku’s stance oscillated between the calm perfection of a master and the erratic chaos of an armature enthusiast.

His opponent outclassed Izuku in every category; confidence, composure, size, strength, experience, technique. The odds were stacked against him, he was the underdog by a long shot. A perfect test. He leaned forward, smiling into his hands as he kept his eyes focused on Izuku, a thrill tingling his spine. “Show me what you have learned Young Midoriya, show me that I was right to trust you. Show me what you can do with no quirk.”

XXXX

He was making a fool out of himself in front of Kendo-sensei, Itsuka, All Might, and his mom! There was no way he was ready for this! His muscles were still sore, his body was still screaming at him for the hell he’d put it through and he had no idea what on earth he was doing! He was completely outclassed.

The blow - one of many - hammered home against his defenses. All he could do was block and try not to lose so fast. The only plus side was that this guy wasn’t as strong or as fast as Itsuka, he wasn’t even scarier than Kaachan was, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t scary! Another blow, this one pushing his arm out wide as an open palm slammed into his chest.

The wind was knocked out of him as he was forced back, his lungs burning all over again. The world spun, another blow - once more to his chest - and it stopped. That clarity only lasted for a few brief moments before nausea set. The third blow he barely blocked pushing it to the side so it grazed his shoulder he ran away.

He needed time, time to gather himself. There had to be something he could do. His foe had longer reach than him, better technique, more power, greater speed, he wasn’t slow and lumbering, nor did he charge blindly. Average in every attribute. No weaknesses.

He was already down in points and fatigue. There had to be something. Wait, why wasn’t he being charged at? Or acted upon aggressively, his opponent was taking small measured steps towards him. The ring! He was at the edge. His opponent was being careful, he didn’t want to risk a ring out. Sure, charging him could force him out of the ring, but it could easily backfire.

A ring out wouldn’t guarantee him the win. But it might earn him enough points to matter.

He was in a corner, there was no escape, defeat was inevitable. He couldn’t think his way out of this. So, maybe he could just do something stupid.

With his head down he charged forward, taking a quick blow to the shoulder and knee to the stomach as his shoulder collided with his opponent’s stomach. He might not be much of a fighter, his body might not be that strong, but if there was one thing he had gotten good at these past seven months it was lifting heavy and awkward objects.

He pushed up with his knees, thankful that the rules allowed for grapples. A scream escaped him as he felt the full weight of his opponent on his shoulder, he twisted, turning that upwards energy into horizontal momentum and tossed his opponent out of the ring like the countless number of microwaves he had thrown into the back of All Might’s truck.

His opponent landed on his feet, looked down at the ground and smiled. “Good one.”

“That’s the stuff kid!” All Might’s booming voice echoed throughout the gymnasium. “Now that was really giving it your Plus Ultra!”

All eyes turned to the large imposing figure that was All Might in a winter coat, beaming and smiling like it was a photo opt.

“Hey, is that All Might?” one person said.

“What’s he doing here?”

“Why’s he rooting for that kid?”

“Maybe it’s his kid or something?”

All Might’s smile didn’t vanish but his arm fell and he looked around the room as people began to move towards him. “Ahh! What’s that? A cat stuck in a tree? Hold on kitty! I’m coming! Plus Ultra!”

Without waiting a moment, All Might lept over to the door, clearing several people and was gone.

“Did All Might really just use the cat stuck in a tree excuse?” Itsuka asked walking up to nudge him on the shoulder. “Still, good job Izuku, but next time try to get hit less.”

He lost a minute into the next round. Itsuka barely lost the finals.

Chapter 7: Seven Exams!

Chapter Text

“Seriously,” Itsuka glanced at her phone one more time, confirming that Izuku had not yet responded to her texts and that he was going to be late. And if she kept waiting for him she was going to be late. The U.A. Entrance exam, that was what they had been training their butts off for this past year. And it was starting in ten minutes! “Where are you Izuku?”

She paced, turning towards the building, her leg twitching in annoyance. Oh, if he made her late, she was going to go extra hard on him the next time they spared. There would be absolutely no mercy for Izuku. “Especially if he doesn’t at least respond to my text!”

Seriously, it wasn’t like he paid attention while he was walking anyways, he was always lost in his own head anyway. He could at least check his damn phone! She growled turning again, pacing in front of the gate like a dog with a shock collar. Another would-be-student, jumped when she accidentally glared at her. So much for good first impressions, testing day and somebody was already scared of her.

She took a breath trying to calm herself, doing the pose that her father had taught her. It almost worked. She was still annoyed, but at least now she was smiling. Seriously, why was it that Izuku being late for the exam was stressing her out more than the actual exam was? Only one out of three hundred applicants passed, she really should be focusing more on -

“Outta the way Deku!” A shrill voice that was as stubborn as a donkey and rude as a pig tore through the crowd and drew her eyes towards the entrance.

And there he was, Izuku, wearing an overstuffed backpack staring at U.A. with his mouth wide open, his face was covered in sweat and it looked like his hair was still wet. Didn’t he live like forty minutes away?

“Kacchan!” Izuku mumbled, taking a few steps back. Fumbling over himself.

“Get out of my way or you’re dead.” the angry blond kid said in an even tone, glaring straight at the door.

What. A. Prick. Wait, wasn’t he the boy Izuku saved? It was, wasn’t it?

“Morning!” Izuku flailed trying to get out of his way. “Let’s both do-”

“You know,” she walked forward, stepping in the blonds way, hands on her hips, one eyebrow raised. “You should be a bit nicer since he did risk his life to try and save you.”

“I didn’t ask him to save me.” He growled, glaring at her. His slumped shoulders and forward facing glower made the two inches he had on her vanish. “And who the f*ck are you? His girlfriend? Get the f*ck out of my way bitch.”

“Make me.” Was it helpful? If anything it was the exact opposite of helpful. But her nice mode only extended up until she was called a bitch. And what was with that lame ass insult attempt of embarrassing her by calling her Izuku’s girlfriend?

“Wait!” Izuku ran over to them, trying to get between them. “Please don’t fight! Itsuka it’s not big deal, that’s just how Kacchan is! If you two start fighting now you might get kicked out.”

She knew Izuku was right, but she had this annoying thing called pride, and an annoying habit of sticking up for people. And Izuku was her friend so even if he didn’t need or want her to she was going to defend him. “So he’s normally an asshole?”

“Yes!” Izuku blurted out, then covered his mouth. “Well I mean that is-”

“Whatever just stay out of my way,” Kacchan grunted, stepping to the side to pass her. “And quit calling me Kacchan you damn Deku!”

She couldn’t help but let out a breath when that was all over. She looked at Izuku who was turning to look between her and that other boy. She was going to call him Kacchan just because it bugged him. And it was funny. “What took you so long Izuku? And what’s with the bag?”

“Oh!” Izuku jumped, focusing on her again, his face was red and he took a step back, shifting his legs like he was practicing his form. “I was finishing up my training, I uhh managed to clear out the beach this morning.”

“Really? The whole thing?” She clapped her hands and smiled. “That’s fantastic Izuku, I bet it feels good having completed your goal.”

“Yea!” He lifted his head up, looking her right in the eyes. Huh, had he always been as tall as her? His face was full of pride and he had his fists pumped at his waist. “I feel like I actually earned it. And it was thanks to you and Kendo-sensei too.”

“That’s so great Izuku,” She clapped him on the back and pointed towards the building. “But, we really need to hurry, we’re about to be late.”

His pride was replaced by pure terror as the realization that they were the last ones outside washed over him.

XXXX

Passing One for All to Izuku hit him faster and harder than he expected it to. Less than three hours into the day and he already felt like he needed a nap. Maybe a nice cup of tea would perk him up. Shame he couldn’t make himself a cup of tea the same way Nighteye could.

“At least the torch has at long last been passed.” Toshinori breathed, running a hand through his hair, all but swimming in his bright yellow suit. Though his body was drained, at the same time his soul was filled with energy. He had found a worthy successor. One that had surpassed his expectations with every turn, even when his body battered beaten and bruised, Young Midoriya would stand up, forcing that pathetic smile onto his face and ask for more.

He could only hope that he made the right choice. No, that wasn’t right. He needed to have faith in Izuku.

Coughing into his hand, he assumed the look of All Might the one that everybody had come to see as a pillar of truth and justice. And stepped out of the private room that Nezu had set up for him, it was a small gesture, but one he was grateful for. At least, the only thing he had to do today was watch his would be students battle against giant robots.

Hopefully Izuku would be able to use One for All by then. But with his advice and Izuku’s natural heroic tendencies, there was little to worry about, especially with the hidden requirements. No there was little to worry about, besides, it was all in Izuku’s hands now.

The observation room was dimly lit, one wall filled covered in numerous security cameras that were set up around the exam course. Numerous buttons and levers were set up around the room to spring traps, trigger opponents and direct their course. It was a perfect set up to create chaos.

There were several pro heroes, government officials, and a few other former students all milled about several nodded at him and smiled and -

“Tea?”

“What?” He shook his head looking down to see the smiling face of an almost familiar looking man offering him a cup of tea. The man, much like himself was dressed in a pinstripe suit, though where his was yellow the other man’s was black. A black and white mustache showed his age while his black hair was pulled back into a ponytail.

He almost looked like Eraserhead’s father.

“Tea.” The man held the cup up higher, his smile all but swallowing his the dull blue of his eyes. “I made it fresh, and you certainly look like you needed a cup Toshinori.”

His first name? Who was this man? Still, the tea smelled wonderful. “Thank you! But I’m afraid I didn’t catch your name.”

“Oh, but of course, we haven’t spoken to each other in several decades.” The man extended his free hand still smiling that impossibly large smile like he was trying to have a contest over who had the most ridiculous smile. A contest, he as the man who smiled in the face of danger would not lose. “I’m Kotetsu Kendo, I graduated U.A. two years your senior.”

“Ahh, I think I recall now.” He grabbed the man’s hand, smiling wider. He almost didn’t recognize the man with his hair groomed back, or without the more traditional Japanese outfit, he normally wore. This was Izuku’s martial arts teacher. “You’re Hurricane Strike, what brings you back to U.A?”

“Well, when I informed our dear principal that I was in the area and retired, he offered me a spot as a judge.” Kotetsu’s smiled didn’t so much as budge as he took a small sip of his own tea. “And what kind of father would I be to not watch my own daughter’s test live in action?”

“Doesn’t that mean you're bias?” He followed suit, the tea hit his nostrils first, bathing him a scent that burned with the scent of fall but soothed with a dash of spring and winter. Its texture was smooth and far to light for how much flavor was packed in there into the cup. Strong bitter herbs blended with sweeteners provided a one-two punch that seemed to shatter away his weariness and the after taste of mint left him wanting more. “Good tea.”

Better than Nighteye’s.

“I won’t be judging my daughter,” Kotetsu’s smile widened into the cup. “Besides I believe we both share a bias for a certain boy with no quirk do we not?”

“Ahh, uhh,” This wasn’t good, he should have been more careful, the more people that knew about his involvement with Izuku the more people All for One could potentially target. He needed to keep this as quiet as possible. “Are you referring to young Midoriya?”

Kotetsu brushed his mustache, his hand doing little to hide his nearly maniacal smile. “The very same, I must thank you for giving him such brilliant inspiration, I believe that even without a quirk U.A. could use a boy with his discipline.”

He laughed, more out of nervousness than any kind of humor. “I agree, but I don’t believe Izuku is the type of boy that would be happy simply receiving something without earning it do you?”

“Absolutely, he is more than willing to put in the hard work and failure doesn’t frustrate him.” Kotetsu nodded taking another sip and gesturing towards a set of seats. “Now then, why don’t we have a seat? The exam is about to begin.”

So much for being able to relax a bit. “Certainly, I look forward to seeing what my future students are capable of.”

Seven exams occurring at once, dozens viewing rooms were set up to keep judge and score the thousand of would be applicants. The entrance exam was as grand as any of U.A.’s tests, but it was by far the most important. They needed to judge those who could be heroes from those who could not. Ten minutes was a harsh time limit, but in the world of heroes, it was the split-second decisions that mattered most.

“Remember our exams?” Kotetsu thumbed with one of the controls, causing the cameras to flicker to the gates where the students had gathered. “Way back when you were admitted only if you were brave enough to apply. And the rest would be beaten into you.”

“Ha!” he slapped his own armrests. “You’re making us sound like an old man Kotetsu!”

“Recovery girl was young back then, and every male student had a crush on her if I remember correctly.” His smile faded as his hand moved to a knee, pain twisting on his face as he at long last looked his age. He wasn’t wrong, they were both old. “But, that was a different time when the crime rate was running rampant and being a hero was rarely a choice. Then you showed up.”

“I didn’t do it alone, it was thanks to heroes like you constantly having my back that we were able to achieve the peace we have now.” He nodded towards the screen, “And it will be up to heroes like them to maintain it.”

“Ha, so you admit you’re getting old too, even that young punk Endeavor has been out doing you in terms of crime fighting in recent years.” Kotetsu’s smile returned hiding his eyes as he shrugged. “Still, it’s thanks to you that I was able to retire without worry and raise my daughter.”

“Come now, if that old fart Yoroi can still rank in the top ten then we have nothing complain about getting old!” He laughed slapping his knee. The wound from All for One flared up, and he had to fight back a wince. “And you’re still a spry man, surely you could have a few more years of hero duty left in you.”

“Oh, I have no doubt I could trounce many of these students even without my quirk.” Kotetsu grabbed his knee again, that smile vanishing once more, revealing the cold blue eyes of a man that had lost much and pushed forward despite it all. It was the same sunken eyes he carried. “But, when I lost Miu, my knees were also badly damaged, I can’t use my quirk without risking them blowing out.”

“My condolences, I wasn’t aware she passed.” He shouldn’t have delved so deep into this conversation, he was bringing up things better left buried. “Was she a hero as well?”

“Yes, Titanium Tatiana, and it’s alright, though her loss still hurts I have accepted it. And I have my wonderful daughter.” He sighed, looking towards the screen. “If something were to happen to me then that would leave my daughter an orphan. But you are right, there is some fight still left in me, but I’d rather have my final fight matter than have it account for little. Heroes rarely die of old age.”

“You’re a bit old fashion, aren’t you?”

“Ha!” Kotetsu’s smile returned banishing any memory of his frown. “No doubt my daughter would agree with you. Keep your eye on her during the test, you’ll be impressed. For sure.”

He nodded, turning his attention back to the screens. By luck - good or bad - Izuku and Itsuka were in separate testing zones.

The buzzards sounded, and the gates opened, and the students rushed in, the U.A. entrance exams had begun.

Already the scoreboards buzzing, numerous students racking up points as their quirks pushed them forward. At the front of the pack, was Katsuki Bakugo, already scoring ten points within the first fifteen seconds. And he showed no signs of slowing down.

Itsuka was easy to spot, leading her own group in terms of score, both in practical points and was among the first to start earning rescue points as she blocked a machine from assaulting another girl. That was what they were after, the will to act without hesitation even when it wasn’t to one’s gain.

“She certainly has what we’re looking for in a hero.” Overall she was constantly in the hotly contested top ten as the scores continued to change and dance, but among those students, she had the most rescue points. One of the monitors followed her leaping through the air her hands enlarged to the size of her body and crumpling one of the robots like it was made of paper mache.

“But Izuku,” Kotetsu comment, shifting the camera to find Young Midoriya running around like a chicken with its head cut off. “Could be putting on a better display.”

His current points were zero. He hadn’t managed to do anything. And time was dwindling away. Could he not use One for All right now? It didn’t take him that long, he could use it minutes after Nana gave him her hair. But perhaps Izuku was simply different. What if they didn’t do enough training? What if he couldn’t take it, so the transfer failed?

“It’s unlike you to fret so much,” Kotetsu kept his blue eyes locked on to the screen, his smile twisted into a mocking half green. “Have faith in Izuku, you know the kind of boy he is. Indeed, if I’m not mistaken it was his very self sacrificing nature that got you interested in him was it not?”

There was no sense in trying not to play favorites here. “You’re right, I just want him to feel like he earned his place in here.”

“Then,” Nezu, bounded up to the control station, a smile etched on his animalistic face round white ears twitching. “Let’s kick things up a notch and see the true heroes!”

The exams were thrown into chaos as the giant obstacles began to rage through the stages, many students fleeing from it, others struggling to avoid it. And then there was Katsuki. Who appeared to scream and charge at the one in his stage.

But their focus, indeed the focus of the whole room was on Izuku, the boy with zero points. The robot tore through a building its massive feat causing a lone girl to trip and fall. She’d be crushed if she didn’t do anything.

“People show their true colors when they face something that’s pointless to try and beat.” Kotetsu beamed, standing in his seat as Izuku began to rush towards the girl, everybody else had attempted to flee. “When there’s nothing to be gained, rising to the challenge at those times is surely the mark of a true hero!”

“Though, perhaps charging at a giant robot when he doesn’t have a quirk is the sign of-” He was cut short when out of nowhere Izuku jumped dozen or more stories facing the giant mechanical monstrosity face to face. That green haired little entertainer that had a reckless flair for the dramatic pulled his arm back, his sleeve tearing as he atlast unleashed One for All. The punch was sloppy, only the basics of Martial arts training were instilled in there.

But the raw power of it, despite not so much as making direct contact with the robot managed to reduce it to a pile of scrap. Cheers broke out around the room, as Izuku’s rescue points skyrocketed, even as he began to fall like a stone. The girl he had saved returned the favor, using her quirk to end his fall.

“I told you Young Midoriya would be fine,” He crossed his arms and nodded, he really shouldn’t have worried so much, Izuku’s body still wasn’t completely ready for One for All, but now, they could take the long slow path of making certain that he becomes a worthy vessel.

“Toshinori,” Kotetsu said softly standing in front of his chair and placing both hands on his shoulders. His eyes were hidden, pointed towards the floor as his arms began to shake. “How did you do it?”

“What are you talking about?” This was bad. This was really really bad. If word of his quirks true nature got out then it would shake the foundations of their society, and cause pain for Izuku. He needed a lie some excuse. “I simply helped to bring out what was inside of Izuku all along.”

“I know!” Kotetsu looked up a smile attempting to eat his face that left his blue eyes blazing with passion. “I know that! But how did you see it? How did I not see it? To think that my student would have a quirk that could unless his inner power! This is phenomenal! I need to adjust his training! Wait, I should get him into meditation, wait, that’s a terrible idea, Izuku can barely sit still when he’s asleep his mind worries too much. Oh, there’s so much to do!”

“What?” He asked sinking further into his seat. Wasn’t he about to be exposed for transferring his quirk to Izuku?

“Ahh, that explains a lot about your quirk as well, it’s not just general strength enhancement you’re literally just tapping into your inner power,” Kotetsu spun, stroking his mustache a wild gleam in his eyes. “Tell me have you ever considered learning tai chi?”

Chapter 8: Eight Chakra

Chapter Text

“So,” Itsuka hummed, hands behind her back as they wandered down a random street she had lured him down, apparently they were heading towards a park. In February, on the coldest day of the year. There was snow sticking to the ground. She was dressed in a warm looking brown jacket, a green scarf that matched her eyes was wrapped around her neck, one end falling off her shoulder. She looked adorable. “About your quirk?”

There were many things that threw Izuku off balance at that moment, the softness of Itsuka’s smile, the glint in her eye, the fact that she knew about his brand new quirk or the slick ground he nearly slipped on. Before he hit the ground, something caught him. It was Itsuka, her hand grown to over the size of his body and pushed him up with ease.

“Thanks,” He muttered, stuttered, stammered, fumbled, and blushed. “You’re getting fast at using your quirk.”

She spun, walking backward into the park, her large hiking boots stomping onto the ground with ease. “Thanks, but we’re not here to talk about your-” She stopped, dead in her tracks, her face turning to tilt to the side. “Wait a second.”

“W-what?” He held his hands up as she took a few steps closer. Did she figure it out? Itsuka was a smart girl, she might even be one of the smartest people he knew! She got perfect marks on all her exams, there was no way she couldn’t have figured out that he got this quirk from All Might!

Her still enlarged hand fell on top of both of their heads, squishing down his curly hair and her ponytail. “You’re as tall as me now,” she half pouted. “When did that happen?”

He shrugged shrinking down as her hand retreated. “I don’t know, I guess I’m still growing?”

“Like you grew your quirk?” She took a step back again, both hands behind her back as she spun, taking first few steps onto the freshly fallen snow. “Seriously, I want some answers Izuku, I’m not mad, just I thought you didn’t have a quirk.”

Okay, good, she didn’t figure it out yet. He shrugged again, trying not to look at her right now. A few bits of snow had fallen into her hair, he was used to seeing her covered in sweat, panting, and beaming with self-confidence as she was about to kick his ass again. Sure they had hung about, just like at the fireworks, but this was very different. It was probably just the fact that he failed the entrance exam and that now he just wasn’t going to get into U.A.

It felt like he had let her down.

“I didn’t really know I had a quirk either. I mean, I wasn’t lying when I first told you I didn’t have a quirk because I didn’t know.” He half mumbled, lying to her felt wrong. “The exam was the first time I ever used it.” His hand fell to his arm, fingers slightly numb from the cold. “And I ended up breaking my arm and leg. So uhh-”

A snowball to the face shut him up.

“Izuku,” she laughed, still beaming at him. “You’re missing the point about this. You have a quirk. You, the boy who was trying to become a hero and get into U.A. without a quirk, now has a quirk. I’m surprised you’re not using every waking moment to try and understand your quirk. I mean, I’ve seen the three-page essay you wrote about my quirk.”

He pushed the snow from his face and tried to glare at her. It really didn’t work. Besides, she was kind of right. “But just using it broke my arm.”

“So?” She raised an eyebrow already packing another snowball in her hands. “I’m not saying you should go out of your way to hurt yourself like that Izuku, that’s the last thing I want. But that was your first time using your quirk, and you probably used it wrong.” She stood bouncing the snowball in her hand, arm pulled back like a catapult.

He dodged the second one.

“The first time I used my quirk I was climbing a tree and I got stuck for two hours while the fire department and another hero tried to cut me out.” Her hot breath turned to steam in the cold winter air as she grabbed another handful. With her now giant hands. A maniac smile was on her face. “For two days I had to use those giant therapy pencils to write with because I couldn’t shrink my hands back down. I also cried a lot because I was worried my hands would be stuck like that forever.”

She hefted what was a beach ball-sized ball of snow that rested in her palm like it was a basketball, she eyed it, and then him. “My point being is that you just don’t know how to use your quirk!”

With a grunt, she launched the snowball up into the air, and then jumped after that, and swung her hand like she was spiking a volleyball.

He tried to dodge, falling to one side to avoid the projectile, but instead of getting pelted by a deadly ball of ice he was showered by a sudden blizzard of various chunks and sizes. “Are you crazy?”

“Nope,” She laughed hands on her hips. “I just don’t like seeing you mope around. You haven’t been to training since then and my dad keeps mumbling about your new quirk. And you’re my friend Izuku, why can’t you be as excited about your quirk as I am?”

“I didn’t score any points though.” He hadn’t managed to tell her that part yet. “And I was so busy with my workout and training, that I didn’t have much time to study so I probably barely managed to pass the written exam.” He held his head, the cold air, making his rapid breaths visible. “I’m so worried that I-”

A snowball - a normal sized one - shut him up again.

“Izuku, according to my dad, you punched that giant mech that we weren’t supposed to fight.” Itsuka half laughed, spinning in the snow with her arms out wide. She pointed at herself with two giant fingers. “Even I ran from that thing. But you not only punched it, you completely obliterated it. You have nothing to worry about.”

“How did you even hear about that?” He asked, face scrunching up in the cold. But a smile was twisting onto his face despite his all-consuming worry. “And how does your dad know?”

He didn’t tell anybody. It wasn’t the kind of thing to brag about.

“Another student from my school saw you do it.” She rubbed her nose, green eyes sparkling at him as her orange hair fluttered in the brisk wind. “As for my dad, well he was a judge, he didn’t grade either of us and he doesn’t know if we passed or not.” She shrugged into a pout with her arms crossed “Or if he does he’s being weirdly good at keeping secrets.”

“Oh.” that made sense. “They allowed him to be a judge with you in the exam?”

“He didn’t judge either of us.” She waved her normal sized hand in front of her face. “But really, just repeat after me, ‘my name is Izuku Midoriya and I punched a giant robot and won.’”

“My name is Izuku Midoriya and I punched a giant robot and won.” he half mumbled, his cheeks were burning against the cold.

“I didn’t hear you!”

“Are you really doing this?” He held his hands out to the side looking out around the park, they weren’t completely alone, other kids were enjoying the snow and a few adults were walking the trails. “Here?”

Itsuka snorted, hands on her hips. “Do you want to eat a car-sized snowball for lunch?”

“My name is Izuku Midoriya and I punched a giant robot and won.”

“Louder!”

“My name is Izuku Midoriya and I punched a giant robot and won!”

“Good, feel better about yourself?” She walked over to him warming her hands with her breath, the edges of her smile peeping over the edge. “I mean I felt better throwing snowballs at you.”

“A bit?” He smiled, brushing a generous handful of snow off of his shoulder. “I’m still worried I didn’t past though, and that I wasted yours, Kendo-sensei’s, and uhh, Small Might’s time.”

Her blue-green eyes narrowed at him and her smile turned wicked from behind her hands. “Do I need to get more snow?”

“Nope!” He stumbled backward hands raised in defense. “I’m fine now honest! I’m just cold!”

“Good, because even if you did fail, which you don’t know yet. Nobody is going to think they wasted their time one you. You’re their student, and you’re my friend.” She pumped her arm, the flex of her muscle hidden under the thick material of her coat. “You’re also my rival, so now that you have a quirk, you should be more pumped to learning to go all out! Really why am I the one that’s excited about your quirk?”

Because it wasn’t his. Because he let All Might down. Because he failed. Because he couldn’t use it. Because, because, because, because. “Because,” he looked at his fist, the one that he had punched that robot with. He couldn’t feel it right now, the power of One for All was but a distant echo. The memory was still there. “It kind of feels like I’m cheating.”

She slapped him on the back of his head. “Izuku. Quirks are cheating.” She enlarged her hand to its maximum size and held it in front of them. “All I can do is make my hands really big and strong, another kid from my school can control the wind. My dad can extend his legs at half the speed of sound, there’s a hero that can turn into a dragon, and another that’s literally Godzilla (but isn't because of copyrights). There are so many different types of Quirks out there that most of them are basically cheating, so it's your cheats against theirs.”

“You’ve been spending too much time with your dad.”

Itsuka’s face flushed despite the cold and she turned to the side pouting, arms straight at her side. “Well, duh, I live with him! Now come on, if you’re done moping around my hands are cold and I want coffee.”

“Oh, uh sure.” He found it easy to smile, and stepped out of her way, letting her take the lead. “I think you’re kind of right.”

She snapped her head back to look at him, her orange ponytail bouncing with every step. “Only kind of?”

“Fine, I think you’re right,” He gestured towards the snow-filled poke. “But did you bring me out here just to try and cheer me up?”

“I wanted to hang out.” She shrugged, leading the way out of the park once more. “And I wanted to throw snow at someone.”

The fresh snow so softly stacked upon one of the cement posts that marked the entrance of the park called to him, it would be so easy to grab a handful and toss it at her. Her back was to him, she wasn’t moving fast, and even he could probably hit her with it.

There really was no choice.

The snow flew from his hand before he even felt its cold bite. The loose clump shattered onto her head and stuck to her hair in thick wet clumps.

Itsuka froze, turning towards him, her mouth locked into a shocked smile. She licked her lips, pulling some of the snow-free from her hair and looked at it. Then him. He made a terrible mistake. “Oh, it’s on Izuku.”

Shortly thereafter he decided that she was right. Quirks were cheating. Especially hers in a snowball fight.

XXXX

“Ahh,” Itsuka sighed palming her hot cup of coffee in her hands. The bitter smell assaulting her nose as she waited for it to get just cool enough to drink without burning her throat. There was something so soothing about pure black coffee. It was pure, no sugar, no sweetener, nothing but a direct injection of that caffeine and heat she had grown to love.

Izuku walked to her left, lost in thought once again while he nursed his steaming hot cup of boring, bland, tea. It was, in theory, the perfect drink for a plain looking boy like him. Man, she had a weird taste in friends.

“So, you’re going to start coming to practice again right?” She leaned into the side bumping his elbow before springing back into place. “It’s kind of boring without you there, and once we get into U.A. we might not have time for it anymore, that and my dad is getting antsy without you there.”

“I don’t understand how you can be so confident about passing.” He mumbled taking another sip of his drink.

“Big hand, crush robot good,” She took that first sip of her drink. It burned her lips, scorched her tongue and seared her throat before boiling her stomach. It was perfect.

“And why’s your dad getting antsy? Isn’t he always antsy?” Izuku’s face twisted like it always did when he was overthinking something. “Wait, I’m getting that mixed up, he normally seems pretty mellow unless he’s excited about something.”

She sighed, that was about right considering her father. “Yep, when he saw about your quirk he’s been eager to try and help you learn more about it. He’s been practicing acupuncture again so uhh, don’t let him take you into the back after training.”

There was a good chance her ever so slightly small fear of needles came from her father. Not that Izuku or anybody else ever needed to know that.

“How would that help?” He held his drink in one hand, looking at the hand he had broken during the exam. “I’m not exactly sure how to control my own quirk, or what exactly it is.”

“When I asked him about it he thought it had something to do with harnessing your inner strength, or a manifestation of your will power or something.” She shrugged. “Maybe he thinks it's your Chi or maybe like Ki in Dragonball.” She blinked raising an eyebrow at Izuku. “You don’t think you can fly do you?”

“No, but I jump good though.” He shrugged turning the corner towards an apartment complex. It was the road that Izuku lived on, and the one that would guide most of the way back to her own home if she walked. But given the cold, she’d probably head towards the nearest train station. “And do you watch anime? That’s like the third time you’ve made an reference to something.”

She shrugged into another sip. “I grew up watching my dad’s old anime collections, for something so old they hold up pretty good.”

“Oh, well, I don’t really think it’s anything like that.”

“Then what do you think it is?” She flipped her ponytail over her shoulder once more and looked Izuku in the eyes, he didn’t hold her gaze for long, keeping his eyes down and cast towards his feet. It always felt like it two steps forward and one step back with him.

“I,” He half mumbled, looking up towards his apartment. “I don’t really know- it’s like I just clench my butt cheeks and my heart screams out for justice then my arm explodes.”

“Did you really just use butt cheeks to describe your quirk?”

His face turned a firm red at that and he silenced himself into his own drink.

“Still, you don’t know if you don’t try, maybe your quirk just makes you really hate giant robots.” It was only half a joke. “Still, I do think its a bit weird how your quirk didn’t activate during that slime villain attack. Or maybe it did and that’s what Small Might saw in you, have you tried asking him?”

“Oh!” Izuku half stumbled around the corner, leading towards his apartment. “Well, the thing is I-”

“Izuku!” Inko Midoriya, burst out of their apartment, her slippers still on as she rushed down the stairs, a letter firmly in her hand. “It’s- It’s- It’s here!”

A letter from U.A.

Izuku dropped the tea she had paid for on the ground, his mouth followed suit as he extended a shaky hand towards the letter. Both mother and son stared at the letter like it was some kind of dark secret neither one of them willing to budge from their current position.

It would have been good manners to excuse herself. But at this point, she wanted to know too. “Instead of just staring at it, why don’t we go inside and find out what it says?”

“Oh! Itsuka! Of course! Please! Come in!” Ms. Midoirya spun on her feet and grabbed Izuku by the arm, pulling him up the stairs. “Come on Izuku! We have a guest! Come on in Itsuka, make yourself at home.”

This was the problem with going to Izuku’s home, it always felt like it was a bigger deal than it should be. Still, Inko was a nice mother, it was probably just where Izuku got his nervousness from.

She’d only been to Izuku’s apartment a handful of times, but this was the first time she had actually been inside of it. It was plain. A bit like Izuku, with the sole exception of Izuku’s room that at a glance looked to be All Might inspired.

“Uhh, Itsuka, can you umm, wait, out here,” Izuku fiddled with the letter with both hands, shuffling towards his room. “I’d like to read it myself first.”

“Sure,” she shrugged, sitting down on the couch. “Just read fast, cause I wanna know too. It might even have your class assignment.”

He didn’t say much, just waving before vanishing into his room. He at least he didn’t look like the nervous wreck his was this morning.

“Oh, dear,” Inko mumbled passing in front of Izuku’s door, hanging close to it. She then looked towards her and jumped like she had forgotten she was even there. “Oh! Itsuka-dear, would you like some tea or something?”

“No thanks Mrs. Midoriya.” She held up her still warm coffee and smiled. “I’m good, I still have my coffee.”

“Oh, well, okay then.” The woman walked over to her and paced in front of the couch. Holding a tray against her chest. “Oh, I’m so nervous, Izuku hasn’t told me anything about his exam. What if he doesn’t get in? What if he does? Oh, he’s not ready for this, I don’t even know why he took that practical exam, he’s a smart boy, he could have gotten in via academics, I know his quirk manifested out of nowhere but really. What do you think dear?”

She nearly coughed into coffee cup, her cheeks burning at the sudden question. “I think he’ll get in.” She righted herself and smiled. “He’s worked hard for this, probably harder than anybody at the exam. I think that he’s earned his way in. And that he’ll become a great hero. As soon as he stops-”

Her phone buzzed loudly in her pocket.

“Mumbling all the time.” She finished, digging into her coat pocket. It was from one of the two people that texted her. Her father.

“Apparently,” she smiled leaning back into the couch and taking a victory sip. “I need to have a talk with my dad about going through my mail.” Another sip, she savored that taste of victory humming in her seat. “And I got accepted, I’m in class 1-B”

“Oh, congratulation-”

“Yeah!” The victory shout from Izuku’s room almost shook the building as Izuku came storming out of his room. Tears stained his eyes and his weak flimsy smile was on his face. “I made it!”

That deserved another victory sip.

XXXX

Sometimes - actually pretty much daily for the past year - Izuku found himself asking how he got to this spot in life. This time, he was currently shirtless, in pretty much his underwear, firmly secured to a table by a heavy - still wet - towel in the back of the dojo.

A small bit of incense wavered in front of him filling his nostrils with a scent that was more unusual than unpleasant.

“Uhh, Kendo-sensei?” He asked, for what felt like the hundredth time. Or maybe that was the number of times he should have asked. “What exactly are we doing?”

Kendo-sensei passed in front of him for just a moment, several sharp needles in his hand and a smile that belonged on a villain was plastered on the mans face, his formerly stark black hair now had a few strands of grey that stuck out like a sore thumb. “An experiment.”

“What kind of experiment?”

“One based on your quirk,” the man placed a warm thumb down into the center of his back. There was a snap and a pop and it felt like all the stress had simply left his body. It was like someone has picked him up by the neck and cracked him like a whip, separating every single one of his joints and allowing him to finally relax. “You see, I have a theory, the reason why your quirk caused you damage was that it was frustrated, your body didn’t know what to do with it so it held back and damaged itself. Like a hiccup.”

“A hiccup?” He half repeated, still halfway melting into his new more relaxed body. He should have gotten a massage years ago.

“Correct, technically speaking a hiccup is just a frustrated burp that’s been trapped, so today, I’m going to see if I can untrap your chi, or whatever you want to call it, see what happens.”

“That sounds.” he drifted off. Then reality snapped back to him. That sounded dangerous! What was he doing if he used One for All here then it could seriously hurt someone! “Wait-”

“Too late!” There was a small prick in his back.

His eye twitched.

His arm spasmed.

His finger flicked.

A blast of wind knocked the table over and the cold winter air came flooding into the room at the new hole that had been opened up thanks to One for All being activated. He looked towards his finger, it wasn’t damaged. Why?

“Perhaps, we should have done this outside.” Kendo-sensei’s voice sounded from above him, he was pressed to the ceiling, his legs extended to both walls to keep him pinned up there. “Still, that was quite the result!”

“What the hell are you-!” Itsuka, came running into the room but came to a dead stop when she looked at him. Her mouth fell open, eyes growing wide as she got an eyeful of him nearly naked. Her face turned a shade of red darker than her hair before she spun on her heel without another word.

“I wonder if she’s mad.” Kendo-sensei snickered from the ceiling.

As for him, he was fairly certain he could die of embarrassment now.

Chapter 9: Ninth Kata

Chapter Text

U.A. was everything she had imagined it was and more so.

The staff was brimming with pro heroes, the classes filled with kids like her that had their hearts set on becoming pros and the skill, drive, and knowledge to back them up. It was so unlike anything she had experienced in middle school, sure there were a few students back then that wanted to become a hero, but they seemed less serious about it than she was.

There were just two things that could make U.A. just that little bit better. The first was a selfish desire to be in the same class as Izuku, sadly, they were, with him being in class 1-A while she was in class 1-B. But she still had every chance to see him during lunch, and they could easily take a train ride home.

Which was only ever so slightly awkward when she thought about how much he had matured in the year she had known him. Especially on the forearm and muscle categories.

The second problem was -

“Ha! Clearly, you have forgotten that I come from the prestigious Nomanaka school!” Monoma, her loud, ever so annoying classmate spoke from the podium beside her. It was the second week of school and they were just now selecting who would become the class president. Debate style. “I have had leadership responsibilities in the past, additionally thanks to my quirk I will be able to assist you all in better understanding your own quirks through my unique skill set! If you want to have the superior candidate for class president vote for me! Monoma!”

He had been talking non-stop for the past fifteen minutes. He was rambling, loudly, about how he was the superior candidate, and even going so far as to take up her time for making her case for becoming the student president.

And their teacher, the hero Vlad King: Sekijiro Kan, sat in the back arms crossed looking onward with a frown that made him look like a bulldog. He had left this matter up to them alone and would only step in if they took to long.

Which Monoma was currently devouring.

“Indeed if I am elected-”

She hit him, on the back of the neck, her quirk partially activated. He slumped forward, all the steam gone from him as she held him up by his shirt collar. He wasn’t knocked out or anything, just kind of stunned. It was probably uncalled for and it bad taste but it was-

“I vote for Itsuka,” one of her fellow students, a plain looking girl with black hair that fell to her chin stood from her seat, it was Yui Kodai one of the few girls in her class. Her quirk lets her change the size of objects.

Others began to stand as well, and soon over half the class had stood voting her in as class president. She didn’t even say a single word.

XXXX

Class President. He was the class president. How did this happen? Why? When? What was he supposed to do? He understood the importance of the roll and that he did want to be it, that he should want to be it. But the stress was already getting to him.

He stared at his partially eaten plate of food, just letting the reality of the situation sink in. Nope, wasn’t sinking in. Was All Might his class president? It was a leadership role and would set him apart from his peers but what was he supposed to do, he could barely even talk to Momo the vice president without stuttering.

A tray slammed down in front of him, shocking him out of his thoughts, his finger still sore from the quirk test yesterday bent awkwardly when he brought his hands down.

“Guess, who’s the class president of 1-B?” Itsuka, smiled at him, her orange hair hanging in front of one of her shoulders, and a large toothy smile dominated her face. Beside her stood another girl, one with black hair and a serious look on her face. “Oh, and this is Yui Kodai, she’s from my class. Yui, this is Izuku, my friend from my dads Dojo.”

“Hi,” The girl nodded sitting down at his table. She blinked at him turning her head sideways before picking at her food.

“Oh uhh hello.” This was the first time he’d seen someone from Class 1-B that wasn’t Itsuka, though he’d heard of how annoying Monoma was. “Wait, you’re the class president too?”

“Yea.” Itsuka stared at him, her green eyes boring into him as the slender orange arch of her eyebrow rose. He’d never tell her but while she looked cute in her middle school uniform, her U.A. uniform made her even cuter. She pointed her unbroken set of chopsticks at him. “You’re the class president too?”

He gave a small nod, head slinking down into his shoulders. “Somehow,” he poked at his food again. “I ended up getting three votes.”

“And that was enough?” Itsuka questioned. “I got over half the class to vote for me.”

“She hit Monoma.” Yui spoke up, the slightest hint of a smile on her face.

“Ahh, they loud guy?”

Yui nodded. “Yep.”

Itsuka’s face flushed in a rare act of embarrassment. “He wouldn’t stop talking, I’m not a violent person!”

“Izuku!” The chipper voice of one of his classmates pulled him out from his drew his eyes away from Itsuka. It was Ochako, the second girl he managed to talk to for more than two syllables. She beamed at the table, her round cheeks stretched by her smile, her brown hair bouncing with her every step. “Oh, is this that girl you keep talking about?”

She slid into the seat next to him, looking right at Itsuka. “The one that showed you those awesome kung-fu moves you used to beat Katsuki, and the orange hair? Itsuka or something?”

“You talk about me?” Itsuka’s smile turned wry as she looked at Ochako, “Nice to meet you, I’m Itsuka.”

Now it was his turn to blush. Wait, he was always doing that. “I mean I don’t really, but I do, it’s just that when they asked about how I learned things, and how I was able to-”

“I wish I could have seen it!” Ochako hummed, taking a bite of her rice. “But one of the cameras showed Izuku throwing Katsuki into the wall without using his quirk! It really pissed Katsuki off. Which is okay because he’s kind of a jerk. Oh, I’m Ochako by the way.”

“Nice to meet you, this is Yui.” Itsuka gestured towards her quiet classmate, before turning towards him a withering smirk on her face that had him squirming. She was so going to give him hell about this the next time they went to training. “And you didn’t tell me you beat that jerk up.”

“I like her already,” Ochako beamed grinning ear to ear.

“Yes,” Another plate was placed down next to him. “It was quite the show and the finish took me off guard as well,” Iida sat down next to him, a fist clutched at his side and he looked ready to give an epic speech - but that was just Iida in a nutshell. “You truly are the better class president candidate, not only did you see through the entrance exam but you also managed to use Katsuki’s unpredictable nature in our clash to your advantage.”

“Wait, what did he see through in the entrance exam?” Itsuka perked, pushing her orange ponytail behind her shoulder as she blew on a bite of her food. “Because he was freaking out for like two weeks straight that he failed it. Ya’know despite the fact that he punched a giant robot.”

Iida’s face fell. “Wait? You mean he didn’t know that there would be rescue points?”

He slunk down into his seat. He didn’t know Iida thought so highly of him and now all that respect was going to vanish!

“Nope,” Itsuka plopped a bite into her mouth, wiggling her eyebrows at him. “He didn’t, not at all.”

“And his fight with-”

The alarm blared.

“Security level 3 has been broken.” A calm robotic female voice sounded from the speakers. “All Students. Please evacuate in an orderly fashion.”

Panic erupted in the cafeteria. Students heading towards one of the two exits in a horde, congesting the system in a way that could not be considered orderly. They shoved, bashed and pushed their way forward desperate to get out and to safety.

“What’s going on?” Itsuka asked, somehow she managed to stick near him in the rush, the quiet girl Yui was there too, her expression largely unchanged. “Is this a drill? I don’t remember reading about security level 3.”

“I don’t think it’s a drill,” He said as another student pushed him into her. He touched something soft for half a second before standing back up. “Sorry!”

“It’s okay!” She replied quickly her face growing redder by the second. “We should let the crowd disperse before we try to go any further, a panic like this is no good.”

“Agreed,” Yui nodded, turning to look out the window. She blinked a few seconds before looking back at Itsuka. “It’s the press.”

It was! Weren’t they’ve been at the front gate for a while trying to get an interview from All Might. Still, if that was the cause of everything then-

“Everyone!” Iida slammed into the wall above one of the exit signs drawing all eyes towards him. “Everything’s fine! It’s just the press! There’s Nothing to panic about! We’re fine!”

“Huh, if you spoke up sooner Yui you could have been a hero.” Itsuka patted her friend on the back.

“No thanks.”

He stared at Iida for a few moments, relief washing over him as he realized something. Iida would make a much better class president than he would.

XXXX

“So, how’s it going Mr. Class President of 1-A?” She asked, sliding down onto the seat next to Izuku, smiling at his still ever so slightly nervous demeanor. It was good that Izuku was well liked in his class, and it looked like he actually had a few friends. Still, it would have been nice to be in the same class as him.

Izuku gave half a jump perking up from his seat on the train, the sea dominated the horizon bathed orange by the setting sun, as a few buildings zoomed past them. “Oh, umm, well, the thing is I ended up giving the position over to Iida.”

“What?” The glasses guy that calmed the crowd during lunch? “Really? I mean I get why, but just, like why?”

He shrugged, moving his bag between his legs, allowing an empty space between them to linger. Obvious. Waiting to be filled. Seriously what was she thinking? She wasn’t interested in Izuku like that! Not one bit! They were just friends. She was just still in shock over how muscular he had become.

“Well, I think that he’d be a good class president is all. Better than me anyway.”

“Really Izuku?” She swatted him in the arm. “I don’t get you, you push yourself hard enough to make a quirk appear out of nowhere, you train like a madman, and you’re a a nice guy, give yourself a bit of credit. You would have been a great class president.”

It was easy to make him blush after a few compliments.

“Thanks,” An uneasy smile fell on Izuku’s face. “I was happy when I was elected class president, but then I also quickly realized I just didn’t want the position. I’m not really a good leader, responsible people that can talk in front of crowds like you or Iida are much better for the job.”

“Well, whatever, I still think you would have done great at the job.” Somehow that small gap that Izuku had made had been filled, there was less than an arms width between them, if either one of them moved their legs, moved their arms, made any kind of movement they’d be touching. Not that it mattered, there was no reason for it to matter, she’d touched Izuku plenty. In a fight, or training. But not in public.

Seriously what the hell was wrong with her?

Sticking her tongue out she relaxed into her seat. She needed to get her mind off whatever the hell this was. She wanted to know. “So, what’s with that girl… the one with the round face? Ochako?”

“What about her?” He sat up straight in his seat, face going beet red as he stuttered rapidly.

Oh, this was going to be so fun to tease. “Well, I get that she’s your classmate and that she was your partner for whatever exercise you did.” Opening gambit, test defenses. “But she seems friendly enough.” Remove defenses. “You don’t have a crush on her do you?”

Crushing Blow.

Izuku stuttered, sputtered and spasmed, his face somehow growing even redder as a building blocked the light from the sun. “I-I-I-I wouldn't say that! She’s just a classmate and the girl that I ended up saving in the exam, and then we were partners. That’s not to say she isn’t a cute girl, but we’ve only known each other for a week and we’re classmates, and I-”

Why did that reaction make her feel so… bleh?

“Relax Izuku,” she forced a smile, looking out over the sea once more. “I was just joking, I’m just happy you’re surviving a class with that jerk in it.”

“Oh,” Izuku took a few breaths his green eyes falling to the ground for a moment. The freckles on his checks drew her attention. Had they always been there? Yes, but why was she just now noticing them? They were, really hard to look away from.

He met her eyes. He caught her staring. How long had she been doing that? Her cheeks felt red. Why did her cheeks feel red? What on earth was happening to her? She looked at her shoes.

“Well, how about you? How are you surviving your class, they made you the president right?” Izuku asked he didn’t ask about why she was staring at him. “That girl Yui seemed nice.”

“She’s a bit quiet,” She didn’t have to force a smile as she turned to look at Izuku once more, eye to eye. “She’s actually the vice president, probably because she was the first person to vote for me after I uh, you know, hit Monoma to shut him up.”

“I never did take you for the violent type.”

“Shut up!” Now she had a reason to blush. “I normally don’t like to hit people but it just seemed like the right thing to do at the time! He just kept talking! Loudly! I'm surprised you didn’t hear him in your room. I mean, he’s kind of a nice guy and his quirk is neat but really-”

“Oh,” Izuku placed a hand over his mouth like he was a gossiping old woman. “Do you have a crush on Monoma.”

She fake gagged. “Don’t make me puke. He is so not my type.”

“You have a type.”

“Yes, it’s,” Him. Izuku. The boy sitting right next to her. Oh. She had a crush on Izuku. f*ck. “I mean no, I don’t really have a type, I’m just focused on being a hero is all!”

“I’m just joking Itsuka, payback for earlier.” He stuck his tongue out at her.

“Oh, I’m so going to kick your ass if we spar tonight.”

As soon as she figured out what the hell she was supposed to do with this crush.

f*ck f*ck f*ckity f*ck f*ck.

Chapter 10: Tenth Challenge

Chapter Text

Okay, she had a crush on Izuku. That was fine, that was normal. It basically just meant that she had a crush on her best friend. That was perfectly normal and something that happened every day. Which meant that there was only one thing she had to do.

Slam her face into her pillow and scream, kicking her legs while she tried to simply remove these feelings. She never had a crush! She never had anybody have a crush on her before. She didn’t study for this. She had no idea what she was supposed to do!

Was she just supposed to tell him that she had feelings for him? What if he did too? What if he didn’t? What if he did then they started and she lost interest in him. What if that happened to her. What if she never said anything and they just stayed whatever the hell they were now and everything just stayed the same as they tried to become heroes and not actually die.

They didn’t really need it. They wanted to be heroes, that was their goal. But. Was she okay with that? With things just staying as they are? What happens if they start dating, what happens if things get serious. What happens if things go even further than that.

Seriously how the heck did all this happen! Why was he the first boy she liked? Sure a few boys had tried to ask her out, but they were easy to ignore because they just weren’t… they weren’t Izuku.

Okay, maybe if she calmed down and thought about how all this happened she’d be able to stop it. She’d be able to calm down long enough to completely forget about these feelings that she had for Izuku. Okay. She could do this. She met him a year ago. They became friends quickly, he was a harder worker, she didn’t believe in him at first.

Then he proved her wrong and things began to change. He started working even harder, working himself to the point of exhaustion. And somewhere along the way, he had gone from a scrawny boy that weight 100lbs soaking wet to a beefcake with a cute face. And she started to think of him as more than a friend.

And this was so not helping!

With her face growing hotter by the second she sat up grabbing her pillow and screaming in it again.

A knock came from her open door and her father stood in the doorway. Well, now she was just going to die of embarrassment. There was a good chance that he would be completely less than helpful. He’d probably just make things worse.

“I don’t exactly speak ‘Teenage girl’” Her dad said squinting into her room, the dish he had been scrubbing still in his hands. “Half the time I could barely figure out what your mother was saying, so umm, would you mind telling me what two screams into the pillow means?”

“It’s nothing,” She half muttered turning to look at the phone she had tossed to the side. There were no messages waiting for her. And even if there were they’d probably just be from Izuku. Which was what she wanted most and wanted least all in one carefully wrapped package.

Her father didn’t stop and continued into her room, looking around it with care and adoration like it was some sacred place he was treading. “It doesn’t sound like nothing.”

She blew a tuff of her hair out of her face and rubbed her skirt even sitting on the bed so that her legs hit the floor. A sigh later and she forced a smile onto her face. “It’s nothing really, it’s just.” She just had a crush on Izuku and was currently having a meltdown over the fact that she could have romantic feelings let alone that she had said feelings for her best friend. “Just stressing about something that happened at school.”

“It’s only been like a week,” He sat down on her bed at the corner, placing the dish and rag he had walked in with on the table. He squinted at her - only the slightest glimmer of his blue eyes shown - like he was trying to gain some insight into her mind, a soft fatherly frown on his face. “Is this about the press breaking in?”

“What? No, I actually forgot about that between becoming class president and-” realizing she had a crush on Izuku. “And actually that’s it.”

“Ohoho,” Her father’s smile came back and he grabbed her shoulder pulling her into an awkward hug. “Your first year and you’re already a leader among your peers. Congratulations. Maybe I should call the Midoriya’s and set up-”

“No, it’s fine,” She shook him off by rolling his shoulders. “Besides, Izuku was also voted class president, but he gave it to another student, so it’d be weird to celebrate like that.” That and she probably wouldn’t be able to look at Izuku right now without blushing up a storm. Just thinking about him was making her cheeks warm.

“Oh, well, that’s a shame I guess I’ll have to cook tonight after all.” Her father laughed, and then sighed, his wrinkles growing more prominent and it almost looked as though those few grey hairs in his hair were multiplying. “I’m proud of you, you know. No matter what happens. Your mother would be too.”

She bit her lip, staring out the hallway, trying to picture the place where they kept her mother’s photo. She had more memories of that photo than she did about her as a person. That seemed so long ago. “How did you and mom meet? like the whole story and how you fell in love.”

“Oh my, finally interested in that are you?” Her father leaned back resting on one arm while brushing his mustache that was at least two generations away from being fashionable. “Well, as you know your mother was quite a bit younger than me. When we first met it was during her work-study program from U.A. Naturally I had seen her performance at the sports festival and thought that she would fit in with my agency. She was a strong-willed woman even back then, in a way I guess I should have seen it coming that I would grow to love her. She certainly did.”

“I remember her bossing you around a lot.” She leaned forward smiling. It was one of the few memories she had of her mother.

He sighed, smiling fondly. “I got a lot of sh*t from my fellows about how I was flirting with a highschooler back then. But I really didn’t see it like that. We worked well together, I could rely on her and she could rely on me. I guess she thought the same way because every year she back to my office for her work-study.”

“And then she joined up full time once she graduated right?”

“Yep. I didn’t think anything of it, I was just happy she was around and I could start relying on her full time instead of just a few weeks out of the year.” Her father laughed, his nose crinkling as he fought back a small sniffle. “She had different plans and after two years of waiting for me to realize I was in love with her she kind of forced it out of me, and we were married soon after.”

He pushed onto her nose. “And then you came not long after that.”

“So it took you a while to realize you loved her?” She asked swatting his finger away.

“A bit, I think part of me knew, but I didn’t want to admit it because she was so much younger than me.” He laughed slapping his knees as he stood up. “That and I was quite oblivious to her own feelings back then, she had to pull them out of me. But once she did I couldn’t really look back.”

He sighed, heading towards the door. “Thanks for listening to me ramble about your mom for a little bit. I see so much of her in you, from your red hair to your headstrong determination, I know that she would be proud of the woman you’re becoming.” He smiled again, tapping on her door frame. “Just like I am.”

“Thanks, dad,” She smiled kicking on the side of her bed and rocking ever so slightly back. “Consider the teenager daughter emergency averted.”

“Ha,” He laughed, hand sliding out of sight. “I doubt that. But I’m always willing to talk, even when it’s just nothing.”

Her room grew silent again, leaving her to stew over what he had just told her. For at least two seconds before her phone vibrated with a message from Izuku. She fumbled over herself grabbing at the phone and staring at it for a few seconds. How fast was to fast to respond back. How fast was to fast to look at it? How long was too long? Was there a rule book for this? Or something that she could reference for this? Two minutes? Five minutes?

What if Izuku felt the same way and that this was his confession text. Was it wrong to confess to someone over text?

“sh*t,” She half muttered, her fat finger opening the message.

It was one word: Hey.

She let out a groan half collapsing down onto her bed. Why was she worrying so much about a stupid text! This wasn’t like her! Tomorrow she’d just ignore her feelings and pretend that everything was perfectly normal between her and Izuku.

She glanced over at her table, the dish and rag her father had brought in were still on her table. “Dad!”

XXXX

She could do this. She was a strong hero in training, she could fight bad guys, even ones that turned into giant monsters. Talking to her crush should be easy. Hell, she’d done it almost daily for a year now before she knew he was her crush. It was just Izuku. She could talk to Izuku.

She had absolutely no reason to worry about anything what so ever.

“Hey, Itsuka-” He said from behind her, his lunch tray in one hand, smiling widely at her and acting like they were best friends. Wait they were. She stared at him for all of three seconds whatever he was saying was falling on deaf ears.

“Sorry, Izuku! Gotta go!” She grabbed onto Yui’s wrist, pulling the aloof girl along with her as she made a quick escape out of the cafeteria. “Student council stuff!”

“We do?” Yui asked as she continued to drag the poor girl.

She didn’t bother answering as they eventually ended up in one of the secluded areas of the school, where the gardeners had some fun to make a scenic place to simply rest. Complete with a pond, and a bench. She didn’t even know how she found this place! Let alone what to do with herself.

“Is this where the student council stuff is?” Yui huffed, her cheeks red from exertion and her hands were empty.

“Oh no, I’m sorry Yui, I pulled you without thinking, we can share my lunch if you want.” She held up her tray of food that was now a mess. It was only half full before she rand anyways.

“Don’t worry,” Yui nodded opening her palm to reveal a miniature lunch tray sitting in the center. It expanded in size instantly. Yui plopped down onto the bench, picking at a bit of her food with her fingers. “I managed to shrink it down. But why’d we run?”

“Oh, uh, well the thing is,” She stammered, her face growing even hotter by the second. Then she let out a sigh and sat down next to Yui. “I don’t know. I just saw Izuku and freaked out.”

“Ahh,” Yui blinked, her monotone voice muffled by the food in her mouth. “Isn’t he your friend?” A sad*stic smile gracing the plain girls face for a few seconds. “He didn’t awkwardly confess did he?”

“No,” she whined head in her hands. “Kind of? Not really? I mean he didn’t really do anything I just kind of-”

“So you have a crush on him?”

“What?” She half screamed, her heart beating faster and faster. Oh god was she that obvious? She took a breath calming herself and lowered her voice. “I mean uhh what makes you think that?”

“Well,” Yui held up four fingers on her hand. “You’re always happy when he’s around, and you smile a lot.” She pushed down one finger. “You talk about him a lot.” Another finger. “When he surprised you, you ran away pulling me out here.” One last finger. “Your face is red right now and you screeched when I suggested it.” The last finger was folded into her hand, and Yui turned to blink at her. “Does that cover it.”

“Yea,” she whined slinking down onto the bench. “Was I that obvious?”

“I think the whole school knows after what you just did.” Yui shrugged.

“Thanks, I guess I’ll have to transfer schools now.”

“Yep, your school life is over now.”

“Gee, thanks.” She sat up straight, sighing. “That really makes me feel great about the whole not freaking out thing I’m trying to do.”

“You’re welcome.” Yui continued to munch on her food.

She whined stomping her feet on the ground, ready to pull the orange hair out from her head. “What should I do? What if he figures it out too?”

Yui shrugged. “I’ll say we were at a meeting with Vlad-sensei if it helps.”

“Thanks, Yui, I’m glad I can rely on you.” She took the first bite of her food, it tasted a bit like regret. “I guess I’ll have to figure out what do do with my feelings huh?”

Yui just shrugged, she probably reached her maximum word limit for the day.

XXXX

News of the attack spread like wildfire through the school.

Her earlier awkwardness in the cafeteria was nothing but a distant memory. A group of villains had launched a surprise attack on class 1-A while they were doing rescue exercises. And they had managed to fight them off long enough for All Might and the rest of the pro heroes to arrive and save the day.

She wanted nothing more than to go check on Izuku. To make sure that he was okay. But she had a responsibility. Vlad-sensei had put his trust in her.

“Please!” She begged hands stretched to the maximum as she blocked the door. “Return to your seats. I know it’s bad but-”

“What? You’re crazy Itsuka!” One of her fellow classmates shouted. “We should go with them! We could-”

“Get in the way!” She stomped her foot glaring at the boy. “If we show up, that’s more students in danger, if someone goes missing while we’re trying to go help, that’s more stress for our teachers. We need to stay where they know we are.”

“Believe me.” she glared at them, holding up a single normal-sized fist. Her other shaking at her side. “I want to go out there and help too. I want to know that everybody is okay. But right now, the best thing we can do is wait. And not get in any more trouble.”

“If you have a problem with that, then you’ll have to try going through me.” She dropped into her combat pose. “And then explain to Vlad-sensei why you go a bloody nose when you weren’t anywhere near the combat zone.

The responsible students - the ones that were on her side - nodded and stood beside her, bit by bit the disgruntled students that wanted to prove themselves sat back down. Which gave her enough breathing room to start worrying her head off about Izuku.

So far he hadn’t responded to the one text she managed to send him.

Chapter 11: Eleventh Hour

Chapter Text

“Dad!” Itsuka called running up the stairs. There was only so much time she could spend with Izuku alone before her heart got the better of her. Having a crush sucked. She didn’t know what to say, what to do, how to act, or what to talk about it. Sure, when she actually started talking to Izuku it was easy as it ever was, but the silences between them grated at her nerves. She was never one to just stand around and do nothing anyways. She needed to do something.

And that something was train. The Villain attack yesterday had told her that much. And she’d tell him the truth. How she really felt about him if she won the in the sports festival. Or if he won. That way it was less an excuse to not do it. Because it wasn’t an excuse she just needed to focus on becoming a good hero first then she could- She should her head and slapped her cheeks.

She continued into their home to see her father glaring at the T.V. both hands balled into fists at his sides and a scowl on his face.

“Late last night the villain known as Sharkolpyse, escaped from prison, it is still unknown if this is related to the attack on U.A.-” The reporter spoke.

“Dad!” She shouted again.

He jumped a bit, his fists, or rather his entire, body relaxed, and he smiled at her, but there was something off about it. Like he wasn’t all there. “Oh, Itsuka, is Izuku here?”

“Yea,” she pointed down the stairs. “He’s downstairs getting into his training uniform. Are you okay? Did you know that villain?”

“Oh,” He turned toward the T.V. once more. “Yes, he’s one of the villains that your mother and I took out.” He paused brushing his beard as he turned back to look at her. “But, that is enough living in the past for one week, let’s go train you and Izuku for your futures.”

His smile turned dark, barely hidden by his hand. “And try not to hate me after today’s training.”

“Yea, sure,” she rolled her eyes, heading back downstairs. “You need to lay off the old Kung-fu movies dad.”

“Why? They’re good.”

XXXX

“Focus,” Kendo-sensei’s voice drifted throughout the darkness, drawing him deeper into the lull of the exercise. It was unlike anything he had ever attempted or anything he had ever done. But it was so simple. It was to move as slow as possible but move all the same. “Keep your breath even. Find that source, find your power, your inner strength.”

He breathed, keeping his eyes closed, shifting his foot from the warm stop he had made on the dojo floor to a crisp area that was still tempered by the early morning chills of May. His arm still burned from the injury he received yesterday - the self-inflicted one - But once more he was trying to use One for All. A breath, a pause.

There.

He felt it. For just a second. Before it rolled away as though simply angered that it had been woken up for something unimportant.

He followed it, chasing it deeper and finding it and grabbing onto it with both hands. That familiar jolt ran through his body pushing at his every nerve and trying to force him to move. It was a call to action like his body wanted to move all on its own. But that wasn’t about this. This was different.

He needed to stay still.

“Good, you have it don’t you?” Kendo-sensei half muttered guiding his arm into the correct with a gentle hand. “Where do you have it?”

“My stomach.”

“That’s good. That’s very good. Now, try to move it. Gather it in your hands. Send it from fingertip to fingertip, hand to hand. No middle ground. Like you’re juggling.”

He tried that. But the energy, One for All, didn’t work like that. It was either there or it wasn’t there was no moving it. But he could control where it was. His arm was easiest, his hand a bit harder, and his fingers were difficult.

“It, it, doesn’t work like that. It’s kind of like a light switch.” He said softly opening up his eyes to stare at his hand. He could still see it in his hand right where he left it on. But then it faded almost instantly. “I can turn it on in each room, but I can’t have it follow me.”

His eyes found Itsuka, her face was laced with sweet, orange hair tied in a ponytail, while she was dressed in her usual black work out clothes. She met his gaze before turning away nuzzling on her water bottle her face red, probably from her earlier training with her own quirk.

“Hmm, well,” Kendo-sensei shrugged holding his arms up. “We’ll just have to try and once you have more control over your quirk. So keep practicing and I’m sure you’ll think of something.” Kendo-sensei ran a hand through his hair, pushing his head down and smiled at Itsuka. “The sports festival is soon if I remember correctly.”

“It’s in two weeks,” Itsuka stood up, “Vlad-sensei said that we should be giving it our all in try to train. It’s our best chance to get noticed by pros.”

“Oh, is that what it’s for now a days?” Kendo-sensei popped his shoulder and rolled his neck. “Regardless, it’s the most watched event in Japan, and while I’m certain that your sensei’s at U.A. will have their own. Training or instructions for you.” He popped his neck again, performed a few more stretches his smile growing all the wider. “But seeing as how classes have been canceled thanks to some hooligans that duty falls to me. At least for today.”

“And what are you going to teach us?” He asked all but bouncing on his feet as Itsuka stood next to him, one arm clutching her elbow. Was, was she avoiding him? She kept looking away whenever he looked at her. “Itsuka-”

She turned to look at him, holding his gaze so firmly that he almost had to look away. When she had that fire in her eyes and that smile on her face, that was when she was the prettiest. “Izuku. For the Sports festival, I want to meet you in the final round.”

“I uhh, sure!” He nodded.

She held out her arm, fist clenched and above her head. “And then, don’t expect me to go easy on you. I’m going to beat you for sure.”

Oh. He crossed arms with her and nodded. “I’m not going to lose either.”

“That’s the spark I want to see!” Kendo-sensei bounced in place, her whole body looking incredibly limber. “But now that you have the desire to win, let’s see how you deal with suffering defeat.” He dropped down into a fighting stance, both hands extending in front of him, a single leg supporting all of his body weight while the other was coiled up like a snake. “Over and over again, today’s lesson is getting your ass kicked.”

“Wait, you want us to fight you?” Itsuka blanched, her early bravado was all but gone. “What about your knees?”

“Oh please,” Kendo-sensei waved his hand and rolled his cold blue eyes. His usual warm smile was replaced by a menacing one. “You two won’t be enough to make my knees hurt any more than a set of stairs. Now come at me, Itsuka, you can use your quirk freely, Izuku,”

“Not inside, got it.”

“Right then.” Kendo-sensei raised his knee so it was level with his chest. “On a count of three, prepared to get your ass kicked. Oh, and Itsuka, this does not count as child abuse!”

“As long as you don’t call it elderly abuse old man.” Itsuka taunted dropping down into her own fighting stance. “Come on Izuku, let’s show my dad what we can do.”

“Right!”

“Three.”

“Two.”

“One.”

Itsuka ran forward, her hands growing to their maximum size in a hurry. He joined her, careful not to use One for All against his sensei. Adrenaline pumping through him. His first fight with a pro hero, even one that was retired, how could he not be excited.

Kotetsu fell backward onto his hands, his feet pointed at each of them. Two loaded guns. He barely had enough time to dodge out of the way before a foot shot passed him, the rush of air, was enough to rustle his hair and force him to blink.

“To slow!” He heard from up ahead. He opened his eyes and saw Kendo-sensei's beaming face for a half second, his arms extended down below him as he shot passed at knee height. Sensei grabbed ahold of his knee and Itsuka’s and pulled them up.

The next thing he knew he was on his stomach looking at where Kendo-sensei was.

“Get back up, the ass kicking has only just begun. If you want to make it far as a hero, you must learn to use your quirk beyond its maximum potential.” He turned to see Kendo-sensei standing where he and Itsuka had been moments ago. “To overcome your own limitations and make your weaknesses your strengths, that is what we must strive for.”

“Is it just me or does your dad look extra happy?” He looked towards Itsuka as he pushed himself up off the ground.

“I think he’s just happy he gets to spout more bullsh*t.”

XXXX

The day of the sports festival was on par of a national holiday, largely because of the number of people that requested the day off, many businesses simply close down for the day. It was for that reason that she was able to get the day off so easily. It was going to be a nice relaxing day of watching Izuku do his best at the sports festival while she had at least twenty heart attacks.

“Okay, chips, do they like chips? I don’t know if they like chips. He does like tea, and he is certainly polite.” Inko paced the living room of her own modest home. All things considered, it was hardly the place that should be having any form of guests over. But somehow that’s what happened. “Ohh, I’m not the entertainer I used to be. I don’t even know why I agreed.”

Still, the table was set and her nerves were a complete mess. Well, they were always a mess. Oh, if only her husband was here then maybe she’d be less of a mess.

“Up next we have the first year events!” The T.V. boomed. “But as you can see security around the area has been heightened after the incident two weeks ago.” The camera zoomed in on a few police forces and heroes that had been set up around the event. There certainly were a lot of them. At least her Izuku would be safe and sound.

A knock came from her door, just a single tap followed by the ring of her door-bell.

“Ahh, one moment!” She called hopping over to open the door. It was too late now. It had been far too long since she had actually seen the woman. But, they were still friend right? Sure their children were only kind of friends, but it still seemed fitting. “Come on in Mitsuki, Masaru.”

“Thanks for the invite Inko!” Mitsuki barged in plopping her shoes off with ease. “I can’t wait to watch our sons beat the snot out of each other! It should be great! Still surprised that your little Izuku managed to get in Katsuki’s been steamed over that for months.”

“Yes!” She squeaked, standing to the side as the couple entered her home. “It came as a surprise to both of us.”

“I bought a vegetable tray.” Masaru said softly, nodding in her direction as he took his time taking off his shoes. “Are we the only ones coming?”

“Oh, no there’s one more coming over-”

“That would be me if I’m not mistaken.” a leg stepped over the railing to her apartment. One of his legs was stretched all the way to the ground before retracting up rather quickly, and Izuku’s Kendo-sensei appeared. His hair was tied back into a ponytail and was largely black with ever more streaks of grey darting across it. “Kotetsu Kendo pleased to meet your acquaintance. Or is it make your acquaintance?”

“Kotetsu Kendo?” Masaru’s eyes went wide as he continued into the building. “I’ve heard of that name before, you wouldn’t happen to be a pro would you?”

“I’m retired now, but yes I went by Hurricane Striker back then.” Kotetsu hummed, easily taking off his straw slippers. He nodded at her and bowed slightly. “Thank you for the invitation Inko, I wasn’t aware I was expected to bring food.”

“Oh, no you weren’t.” She scrambled backward gesturing to the table where she had set up snacks. “And please, don’t worry about it, it’s because of you that Izuku managed to get into U.A in the first place so we can both-”

“You speak nonsense Inko,” He waved her off, his smile growing wide enough so that only a sliver of his blue eyes would be seen. “I assure you even without my help, Izuku would have made it into U.A. with his own determination. Now, please, let’s watch our children do their best.”

In theory, watching the event with guests should calm her nerves. “Yes, I’m eager to see how Itsuka and Izuku do.”

“They’re both going to lose to my Katsuki!” Mitsuki shouted from the table a chip covered in dip halfway into her mouth. “Good dip by the way!”

Between the obstacle course, the cavalry battle, and Katsuki’s brief speech that had the whole world angry at him, she could barely keep her heart from racing.

Then came the real panic. The tournament.

XXXX

“The Seventh Match! The Big Sis of class 1-b Itsuka Kendo, vs the hardest head in class 1-A Eijiro Kirishima.”

Was that really the name they were going with? Big Sis? Just because she was the class president, and they all listened to her, and she cared about them, did not mean she was their big sis. Okay. Maybe it did. But that was beside the point.

She breathed stepping out onto the stadium field, her gaze focused up to where her class was sitting. She really owed them a lot. Despite how much she protested, Tetsutetsu and Yui had insisted that she be the one to participate in the tournament. They choose to put their hopes on her. To have her and Ibara to carry the banner of class 1-b.

And then there were her own selfish desires for wanting to win. If she won, she’d tell Izuku how she felt. That simple and that meant smashing her way through each opponent.

With so much on the line, she couldn’t afford to lose.

“Don’t expect me to go easy on you just because you’re a girl.” Eijiro smiled holding up his arms as they turned into hardened spikes.

“Really? People still say that?” She lowered into her combat stance, both fists normal sized. He had a quirk like Tetsutetsu where he made himself really tough to damage. But, it didn’t look like his speed was hindered during the Calvary battle. It should be easy with the ring out rule. “How lame can you get?”

“Right, sorry, guess that wasn’t very manly.” He laughed, shark-like teeth grinning at her as his red hair became even spikier. “Let’s have a good match okay?”

“Right.” She offered him a single bow and remembered all of her father’s training, it was good enough to help her get into the entrance exam, good enough to have her place in a tournament. Now it was time to see if it was good enough against other heroes.

“Start!”

He charged her, his body hard and spikey with a feral grin, his footfalls sounded like two bricks grinding against each other. Like most heroes, his style of fighting was ‘punch and hope it hits. He was stronger than her, but she had experience on her side. She guided his strike inwards, across is how chest, and slipped in behind him, grabbing onto the hand and forcing him into a grab.

“Ha!” He screamed like he was the winner while struggling against her grip. “Is that all you got? There’s no way you’ll be able to hurt me, might as well just surrender.”

“You talk too much,” She enlarged her hands around him.

“Hey, wait, what’s with your hands?” He squirmed in her grip.

“It’s my quirk, they grow.” She lifted him off the ground, still holding him nice and tight. “And your quirk just makes you harder not heavier, so I can easily do this.”

She spun once and tossed him out of the ring.

Well, that was easy.

“What an anti-climatic ending! On to the next round!”

XXXX

“Ha! You’re girls clever Kotetsu!” Mitsuki slapped her knees, eyes still glued to the T.V. “She knew exactly how to beat that redheaded kid and didn’t hold back.”

Kotetsu nodded. “Thanks for your kind words, I must admit I’m looking forward to the next match as well.” Mostly to see who exactly his daughter would be facing off against. From what he had seen thus far, Katsuki might just be the most ferocious fighter of the whole lot.

“Still, it’s a shame we haven’t seen Izuku use his quirk just yet,” Masura spoke, leaning back on the couch that he was sharing with his wife. “But his next opponent is that Ice kid so he’ll have to use it, right Inko?”

Izuku’s mother perked up, a cup of tea inches from her mouth. “Oh, I’m just proud of how far he’s already made it.”

“What are you talking about Inko!” Mitsuki flexed one of her arms and placed a leg on the table, glaring at the other woman. “Our kids are going to meet in the final round! Why else would they end up on opposite sides?”

“You forget Mitsuki, your Katsuki still has to go through my Itsuka, but before that, he still has his first match to worry about.” Kotetsu smiled taking a sip of his tea. Things were certainly interesting.

In a matter of minutes, the die was cast and Katsuki would be his daughters next opponent. Now it was time to see what his daughter could do against someone with an overwhelming quirk like Katsuki’s.

After, he watched young Izuku battle against the boy with ice powers.

Chapter 12: Twelve Minute Battle!

Chapter Text

The whole stadium was shaking with excitement as the match progressed down below. Kacchan was going all out against Itsuka, the smoke and dust clouds from his explosions nearly obscuring the field as the two dodged, fought, and scrapped for every possible advantage. Compared to Kacchan’s previous match the tone was completely different.

“Izuku!” Iida called from behind him, the tall class president of 1-A was all smiles as he walked out onto the balcony to stand beside him. “I’m glad to see your surgery was a success!”

“Right, thanks.” He shrugged with his good shoulder, only able to take his eyes off the fight for a few seconds. His heart was pounding against his chest, perhaps even more so than his match against Shoto. But that was different. Even if he still ended up losing that match, by just a few inches, it still felt good, that maybe, just maybe he had gotten through to him. He used his fire after all.

Izuku looked back at Iida once more forcing a smile on his face. “But it wasn’t really much of a surgery, just a few broken fingers, and a dislocated shoulder. Recovery girl said that after a bit of rest I’ll be as good as new.”

It could have been much worse if he hadn’t been training with Kendo-sensei on how to control One for All.

“Only you could say that a few broken fingers isn’t much of a surgery, but compared to the entrance exam I think you’re making progress.” Iida pushed up his glasses standing next to him on the railing.

“Thanks,” he nodded looking down at the field. “I’m still nowhere near where I need to be.”

“And that’s what worries me.” Iida also looked towards the field. “Compared to you, Shoto, and Katsuki, the rest of us don’t really have quirks that stand out, let alone stand a chance.” He sighed hands tight around the metallic railing.

“You make it sound like we’re invincible.” He half laughed. “One mistake against you and I’d be out.”

“Maybe so, but that goes double for us. I go against you I have once chance to finish it, the same goes for Shoto and Katsuki as well.” He nodded towards Itsuka, “Just looked at the field down there. Compared to the rest of us, her quirk is rather plain, uninspired, and simple. I know that she’s your best friend but I don’t see how-”

“You shouldn’t count her out.” His good hand tightened into a fist. “Ever. Without her quirk, she’s the best fighter here and a simple quirk can go a long way in being useful, she did rank fifth in the entrance exam after all.”

“You have a lot of faith in her don’t you?” Iida asked, pushing off the railing.

“Yea, when I thought I didn’t have a quirk, she was one of the first people to believe in me.” He found himself smiling at her. “She’s a great person ya’know, kind, strong, smart, hard-working, beautiful. I owe her a lot, so I’m going to believe in her with everything I got.”

“It almost sounds like you have a crush on her Izuku.” Iida turned to leave. “Try to keep the school code of conduct in mind. I’m going to go watch with the others before my match.”

“Right,” He nodded, taking a small breath. His face felt like he had stared into a bowl of boiling water for too long and was ready to burn up. Did he have a crush on her? Sure, they were best friends, and he was always happy to spend time with her and they could constantly talk about nothing for hours, and she was beautiful and always there for him, but that didn’t mean that he had a crush on her did it?

Itsuka’s smile came to mind, the roughness of her hands, the firmness of her touch. The way she would react to him holding her hand, her reaction to him asking her out, the smile she would wear while dressing up. What would their first kiss feel like?

He should his head. No, that wouldn’t happen, there was no way that Itsuka would be interested in him like that. Besides, he needed to be her friend right now. He needed to be her support. He took a deep breath, tumbling towards the railing once more. “You can do it Itsuka!”

XXXX

Her heart was pounding in her chest, her stomach was roiling with unease and the back of her throat felt tight like she was ready to vomit up the well-balanced meal she had eaten hours ago. Worse her hands were shaking. There was the nervousness of the fight, the eagerness for that fight, and the worriedness she had over Izuku as he recovered from his match with Shoto. She wished she could have been there with him, to make sure that he was okay.

But the teachers stopped her.

They were right though. She needed to be ready for her fight. Once she beat that blond haired prick then she could see how Izuku was. It was just more fuel for her fires. Beating Katsuki was personal on so many levels. The dude was a prick and she wanted to rip the stick out of his ass and beat him to death with it.

“Alright, onto the next match!” Midnight’s voice echoed through the hallway as she marched forward towards the stadium. Her previous opponent had been simple. He was slower than her, so even if he had a better quirk she could deal with him because of the rules.

Against Katsuki, she was at a disadvantage in so many ways.

“The Merciless Mad-man from class 1-A, Katsuki Bakugo!” The crowd erupted with mix responses, equals parts cheers and boos, it was to be expected from his previous matches and his general ability to make an ass out of himself.

“And, the last hope of class 1-B, their class president and a girl that can’t afford a decent manicure, Itsuka Kendo!” Her eye twitched at that introduction. She almost preferred the big sis one. They were both bad. Seriously, Merciless mad man vs a girl with bad nails. What kind of a fight name was that?

The crowd’s cheers for her were less loud than Katuski’s but far less negative. It was to be expected after her short match against that hard guy from 1-A. Somehow, she forgot his name already.

She stood across from her. Hands already balled into fists. On the plus side, she finally got to punch him in the face and not get in trouble for it. It was enough to put a smile on her face.

“Alright ginger,” Katsuki, popped his look, a cold determination in his eyes that matched the tone in his voice, that she had no chance, that his victory was already decided. “Same offer I made round-face. This is your last chance because I won’t hold back.”

She laughed, feeling her stomach settle as the anger boiled over. “Oh, don’t worry, if you want to give up all you’ll have to do is kiss my shoes and I’ll stop beating the crap out of you.”

He twitched, smile turning feral as he looked actually pissed off at her. “I really hate mouthy bitches like you, ya know?”

“So, all this anger you have is because you hate yourself right?” She popped her shoulder, lowering herself down into a fighting stance. One that would give her reach instead of power. She’d seen him fly using his quirk so just throwing him out of the ring wouldn’t do her any good, additionally, there was no way to know how much damage his explosions would do to her hands.

“Alright! Enough squabbling like newlyweds!”

“What?” She half screeched looking over to midnight. Please tell her Izuku didn’t hear that!

“Begin!”

She felt the air shake as Katsuki charged at her, his legs off the ground as the explosions from his hands pushed him towards her at frightening speeds.

Her hands enlarged for the first blow, relying on size rather than speed to block his first attack. Pain burned through her right hand as she felt the shockwave travel up her arm. Just how powerful were his explosions? Dammit!

She swung that hand towards him through the pain, she just needed to grab him, pin him down and force him to submit.

“To f*cking slow!” The explosions nearly rung her ears deaf yet, somehow his own grating voice managed to be louder still.

An explosion hit her on the shoulder, forcing the air from her lungs and her stumbling forward. She swatted backward with her other hand barely hitting him and forcing him back. If only for just a moment.

Katsuki landed on his feet, one hand barely touching the ground before he charged at her again. He knew he was faster than her, and he was going to exploit that weakness all the way to victory. Dammit!

He charged at her again, and she was still off balance, her hands were barely able to block it in time. Blood fell to the stadium floor as she felt her hand burning. Dammit. Even if her hands were extra durable there was still no way she could keep up with those explosions.

“You can do it” She heard Izuku’s voice from around stadium. Her eyes scanned quickly looking for him even as Katsuki slammed into her again. She saw him. If only for a second. “Itsuka!”

Izuku was cheering for her. Dammit.

She blocked another explosion lunging into it to try and grab Katsuki’s arm. No dice. He only blasted her again, using the energy to push himself back and out of her reach. Not only were her hands to slow and clunky to get to him, but they also blocked her view.

He was able to use the overwhelming offense of his quirk as a defense.

And using brute force wouldn’t work.

She needed to use her brain and force him into making a mistake.

With a breath, she shrunk her hands down to their normal sized.

“You giving up?” Katsuki goaded, a manic smile on his face.

“You wish.” She smiled right back at him. She spaced her feet, lowered her center and held up her hands, blood dripping down her arm. It still stung. It stung a lot, but it was nothing she could deal with. Izuku managed his fight with a bunch of broken fingers after all. “I’m just going to kick your ass without a quirk.”

That pissed him off even more. The explosions that powered his charge were larger and brighter. His opened palm extended towards her, the air burning around it as the force shook her body.

She stepped into it. Forcing that first attack wide with her arm. His eyes went wide for half a second before her hand came in from below, slamming into his chin hard enough to knock his head back. She heard his teeth clacking.

Leaping attacks were all about pure offense, but also so risky once caught off guard. And now it was her turn to counter-attack. With the hand, she used to deflect his attack, she struck enlarging it just as she made contact with his stomach. And his other hand slammed into the right side her face exploding on contact.

The world spun as she found herself staring at the ground. Her ear was ringing, and all she could smell was burnt eggs. It took her a moment to gather where she was, and she saw Katuski, still in the ring on all fours, vomiting up something that mixed with some blood. He looked mad, same she couldn’t hear him.

She pressed her hands onto the ground barely to know which way was up, let alone push that way. She felt her heartbeat in her ears, causing the ringing to ebb and flow. Her eyes went towards Katsuki again, he was already on one knee. She needed to stand up.

Once she got a foot on the ground it was easier. And she was up, ready to fight again. Even if the world was slightly tilted.

Katsuki said something at her as he walked forward, but the ringing wouldn’t let anything in.

She held her fists up, extending one blood-covered hand outwards, waving him towards her.

This time, he didn’t charge, instead, he walked towards her, hand sparking as he spat more blood out of his mouth.

He threw his hand back like he was rolling a bowling ball and threw an explosion at her.

The shockwave hit her dead center. She fell the world going black around her.

sh*t.

XXXX

“So, uh,” Mitsuki leaned back in the chair looking at him with a bit of shock in her eyes. “Uhh, sorry about what my boy did to your uhh girls face. Hopefully, that doesn’t scar.”

He just smiled, as the screen flashed to Katsuki standing in victory as he spat more blood out of his mouth. Before reaching in and pulling something out. “Oh, don’t worry, my girl is tough, and Recovery girl will be able to cover those wounds easily. I don’t know if she can cover missing teeth though.”

Mitsuki looked back at the screen before howling in laughter.

Both of his students had been defeated, but, he found pride in their fights easy enough. Especially that of his daughter’s. Though, she might need a new hair cut.

XXXX

“Quit moving.” He heard the stern, nearly quite voice of Yui from beyond the nursing room. He had rushed over as soon as the teachers had let him.

“But it tickles!” Itsuka’s voice whined. “And you’re cutting so close!”

“That’s because you don’t have a lot of hair on that side anymore.” That might be the longest sentence he’d heard Yui speak. “You’re lucky this is in.”

“Who cares!” Kacchan sneered from much closer, almost on the other side of the door. “Your hairs always going to look sh*tty.”

“Bite me!” Itsuka responded quickly. “Oh, wait, you can’t!”

“Bitch.” The door slid open, and Katsuki stood in the doorway, one cheek slightly puffier than the other. He glared at him for a second before sneering. “Outta the way Deku, I gotta, go beat that half’n’half bastard now, and your bitch of a girlfriend isn’t helping.”

“She’s not-” He was cut off with Katsuki pushed away heading towards the arena once more.

“Don’t care, you’re both annoying.” He stomped off hands in his pockets.

He looked back into the room and saw laying in one of the beds he had been in early was Itsuka, she was flinching as Yui slowly snipped at the hair around the bandage of her right ear. It almost looked like she was shaved on that side, he had seen a few girls with one side shaven in movies, and on the street. But with Itsuka it looked good.

But that could just be because her usual ponytail was absent and her long orange hair was pushed to her left almost covering her left eye.

She looked at him and smiled, her cheeks were rushed. “Izuku! You’re late.” She waved at him with a bandaged hand and pointed at Yui - who growled - “Yui was here first, clearly she’s my best friend.”

Yui paused her snipping to look at him. “She’s on some painkillers right now, and she still has a concussion.” Yui blinked at resumed snipping at her. “So she’s a bit out of it.”

“No,” Itsuka drew out the o sound as she rolled her eyes. “I’m not out of it. I just can’t feel my hands right now.”

“Oh, well, I wanted to come as soon as possible but the teachers whouldn’t let me until surgery was done.” He walked over taking the seat opposite of Yui. “Sorry.”

“It’s okay,” She waved another bandaged hand at him, it landed onto of his own hand padded fingers tracing his bandages. “We both lost in the same round, which means I won’t be able to tell you my secret.”

“Your secret? What secret?” He was at a loss, what secret could Itsuka have?

She smiled at him wide enough to show off all her teeth. It was so weird seeing her with her hair down. But at the same time, she looked really, really, pretty. “Not telling.”

“There,” Yui, interupted tossing the scissors to the side. “You look less like your hair got burned in a fire.”

“Thanks,” Itsuka hummed tossing her hair back over her shoulder and looking at him once again.

Yep. He had a crush on her. A big crush. This was bad. How on earth was he going to stand in the same room as her without freaking out about it! His face felt hot.

She leaned forward placing both her hands over his, eyes focused only one him. “Well, Izuku, what do you think of my hair cut?”

His mouth went dry. What was he supposed to say to that? Did he tell her she always looked beautiful to him? That she was cute? That it suited her? That he really liked it mostly because it was attached to her. That somehow her hair color had become his favorite hair color in the history of ever?

“I um, well, I think it looks really good on you.” He stuttered throughout that whole exchange, barely managing to speak through his blush. “I like it a lot.”

Her smile grew and she bit her lip humming like she was screaming on the inside. “Thank’s I’m really happy you like it.”

“Should I leave?” Yui asked pointing towards the door her face was plain save for the slightest hint of a smile. “It looks like you two could use a room.”

“No!” Itsuka half flung herself at Yui. “I need you to stay, for reasons!”

Chapter 13: Thirteen Failures

Chapter Text

“So, how many offers did you get?”

Itsuka ran a hand over the still prickly part of her side buzz, thankfully Katsuki’s desperate attack was more concussive force than actual blast so she’d been spared any lasting damage beyond a few burnt hairs and a concussion. Even her ear had mad a full recovery thanks to recovery-girls quirk save for a few faint scars on her upper lobe.

Her bag bumped against her knees as she walked on Izuku’s left. Even after a week, her hair hadn’t grown enough to stop it from feeling prickly in her touch leaving her feeling exposed, especially around Izuku who kept looking at her ear. “Does it really look that bad?”

“No! I didn’t mean to stare, I was just lost in thought, and that I ended up looking at you without thinking about it!” he said quickly, nearly stumbling over his feet. “I really do think it looks good! And it suits you.”

“It suits me? How?” She felt her cheeks heat up at that and she ran a finger over her ear again trying to push at hair that was no longer there.

Izuku looked away from her looking out the gate of U.A. their walk and train ride home had never felt like anything special, but it never became mundane either. He scratched at his cheek, his nervous blush making his freckles pop. “Well, It’s just that you’re kind of a tomboy, you’re like the toughest person I know. But, you’re also really pretty, and nice and caring, so I just think that your hair kind of reflects that.”

Her cheeks were burning now, in part because of what Izuku said. He thought she was pretty! Where was something to shove in her face so that she could scream? She needed to tell Yui! But also because how on earth did she not realize how attracted she was to him sooner? Like an entire year and she had it stuck in her head that he was just the same scrawny nervous kid that joined her father’s dojo, then bam, suddenly he has her blushing at him!

“Oh, well, thanks, that’s uh, that’s good to hear. I’m glad you like it.” there was no way she was going to change her hair anytime soon! She might even try to get the same hair cut! Besides, it was actually growing on her.

“But, as for offers,” Izuku turned down the street, getting them back on track to her initial question. Izuku reached into his pocket, pulling out a plain piece of paper. “I only really got two.” He laughed scratching the back of his head. “I guess most pros don’t really want to intern someone that gets a broken arm when they use their quirk.”

“But you didn’t break your arm, you just dislocated your shoulder?”

He held up his right hand, his last two fingers still in a splint. “Broke some fingers, but yea, I’m not worried though, I got a really good offer.”

“Oh, who is it?” Another turn and they joined the stream of students that often shared their train. She swung hands around, catching her bag so that it was behind her still bouncing against her as she walked.

“One offer was from Yoroi, the Equipped hero.” Izuku hummed.

“Wow, so you managed to get the pro hero older than my father to be interested in you.” She half laughed, it sounded higher pitch than normal. Why was she laughing like that? That wasn’t her laugh! “Still, he’s been in the top ten for years he’ll probably have a lot to teach you.”

“Maybe, but I’m not going to accept his offer.” He thumbed that piece of paper again.

“What? Why not? Who could be better than one of the top ten heroes?”

He handed her the paper as they headed down in towards the station. Unfolding the small hastily written note was an address and a name. “Gran Torino? Who’s that?”

She handed it back to him.

“He’s uh,” He laughed putting the note back into his pocket. “Apparently he’s All Might’s teacher.”

“What?” She came to a dead stop, reaching out to pull on his arm to have him stop with her. “All Might’s teacher? I thought that was Small Might?”

“Who?” He blinked looking at her. Then he shook his head. “Oh right! Small Might, no, that’s uh, that’s his personal trainer. Gran Torino taught him before they met.”

“Oh.” She let go of his arm and continued towards their train. “Why haven’t we heard of him before, who told you?”

“Oh, All Might did,” he gave her a shrug as they entered the train car. “I don’t know why I haven’t heard about him. But he seemed really afraid when he was talking about him, he was shaking and even his leg was twitching.”

She nodded, following after him. “Wow, he must be pretty brutal if All Might is afraid of him, but why’d he pick you?” They took the closest set of empty seats on the train. “I mean, not only did Small Might start training you before your quirk appeared, but All Might keeps showing up and asking to have lunch with you, and now you’re getting an internship with the guy that taught All Might? Why are you his favorite.”

“I-uh, well, I mean I, I don’t really, that is I umm, we might just have similar quirks? And that I mean, he did save me that one time and that it was just lucky I had a quirk like his even tho-”

She grabbed his hand. Why did she grab his hand? And squeezed it tight enough for him to shut up. “Izuku,” She flopped his hand thumb running over the top. “I’m just teasing, honestly I’m a little jealous that you managed to become All Might’s favorite, but I’m also happy for you.”

“Oh,” He blinked, his hand squeezing around hers for just a moment.”I’m, I, thanks Itsuka.”

The train began moving as they sat in silence. She was still holding his hand! Why was she still holding his hand! It was just his hand! Why wasn’t he taking it back? Why wasn’t she letting go? Why was she freaking out about this it was just his hand! Oh right, she had a gigantic crush on him.

f*ck.

“Itsuka?” Izuku tore his hand away and waved it in front of her face.

“Huh? What? I wasn’t doing anything!”

“Maybe you’re spending to much time with me, spacing out might be contagious.” He smiled at her, his cheeks stained red. “I uh, asked you what offers you got?”

“Oh!” She folded her hands in her lap, flattened out her skirt and sighed, trying to get her nerves under control. Why was she such a wreck around Izuku? Oh right, that crush thing. Dammit. “I uh, well I managed to get just over two hundred offers.”

“Wow, really?” His eyes went wide.

“Yep,” She nodded. “I think a few of them are friends of my dads, but it’s still pretty good for someone with a simple quirk like mine. Though I think a few of them are from pros that were just happy I knocked a tooth out of Katsuki.”

“Yea, he got like three thousand offers tho.”

“Well thanks, and here I thought having the most offers in my class was a good thing, 1-A just constantly has to one-up us huh?” She punched him in the arm and stuck out her tongue. “You guys are jerks.”

“Hey, I only got two!” he held his hands up in defense, only flinching a bit. “But do you know which one you’re going to pick?”

“I actually haven’t read through them all yet.” She patted her bag. “But I don’t think I got anybody to important. I plan on researching them tonight.”

Izuku perked up at that. “Oh, do you want some help with that? I might have some notes on a few of them, and we can even compare their track records to see if that’s what you need right now?”

“That sounds like a great idea! We can even ask my dad about All Might’s teacher! He might know something about that. If not we can probably search the internet for it.” At the very least she’d be able to act normal around Izuku after sparring with him. Wait. They’d be doing that research in her home. More specifically she was going to have a boy in her room. The boy she was crushing on. And her dad would see!

She needed to remain calm! She should tell Yui about this. Wait! That was a bad idea. Yui did not need to know!

“Oh, so what Hero name did you go with?” She managed to ask as the train came to its first stop. She held up both her fists striking a combat pose. “I’m Battle Fist!”

“Oh, that suits you!” He gave her a mock clap. “I went with Deku.”

“Deku? Isn’t that what Katsuki calls you? Why would you use a name he uses to insult you?”

He shrugged. “I know it kind of sounds bad, but a few of my classmates, helped me change what it means, and now I want to own it. To become the Deku that sounds like ‘can do’”

She burst out laughing. “You’re such a dork!” A dork that she was crushing on. “But I think it suits you, I know you’ll become a great hero Deku.”

“Thanks,” He relaxed in his seat, one eyebrow raised. “Besides, if I wasn’t Deku I’d probably end up with Mighty All Man.”

Then she really lost it.

XXXX

He’d never been in a girls room before.

It was, plainer than he thought it would be, a bit cleaner than his own room, a bit larger too. He sat on her floor right in front of her table that was across from her bed, a computer sat against one wall and the others were filled with bookshelves, and a few photos. A small T.V. and a couple of DVDs was set up so that it could be watched from the bed.

And then there was Itsuka, who was sitting on her bed, with her bare legs crossed. Was he not supposed to look at her? Was he supposed to look at her? Why was he even here? They could have done separate research and chatted over facebook or something!

Why was she just sitting there?

Why was he just sitting there?

Shouldn’t they do something?

“So,” Itsuka nearly hummed, running her hand along the line where her short hair met her long hair. She shifted her legs and bit her lip. “Uhh, I guess I should get my offers out huh?”

“What?” He blinked shaking his head. “Oh right! Your offers! Sorry, I’ve just never been in a girls room before.”

“Pfft,” she snorted waving a hand at him as she dug through her bag. “Don’t make such a big deal over something so simple.” She pulled out a stack of papers and dropped down across from him on the table. “We’re friends Izuku, honestly the only reason why I haven’t invited you into my room before is-”

Her sliding door opened from behind him and Kendo-sensei stood in the doorway, his eyes wide and a frown was straining his face. “What’s this? A boy in my oh so wonderful daughter’s room?” He placed a hand over his heart, and another against his head. “ How could this have happened? What I wouldn’t have given for but a few more moments of my little girl staying my-”

An erasure hit him in the head. “Dad, it’s just Izuku, seriously, we told you what we were doing.”

“Oh,” Kendo-sensei folded his hands in his sleeves once more, his usual smile appearing. “So it is, is Izuku going to be cooking us dinner tonight?”

“What?” Itsuka stuck her mouth open and shaking her head. “No! Seriously, do you think with your stomach, now stop embarrassing me!”

“I’m your father, embarrassing you is how I make you feel loved.”

Itsuka stood, screaming and walked over to the door to push her father out. “It’s your night you cook!”

She slammed the door shut the moment he was out of the room. Her face was very red.

“Is this your rebellious phase?”

“Yes!” She screamed at the door and stomped towards the table plopping down adjacent to him. She placed her head into her hands, before dropping it onto the table. “He’s why I didn’t invite you over before.”

“Oh, but I’m kind of used to Kendo-sensei.”

“Maybe,” she blew a raspberry and sat back up. “But, that’s him in the Dojo as Kendo-sensei, he’s much worse when we’re home, especially when he gets bored.” She shooked her head and grabbed the stack of papers. “Well whatever, let’s just do this alright?”

“Sure thing.”

When he focused on the heroes and their quirks he was able to ignore the jittering in his stomach. “Oh, you got accepted by Muhumada? He’s a pretty good fighter!”

“Yea, but he’s all the way across Japan, I don’t want to spend half my time traveling. Sorry.”

“Oh, no, that actually narrows it down a lot, so nothing too far away out of Tokyo?”

“Yea, and if you see anybody that’s a ‘Biker hero’ or ‘Biker for justice’ let me know.”

“Bikers? Like a motorcycle?”

“Yea!, I’ve always wanted one. But, I won’t be able to get one until I anytime soon.” She stuck her tongue out and winked at him. “That’s why I’m hoping for a pro-hero with a bike so they can teach me how to ride one!”

“Aren’t we supposed to learn about how being a hero works and get work experience?”

“Learning to ride a bike is good experience for me.” She looked back down at her stack and gasped, she twisted it towards him and scooted closer to show him what she was looking at. “Look, it’s Luluana, the super swimmer hero in Okinawa! I’m going to put her in the maybe pile.”

“Okinawa? What happened to close to Tokyo?” He leaned over looking closer at her list, his hand flat on the ground, fingers barely touching hers.

“Can’t a girl dream? Besides, it’s been a warm spring. I can totally hit the beach and come back with a tan.”

And now he was hyper-aware of the Itsuka’s own fingers falling on top of his. Had she always been so touchy? Yes? Maybe? No? It was nice! And then there was the idea of Itsuka wearing a swimsuit tanning next to the ocean in Okinawa.

“I uh, I mean sure, but she’s mostly for water and stuff, do you know how to swim?”

“I can doggie paddle.” Her smile almost hid the pink tinge on her cheeks. “Jokes aside, I think I can be a pretty good swimmer if I shrink and grow my hands at the right time, so it might actually be worth it. But, you’re right, I need something in a city and near Tokyo, and I still have plenty of options.”

“Right!” He nodded. “Something near Tokyo then.”

They continued working their way through her options, even doing so through dinner. In the end, they had a list of five with the Snake Hero “Uwabami” being at the top of the list, largely because of her ranking, agency size, and location.

Their hands kept touching throughout the whole night.

“Hey, Umm, Izuku.” Itsuka, looked down, staring at their list for a long moment, her face hidden by her loose orange hair. She was pinching his sleeve, keeping him from moving away. The sun had long since set and curfew was coming up soon.

But still that small tug on his arm was enough to keep him seated. That and his legs wouldn’t right now. Itsuka was always cute, but today she had actually been acting it. It was weird but super nice. “Uhh, what’s up.”

“I, well, I, I just kind of wanted to. I just. I.” She took a breath and smiled at him. “I just wanted to let you know I had a lot of fun with you over here and that we should try to study together sometime because it’s just really nice and you’re helpful and yea.”

At least that’s what he thought she said, all of her words came out as one jangled mess.

“I uh, sure I’d love to study with you sometime, well not actually love-love, but it sounds like fun, and I don’t know what I’m even talking about even more. But yea let’s study some time!” Not that he was much better, all of his words had an extra syllable.

“Right of course!” she laughed, letting go of his sleeve. “Well, I uhhI’ll see you tomorrow right?”

“For sure.”

XXXX

She was so happy, but so completely and utterly disappointed in herself!

She tried to confess, but that ended in failure, but on the plus side she managed to get Izuku to come over and study with her sometime. Alone. In her room. Again. Her heart had been beating so fast the whole time, and especially when their hands were touching! And they actually managed to narrow down her list into something useful!

Burying her face into her pillow she let out half a scream and kicked her legs. Her cheeks hurting from how much she had been smiling. Yep, Yui was right, she had it bad. Oh! She needed to tell Yui about this!

She grabbed her phone and texted Yui in a heartbeat.

“I had Izuku in my room today! We held hands!” Send.

She placed her head into the pillow again just rolling in her own happiness for a few moments.

Yui’s response was quick enough to shock her.

“Oh, so you confessed then?”

“Well, No, but, I tried, I ended up asking if he wanted to study with me again.”

“Oh, well, I suppose no progress is still progress. Oh, wait, no it’s not.”

Why was she friends with this girl again?

Chapter 14: Fourteen forms

Chapter Text

“So you’re alright?” Itsuka’s voice sounded so close over the phone almost like she was whispering into his ear. Talking over the phone was something else entirely, and then there was the tone of her voice.

“Yea, I’m fine,” He flexed his hand staring at the bandages that covered his hand. “I might have a new scar though.”

“Sheesh,” he heard Itsuka sigh, probably rolling her eyes with a smile on her face, her voice overflowing with a lethal dose of sarcasm. “It’s only been four months and you’re already getting scars left and right. I might have to get a few just to keep up. Still, I’m glad you all made it out all right.”

“Yea, it was pretty scary going up against the Hero Killer like that.” He paused looking out the window of the hospital common room. He didn’t want to lie to Itsuka, but he didn’t have any choice. He couldn’t tell anybody, not even his mother that they had beaten the hero killer Stain and not Endeavor. “We just kind of got lucky.”

“I’m sure you would have been fine.” She said that so casually, he almost did a double take to stare at his phone. “Especially if you of all people only got off with one scar.”

“Thanks, but I don’t think you’re supposed to encourage my reckless actions.” He got enough of that from basically everybody else, and it worried his mom to no end.

“Oh, if you went after the Hero Killer then you’d be a gigantic moron, and I’d have to break your legs.” He heard her knuckles pop through the phone. “I just believe that when you find yourself in danger you’ll make it out alive. Don’t get me wrong, I still worry about you, but I don’t know, I just, I just want you to succeed is all.”

“I,” He paused, what on earth was he supposed to say to that? It felt like his cheeks were burning, and his heart was skipping every other beat. “Thank you, Itsuka. That means a lot.”

“Yea, well, I uh, that’s uh, that’s good! Right!” She laughed from the other side of the phone, her voice sounding distant. “Anyways, enough mushy stuff, how was your internship going with All Might’s teacher? Learn anything useful?”

“Yea! I figured out how to use one-” He paused, coughing into his hand and shaking his head. “I figured out how to use my quirk more without hurting myself. It was a mix of your dad's training and Gran Torino’s advice helped me.”

“Oh, so what can you do now? Please tell me you can shoot a laser or something to shut my dad up?” she made a pew noise, and shifted the phone on her end. “Huh? What? No! It’s not like that! What? I mean! Guh!” The phone shifted again. “Momo says hello.”

“You’re in the same internship with her? How’s that going?”

Itsuka sighed. “Well, we’re starring in a commercial later today. Apparently, both me and momo were only picked by her because we’re pretty.” He could hear her fake smile. “Momo’s in denial that this will actually help with becoming a hero and I’m just waiting for all this to be over. Why’d I let you talk me into this again?”

“Hey, you could have picked any one of the other choices, she just happened to be in the top ten.” He turned, it was impossible not to smile right now. Itsuka really had that effect on him. When they weren’t being incredibly awkward. “But a commercial sounds cool! What’s wrong with being in a commercial? Public appearances are important for a hero too.”

She snorted. “Yea, if you’re already a famous hero. But this is a hair commercial Izuku. For a shampoo. Shampoo! I’ve been sitting in this dressing room for over an hour unable to move around too much so I don’t mess it up! I think I’ve had more people touch my hair today than I have in my entire life!”

He smiled looking out the window again, “Can I see it?”

Cheeks hot, eyes wide, heart racing. What the f*ck did he just say?

He heard a gasp from the phone. “You want to see my hair?” Her voice was barely louder than his own beating heart.

“Yea.” He squeaked barely able to hold his hand steady.

“Why?”

“Well, I uh.” His throat went dry. What was he supposed to say? He knew that he wanted to see her hair, but the why, the why he wasn’t sure of. Was it because he hadn’t seen her all week? Was it because she might be looking even prettier than normal? Was it to see if she would let him? Maybe all three? “Well, I-”

“What?” He heard her all but shout over the phone some noise ruffling. “Okay, I’m coming. I’ll talk to you-” More noise, followed by a shriek. “What? No! It’s not like that he’s not my boyfriend!” The phone shifted some more. “I’ll talk to you later Izuku!”

The phone went silent and he had to brace himself against the wall. That was close! He breathed, smiling to himself for no real reason and just enjoying the rush of talking to Itsuka over the phone.

His phone vibrated. A text message - one of a dozen - was awaiting him in his inbox. The most recent one was from Momo. the preview showed, ‘This is what-’ and the attachment symbol. Curiosity more than anything drove him to click on it. It was his first text with Momo aside from the first test text they both sent.

The text message was simple. ‘This is what she looks like when she’s talking to you.’

A moment later the image appeared. It was of Itsuka. A side view of her sitting in front of large wall-sized Mirror. She was dressed in her hero uniform, he hadn’t seen her actually wear it before, but it looked great on her, the blue really matched her everything. Her hair was far shinier than he’d ever seen it before, combed to the side and free flowing from her usual ponytail, and curled to the extreme.

But the most amazing part of the picture was her smile. It made his heart skip a beat and a lump grow in his throat. Her lip was half bitten, and her eyes focused on the phone, completely unaware that Momo had taken the photo. Did she always look that happy when they talked?

He saved the image without a thought, would it be creepy if he set that as his wallpaper?

His phone buzzed again, another message this one from Itsuka. It was just an attachment.

It was a photo of her, her curled hair on the left side of her face contrasting the faded shave on her right side. She wasn’t smiling in this one, instead, she had her tongue out and eyes closed tight.

He smiled and began texting. ‘I’m making that my wallpaper!’

Her response was quick. ‘Noooooooooo!’ followed immediately by. ‘You creep ;p’

Now to respond to all the other messages. After his heart stopped going crazy.

XXXX

“Why haven’t you confessed yet?” Yui asked. Loudly. Loud enough to draw all of the other girls in her class's attention, as they changed back into their school clothes. For a quite girl Yui had a big mouth when something bothered her!

“What are you talking about?” She bit her lip trying not to make eye contact with anybody. This was the last thing she needed, more people knowing about her giant soul-crushing crush on Izuku. She had hoped that maybe if she didn’t act on it and just spent more time with Izuku it would go away.

Nope.

It got worse.

Setsuna, the dark green haired girl that was one of the strongest in their class slammed into the locker next to her, already fully dressed, arms crossed over her chest. She poked Itsuka on her still bare shoulder. “We’re talking about your gigantic crush on that 1-A boy, Izuku.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“You’re blushing,” Setsuna half sang poking her in the cheek now. “Really, just confess to him, we’re all rooting for you.”

“Ehh?” She looked around and saw all of her classmates nodding at her. Even Ibara. Now her face felt really hot. “How,” She paused turning to look at her jacket once more. “How, did you find out?”

“Oh please, it’s painfully obvious, basically the whole schools knows, at least on the girl’s side of things.” Setsuna shrugged off of the locker and pulled one of her fingers off her hand leaving it floating in the air. “That pink girl from 1-A knows, Mina,” She pulled another finger off it floated next to her other finger. “Momo knows, and if she knows literally everybody knows,” another finger joined the bunch. “Then there’s-”

“Okay, I get it. The whole school knows that I have a giant crush on Izuku, so what?” She swatted the fingers away and put her shirt on, buttoning it aggressively. “Am I supposed to give in to peer pressure and ask him out or something?”

“If that’s what it takes.” Setsuna snatched her fingers out of the air, wiggling them as they attached to her hand again. “But honestly it’s cute watching how you two get so flustered around each other.”

“We’re just wondering why you of all people haven’t said anything.” Reiko said from behind her.

“He’s my best friend.” She slammed her locker door shut, accidentally denting it. Crap. “I can’t just tell him that I like him like that! What will happen to our relationship if I do? What if he doesn’t like me the same way? What if he does?”

“Oh, believe me, he does.” Setsuna snickered just out of arms reach. “It’s written all over your faces you two look at each other differently than you look at anybody else. It’s so sweet. Never would have pegged our leather jacket wearing badass of a class president as the pure and innocent type when it comes to crushes.”

She sighed, leaning against her locker and thumbing around for a hair tie. “I’ll confess eventually, but I can’t do that right now. Finals are coming up, so we need to get ready for that and a relationship would just get in the way.”

“You’re just afraid.” Yui, her ever so traitorous friend threw her under the bus. Again.

The other girls nodded.

“Ha! I can’t believe that the girl that shouted ‘Bring it scruffy!’ to a rampaging Jurota and then forced him to submit is afraid of confessing to a boy.” Setsuna held back her laugh by snorting, hand barely covering her sharp-toothed smile.

“That’s different, fighting and being a hero isn’t holding a boys hand.” She mumbled, pulling her hair into her usual ponytail.

The girls squealed, well all but one, Yui facepalmed.

“You’re so pure, I think I have a cavity.” Kinoko twirled, slipping her shoes on, a soft smile on the mushroom girl’s face.

“It’s like the Romeo and the Juliet.” Pony clapped hopping up and down. She stopped, placing a finger at her mouth. “Only without the sad.”

Great, now her usual nice relaxing train ride with Izuku was going to have her even more flustered than normal. And didn’t they have training today? How on earth was she going to put up with him if they sparred?

“Seriously, Itsuka,” Setsuna leaned in close, hand on the locker like the whole scene was out of some crappy romance drama. “Just confess to him, he’s not going to say no,”

“As I said, we’re busy, we have to study for finals.” She crossed her arms over her chest, feeling more annoyed now than embarrassed. Except for the whole part where she was freaking out that the entire school knew about her crush on Izuku, and apparently the entire school also knew that he felt the same way.

“So do it during the summer.” Setsuna’s eyes fluttered as she spun, grabbing onto Kinoko and spinning the small girl around like they were dancing. “Especially during the training camp? Can you just imagine it?” The girl's head popped off and floated in the air while she continued to dance. “The cool summer air, the stars at night, you’re there, he’s there, your hearts beating as one, then slowly, ever so slowly.”

Her face was burning now, the idea of her and Izuku being alone in the woods was to much for her brain to handle. The idea of him pulling her tight and then kiss-

“You hold hands!”

What? That’s where she was going with that? She felt both instantly relieved and incredibly disappointed.

“Ha! You should see the look on your face!” Setsuna grabbed her head and reattached it to her body. “But really, summer, during the training camp, We can easily make sure that you and Izuku end up alone in the woods. Then, you’d have no reason not to confess right?”

“Well. I mean.” She buried her head into her hands. “Why do you guys keep saying it’s that easy?”

“Because we are live the love life through you.” Pony spoke up, “Our love lives are stuck in mud. Yours is burning fire! Very bright!”

She peeked out from between her hands and looked at each of the girls as none of them spoke up.

“So,” they all looked away from her. “You’re telling me, that that the only reason why you’re interested in my love life is because you don’t have one of your own?”

“Yep,”

“Indeed.”

“Certainly.”

“Pretty much.”

“Kinda.”

Yui slammed her locker shut and looked her in the eyes. “I just like watching you suffer.”

She sighed, hands falling to her sides. She really needed new friends. Still, they kind of had a point, she should tell Izuku how she felt soon. Before he gets hurt again. But, if he were to confess to her, that would make things so much easier on her heart.

XXXX

It was just a study session. That’s all it was. It was just like the last time Itsuka had invited him over, just him and her. In her room, studying and going over stuff for the finals. Alone. Again. On their day off. For hours and hours.

He walked around the outside of the dojo before it never felt like a part of their home, but it was. And now he was heading for the direct root for Itsuka’s home. Where they would study. Alone. Her father away doing something.

With a beating heart, he slowly grabbed onto the side door Itsuka had told him to use his other hand checking the text, her claiming that it was open and to just come on in. Should he knock? Should he listen and just go in? What if she was in the shower? What if she was changing? Was he supposed to just walk in take his shoes off and then plop down in her room?

What if-

The door was thrown open and standing there was the silver-haired, muscle-bound, ultimate defense of class 1-B. Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu, aka the steel hero Real Steel. “Izuku Midoriya! Fight-”

A giant chop to the back of his head silenced him as he fell to the ground. And Itsuka stood where he once did, that usual smile she gave wherever she had to apologize for her class on her face. “Sorry about that Izuku, he’s been wanting to fight you since he found out that we trained together.”

“He’s tough too!” Tetsutetsu mumbled from his place on the ground. “Come on Itsuka! One match in the Dojo then I’ll study hard I promise!”

“No way rocks for brains, you’re the one that asked me to help you study so that’s what we’re going to do!” She grabbed him by the back of his neck like he was a cat and pulled him back inside. “Come on in Izuku.”

He nodded taking his shoes off. “Are there others here?”

“Yea,” With her free hand she rubbed the back of her head. “Sorry about that, I probably should have mentioned that I’d be having a few classmates over too, but they really needed the help, should have asked if you had anyone from 1-A that you wanted to bring over.”

“Like hell, I’d study with those jerks!” Tetsutetsu shot up from the ground, his jaw tight as he flexed in an intimidating pose. “Just thinking about them makes me so mad there’d be no way I could study!”

“You know Izuku is in class 1-A right? And so’s your friend Enjiro.” Itsuka sighed, leading them towards the living room.

“Right! But they’re cool, Eijiro because he’s tough like me and Izuku because he’s your friend!”

“Right,” Itsuka groaned placing a hand over her face. “Just promise me you’ll focus?”

“Yes, ma’am!” He marched towards the living room where several low tables - covered in food, books, and papers - had been set up on some Tatami mats.

Around the table sat a few of class 1-B’s students. All looking at him with a wry smile on their face. Thankfully Neito wasn’t there.

“Again, sorry for not telling you, but most of them begged me to tutor them,” She bowed at him, hands clasped in front of her knees. “But, I’m their class president and I ranked first in the class so I had no choice.”

“It’s fine Itsuka, really.” His heart wasn’t pounding as much as it was on the way here. At least he knew they weren’t going to be so alone. “Momo ended up doing the same thing, but ranking first is awesome, I only ranked fourth.”

“Right,” She clapped her hands smiling, “Let’s get to work then! I don’t want any failures!”

The students from Class 1-B were hard workers, even when it came to studying, and somehow, he found it easy to get along with them even, probably because Itsuka was there to quell their class rivalry enough for him to enjoy their presence.

It was all set to be an average and otherwise unordinary study session until Yui stood about two hours into it, the T.V. remote in her hand.

“One moment.” The plain girl said in her usual monotone voice, turning on the T.V.

“Yui?” Itsuka asked an eyebrow raised. “What are you doing?”

Yui changed the channel, to a commercial that was just ending before she sat down like she hadn’t done anything weird. She then held up the peace sign at Itsuka. “Embarrassing you.”

“Huh?”

“UNERI Hairspray,” The soft sensual voice from the T.V. said.

Itsuka’s face fell into a look of utter dread, eyes glued on the T.V. “But she said it wouldn’t air for another month!”

All eyes, even his, were glued onto the T.V. just in time for Itsuka’s scene to appear where she flicked her long curly hair in some imaginary wind a beautiful and cheerful smile on her face that made his heart skip a beat. She looked really good in her hero costume.

“UNERI Hairspray.” the soft voice said again. “For when you want to keep the curls, even when fighting crime.”

Itsuka’s head met the desk. “Kill me now.”

He reached over patting her on the back. “If it helps, I think you looked awesome in your hero costume.”

“Still!” She shot up, a red mark on her forehead. “My second public appearance was on a hair commercial! All I did was flick my hair.”

“Oh,” Yui held up her phone. “You’re trending on social media.”

And Itsuka slammed her head back down onto the table. “I’m never starring in another commercial ever again.”

XXXX

The next day, her father walked into her room, holding a letter.

“Why do you have mail from Uwabami’s model agency?” He asked, blinking at it then her, his eyes all but hidden in his squint.

Itsuka buried her head into her pillow and groaned. “She probably wants me to come to her agency again for another commercial or something.”

That was the last thing she needed, another chance to embarrass herself on national T.V.. Seriously how was she supposed to be taken seriously if she was just known as the girl with pretty orange hair from the commercials? It’d be better if it was anything besides hair, like say a charity, or something for quirks or heroes.

Not a shampoo.

“Oh? So you don’t want it then? Can I open it?” Before she could answer her father had already torn into the letter and tossed the envelope onto the ground near her waste basket. “Oh, would you look at that a check.”

A check? Money? Her feet were on the ground before she could really think about what was happening. She swiped the check from her father’s hand and stared at it. It was from the company that had made the comercial, addressed to her for. “Holy crap! That’s half as much as I need for a bike!”

Maybe a commercial or two wouldn’t be so bad, to get her name out there and have a public face. Yea that was it.

And the bike.

Chapter 15: Fifteenth Stance

Chapter Text

“Judging by your smile and my unending pride in you, you passed your finals.” Kotetsu peaked his head into his daughter’s room. Well, it wasn’t so much peaking as much as it was standing there in her door frame as she scrambled about tossing casual clothing into a backpack. “Going somewhere?”

“Yea!” She beamed at him, using her quirk to neatly fold a tank-top - with straps that were far to small for his tastes - in one hand while she checked her phone with her other hand. Truly teenagers were always trying to multitask as much as possible. At least he knew she could focus in class.

“I ranked 3rd on the exams, and my group was the third one done with the exam, Kosei and I had to take on Snipe-sensei, it was a lot harder than I thought, but we managed to use his quirk to block snipe just enough to get in close and capture him.” She flashed him a grin and gave him a victory sign.

“Oh, wish I could have seen that but Snipe is the hero with the gun,” He brushed his mustache, trying to picture how that fight should have gone. Not well, his daughter was deadly in short range but compared to a long-range hero like Snipe her chances weren’t the best. Especially since she wasn’t especially fast. “How’d you manage to get close to him?”

“Well, Kosei’s quirk is to make invisible air shields. We managed to set it up so that there was a maze of them between us and Snipe-sensei so that I could get close to him.” She shrugged like it was easy and put a pair of shorts that looked like they were of questionable length in her bag. “I think it was designed with my weakness in mind, but they gave me someone with a strong quirk I could rely on.”

“I see, well, I’m proud that you passed. And now the bag?” He asked again looking at the quickly fattening bag. Two sets of her school gym clothes were locked in there as well. “Some kind of school thing?”

He didn’t remember signing anything about a school trip. Sure his daughter was trustworthy and technically didn’t need his permission to go on school trips anymore, and he trusted her. But he still wanted to know!

“Yep! We’re going to a training camp! It’ll be us first years so I’ll be there with my class and Izuku will be there with his.” She pulled out a swimsuit that had been hidden underneath a pile of clothes, looking at it like she didn’t recognize the piece of clothing. “Probably won’t have time to go swimming.”

“And how long will you be gone?”

Itsuka hopped over her table, heading for another for a bookshelf where she pulled out a random book, shrugged and tossed it onto her bag right next to the bag. “I think it’s supposed to be for a week, but if they let us stay longer I might agree, we’re allowed to freely use our quirks there so I want to get a lot of work done developing a super move.”

“Ahh,” He sighed, grabbing onto his daughter’s shoulder and wrangling her towards him even if it was against her will. “It fills my heart with pride seeing you take your training so seriously, I know that you will become a splendid hero in no time. I just wish I could be there to watch you bloom.”

“Dad!” She kicked, both legs leaving the air as he held her tight. “Let me go I still need to pack!”

He released her and she barely managed to land on her feet. “What, can’t a father show pride in the wonderful woman that his daughter is becoming?”

“Seriously,” She rolled her eyes, smiling before turning to hug him. “You can, and don’t worry I’m going to become a hero that you and mom can be proud of.”

He pressed his lips to the top of her head, one hand on her back and hummed softly. “You already are Itsuka, you already are.”

“Thanks, Dad,” She hugged him tighter. “Try not to starve to death since I won’t be home to cook for you.”

“I’ll be sure to buy more ramen noodle cups.”

She snorted and swatted him in the arm, pushing him away and turning back to her packing. “Seriously, you can’t live off those! Well whatever, just try to eat something else at least once in a while.”

So bossy, she must have got that from her mother. That or he was too lax. Either way, no doubt Miu would have been proud of the woman their daughter was turning into. “Don’t know what I’ll do if I can’t torment my daughter for a whole week.” He hummed turning away from her room and walking towards the living room. “Perhaps I’ll just watch nothing but old kung-fu movies and embarrass my daughter by quoting them by picking her and Izuku up at school?”

“Dad!” She stuck her head out of her door brows furrowed before she threw a dirty sock at him. “No embarrassing me! And why don’t you get more students for the dojo if you’re so bored? It’s technically your job!”

“Bossy bossy bossy.” He flung the sock back at her.

His daughter dodged, and dove back into her room, closing the door. He was still getting used to her new hair cut, it was a far cry from her usual style, but he was used to his daughter changing. Besides, Izuku was right, it did suit her.

With a sigh, he turned to their living room and headed straight for the photo of his wife. His favorite photo of her was one of her smile days after Itsuka had been born. Her long red hair was tied into a ponytail and her green teal eyes so filled with life and energy that he could barely keep up with. She had a habit of brightening the room just by entering it.

“Miu, I wish you could have seen Itsuka.” He dragged his fingers across the wooden frame, not daring to smudge the glass. “I wish we could have had those two more equally wonderful children you wanted.”

His cheek felt wet as he put her photo back. A spark of anger igniting his sorrow for a few moments before he could calm himself. It didn’t work. That bit of anger was still there, simmering with the knowledge that the man that had killed her was out there, free once more to destroy someone's life.

How hard was it to find a ten-foot-tall man with a shark head and tentacles for hair? With another breath, he turned towards the kitchen. He was retired, there were plenty of new heroes out there that were better than he ever was, and even if he did come out of retirement the police wouldn’t give him any information.

Revenge was a quick way to end up with more dead heroes.

XXXX

“You’ve got three hours to make it through the Beast’s Forest.” The hero Mandalay of the Wild, Wild, puss*cats shouted from the railing where they had been standing moments ago.

“Is everyone all right?” Itsuka asked looking around the forest that they had been shoved into. After a long bus ride, their sensei had tricked all of them into getting off the bus to stretch their legs. Only for their summer camp counselors to ambush them, summon a landslide and tell them to run in a direction and hope that they don’t get lost in the woods on the way to camp.

They’d get along great with her father.

“I think so,” Kinoko stood up dusting her skirt off. The rest of her glass groaned in response. Just when she was finally going to be able to actually talk to Izuku for a bit there just had to be a landslide.

“What the hell is that?” Nirengeki shouted, stumbling back and tripped.

A pair of creatures made of the earth root and twigs stalked forward, with the body of a jaguar. The size of a large bear, with jagged teeth and claws that could tear her limb from limb. An eyeless killing machine. Both her class and Class 1-A screamed.

Then they acted. Shoto, Tenya, Katsuki, and Izuku all charged at the beast in front of them, shattering it with their strength. They didn’t hesitate.

And there was no way she was going to do the same.

There was no way she was ever going to lose to Katsuki again. And she promised Izuku that she wouldn’t let him beat her. Not yet. The best part was they were allowed to use their quirks here.

With a smile, she charged into a jump dodging the sharp earthen claws of the beast, before slamming down on it with both hands. It was sturdier than she thought it would be, But she still smashed it like it was little more than a sand castle. Wiping the dust free from her hands she looked over to see the rest of class 1-A following the other four.

While her class was still standing there with their mouths open.

“Seriously guys!” She gestured towards their rival class. “Just look at them, you always talk about beating class 1-A but you’re letting them get ahead again! I want us to be the first ones to the facility so move it!”

“Yes, Ma’am.”

“Woah, big sis is finally throwing her weight around.”

“Itsuka’s kind of scary.”

“Scarier than those beasts.”

“Weird how she can’t be that confident with her love life.”

That last one came from her ever faithful and questionable choice of best friend Yui.

Rolling her eyes and keeping her now red face hidden, she turned to sprint through the forest. Others were using their quirks to move faster, but at least she could rely on Izuku to-

And he was leaping through the trees like it was the most natural thing in the world. Had his use of his quirk already advanced that much when she wasn’t looking. Not only was he stronger than her, but now he was faster than her. She was getting left behind. Both physically and metaphorically!

With a war scream, she ran into the forest, joining the rest of the slow pokes that couldn’t use their quirks for mobility. There had to be something she could do. Some way for her to use her quirk to move faster.

Another pack of beasts came from the side. Some of her classmates ran, others turned to fight. And one of the beasts was in her way. With an open-palmed strike, it was little more than dirt again. Through the trees she saw Izuku grab onto a branch, and swing downward before exploding into a cloud of dust, no doubt taking out another one of them.

Looking forward she saw Jurota in his beast mode running on all fours two other students riding on his back as he charged at one of the beasts ripping it apart. There was no way that they could keep up this pace all the way to the facility.

“Conserve your energy!” She shouted to whoever would listen. “Only attack them if they’re in your way, and keep going straight!”

A three hour run through the forest while beasts attacked them. Yep, this was some serious training. And she was going to make the most of it.

With her fingers pressed into the ground, she pushed herself forward. The force was too much and she nearly crashed into a tree and another beast. It was dangerous and sloppy. But there was a chance that she could use her hands to move faster. She should thank Izuku and Jurota later.

The sun was setting behind the mountains by the time they got to the facility. She was right, it wasn’t a race, it was a marathon.

XXXX

He knew that training would be the focus of the summer camp. But between everything, he barely had enough time to even talk to Itsuka. Sure he had expected it to be pretty much nothing but training, but he had hoped to at least spend a bit of time with her. Probably said a lot about how much he cared for her when it bugged him that they hadn’t talked in three days.

It didn’t help that she was always with her class. Or they were always around her, swarming over her like a protective shield and preventing him from getting near. That or he was just being paranoid, her class wasn’t like that, with the exception of Nieto, most of them liked him.

And now instead of free time they were going to have a class vs class test of courage where they would take turns trying to scare each other. Which meant he wasn’t going to have a chance to talk to Itsuka again.

He didn’t even know what he wanted to talk to her about. Part of him wanted to try and let her know how he felt. That she was the most amazing person in the world and that he kind of maybe sort of liked her. But a much larger part of him was completely paralyzed by that idea.

The worst part about tonight though wasn’t that he couldn’t talk to Itsuka, no instead it was the stick in his hand that had a number 8 on it. Meaning that when it came to the test of courage, he was alone. Very alone.

“Sensei!” He heard Setsuna shout over the mummering as the 1-B students all filtered into the forest. Yui and a very confused Itsuka walked with her as they ran up to Vlad and the wild, wild, puss* cats. Itsuka looked just as confused as everybody else. “Since both classes have an odd number of students why not have one class B student and Class A student walk together!”

Yui pushed on Itsuka. “We offer up our president as tribute.”

“Hmm,” Sekijiro-sensei nodded, hand rubbing his chin. “Are you sure? You might need her to scare class 1-A.”

“Ahh don’t worry about that.” Setsuna waved him off easy enough, her smile widening, as she pushed Itsuka forward again. “Besides, do you really think we could pass up the chance to scare our big sis?”

“Setsuna!” Itsuka squeaked as she was forced forward. She was wearing a plain orange shirt, and shorts that were rather small and showed off her long legs, her face was red as she was pushed forward again, closer to him. “Seriously! I get the picture! But you’re not going to scare me.”

“Alright, I guess you’re paired with Izuku for this, are you okay with it Itsuka?” Sekijiro half nodded to himself, “It’s a shame Nieto had to score so poorly.”

“Yea, I’ll be fine sensei,” Itsuka sighed as she watched her class head back into the forest, giggling all the way. “Thanks for letting me walk with Izuku.”

Vlad nodded and headed back to the facility, leaving them alone as the preparations began.

“So,” Itsuka spoke up and stood closer to him, her bare arms almost brushing against his as she smiled softly. “When you said you got better at using your quirk, I guess you really meant it didn’t you?”

What was she talking about? Oh! Right! Full Cowl. “Yea, I guess I didn’t really get the chance to show you.”

“Yea, I saw you use it when we were first dumped into the forest. It looked impressive, how does it work? I’m sure my dad would be happy if he saw it.” She rubbed her elbow, somehow managing to stand even closer to him without actually touching.

“It’s nothing special really, I just kind of use my quirk all over my body all the time. It hurts.” He laughed rubbing the back of his head, looking off into the forest as they waited for the ready signal. Itsuka’s class was probably still setting up.

She sighed, staring at her right hand now. “I’m happy for you, really. It’s great that you’re getting the hang of your quirk.” She balled her hand into a fist and turned to look him in the eyes. She was overflowing with confidence. “But, don’t think I’m going to let you get too far ahead. I’m going to break through and get the most out of my quirk. So don’t think for a second you can stop moving forward. Or else I’ll-”

She stopped looking up at him her face twisted in confusion. With a step, she was that much closer to him, her eyes focused just above his.

“Yes?” He squeaked, trying not to move too far away from her.

Itsuka gasped and pulled away from him, her blush showing even in the dim light of the campground. “Oh! It’s just that I didn’t realize that you’re taller than me now. It uhh kind of just took me by surprise.”

“Really?” He asked, looking at her head now, it was hard to tell, but there it was, he was the slightest bit taller than her now.

“Don’t look so happy about it Izuku,” She patted him in the stomach. “I can still kick your butt in a spar. I remember when you were just some short scrawny kid that could barely hold a mop in my dad’s dojo.”

“Hey, that was like a year and a half ago! I was only fourteen, it’s only natural that I’d grow a little.” Still, it was hard not to stand just a bit taller with his shoulders back, and smile just a bit more. Wait a second. If he was sixteen now, then, how old was Itsuka? “So uh, this is going to sound bad, but when’s your birthday?”

Her pout vanished, “Oh, I guess I never really told you, man, we’re bad friends. But it’s September 9th. Kind of forgot last year sorry. When’s yours?”

“July 15th.” He shrugged.

And Itsuka hit him in the shoulder. Hard. “You jerk! It’s July 30th! You let me miss two of your birthdays?” She hit him again. In the same spot. “Seriously, after training camp, you need to let me celebrate your birthday or something.”

“Ow I’m sorry, it was just the day of our exams, and I didn’t really think about it until just now.” He laughed rubbing the spot where she hit him. “Don’t feel bad, It’s my fault for not telling you.”

“Fine,” She crossed her arms, smiling at him. “I’ll let you off the hook this time, but you’re going to have to make it up for me on my birthday.”

“So for your birthday, I have to make up for you missing my birthday?”

“No,” She shook her head glaring at him, her finger digging into his chest. “You have to make it up for letting me miss your birthdays. Besides, turning sixteen is supposed to be important, so you have to be there. Actually, I’m not even sure what I’m doing, but you’re being there, like it or not.”

“I’m sure I’ll like it, just let me know what you want me to do.” He should get her something, maybe a biker jacket? Or a helmet? Depends on how much money he could gather before then. He still had the birthday money his dad sent him. Best not to tell Itsuka he was thinking about spending his birthday money on her.

“That’s good, you being there,” Itsuka pushed her ponytail behind her shoulder and sighed, the flash of anger she had moments ago was gone. “Now that I think about it, it means a lot.”

“I’m sure it’ll be great, you should invite Yui, Tetsutetsu and the other’s I’m sure they’d like to celebrate your birthday too.” Even if he did like the idea of it just being him and her, but that wasn’t fair, he should just make sure that Itsuka had a good birthday.

“Oh, yea,” She paused, smiling. “I’m, yea, that sounds like fun.”

She turned to look at him. “Hey, umm, Izuku, can I uhh ask you something? Well I mean, it’s more like tell, but it’s also kind of ask, and umm-”

Smoke. Fire. Panic. Villains appeared taking out Pixie-bob with a surprise attack. There went their pleasant training camp.

“Oh no,” Itsuka muttered, before running into the forest. “Izuku! You stay here! I need to make sure my class is okay!”

Like hell he was! He was about to run after her, then he saw Mandalay, looking around frantically. She was looking for Kota. Dammit. Don’t die Itsuka. “Mandalay! I know where Kota is!”

Chapter 16: Sixteenth Secret

Chapter Text

There were many things she should have been thinking about All Might’s fight against that villain, about his final victory against the villains that had attacked their training camp, injured Izuku and kidnapped his friend. As well as how could she get stronger to be able to do something next time, or what were they going to do since now that All Might was retired. Or how she should be worried about if Izuku was okay or not.

Instead, the thought that kept going through her head was that Small Might didn’t exist.

“No,” Itsuka groaned, burying her head into her pillow and letting out a groan. Eyes still locked onto her phone. Izuku still hadn’t responded since he said he was okay at the hospital after All Might’s fight. That was nearly 24 hours ago. “It’s more like Small Might is All Might.”

How many times had she thought that today? A hundred times easy. It had been a long day, made worse by the lack of information out there. She wanted to ask Izuku a million questions, she wanted to ask All Might why he lied to her. Why was he training Izuku before his quirk developed, and so many other questions.

“Any word from Izuku?” Her father said softly, one hand on her door frame as he stuck his head into her room. She hadn’t seen him smile today. His eyes transfixed on the T.V. as he absorbed every drop of news about last night. Even now she could still hear the news from the other room.

Sitting up she ran a finger through her hair, she hadn’t even showered since she got back. “No, I think his phone died or something.”

Good thing the hospital wasn’t near where the actual fight took place or else she’d be worried he got mixed up in that attack, as much as she trusted Izuku to get out of things in mostly one piece, she also trusted his ability to get in trouble.

“I’ve been in touch with Inko, she’s worried too.” He held up his phone and continued into her room. Her bed groaned as he sat down next to her, a hand pulling on her shoulder. “Do you wanna talk about it?”

“About what?” She sneered, then sighed, that came out much harsher than she wanted it too. “About how I’m worried that my best friend still hasn’t talked to me? Or how I’m still freaking out about everything that happened. Oh! Or how about the fact that All Might is Small Might and Izuku has been lying to me and that freaking All Might lied to me too!”

She groaned, flopping back down onto the back of her bed, one hand hitting her pillow. “Probably my fault for not realizing it sooner!”

“Don’t worry yourself over something like that oh wonderful daughter of mine.” Her father hummed, running his fingers through her hair like she was a cat. “All Might has always been dodgy about what exactly his quirk is. I had thought it was just unlocking some sort of inner power. But, I could be wrong.” He sighed and rolled his shoulders. “Normally I wouldn’t bother with such a thing, but this is tied to my pupil and my daughter's friend.”

She let out a breath, staring at her ceiling as she tried to think of something, anything. Seriously how could she be so stupid? She should have realized that there was something off when she googled Small Might and the only thing that came up was stuff about All Might. Even Izuku didn’t know anything about him.

Aside from that fact that Small Might was a lie and didn’t exist.

But, why? Why would All Might show interest in Izuku before he got his quirk? Unless - her stomach dropped as she looked towards her father, a soft frown on his face as he brushed his mustache - that day when that slime villain attacked Izuku’s friend, the image flashed so clearly in her mind. Small Might was there, she had seen him there standing in the crowd. She talked to him!

“Do you think All Might gave Izuku his quirk?” The thought sounded crazy but with each word, it just sounded more and more possible. But still insane.

“Hmm, that does sound a bit out there, but my idea was unlocking inner power. Though I don’t think I’ve ever heard of a quirk being transferred from one person to another.” Her father mused.

“So’s a quirk randomly appearing at fifteen years old.” Right before the U.A. Entrance exam as well. “Besides, one of my classmates has a quirk that lets him copy other quirks for five minutes. In Izuku’s class, there’s someone that has two quirks, one that lets him make Ice and the other lets him make fire.” Sure it was called one quirk, but it really felt like two quirks. “So maybe there’s a quirk that could let someone give it to another person.”

Her father hummed and stood up, hand still covering his mouth. His blue eyes were distant and looked out her window. “When I was young, there was a rumor of a horrifying man that could steal quirks from people, but I haven’t heard about that in many years. Perhaps he died, perhaps he really did exist. So I suppose that it might be possible for someone to have a quirk that could be given to others.”

“If a quirk can be stolen, copied, erased, or suppressed who’s to say it can’t be given?” He half laughed and walked back over to her, grabbing her by the back of her head and kissing her on her forehead. “Still, try not to let it worry you too much Itsuka, I’m off to bed, and I think you should be too.”

“I’ve basically been in bed all day.” She sat up and wandered over to her closet and pulled out a light jacket. “I think I’m going to go for a walk then I’ll shower and head to bed.”

“It’ll be dark soon, so don’t stay out too late.” Her father folded his hands in his sleeves and left her room.

XXXX

She got a short reply from Izuku thirty minutes into her walk. He was home, he was safe, and he was tired. He still hadn’t replied to her reply It wasn’t like she had just spent the whole day being worried about him, and wanting to ask him a million questions. But that could just wait until later.

The waves crashed against the soft sandy shore of the Dagobah Municipal Beach. It was hard to think that this place used to be a scrap yard and that it was Izuku that had restored to a pleasant beach. The idea of burying her feet in the sand and just staring at the ocean for a bit was what had drawn her to this place.

The moon was bright, and the sea was calmly lapping up onto the sore as she made her way down to the beach. She really wanted to bring Izuku here, for just a day of fun. Just the two of them, she’d have to get a new swimsuit though, a two-piece, if only to even the playing field of him being shirtless.

Her cheeks were red by the time she got down to the beach, it was empty despite the sun only setting thirty minutes ago. Maybe she should have stayed with him at the hospital? They wouldn’t let her stay long to visit, and she still had to see her classmates.

“You’re late!” a distant voice drew her attention down the beach near where a small covered jetty shot out into the water. “Texas! Smash!”

She looked over just in time to see the emaciated form of All Might punch Izuku in the face. That seemed uncalled for.

“You just can’t seem to do as you’re told, huh?” All Might bellowed, he had one arm in a sling.

He was scolding Izuku? She blinked, grabbing her shoes and walking over to them. It was dumb luck that she had bounced into them at this exact same beach last summer, but twice was starting to feel like fate or something. The sand was still warm from the hot summer sun as she wandered over towards them.

It was time for her to get some answers.

She watched as All Might returned to his usual form and punched the air a few times before shrinking back down, blood and spit pouring from his mouth.

“The ember of One for All is gone.” She could barely hear him over the crashing waves. Izuku remained seated, hand still clutching his cheek, he was too focused on All Might to notice her. “And I can’t maintain my muscular form at all.”

All Might turned towards Izuku, one arm outstretched. “And at the end of the day, you still run headlong into danger every single time! Despite all our warnings you still go and get all beat up! But this time!”

It was closer to a whisper now as All Might took a few steps closer to Izuku, she could barely hear him as he leaned down to pull Izuku into a hug. Instantly Izuku started to blubber and cry, returning the hug.

And now she felt awkward. She really shouldn’t be here, well it was a public place but she was eavesdropping on something very personal between two people that she knew well. But still, she wanted to know so many things.

Like what was One for All. Was that the name of All Might’s quirk? Why were its embers fading? Why did he hit Izuku? Why did they seem so close? And this might be her best chance to get some answers.

Biting her lip she waited for their moment to end, standing awkwardly a few feet away.

Eventually, Izuku opened his eyes and looked right at her. His eyes went wide and he tumbled backward out of All Might’s hug, sputtering with each motion. “Itsuka! What are you doing here?”

“Went for a walk,” She shrugged, as All Might turned to acknowledge her as well. “Saw you decided to wait so we could talk.”

“Oh,” Izuku mumbled, slowly standing up onto his own two feet. “How long have you been there?”

“Since All Might punched you for doing something stupid.” She sighed, chances are he was near the center of what happened last night. Izuku just had the amazing ability to get in trouble just by breathing it seemed.

“Ahh, so you heard most of that?” All Might groaned rolling his still injured shoulder and wincing.

“Yep,” She nodded, hands behind her back as she bounced her shoes against her butt, toes still digging into the sand. “So, I have a few questions.”

All Might stood there in silence, his sunken blue eyes not quite glaring at her, but they were far from friendly.

“I guess I’ll just start with this. Did you give Izuku your quirk?” Nope, still sounded crazy. But then she saw how All Might’s eyes widened and the man took a step back. “And why did you lie about being Small Might?”

Izuku scrambled forward, trying to stand between her and All Might like they were about to fight. “Itsuka, it's not like that! All Might just wanted to keep it private is all, and I mean-”

“Izuku, please don’t lie to me.” She took a step forward and placed a hand on Izuku’s shoulder, and kept her eyes locked on All Might. “Please answer me, Izuku is important to me. I know that he was quirkless, then he met you and started training like a mad man. Almost like you knew that he would get a quirk that would put a strain on his body.”

Her cheek felt wet and she clapped her hands in front of her face, her shoes falling behind her. “Please. All Might, I just want to know. I want to know that I can trust you and Izuku. So please, tell me the truth.”

“Itsuka,” All might groaned, doing his best to stand at his full height. “This is a secret I must keep, please understand.”

Well, that confirmed basically everything. She pushed a tear from her eyes and let out a sigh, looking over to the still frantic Izuku who was quickly calming down, before she looked back at All Might. “So, it’s his quirk, but your secret? Shouldn’t you be trying to keep his secret now?”

She turned towards Izuku, grabbing his shoulders again. He still looked like he belonged in a hospital. “Izuku, this is your secret now, please you’re my best friend, I don’t want to worry about you lying to me about something like this. Especially when I already know the answer.”

“I-” Izuku stammered. “I’m.”

All Might let out a laugh that was mixed with a cough, his frail form shaking from the exertion. “You’re right, Itsuka, it is selfish of me to force young Midoriya into keeping my secret, but I do this for his protection as well as the protection of those close to him. You already know more than its safe to, please just let it-”

“No,” Her hands were balled into fists at her side as she marched towards All Might. She looked up at the tall stick of a man that looked more intimidating than the pro hero she had once admired. She still did, but right now she was a bit pissed at him. “I’m going to be a hero All Might, and so is Izuku. We’re already in danger, just from trying to become heroes! U.A. was attacked twice. Your quirk won’t put us in any more danger.” She let out a sigh and looked to Izuku again. “Or I guess I should call it your quirk, huh Izuku?”

“I’m sorry Itsuka.” Izuku didn’t dare to look her in the eyes as he rubbed his injured arm. “I promised All Might I wouldn’t.”

“No,” All Might said, his voice deep and she turned to see him in the form she had grown used to seeing him in. “She is right. Itsuka is a friend of yours Izuku, and just as I had those that I could trust with this secret it was selfish of me to tell you that you could not as well. I will trust you and those that you trust with this secret.”

He deflated in a burst of blood and spit. “After all, when I gave you One for All, I made the choice to trust you with its future as well.”

They told her everything. From why All Might chose Izuku, to its creation, to the previous holder that was All Might's master, and the man that All Might had defeated, All for One.

XXXX

“So,” Itsuka’s voice rang with an air of danger that she rarely showed him, her hands were behind her back as she walked beside him, the street lights illuminating her just enough to show all of her menace. “Let me get this straight, while you were still injured from running around like a mad man trying to save everybody at camp, you decided to push yourself and try to save Katsuki without the help of the pro heroes?”

“I wasn’t alone,” He flinched, the injury he got from unleashing everything to save Kota flared up. “There were others with me too, we all wanted to save Kacchan.”

“I’m just teasing you,” Itsuka hummed, she hadn’t stopped smiling since All Might had left, leaving them to find their own way home at night. “I would have done the same if it was one of my own classmates, or you.”

“Thanks,” He half muttered trying not to stare at Itsuka to much. “I probably would have been even more reckless if it was you through.”

She flexed, her hand growing to her maximum size and formed a fist. “What, you don’t think I can handle myself?”

“No, it’s just you’re more important to me.”

Her fist deflated like a balloon, and she turned away from him as an awkward silence rushed between them. He shouldn’t have said it like that! Why did he say it like that! Now she was going to think that he liked her like that, which he did, but she didn’t need to know that.

“Hey, Izuku,” Itsuka’s voice drifted through the silent night like a warm breeze. “I uh, just wanted to say sorry about earlier. I really shouldn’t have forced you and All Might to tell me your secret like that.”

He stopped walking for a second to look at her. She wasn’t smiling, a soft frown was matched with the wetness of her eyes that sparkled in the flickering street light. Well, that was twice in one night that he had made her cry. “I wanted to tell you. I really did, you were the first person that I wanted to tell. Before anybody else had gotten the chance you told me I could be a hero, that I could get into U.A. But I couldn’t All Might said not to tell anyone, so I didn’t. I really do wish I told you sooner. Sorry.”

“You dork,” She sniffled rubbing her nose with her sleeve, “Stop apologizing all the time.”

“Sorry!”

She started to laugh, her smile was back in full as her tears vanished like they had never been there. “Well come on,” she grabbed his hand and pulled him down the street. “It’s way past curfew, and I don’t want to get in trouble.”

He really did like it when she laughed. “Hey, Itsuka, I’m really happy I met you.”

“Me to Izuku, me too.”

There would be better times to confess, to tell her how he never wanted to let go of her hand. Maybe when things calmed down a bit he would be able to gather the courage to tell the most amazing girl in the world how he felt. Maybe over the summer break?

Chapter 17: Seventeen Confessions.

Chapter Text

Kotetsu stared at the now empty room of his daughters. Itsuka had always been rather spartan, no closet full of clothes, no thousands of posters and pictures on her walls. So when she packed her things and left there was nothing but the memory of her. Maybe he should have protested more when her Sensei had shown up with the request for her to live in the dorms.

Sure she wasn’t that far away and he understood why the school would request this. Theoretically, he was in favor of it. Even emotionally he was proud of the woman and hero his daughter was becoming. No doubt he’d see her every so often for practice, likely dragging Izuku with her. But it still hurt knowing that she wasn’t home.

With a sigh, he closed the door to her room and rested a hand against it. If he kept it closed he could at least pretend that she was just in there giving him the silent treatment. Another sigh, the fifth in a row, and he pushed away heading towards a photo of his wife, and touching the frame softly. “Miu dear, you would have loved the woman our daughter has become. She’s growing up, and ready to live on her own. Though, I might not be ready to live on my own yet. How on earth am I expected to provide dinner for myself every night? I can barely manage breakfast.”

He got no reply.

“No, you’re right, I should start living for myself again, maybe I should start taking more students, get a hobby or two. Or, maybe. Maybe I should come out of retirement.” The main reason why he retired was to raise Itsuka. That and his knee, but those were fine now. “Maybe some of the schools are hiring? More often than not those first years end up embarrassing themselves.”

The dojo doorbell rang through his home. Odd. He didn’t hold any classes today. At least not at this time, it was well before noon. With his slippers on he extended his leg to the bottom of the stairs and ignored that brief mildly painful pop as he took that one long step.

“All Might?” He asked once the door was open. The now-retired hero stood in his doorway, looking far too worse for wear. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“Sorry for showing up unannounced, Kotetsu.” Toshinori gave a slight bow, his arm was still in a sling despite the injury happening nearly a month ago. “But, I recall you mentioned something about Tai Chi?”

Kotetsu smiled and stepped to the side. “Ahh, I believe I recall that. Come, come,”

If he advertised that All Might was a student here then he’d really be full on classes. Not that he’d do that publicly.

“That’s only part of the reason why I’m here. I’m not a very good teacher, over the past few months that has become obvious to me. I’ve allowed Young Midoriya’s infatuation with me to influence him and how he uses his quirk.” Toshinori scratched the back of his neck, refusing to make eye contact as he took off his shoes.

“Ahh, our mutual pupil, I remember luring him into my class by giving him an old yearbook with you in it. Felt a bit like luring a child with candy.” It was to be expected that once All Might began to teach the boy that he’d end up trying to emulate him as much as possible. “But what can I do to help? I’m merely his Martial Arts instructor, and with the dorms I expect I’ll be seeing him less often now.”

And his own daughter.

Toshinori let out a long breath and finally held eye contact. “Advice on how to teach, to help guide him to a different path better suited to his style.”

“Hmm,” mustache combing for effect, general sagey noises, and turning for dramatic effect. “It is true that Izuku is ill-suited for your brutish and direct style of fighting. He is a smart boy that is quick to think and analyze, even after he’s already dived into a situation. But, my advice is simple.”

Turn for dramatic effect, maintaining eye contact while smiling. One last mustache stroke. “Let Izuku know that the path he is taking is wrong, and he will find a new path. It’s important that he chooses that path on his own.”

Toshinori let out a small chuckle. “Izuku was right, you do give good advice, but you do tend to make it sound like something out of a kung-fu movie.”

“They’re good movies.”

XXXX

She had weeks to try and confess to Izuku. Weeks! Their whole summer vacation was over! Sure she had come close at least a dozen times to confessing to Izuku, but something always stopped her. Sometimes it was something interrupting them. Though most of the time it was just her being a coward.

Itsuka let out a sigh, kicking her feet as she stared at her phone, the most recent text message from Izuku wasn’t exactly what she wanted. He was having a dorm contest with his classmates. At this point, she’d be more than happy to take a confession from him in the form of a text. She knew she liked him, she knew that he liked her.

“So why the hell aren’t we dating?” She slammed her face into her pillow and kicked her legs violently against her bed.

“Because you’re a coward that fell in love with a socially awkward nerd,” Yui answered the question she wasn’t asked and sat down on Itsuka’s back, forcing the air out of her. “Honestly, I have no idea why you’re as cute as you are frustrated.”

“Why are we friends again?” She grunted under the extra weight Yui put on her. “And why are you using me as a chair?”

Yui poked her in the cheek, her normally plain and emotionless face looked just the slightest bit annoyed. Okay, she looked very annoyed. “Why haven’t you told Izuku how you feel yet?”

“Yui!” She whined as her friend’s finger dug into her cheek. “It’s hard! And there’s like no time, between school, training and then sleep we barely get to-”

Yui flicked her in the head. “No excuses.”

Before she knew it Yui had pulled her onto her feet and began to push her out the door. “Hey, wait, what are you doing?”

“Forcing you to confess,” Yui said pushing her sharply down the hallway.

“What? Now? No! I can’t!” She enlarged both of her hands, the fingers tips barely long enough to stop Yui from pushing her much further. “It’s to soon!”

“It might be too late.” Yui huffed and she stopped pushing. A bit of peace, until Yui’s fingers found their way into her armpits.

“Yui!” She whined again as her friend began to tickle her. Her one weakness! Her hand shrunk down as she tried to fight off her friend before she was pushed forward once more. “Stop! Please!”

It was really hard to beg when she was trying not to laugh. If the other girls heard they’d no doubt join Yui in a heartbeat!

“Why are you resisting? You want to confess, right?” Yui gave her another push, one hand was against her back the other was assaulting her sides with a feather like touch.

“Why do you care?” She asked just before they made it to the first staircase. “It’s not any of your business.

Yui came to a sudden stop, before she grabbed her by the shoulders and turned her around. Yui looked pissed. “Because I feel the same way about you that you feel about Izuku.”

“Huh?” That would mean that, she blinked her face still flushed from the tickling frenzy began to fade. “Oh.”

“So I want to see you happy, and Izuku does that, he does that better than anybody.” Yui pushed a finger into her chest still glaring daggers at her. “As to it not being any of my business, you’d be right if it wasn’t for my phone filled with messages from you about Izuku. You vent to me about not knowing what to do with your love life, so now it’s my business.”

What was she supposed to say to that? How was she even supposed to respond to that? “Yui, I.”

“Unless the next words out of your mouth are, ‘I’m going to go confess to Izuku’ save it.” Yui pushed her finger in deeper. “Because if I can gather up the courage to tell the person I like when I know that they won’t return my feelings you can do it with someone that will.”

Oddly enough, that worked. Confidence surged inside of her. “You’re right! I should go tell Izuku how I feel right now.”

“Good.”

“But not right now, it’s close to curfew I’ll do it first thing tomorrow. After classes.” Maybe this weekend.

Yui growled and began to pull out of the dorms once more.

“Yui!” she whined, “I was joking!”

She wasn’t.

XXXX

“Hey, Izuku,” Denki tapped him lightly on the shoulder just as they were entering the first floor of the girl’s wing. He pointed back towards the entrance smiling. “That Itsuka chick from 1-B is here for you.”

“Really? I wonder what she wants.” He made a sharp turn and headed down the stairs. “Thank’s Denki, tell me how it goes.”

“Sure, thing, and good luck!”

Why would he need good luck? Itsuka probably just wanted to go for a walk with him or something. She did mention something about that since they’d be living so close. And he was more than a little excited about it as well. But that was probably just because he’d be spending time with Itsuka.

Itsuka stood in the doorway, her hair loose on the left while her right side was still looking freshly shaven from the hair cut she got a few weeks back. Apparently she liked that style as much as he did. She was wearing her plain casual clothes, with shorts that showed off her long lean legs, and a pair of teal boots that almost matched her eyes.

She waved one hand at him as he approached before fiddling with her fingers in front of her stomach, they shared a moment of eye contact before she smiled and looked away. According to the internet that might mean something. “Hey, Izuku.”

“Hey, Itsuka, what’s up?” He asked her, hand already scratching the back of his head. Why was she here? Did he miss a text? Did he say something wrong? “Do you wanna come inside?”

She looked past him into the common room of his dorm and let out a slight laugh. “Actually, I was hoping we could go for a walk? Just the two of us?”

He looked back and saw at least half the class - most of the girls - peeking at them from around the corner. “Right, uhh, yea, that sounds good.”

A walk with Itsuka.

Alone.

Just before curfew.

Alone.

Just him and her.

At night.

She nodded and stepped to the side to let him pass.

The first few minutes of their walk were shrouded in a mix of awkward and comfortable silence, the stars could barely be seen past the lamps that saturated U.A. with a soft light. It was oddly quiet and rather peaceful for a school that was for training heroes. “I’ve never been to U.A. at night before, it’s kind of nice.”

“Yea,” Itsuka nodded, looking down and off to the side as she held the arm closest to him. “It’s a lot different than walking home at night, more trees, fewer cars, and trains.”

Their hands touched for just a moment, the back of his knuckle hitting one of her fingers as they took a turn, heading towards one of the training facilities. He saw Itsuka’s smile flash for a moment. Why did she look so happy? “Did something happen?”

“Kinda,” She half shrugged and hummed at him. “It’s just been a busy day with all the packing and unpacking, it’s going to be weird not having my dad to bug me for dinner every day.”

“I thought he cooked half the time?”

Itsuka let out a sharp snort of a laugh that made him aware of his own smile. Her green, almost blue, eyes sparkled when he looked into them. “You poor ignorant fool, my dad's idea of cooking is going out to eat. Sometimes he’d just pretend to be meditating and say that ‘tonight we will be sustaining ourselves with our will power’ or something and wait for me to get fed up and cook. Then he’d ask for some.”

“Yea, that sounds like your dad.” Really? That’s what he had to say? Dammit. “You know, I don’t think I’ve ever had your cooking before.”

“Oh?” She brushed her hair back behind her ear, looking off to the side again. “It’s really nothing special, but I can cook for you some time I guess.” She gave a quick laugh. “Should be easy since we’re neighbors now.”

“You don’t have to if you don’t want to. I mean-”

Slam!

His back was against the wall and Itsuka’s enlarged hand was placed a few inches from his head. Her face was red, her body was close, and she looked beyond beautiful. The light from the lamps illuminating her like the full moon. She took several deep rapid breaths staring at him.

He wanted to say something but his heart was stuck in his throat and he could barely breathe. What was going on? Why was she doing this. Why was she so close.

Slam!

His heart skipped a beat as her other hand slammed on the other side of his head.

He was trapped.

“Dammit.” Itsuka swore, shaking her head as she looked down for a second, her hair now wild. “Dammit. Izuku! You’re supposed to be smart! I’m supposed to be sure of myself! So why is this so weird! Dammit! How many times have I tried to do this? I, Gah!”

“Dammit! Izuku. I like you. I like you like you. As in I want to date you and hold hands and do all that couple stuff that I never cared about. I want to cook you a lunch, I want to make it a date, I want to do that kind of stuff with you!”

“You do?” His heart was currently bouncing around his brain making a mess out of anything that could be considered a thought. Itsuka wanted to date him. Itsuka, his best friend, first real crush, and one of the first people to tell him he could be a hero, wanted to date him.

“Yes!” She all but shouted, her hands falling to her side. She leaned forward and placed her forehead against the now cracked wall. “Yes. I’ve wanted to date you since we both started at U.A.”

“Oh,” Was that really all he could say? That long? That meant. That meant. A lot of random things but all of them were good. “I mean, I’ve wanted to do the same for a long time too. I just didn’t think that you liked me like that.”

“I know, you kind of made it obvious.” Itsuka flipped on her back, refusing to look at him. “I mean, at first I wasn’t sure, then you kept saying how I’m more important to you and a bunch of other stuff and I was kind of hoping you’d ask me out because the idea of asking you out terrifies me. Err, terrified me. Kind of already did it.”

“So, does that me we’re boyfriend and girlfriend?” He asked stepping in front of her to hold her gaze. His heart was back in his chest pounding thunder through his body. The happiness of it all had been delayed, but now it was coming at him in ever-growing waves. His hands were shaking, but he couldn’t stop smiling.

Itsuka returned the smile and offered him a half shrug. “I guess it does.”

“So now what?”

“I don’t know,” She pushed herself off the wall laughing. “I guess we just do stuff. I’ve never been in a relationship before.”

“Me too.” He laughed. “But I guess that was obvious. Uhh, want to continue our walk?”

“Sure.” Itsuka nodded and brushed her hair back behind her shoulder again.

“Do you, do you think I can hold your hand?”

She bit her lip and wordlessly offered her hand to him. It was rough, filled with callouses and sinew from all the hard work she did every day. Their fingers intertwined.

“Though we should head back soon, it’s almost past curfew and I’m so emotionally drained that I think I could sleep for a week.” Itsuka sighed as her shoulder brushed against his. “Oh, you’re supposed to say you like me too.”

“I like you too, I really really like you a lot.”

“It feels good hearing you say that.”

Chapter 18: Eighteenth Round

Chapter Text

“So, uhh, not that I’m going to question whatever you’re doing.” Itsuka eyed Izuku as he jumped into the air and kicking before falling down flat onto his face. Insects buzzed around the lone street lamp that had been their sole source of light for the past hour. The cool night air a relief from the amount of training they had both been doing that day. Training counted as a date right?

Besides, training meant that Izuku might take his shirt off. One day she’d tell him that she really liked his muscles, but that just felt way too soon. They’d only been dating - was it even dating? - for about a week and a half now. They were official, but it felt like so little had changed. Aside from the fact that she just got to stare at him without it feeling weird.

Oh, and then there was how he smiled at her. It was still the same Izuku smile he always gave, but ever since they admitted their feelings that smile had meant something more. Even if they only held hands and had a few slightly longer than normal hugs. It was better than it was.

Wait, Izuku was looking at her. She was saying something, wasn’t she? Oh right! “But what the hell are you doing?”

Izuku hopped onto his feet, pulling up one of his notebooks with him, and handed it to her. “You know how we’re making super moves during class?”

How could she forget? Her sensei had used her super lame move of making her first large right before she hits someone as a super move. It didn’t feel like a super move. Sure it was useful and made her hits stronger and faster, with a small element of surprise, but that was like one of the first things she learned. “Yea, but how does that change anything?”

“Well, instead of working on a super move, I’m working on not having my arms explode when I go all out,” He touched one of the scars on his arms - she wanted to touch them - and tightened his fist. “But, earlier today I was talking with Mei about getting something to support my arms, but she helped me realize that if I wanted to give my arms a rest I should use my legs.”

“So you’re trying to teach yourself how to fight with your legs?” It made sense. Especially with how his full cowling let him bounce around like a monkey, that and legs were both sturdier and more powerful than arms.

“Yea,” Izuku nodded looking proud of himself. “I asked Tenya for a few pointers and how he would-”

“Why did you ask my dad?”

He blinked. “Why?”

Wasn’t he supposed to be smart? Rolling her eyes she smiled at him. Well, he was really oblivious when he wanted to be. “My dad taught both of us how to fight.” She held up her hands and enlarged them. “Both of us learned styles that suited our hands. But my dad’s quirk is with his legs.”

“Oh.” Izuku nodded his eyes going wide. “Do you think he’ll teach me a new style?”

“Honestly it would probably make his day.” she winced, she hadn’t even gone to the dojo since she moved into the dorms at U.A. let alone tell her father about what’s been happening. “Just uhh, don’t tell him about the whole us dating thing. He’d either try to intimidate you and try to embarrass me.”

Wait, she wasn’t giving him enough credit. “Actually both.”

“Well tomorrow is Saturday, I know that Aizawa-sensei is going to be holding Saturday class, but I don’t think he’ll be to upset if I skip it to go see your dad.” Izuku paused, rubbing the back of his head and looking adorable. She knew that look. That was the look he had when he was nervous about asking her something. “Do you want to go with me? We could uhh, hang out, before or after, and I think that your dad would be happy to see you and that umm, well what I’m asking is that.”

“Like a date?” Damn, why did her cheeks burn so much and why did she stutter! They were dating! Boyfriend and girlfriend! The awkward part was supposed to be over!

Izuku nodded violently. “Yea.”

“I’ll have to ask Vlad-sensei, but if I frame it as going to my dad for training and to get an idea for a super move he should be alright with it,” She laughed awkwardly. “Man it’s weird asking our sensei for permission to see our parents.”

It wasn’t even that it wasn’t allowed, just needed to check in when leaving the campus for security reasons. Living in the dorms was different. But it did have its perks. Like her being able to see Izuku whenever they weren’t having class or training.

“Awesome,” Izuku said trailing off as he looked away from her. “It’s getting late, why don’t you let me know what Vlad-sensei says over text or something.”

“Yea,” He wasn’t wrong, it was getting close to curfew. And they’d been working out all night. She needed to shower if she was going to go on a date tomorrow. She wanted a hug. Or some other kind of touch. Should she ask? Would that be weird? Maybe she should just hug him? “I’ll uhh see you tomorrow.”

“Sure.” Izuku nodded.

She waved goodbye and headed towards her dorms. And Izuku was walking right at her side, his hand touching hers. “What are you doing?”

He shrugged biting his lip as he grabbed her hand softly. “Walking you to your dorms.”

She couldn’t help but laugh. “You dork, they’re like thirty feet away.”

“Do you not want me too?”

“No,” she squeezed his hand tightly. This was perfect. “You’re just being so,” she needed a word. Something that was just so Izuku. Ahh. “so, adorkable.”

“Adorkable?”

“Yea, dorky, but also adorable.” She turned slightly and tapped him in the nose with her free hand. “Which you are. Constantly.”

After a slightly too short goodbye Izuku she entered the common area of her dorm. A giant smile on her face. And all eyes were on her. They always were whenever she came in from spending time with Izuku. It was why they almost never hung out at either one of their dorms. In the first year hero course they were the first and only couple. Which apparently meant what they were doing was everybody’s business.

Square her shoulders, focus, smile. “Hey, guys.”

Yui looked up from her board game with some of the other girls and blinked at her. She could all but see the snark forming in her mind. “Did you kiss yet?”

“What?” Well, there went her composure. “No! We’re not that far yet, we’re going to be going on our first date tomorrow!”

Wait did she just say that out loud? In front of most of her class? Vlad-sensei wasn’t nearby was he? Becoming official meant that her alone time with Izuku was heavily scrutinized. It might hurt her chances of actually going on the date if he found out. Even with the excuse about going to her father’s dojo.

Yui spoke first. “Oh, good, don’t kiss him until the school festival later this year.” She shrugged turning back to her game. “But knowing you two I shouldn’t have anything to worry about.”

“Hey!” Setsuna slammed her cards down onto the table, “Don’t go stacking the odds in your favor!”

“You’re the one that wanted to bet on their relationship,” Yui said plainly as she drew from the pile. “It’s not my fault you lack the foresight to manipulate events in your favor.”

All of her embarrassment vanished - well most of it - as she listened to Yui talk, in it’s place was something not quite anger, but close to annoyance. She walked over to the table and rested a giant hand on both Setsuna’s and Yui’s shoulders. “What was that about betting?”

“Oh come on Itsuka,” Setsuna laughed it off. “It’s all fun and games besides you two were taking your sweet time.”

“I was annoyed by it.” Yui didn’t even look up at her. “And the bet was easy money.”

“Why am I friends with you guys?”

XXXX

It was a date. He had just asked his girlfriend out on a date. And she said yes. It was his first actual date. Not like the time where they went to the fireworks together as friends. But like a date. A real one.

And he had no idea what he was supposed to do for it! It was a spur of the moment thing mixed with his own desire to do something with Itsuka that had lead him to blurt it out. Sure she probably would have said yes whenever he asked her but they had only been official for all of 253 hours and his mind was still going absolutely crazy.

Ever since that day she’d been on his mind more than normal, just the thought that she was his girlfriend brought a smile to his face and then immediately filled him with dread, only for that smile to come back. It was easier when he was with her. But alone, he was surprised he hadn’t accidentally punched a hole in the wall or something.

He never had a girlfriend before, he didn’t know what to do with one. Sure he knew what he was supposed to do with one, date, kiss, hold hands, spend all the time in the world together, and even do mundane stuff like just sit on the couch while they both texted stuff. But some of that stuff just wasn’t Itsuka like. Or was it? Should he get her flowers? Maybe something else. Wait, her birthday was in two weeks!

How much money did he have? He had to have enough to get her something right? A necklace? Something small that she could always wear? Wait, Itsuka never wore jewelry, maybe he should get her something else? Something-

“Izuku,” He heard someone call for him. “There’s a wall there.”

He walked right into the wall and fell backward, staring up at the ceiling as he debated what on earth just happened. Mina’s head appeared her black eyes obstructed by her hair as she continued to dry her head off. A bit of water hit him on the nose.

“This is also the girl’s side ya’know?” Mina asked shaking her head and wrapping her towel around her neck, already dressed in her usual sleepwear. “But what’s got you mumbling tonight?”

He looked at her for a moment then back up at the ceiling blinking slowly as his mind slowly began the process of rebooting. “I asked my girlfriend out on our first date tomorrow. And I have no plan.”

There was a screech and something pulled on his arm, by the time he realized what was going on he had been dragged into the common room with Momo, Tooru, Tsyu, and Ochako all helping him plan a date with Itsuka.

“Oh, we should do something about his hair!” Tooru clapped her hands. “I love doing hair! I practice on myself all the time!”

XXXX

Something was off about Izuku. He was waiting at the tree just across from her classes dorm wearing a plain t-shirt that said ‘T-shirt’ and a pair of shorts. It was as basic as Izuku could get with his clothes. Which was fine, they were going to be at the dojo today, and she was wearing just a plain green shirt and a pair of shorts.

But there was something different about him. The top of his hair was the same loveable floof she could pick out of a crowd, but the sides and the back were shaved. Her boyfriend got a hair cut. An Undercut and he went from cute to hot. There was no way that she was mentally prepared for this!

“Oops,” Yui muttered as she pushed her out the door. “Sorry Itsuka, guess you’ll just have to go on your date with your boyfriend.”

She was about to say something, but Izuku spoke up first.

“Itsuka!” Izuku called waving her over before walking over to her, even with the new hair cut he looked just as nervous about their date as she was. There shouldn’t be anything to worry about. It was a date, she was supposed to have a good time with the boy that she had been crushing on for at least four months that she knew of, but it was probably longer. Holy crap how long had she liked Izuku?

Izuku stopped right in front of her, smiling lobsided as he scratched the back of his head. “You, uhh, you look good.”

“Thanks,” She really couldn’t take her eyes off of his hair. She bet the shaved part was soft. “What happened to your hair?”

He pushed at one of the curls that hung just above his eyes and looked at it for a moment. “Oh, some of the girls found out that we were going on a date and gave me a bunch of advice and cut my hair. Is it bad?”

“Can I touch it?” Her cheeks flushed and she extended her hand before he had a chance to answer. He was her boyfriend he’d say yes right?

Izuku nodded and lowered his head just a bit, his own cheeks just as red as hers felt. “It still feels a bit weird around my ears, but I think I like it, what do you think?”

She touched the top of his head where his hair was still the same half curly mess it always was while her thumbs traced the part where his hair was shaved. It was soft. Izuku’s hairs tangled with her fingers when she pulled back leaving him looking extra floofy, she bit her lip and smiled at it. “I like it, now we’re almost matching with the sides of our heads shaven.”

“Yea, I’m surprised you kept that hairstyle for so long, it really does look good on you.”

And that was why she kept it. Well at least part of the reason, she really did like the hair cut now that she got used to it. She ran her fingers along the right side of her head, hers were just a few days past needing to be trimmed again. Maybe she should get Yui to do it tonight. “Thanks, so does yours.”

“Right,” he nodded, his arm falling to his side. “Well, uhh, we should get going.”

“Sure,” She nodded, folding her hands behind her for no real reason. “Where we going?”

“Shibuya first, we’ll get lunch there and then we’ll walk around for a bit before we head to see your dad. And then, umm, if we have time, maybe just hang out somewhere afterward?”

She nodded, letting him take the lead. “Sure, sounds like fun. But why Shibuya? That’s a bit out of the way isn’t it?”

“Kind of, but Momo told me about a cafe there, and there’s a story there that uhh, well, you’ll just have to see.”

He was being secretive, and now she wanted to know about what. “Alright, I can wait a bit.”

Cafe Leblanc had been everything she would have expected and more. The shop owner knew more about coffee than she’d ever care to learn in her life and gave her what she could only describe as the perfect blank blend to complement the chilly he served. As far as first dates went Izuku would get passing marks just for the food alone.

But, it was the second place on their date that had her heart racing.

“A bike shop?” She half squealed in delight, as she pulled Izuku with her to look at the custom motorcycles. They had everything here. Street bikes to low riders, even a few custom models that were used by a few heroes. “Oh wow, how did I not know about this place?”

All the other places she’d been to had just felt so generic, but this place, this place just felt like it had so much soul. She could practically feel the ground shake as a nearby engine roared.

“I had a feeling you’d like this place,” Izuku walked over to her being careful not to touch any of the bikes on display. “Mei told me about this place when I asked if she could make something.”

“Mei? The support girl with the pink hair?” She scrunched her face up. “Why would she do that she doesn’t seem like the type of person to-”

The sound of an engine roaring tore through the streets as a large low rider swerved around the corner. A garage door to the side of the shop opening up. The man riding the bike was large with a main of pink hair that was tied into a tight ponytail. Oh, well that explained why Mei would know about this shop.

A moment later the man emerged from the shop, a soft frown on his face as his yellow eyes looked down on them. “Hey, what are you guys doing here? This is no shop for kids.”

“Uhh,” She looked up at the tall man and blinked, he didn’t look young, but he didn’t look old either. “Are you Mei’s father or her brother?”

“Mei-mei? How do you know my little sister!” The man laughed. “Man, she hasn’t talked to me ever since she moved into that U.A. dorm! Are you guys from U.A. too? Oh, where are my manners.” He wiped his hand onto his equally dirty pants and smiled at them. “My names Otto Hatsume, welcome to my shop and hero office!”

“You’re a hero?” Itsuka asked her eyes going wide. “And you run a bike shop?”

“You bet! Had my own office for a few years now! The whole shop thing was a family thing.” Otto’s smile widened as he took Izuku’s hand and shook him violently. She was worried for half a second that Izuku’s arm might come off. “But what are you guys doing here? Looking for a sweet hero ride or something?”

Yes! Oh yes! “I’d love to look around, but I don’t have the money right now, and I’m not sixteen yet, so I don’t have a license.”

“Ahh, well that’s too bad.”

“Actually,” Izuku stepped up, “There is something I’d like to buy today if that’s alright.”

Now it was her turn to look confused. Well more confused than she already was. That weird grease monkey support girl had an awesome older brother! With bikes!

She exited the shop with Izuku’s birthday present to her. A black leather biker jacket that fit her absolutely perfectly.

She had an amazing boyfriend!

Chapter 19: Nineteenth Revelation

Chapter Text

“What the hell are you doing here Red?”

Itsuka looked up from her book, pausing for a moment as she saw her boyfriend stop mopping up the floors then turning to look at Katsuki Bakugo who was glaring at her with two bags of laundry in his hands. She smiled at him, and turned back to her book, turning the page just slow enough to piss him off. Man, he really brought out the worst in her.

“I’m reading my book, now shut up and get back to work Thirty-one.” Not the best nickname but that growl he gave off was all she needed to know that his missing tooth still stung even if he got a fake put in. “Unless you want me to make you an even thirty?”

“Itsuka,” Izuku half mumbled walking behind the couch to stand between her and Katsuki. “I think Kacchan just wants to know why you’re here? I mean shouldn’t you be in class?”

“This isn’t even your f*cking dorm.”

She shrugged, closing the book and unrelaxed herself from the couch. “All I know is that All Might came in, talked to vlad, and then all of a sudden I was asked to watch you two for a bit for whatever reason, I just assumed that Class 1-A was going to do stuff. It’s not my fault you two decided to get into a fight.”

“Aren’t you worried about missing class?” Izuku asked her, not willing to meet her eyes.

“Not really, it’s just English right now and I’m pretty good at it.” She lifted her book up, “It’s what I’m reading.”

Izuku blinked and nodded slowly. “But, I don’t think that our class was doing anything today.”

She could only shrug, drumming her fingers on her knees as she looked at Izuku, smiling at his dumbass. He had gotten into a full-on quirk fight with Katsuki. Which, while incredibly stupid one both of their parts, she could understand, there wasn’t a lot of people she wanted to knock their teeth out, but Katsuki was one. She just had thirty-one more to go.

“Well if you don’t know why the f*ck you’re here why not just f*cking leave!” Katsuki growled, holding up the vacuum cleaner. “Your fat-”

“Katsuki,” Izuku placed a hand on Katsuki’s chest. He was really hot when he was defending her. “Don’t finish that-”

“Hands!” Katsuki growled glaring at Izuku again and pushed away, moving a nearby chair. “She has giant freakishly large man-hands that hurt like a f*cking bitch. Even I’ll admit that your girlfriend is in shape and has a fantastic ass.”

She blinked. Was that a compliment. Was he flirting with her? Did she really have a nice butt? Did Izuku like her butt? “Did you just compliment me?”

Katsuki just growled.

“You said, All Might talked to Vlad-sensei before you were sent here?” Izuku asked her half leaning on the couch, his face a bit red.

“Yea, I guess he was just taking care of business and needed someone else to keep an eye on you two.” It was technically part of being a class president that she had to uphold the moral code, but then shouldn’t Tenya be doing this? Unless class 1-A was doing something important.

“Oh, then I think I know why you’re here.” Izuku walked in front of the couch and pointed at Katsuki. “He knows about One for All.”

The Vacuum stopped, and both her and Katsuki stared at Izuku blinking slowly.

One for All. Oh, right. All Might’s super-secret quirk that he gave to Izuku. She might have forgotten that it was important. What with the whole Izuku being her boyfriend thing.

“What the f*ck Deku!” Katsuki threw the Vacuum onto the ground and glared at both of them. “Why the hell did you tell your girlfriend before you told me? Huh?”

“He didn’t tell me,” she crossed her legs and smiled at him with all the smugness she could manage. “I figured it out on my own, what took you so long?”

If Neito was here he’d probably boast about their class being superior.

And now she was annoyed again. What was it with blonds that just pissed her off? Boys that is, Pony was impossible to get mad at. Juzo was alright. Maybe it was just arrogant bastards that pissed her off. Yea that sounded better.

Katsuki growled.

“Itsuka found out during the summer, just after it all happened, she met All Might in his real form a year ago and eventually just figured it out.” Izuku gave a half shrug smiling at her and then nodded. “It kind of makes sense considering how much time I spend with her.”

“Or you and All Might just suck at keeping secrets.” Katsuki growled. “So now we’re all in the same secret club. Now what?”

“Well,” Izuku scratched the back of his head. “You’re both important to me. So do you think you two can get along?”

She folded her arms in front of her chest and let out a sigh. “I don’t think I can get along with someone that looks down on me.”

“I don’t look down on you.” Katsuki sneered glaring at her, he took a breath and rolled his shoulders before his hand move to his jaw. “You and round face were the only ones to give me an actual fight. And you were the only one to hit me. I’ve seen you train, you go at it harder than most of the extras in my own damn class.”

He pointed a finger at Izuku. “And f*cking somehow you turned that loser into someone that can f*cking punch like you, even when he’s not using All Might’s quirk.” He let out another growl. “Unlike most of the losers here, you’ve put in the hard work to become a hero. So I guess I f*cking respect you.”

She’d seen Katsuki a few times early in the morning before half her class had even woken up doing laps around the campus. Naturally, they had glared at each other as they passed each other. She was sure that he looked down on her, that was why he acted the way he did. And while he did look down on basically everybody else, this was as good as a start as any.

“Thanks.” She stood, smiling at him and extended her hand at him. “Just stop calling Izuku a loser in front of me? And use my name, I’m not Red.”

Katsuki stared at her hand looking like he was ready to explode in two. “Fine. I’m still calling him Deku though.”

He grabbed her hand and made the mistake of trying to squeeze harder than her. She tightened her grip, and he did so in return, then she escalated things and his face twisted in pain as she felt something pop.

“And Itsuka.” Katsuki glared at her as she let go of his hand. “Let me know if you ever want a rematch. You could use a new haircut.”

“Ohh.” she gave a fake sympathetic aww and fluttered her eyelashes, one hand over her heart. “It’d be such a shame for you to have braces for your hero license photo.”

Katsuki’s eyes twitched.

“Uhhh,” Izuku looked between them, eyes wide. “So are you two friends now?”

XXXX

Nearly a week had gone by and a looming storm of change had been looming on the horizon. Between the announcement of work-study for the first years, and his match with that third year Mirio it felt like there was so much room for growth. Itsuka had felt the same it seemed, which was why she was pushing herself and him extra hard during their after school training.

She was to his left breathing heavily and sweating in her usual work out outfit that left her shoulders and arms exposed. He could even see both of her sports bras that made it really hard to focus at times. She wiped the sweat from her head and smiled at him, she always looked so beautiful at this point in time.

He leaned back staring up at the stars as they began the slow process of cooling off before trying to do anything. So many muscles burned and his lungs were on fire. He really pushed his limits today.

“So, how’d your meeting with the big three go?” He asked sneaking another glance at her as she pulled out her ponytail and let her hair fall free.

Itsuka let out a laugh. “They spouted a bunch of nonsense, then the blond one said to fight him, we agreed. Nieto shook his hand and copied his quirk. Then he fell through the floor leaving nothing but his clothes and popped out of the ground slamming into the wall a couple of seconds later.” She groaned. “Never wanted to see him naked, so that was fun. Then we all got our ass kicked by Mirio and his phasing quirk. He kept saying it wasn’t a strong quirk.”

She looked at her hand for a moment. “But, really. I think that’s bullsh*t. Yes, his quirk is hard to use. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t powerful. I couldn’t do anything. Nobody could do anything. It was the kind of overwhelming power that just.”

“It made me question what I could really do? I mean my quirk. I love it, it’s a part of who I am. But compared to that, it just makes me feel like I don’t have a chance, that I’ll never be a great hero. Before it felt like there was a wall in front of me, one that I could climb over or even smash through once I got to it. Now, that wall isn’t there, instead, there’s nothing, just a giant void that I can’t cross.”

“Itsuka,” He said softly staring at her. What was he supposed to say? What was there to say? “I-”

She shook her head, smiling as she wiped away a tear. “It’s okay. Izuku. Really. I’ll be fine. I am fine. I just need to accept that I won’t be great.” She snorted and let out a laugh. “With any luck, I’ll be able to do a few modeling gigs on the side and make cash that way.”

“I think that Mirio is the exception and not the rule, I don’t think-”

“The girl, Nejire, she can use her quirk to fly and she can blast things with more force than I can punch something even using my supposed super move. Sure her blasts drain her stamina but she’s trained that to the point where it doesn’t matter, and even if they’re slow, they’re still faster than I can run. The other boy Tamaki, to show us his quirk he turned his hand into a giant clam that was larger than I can make my hand.” Itsuka had her head on her knees. “There was no way I could do anything to any of them. No amount of hard work will change the fact that all I can do is make my hands bigger.”

He stared at her for a moment and scooted closer to her, placing a single hand onto her shoulder and awkwardly hugging her. “Itsuka, I know what you feel like. I was quirkless remember, for years it’s all I felt. Then, I met you and your dad, and before I ever met All Might I felt like there was something I can do. But you’re not me Itsuka. You’re amazing. Your quirk is amazing.”

She kept her head down as she leaned into him. “I’m at my limit. All I can do is get better at fighting and get in better shape. There’s no breakthrough with me like you and shoot style, I’ve been trying to find some way to improve, some creative way to use my quirk. But there’s nothing. I can’t run on my fingers any faster than I can on my feet, I can’t swing from the buildings. All I can do is crush stuff and punch stuff.”

He bit his lip, listening to her every word and letting it sink in. The cheerful mood they had been enjoying early was gone. He wanted to help her. He really did, but what was he supposed to say? Dammit, why was he so useless.

She was wrong. He knew she was. This was just a moment of vulnerability as she adjusted to life. Kendo-sensei would just call them growing pains wouldn’t he?

“I think.” He said softly letting his thoughts drip down onto his tongue as he weighed each word carefully. “I think that you’re wrong.”

She shivered, and shifted, looking at him with a green eye that he could barely see a glimmer of.

“I don't know how your quirk feels. But I think, that just thinking that you can’t do something makes it so that you can’t do something. I don’t know how but I know that you’ll be able to get through this. I know that you’ll become a great hero. Better than Miruko or Ryukyu, and that you’ll be able to-”

He was forced to the ground as Itsuka wrapped her arms around him her head buried into his chest. Soft laughter rumbled through him.

“Dammit Izuku, you’re supposed to be a hero in training, stop spouting so much motivational bullcrap.” She pulled up, looking at him and smiling before her face twisted in disgust like the tears weren’t even there. “Seriously you’re starting to sound like my father.”

“Well, it’s true. You don’t need a quirk like Shoto’s or Mirio’s to become a great hero. Sure, it might help, but you can do things that both of them can’t.” He placed a hand on her back and grabbed one of her hands entwining their fingers. “When there’s a disaster or some other kind of emergency Mirio won’t be able to save people. With your hands you can rip open a car to save someone, you can move rubble out of the way to get to people, you can even create wind to blow away flames. Being a hero isn’t always about fighting.”

“I know, I know.” She rolled off of him and let out a sigh as she stared up at the sky, readjusting their hands so their fingers were still entwined. “But my name is Battle Fist. Learning to fight is what I’ve been doing since I could walk. And I couldn’t do anything to him.”

“If your dad was here I think he’d be saying something about how he did not teach you to fight, he taught you how to find yourself on the path of life.”

She snorted. “Probably. Or something right out of an anime. Weird to think he’s going to be in a movie soon.”

“What? Is that why he said he won’t be at the dojo?”

“Yep, apparently me not being there made him bored enough to try and audition for a couple of movies for fun, and he got a roll as a sensei.” She held up her free hand and swished it around in the air. “So now he gets to say all that bull crap and be paid for it.”

“Huh, I guess that suits him.” Still, he had only just started to learn some of Sensei’s moves for shoot style, but he did have a bunch of notes to go through. And adapt it into his own style.

“Yea.” Itsuka sighed as a silence drifted between them.

“What are you going to do for the work-study?” Itsuka let go of his hand and wiped the sweat on his shirt as she sat up. Her long orange hair had picked up a few leaves that she began to pluck out. “Gran Torino again?”

“He’s busy,” He sat up and pulled a leaf out of her hair smiling at her. “But, I think I’m going to try All Might’s old sidekick Sir Nighteye. I’m going to ask him about it tomorrow.”

“Makes sense,” She hummed, a soft smile on her face that would have made what happened minutes ago a distance memory were it not for the few tears still on her face. “I mean chances are he’d be able to help you understand your quirk, wouldn’t he? Or maybe not.”

“I hope I’ll be able to learn something from him. But what about you? Going to try for Uwabami again?” He stood and helped her up.

She snorted and rolled her eyes. “As nice as the money is, I think I’ll pass. But I think I’m going to try for Otto.”

“Otto?” Mei’s brother that they met two weeks ago? The dude with the bike shop? “Is he even eligible? And why him?”

“He’s on the list, but he mostly gets support students that are focusing on engineering, and as for why.” She bit her lip smiling at him with a sparkle in her eye. “Well, he does own a bike shop, and he uses his bike when he’s on patrol, so it’d be a good chance to learn to ride while my dad is a way. I might even be able to get my license soon!”

“So you’re going to use your work-study to get your motorcycle license?” He asked raising an eyebrow at her.

She flustered for a moment. “That’s not all of it, honestly, I’m still going to learn stuff, he’s a pursuit hero that specializes in high-speed chases, there’s bound to be something I can learn from him. Like you said, there’s more to being a hero than fighting.”

That wasn’t exactly what he meant. “Well, Okay, if you say so, are you ready to head back?”

“How about another lap,” She pulled him into a hug resting her chin on his shoulder and sighed. “That way when I get back they won’t see I was crying.”

XXXX

This was absolutely amazing!

Itsuka laughed as they rounded a corner, the sidecar Otto had her in lifting up before slamming back down. The wind rushed past her as they zoomed past a car at speeds that most people would have gotten in major trouble for.

“Hold on tight Red!” Otto’s voice boomed in the speakers of her helmet, even if she could hear him over the rushing wind. The engine roared as he kicked it into another gear pushing it faster. “Target is 3.7 Kilometers away, going 200 km/h on the eastern speedway, Approximate weight 1.5 tons. We’ll catch up to them in 30 seconds get ready!”

Otto’s quirk was called pinpoint. It allowed him to determine the distance, speed, and velocity of whatever he was looking at. The only problem was that it required direct visual contact and he couldn’t look at the stars or else he’d get a headache. It also allowed him to navigate at speeds most humans lose control at.

“Right!” She squatted down, into a jumping position her feet held tight by a pair of shoes that Otto had given her for their patrols. After a few days of nothing important happening, this was their first crisis, and she wasn’t going to let him down. With a breath, she felt the rush come and go like waves on the beach.

They were going fast, fast enough that if she messed up, death was the most likely outcome even with the extra padding and safety equipment she was wearing.

She could do this.

They overtook a cop car and their target was fast approaching. It was a sports car, the kind that was driven by an asshole that probably parked in the handicap spot just because he could. It looked expensive.

“Alright, Little Red! You’re up!” Otto called over the mic as they pulled up right behind the vehicle. Otto’s bike shifted so that she was in the lead, and she extended both of her hands as large as she could. And then grabbed the car, pulling up on its rear, sparks flying as the front ground against the cement. The driver tried to turn away, but she had a hold of him now.

Maybe there was something to her hands she wasn’t seeing. Instead of feeling like she was holding a massive car that should be able to easily escape her grasp, it was more like a cat trying to get out of her arms.

“Alright, Battle Fist!” Otto called, “Keep him just like that! We’ll move him off the road soon enough! You make a fantastic car boot!”

It wasn’t much, but it was something.

Still, she wondered how Izuku was doing with his own Work-study.

The answer was a sh*t storm.

Chapter 20

Chapter Text

“It is a hundred years too early for you to be challenging me.” Kotetsu kept his voice calm, staring right at the groveling youth that had come to him. He was a peasant, some farmhand that knew nothing of Martial Arts and had no respect for the earth he walked on. He wanted training and when he had been turned down he turned violent.

The youth looked up at him with dazzling blue eyes stained by tears and filled with determination. Kotetsu was almost taken aback for a second before he remembered where he was. “Then I will ask you a hundred times for a hundred days for a hundred years! However long it takes to bring back my Yuki.”

“We shall see.”

Without another word, he turned closing the door to the dojo behind him.

The spotlights faded and a clack rang through he set.

“Alright! That’s a wrap!” The director shouted smiling at him ear to ear. “See, I told you Hurricane Striker is the old school sensei master of ways! He even came with his own customers! I knew that day you saved me years ago I wanted to see you on the big screen one day. I can’t believe it’s finally happening.”

“Sir,” the assistant said from beside him. “You say that after every scene with him.”

“I know I know, come on, let me be starstruck for a minute!” The director sighed and flipped through the script. “That’s all we have time for tonight we’re going to be filming the training montage tomorrow.”

Kotetsu smiled and rolled his eyes at the enthusiastic young direct. It was flattering having a fan like that. But the fact that it was some big shot director that he saved before his retirement was just pure luck. Especially since he wanted to bring back the glory days of Martial Arts movies. Luck was on his side.

Especially the filming location.

It was a bit like the vacation he never really wanted to take.

Clapping his hands in front of him he bowed at the director and the rest of the crew. “Thank you all for your hard work today. Now if you’ll excuse me I’m expecting to hear from my daughter tonight. I think she’s finally forgiven me for missing her birthday.”

The crew laughed as he waved goodbye. Perhaps he should get Itsuka to join in a movie sometime. But that wouldn’t be for a while.

He certainly could have made it to her birthday easily enough, it was just a few hours away by train, but she had been the one to tell him to stay put. Saying she was busy with her work studies and that she was going to celebrate with Izuku. That was just about a week ago.

Now he was just waiting for an update from the investigation team.

Shame he couldn’t be more active, but retirement was retirement. And his doctor still wasn’t too happy about his knees.

They were fine. Just old, cracky, and not what they used to be. But they were fine.

Humming as he made his way to his room he pulled open his phone and saw that he had a few texts from home. One was from Izuku, which was odd but not unheard of. The rest were all from his lovely daughter Itsuka. Hopefully, his daughter was doing well in her work studies program. He had been so proud of her when she got her hero license and that pride grew every day since.

Even if watching her stop a runaway car with her bare hands gave him a heart attack, - which at his age was something to actually worry about - he was still proud of her.

“Hurricane Striker sir.” A soft but firm female voice that he had grown used to these past few weeks called his attention back towards the entranceway. A woman stood there in a suit, her red eyes fixated on him.

“Ahh, Detective Mikoto, always lovely to see you, tell me how is your sister doing?” The Nijamas had been a surprise to encounter, but he understood why they would want to be a part of this as well.

His wife wasn’t the only one taken.

Mikoto ignored his personal question in much the same way her father used to. “He’s gone underwater.”

“Ahh.” His smile vanished and he stared at her. “It’s not the first time he’s done that. He probably figured that he was being watched. Unfortunately, he can survive underwater indefinitely. Avoid using sonar to try and find him, at least not in an obvious way, having a few fishing boats scanning the area would be ideal.”

Mikoto nodded. “I’m sure it wouldn’t be too hard to find officers that are willing to go undercover as fishermen. But there’s something you should know. He’s gotten larger. Much larger. I understand that sharks don’t stop growing, but for growth like this.”

“He might have had some help. See if you can send a team to investigate where he was located at. In the meantime, keep up the good work Detective Mikoto.”

“Sir!” She saluted and turned back to her police Motorcycle.

No doubt his daughter would have been overjoyed to see a bike like that. As to where she got her motorhead mentality he hadn’t the faintest clue. He waited until the youngest Nejima daughter was on her bike and out of sight before he turned towards his room and pulled out his phone once more.

Thank goodness he still had plenty of time before he had to worry about Itsuka driving a motorcycle.

He opened her message and saw that the most recent one was a photo. She was holding some kind of card up to the camera. The text was more telling.

“Hey, dad! Guess who got their bike license on the first try!”

His little girl was growing up way to fast!

XXXX

Itsuka stared at her newest license. In many ways, it was just as important as her provisional hero license, and it was all thanks to that time she put into working with Otto's hero agency that he was able to give her those extra lessons on the side. And now she was street legal! Ahh! This was so amazing!

She needed to find Izuku and tell him about this.

“So,” Yui hummed from the couch and turned the book with a level of sass she could feel. “Should I tell Izuku that you’ve moved on and are now dating your driver's license?”

“Do you just like live off witty remarks?”

“It sustains my soul.” Another sassy turn of the page. Was she even reading that thing? “But really, you don’t even have a bike to go along with it.”

“I’m working on that part. Besides, once I get some more practice in Otto might let me ride my own bike during patrols.” Besides, she almost had enough money saved up for her own bike. But it’d take a while to get one of the ones she wanted, even if she bought one from Otto. Why were bikes so expensive?

Especially if she wanted one for hero duty.

“But, I can’t go see Izuku right now. He has a meeting with Sir Nighteye. Though the meeting has been going on for a while, it’s getting close to dark.” It wasn’t that she was worried, but it was pretty much her first Sunday off since she started working with Otto. That was mostly because of her own obsession with wanting to get her license, but still, she had wanted to go on a date with him or do something.

“Hmm.” Yui nodded, now actually reading her book effectively ending the conversation.

Rolling her eyes Itsuka stood up, flipping a bit of Yui’s hair as she walked past, heading out into the cooling air that was not quite summer, not quite fall. The sky dyed orange by the setting sun and a few wispy clouds shown pink and purple. It would have been the perfect time to just walk around holding Izuku’s hand.

And maybe even try and kissing him before they got back.

Her face felt hot. She shook her head and turned back to Yui. “If anybody asks I’m going for a walk.”

“Try not to get lost thinking about Izuku.” Yui’s naturally dry tone only made the jab worse.

“I won’t!” Wait. “I mean. I wouldn’t I.” Crap what was she supposed to say if she said she didn’t think about Izuku then gah! “Yui!”

The girl smiled turning the page once more. “You’re so easy Itsuka.”

With a huff, she marched outside and turned on the path. Stupid Yui, why did she always have to tease her like that? And why was she always so right! It wasn’t fair! She should be excited that she has her license! And that she has an awesome boyfriend that’s working with All Might’s old sidekick.

And her dad was doing super well in his movie thing. Everything was looking super awesome for everybody in her family, she had nothing to worry about. Well, not everything. Izuku’s meeting was concerning. Especially with how some of his other classmates were gone too.

And apparently, all of the Big Three were missing as well.

Something big was going down and chances are Izuku was going to be in the middle of it all once again. Hopefully this time she wouldn’t have to go to the hospital to see him. She just had to fall for a danger magnet, didn’t she? Maybe that was his real quirk?

“Why do I have to help you with this?”

“Because you’re doing strength training and we’re in the same dorms! Now hurry I want to get back to the workshop before Sensei closes it and I have to pick the lock.”

“Wait what?”

“Well, it’s not so much picking the lock so much as using a blow torch to force my way in. But, really it’s the same thing.”

She looked up and saw a familiar pink head of hair on a feminine and much smaller body wearing a set of goggles on her head while carrying a stack of boxes filled with metal and other scraps. Behind her carrying a few more boxes was that purple-haired boy that Izuku beat during the sports festival.

Mei, and Hitoshi if she remembered right.

“How do you have so much energy for someone that doesn’t sleep?”

“How are you so tired for someone that sleeps every day? Don’t ask stupid questions, now hurry!”

Smiling she shook her head, she did promise Otto that she’d say hi to Mei for him. Besides she wasn’t doing anything.

“Mei, Hitoshi,” She jogged over to them smiling. “What are you two doing out here?”

“Moving junk Mei found into the workshop.” Hitoshi shifted the boxes in his arms as they came to a stop. “You wanna help?”

“Sure, I’ll take them all.” She enlarged her hand and offered it to them. Hitoshi was the first to unload his boxes. Mei looked confused then shrugged as she unloaded her load as well.

“That’s pretty handy.”

She looked at Hitoshi who groaned a moment after he said that placing a hand on his head.

“I’m starting to make puns.” He sighed and turned around. “I’m going to bed.”

“See ya Hitoshi!” Mei bounced on her feet before turning around. “Make sure the coffee pot is full in the morning!”

“I take it you and Hitoshi are coffee drinkers?” She asked following after Mei. “Otto says hi by the way. And wants to know when you’re going to come clean up your area.”

“Who?” Mei asked without looking back.

“Otto, your brother?” Right, she was starting to remember how weird Mei was.

“Oh! Right! My big brother! His name is Otto? That’s weird.” Mei shrugged and continued to just plow forward without a care in the world. “How do you know him anyway? And who are you? Besides Handy.”

“Oh, I’m Itsuka Kendo, I’ve been working at your brother's agency for a couple of weeks now.” She extended her free normal-sized hand towards Mei. Who promptly ignored it as they rounded another corner. “It’s nice to meet you, Mei.”

“Hmm, Itsuka, Itsuka, that name sounds familiar. I’ve heard it before.” Mei blinked at her before shrugging. “Sorry, I’m bad with names.”

Apparently.

How did Izuku deal with her so often?

“Do you know Izuku?” She asked leaning into the question.

“Frizzy green hair, neat muscles, and stutters a lot?” Mei asked.

“Yep?” Neat muscles? No! She wasn’t jealous. She wasn’t jealous. She just wanted to be the only one to touch Izuku’s muscles. Which she hadn’t done yet. Did Mei touch Izuku’s muscles? She should ask him.

“Then yes! I know him, he’s one of my best customers. How do you know him?”

“Oh, well, I’m his girlfriend.”

Mei came to a dead stop as they paused before the support wing. Then Mei was in her face a giant smile on her face. “You’re Izuku’s girlfriend! Why didn’t you say so sooner? Come with me I have something to show you! Oh, this baby has me so excited!”

Mei grabbed her hand and all but sprinted down the hallway dragging her along the way.

“Hey, wait, what?” She stumbled, trying to keep the boxes in her hand while being pulled towards the workshop. She had never really gone in there, her uniform was simple enough, and she didn’t really have any gadgets that would help her quirk. Hands to big.

Besides she liked how her costume looked.

“This is perfect!” Mei slammed open the door and sped past the sensei that just sighed as she stormed in. “I’ve spent maybe about twenty hours into this baby and I really want to see if it’ll fit before I continue with the design. I have to admit I really outdid myself with this. It’s like something straight out of Transforms.”

“Mei, the workshop is closing.” Maijima-sensei let out a growl as he made a feeble attempt to get Mei’s attention. “Please don’t make anything explode.”

Mei, as she appeared to do with most things, ignored him and continued to drag her to the back of the workshop. “Here it is! Half of your gear and my newest baby! You should thank Izuku for her by the way, I normally need to wait for a request but this baby was just too sleek to pass up.”

A sleek metallic contraption sat perched on one of the workbenches, a duel set then wheels acted as one while there looked to be a set of powerful engines inside of the frame. There was no seat, instead there looked to be like something closer to a handle. If anything it looked like someone had folded a bike in half and made it sleeker and cooler.

“What is it?” She asked dropping the boxes off as she looked at Mei’s baby. Whatever it was it looked amazing. And it was hers? It had wheels. Could she ride it? Was this Izuku’s idea? She had a great boyfriend.

“Grab the handle with your hand normal-sized, and then slowly enlarge it,” Mei said all but bouncing on her feet. “Don’t worry about breaking it, it should grow with you.”

“If you’re sure.” She didn’t hesitate and grabbed onto the handle, slowly growing her hand. As she did the object began to shift and change, moving around her growing hand. Once she was at the maximum size the object looked like some kind of gigantic metal fist with both the wheels on either side. “Am I supposed to punch people with this?”

“What? No, I mean, you could but you’d probably break it. It’s half of a quad bike that changes shape based on your fists so that way you can continue to use it to move at high speeds while using your fists. The wheels and the lightweight frame allow it to accelerate up a wall. Let go of the handlebar now.”

She did so and the bike fell off returning to its original form in a matter of seconds. “You’re making me a bike?”

“Technically I’m making me a bike, but when you fill out the forms I’ll be able to give it to you! Oh and after I finish it, I still need to find a quick snapping mechanism for both parts to fit together, and increase the change rate.” Mei moved over to a sketching table. “Also need to work on the battery packs as well but that’s no biggie, I needed to do that for my other projects too.”

“And how long will it take to finish?” Itsuka asked feeling her excitement growing. A bike! If she had known she could have requested a bike from the support department she would have done so as soon as possible! Maybe Izuku was right after all.

Mei shrugged. “Give me like a week, I’m not busy right now and I’m super excited to work on this! It was Itsuka right?” Mei extended her hand. “Nice to meet you.”

“Likewise.”

It was hard not to be excited and giddy as she left the workshop leaving Mei to her own devices. Everything just felt so awesome. Just imagine the look on Otto’s face when she showed up to his agency with a bike his little sister made! Once she figured out how to ride it with just her hands. But it should work as just a bike as well.

Hopefully.

Her excitement vanished when she saw Izuku.

He wasn’t sad exactly, but there was something weighing him down. Even the smile he gave her felt hollow.

“Hey, Itsuka.” He gave her a weak wave as she jogged over to him.

“Is everything alright Izuku?” she stopped just shy of touching him. Then she grabbed his hand, running a thumb over his scar and trying to cheer him up. “Did something happen?”

“I can’t really talk about it. I want to. But I mean. I can’t. Sorry.” He tightened his grip around her hand and sighed.

“You don’t have to say anything. I understand we’re both heroes remember?” She smiled pulling him closer and dragging him along with her. It was something big after all. “Whatever it is you’re going to save them right?”

His eyes sparkled and he gave her a true smile before nodding. “Yeah.”

Chapter 21: Twenty One Days

Chapter Text

“You wanna talk about it?”

Izuku turned to see his girlfriend walk up behind him, she looked cute in her usual casual Sunday clothes, and a bit like a badass with the black leather biker jacket he had gotten for her birthday. Beautiful badass was probably the best way to describe Itsuka. She had her phone clutched in her hands, concern etched onto her face.

He turned to his classmates many of them were still asking the others what happened and just being glad that they had all come back in one piece. Then he smiled at her reaching out to grab her hand. With everything that had happened she was the person he had most wanted to talk to.

“Sure, but not in front of everyone.” He still managed to smile as he turned to look at every one. “Do you guys mind?”

“Not at all,” Momo spoke up first, “It’s only natural you’d want to spend time with Itsuka after everything that happened.”

“As its this late on a Saturday, I’m reluctant to have a girl from another class in our dorm!” Tenya chopped at the air before he let out a sigh. “But, I’m willing to look past it just this once.”

“Great,” Itsuka pulled him back. “Let’s get out of here for a bit.”

“Huh? And go where?” She pulled him out the dorms easy enough.

“Be back by curfew!” Tenya shouted.

“We won’t be back by Curfew,” Itsuka whispered to him as she kept pulling him along, her cheerful smile back once more. A small laugh escaped her as she pulled him along, past the dorms and towards the main buildings.

“Wait, we won’t? Where are we going?” He managed to ask finally matching her near sprinting stride.

“You’ll see,” She stuck her tongue out at him and picked up the pace.

The turned past the workshop, and towards the back where a large multi-door garage existed. “I don’t think I’ve ever been here.”

“I didn’t even know it existed until two days ago.” She beamed punching in a code on a keypad next to a small door. A moment later a green light echoed followed by a buzz. “It’s where they keep gadgets to big to store with the costumes, it’s also used to be a testing ground but Mei kind of ended up taking it over with some of her larger projects, she’s been going real crazy lately. Anyways, wait here.”

Itsuka vanished into the door leaving him standing alone at U.A. at Night. Hopefully, no one appeared to yell at him. He didn’t want to go back on house arrest, even if they were less strict on the weekends.

The garage door began to lift open and a single headlight blinded him from its contents. Itsuka was wearing a teal green helmet that would have matched the colors of her hero uniform, and she was riding on a similarly colored motorcycle. Two wheels acted as one in both the front and the back giving the bike a unique look that came right out of the future.

“Itsuka! Did Mei make this?” He had known about her license and had been the one to suggest the project to Mei. But he didn’t expect it to be finished, let alone approved. He really needed to not underestimate Mei.

“Yep!” She flipped open her visor showing off her sparkling teal eyes. She reached back and handed him a green helmet with black highlights. “Now get on, we’re going for a ride.”

He held the helmet in his hands, it almost looked like his hero mask. “Are we allowed to? I mean normally gadgets aren’t allowed unless you’re wearing your costume.”

“Vehicles are different, I won’t be able to use this during hero training, so it’s up to me to use my free time to learn to ride better, and learn all the extra stuff it can do.” He could see her smile under her helmet. “Normally they don’t let first years have their own vehicles, but because I got my license, got experience in high-speed chases and now have my own bike, they made an exception.”

“That’s amazing.” It really felt like they were bending some rules for her. “Are you sure we won’t get in trouble.”

“I told Vlad-sensei I was going to get some night driving experience and he agreed with it.” She shrugged. “Now get on, I’m not telling you a third time.”

“Like this?” he asked straddling the seat.

She nodded, flipping down her visor. “Grab my waist until you feel more comfortable.”

He did, arms shaking as he basically hugged her from behind. It felt nice. He should hold Itsuka more. A lot more.

The bike began to shake, its engine far more silent that he would have thought, then it began to move, all but gliding through the wider sections of U.A. before they emerged from the larger vehicle gate. When it came to riding a bike Itsuka was a natural, she moved through the streets with ease.

Then they hit the highway, and the real rush hit him. The bike screamed as she accelerated out of the city and towards some new destination. Every car they passed on the highway was another rush, and he found himself smiling all the more.

It felt like he was running away from his worries, and that they had out-sped them leaving them in their dust and relaxation took hold of him. He could see why some people liked to ride bikes so much. It was oddly peaceful going incredibly fast with the wind howling past him.

Once they had gotten out of the city the traffic all but vanished as the sparkling Pacific Ocean was to their left and the looming Mt. Fuji to their right.

Itsuka pulled off the road at a beach. She removed her helmet, her long orange hair somehow fitting inside of it was now free and loose. “Come on, let’s head down there for a bit.”

Reluctantly he let go of her waist, his legs shook as he found the ground once more, all sense of time was lost at him as he stared up at the brilliant night sky, to the north, he could make out the shining jewel that was Tokyo. It was further than he thought.

“How long have we been riding?”

Itsuka shrugged, placing her helmet on her seat and leaping over the railing. “About 40 minutes, a good short ride to help clear your mind. Now come on, we can talk down here.”

She lead him down to the beach, where she sat on the sand. The sea breeze just crisp enough to make him a bit on the cold side. She pulled him down by his arm forcing him to sit as close as possible to her. Then placed his ar around his shoulder all without even looking at him.

“I saw what happened. On the news that is,” she said softly, her voice barely louder than the crashing waves of the star-filled sea before them. She rested her head on his shoulder and he squeezed her tighter. “How are you feeling?”

“Lost,” he finally admitted, allowing his head to drop. All those worries that had left him during the ride over her came biting at his ankles once more. “Really, really lost. Sir Nighteye. He was. He didn’t think I was the right choice until the end. He changed his mind at the end and said that I could change the future he saw. But I’m not sure.”

“Izuku, All Might chose you for a reason. And I might be biased when I say this.” She gave a soft laugh, moving her hand over his stomach. “But, I don’t think he could have picked somebody better.”

“Thanks. But. You’re wrong.”

Her green eyes snapped into a glare that made his heart stop a beat. She wasn’t just saying things. She meant what she said. “Name someone better than you.”

“Mirio Togata.” He sighed.

“Him? I don’t think he needs super strength with his quirk.” She blinked her glare vanishing.

“It’s not just that. Sir told me that Mirio was who he had wanted All Might to choose as a successor. He had all the qualities he was looking for in a hero, someone that smiled and put others at ease, someone that was trying their hardest no matter what.” He pushed away a tear he didn’t feel coming and bit his lip. “During the raid, he was hit by a bullet that erased his quirk.”

“That. That can happen?” she squeezed him tighter, the idea sending a wave of fear through her body. “That’s. That’s. That’d be like losing part of yourself.”

He nodded. “I know. I tried to offer him One for All. But he refused. Said that even if it was possible he would refuse because then I would be the quirkless one. I’m still not sure if I should go and offer it to him again. Really explain things.”

“Izuku, you need to stop treating this quirk as anything other than your quirk. Yes, it has a history, yes it was someone else's quirk. But right here, right now. It’s your quirk. I won’t stop you if you think that giving it to someone else is the right thing. But I don’t think that Mirio could use it any better than you could.” She was beyond sincere. “But if you do, I’d still date you. I like you, not just your quirk.”

“Thanks. That means a lot.” He sighed, resisting the urge to scratch the back of his head and disrupting their comfortable spot. “But, I think you’re right, there’s a chance that Eri can give him his quirk back after she gets better control over her quirk.”

“Eri?” She looked at him again.

“She’s the little girl we saved. It was her blood that was being used to make the quirk deletion bullets.”

“That sounds monstrous.”

He nodded. “It was, but she’s safe now. I’d like you to meet her if we get the chance.”

“Sure.” A silence drifted between them and Itsuka shivered holding him just that slightest bit tighter. “I’m so happy you got out of that okay. I was so worried when you were in the hospital that I forgot to eat and almost passed out during hero training. It’s a good thing Otto didn’t call.”

“For a badass biker chick, you sure do worry a lot.”

Itsuka huffed and stood up. “I trust that you’ll come back in one piece, but I can’t help it sometimes, especially when I hear about how bad things were. And someone didn’t text me.”

“Sorry! My phone got destroyed.”

“Uhuh, sure, well, whatever, let’s head back before we get in trouble.”

He really couldn’t help but think that Itsuka when she was just ever so slightly annoyed on him, look just that extra bit cuter.

“Oh, has your class decided to what they’re doing for the culture festival?” She asked as they made their way up to her bike. “We ended up deciding on a play.”

“Really that’s great? But no, I don’t think we’ve even talked about it. Class 1-B sure likes to think ahead.”

“No, they’re just obsessed with beating your class. And so’s Vlad-sensei. It’s going to be some romance mash-up play.” He saw her annoyed scowl just before she put her helmet on. “It was Nieto’s idea.”

“Oh.” A romance play? With Itsuka. If she was the lead that’d mean she’d end up kissing someone! She’d be kissing someone before they kissed. “Uhh, what part are you playing.”

“I won’t be in the play. I’ll either be busy burying Nieto’s corpse or participating in the beauty pageant he signed me up for.”

“You’re going to be in the beauty pageant?” He couldn’t help but let his mouth drop. “Does that mean you’re going to wear a dress.”

“Yep.” She started her bike and gestured for him to get on it. “Now quit smiling like that, you’re making me feel weird.”

XXXX

Why on earth was she doing this? After a week of planning, Izuku and Mirio were finally bringing Eri to the school for the festival. So why on earth was she being forced into a dress? The dress was a sea green highlighted by some other lighter green color that maybe looked like mint. It left her shoulders and upper neck completely exposed.

The whole thing looked like it was held up by just her boobs and her hips.

“Ouch!” She whined as Yui pulled on some strings making it just the slightest bit tighter around the waist. “Does it have to be so tight?”

“Unless you want to add a rack attack to your martial arts display then yes.” Yui’s ever so helpful response was followed by a new pinch around her hips. “Especially if we want to show off your curves. And all the other good stuff you have going on.”

Great, Yui was flirting with her now.

“You sure you don’t want the one that shows off your abs?” Setsuna’s head rolled by while her hands held up what was basically a bikini with pants. “Seriously girl, the only one that has you beat is Tetsutetsu, your boyfriend, and like maybe a few others.”

The hands tilted downwards. “Seriously, how are you that in shape and still have boobs that big?”

She covered her chest and frowned. “I don’t know, can we please not have this talk now? Or actually ever!”

Why were all the girls in her class such perverts?

“Fine, but really that dress looks great on you Itsuka, just bear with it a little while longer while.” Setsuna floated away taking that horrible excuse for a dress with her.

She looked at herself in the tall mirror that had been set up in the curtained area they were borrowing. The dress didn’t look bad on her. But she just didn’t feel comfortable in it. There was a scowl on her face that just said she didn’t want to be here. “Why am I the one doing this again?”

“You’re our best bet to beating class 1-A,” Reiko muttered. “After you got so far in the sports festival, and that fight you put up against Katsuki, and then your commercial appearances, and then that footage of you stopping that high-speed chase, you’re really our most popular classmate.”

“But, class 1-A isn’t even running.” Izuku had said that their sensei hadn’t even mentioned it.

“So, it’ll still be a victory if you place!” Setsuna shouted. “Just please put up with it a bit longer prez!”

“Fine,” She groaned, “Just hurry up and get-”

“Oh?” She heard from behind the curtain. It was Nejire Hado’s voice. “Eri’s here? Why why? How exciting but why?”

“We’re showing her around campus before the festival.” She heard Mirio’s voice. “We wanted to see how you were doing, and I bet a certain younger classmen is eager to see his girlfriend.”

“What?” That was Izuku’s easily startled voice traveling through the room. “I mean, yea, I want to see her, but I also want Eri to meet her.”

Izuku was here? Now? While she was in a dress? Why?

Well, she knew why, but why now!

“Oh, she’s putting on her dress, let me see if she’s free!” Nejire’s head appeared from above the curtain. “Itsuka your boyfriend is here!”

“Thanks, Nejire,” She smiled at her upperclassman. Did everybody know about her relationship with Izuku? Sure they didn’t really hide it, but they weren’t really that public with it. Aside from the hand holding, the lunch dates, and, okay it was obvious. As obvious as it was that they liked each other.

Without waiting to put on her shoes she hopped off the stool the others had forced her on. Well, Izuku was going to see her in a dress eventually, might as well get it over with.

The instant he saw her, his mouth dropped. The way he was looking at her just made her face heat up and her heart quickened. She knew that Izuku had thought she was attractive, but making his jaw drop. That was something else. Maybe there was something to wearing a dress.

“Hey, there, Izuku.” She half mumbled as she came to stand in front of the group. Mirio nodded her way, and Nejire hummed off to her side. “Mirio, and.” she looked down and saw an adorable little girl with white hair and a horn sticking out of her head. “You must be Eri.”

She squatted down and held out her hand to the girl. “Hi there, I’m Itsuka. Izuku told me a lot about you.”

“You look good Itsuka,” she heard Izuku stutter, and she smiled up at him. “Well, I mean you always look good, I just mean that this is a good different or I mean uhh.”

“Izuku?” Eri asked tugging on his hand still not taking her eyes off of him, “Is she your girlfriend?”

“Yep! This is Itsuka, wait she said that already. Wait, how do you know what a girlfriend is? Oh wait, Mirio told you. Uhh yes, this is Itsuka, she’s very important to me and-”

“She’s really pretty,” Eri said wide-eyed.

Great, now she was blushing because a six-year-old said she was pretty.

“Aww, thanks Eri, I like your dress you look really cute.”

The child beamed at her.

Maybe she should put a bit more effort into the contest.

“Hey, what about me Eri?”

“Nejire, don’t be jealous, you look great.”

“You don’t count Mirio! I wanna be praised by Eri too.”

XXXX

A month of preparation, planning, and extra classes flew by in a heartbeat.

Even with his encounter with Gentle Criminal early that day and almost being late to his classes rock star performance, he had but one thought on his mind. Seeing Itsuka in her dress again. Even when he was struggling to make sure that Eri got her chance to smile, somehow that one desire kept coming up in his mind again.

It had been worth the wait.

Now that everything was said and done and he had finally gotten to the Miss Con beauty Pageant, he stared at her as she stood among the contestants.

He had only seen the end of her performance.

But he couldn’t stop staring at her even when the other girls took their turns.

“And in a surprise upset! Third place goes to Bibimi Kenranzaki!” The crowd cheered as the former two-time winner stepped up and accepted her place.

“And in second place, the heroin that showed us beauty and brawn, Itsuka Kendo!” Itsuka nodded and took her spot as second place.

“And taking first place, with overwhelming cuteness and whimsy, Nejire Hado.” Nejire laughed, spinning and dancing in the air as she accepted her prize.

Finding Itsuka after everything was done, was easy.

The tricky part was getting her alone.

“You know,” Itsuka sighed, his jacket around her shoulders as they walked back to their dorms, her heeled shoes in her hands as she took careful steps. “That was really sweet what you did with Eri, she was really cute when she saw the candied apple you made her.”

“It was worth seeing her face light up like that.” He smiled reaching over to grab her hand.

“Mirio’s too, I think he might have made an even cuter expression than Eri did.” Itsuka laughed into a sigh. “But y' know I’m so tired, I don’t think I can do that again.”

“What? Why not, besides next year you basically have no competition so you can actually win.” He might have been a bit selfish in wanting to see his girlfriend dress up again. But he was ready for her usual outfits as well.

“You have a point, but between the contest, that commercial I did, and all the other stuff happening it just feels like I haven’t been able to spend much time with you.” She gave a sigh and put her head on his shoulder. “Even if I had gotten first place I think I would have preferred spending the night with you, Mirio, and Eri instead. Just sucks I had to miss your dance. It sounded fun.”

“It was, it really was.” They came to a stop in front of their dorms. The other students were milling about cleaning stuff up, not paying them any attention. “And you looked beautiful tonight Itsuka, I really mean it.”

“I know.” she smiled softly. “Hey, we have a small break in a week, do you want to come with me to see my dad? We can take my bike the whole way. It’ll be fun, what do you say?”

“Sure, sounds like fun.” He sighed and looked at their dorms. “Well, I mean, I. I uhh, I’ll see you tomorrow I guess.”

“Yea.” She still held his hand. “Hey, Izuku.”

“Ye-”

He was cut off as Itsuka leaned in close, not abruptly, but just with a soft subtle movement until their lips touched.

If only for just a moment.

His body jolted to full attention energizing more than any form of coffee ever could.

Then it was over just like that.

His first kiss.

His first kiss with Itsuka.

She laughed, looking at him, then kissed him on the cheek. “I’ll see you tomorrow you dork!”

He really didn’t know how much longer he was going to stand there for. But it didn’t really matter. He had gotten a kiss!

“Yahoo!”

“Shut the f*ck up Deku! I’m trying to f*cking sleep!”

Chapter 22

Chapter Text

“Do you have everything ready?” She turned looking towards Izuku, he looked more nervous than usual and was holding a backpack in his hands. He was wearing a a thick brown jacket that made him look a bit bigger than he actually was. There was still a bit of sleep in his eyes, it the early morning just simply didn’t agree with him.

“Yaeawwn.” He yawned nodding his head. “I think so, we’re only staying for a day so I packed light.”

“Awesome, you know if you’re tired, you should drink some coffee or something.” Itsuka laughed at him as she strapped her bag onto her bike. This was the first long-range trip she was going to take on it, and she had to make her own saddle bag for the bike. Her dad was so going to freak out when she showed him her new bike.

Looking at Izuku she smiled and her boyfriend.

“I should get used to the taste if we’re going to be kissing,” Izuku yawned and then stopped, his face flushing ready as his embarrassment rushed away any traces of sleep on his face.

Her own face heated up as well and she bit her lip, looking at his face for a second. She covered her mouth, horror washing over her. “Can you really taste coffee when we kiss?”

“No! I mean yes. A little bit. It was just because you had drunk it that morning I thought! Forget I said anything.” He floundered for a second, his face all but glowing red in the dreary morning light. “I still like kissing you.”

She lowered her hand and smiled at him. “Thanks, uhh, me too.”

With hers and Izuku’s bags secured to her bike she smiled. Her first road trip Sure it was only about five hours away, but it still counted and most of it was along coastal highways. Spending it with Izuku was going to make things just that much better. “There, all set. You ready to go?”

“Yeah,” Izuku nodded smiling again. “Are you sure your dad won’t mind us dropping in on him like this? Isn’t he on a movie set?”

“It’ll be fine, he said I could come to visit him whenever.” She handed Izuku his helmet before putting her own on and getting onto her bike. It was really hard to complain about a free bike, especially since Mei went above and beyond making it for her. But, she just wished that it had a real engine one that would roar when she started it up. Instead, there were four nearly silent electric motors that hummed to life.

She felt Izuku get on behind her, him wrapping his arms around her waist, made her heart go a little crazy. Maybe she should try laying with him like this sometime? Or sitting on his lap? She should think about that later. “Oh, by the way, I haven’t told my dad we were dating so this should be fun!”

“Wait what-”

She sped out of U.A. hitting the freeway in no time, leaving Izuku’s words in their dust. Everything would be fine, her dad was weird, and a bit on the protective side, but he was also understanding. Besides he liked Izuku so it would be fine.

But, ever since she moved into the dorms he’s been not exactly distant, just less overbearing. Maybe he finally started dating again and that’s why he went out of his way to star in a movie of all things. Who knew?

Her dad was weird.

XXXX

Kotetsu frowned as he looked down at the report. For nearly a month Sharkocoplyse had been dormant, the round probings from the fishing boats showed that something was there. Something big. But now those reports came back empty.

He looked up at the eldest of the Nijima sisters her silver hair betraying her youthful ferocity. A deep scowl was etched onto her face as well and the pistol strapped to her side was a clear reminder of the stakes. That was right. He had lost more than his wife that day. He had lost a friend and they had lost their father.

“And we have no idea where he went?” He focused on the here and the now. Thinking about the past would get him killed. This wasn’t about revenge, this was about not repeating mistakes. That was from the movie script.

Sae shook her head and let out a sigh. “Makoto is checking with a few other fishermen to see if they found anything, but something this large is unlikely to be kept quiet.”

She pulled out another map and gestured towards the entrance of the bay. “We know he hasn’t left the bay, and we haven’t heard any sightings of him entering the mainland, at his size we’d have heard something.”

“With any luck he’s just out trying to get food.” His admittedly bad joke bounced off of Sae’s scowl like she was made of stone. Makoto might have smirked. Itsuka would have rolled her eyes. “Is that town prepared to evacuate in case he emerges?”

“As much as they can be without raising alarm. Same with the other towns in the bay and the city has their coast guard in place. Local heroes have also been notified, but we aren’t sure if they’ll be able to respond in time. Given the area, we’re dealing with.” Sae’s fists tightened as she looked at the table before her shoulders slumped. “I just hope Makoto isn’t near the fighting.”

He shifted his stance folding his arms and smiled at her. “Your sister wishes to fight and keep you safe as much as you do. Fighting would be her choice.”

“I’m not here for a lecture. Keeping her safe would be my choice.” She knocked her knuckle against the wood.

“I understand.” He grabbed the maps from the table and rolled them back up. “Keep me in touch should Makoto find something.”

“I will.” Sae grabbed the papers and turned towards the door of his hotel room. Pausing with less than half a step taken. “And Kotetsu. Sorry. It really means a lot that you’re here with us. Dad would have been happy to work with you again.”

“He would have been proud of who his daughters have become.”

“I-” Sae paused, finally cracking a smile. “Thank you. I’ll go check in with Makoto.”

She opened the door and let out a small gasp. “Oh, hell there Itsuka, I haven’t seen you in years.”

“Huh?” He heard his daughter’s voice drift in from the outside.

Itsuka? What was she doing here? Why was she here? Now? Of all times? He needed her to not be here. Clutching the table he looked just past Sae to see the telltale red hair of his daughter.

“Am I supposed to know you? I thought this was my dad’s room.” His daughter said softly a bit of accusation in her voice.

“It is, I’m Sae Nijima, I only met you a few times when you were little, so I’m not surprised you don’t remember me. Our dads used to work together, and I was,” Sae paused and turned back to look at him red eyes searching for an answer. “Asking your father for some help on a case I’m working on.”

“Oh, uh, well it’s nice to meet you.” The two girls shook hands.

“Likewise, now if you’ll excuse me I must be getting back to the-” Sae paused as she looked outside at something. “Is that bike yours? I’m sure you and Makoto would get along fantastically. Bye now.”

“Thank you!”

Part of him wasn’t prepared for Itsuka to walk in. He hadn’t seen her in what felt like years even if it was just over a month. She hadn’t changed a bit, aside from the fact that she was now wearing a leather biker jacket and her hair was pressed against her head in places likely from the helmet in her hands.

But it was hard to notice that she felt just that smallest bit more grown up. She had always been independent, he shouldn’t be surprised that she’d be growing up without him. Swallowing his fears he put on a smile.

“Oh, my well if it isn’t my wonderful daughter! What brings you all the way out here?” He smiled opening up his arms as Itsuka walked over to him, no running, no screaming, just a pure simple walk and hugged him for far too little time.

“We had the day off, and I needed to test my bikes long rang ability so I decided to come see you.” Itsuka smiled as she pulled out of their hug and then shrugged. “I also wanted to see how you were doing as an actor and I figured you were missing me.”

“I was, thank you for coming.” He patted her head and looked out the still open door to see Izuku standing there looking even more nervous than usual. “Come now Izuku, you can come hug your sensei too.”

“Yes, Sir! Sensei! Kendo Sir! Mr.” Izuku stuttered and walked towards them stiff as a board. If he tried to use his quirk in a state like that the tension might break the poor kid.

“Did something happen with him?”

“Oh, right,” his oh so wonderful daughter laughed taking a step back over towards Izuku and grabbing his hand. And entwined their fingers. Oh. “He’s just nervous that we didn’t really tell you that we’ve been dating since August.”

“Sorry for asking for not telling you sooner!” Izuku bowed at the waist over and over again. “I was too nervous while you were showing me techniques for my shoot style and I thought Itsuka would tell you! I promise that I’m-”

“Izuku,” He laughed walking over to the boy smiling at him as he placed a hand on his shoulder. Even Izuku was growing up. Especially with what happened on the news, Inko had sent him at least one whole essay’s worth of texts on the subject. “My boy, if it’s you that makes my daughter happy, then it makes me happy to.”

He could all but see the stress leaving the boy. He really couldn’t have that, could he? He had spent many hours thinking about this moment, sadly he always thought it wouldn’t be a student so he couldn’t rightfully intimidate Izuku with martial arts. Well, he could, but it just wouldn’t be the same.

“Really?” His daughter’s mouth fell open. “That’s all you’re going to say? I thought you’d try to embarrass me.”

Such was his fatherly duty.

He smiled at Izuku, squeezing the boys shoulder hard. “But if you ever do anything to make my daughter sad I will show you a whole new world of agony.”

Izuku’s face paled. “Yes, sir! I won’t sir!”

“Good.” He clapped his hands and ushered them out the door. “Why don’t we go outside and grab a bite to eat? You can even show me this bike of yours I’ve heard so much about.”

“You’re going to love it! It was made by Mei in the support department, at first they were reluctant to let me have it even with my license, but because I had experience with high speed chases Vlad-sensei argued for me to be able to use it!”

“That’s wonderful,” Though a large part of him wished that she didn’t have her bike. “How long will you be staying here?”

“Oh, just the night, then we need to drive back.”

It was just one day. He should have warned her he was doing dangerous work and to stay away. But he didn’t want to worry her. It was just one day.

“Well then, I’ll be sure to cherish your visit as much as I can.”

XXXX

“Is something wrong Kendo-sensei?” Izuku asked as they sat at a small cafe that looked out over the bay. The fresh scent of baked goods and soba was only slightly overpowering the salt air and Itsuka’s second cup of coffee. It still smelled fantastic.

Kotetsu’s eyes widened before his trademark smile forced them closed once more. “There are many things in this world that are wrong Izuku, but what specifically are you referring to?”

Itsuka rolled her eyes.

“Oh, well, it’s just that you’ve been staring towards the ocean all day. Even when we were up at the shrine and movie set you were still looking towards the bay.” He paused, holding his tea and letting out a breath.

“I’ve noticed it too,” Itsuka drummed her fingers around her coffee. “I just thought it was close to mom’s birthday. But I don’t think that’s it.”

“You’re right. Both of you.” Kotetsu placed both hands flat against the table eyes closed as his smile faded. He looked old, the white was more prevalent in his hair than it had been a month ago. “With All Might’s retirement, it feels as though the world has been far too peaceful. The pillar that has supported us for so long has crumbled and now we are all just waiting for the ceiling to fall. This peace isn’t going to last for us, and the tension is eating at us all.”

“You make it sound like you’re not retired anymore, dad.” Itsuka took a sip from her coffee the usual smile she had afterward was replaced with the smallest frown. He still needed to fix what he said this morning about her kisses tasting like coffee, but that could wait. “And it hasn’t been peaceful. Izuku had that raid thing and I was busy during my time at Otto’s agency.”

“You are too young to know the world before All Might showed up. When he first showed up any country he was in saw their crime rate reduced by 20% and globally 5%. A single man caused all that. Something is coming, something big.” He sat back up smiling at them. “At least, that’s what this old man feels.”

“Dad I-”

The T.V. in the corner had its volume raised as the sounds of screams echoed through the cafe. It was a shot of a burning building, gouts of flame appearing as the camera zoomed in. A large black creature flew in the air getting blasted. “This just in, a large black beast known as a Nomu has appeared and is currently fighting against the current number one hero Endeavor and the number two hero Hawks. And things are not looking good as their attacks aren’t doing anything against the beast.”

They all stared at the T.V. watching the fight go on through a shaking camera. It was as though the world had wanted to punctuate what Kotetsu had said with the loudest exclamation point possible.

Kotetsu groaned tearing his eyes from the T.V. “And I fear that this is the world you two are-” He paused eyes darting back to the ocean. He stood, knocking over his chair and his drink. “Run.”

“What?” Itsuka asked. They both stood to look out over the ocean.

“I said run!”

Emerging from the ocean was a large grey creature, it’s head was like that of a great white’s filled to the brim with gigantic teeth that were stained yellow. A set of arms that were larger than some cars pushed were matched by four tentacles that lashed about tearing the roof off one of the buildings and crushing a car. More tentacles curled about the creatures head as he looked up, right at then, nostrils flaring as two sets of eyes glared at them.

The smile that the creature made filled him with dread.

And it’s cackling howl only made things worse.

“Kotetsu! I found you!”

Then it charged up the steep slope with the unstoppable force of a landslide, pushing buildings and cracking the road.

“Run!” Kotetsu shouted once more as he pushed them out the door. “Go get help, run, whatever you do stay away!”

He could see the fear in Kotetsu’s eyes, matched only by his anger and courage. Their exit was blocked by the rest of the customers trying to get out of the shop.

“Get them to safety!” Kotetsu shouted another order as he kicked a window shattering it, before leaping out there one leg extending up into the sky as he met the charging creature. Thunder sounded as he struck. But the creature was not phased.

“Is that all you have Kotetsu! I can’t even feel your kicks anymore!” The creature laughed its large muscular limbs moving to try and grab Kotetsu. He was just barely fast enough to dodge. “You’re getting slow old man! But I’m immortal! You can’t hurt me thanks to my new friends! I’ll just keep getting bigger and stronger until you can’t run away anymore! Haha!”

One of the tentacles snapped like a whip, hitting Kotetsu in the side and sending him through a building. It was only the site of his legs pushing out and striking the creature in the face faster than it could react.

“Everybody’s out!” Itsuka shouted from the entranceway, her face was tight and her eyes hard as she stared at the fight down below. “We need to help him now.”

“He told us to run.”

“When the hell have I ever listened to him? He can’t hurt that thing! He’s fast, not strong. we can do damage to it. Please. I’m not going to let my dad fight alone.” She reached into his bag and pulled out the gauntlet that Mei had made for him. “We’re going.”

He was going to get so many lectures about this. And he’d been doing so good not doing anything stupidly heroic recently. Wait. No, he was still in trouble over the Gentle Criminal thing.

Oh well.

“Right, I’ll distract it, see if you can rip off one of its tentacles.” He put the glove on and activated full cowl. He was going to need all the power he could if this thing was half as strong as any of the other Nomu. If it even was a Nomu.

He jumped through the window first, launching a long-range wind blast at the creatures head. A direct hit only seemed to annoy the creature like a slap to the face. Still, it was something. He blasted it again, drawing its attention towards him and away from Kotetsu and Itsuka. His heart was racing with every step he took.

A tentacle rushed towards him cracking like a whip.

“That tickles!”

He was barely able to dodge it.

Itsuka followed up, her enlarged hands grabbing the fleshy tendril and pulled and twisted it. Ripping it off and spilling thick black blood everywhere.

The creature laughed once more, the shortened tentacle wriggling in the air before the end began to bubble. In less than a second, the tentacle was back to its full length. Great, it could regenerate.

“Oh? What do we have here?” The creature grinned at Itsuka all eyes trained on her. “Well if it isn’t a little Mui, now that I think about it weren’t her last words about keeping her safe Kotetsu? I think I’ll make you watch her die the same way I made you watch Miu die.”

The building exploded and a double set of legs slammed into the creature’s face. Kotetsu’s body followed afterward, his body spinning with the grace of a dancer and the deadliness of a martial arts expert. His legs continuously shooting outwards fast enough that they created sonic booms.

“Stay away from my daughter!” Kotetsu shouted, his hair was wild, his robes torn and blood dripped from his head. “Itsuka! Izuku! Run! This is not your fight!”

“Why bother I’m going to kill you all anyway! All you heroes are going to die!”

Without warning, he launched another attack at the mouth of the creature. It did less than before. Was he adapting to it already? This had to be a Nomu. “We’re not going to leave you Sensei!”

“Right we-” Itsuka screamed as the beast lunged towards her, its gigantic meaty arms tearing through the ground itself to reach her. She wasn’t fast enough and the hand grabbed her.

One for All exploded around him as he charged at the creature, abandoning the long-range attack for shoot style. He felt something give when he kicked the creatures arm, some kind of a snap, but if it cared it didn’t show.

The attack was enough to pry Itsuka free from its grasp as it threw her tumbling towards another building. She didn’t get back up.

“Izuku!” Kotetsu swore. “Please! Take Itsuka and run! She needs to live! Please!”

Kotetsu leaped up to one of the fallen power lines, grabbing a still live power cord, his hair slowly standing on ends as he jabbed it into the creature. It screamed as electricity surged through it. “Take her and run!”

Izuku bit his lip. So hard that he could feel the blood pooling into his mouth. He wanted to fight. He rushed to Itsuka’s side, blood pooled from a cut on her forehead and her breaths were shallow. He wanted to fight, but he needed to save her.

He didn’t look back as the creature screamed in pain as more electricity poured through it. “This won’t work for long Kotetsu! You can’t kill me! I’ll kill you and your daughter!”

It took all his strength not to look back as he continued to run. His heart sinking with every step. With full cowl, he was easily able to cover a large distance. But it never felt far enough. Was that what they were going to fight? What about the one attacking Endeavor? Why was that one here? How were they going to stop it?

“Dad?” She heard Itsuka mumble, struggling as she slowly came back too. Her eyes went wide. “Dad! Izuku! Put me down! We have to go back!”

“He said run Itsuka! We can’t fight that thing. Not yet!” He swore. What was the point of having One for All if he couldn’t fight something like that? What was the point of being a hero if he ran? “Dammit!”

“Put me down Izuku!” She struggled, but he held her tight, pushing forward and putting as much distance between them and that monster as he could. “Izuku! Please!”

She was crying.

“He’s going to die!” she whimpered. “Izuku!”

She grew silent as he looked over his shoulder to see a thin pair of pillars stretching up into the sky, a grey dot was at its tip before they vanished into the clouds.

“No,” he heard Itsuka mumble as she started to weep, clutching onto him as she stopped struggling.

Kotetsu’s quirk, through hard training and tireless effort, had been developed to the point that he could extend his legs at a speed greater than Mach 5. The maximum length of his legs had gone unknown due to difficulty testing it.

Izuku watched as the line broke, slowly fading into nothingness, holding his breath for that creature to fall from the clouds, and hoping that such a fall would kill it.

XXXX

Kotetsu smiled as he watched Sharkacoplyse flail in the low oxygen area of the upper atmosphere. Ice already forming along his massive body and blood leaking from odd places. He was cold. So very cold, and his vision was fading. His legs were gone, shattered above the kneecap leaving frigid stumps of frozen flesh and blood. His arm torn off by a desperate attack from his foe floated just out of reach.

He was falling, slowly, towards the earth, but Sharkacoplyse, as the ice began to tear at his body, would not share his fate, that final kick he delivered should be enough to push him out of Earth’s orbit.

He always wondered if his legs were long enough to reach space.

Itsuka.

Izuku.

I’m sorry.

I won’t be able to help you in the new world filled with monsters.

But I believe in you.

Go.

Become strong.

Make a better world.

Chapter 23: Loss

Chapter Text

The train rattled as he walked into the cabin. It was empty, it often was this late on a Monday night and with the recent events, few people wanted to risk traveling. And the silence did nothing to help his mood do anything but remain sour. It felt like he didn’t even know how to smile. But Itsuka had it worse. Much worse. All that had remained of her father was a foot snapped at the ankle and a single sandal. The rest had splashed down somewhere in the ocean, recovery teams were still searching.

“Your bikes in the storage cabin.” He mumbled taking the seat across from Itsuka.

She glared at him, her eyes red and dry from crying away every single tear she had. Her hair was down, partially held back by the bandage that covered much of her head, and her right arm was in a sling, left-over damage from when that monster had struck her. Her mouth was small, and she hadn’t spoken to him in a while.

The water bottle clutched in her hand hadn’t been drunk from.

He wanted to ask her if she was okay. But he knew that answer. She wasn’t she was the furthest thing from okay. And so was he. It was taking everything he had to do what needed to be done.

“You should drink, I don’t want you to dehydrate.” He said calmly trying to ease her into talking to him.He wanted her to say that she wasn’t mad at him. She probably was. Of course she was.

“What’s the point?” Her eyes hardened as she whispered her eyes stabbing at him. Her water bottle created before she pulled her arm back and threw it at him. “What’s the point of having a quirk like that if you can’t even beat one monster?”

He flinched as the water bottle hit him in the lip, a second later he tasted blood. “Itsuka, I’m sorry.”

“Sorry won’t bring him back.” She turned from him and stared out the window, fresh tears pooling down her face. “Maybe you should give Mirio your quirk.”

She was just emotional. Like Kota was. Only this time it was someone he really cared deeply for. So the words stung, even if she didn’t mean it. “Maybe your right. Mirio was willing to give up everything to try and save Eri. But, I wasn’t willing to give you up to save your dad. I’m sorry.”

Itsuka remained silent, refusing to meet him in the eyes.

Apologizing wouldn’t do anything he had said sorry so many times that it was starting to lose meaning to him. Pushing away another tear he sighed drawing in another breath. “I didn’t know he was going to do. I thought he was going to distract it. Or something. Not sacrifice himself to stop it. I just-”

“I know.” her voice cracked as a new rush of tears poured out from her. “I know. He’s an idiot. And an asshole for leaving me along just to avenge mom. He didn’t have to die. He wanted too.”

She wiped away another tear, still not looking at him. “I didn’t mean what I said.” She coughed and choked on her tears. “I’m just f*ck. I don’t know okay.”

“It’s okay Itsuka, I-”

“No.” she turned to him. “It’s not f*cking okay Izuku. I’m upset so I’m trying to make you upset! It’s f*cking bull sh*t! I can’t stop myself from wanting to blame you even when I know I shouldn’t! I hate that thing for showing up! I hate Sae and Makoto for dragging my dad into this! I hate my dad for dying.”

She turned towards him and wiped away some tears. “But really. I hate myself for not being strong enough. Why am I so weak? I can’t even save my dad!”

“You’re not weak Itsuka. I don’t think a lot of people would be able to put up a fight against that guy. I don’t think that the big three would be able to do anything either. Their quirks are strong none of them are great against giant monsters. Really it’s my fault for not being strong enough yet.”

“Stop taking all the blame,” Itsuka sniffled a humorless smile on her face as she pushed back a few growing tears. With her palm on her forehead, she grew her hand until it large enough to completely cover her face. Then she screamed, and once more he was thankful that their train car was empty.

He shifted in his seat, waiting for her to calm down. Maybe he should hug her or something? Would that be too much? It’d make him feel better but he needed to know if that’s what Itsuka needed. She’d snapped at him and apologized to him at least six times so far.

She pulled her hand away, looking like her will to live was being drained from her. “I don’t know what to do.”

“I think you should be asking yourself what do you want to do.” He folded his arms just like the way Sensei used to do while smiling at Itsuka and doing his best impersonation of the voice.

She snorted a genuine smile appearing on her face for just a second. “Smack you for trying to quote him like that.”

“I’m being serious though Itsuka. To your father, I think he always wanted you to do what you wanted to do. I don’t think that should change.” He leaned forward not taking his eyes off of her and enjoying her smile while it lasted. “So what do you want to do?”

“I don’t know, sleep?” She shrugged voice cracking again. “I feel so lost right now. I mean. I don’t have anybody right now.”

He paused for a a second. Then without thinking, he spoke softly. “You have your classmates, you’re their biggest sister after all. And I mean. You have me.”

Itsuka stared at him for a second, contemplating what he just said, before she stood up. “Scoot over.”

“Huh?” He did what she asked and moved closer to the window. She took the seat next to him, and all but fell on him, her face nuzzling into his chest as she gave a soft sigh. “Itsuka?”

She shifted, not looking at him as she snuggled in closer, his whole body growing hotter by the second. Once she was comfortable. She let out a sigh that was half laugh and half sob. “Just, like, hold me until we get there okay?”

He nodded, moving his arm around her shoulder and holding her tight. “Sure. Whatever you want.”

XXXX

Izuku pushed Itsuka’s bike out of the station, careful not to let the vehicle drop, somehow that five-hour train ride had resulted in both of them getting just enough sleep to be functional. Itsuka let out a yawn from his side, though his shirt was stained with tears when he woke up, she hadn’t cried since they woke up. It was something he supposed.

Waiting for them at the entrance of the station were two people. His mother who immediately ran over to Itsuka, pulling the girl into a tear-filled hug. And Yui.

“Oh my goodness Itsuka!” His mother cried hugging the girl gently. “I’m so sorry for your loss. If you ever need anything let me know. I know it doesn’t mean much, and oh I’m making a mess out of this, I just want to help you however I-”

“Ms. Midoriya,” Itsuka mumbled returning his mother’s hug with one arm. A soft pleasant smile on her face that made the tear stains on her face vanish. “Thank you, I’ll be fine, I promise.”

“Oh, I know you will sweety, you’re a strong girl. But don’t try to shoulder everything yourself, you have many people that’ll support you if you need them to.” His mother placed a hand on Itsuka’s shoulder nodding and stepping back to give Yui room.

Yui stepped forward, she was dressed in her U.A. uniform, her face flushed from either running or something else. She stopped in front of Itsuka, and then looked at him, then back at her. “I uhh, I felt like I should meet you here.”

This time it was Itsuka that pulled Yui into a one-armed hug. “Thanks Yui. But shouldn’t you be in class?”

“I told Vlad-sensei I was going.”

“And he let you?”

“Not really.”

Itsuka gasped and pushed Yui out of their hug, laughing at her friend. “Yui! You need to be in class!”

“Making sure you’re still Itsuka seemed more important.” Yui half mumbled as she flapped her arms in a helpless shrug.

“Well thanks, but I’m.” Itsuka paused holding her shoulders back and head high before she deflated. “I’m doing okay. Eventually. I need to do some stuff and you need to go back to class.”

“Oh, and what about your boyfriend?” Yui asked a single eyebrow raised. “Does he get to skip class.”

“He’s not in my class so he can do what he wants.” Itsuka waved Yui off without even blinking. “Tell the other’s I’ll be at the dorm tonight.”

The walk back to U.A. was a cold one filled with crunchy late November leaves and the smell of autumn. Once they checked in with U.A. and the others split off they were called into a meeting with the principal and each of them were given time to mourn. Itsuka got a week before she had to return to classes and he received a day, due to witnessing the events and for being so close to Kendo-sensei.

It wasn’t until they had some privacy in her dorm room that Itsuka finally collapsed. She grabbed him with her arm and pulled him down onto the bed with her. The crying started again.

“Itsuka?” All nervousness of laying in her bed with her was gone. Instead, all he felt was concern for her as he ran a soft circle around her back.

She sniffled, trying to calm herself before more sobs came. “Just. Hold me for a bit okay?”

“Sure, do you want to go toa cafe later? The one that you like with the really strong coffee?”

She nodded.

“And then we can go see Otto for a bit, I’m sure he must have seen the news.”

“Mmmkay,” She mumbled still keeping her face against his chest. Had it really all been just a show for everybody else? “Hey, Izuku?”

“Yea?”

“Thank you. For basically everything I guess.” She grabbed at his shirt as she fought back another set of tears her breaths coming in quick bursts. “And sorry for what I said. I guess I can be a real bicth at times. I didn’t mean it really.”

“The Mirio thing?” He asked.

She nodded again. “I’m sorry I was so angry at you.”

“It’s okay, really, I care about you too much for words to change that.”

She let out a laugh, pushing up on his chest and smiling at him for a second, her eyes were red again. “I guess I’m really lucky to have a guy like you. Now come on, I need to see recovery girl real quick, and then take a shower. Then I want to head to the Dojo.”

“Are you sure?” He asked following her as she sat up.

“Yea, I mean, I’m going to have to go through it eventually, and I’d rather have you around when I do it.” She pulled her hair out of her ponytail, it was clumpy and still had a bit of blood in it. “Besides, I kind of just want to get it over with.”

“Alright, I guess I’ll go take a shower and meet up with you here?”

“Actually, I know this is going to sound selfish, but can you not? I really don’t want to be left alone right now.”

“Sure, my shower can wait.”

She grabbed his hand squeezing it. “Thank you Izuku.”

XXXX

It was dark by the time they got to the Dojo and her home. It felt cold and stale like there hadn’t been a living soul in the building in over a month. A layer of dust seemed to rest on everything and it just didn’t feel like home anymore. All it did now was remind her that her father was gone.

Itsuka turned back to Izuku, his breath appearing in the cold autumn air that permeated the Dojo. Somehow it was colder in here than it was out there. She grabbed his hand for just a second, reminding herself that he was there with her and headed towards her home.

The upstairs where she had lived for at least a decade was just as lifeless.

“Right,” she sighed looking over everything, the shrine of her mother was still in place, save for a photo her father had probably taken with him. “I guess I should try to go through his stuff, and see if I can find anything.”

“What are you looking for.”

“I have no idea. Photos? A will? Anything.” She shrugged, looking at the pictures of her mother that remained. She grabbed the one of her and her father smiling, her belly was swollen. The same villian had taken both of her parents. Maybe if she was stronger she could have. She shook her head and pocketed the photo.

“Does a letter addressed to you count?” Izuku asked, emerging from her father’s bedroom with a small white envelope in his hands. “It was just sitting on his bed.”

She took the letter and smiled at it even as she felt a tear falling down her cheek. “How much you wanna bet the first words are ‘Itsuka if you’re reading this I’m dead?’”

“Knowing your dad I’d be surprised if it didn’t start with that.”

She nodded opening the envelope as her heart rushed at the idea of reading something from her father again.

The letter was handwritten in her father’s smooth-flowing style that just looked pretty.

It read:

Itsuka. I’m sorry.

I know you may hate me for leaving you. But this was just something I had to do. Ever since I found out that he had escaped prison I knew that I was going to die fighting him. Yes. I could have hidden. Yes, I could have run and stayed away from him, but neither my pride as a hero nor his villainous cunning would have allowed for such a thing. Shackocoplyse swore vengeance on me for putting him away, and if he found out about you he would have come after you as well. That was why I will do everything in my power to protect you one last time.

I hope for you to become a strong hero that does not need protection but still have those close to you that would do their best to defend you in your times of need. Now please, live your best life my oh so wonderful daughter, and know that I am so very proud of you.

Love Kotetsu Kendo.

P.S. If for some reason you’re reading this and I’m still alive, put it back, you had no business going into my room.

“You idiot,” She glared at the letter even as she felt a smile pull on her lips and a tear slide down her cheek.

Izuku placed an arm around her shoulder and she leaned into it. “We shouldn’t be too long if we want to be back by curfew.”

She nodded, then paused. “Actually, would you mind staying here with me tonight? I can grab the guest beds and we can sleep next to each other. I really don’t want to be alone right now.”

Izuku’s face turned red for a second, but he nodded all the same. “Sure, if that’s what you want.”

It was.

That night, she fell asleep touching Izuku’s hand and letting her new reality slowly sink in.

One where her father was gone. But at least she had good friends and a wonderful boyfriend to help her through it.

Chapter 24: Path forward.

Chapter Text

A single box, a binder, and a thousand people apologizing for her loss. That was the end product of her week off. Everything was made simple because she was her father’s only living relative, her father’s lease was canceled, and the funeral had been a short affair. Izuku had been there as much as he could, but he did have to go back to class eventually.

Itsuka let out a sigh, staring at the simple grave that was her father’s. It was empty. Mostly, she didn’t even know if her father’s foot was actually in there or not. For some reason, seeing her father’s grave felt more final than she thought it would be. Like it would still hurt a lot. It still did. Just, not as much.

The U.A. psychiatrist said it was probably due to her experiencing her mother's death early.

Wiping a tear from her eyes she turned, the wind blasting her with a sudden chill that signaled that winter was well on its way. Her first Christmas with Izuku was also her first Christmas without her father. Growling she scratching her head and stomped forward, the ground crunched beneath her feet. That wasn’t how she should be looking at things. It wasn’t fair to anybody if she did.

Her phone buzzed as she stepped back onto the path. A phone call from Otto.

“Hello?” She half whispered into her phone, her breath coming out as a cloud of steam.

“Little Red! Hey! It’s me Otto! Listen, I got some time off, well actually I can give myself time off if you ever want to just go for a ride or something? We can even strap Mean Green into a sidecar for a bit.” Otto was as loud as ever over the phone, she could all but picture him pacing around the shop unsure if he was helping or not. “Riding’s what helped me get through some hard times is all.”

“Thanks, Otto, I might end up taking you up on that later, but I think I’ve gone on enough rides this week.” She smiled as she resumed walking down the path.

“What? No such thing ever!” Otto all but screamed. “Still though, Little Red if you ever need to shout at someone, you can at me, officially or not you’re still a member of my team. Oh, and don’t let this take your fire. I want to see you burn bright in the future.”

“I’m not giving up Otto, thanks. For being there. When the work-study program starts up again, I’ll let you know.”

“Right on! Well hey, if you see Mei give her a rough time from me, I swear now that she has the U.A. workshop it's like I don’t exist. I mean she has to remember her own brother right. Actually, wait don’t answer that. Well, catch you on the flip side!”

She laughed and shook her head. “I’ll see you later Otto.”

She ended the call and pocketed her phone, trying to stay warm as another gust of cold air slammed into her. Class should be over soon, then she had to start worrying about finals, well worrying wasn’t exactly how she should put it. More just making sure her class wasn’t running around with their heads cut off.

Except for Neito, his dumbass could fail.

Hopping onto her still -unnamed motorcycle - it was hers that’s all that mattered - Itsuka found herself smiling. It was Monday, which meant tomorrow she had to go back to class. Which was a good thing, she could use something more normal in her life right now.

Feeling her bike purr she smiled. Maybe she’d take the long way back to U.A. That thought lasted all of two seconds before she realized how absolutely cold it was.

XXXX

Her hands met the cold cement floor as she pushed upward twisting so that her body moved like a screw towards her opponent, Izuku. She missed the soft - compared to concrete - wooden floors of the Dojo and the warmth that they held.

Izuku dodged her and went in for the counter-attack, forcing her to either take the blow or dodge it and be knocked off balance. Unfortunately for him, she was ready for him. Deflecting his blow she hit him with an open palm to the chest while grabbing his arm and forcing him to the ground, knocking the air out of him.

Leaving him breathless.

His smile never seemed to fade even when she beat him in their quirkless spars that were becoming increasingly sparse. She didn’t feel her cheeks flush as she looked at him, but there was something there, it was like something changed, but it hadn’t. How long had it been like this she wondered.

“Uhh, Itsuka?” Izuku asked grabbing her arm and smiling at her.

“Huh? Oh, right.” She pulled him up, feeling the scar on his hand as she did and just like that realization trickled in. She was in love with Izuku. Maybe she always had been, maybe she was just being clingy and holding onto him for all he was worth. Or maybe he had just been there enough that she could finally accept him for all he was.

She should let him know a lot sooner than last time. Just, not right now. During break. After finals.

“I love you.” Or she could just blurt it out right now. For no reason. That’s great. Thank’s mouth, now it decides to blurt out her feelings, couldn’t have done that when she first started to like Izuku? Damn that was almost eight months ago before she even realized how hard she was crushing on him.

Izuku blinked at her wobbling as he slowly digested what exactly she just said. All she could do was just smile at him. “I uhh, I think I love you too.”

One hand on her hip, she smiled at him leaning in close. “You think?”

“I mean I do. I think, I just never felt this way about anybody before and I’m messing this up aren’t I?”

She ruffled his hair and stuck her tongue out. “Not really, I just like messing with you. I’m happy you feel the same Izuku, I wanted to tell you later but I ended up blurting it out. You still up for another round?”

“I think I have enough bruisers for one day, besides I think Aizawa-sensei said we have a big event happening tomorrow.” he shuffled on his feet, still smiling, but not really looking her in the eyes. “I mean I want to keep spending time with you, but we really should head back before Bloodhound-sensei comes to yell at us.”

“You have a point, we really should get some rest for the Joint Training tomorrow.” Itsuka smiled, “If I end up going against you no hard feelings when I kick your butt, but I am hoping for a rematch against Katsuki.”

Izuku shook his head and looked at her like she was crazy. “Wait, Joint Training? What are you talking about?”

“The Joint Training we’re doing tomorrow? My class vs. your class? It’s supposed to be our final.” She spoke slowly, hoping that Izuku’s face would light up in recognition at least once. It was all her class was talking about. He just looked more confused.

“What? That’s what we’re doing tomorrow! All Aizawa-sensei said was that we needed to be rested for tomorrow.”

“He really doesn’t tell you guys anything does he?”

Izuku just shook his head no. “I should probably go tell the others.”

“Take a shower first, you’re even sweatier than normal.” She took a step forward making their closeness that much more noticeable. “But first.”

She leaned up just the slightest bit, kissing him on the lips. It didn’t make her worries, her pain, or anything just vanish, but it did make them much more bearable. This was their first kiss in a while, and she missed the feeling.

“I think I want to try kissing you more.” She pulled Izuku into a hug and sighed, dropping her weight on him. “Also, you smell really bad right now.”

“You too.” Izuku kissed her cheek softly. “But I don’t mind.”

“You better not mind, we’re going to get hot and sweaty a lot so you better get used to the smell.” The moment those words left her mouth she realized exactly what she said. And so did Izuku.

“Wait, no that’s not what I meant.” She pushed off of him, feeling the heat rush to her face once more. “I mean, maybe later, but not right now. I mean. Gah. First I accidentally say I love you and now I’m saying stuff like that really can I just staple my mouth shut? I feel like that would be the best way to go about things. I just shouldn’t talk!”

“If you use sign language with your quirk would that be considered shouting?”

She turned to look at her boyfriend who was still red in the face smiling sheepishly at her. “Who taught you jokes that bad? All Might?”

“Sorry, I was just trying to think of something stupid to say.” Izuku shrugged smiling so that his teeth showed. “I guess it worked.”

“You’re a dork, but I guess you’re my dork, now let’s stop being disgustingly cute and actually go get ready for tomorrow.” She grabbed his hand entwining their fingers and just enjoying the feeling of his hands. “I just wish that there was some way for me to sleep with you again.”

“Itsuka,” Izuku said slowly, his face was red again. “You might want to rephrase that.”

She bristled. “You know what I meant! I meant next to you! Like holding you and stuff. I just think that’ll be really comfortable is all. Ahh, why am I saying all this weird stuff now?”

“I think it’s kind of cute.”

“You would. I swear if you become one of those boyfriends that likes to embarrass their girlfriend I’m going to punch you.”

“I won’t I promise, besides, I think you’re prettiest when you’re kicking ass,” Izuku smiled as they exited the building, bracing for the cold night air. “Also, I’d like to do that with you too. It was nice sleeping next to you a while ago.”

“Alright! It’s decided, during winter break after we celebrate Christmas with your mom, we’re going to go somewhere, where we can have privacy.” Again with her mouth. “And I don’t mean that in a perverted way.”

“Haha, whatever you Itsuka, but I’ll be happy to go with you wherever.” He gave her that oh so charming smile he had that made her blush.

Okay, maybe she did mean it ever so slightly.

XXXX

Izuku was nervous. For many reasons. The first being was that he was sitting alone in a private hot spring that Itsuka had managed to get for them. Apparently, it was owned by the Nijima family, and now Itsuka had permission to use it. At least for the weekend. So part of his nervousness was just being here.

The other much more major reason was that the barrier separating the men’s bath from the female’s was both low enough that he could easily peer over it if he wanted, and it was made of thin reeds of bamboo so that he could nearly see through it. And he knew that Itsuka was over there and naked.

It was only natural that he’d be thinking about her like that. She was beautiful, really really beautiful and his girlfriend. But this wasn’t what this trip was about. It was about them just being close to each other and just having a relaxing times before the next semester starts.

“Hey, Izuku?” Itsuka’s soft voice carried over the warm foggy air of the hot springs that clashed violently with the frigid winter air just outside of the water. He turned seeing her form through the curtain splash of red from her hair absolutely popping. “How are you feeling.”

“Relaxed.” the opposite actually. “You?”

He heard the water splashing about as Itsuka played with it. “I think I’m relaxed. I’m not really sure.”

“What do you mean?” He turned, staring at her from the other side of the screen. The arousal was still there, but it was taking the black seat to curiosity and concern.

“I mean, I feel like I’ve been putting up a brave front in front of everybody, just like, not for them, but for me. I don’t know, I just, I’m just weird is all.”

“Just a bit, but that’s one of the things I like about you.”

The water shifted. “Really?” A giant hand full of water splashed down on top of him. “You’re calling me weird?”

He laughed, “It’s a good thing Itsuka! Really.”

“I know, but you’re pretty weird yourself. And I guess,” He could hear the smile in her voice. “That’s one of the things I like about you too.”

“Thanks.”

The silence that drifted between them was one that only lasted for a few seconds before he heard Itsuka moving again. Then her hands and head appeared above the barrier. “Want to get rid of this?”

He covered himself, despite, face flushing and an unneeded reminder that he was really attracted to Itsuka made him freeze up for a second. “You want to see each other naked?”

“Yea.” she nodded. “I like your muscles.”

His brain wasn’t working. Itsuka had always spoken her mind about almost everything. But this was a whole new level of bold. “Uhh, didn’t Ms. Nijima say to keep things rated T?”

“Fine,” She splashed back down into the hot springs. “We’re going to see each other naked eventually.”

He really wanted to punch himself in the mouth. Hard.

“Hey, Izuku.” She called again.

“What’s up Itsuka?”

“I’m really happy I fell in love with you. Thanks for always being there for me.”

“I’m happy I met you Itsuka. I love you too.”

“That’s good, I know that no matter what happens in the future, we’ll be able to handle it.”

“Yea, to the future.”

Chapter 25

Chapter Text

Yui Kodai sighed staring at the building that loomed out below her, as an agency this was their first official raid. And it was just the three of them against a whole gang of villains. She watched as Itsuka, barely a speck of her lustrous orange hair visible in her skin-tight ninja-like outfit - Seriously, why was she so attractive in that? - take out two of the guards on the roof without even using her quirk.

Really, who needed giant fists when they were basically a super Kung Fu ninja?

“Battle Fist in position.” Itsuka’s soft voice whispered in her ear, sending a shiver down her spine even when it really shouldn’t have. Stupid emotions? Why did she join their agency again? Oh right, Itsuka begged her to. Not so much begged as asked.

She volunteered.

“Deku in position.” She couldn’t see Itsuka’s fiance and long-time boyfriend Izuku from her vantage point, but she’d already seen him in his stealth suit. He pulled it off just nowhere near as good as Itsuka did. And no, she wasn’t being biased because he was the one dating Itsuka. He was a nice guy, but his hulking muscular form just didn’t look amazing in a stealth suit.

Standing, she grabbed the large glass jug that had its bottom cut out. They had the city’s permission to cut the power lines on the building, this was the best way to get all of the villains without causing too much damage. “Ultramax is ready, starting containment. Good luck.”

She tossed the jar into the air, maneuvering it with a set of strings she had and began to use her quirk to enlarge it. It shook the ground when it landed, snapping the power cords as it trapped the dilapidated building inside of it. It almost looked like a snow globe. Except instead of snow it was probably crack, a crack globe.

Gunshots rang from inside glass prison as she could see flashes of bullet fires and perhaps a few quirks illuminating the building as well. The fighting had begun. Izuku and Itsuka were both experts at fighting even without their quirks. But with them. She winced and then smiled as she saw a giant fist slap some poor kid through the wall and into the jug.

With a sigh Yui walked over to the edge of the building and stared at the street, in theory, their communications should be blocked but they might be able to call for reinforcements anyways. It had been two years since they had graduated U.A. and as a team, they worked well together. All three of them could perform in combat, rescue, and disaster relief, with each one of them having a field they excelled in. And with their more or less fourth member Mei giving them a variety of gadgets they were well equipped.

A tap on the glass alerted her that her teammates were now finished. And both Itsuka and Izuku were carrying at least a dozen knocked out men each. With a shrug she held onto the jug with one hand and forced it to shrink, thankfully she had gotten good at not destroying things when she shrunk or grew an item and in no time the jug was now the size of a thimble.

Using one of Mei’s contraptions she rappelled down the side of the building to join her teammates.

“Were there any problems?” She asked jogging up to Itsuka first while she prepared the rope for containment. The police should be on their way soon.

Itsuka nodded, pulling off her mask and letting all of her long red hair flow free, even in the night it seemed to sparkle with life. And then there was her smile. Dammit. “Not at all! We managed to take out all the villains, and didn’t destroy the building.”

“That only happened once,” Izuku grunted as he removed his mask. “How were things on your end Ultramax?”

“No back-up came so this might be the last of them.” She checked her wrist where another one of Mei’s gadgets displayed a live feed of the police traffic in the city. “The police should be here soon, do you want to tie them up?”

“Nah,” Itsuka huffed. “We can just watch them until the police show up. Most of them are harmless now anyways. Besides, we want to have a talk with you Yui.”

“We do?” Izuku asked before Itsuka swatted him in the chest and pouted at him. Then his face went red. “Oh, right we do.”

“Hmm?” She asked looking between the two lovers, what on earth could they want to talk to her about?

Itsuka grabbed her hand, both of them and pulled her over to just to the side of the still knocked out villains. A large smile lit up Itsuka’s face and she was all but dancing. “So, I’ve been talking to Izuku, and really I have no idea why he was so reluctant to agree to this, but-”

Itsuka looked lover to Izuku who just nodded, his face red even as he smiled.

“But,” She continued laughing slightly. “We want you to join us tonight. To see how things work.”

“Join with what?” She asked raising an eyebrow. She already joined them for dinner enough that it was basically normal so what could she be asking.

“I thought you were supposed to be the clever one?” Itsuka teased her and bit her lip. “You’re important to me Yui, and you’re important to Izuku too. That’s why we want you to be happy. So we want you to join us in bed. Just to see if it could be something we can all enjoy.”

She blinked her mind-melting at the thought. If it had just been Itsuka, she would have jumped with joy. But Izuku being there, that gave her just a bit of pause. “So like a three-way? The two of us and Izuku?”

“Yes,” Itsuka nodded. “Now what do you say, I know you won’t regret it.”

She bit her lip and looked at Izuku once more, then at Itsuka. She already knew what her answer was. “Sure.”

As it turned out she could be attracted to a man, as Itsuka and Izuku were very attentive to her needs.

XXXX

Several years later.

“Mom Mom! Dad Dad! Wake up!”

Itsuka groaned, snuggling closer into Izuku’s bare shoulder as she listened to their eldest daughter come running into their bedroom. Every Saturday there was always something that drove her children to come tearing into their bedroom before they had woken up. It had to be revenge for waking them up early to go to school.

“Dear,” Izuku yawned holding onto her tighter. “Your kids want you for something.”

“They’re your kids too.”

“Before the sun rises they’re your kids.”

“Don’t start quoting Lion King on me.” Pulling her head up from the covers Itsuka let out a long yawn and looked at her children. Both of them were there as her daughter - Haru - was struggling to hold her little brother - Koiru - still.

“Mom mom!” her daughter said smiling at her with one front tooth missing and a bandage over her nose. “Look! Koiru got his quirk!”

That woke Izuku up as he shot out of bed to look at their children. “He did? What is it?”

Rolling her eyes Itsuka smiled and leaned against Izuku. Their daughter Haru had his frizzy green hair that was almost impossible to comb when she was little she kept it long, but ever since she got a pixie cut their tomboy daughter - where did she get that from? - had kept it short.

Their son had her orange hair and had been the quiet child, it really felt like somehow Yui had gotten her pregnant with how that child just seemed to stare and watch people. Hopefully, he didn’t get Yui’s sass.

“Go on Koiru, show us.” She encouraged, smiling at her son.

Koiru’s face twisted for a moment before his arms just below his elbows began to coil up like massive springs. Without warning he shot one of them out, it bounced off the ceiling then ground and into the wall where it knocked a wedding picture onto the ground.

“He can do it with his legs too!” Haru hummed and set her brother back on the ground. Without waiting for permission she jumped up onto the bed, Koiru following suit, and all but shouted. “Since he has his quirk now can he have his Quirkday breakfast? He wants pancakes!”

“Quirkday?” Itsuka raised an eyebrow and looked at her children, then up at Izuku who was probably still amazed that both of his children had a quirk.

“Yea, it’s like a birthday but for your quirk! Now let’s make pancakes!”

Koiru nodded.

A groan came from their bed as Yui sat up, and glared at the whole world. “This is why I don’t want kids, they’re so loud.”

“Aunt Yui is here!” Koiru jumped off the bed and ran to her.

Like it was the most normal thing in the world her dark-haired best friend got out of the bed and grabbed the nearest shirt to be at least semi-decent in front of the kids. With one last yawn, Yui grabbed their son and carried him under her arm. “Come on you delinquents, let’s go see if we can make pancakes.”

Haru stayed on the bed looking at them. “How come Aunt Yui sometimes sleeps in your bed? A boy in my class said it’s because we’re poor and poor people share beds.”

“That’s not it Haru.” Izuku sat up and reached out for their daughter, easily grabbing her and pulling her into a hug. “Yui is just your mom’s very special friend is all so she sometimes stays over.”

“Another boy said it was polyamory, is that what it is?”

A sharp squawk of laughter came from down the hallway Yui had gone down.

Itsuka herself couldn’t help but laugh and hugged their daughter as well. “Don’t worry so much about it Haru, your Aunt Yui loves you and your brother a whole bunch, so what does it matter?”

“It doesn’t, now come on! We need to make sure Haru has a good quirkday!” Haru pushed out of their arms and sprinted down the kitchen.

“Is Quirkday a real thing?” Izuku asked her once their daughter was out of the room.

“It might be now? Or our daughter just made it up to get pancakes.” She failed to hold back a yawn and ruffled her hair before stretching. “Come on we should-”

Izuku tackled her forcing her back onto the bed and kissing her neck in just the right place to make her mewl.

“What are you-”

“Let Yui watch them for a bit,” His voice was low as he led a trail of kisses up to her mouth. “Let me have some alone time with you.”

“They’ll hear,” She tried to protest, Izuku had always been affectionate, but there were times when he could just overwhelm her. Not that she didn’t do the same to him.

“Sound canceling quirk. Remember?” She felt him smile as he kissed her on the lips as she wrapped her arms around his neck. She barely caught sight of him launching a black whip out of his arm to close and then lock their door.

“Careful,” She whispered falling into the mood easier now. “We might end up with another kid.”

“That doesn’t sound terrible.” He kissed her again. “I love you Itsuka.”

She smiled and let herself go along with the ride. “I love you too, but no more kids.”