Chapter 41
Izuku didn't have the greatest next morning, despite the night having gone so well. His mom made a celebration dinner for passing his exams — extra dessert thrown in for sharing his newfound control of his power — and he had gone to bed very relaxed and pleased with the day with thoughts of bliss and gratitude for his life. When he woke up the next morning, the first thought that hit him was the promise he decided to make — mostly to himself, with Ashido just present as witness — and he felt ten times heavier sinking into his mattress. That was two hours before his alarm, and he could not put himself back to sleep.
He tried busying himself for the several hours he had before he was to meet his classmates at Tokyo mall, but nothing worked to switch his train of thought long enough to forget; every song he listened to twisted its words in his head; every video he watched came with the wonder of someone else's thoughts and opinion; and every note he tried to write about his teachers from their exam thought of how she would have handled confrontations in his place. No matter what he tried, Izuku could not get Yaoyorozu Momo out of his head. A hyperfixation like none he'd had before outside of the days he fantasized being like All-Might had hit him like a truck — all because he accepted the place she held in his heart.
He didn't tell his mother about it when she finally woke up and joined him for breakfast, nor did she inquire if his mannerisms led her on to something off with him. Whatever the case, he promised to see her later and to be safe before heading out and making his way to the mall and arriving some thirty minutes early. He and Yaoyorozu didn't even live in the same prefecture, but all through the train ride over he was sneaking glances around as though she would be there. He hoped he could be less obvious when he finally saw her in person.
When Izuku reached the front of the mall, he was greeted by Iida and surprised by a second classmate he didn't think would be as early as them. "Good morning, Ashido, Tenya," he greeted them, both returning the gesture. "I'll never be the earliest, will I? Why am I even class president?"
"Cuz you're good at leading," Ashido answered quickly; even Iida nodded along. "And strong. You've beaten Todoroki and Bakugou in combat with your bare hands—"
"He fought Bakugou with his bat," the blue-haired boy corrected her, and she waved him off with a pout.
"And then with his hands in the Sports Festival. So what if it wasn't a knock-out? He tanked explosions with his chest for like ten minutes like Superman. We get a bookworm badass for a class prez; tell me that isn't cool."
Iida not saying anything still got a rise out of the pink-skinned girl anyway.
"Why are you both here so early?" Izuku asked them before the girl's complaints could go on too long. "Tenya, I should have expected, but I'm a bit surprised you're here too, Ashido. You make it to class on time but I don't remember you making a race out of it like he and Yaoyorozu do."
"We do not race each other!" the taller boy detested offensively. "We encourage better behavior out of each other." The green-haired teen met him with a dead look that questioned him in quiet sarcasm.
Uncaring for it, Ashido placed her hands on her hips proudly. "I'm here to test how well I know our class!" Her few seconds of pride slowly faded away as meekness overtook her form. "I, uh, flunked the written exam pretty badly, so I thought of a pick-me-up to pass the time last night, and it was guessing how everyone would show up in order." She tried perking herself up by the end of her sentence, but Izuku guessed he and Iida staring at her didn't help.
"Did you make a betting pool out of it?" the quirkless teen asked her.
"No?"
"Can I see it?"
It was a pretty solid list, Izuku conceded when presented with the crumpled paper from Ashido's pocket. Her own name was missing — she reasoned it was to test her knowledge of everyone else, not herself — and she had gotten him and Iida correct in the order of first and second arrivals. And, to prove it more than a fluke, her third list name approached, her high-tied raven hair poking out above the heads of other people before she was by their side.
The look of confusion on Yaoyorozu's face should have been expected, as she stared back at all three sets of eyes on her arrival. "I feel there's something I'm missing," she began.
Answering for them, Iida explained, "Ashido's organized a list of our arrivals in sequential order; the three of us were in her predicted order."
The tall girl soured. "I don't like being the subject of a behavior study."
"It's not a bad thing, I promise!" Ashido rushed to defend herself, ripping the paper from Izuku's hand to show to the other girl. "The three of you are usually the most punctual of our class, so it's to be expected you would be here first to make sure we all meet up in the same spot together!"
The ravenette gave the page a once-over before turning her still unhappy expression on the shorter mutant. "I don't think Kaminari will appreciate the added comment of 'five minutes late,' either."
Izuku didn't chime in as Ashido attempted to defend her choices and reasonings — while Iida joined the tall girl in criticizing the pink girl's placements and additional commentary — simply staring silently at the raven-haired girl. Once again, the brief moment of distraction was gone and his thoughts had recentered on the girl in front of him.
None of his resolve was tested. No doubt had built itself within. He was going to be honest with her.
More of their classmates arrived one or two at a time for the next half hour, Izuku greeting all of them directly with everyone else as they huddled together. Todoroki, Aoyama and Shiozaki were the only names Izuku knew weren't joining them today, and right on time with Tsunotori showing up last were the sixteen of them present. To close out their waiting, Ashido collapsed at the feet of their American classmate, sobbing comically.
"Why did you have to be late?" she cried.
"Sorry," the blonde girl apologized, patting the other girl on the head with a sheepish look. "I took a train in the opposite direction by accident. My fault for staying up so late."
Yaoyorozu clapped her hands together to call attention to her and Izuku beside her. "Alright. Now that everyone is here, we can get started. I'm sure everyone already has a store or more in mind they want to go to, but we're not here today to go around on our own."
"We'll be in groups like we were yesterday," the shorter boy continued. "There's no number limit today, so if you want to be in groups of two or three or four, that's up to you. So long as you're with at least one other person at all times, that's all we need to be aware of. We'll get together in the food court at noon and figure out what else we can do from there. I—"
"I'll go with Iida then," Ojiro decided openly, clapping the blue-haired teen on the back to push him forward. "My phone didn't charge overnight, so I know I'll be in good hands. See you guys later." He looked at Izuku with a smug smile, the blond boy's eyes darting over the quirkless teen's head to clue him in on the purpose behind them, and he returned it with his grumpiness as they disappeared into the traffic of people.
Ashido shot to her feet, clasping her hands around Tsunotori's. "I know the perfect store for us!" she exclaimed lively, dragging the blonde girl along and waving the rest of their class goodbye. In less than a minute, the rest of his classmates followed suit, making pacts with one another in groups of two or three before they all separated ways with their own goodbyes, until all that was left was him and Yaoyorozu.
The tall girl sighed mutely. "It seems everyone was excited about today," she noted wistfully. "I feel I put in too much effort last night scheduling a time for everyone…"
"They all appreciate it," he reassured her, finally addressing his taller classmate, then blinked. "Good morning. Realized I hadn't said that yet."
The ravenette turned her gaze down to him, and a life returned in her eyes when she smiled again. "Good morning to you too, Midoriya. Apologies for not doing the same; Ashido's itinerary distracted me."
"Yeah, it's a bit weird. But she made it to boost her morale after the written exam, so at least she's doing something to keep herself up. Could be a better outlet but a brain puzzle isn't the worst idea." Yaoyorozu conceded to his summary with a nod.
"Did you not reach out to Hatsume or Melissa to join us?" she asked him. "They were welcome to spend the day with us, though I imagine I should have warned the rest of our class of Hatsume 'harassing' them for more clients."
"I tried, but neither could join today," he explained. "Melissa's spending the day with Star and All-Might before they leave tomorrow; she sends her congratulations for us passing the exam, too. And Hatsume is…probably trying to build a deep sea railroad system between here and I-island so she and Melissa could work together in person or something. I've actually no idea what she's making, but she did something that helped her pass her exam, so she can celebrate however she wants."
"With our luck, they've designed the perfect suit of armor to put on you that can prevent you from making more reckless decisions that nearly gives us all heart-attacks." The cheeriness in Yaoyorozu's tone was so obviously sarcastic that it got Izuku to unlock his shoulders and sigh.
"I don't do that many stupid things."
"You jumped off of buildings three times during the exam."
He moved to argue against that, stopped to recount everything he had done in the exam, and lowered his hand. "I only remember doing it twice. Ectoplasm threw me into that other one; I didn't plan on being there."
"That does not absolve you of the decision to jump back out the window expecting someone else to save you from the fall," she argued again, though the small smile still on her face argued against any malice hiding behind her words. He met the criticism with his own huffed laughter.
"Fair enough; I got lucky Shiozaki followed me to try and stop him." The raven-haired girl nodded her head in agreement, and for a moment they fell into silence together. Her onyx eyes had caught his head-on and briefly he considered staying like that with her, but he quickly snapped his head away and looked around the mall. "We should probably get going ourselves; find something to do so it doesn't look like we agreed with Ashido just to appease her and just stand around. Shall we?" He pointed his hand down the aisle of stores and received from her a curtsy of agreement.
"We shall."
Iida gave Mashirao a judgmental stare. "Your phone is fully charged, isn't it?"
"Caught me red-handed," the tailed teen admitted with his hands in the air. "What gave me away?"
"The urgency. Is there something I should know about?"
"Probably. I just needed an excuse to move us along so Izuku and Yaomomo could group up."
"...Is there something about that I should know about?"
The blond teen nodded. "Ashido told me he's going to confess to her, so we just have to step aside and give them time to talk."
The blue-haired boy sighed into his palm while his fingers massaged the bridge of his nose. "I just had a talk with her about judging our class on their punctuality and character and how it assumed something of their personal lives. I didn't think I would need to do the same with you — and Ashido as soon as we regroup for lunch — about playing matchmaker with our friends."
"I'm not!" Mashirao quickly defended himself in a hushed voice, looking apologetically to the people around them in the store. He pushed his shoulder against the nearest wall, beside the shelves of neatly-folded shirts. "Izuku told her yesterday that that is what he plans to do. They have been dancing around each other for months — I know you've seen it," he accused his friend, and the other boy could only turn his head away with a conceding frown. "We're not influencing anything; we are just standing aside as they work this out on their own. Unless he chickens out, in which case we are involving ourselves as soon as possible—"
"No," Iida made himself clear, turning back to the blond with humor removed from his lips. "We are not involving ourselves in our friends' personal affairs and feelings against their will. That is theirs to decide on their own, and we are leaving them alone on that. I am lecturing you and Ashido about this before we're done here today. Did you two tell anyone else about this?"
"No, and I already threatened her with one of your lectures not to tell anyone else either. I'm betting a lot that everyone else can tell what's going on and that Izuku commits to this, or at the very least gives it a chance." The taller boy heaved out a long exhale, lowering himself onto the nearest bench. "I know you've noticed it. And the thing going on with Kaminari and Uraraka; I'm not involving myself in that, either."
The blue-haired teen put up both his hands. "Can we not talk about our friends like this?"
"Fine, fine," the tailed teen agreed. "I've got other people to check up on. Did sensei tell you why you didn't pass the exam?"
Iida slumped over his lap, eyes visible with disappointment over his glasses. "Yes, he did. He admonished me for taking off with the rescue bots on my own, in spite of our plans to group together, and my lack of awareness that led to my capture and our momentary loss of the bots. And when our classmates managed to rescue me from my own binding, I ran off to assist you all in the fight instead of aiding in the search for all four bots in the immediate vicinity. According to our teacher, there was no logical chance for us to apprehend either number one hero, so my efforts should have been put to aiding Kendo and the others find all four rescue bots instead."
Mashirao hummed, nodding along. "I was relieved you at least tried to help us out, but I see what he means. Unless Yaoyorozu made some more cuffs, I don't think any of us had a way to apprehend them. Finding the robots was our only chance."
The blue-haired boy grunted something of agreement and adjusted his glasses. "On top of all that, Aizawa-sensei added my performance in Hosu to my grade."
That snapped the blond boy's attention dead center on his taller friend, aghast for the moment. "You're kidding."
Iida's expression remained sour. "According to him and the principal, I have shown a 'pattern of behavior' with my actions they deem dangerous, to myself and those around me."
"Oh," Mashirao hummed plainly. He thought it over for a moment before nodding his head. "Yeah, that checks out."
"Not you too," the taller teen tiredly gasped at him. "I made an educated call on the Hero Killer's behavior to locate him in Hosu while the heroes were distracted with another threat. The only other hero looking for him had already been subdued and nearly died—"
"And you almost were too," Mashirao reminded him, stepping in closer to keep his accusation to a hush over his friend's head. "Because you didn't tell any of them what you were doing, or bothered to bring anyone with you to have your back. You are lucky Izuku showed up at all—"
"Garou was there before he was—"
"And given that guy is an asshole," the tailed boy stressed under his breath, "I don't think saving you was his intention. Both of them would have done the same thing to you, whoever came out on top of their fight, had Izuku not been there to complicate it. Kinda like how he did in the exam, and made a ruckus for the rest of us to find you two. And then when Jirou found and freed you, you left them too when the exam asked us to find the rescue bots to win. Like when you left all the heroes saving citizens from the League's villains and were tasked with protecting them too."
Iida stood up, frustration painting his face a frown. "It was the heart of Stain's territory; I couldn't leave him when I knew he was around—" He had turned as if to walk away from the conversation with his anger, but Mashirao slapped a hand on his shoulder and pulled him back.
"And you don't have to nearly kill yourself to prove it." Impressing that upon his friend snapped the taller teen's mouth shut. "I'm happy you're alive — everyone is — but I need you to not do something that endangers yourself for no reason other than you think you can handle it alone or that you need to be there to fight. If it's not Izuku doing it, then it's you; and when it's not you, it's a likely chance Kaminari is going to follow you first. And then, inspired by bravery and stupidity, probably Yaomomo. I already made that mistake" — Mashirao pressed a hand against his own chest, feeling the light indents of fingerprints from the same night in Hosu as the scars on Iida's arms — "and I have been considering how to do better the next time. What we all did was stupid, no matter how we came out of it in the end. Izuku's still a brick wall of stupidity who continues to get himself into these same scenarios no matter how much praying Shiozaki does on our behalf; can I ask you not to do the same thing? For the rest of us?"
Harsh as it was, these things bothered the front of Mashirao's mind too often for him to bite his tongue any longer. Midoriya jumped off a few buildings, Yaoyorozu agitated a beastly quirk, and Iida tried too hard to assist all in the same exam. The worst he had done was fight the number one heroes alongside the rest of his classmates; an uphill battle, to be sure, but one he did alongside about half his class to alleviate the weight of that choice. Even Uraraka and Kaminari tried their best alongside their partners like normal people, and he wasn't liking this split in decision making between their little friend group. If there was anyone on the other side he expected to listen to him on this, it was the taller boy in front of him, whose strong demeanor fell away with the sulk of his shoulders.
"You and Midoriya phrase it much differently," Iida noted idly. "You both see something different in the greater picture of events. But caring for each other's lives remains constant." He removed his glasses fully, gazing away from the blond-haired teen with festering thoughts on his face. "No matter how hard I try to be of help, it never seems to go right. When I think I'm doing my best, it is never enough."
"Don't try standing yourself with all the shit we go through," the tailed teen chided him, dialing down his tone to something softer. "We didn't fight the villains in our school but we both did what we could to save someone; I'd hate to think what Izuku would look like if you didn't bring Recovery Girl when you did. And we both stepped up for Midoriya when the Hero Killer went at him too. All I did was capture one teacher in the exam, and this isn't about you failing to do something." He brought his mutant appendage around to knock his friend on the shoulder gently. "I'm just asking you to think of something more careful than what he sets as an example."
The blue-haired teen raised his gaze to Mashirao, silently contemplating before offering a nod, his mouth still fixed in a frown. "For friends like you," he promised, "I will try."
Ochako was in a state of conflict, internally and externally. On the surface she had an image to keep, as every so often someone in the mall would recognize her or Kaminari from the entrance exam, or even her from interning with Hawks. As an upcoming hero who would likely be recognized out of costume as well in her future, she had to do her best to maintain a face and persona that met the comforting and friendly approach she wanted people to feel from her, while staying professional.
However the box of mochi clutched tightly in her hands looked mouth-wateringly delicious, and the boy who bought them for her was egging her on to spoil herself right then and there.
"I doubt anyone's gonna mind if you have something to snack on," Kaminari reasoned like the devil on her shoulder. "Mall cafeterias aren't known for the best quality, so I'm not sure everyone's going to have something to eat anyways. Now I just need to find a Cinnabon."
The brunette gave him a weak smile, still holding the mochi box close to her stomach. "Aren't those really bad for you to eat?"
"Maybe, but they smell great and they taste even better. My quirk is dangerous enough; I can deal with a pipe bomb of glazed sugar."
Ochako snickered at the image in her head. "Do you think Sato would like one too? He likes to bake, right?"
"See, I thought the same thing, but when I asked him he looked even worse than he did after the exam, so I'm just gonna buy one. Unless you want one too," he offered hastily.
"If Sugarman says no, then I'll consider it like doctor's orders," she declined. "Besides, you got me these already" — she turned the box of mochi in her hands to him — "so I don't need anything more. Thank you, again."
The blond waved off her apology. "Any time. I know you like mochi, and you passed the exam, so you deserve a present." Ochako was happy he turned away when her face heated up. Did everything have to be positive affirmation with him?
With their hunt for a cinnamon roll turning up naught, she and Kaminari continued their shopping for clothing and gear for the summer camp. Shopping for herself proved difficult with nothing practical and heavy for her to train her quirk on in a shopping mall, and only walking away with attire more fit for exercise, in case the school wasn't providing extra phys-ed uniforms for the study week. Her blond friend, however, was much easier to shop for, waving two rubber gloves on his hands.
"I haven't actually thought about getting these before," he commented as they moved along to another store. "But my quirk's been firing off on its own at night, and I don't want to sleep in Mr. Clean gloves anymore. And I can wear them normally and put a biker look together; I just need a jacket to top it off." He snapped his fingers towards her. "Do you have to wear gloves at night, since your quirk is touch-based?"
She nodded. "I have mittens with some of the fingers missing so I don't make my bedding float away. Or myself," she added in a mutter. "It does make the gloves weightless when I sleep, which felt a bit weird growing up but I'm used to it now."
Kaminari waved his hands again. "Glove buddies, then," he remarked cheerily, moving along just as seamlessly as before while she sweat-dropped and followed behind.
"You know you don't have to try and cheer me up all the time," she informed him, recalling how he explained his mindset from the exam the day before. "It's really nice of you to do it then, but today's just a shopping day with the rest of our class. I am enjoying this already; you don't have to do this now."
The boy turned his head to her again, staring emotionlessly at her. She stopped rigid behind him, staring back unblinking, before he shrugged. "Yeah, I know, but like I said: you passed the exam. You fought the principal in a mech with a laser, and looked over my sorry self with Sato and Aoyama until everyone else finished the exam for us. I want to show my appreciation for saving my butt. You deserve it."
"I didn't do much," she detested. "Aoyama couldn't fire for very long and I had to leave Todoroki to fight the principal alone for the last ten minutes."
"But you watched over three of us who couldn't fight anymore," he reasoned back. "Sato and Aoyama were both sick and I fried myself just to stun two teachers for a couple minutes until someone else could capture them for me. Making sure we were safe is what helped you pass the practical, isn't it? This is just how I show my thanks for that, that's all."
There was no convincing him to stop, was there? Ochako sighed and caught up to his stride.
"You're not giving yourself enough credit, Denki." She still blushed at the permission to call him by his name, but it worked wonders in actually demanding his attention to her. "You didn't capture Thirteen and Cementoss on your own, but shocking them when you did saved most of us from being captured as well, and it gave Ojiro and Tsunotori the opening to apprehend them for us. If it weren't for you, Todoroki would have been boxed in too, and Hanta, Aoyama and I couldn't take three teachers on our own. I'm sorry it didn't help you pass the exam, but it should have. You mattered just as much to our success."
Kaminari had slowed down his steps until he came to a full stop with her last sentence, eyes wide staring at her. Ochako felt slightly uncomfortable with how long he stayed silent looking at her, but that changed when the color on his cheeks brightened in her vision; she felt her own heat up in response.
"Ochako," he called her by name, and her chest thumped loudly in her ears. "I want to—"
A ringtone interrupted him, and the blond boy nearly shot out of his shoes startled as he fumbled his phone out of his pocket. "Sorry," he apologized as he looked at the screen. "It's my mom. One second." She waved that it was okay, and while he turned around and answered the call she nearly doubled over with her hand over her chest. Was he about to say what she thought he was about to say? Was this really happening? Was this a confession of—
"What happened?"
Kaminari's voice was stressed and surprised, and when he spun aside it showed Ochako the look of fear and worry sketched on his face. "Is he okay?" She tried to approach him slowly but the boy paced away, phone pressed hard to his ear. He stopped a few steps away, his mouth settled on a heart-stricken frown. "Where did they take him? I'll come right over—" His mouth settled shut, brow furrowing sadly. "Okay. Okay. Yeah, I'll be home soon. Love you."
When his phone lowered from his ear the rest of his body didn't move, his head tilted forward staring absentmindedly at the ground. The brunette carefully approached him again and asked, "What happened? Is someone hurt?"
The blond-haired boy patterned his lips like a fish. "Yeah, my, uh…My dad was in an accident at work. He's fine," he assured weakly, turning his face to display his scared and confused face at her. "They rushed him to a hospital already. But I-I have to go home. I'm sorry."
Ochako tried to reach out for his arm — to place a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "I can come with you, if you want—"
But Kaminari quickly stepped away from her, hands shaking wildly in front of him to brush away her offer. "No, no no no. You—We came to the mall to celebrate and shop. We barely got anything for you, and I don't wanna take you away from this. I'll be fine on my own, I promise. My mom will probably hassle you if I bring a girl home," he tried to joke, but nothing in his eyes conveyed that even he found it funny. "Just tell everyone where I went, okay? And tell them I'm sorry? I really got to go." He didn't hesitate a moment longer to dart off, weaving around other people to rush out of the mall. "Thank you! Sorry!"
And there she stood; the box of mochi still clutched to her stomach; watching until the bright yellow of his hair disappeared from view; her smiles gone with him.
He could do this, Izuku told himself. It was just him and Yaoyorozu together in a mall, window shopping for treats and browsing through clothing, where he balked at the prices while she judged the quality and material used. It was simple and plain, as they talked about the exam and their performances and judgement calls — of her quick-thinking and adaptability and his newfound control even in his rash actions — and of their friends and classmates' efforts and accomplishments. It was pleasant, switching on to the conversation of their own lives; of the differences in how their parents celebrated their victories, with his as a simple dinner with his mother and her surprised by a banquet by her parents and the present staff of the mansion they lived in (a fact he still struggled to comprehend); and of how he trained cleaning the beach before the entrance exam, and the studying and materializing of matter she tested herself on for her recommendation exam. In his mind, it was already a date in every way except all of them; so it wasn't actually a date, but the thought continued to pester the back of his mind. All he had to do was spill his feelings, and if she felt the same in return then maybe it could be one.
Before all that, though, memory lane continued as their stroll led them to the entrance of a jewelry store they both recognized.
"It's nice to see they're still in business," Yaoyorozu commented, head tilted to read the banner above the doorway. "When most of one's product is damaged in incidents like that, I know it hurts the company to resume business in the same place. It's good that they managed to recover, instead of closing."
"Yeah," Izuku agreed lazily, simply watching from the corner of his eye as the taller girl lit up attentively from her own economic chatter. "I think it took them a week to rebuild and restock in full? I don't remember the full news about it, but since it was one of the stores directly damaged they wrote a portion about the company working harder to keep it afloat, as their best-performing location or something. Closing this probably cost more than keeping it afloat, so I think they chose right."
The ravenette hummed in understanding, her gaze falling to peer through the glass doors, watching the few shoppers in the store as Izuku did. "I remember everything else about that day." Her comment drew his full attention to her. "Had I not known you as well as I do now and only watched you on the news, I'd probably think you were a bad omen akin to a black cat."
The groan that escaped his lips was involuntary. "Please don't fuel that. Dark Shadow called me that yesterday after the exam; though, I don't think he was supposed to." He could recall how Tokoyami tried to strangle his quirk against the locker after that. "It's not like I go looking for trouble. How many times have I done anything like that?"
Pointedly, Yaoyorozu turned around to the clothing store across the aisle, and then back at him. He looked away in defeat.
"You do it nobly so," she reassured him, "but you do constantly find yourself willingly or not in sticky situations. I—" She paused with a nervous chuckle, turning away herself to hold a hand over her mouth. "Pardon me, but I remember assuming you were a yakuza when we first met."
Izuku snapped his head around again with raised eyebrows. "Really?"
"You walked into a jewelry store with a baseball bat like you came to threaten them about a late payment; I'm pretty sure the clerk thought the same thing I did. Could you not have taken that home first?"
"I was in a rush! It was the only day and the only time I had to grab my mom a gift before Christmas. And it helped that I had it, you know; wouldn't have done that without it. Speaking of, I know Mei's arguing with Power Loader — and probably the principal — in giving me the condensing bats to have on hand at all times in class, but I don't see them approving that."
"I might protest with her. You've been attacked in the school almost completely on your own, were Ojiro and Togata not around. It would be more reasonable than asking for you to carry your one-ton bat around."
"It's not that heavy. Yet," he added on when she raised an eyebrow at him. "I don't think they could feasibly deliver something that small and heavy."
"We know someone will try," she mused to his nod. They stood silently together for a moment longer, one last look given to the place of their first meeting, before Yaoyorozu led him along to continue their stroll. "Have you spoken to Eri again, since Hosu? They gave you a number, didn't they?"
"They did, but I haven't. Mom tried calling it and it went to some business associate of her uncle's who tried to give us money again. She hid it somewhere around the house so I can't call to accept it. I just want to know she's doing okay." He still remembered how she looked when they had to say goodbye again, distraught and distracted, trying to cling on to him yet trying not to seem too needy. He hoped the bat he gave her offered some comfort — to know this 'big brother' she had would be there for her. That was still a title he was working his mind around in the meantime.
"I'm sure if you persist, they'll cave. I believe she would be happy to hear from her 'big brother' again." Her words were teasing and her smile was playful, but her eyes remained kind. "You are a good person to look out for someone you've only met twice. That you can bring a child happiness and inspiration with what you do is a good quality to have, Izuku. I'm sure it would make your mother reconsider, if you haven't told her as such. I'm happy I do know you as well as I do, to know the softer soul behind that gruff exterior you like to wear."
Maybe his heart had stopped beating, or maybe it was pounding at a mile a minute; Izuku couldn't really tell. A storm of butterflies churned in his stomach, yet they felt like a warm glow swirling throughout his body, spurred on by her kind words. His reactions had grown substantially from how he remembered them to her words from before. It spurred the certainty in him he was looking for.
"Momo." Saying her name clearly caught her off guard, as the tall girl jumped slightly with a surprised expression; but she quickly relaxed, and stood there waiting for him to continue. "There's something I want to tell you. Can we go somewhere more private?"
Meeting his request was a bit of a challenge, finding a spot secluded enough in a public place like the mall, but one subset aisle of stores closed for reconstruction made do when no one else was walking through it. Izuku led her to the further end of the hall, to be out of view of everyone passing by.
"I assume it's something important, if you want privacy," Yaoyorozu noted, sparing a look at the business of the mall they abandoned for the moment. "I'm all ears, Izuku. What is this about?"
His first response was reactionary — something that had been on the forefront of his mind since the exam. "You've started calling me by my name," he stated bluntly. She looked like a kicked puppy being accused, so he corrected himself quickly. "It's fine, I like it" — he tried not to make that sound as desperate as it was worded — "it's just something I noticed."
Still, the tall girl bowed her head like she was ashamed. "Yes, well, Ojiro has been doing it for some time, and I know you've told Iida he can do the same if he chooses to. And Melissa has been doing so, too, even though we've only just gotten to know her. You seem to be comfortable with it, and it got your attention when we needed it, so I decided to try using it. Is it okay with you, I'm sorry I've not asked before." The vigorous nod of his head wasn't saving his composure. "Thank you. You're welcome to use mine, in return; we're friends, so it's only fair." Friends, he repeated in his head; not negatively, but happily.
So he expressed that next. "I'm happy I've known you these past five months," he admitted. "You, Mashi, Tenya and Mei are my first friends in a long time. I don't think I would have gotten into Yuei had I not met all of you first. Not every kid wants to be friends with someone who doesn't have a quirk, but I told them about it to their face, and they accepted me for it." Knowing the distinction of 'them,' he could see Yaoyorozu caught on through her frown. He lowered his gaze to his anxious hands rubbing together. "I'm sorry I lied to you about it, when you thought I had a quirk. I didn't realize I had actually done something for you to believe it, but I played along and made a lie out of your misinterpretation. I knew it was wrong for me to do then, but I did it anyway. I shouldn't have led you on like that, and that you still consider me your friend after that means a lot to me."
"Of course you're still my friend," the tall girl repeated, her volume lower. "I can see why you played along with the lie I started; through Bakugou and how clickbait media treats you, and through the history I've seen online. I can't say I have the bravery to be so truthful to everyone's face if there was a part of me that would turn someone away, but it's not even something you had a choice in; it's just who you are that people shamed you for. You already explained that to us, Izuku, you don't have to do it again for me to understand—"
"It's not the whole truth," he interjected, hands squeezing together beneath his gaze. "I lied to everyone else I met because I worried about it, with Katsuki still in our class and the people around me at Aldera still on his side or never bothering to be involved. I lied to our class because I didn't know if they would be the same. That's not why I lied to you."
"You told me that, too. After the incident at the USJ," she recalled. "I had supported you, thinking you had a quirk, and you worried that would change if I didn't know the truth. I understood that. You did it—"
"Because I like you." Izuku admitted it openly, interrupting whatever more Yaoyorozu had to say. He didn't dare look up when she went silent, worried whatever expression she wore would dissuade him. "Because you were the first person who said it and I could believe it. I thought maybe everyone else just said it out of pity — that they were just trying to be nice to me because they knew the truth. All I did was be myself that day, and you said I could be a hero and I finally believed it. To hear it from you and my mom after that convinced me; that what I was doing wasn't impossible; that people did believe in me and I was wrong for ever doubting my friends. And I didn't want to lose you, because if I was honest and it drove away then I would have lost the best person I've ever met. I knew someone who got into Yuei because they were already perfect going into this school. I found someone who could talk about quirks and heroes for hours with me and it felt normal. The prettiest girl I've ever met believed I could be a hero and I didn't want to disappoint her." The laugh that passed his lips was dry. "Hell, I think I finally figured out how to control my power yesterday because of your voice in my head."
He ripped his hands apart, pressed his palms into the seat of his lap, and bowed to the girl before him. "I know this might be wrong of me to think about, with what I've done, but I value the friendship you've given me with my whole heart. If you'd let me, I'd like to grow it with you further."
The first second of silence felt like an eternity; so did the second; so did the third. Time clicked on without a sound from either of them. No response from her came — not after twenty seconds, nor after thirty. Izuku held his head down for maybe a minute before he decided it was enough, and pushed off his legs to slowly rise again—
"Can I think about it?"
His head nearly snapped from his neck at the speed which it whipped upwards. Yaoyorozu jumped slightly, but she caught her composure with a stoic face, calm and thoughtful.
"I'm sorry I can't give you an answer right now," she admitted softly. "I've never considered something like that before with anyone, and I'm unsure how to. Is it wrong to ask for some time to think it over, first?"
The weight that had climbed into Izuku's throat had fallen, disappearing into a tiny pebble in his stomach. It wasn't a yes; but it wasn't a no.
So he nodded. "Yeah, it's…fine. Please, take all the time you need. I don't want to force an answer out of you. I'm sorry for pulling you aside like this."
She shook her head to wipe away the negativity. "It's fine, Izuku. I'm sorry; I've not been asked this before, so I'm just caught off guard somewhat. I'd like to make sure my feelings are right before I say anything."
The mention that she had any feelings at all for him, even if it was just of the friendship they already had, felt like hope extending a hand to him. "I guess we're both new to this, then," he laughed nervously. "I can wait. Take as long as you need."
"Thank you," she bowed her head earnestly, and he returned the gesture. With all that off his chest there wasn't any more reason for them to hide in the shadows of construction, so Izuku returned with Yaoyorozu to the business of the mall's main street. They stood at the cusp of the traffic of people, silent with one another as they looked around. Unsure where to go next, he took a check of the clock on his phone.
"It's almost noon," he shared. "Shall we see if everyone wants to get together for lunch?" The ravenette nodded, so he got to sending a mass text to everyone present to meet them. The weight was off his shoulders, even if anticipation remained. Now, he just had to be patient for her. He took this long to admit it; he could wait for her.
Momo hadn't felt awkward for a few weeks, so sitting on the opposite side of the lunch table from Midoriya was a good reminder of the emotion. It wasn't like it was a big table, with only two other seats between either side of them, but being the first of their class to arrive and seated across from one another made it feel larger than that. The feeling doubled when some of their classmates finally arrived, with the silent stares from Ojiro and Iida as their first compatriots burning into the side of her head no matter how hard she tried to ignore it. Neither said a thing as they took a seat — the blond boy pulling up an extra chair to sit between Midoriya and Iida while the blue-haired teen took the seat beside Momo already — and their green-haired friend didn't hesitate to greet them and ask how their shopping went. Maybe the tall girl could have assumed something worse of him for how easily he could act so normal after all he had spilled out of his heart to her, but she could see that his calm attitude was true and genuine. She hoped the face she greeted their friends with looked the same, as the rest of the groups arrived.
She was silently apologetic when the conversation easily turned away from here to the brunette girl that returned on her lonesome.
Ojiro sputtered a few incoherent words as he looked at Uraraka, disbelief painted across his face. "He just left you without telling anyone?"
The box of mochi the girl tried to hide behind was ineffective in its one job. "He was in a rush," she defended the absent boy meekly. "Something about his dad being rushed to a hospital from an accident. I don't blame him for not thinking about that."
The tailed boy grimaced and apologized hastily while the green-haired teen beside him typed away on his phone. "I'll send him a message," Midoriya declared, "see if there's anything we can do for him while we're here. And so he knows he can reach out if he wants to." With his thumb tapping the send button, he turned his eyes on the brunette. "Why didn't you tell any of us about this sooner? How long have you been walking around on your own?"
Uraraka huffed another pout behind her little barricade. "You sound like my dad," she grumbled, and the green teen huffed a similar expression himself. "And it was only twenty minutes ago. We're in a public place; it's not like anyone is going to make a move at me or something."
"Yeah, well, this is…" His eyes shifted across the table to Momo, who unintentionally flinched before his gaze turned away down the aisle of stores they came from. "This is where I got shot, so of course I'm going to worry about you guys. I'm allowed."
About half the class turned their heads away from their lunches to stare ludicrously at the green-haired teen. Beside him, Ojiro blinked, looked over at Momo for a brief moment, and then turned back to Midoriya. "Oh shit, this is where you guys met, isn't it?"
"It is," he confirmed, "and I wasn't planning on bringing it up, but if it will help me win an argument then so be it. I'd rather play it safe while we're here. So" — he turned an accusatory finger on the brunette — "don't do that again."
Momo caught Ojiro looking at her again, an eyebrow quipped with a question she couldn't guess. The tailed boy moved on regardless, spinning a coy smile at the back of their green-haired friend's head. "And this was where you met your little sister, wasn't it?" If looks could kill, the one Izuku gave the blond teen while Ashido and Tsunotori spun on him with new questions had every intent.
She remained silent as her friend went on to forfeit the name of the white-haired girl he had saved that day and what little else he chose to share about her, all while she silently dug into her lunch. For all she expected on a day at the mall with her friends and classmates, a confession was not on her list; truthfully, it was never expected anywhere else either, so of course this trip had no indication of being different. Her head was abuzz piecing together all he told her, and everything she had assumed prior. How had she not seen it before, if she truly mattered to him as much as he confessed? How long had he been so sure of his emotions before he confessed them to her? And of her own…
She stopped her thoughts before they could delve any deeper, nearly finished with her meal, and turned to the blue-haired teen beside her. "Iida, would you mind accompanying me to the nearest shoe store?" she requested. "I'm thinking to redesign what I wear for my costume, but I'm not well-versed in the differences of soles, laces, cushioning and the like, and I was hoping your expertise on the matter could point me in the right direction, if not find me exactly that which I need."
The tall boy looked surprised for a second before he nodded. "Of course. I would be happy to assist you in your search. My footwear is custom-made to withstand the speeds and force I put them through with my quirk, but I do understand the general dynamics and preferences for quality athletic shoes. It's further in the mall than the closest store, but there is an outlet with higher-quality options we can choose from as examples."
"Oh my god, nerd talk in the wild," Ashido mumbled just loud enough for Momo to hear, and the yelp she made when Jirou jabbed her neck with one of her earlobe jacks was much louder. The boy the ravenette was discussing with turned his unimpressed stare at the pink-skinned girl, and while Momo tried to do the same, she stopped halfway when her eyes locked with Midoriya's. He was staring directly at her, his face as impassive as it could be and still making her worry something was wrong, but the shrug he gave her was more surprising.
"If you guys don't mind going on without me," he addressed her and Iida, jabbing a thumb at the brunette beside him, "I'm gonna keep an eye on our friend."
Uraraka sputtered, aghast. "I'm not a lost child!"
"No, but in case I have to run off for whatever reason, I want to be there to make sure you text someone to stay with you."
"Then I'll come with," Ojiro offered, clapping the other boy on the shoulder. "Save you the time. You won't have to worry about us, dad."
Midoriya held a threatening finger in front of the smiling blond's face. "We're not." He swung it around to the brunette, as a snicker began to escape her lips. "We are not doing this. Don't either of you start."
The rest of the class joined in on reorganizing their groups, everyone finding new partners before their lunch was over and they agreed for another few hours to shop before their day was over. Momo let her fast friend guide her through the mall to the shoe outlet he had in mind, leading her to the selection of women's shoes to parse through. "I am happy you trust my insight on this matter, Yaoyorozu," Iida thanked her. "Where should we begin?"
"A different day," she bluntly answered, brushing past the confused blue-haired boy to collapse on the nearest bench along the rows of displays. "I don't need shoes; my parents have a contract in mind for creating a variety of options for any situation we can have made in advance. I would still like your input, to put in my journal if I need to make a pair on the spot."
The boy adjusted his glasses, turning an unsure frown to the seated girl. "To get it away from Midoriya, I presume?"
"It's not like that, but yes," she admitted with a sigh. "I take it you already know."
"He told it to Ashido yesterday — after her prodding, I'd guess — who told it to Ojiro, who told it to me. I tried not to chastise them during lunch for gossiping about you two, and as far as I know, they did not tell anyone else. But, yes, I know Midoriya intended to confess his feelings to you." He turned his head away, as though embarrassed for his knowledge.
"He did," she shared in return. "And I didn't know how to answer."
Pausing from his brief stint browsing the display wall beside them, Iida's face squinted into a thoughtful surprise. "I can't say that is the end I expected your conversation to take. I didn't know it was possible." That didn't help her uncertainty, Momo scoffed internally.
"Promise not to judge?" she asked him shyly, and he nodded — even crossed his heart of his own accord. "I was too afraid to give an answer."
"Afraid of what, if I might ask?"
"That I don't know my feelings. I've not been told by someone that they like me that way. Maybe a boy did when I was younger, but that would be years ago and it's barely comparable to saying it at this age as it is then. I've not thought about being in a relationship before, with anyone. When Izuku told me how he felt, I wasn't sure what to think right away. The only relationship I can think to compare to is that of my parents."
Iida let out a nearly admissible hum. "You're calling him by his name now?"
She twisted up a humorless eyes to the other teen. "I've offered him the same. He lets you and Ojiro do the same, and he calls you by yours now, too; I see no harm in it, as we are friends too. That remains the same."
"I am relieved to hear that," he told her. "I know of sour confessions that have led to a split in acquaintanceship as well."
"I'm afraid of that too," she admitted. "He told me I was the first person he believed, when I told him I thought he could become a hero. Apparently, he considered you and the others only told him the same out of pity, because you knew he was quirkless when I didn't; he started to believe you just after he and I met, by the sound of it."
Iida looked visibly hurt, turning his head away to the store's entrance, in their friend's general direction. "He never mentioned that."
"And I don't think he will, of his own accord. He treated it like it was water under the bridge already. He knows how he feels and accepts how we do for him, too. I didn't realize how much it mattered to him until today. He thinks he finally has control of his strength because he thought of me." She remembered simply staring at the top of his head, bent over as he laid out his heart to her. "I knew only the truth of his actions — stupid and reckless, yet brave and heroic because someone else was in more danger. I thought him dangerous and impulsive, but at the same time I believed he would be a good hero. That day we met, at this mall, he valued that I told him that; after however many months he had been training already, I gave him faith in pursuing it. He's liked me since the first day, and I fear my feelings aren't enough to return it."
The blue-haired teen took a tentative seat beside the raven-haired girl. "Does that mean what you feel for Midoriya isn't the same…level of attraction he presented? I'm sorry; this is the complete opposite of my expertise, but that is how this sounds."
"I don't know what I feel," she clarified. "I care for Midoriya, as I do you; and our friends; and the rest of our class. I feel an attachment to our friends — more personal given our time spent together — but I feel something else for Midoriya. I chose Gunhead for my work study because I wanted to learn how I could be more helpful to everyone; Izuku especially. And since he mentioned how he first thought of you and Ojiro before we met, I now fear what I feel for him is that pity that worried him before." Their green-haired friend faced ferocious foes too frequently for her to sit idly, and worry for his health Momo certainly did. She thought it normal and natural before, but the boy's confession dug doubt into her mind. "And if it is, I know enough to say that isn't deserving of building a relationship atop. That's not…That's not how it works. I don't want to do that to him."
Iida drummed a hand on one of his knees, head tilted back while his eyes scrunched. "I think I understand what you mean. The only relationship I have to refer to are my parents — Tensei has dated but not with any girl that's stayed. From what I understand of my mother and father, theirs is a relationship built on love for one another. They argue and stand opposite each other from time to time, but no debate ever lasts long, nor do they ever treat each other differently the next day. They were both heroes before my brother and I were in the picture, but I don't believe they married out of pity for the other and their place in the charts. An equal amount of worry and care for the other — no different from yours, I would assume — but one I would believe they took their time to understand first before committing to each other. That would make the most sense." He turned to her again. "I do believe you are making the right choice, deciding what your feelings are for before pursuing a relationship, when neither of you are on the same page as to why. The fallout of a relationship would be more harmful than refusal from the beginning, I presume."
"I don't want to hurt him." That was the whole point of asking for time, to prevent just that from happening down the line. "Izuku is still my friend; that hasn't changed. I don't want to lose that."
"You won't," Iida reassured her. "This is not territory I've seen him pursue before, but I don't think he is the kind of person to sever a tie because he doesn't get his way. I believe you both want what is best for each other, and maybe that doesn't work out in the end this way, but I will not think either of you as thoughtless. Whatever your choice be, we will all still be friends."
"Thank you," she offered back meekly, her mind still cluttered in the cypher she used to parse the name of her feelings. Midoriya had to figure out who he was first to tell them the truth; so too would Momo discover it before she made an answer from it all.
Izuku wondered if Yaoyorozu had kept his confession to herself while she was with Iida, or if she had made the same mistake in sharing it with their friend. Though given it was Iida, the green-haired teen assumed he'd get a better reaction than the two he was with were giving him.
Maybe he was their dad, if they were going to act like children.
"Damn," Ojiro summarized his thoughts in an opening statement. "That is not how I thought that was gonna go. I didn't even know that was a choice."
Uraraka hung off his shoulder, crying animatedly large tears as she tried to shake him by the shirt. "Why did you know about this before me?"
"Because I made the mistake of telling Ashido anything," Izuku answered for her. "Could you guys not do this, right now, in public?" Not being subjected to the attention of people he didn't know really elevated his day at the mall, and their reactions to his retelling weren't helping him avoid it still. "Do you mind?"
"Kinda, actually," the blond admitted. "It's you and Yaomomo. If I was going to bet on anyone getting together" — his tail waved over the brunette's head — "you know my first answer, but you two were next. Dude, you have been so obvious about it since before I met her. You're not at all subtle, in case you haven't noticed. And I really thought she was too. I still don't get it."
"It was not that obvious," the quirkless teen insisted back, pivoting his eyes to Uraraka to back him up. The unsure grunt and darting eyes sadly ruled against him, and he threw his head back with a sigh. Yes, he had been crushing on her for months, and his feelings had only grown stronger over time, but he explicitly did everything in his power not to show them. He wasn't really sure they mattered, at first, allowing Yaoyorozu to spearhead the lie of a quirk for him and betray her trust like that — all the more reason to bury them for the first few months. When she continued to be by his side after that, though, they flourished once again, and he was only certain of them by the time of the exam; hell, since that fake letter in his locker, he already had her name in his mind as who he wished it had been from instead.
"See?" Ojiro pulled Izuku out of his thoughts, pointing at him with his whole hand. "Two hundred yen I know who you're thinking about."
"Shove it," he responded in kind. "I expect neither of you to act like this to or around her okay? She wants time to think it over, and we are going to give it to her without bothering her about it, because she is our friend and we respect her. Am I clear?"
The blond teen saluted. "Yes, father." They were lucky it was a public place and assault was indecent.
Uraraka, on the other hand, cracked her expression of tease into one of embarrassment, prying herself off the other boy. "If it makes you feel any better, you're not the only one who didn't get an answer from someone today…"
Ojiro joined him in staring shell-shocked at the brunette. "No it doesn't, actually," Izuku told her truthfully. "He didn't actually, did he?"
"Well, not really?" she backpedaled, shying under the stares of both boys. "He was going to say something but then his mother called him and he had to go so he never finished whatever it was! But he was complimenting me the whole time and trying to thank me and congratulate me for the exam, and I tried to say something back to make him feel better and it felt like that's where it was going! But he didn't actually say anything like that, so I don't know!"
"Oh my god." Ojiro's head fell into his hands, dragging down his face to present his wide eyes filled with disbelief. "How? How do both of you do this on the same day?"
"You're being an ass about it, Mashi," Izuku warned him.
The tailed teen clapped his hands together and took a deep breath. "Look; you are all great friends, even Kaminari for all the dumb shit he does sometimes. And you two clearly have something for the other — obvious for the while, but we did that already. I'm not trying to be insulting — and I'm sorry that I am — but they make both of you sappy and as annoying as it was going to be seeing you be dopey with each other, I do hope all of you are happy in the end. I'm not going to bother Yaomomo" — he reassured Izuku again — "and I won't bother Kaminari either. Whatever they have to say in the end, they will say it themselves, and I will back off." He pointed his tail at the green-haired teen. "But I swear to god if you do more of this dodgy shit like you were at lunch with her and just stop talking outright, I will mediate this immediately."
That's not what he was doing, Izuku argued internally. What was he supposed to say to her, just sitting around waiting for everyone else to show up, when all their small talk was already wasted building up to that moment of privacy? He didn't want to do anything that felt like it pressured her into hurrying an answer to his confession, and his panicked brain deduced the best thing he could do was absolutely nothing, so he did exactly that for her benefit.
He felt his phone buzz in his pocket, and fished it out to find a message from the principal of their school — sent to both him and his mother. Reading its contents, he felt just as confused as he was before he opened it.