Chapter 23: Punishment
Himiko was pissed off. She was so royally pissed off. She wanted to strangle the two boys in the room with her.
Izu, for blatantly ignoring her warning and going back on his promise. And that idiot Todoroki for being just as brain-dead as Izu for going all out in some dumb match that had nothing at stake to warrant it.
"So, what part of 'if you hurt yourself, you'll regret it for the rest of your life' did you not understand?" Himiko glared down at Izu; his arms had been mangled, his eardrums were ruptured from the air pressure they had both exerted, and his left arm had been so severely burned and frostbitten that it had taken Recovery Girl two whole matches worth of time to fix the damage. And that included the time it took to rebuild the arena and repair the terrain surrounding it completely.
Himiko had stressed very heavily that while his arms were fixed now, Recovery Girl had said that if he kept hurting himself like he was, eventually, the ligaments of his arms would be ground down to dust, and he would lose the use of his arms.
"Don't you think you're being a bit hard on him," Todoroki, the other idiot who had landed himself in the infirmary, said, "It's not entirely his fault."
He had been just as hurt as Izu. He had two broken ribs, lacerations from stray debris, ruptured eardrums like Izu, and a severe concussion. The two idiots were lucky that U.A. had someone like Recovery Girl around. Otherwise, they both would have had lengthy hospital visits.
Himiko glared at him, "If you don't shut up, I will cut you."
"N-Now Himi-chan, please don't do anything you'll regret."
Himiko turned away from the stoic boy and looked at Izu. It was almost cute how he was cowering under her stare… almost.
"Oh, I won't do anything I'll regret." Himiko leaned down, hovered her lips an inch away from Izu's, and then turned away, "No fun for you for three weeks."
Izu sighed, clearly thinking that was the extent of his punishment.
As Himiko opened the infirmary door, she turned back to him, "Oh, and we're training every day after school and on our days off during that entire time. And when I say training, I mean the same level as the training we did to prepare for the sports festival."
Izu going pale was the last thing Himiko saw as she shut the door behind herself, and if she slammed the door a bit too hard, that was her own business.
Himiko didn't hear anything from inside the room for a few seconds, and then she heard Todoroki speak, "I think I see why you are so crazy."
"Is he awake?"
Himiko wasn't surprised to find All Might leaning against the wall next to the door, "yeah, him and mister 'I'm so edgy I could cut a razor blade factory' are both awake."
All Might made a noise that was suspiciously close to a snort but immediately covered it with a cough. "Yes, well, I suppose I should go in and tell him the results of the match if you haven't already."
Himiko looked away from the number one hero and glared at the wall, "I don't want to encourage idiotic behavior, so no. I didn't tell him."
All Might made his way in, but Himiko remained outside. She couldn't bring herself to look at Izu any more than necessary at the moment. Seeing Izu disregarding their promise mere minutes after making it had been a shock. She didn't think Izu was the type of person to be able to break a promise like that, but she also had to consider who he was. Izu, while extremely kind, was a reckless idiot who would sacrifice himself for others, and he had been that way ever since he was a child.
Himiko knew that all too well. She had been on the receiving end of that side of him for so long she'd taken it for granted, and now it was jarring to see he had that level of concern for people other than her.
'He should only be that way for me…' Himiko slammed a fast into the wall, upset with her selfish way of thinking but not really regretting she had thought it.
Himiko looked at the time on her phone, realizing she didn't have much else to do other than stand around. She had already finished her match with the idiot with electrical powers and missed the match that had followed it.
Himiko had been mildly interested in watching the match after hers because the cute girl with pink skin was fighting, but she had been more concerned about Izu.
After Pinky had won her match, it was Izu's dickhead bully's turn. He was fighting a girl who could split her body into multiple pieces she could control, so Himiko had no particular interest in the match.
All Himiko could think about was her self-loathing and, hopefully, how she would get the message through Izu's thick skull not to put himself in danger when it wasn't necessary constantly.
"You've really upset young Toga this time, it seems, young Midoriya." All Might's smile, while as bright as ever, seemed very sympathetic as he said that.
"Y-Yeah. I'm not looking forward to her getting her revenge," Izuku groaned, feeling the fatigue of so many sessions with Recovery Girl, "I have a horrible feeling she's going to use it as an excuse to mess with me somehow."
Todoroki seemed strangely sympathetic to Izuku's plight, "you and that girl have such a strange relationship. Are you sure you're friends?"
Both All Might and Izuku looked at the boy owlishly.
"Uh, Todoroki, you know that Himiko and I are dating, right?"
Todoroki's eyes seemed to grow as wide as dinner plates, and he looked very flabbergasted, "that makes more sense. I thought you were just very good friends."
All Might looked to be suppressing laughter behind his hand, "D-didn't you get the idea when Present Mic was constantly teasing them about the two dating, young Todoroki?"
"I thought that was just Present Mic's idea of a joke."
Now, it was Izuku's turn to suppress a laugh. Seriously, how could he be so observant about Izuku and All Might's connection but oblivious about something so obvious?
Both Izuku and All Might were trying not to devolve into laughing fits, while Todoroki only added to the hilarity with a very puzzled expression.
After long seconds of holding in laughter, All Might wiped a stray tear from his eye and addressed the pair, "Well, young Todoroki's observational skills aside, I'm sure you two wish to know the outcome of your match. And while I'll say it was quite the sight to behold, I won't praise either of you for doing something so reckless. No one besides you two was hurt in the ruckus, but that could easily have not been the case. When I say there is a time and place for such power, I am not exaggerating, but both of you should have known it was not the time while surrounded by thousands of spectators."
Both boys lowered their heads and felt very guilty about putting themselves in danger and people who hadn't even been involved.
"That being said," All Might boomed, making the boys jump in unison, "I must say I was on the edge of my seat the whole time during your match! Really, it was spectacular!"
All Might seemed poised to continue, but he suddenly clammed up when the door leading to the hallway opened, and a single cat-like eye bored a hole into him.
"Ah, but— I believe I've said too much, and I think I should just say this. Your match was extremely close. Both of you were thrown from the ring, and at first, the ruling was that you would both be disqualified." Both boys opened their mouths to say something, but All Might held his hand up, "however. The audience did not find that ruling to be fair, seeing as how you both put your best efforts in when competing, the judges ruled that whichever one of you woke up first would be the victor."
All Might paused, and they leaned in closer to hear the outcome of the match.
"Young Midoriya was the first to wake up, even if it was to start screaming his head off about his broken arms."
Izuku cringed as he vaguely remembered that. He had woken up for a split second, and the pain was almost blinding. His lungs had been filled with dust, blood, and bile. He had screamed, his throat raw, and his arms felt like they were being twisted in opposite directions, crushed, burned, frozen, and shattered all at once. It had been the single most painful experience of his life, and it had only lasted a few seconds before he passed out again.
"So, congratulations, young Midoriya! It seems you will be the lucky winner to face off against young Toga!" All Might smiled, his hands pressed into his hips as if he were presenting some honorary award.
All Izuku was happy about was that he wasn't still experiencing that godawful pain.
"You aren't allowed to use your quirk in your fight with me either, Izu," Himiko opened the door a bit and stuck her head in, "Oh, and it sounds like that assholes match is almost over, so we better head out."
All Might sighed, "Although I don't agree with her choice of words, I believe she is right about young Bakugo's match, so make your way down and please try not to overdo it. You're dangerously close to exhaustion after so many treatments from Recovery Girl. I fear you may have to forfeit even if you somehow win against young Toga."
Izuku cringed at the thought of not having One for All when facing Himiko. It took all he had during their sparring with One for All not to have his ass handed to him, and even then, he lost nine times out of ten. So he basically expected to have Himiko beat the crap out of him for a few minutes, get bored, and then throw him out of the ring.
'This is going to suck.'
"Izu," Himiko's eyes stared dangerously into his, "hurry."
"Y-Yes!" Izuku sat up straight, threw his covers to the side, and hurried to follow after his girlfriend, "Um, Himiko?"
She walked in silence for a while, her sneakers squeaking noisily as she angrily stomped along, but after a few angry turns, she answered, "What?"
"You know I didn't mean to break my promise, right? I mean, I just got carried away, and before I knew what I was doing, I just—"
Himiko stopped, turned, and pinned Izuku to the wall, "Oh, I get it alright!"
Izuku cringed, ready to take a hard blow, but all that landed was a soft hand on his chest.
"I get that you're a reckless, hot-headed idiot with a penchant for hurting yourself for the sake of others." Himiko looked up at him, her eyes quivering with unshed tears, "But you need to understand that you aren't the only one who gets hurt when you do things like this. It's not just me, either. Think about what was going through Inko's head as she watched that, and what about Eri? She was probably watching that whole thing. Is that how you want her to see you?"
"No, I—"
His voice was small, but Himiko wasn't done, it seemed, "No, you don't get to interrupt me. There wasn't some high and mighty purpose in what you did, like protecting me or someone else. You only did what you did because you can't help but stick your nose in other people's business. I can understand how much you want to help people, but there have to be limits. I told you that you'd get carried away trying to get involved; you said you wouldn't hurt yourself, but look what happened! So no, I've got to teach you a lesson, and hopefully, you'll start to rethink doing such stupid things."
Himiko gave him one last scathing look before making her way to the entrance she would be using.
Izuku sighed, "I can't help but think I kind of deserve whatever she's about to do."
Himiko sighed, wiped her eyes furiously, and then glared at the person who was coming in through her tunnel. That asshole bully had that stupid fucking smirk he puts on when he's about to say something that'll piss her off.
"What? You just get dumped by the useless fucking nerd, you blonde skank?"
Himiko really fucking hated this asshole.
"What? Are you hoping he's single so you can get a piece of his ass for yourself? Well, sorry to say, Izu's still happily with me, but even if he wasn't, he doesn't swing that way." Himiko looked the boy up and down for a second and then smirked, "But I guess if you put on a skirt, you might have a chance. He has a thing for blonde skanks, after all."
She walked past him, and for a second, his expression was frozen with that stupid sneer. But when she was a few feet out into the open air, she heard him yell from the tunnel.
"What the fuck did you just say, you bitch!?"
Himiko smirked.
"That definitely improved my mood a little," Himiko sighed happily, thinking about how much that probably pissed the boy off.
"Alright, everybody, are you ready for the match that will determine our first finalist!? These two have been through so much today, from giant robots, bottomless pits, and minefields to heart-pounding battles both in teams and on their own! But through it all, these two have stuck together! Now they have to face off against one another, and we can only guess how this match could possibly go! It's Izuku Midoriya versus Himiko Toga!"
Izuku sighed and looked at the crowd in the stands. None of them looked particularly sympathetic for him, but really, why should they? For all they knew, he was the one with the advantage, with his quirk being more powerful than Himiko's.
'But that won't help now. I can't use One For All, and even if I did, I bet Himiko would still kick the crap out of me.'
"I don't think I need to remind you, Izu, but I'm going to anyway," Himiko's eyes seemed to glow as the sun overhead cast her face into shadows. "Don't use your quirk."
Izuku cringed at that look. That look was a promise, and he could read it clearly. It said, "If you use your quirk, I'll kick you where the sun doesn't shine as hard as I can."
"Y-Y-Yes, ma'am!" Izuku shot up straight as if he were under the scrutiny of a drill instructor.
She held that look for a second, then let it drop into a sunny smile, "good!"
"What's this, folks? It looks like Izuku Midoriya is in the doghouse with his lady. Maybe it has something to do with his last match," the crowd whistled and jeered at them, and through it all, Himiko's wide smile never went away.
'Why do I have a bad feeling about this?'
"Well, a lovers spat aside, I think we should get this match underway! So let the match…. BEGIN!"
The crowd roared louder than Izuku would have expected. They had been loud during his and Shinso's match, but not nearly as loud as ones that involved huge explosions and amazing quirk usage. He couldn't exactly blame them; after all, his and Shinso's match wasn't exactly flashy and had boiled down to a short tousle. They had been very loud during his match with Todoroki, so loud in fact that he had thought he would go deaf just from the noise. The shouts from the crowd now weren't quite that loud, but his recently healed eardrums were aching.
A foot slammed into the side of his head, and Izuku remembered his very angry girlfriend.
"I thought I always told you to keep your eyes on your opponent," Himiko glared at him from the crouch she had taken after the high kick and lunged when she saw he was paying attention now.
Her right fist whistled just an inch away from his nose. Just as he was letting out a sigh of relief, her left foot was about to slam into his face again.
Izuku narrowly threw an arm up, blocking the blow with one of his still fragile forearms, 'She used her punch as a way to build up momentum and pivot into another kick. I've thought about this so many times, but you really are amazing, Himiko! Most people rely on their quirks to fight; it's rare to see someone who has practiced so much with basic hand-to-hand combat.'
"What are you smiling at?!" Himiko growled at him.
He hadn't noticed, but now that he thought about it, he was smiling from ear to ear as he realized she had been going very easy on him in their training. She most likely hadn't meant to do it, but she'd gotten him so used to her training speed that it was jarring to see just how fast she could be. Either that, or she had intentionally done it to lull him into a false sense of security so that when he progressed far enough along in their training to catch up to her speed, she could just put in more effort and throw him off, guard.
'Her reflexes are on par with me at eight percent; they might even be better.'
"Sorry, but I'm discovering all over again just how amazing you are, Himi-chan!"
He could see her cheeks flush red and her eyes sparkle for a second, but that went away, and she leapt at him again.
"Flattery won't get you anywhere in this fight, Izu, but I'll be sure to knock you out in a nicer way."
He was bracing himself for another punch to the face, but in an instant, she shifted her weight in a way that seemed like she would kick his thigh as a way to immobilize him. He lifted his leg, bracing to block in the way she had taught him. Suddenly, he was tackled down to the ground, her hands gripped his wrist, and her legs wrapped dangerously around his arm as she pressed down on his chest with her full weight.
"Oh, look at this! We've got a classic arm bar here! I haven't seen one of these in a while! For those in the crowd who don't know, this is a hold meant to dislocate and sometimes break an opponent's arm!"
Izuku groaned; he wasn't exactly as happy about his situation as Present Mic seemed to be.
Izuku could feel his joints screaming as Himiko tugged a bit harder, "he's not wrong. With this move, I could rupture your flexor tendon, dislocate your ulna, and, in some cases it can, damage the ligaments of the arm. Of course, you're already at risk of having severely damaged ligaments in your arms, so I bet that would hurt."
Izuku could feel sweat beading on his forehead, and his arm groaned under the strain. For a second, he considered just tapping out, but he was sure that would just piss Himiko off more. So he grit his teeth, tensed his muscles, and slowly started to bend his arm.
"What are you doing? I'm telling you, if you move, I'll dislocate your arm!" Himiko roared in his ear, but Izuku fought through the tension, and he eventually managed to bring her closer. He angled his head backward, and for an instant, all he could see was the sky. Then he shot forward, slamming his forehead into Himiko's.
"Ooooooh! That looked like it hurt!" Present Mic winced as Himiko rolled away from Izuku, holding her head.
He was in just as bad a state, if not worse. His head throbbed, and his arm screamed in agony. Izuku was sure he couldn't keep this up much longer, but he wasn't given much of a respite before Himiko had made it back to her feet and was stalking toward him.
"That was a good surprise attack, Izu, but you're supposed to headbut with the crown of your head, not your forehead."
Izuku scrambled backward, all too aware of the edge of the arena behind him. "I-I'll keep that in mind, H-Himi-chan."
She never broke stride, even when she slammed into him with her full weight. Somehow, she had managed to swing herself around him in a way that her weight didn't drive him off of the arena but teetered precariously close as her legs wrapped around his neck and her thighs squeezed hard around his head.
"You're surprisingly stable, Izu, but—"
Himiko started to squeeze, and the force cut off the flow of blood to his head. Izuku's vision started to swim, and they fell toward the middle of the arena as Himiko squeezed.
As she straddled his face, Izuku was very aware of the very risqué position they were in. His face was buried somewhere it probably shouldn't be with so many people watching. He wasn't sure if his face was hot because of her legs or because of his own intense blush.
His head started to go fuzzy, but as it did, he caught sight of the strangely gentle smile she was giving him. Her eyes gleamed brightly as a ray of sunlight caught them in just the right way. Her cheeks were flushed a pretty pink, and as he stared, he had to admit one thing. "This… is a nicer way to get… knocked out."
For a second, he could swear Himiko nearly snorted in laughter, but just as he was about to pass out, Himiko yelled something that was directed at Midnight. He couldn't hear what she said through the rush of blood in his ears. The woman seemed surprised but reluctantly waved her whip in their direction. In an instant, blood rushed back to Izuku's head, and he took large, greedy gulps of air, filling his lungs.
Himiko skipped happily in front of him, gave one of her large toothy grins, and helped Izuku to his feet.
The crowd was astir with murmured words of confusion and befuddlement. He couldn't make out any words, but that didn't matter when Present Mic finally seemed to exit his own stupor.
"H-Himiko Toga has forfeited the match?! What kind of upset is this!? What the heck was all of that?! I don't have the foggiest clue what that girl is thinking! First, she throws the guy all around the arena, puts him in a few wrestling holds, nearly knocks him out with a move that'd make Midnight blush, and then she just forfeits! Izuku Midoriya really seems to have his hands full, doesn't he everyone?"
Izuku looked over at Himiko, who was happily supporting his weight with a smile that didn't seem to care about the stunt she had just pulled. She looked quite pleased with herself.
"You just did all that to mess with me, didn't you?"
She turned a carefree smile on him, "Why, Izu, I haven't the foggiest idea what you mean."
She waved happily at the crowd as they made their way off the stage and to the participant's stands.
In a bar lightly illuminated by flickering old bulbs, a man sat irritably on a stool, his arms wrapped in bandages stained with old blood. His chalky white hair hung around his face in clumps, and his chapped lips quirked up from under the severed hand, covering his face in a parody of glee. He stared fixedly at a small TV that was broadcasting the U.A. Sports Festival.
A man made of black mist in a suit vest and slacks stood behind the bar counter; his vapor-like hands scrubbed away at the inside of a whiskey glass with a rag.
"They sure don't hold back. Even fighting each other," he watched as the two brats who had gotten in his way during their invasion of U.S.J and had the gall to deny his invitation into the league walked off the arena platform, "they don't act very heroic. Do they?"
The TV flickered, and the screen went blank. A deep and thoughtful voice filtered through the speakers, "You can hardly blame the girl, Tomura."
Tomura scratched his neck and tilted his head, "that's understandable, but I still don't get why she won't join us. She has as much reason as anyone else, and the information we got on her background says as much. I hate it when games don't have consistent character writing."
"Ah, but there are external factors that our sources cannot account for. Perhaps her connection to Izuku Midoriya was more of a factor than we could have anticipated."
Tomura scraped at his neck again and sneered, "Izuku Midoriya. That kid makes my skin crawl. Something about him just pisses me off. I don't know if it's that stupid wide-eyed look of his, that All Might fanboy attitude, or the fact he thinks he's an innocent little hero."
He pulled his fingers away from his neck with great effort and picked at his chapped lips, "That kid is the farthest thing from innocent. And a hero? Don't make me laugh. He fully intended on killing me when I went at his little girlfriend."
The man on the TV hummed thoughtfully, "Then what was your reasoning for extending them both an invitation to the league?"
Tomura shifted his eyes to stare at the black screen. Sensei wasn't actually asking; he was nudging Tomura to verbalize and rationalize his own actions.
"He interested me," Tomura paused, hoping that would be enough for Sensei, but when the man didn't say anything, he knew it wasn't. "I had the impression that the kid was the same as the other brats in the hero course, doe-eyed and completely dazzled by that fake facade that this rotten society had about heroes… then he went to kill me without hesitation."
"You were confused by his actions. I can see how you would be, but it is quite a rational reaction for the average person when a loved one is threatened."
Tomura shook his head, "No, this was different. When I saw that kid's face, he wasn't scared I would get to the girl. He knew fully well he'd get to me before that," the image of the green-haired kid's face flashed in Tomura's head. "He didn't look horrified or scared about what he was about to do. He looked relieved, almost happy."
Tomura smiled widely.
"The kid was glad he was about to kill me. If that isn't the type of person we need in the league, then no one is," Tomura seemed feverish. "Maybe our tactic recruiting them was a little passive. Sensei, could you look into the kid's background next? I have an idea for our next operation."
There was no answer from the TV for a moment, but then the voice returned, "Very well, Tomura. All of my resources are at your disposal."
Chapter 24: The Final Match
A finger poked him in the side of the head.
Izuku was slowly realizing that Himiko forfeiting their match wasn't exactly her being nice. In fact, he was fairly certain that she knew he was exhausted and that his body wouldn't be able to handle using One for All for very long.
Normally, that wouldn't be much of a problem, but it most certainly was when he might have to fight Kacchan.
The finger poked him in the side of the head again.
"Do you have to do that?" Izuku groaned.
"Yes." Himiko smiled, dug her chin into his shoulder, and continued to poke him.
He wanted to use the time to rest, regain some strength, and hopefully calm his nerves. However, his plans completely backfired the minute he attempted to lie down in the nurse's office.
Himiko had taken it upon herself to lay on top of him and poke him in the face every few seconds so that he couldn't go to sleep. She had been doing it for the last five minutes, and in those five minutes, Kacchan had managed to win his fight.
'I'm so tired.'
"You know, the less rest I get, the larger the likelihood I'll be hurt because I couldn't fight Kacchan properly, right?"
Himiko hummed playfully, "Oh, I know! Maybe you should've thought of that before breaking your promise."
Izuku closed his eyes, resisted the impulse to sigh, and just appreciated how soft Himiko felt. The nurse's office was chilly. Her body pressed against him, and the warmth of her lulled Izuku into a hazy muddled rest that her poking couldn't quite ruin.
"I love you," he smiled absently and let his arms wrap around the girl's small waist.
She stiffened for a moment, making him worry she might pull her warmth away, but surprisingly, she relaxed, "I love you too."
"Do you have to do that while I'm here?" Todoroki stared at them both with a very uncomfortable frown.
"I'm too tired and too cold to make her get off," Izuku mumbled.
"And I don't give a shit how uncomfortable it makes you," Himiko didn't spare the boy a glance as she poked Izuku again.
'Oh great, she's still doing that.'
Todoroki looked out the window next to him in a brave attempt at trying to ignore them.
"I think you hurt his feelings," Izuku whispered.
"How can you tell?"
Izuku looked at the boy and then back at Himiko. "He looks like a little kid who just got scolded."
She looked at the boy's face for a second and then at Izuku like he was crazy. "Are you kidding? He looks like he's trying to freeze the window over with his mind."
"Nope, that's definitely a sulking look," Izuku laughed, bobbing Himiko up and down as she rose and fell with his chest.
"I'd prefer you both not use me as a way to flirt," Todoroki seemed ready to leave the infirmary for no reason other than to get away from them.
Himiko leaned down and whispered into Izuku's ear, "Never mind, he's definitely sulking."
They both broke out into fits of poorly suppressed giggles.
It felt nice just enjoying each other's company again. It felt like it had been so long since they'd had a calm moment just to themselves since the U.S.J, and it was relaxing to just finally be together without any pressure.
"I'm still mad at you," Himiko grumbled.
Izuku sighed, staring up at the ceiling, "I know, and I have a feeling Mom and Eri won't be too happy with me either."
The room was silent, save for the hum of the air conditioning that thrummed in the vents above them and the infrequent sound of footsteps in the halls outside. It was strange not hearing the crowd; despite how close they must be, it was odd to think how accustomed he'd gotten to the constant noise.
Himiko's soft hand brushed over his cheek, her fingers traced between the freckles that dotted his cheeks, and her eyes followed along in lazy pirouettes, "I know what you're thinking."
Izuku smirked cheekily, "You probably do. I think you know me better than anyone at this point… except maybe my mom."
She smiled brightly at that, "You're thinking it's really weird how quiet it is. Aren't you?"
He laughed, "Got it in one."
Himiko's smile softened around the edges, her fangs disappeared behind soft pink lips, and her eyes crinkled at the edges, "you'll have to get used to large crowds like the one out there if you want to be a hero as big as All Might."
Izuku wasn't exactly thrilled about that, but then he had the thought that being an underground hero like Mr. Aizawa wouldn't be so bad. Maybe even Himiko would like it. She did have that whole 'scary stalking cat' thing going for her; she was basically a textbook stealth and infiltration hero.
He pushed the thought aside, though.
Even if Himiko wanted to be a hero working from behind the scenes, he would never be able to. The symbol of peace that All Might was training him to be is a public and prominent figure. If he wanted to bring light to the world, he would need to be in the light.
"Yeah, I guess I will have to get used to it," Izuku sighed and smiled at Himiko, "but you could be a really cool underground hero like Mr. Aizawa! You'd be so cool!"
She laughed, "I was thinking the same thing. I've had a few name ideas, but I haven't put too much thought into it. It's just all so surreal that I'm actually here and doing this. I'm almost afraid I might wake up, and none of this will have been real."
Izuku squeezed her shoulder and twirled an absent finger around a piece of hair that stuck out of one of her buns, "I feel like that sometimes, too," he grinned dumbly, like a child who had just found a piece of candy, "but then I get to do stuff like today with you and everyone else, and it's all so amazing."
Himiko looked at him with a very dry expression.
Izuku laughed, "Okay, not all of it is amazing. I could definitely have handled my fight with Todoroki better. But other than that, hasn't this whole thing been kind of fun? We got to run an obstacle course, I got to have a fistfight with Kacchan, and we came up with interesting ways to use and combo our powers during the cavalry battle! Okay, sure, the individual battles could've gone better, but some of them have been fun."
Himiko brought a thoughtful finger up to her lips, "Mmm, I suppose other than me almost killing glasses guy, and you almost killing yourself and the edge lord over there," she hooked a thumb at Todoroki, who looked extremely indignant at that, "it hasn't all been bad. But you've still got time for it to get very unpleasant. After all, you've got to fight—"
"Hey, hey, listeners! Our final intermission is coming to an end, and it's the moment we've all been waiting for! Will our final contestants please make their way to the arena!?"
"The blond asshole," Himiko leaped from the bed with entirely too much pep and pulled Izuku to his feet.
"You want me to get hurt, don't you?"
Izuku looked at her accusingly, but all he got in return was a wide-eyed look of confusion, "huh? I don't know what you're talking about. If you couldn't get rest when you were lying in a bed, it's entirely your fault."
Izuku groaned, but there was no use crying over spilled milk. He would just have to go into the fight on the edge of exhaustion. He contented himself with the knowledge that Kacchan wouldn't be entirely fresh for the fight either, but he definitely wasn't worse off than Izuku himself.
'Maybe I should forfeit. If nothing else, I know it'll piss Kacchan off, and that would be extremely funny.'
But then Izuku also knew how Kacchan was. He would be entirely too insufferable. There would be a lot of yelling and cussing, and someone would probably have to stop him from trying to fight Izuku anyway.
So he sighed and made his way to the arena again. At least the day was almost over, and all Izuku needed to do was make it through one last fight, win or lose.
Thinking that was all well and good, but actually having Kacchan in front of him and itching for a fight was very nerve-wracking. Every other they'd fought so far had been under different circumstances that didn't give Izuku time to let the situation fully sink in.
But with a crowd roaring around him, the thundering pulse in his ears, and Kacchan's hateful gaze centered on him, Izuku could only tremble.
'Come on!' Izuku grit his teeth and balled his fists,' It's just Kacchan! I've fought him a bunch of times already. So why? Why am I so scared?!'
"It's the moment we've all been waiting for! The showdown to end the Sports Festival for our first-year students! We've got some really interesting guys for our big finale! In one corner, Katsuki Bakugo. He's a guy with a volatile temper and an equally explosive quirk! He's dominated almost every match he's been in, but I have a feeling his opponent will give him a real run for his money!"
The crowd was unbearable. The noise was so loud that Izuku was sure people from two provinces over would be able to hear the racket. And above it all Present Mic was somehow heard loud and clear.
"In the other corner, Izuku Midoriya! He's been starting upset after upset all over the place the whole day. He's had so many ups and downs I wouldn't be wrong if I compared him to a rollercoaster! And that's nothing to say about his quirk. He might be a bit timid at times, but I think everybody knows that when the going gets tough, Izuku Midoriya gets going!"
"I said I'd put you in a damn hospital, nerd, and I'm going to keep that promise," Kacchan slammed a fist into his palm, letting out a small explosion, "you'd better put up a real fight. Otherwise, all these extras watching won't know just how much better than everyone here I am."
Kacchan always managed to get under Izuku's skin, whether it was when he was yelling at him, cursing him out, or just using violence.
Izuku wished he could get the boy to just leave him alone or at least stop shouting so much. But Kacchan wasn't the type of person to listen to reason, and Izuku didn't particularly want to try reasoning with him. He needed to get rid of this fear he's been carrying all these years.
So he did two things. He smiled as sincerely as he could at Kacchan, and then he flipped him off, "fuck you."
"Let the match…. BEGIN!"
"…..," Kacchan was ominously silent. He just stared with an unreadable expression at Izuku's outstretched middle finger.
Time seemed to pause, the world grew silent, and all that Izuku could see were the small black pinpricks of Kacchan's pupils swimming in his blood-red irises. Slowly, Kacchan's eyes narrowed; he slouched down, put his hands down by his sides, and turned the palms facing behind him.
'He's going to charge, but will he throw a big left hook? No. He knows I'd predict that. Either he's going to charge me head-on and tackle me to the ground, or he'll try blinding me and then hit me with an explosion from behind.'
An explosion propelled Kacchan forward, and Izuku had only half a second to decide on his next move.
So Izuku filled himself with two percent of One for All and leaped up into the air.
A fist slammed into his gut, and air flooded out of Izuku's lungs.
"I knew you'd try some candy-ass shit like that, Deku! It's always so fucking gross how you're always taking notes on every little goddamn thing. I bet you thought I wouldn't throw that left hook, well guess what," Izuku was slammed bodily into the ground, and as he was gulping greedy lungfuls of air in, Kacchan held his open palm in front of his face, "You were fucking wrong."
'Shit!' Against his better judgment Izuku let more of One for All's power fill him, and he leaned back on his elbows. With the eight percent of One for All he could control, Izuku curled back on his arms and sprang up into Kacchan's face, feet first.
Something in his right arm made a sharp *SNAP* noise. Izuku let out an involuntary cry at the same time Kacchan did when Izuku's feet met his jaw.
"Oh! That looked like a painful exchange of blows, didn't it, everybody?!" Present Mic shouted, his commentary definitely not helping Izuku's current state.
They both rolled on the ground, groaning and cursing; Izuku clutched his right arm and Kacchan his jaw. The crackling energy of One for All dissipated, and all Izuku could feel was the sharp electric pain in his arm
"I'm gonna fugging gill you degu," clearly, his jaw was either broken or dislocated; if the pain in his shoulder was anything to go on, then Izuku's arm was too.
"Oh, shut up," Izuku groaned, pulling himself up to his feet as Kacchan did the same
The crowd cheered as they rose to their feet, and Present Mic roared even louder, "It looks like these two are fired up, just like when they had that tousle on the obstacle race! But how's this match gonna go when these two have been fighting with all they've got all day?"
'I'm not gonna be able to use One for All at eight percent anymore, and I'm definitely not stupid enough to use it at one hundred percent after already pissing Himiko off.'
Kacchan glowered through the pain he was clearly feeling. Izuku was sure that, if he could, Kacchan wanted to cuss him out even more than he had been. But thankfully, he was spared the other boy's tirade because of his injured jaw.
Izuku gripped his right arm and grimaced at the movement as a lance of pain shot up his arm, along his neck, and up his jaw. The pain had been bad but manageable. At the very least, it was nothing compared to the pain he'd felt when he had woken up momentarily after the fight with Todoroki.
Could he win with just one arm? Was there any way?
'Maybe if I focus on his jaw again?' Izuku stared over at his childhood bully and frowned. Kacchan's gaze was shaky, his pupils were dilated, and while it was minute, there was a tremor in his legs, 'I think I rattled his brain with that last attack. Maybe one more solid hit could knock him out.'
Before Izuku could think of a way to land the decisive hit he would need, Kacchan burst into motion, his arms out at his sides, ready for an attack. A large blast of smoke from Kacchan's right hand concealed his movements.
Izuku leapt into the air over the smoke, hoping that he would be able to ambush the boy above him as he emerged from the smoke. But suddenly, another blast of smoke rushed upward from the middle of the smoke, and Izuku was blinded.
"It looks like Katsuki Bakugo threw up a smoke screen! Can Izuku Midoriya avoid whatever's coming next?!"
'Crap! I can't see!'
Three quick bursts of Kacchan's quirk drew Izuku's attention. From the sound of the direction each explosion had come from, Izuku guessed that the boy was either right next to him or just above.
'Not good. I need to get to the ground fast! I'm a sitting duck up here.'
*BOOM*
An explosion scorched Izuku's back, and he was slammed into the ground by the force, chest first. The blast had scattered the smoke down in a rush, the rolling remnants of the cloud crawled along the ground, and Izuku was exposed.
Present Mic sucked in a sharp hiss over the loudspeaker, "Ooooh, that looked like it hurt!"
His chest ached, his arm throbbed even worse from the jarring force, and Izuku flipped over, wheezing pitifully.
Kacchan seemed to hang in the air, his glare centered on Izuku, but then he twisted oddly. His quirk activated in powerful bursts as he spun faster and faster. He rose high into the air, and then, all at once, the spinning mass of explosions turned and raged right toward the spot Izuku was in.
"Oh crap!" Izuku flipped over painfully and managed to throw himself just far enough so that Kacchan's attack had struck the spot he had been in. The concrete was completely destroyed, and a crater had been torn into the arena. Izuku panted and glared through the dust, where he could see the other boy's silhouette. "Are you crazy!? You could've killed me!"
"Shud up, Degu!" Kacchan slurred, his jaw still affecting his speech, "If I waned to gill you, you'd be dead!"
This was getting more and more dangerous. Kacchan might not have intended to kill Izuku, but that didn't mean he was going to be gentle. Izuku didn't want to be in any more pain if he could help it. Honestly, he'd rather just forfeit at this point, but Kacchan's temper was still very much a problem.
"You're such an… asshole." Izuku sighed tiredly.
"The hell did you say, Degu?!"
He could feel a vein throb in his head, and the stirring of a migraine was building.
A sudden idea popped into Izuku's head, and he almost let an evil grin, one that would have been at home on Himiko, spread across his face, "I said you're an asshole! You don't listen to what anyone says, you don't think about how what you do affects other people, and to top it all off, you're a loudmouth prick!"
Kacchan's eye twitched, his lips pulled back in a snarl, and his quirk activated in quick, sharp, explosive bursts, "That's it! I'm gonna gill you. You're fuggin dead, Degu!"
He sprang forward, all semblance of thought completely gone. Kacchan thundered ever closer; flashes of explosions carried him forward, and he cocked his left fist back, readying another haymaker.
Izuku smiled, filled himself with a safe amount of One for All, and then when Kacchan threw his punch, Izuku caught it and flipped him just like he had during the class team battles.
"That shit ain't gonna worg, Degu!" Kacchan twisted in Izuku's grip, landing on his feet; Izuku had expected that, and better yet, he still had a hold on the other boy's wrist.
Izuku cocked his leg back and used as much force as he could muster to sweep Kacchan's feet out from under him.
"The fu—"
Izuku slammed his foot into Kacchan's chin, knocking him out.
The entire stadium was silent for long, drawn-out seconds, but suddenly, the crowd roared in excitement.
"I don't believe it! Through pain, near exhaustion, and having all the odds against him, Izuku Midoriya has wooooooooon!" Present Mic boomed over the speakers, his voice shaking the stadium and making Izuku's whole body vibrate.
Himiko slammed into Izuku, and they tumbled to the ground, "I knew you could win."
Izuku laughed weakly and desperately tried not to fall asleep where they were sprawled out.
Chapter 25: Boogeyman
Izuku was completely exhausted. His arm and back hurt, and worst of all, he had an itch in the middle of his back he couldn't reach. The cast on his right arm and the gauze inside were making his arm just as itchy.
It had really annoyed Recovery Girl to see Izuku come back into the nurse's office, but she had given him a bit of a break when she saw his arm wasn't nearly as bad as it had been. However, she had told him she couldn't use her power to heal it for at least a day or two because he was already exhausted, and any more uses would probably kill him.
Yeah, Izuku would rather put up with a cast.
The ceremony had been very uncomfortable and very strange. Izuku, the winner, looked very rough compared to Kacchan in second and Setsuna in third, but the oddest sight was Kacchan himself. It had taken four teachers and a whole straitjacket to get him onto the second-place platform, and even All Might had had trouble getting the medal onto him. Compared to the odd states of Izuku and Kacchan, Setsuna had looked more out of place with how normal she was.
Izuku had had no time to talk to All Might about what he'd seen during his fight with Shinso. After the ceremony, amid a storm of people asking him for autographs, Izuku made his escape with Himiko to the school building. The classroom was nearly empty, but a few of their classmates were filtering in as he packed.
'I need to hurry so I can talk to All Might!'
"Hold still!" Himiko haphazardly wrote 'Property of Himiko Toga' across the surface of his cast.
"Seriously?! You know a lot of people are gonna see this, right?" Izuku held the cast up, wondering if he could find something to erase the permanent marker, but he threw that thought out quickly. He knew Himiko would just write it right back on.
She smiled, flashing her fangs, "That's the point! I've gotta keep hussies away."
"What huss—"
"Hey, Midoriya! That fight was so cool!" Ashido smiled widely, her eyes open wide and her face entirely too close for Izuku's comfort.
"It was pretty interesting. I was surprised how rude you were to Bakugo, though," Asui smiled politely, "but he had it coming. By the way, is your arm okay?"
"Oh! Uh ye—"
Himiko karate chopped a hand between Izuku and the girls, "Back off, hussies!" She pointed at the marker on his cast, "he's taken!"
"Himiko!" Izuku squeaked indignantly, and the three girls laughed at his reaction.
The girls settled down and went into an animated chat that he couldn't quite keep up with, so Izuku continued packing up while Himiko was distracted. As he did, Izuku caught sight of Kacchan. He was strangely subdued, and he didn't make a single rude remark when he saw Izuku watching him.
He just packed his school bag, slung it over his shoulder, and walked out of the room.
Izuku turned back to his desk.
'Ignore it.'
His back ached.
'Ignore it.'
His arm twinged as he put away his hero analysis notebook, which he'd been using throughout the sports festival.
'Ignore it.'
Izuku sighed, slammed his bag down on the desk, and ran after the boy.
'Why am I doing this?'
Izuku leaped down the stairs three steps at a time.
'Who cares if his stupid feelings are hurt?!'
His lungs burned even with the light run he was at. He really needed a nap. Usually, even this level of exercise was nothing to him, but he was so tired.
'The asshole has been tormenting me our whole lives, so why?'
Izuku caught up with the boy outside the school's courtyard, "Kacchan!"
'Why do I care anymore!'
Kacchan stopped, but he showed no sign of acknowledging Izuku other than that. His shoulders were hunched and shaking.
'Either he's super pissed, or he's about to cry,' Izuku snorted, 'yeah, he's as bout as likely to start crying as I am to join the League of Villains.'
"I– um, I mean… I never—" Izuku looked down. His stupid hero complex had gotten him into another awkward situation, but unlike with Todoroki, there was no ground to be made in this fight. He and Kacchan had known each other for years, so if no progress had been made in all that time, then what would one conversation do?
It certainly wouldn't help mend Izuku's hatred for the boy, and it certainly wouldn't diminish the other boy's hatred for Izuku, so was there anything he could do?
"I never hid my quirk from you," Izuku could feel Kacchan's gaze on him. It was hot and angry, and he knew the boy would blow up if nothing else was said. "I genuinely didn't know I had a quirk! Do you think that if I had known, I would have kept it from you? Kacchan, I looked up to you when we were younger; even if you didn't like me all that much back then, I was still amazed by how strong you were. I wanted you to acknowledge me, so don't you think you would've been the first person I to—"
"Aaaaagh! Shut the fuck up, Deku!" Kacchan rounded on Izuku, his bag now thrown to the ground and forgotten. "I would've been the first person you told?! You looked up to me? Don't make me fuckin laugh. You always thought I was weak, but I'm not!"
Izuku could see some scenes playing behind Kacchan's eyes, but whatever they were, they were lost on him.
"I'm not like you. I've been strong since the beginning, so the last person I need to give me some half-assed pep talk is you! Whether or not you had that damn quirk all along, don't think it means you're anywhere near my level, and don't think that goddamn cheap shot at the end means you beat me! Your ass wouldn't stand a chance in a fair fight with none of your goddamn bullshit!" Kacchan grabbed his bag from the floor and stomped away.
'Well, that didn't go… entirely horribly.'
"He's quite mad, that one."
Izuku jumped and looked behind himself, "A-All Might!"
All Might gave a two-fingered salute, "Yo, what's up young Midoriya? I saw you two standing out here from the window and got a bit worried. I know how you and young Bakugo don't exactly see eye to eye."
"That's an understatement," Izuku mumbled, but quickly remembered what he wanted to talk to the number one hero about, "All Might! I need to tell you something."
The pro nodded and hooked a thumb over his shoulder. "Let's head to the teacher's lounge. I don't have much time left in this form, and this sounds pretty important."
All Might turned to walk back into the school, but Izuku gave Kacchan's retreating figure one last long look. But then All Might shouted, and Izuku hurried after him.
"Spooky!" All Might seemed to tremble in his skeletal form at the news of Izuku seeing some kind of specters during his fight with Shinso, "and you said one of them looked like me? I'm not dead! Oh man, that's freaky."
Izuku could feel himself perspiring. "So you don't have any idea what I saw?"
All Might composed himself and sat up straight, but Izuku could still see a slight worry in his eyes, "I think I might. You said one of the figures said something about his brother, and you're sure about that?"
Izuku thought back to the moment, "Yes, it definitely said his brother."
All Might steepled his hands and gazed at Izuku from across the coffee table they were sitting at. A pair of cups sat in front of them, steam billowing out, "I think what you saw were the users of One for All, and the one that spoke about his brother was the original user."
"T-The users of One for All?" Izuku let that sink in. He had seen visions of people who were most likely dead. All Might may not have said the previous users other than him were, but he would have mentioned them by now if they were still around. Not to mention, All Might had never once spoken about the person he had received One for All from.
"That's right. I believe that is who you saw." All Might leaned forward and rested his forehead against his hands, "I sensed some vestiges of the previous users while I had the quirk. I myself even saw them, but it was only briefly and after…"
Izuku leaned forward, "After what?"
All Might grimaced, which was a rather painful-looking expression on his already emaciated features, but he sighed, "I suppose it's time I told you about the origins of One for All and of the reason for its existence." Izuku gulped, "What do you know about the time directly following the emergence of quirks?"
Izuku pulled on his lower lip, wracking his brain to think about the question, "Well…I know it was really chaotic at first. People wanted to use their abilities freely, but back then, there were more quirkless people than people with quirks, so there was a lot of pushback. I don't know when it happened, but society started changing after a decade or so. People with quirks ran rampant, and it was a terrible time for people with or without powers. If I remember right, it was America that instituted a hero system, and that was when heroes started to appear to fight people who used their quirks without restraint."
All Might nodded, "that's quite a simplistic summary, but you aren't exactly wrong. Honestly, the unprecedented peace we have now is fairly recent, and there's a reason for that."
Izuku balked at that. Was that true? Had the world really been that much more dangerous not that long ago?
"Don't look so surprised, young Midoriya. You forget I haven't always been around! And my title of 'Symbol of Peace' was one that I alone have held. I'm not just bragging here. It's a fact that a large reason why this country is so safe is because of the fear that villains have for me and the ideals I uphold," Izuku smiled brightly at his mentor, happy that the man had seen something in him that had inspired the pro. "However, where there is light, in this world, there is also darkness. The power I used to achieve the peace we now enjoy came from that darkness. It is a vile monstrosity known as All for One."
Izuku shuddered. Something about the moniker sounded… familiar, "All for One?"
All Might nodded, "yes, All for One was the guiding force for much of the chaos in Japan during the upheaval of society. I wouldn't be surprised if his reach extended to other countries."
"H-He was that powerful?"
"Oh yes. All for One, while being a moniker and also the name of his quirk, was a merciless villain who I can most assuredly call the very definition of evil. All for One could take the quirks of others so that he could use them for himself, and he even had the ability to transfer a quirk to another person."
Izuku's blood ran cold, "y-you don't mean that One for All…"
All Might nodded; his shadowed eyes were grim and dull, "that is correct. One for All is a quirk that was created by All for One. Although I suspect he did not intend to create the power, it was created all the same. You see, All for One had a quirkless younger brother whose body was frail and sickly, but he had a strong sense of justice. The younger brother, who was coveted as a possession of the older brother, defied his sibling. Until one day, his older brother, either out of a warped sense of kindness or perhaps an attempt to force obedience on his younger brother, gave him a quirk that stockpiled power. Either way, something happened that no one could have expected. The power he had been given mixed with a power that the younger brother didn't even know he had; it was an ability that passed along the quirk factor of the previous user to another. And thus, One for All was born."
Izuku gaped at that. How unlucky could All for One get? Not only did he not manage to control his brother, but he also managed to create a power that would one day create one of the greatest heroes ever: All Might. "But why does any of this matter? I mean, if all of this happened at the dawn of quirks, then surely it doesn't have any bearing on what's going on now! That was more than a hundred years ago, and everyone involved in that story is long dead."
All Might held up a hand, "Ah, but how long do you think All for One's natural lifespan would have been? Sixty, seventy, or maybe eighty years? You could say that is more than enough time to find the right quirk."
Izuku didn't like where this was going, not one bit.
"Somewhere along the line, he found a quirk, one that either halted the aging process or healed him so quickly it wasn't even a factor anymore. Either way, he was still around even when I was studying under my own master," All Might shifted uncomfortably, unbuttoned his dress shirt, and exposed his horrible stomach scar. "I told you the villain who did this was fairly unknown; that was an understatement. Only a select few people knew about him, including myself, Detective Tsukauchi, my former sidekick Sir Nighteye, and my master's friend, a man named Gran Torino."
"Y-You don't mean the person I'm thinking of did that, do you?"
All Might nodded, "That's right, All for One."
Izuku was trying not to hyperventilate. This whole story was somehow familiar, whether it was because of suppressed memories from the fragments of the previous users or because of something… else Izuku didn't know.
"Five years ago, I fought All for One. It was a hard-fought battle, but I came out on top; I had even believed the man dead. Sure, I was a wreck and on the very brink of death, but he had been left much more wounded than me. This whole time, I've seen not even a shadow nor heard even a whisper about the man's survival. Not until recently."
"The League of Villains," Izuku glared down at his long-forgotten cup of tea, the steam now gone and the cup cold to the touch.
"Yes, I'd had my suspicions when you and young Himiko had brought me the note that the info broker Giran had given her. It was a plan that stunk of All for One's treachery but with none of the nuance. At first, I thought it was the remnants of his organization in Japan; after all, when you kill a snake, its body will writhe before growing still. I had hoped that the League of Villains would be his final death throes, but when I fought that monstrous beast, Nomu, I knew All for One must still be around." All might paused, took a sip from his cold tea, and then bowed his head, "I am sorry, young Midoriya."
That took Izuku by surprise, and he scrambled to his feet quickly, "Y-You don't have to apologize, A-All Might!"
The man grimaced all the harder, and his skeletal features deepened, "I'm afraid I must. I took you on as my successor under the assumption that you wouldn't have to go through the very same ordeals I did, but I see now that I was mistaken."
Honestly, the thought of some century-old boogeyman scared Izuku to death, but he couldn't say that he regretted All Might's decision to make him his successor. If Izuku had never met All Might then he most likely never would have met Himiko again.
Izuku chuckled to himself and felt the scar on his side from when he had first met Himiko again. 'Well, she probably would have found me eventually.'
"I don't regret becoming your successor, All Might. I won't lie; I'm definitely scared, but weren't you too when you took on the burden of One for All? You must have known at some point about All for One, and no matter what age you were when you did, you must have been afraid. I don't know what to do, but I won't run away."
All Might studied Izuku for long, silent moments. His sunken blue eyes glowed in their sockets with a strange light, and finally, he let out a laugh that was more like a sigh, "You're something else, young Midoriya. In all my wildest imaginings, I never thought this conversation would go like this. I was expecting cursing, yelling, or even name-calling, but you truly are too kind."
Izuku smiled as widely as he could, "I've been told I'm really stubborn."
All Might laughed, "My teacher told me the same thing."
"So, what did you need to talk about with Mr. Skeleton?" Himiko balanced carefully and walked along with Izuku up a residential street on the line of privacy walls. She carefully picked along the brick walls and hopped to the next fence as they broke between houses.
"First of all, that's not nice. Second, I think he intended it as one of those things just between me and him." Izuku tried desperately not to freak out as she cartwheeled along the thin wall and leaped to the next.
Himiko hummed thoughtfully and stood still as she waited for Izuku to catch up. "Hmm, well, if it's not something you should share without his permission, I guess it's fine, but see if he'll let you tell me eventually. Okay?"
Izuku was sure he wanted Himiko to know any more than she already did. He was fairly certain she would already be in a lot of danger just knowing he was the current holder of One for All.
'There must be a reason that only All Might and a few other people know about All for One. I can't put her in more danger than she's already been in. She deserves a normal life, or at least as normal as I can help give her.'
Izuku wasn't an idiot; he might have been naive, but he had no illusions about his girlfriend. Her past was undoubtedly filled with sorrow and hardship, and the least he could do for her was try not to fill her future with it as well.
"I'll ask, but I doubt he'll let me tell you," Izuku sighed and hurried to follow his girlfriend.
They continued along like that for the duration of their journey home, her cartwheeling along walls and Izuku following along, trying not to freak out as she did. When they finally made it back to Izuku's apartment, the sun had set, and the streetlights had come on.
Izuku turned to Himiko just as they reached the apartment door. "Don't forget we can't let Mom know how dangerous today really was. If she finds out, I won't be allowed to go to school events like that again, and she might find a way for you to be excluded, too!"
She gasped exaggeratedly, "What? Oh no! I would be left out of activities I didn't want to do for a school I didn't want to attend?! Whatever would I do?"
Izuku sighed, hunched his shoulders, and put his key in the door, "yeah, I walked right into that one. I don't know what I was ex—"
"Izuku!"
"Daddy!"
A tangle of limbs knocked Izuku to the ground. His mom was crying, Eri was hugging him so tightly around the neck he was certain his brain was losing oxygen, and Himiko was just watching it all.
"M-Mom, E-Eri-chan! C-Can't breathe!" Izuku choked out, trying desperately not to activate One for All so he could break free.
Thankfully, Himiko seemed to take pity on him and pulled Izuku free. "Alright, you two! I know you were worried, but he's fine… I mean, sort of."
Izuku steadied himself, crouched down to hug Eri, and then he smiled up at his mom, "Yeah, I'm fine! No need to worry."
"Welcome home," Eri mumbled, her voice small and shaky as she clung to his shoulder.
Izuku smiled and ran his uninjured hand through her hair.
Inko worried over Izuku for a few more minutes. Her tirade about being safer in the future didn't come to an end until Eri's stomach growled. They all made their way into the kitchen and had Izuku and Himiko's favorite foods, and then, when they had all finished talking about the sports festival, they went to the living room to sit and watch movies together.
The day had been exceptionally long for Izuku; honestly, he was dead tired. But being back at home, surrounded by the people he cared about most, he couldn't bring himself to sleep. Maybe it was because he didn't want the moment to end, maybe he was still a little wired from all the fighting he'd done, but either way, he wouldn't trade this moment for anything in the world.
Himiko leaned her head against his shoulder, Eri breathed evenly with her head on his lap as she slept, and his mom smiled warmly at him as she dabbed away a stray happy tear.
'I'm glad I was given this quirk.'