[A/N: 69 Nice]
Izuku sighed softly as he stood on the ridge, taking in the quiet scenery. The chaos from earlier almost felt like a bad dream. His eyes shifted, and in the distance, the U.A. building stood tall and untouched. For a moment, it was hard to believe such peace could exist after what had just unfolded.
' After this, it's the sports festival,' he thought, adjusting his stance as the dust settled around him.
' That'll be my chance to get real recognition from the Heroes. But… who's mentorship should I take, not that i need it' he thought.
He exhaled, setting aside the thought for later. His hand gripped the battered, unconscious Nomu, its body dragging across the ground with a heavy scrape. Without ceremony, he pulled it back toward the facility.
Each step echoed with quiet authority, the sound of his boots against the floor announcing his arrival before he even entered.
When he finally pushed through the ruined doorway, the scene before him had shifted. Teachers and Pro Heroes stood scattered across the chamber, some dusted with bruises, others still catching their breath.
Thanks to Iida's desperate sprint for help, reinforcements had poured in. The notable villains — Shigaraki and his group — were gone, retreating into the shadows they came from. Only the hired fodder remained, strewn unconscious across the floor.
' I wanted to fight Shigaraki, Izuku muttered under his breath, disappointment flashing across his face. "Oh well."
With a single motion, he swung the Nomu forward and let it crash into the center of the room. The ground shook under the weight, and every eye turned toward him. The staff's gazes flicked from the monster's ruined body to Izuku himself.
Aizawa narrowed his eyes. "You… defeated it?" His tone was calm, but there was an edge of disbelief.
"Yeah." Izuku scratched the back of his neck, putting on a tired expression. "It was pretty hard."
But the lie didn't land. The Nomu was wrecked beyond recognition — broken, scorched, and utterly destroyed — while Izuku stood spotless, not even a thread of his uniform out of place. His calm breathing and clean stance told a different story.
They didn't argue, but their silence spoke volumes.
Finally, Aizawa broke it. "...Well. You did well." His voice carried a note of restraint, as if he didn't want to press further in front of the students. He turned sharply toward the class. "Alright. Return to campus and get changed. Meet me back here in one hour."
The students moved to obey, but several of them couldn't help sneaking glances at Izuku.
There was something unsettling about the way he carried himself, like he had fought a war none of them could fully understand… and walked out untouched.
The class quietly filed out to the bus, the adrenaline of the Nomu battle still coursing faintly in their veins. The ride back wasn't filled with chatter the way field trips usually were—just the hum of the engine and the occasional cough or shuffle of feet. Everyone seemed lost in thought, the weight of what they had survived pressing down like a storm cloud.
Izuku leaned against the cool glass of the window, eyes slipping shut.
' What am I even gonna do after this? It kinda went faster than I thought.' He exhaled softly through his nose.
A light nudge broke his train of thought. He blinked, realizing Ochaco was sitting next to him, closer than he'd noticed before.
"What's up?" he asked, his voice low but warm.
Ochaco hesitated for just a second, fiddling with her fingers before flashing him a small smile. "Are you free after this?"
"I think so," Izuku said, mirroring her smile without thinking.
"Umm, cool. Wanna walk home with me? Maybe grab some food on the way?" Her tone carried a hopeful lilt, like she was bracing for rejection but couldn't stop herself from asking.
"Sure, I'd love that."
Her face lit up, brighter than the late afternoon sun filtering into the bus. She nodded quickly and then turned forward, but the way her shoulders bounced gave away her excitement.
' I can't wait,' she thought, a little flutter stirring in her chest.
By the time they pulled up to U.A., the bus was almost silent. Everyone moved slower than usual, weighed down not just by exhaustion, but by the sobering reminder of how close they'd come to losing their lives.
Izuku showered and changed, letting the hot water wash away the grime, sweat, and faint smell of ash still clinging to him. But even when his uniform was fresh and his hair neat, his thoughts lingered on the battle. On the responsibility.
When he stepped back into the classroom, the air was heavy. His classmates sat scattered, some staring at their desks, others gripping their knees, their silence louder than any scream.
Izuku paused at the doorway, taking it all in.
'I guess now I've gotta give them words of inspiration or something. I shouldn't have taken the position…'
But then, almost instinctively, he walked to the front of the room.
And he spoke.
The words didn't feel rehearsed. They poured out raw, honest, and steady—his voice carrying the weight of survival, the fire of conviction, and the quiet belief that they weren't victims, but future heroes. He spoke not just of courage, but of unity. Not just of fear, but of how they had faced it together.
And somehow, his words cut through the fog.
Even the most hardened war generals might have struggled to find the right things to say, but Izuku's sincerity gave him a gravity that made his classmates sit straighter, breathe deeper, and find their strength again.
By the time he finished, the tension in the room had loosened. Shoulders relaxed, faint smiles appeared, and whispers of determination rippled quietly through the class.
Izuku exhaled, almost surprised at himself, and slumped back into his chair, watching the room slowly return to normal. Students whispered, stretched, and shuffled their things, the tension from the earlier battle fading.
'Man… they should've hired me in Attack on Titan,' he thought, lips twitching into a grin. ' I'd have marched straight at the Beast Titan. Actually, no—I'd have dipped. Definitely dipped. Levi can keep that one.'
He shook his head at his own mental commentary, just as Aizawa walked in. The homeroom teacher looked as if he'd just crawled out of a grave, but his words carried weight as always.
"You're getting tomorrow off," Aizawa announced flatly, hands stuffed in his pockets. "Rest. You'll need it. We'll reconvene Friday for… bigger news."
Nobody missed the slight dramatic pause.
The class instantly lit up with chatter. "No school tomorrow?" "Finally, I can sleep in!" "Bigger news? What's he mean?" The bell rang soon after, freeing everyone.
Bags zipped, chairs scraped, and soon most of 1-A poured out in little groups, buzzing with plans. Izuku lingered behind, stacking his notebooks neatly. Ochaco, still tucking away her pens, stayed too. They then walked out together.
"Hey," Izuku said casually, cracking a can open from a vending machine outside the hall. He offered her one.
She accepted, smiling. "Thanks. So… where are we headed?"
He shrugged. "Dunno. You're the one making the plans, right?"
Ochaco tilted her head, pretending to think hard. "Hmm… I was imagining a café. We could grab something sweet and just hang out before heading home."
Izuku sipped, squinting. "Ohhh, sounds like you've been plotting this out for a while."
Her cheeks puffed slightly as she waved her hands. "No, no! It's not a date or anything! Just… casual hanging out!"
"Mmhm," Izuku said with a teasing hum, stepping ahead. "First a café, then who knows? You're sounding suspiciously organized, Ochaco."
She chased after him, flustered. "Hey, don't make it sound weird!"
Izuku chuckled under his breath, the tension of the day finally melting into something normal.
TO BE CONTINUED