Chapter 47: Feelings Revealed
Izuku materialized in the vestige realm, a smile on his face as he was ready to spend the evening with Ochako. He hadn't realized how much he missed spending time alone with her until after their walk back to her apartment; he looked forward to spending the whole evening just looking at the stars.
As he materialized, he saw Ochako standing there waiting for him, dressed in her usual pajamas of an old oversized shirt - this one space themed - and a pair of shorts. She opened her mouth to speak, but it wasn't her voice he heard.
"Izu!" Nana came flying into the room.
"Damn it!" Ochako suddenly yelled, causing the vestige to come to a screeching halt. "I'm tired of people interrupting us when I just want to tell Izu how I feel!"
Silence filled the vestige realm as the three stared at each other, Ochako's face turning red as she realized what she had just said. Recovering quickly, Ochako reached out and grabbed Izuku's arm before turning to Nana. "E-excuse us!"
The familiar touch of Ochako's hand on his arm was enough to snap Izuku out of his own shock, and he instinctively fell in pace beside her as she took off, the pair racing through the familiar halls of the observatory to the upper level that they claimed for themselves.
"Sorry I snapped at your grandmother back there," Ochako apologized, her face still tinged pink from embarrassment. "That wasn't how I wanted you or her to find out what I was planning."
"It's okay, Ocha," Izuku assured her. "This is why you were frustrated earlier, wasn't it?"
"Yeah," she said softly before a renewed look of determination filled her face. "But we'll talk upstairs!"
"Mhm."
Ochako reached the stairwell door first and wrenched it open, and Izuku continued through, taking the stairs two at a time until they reached the top floor. When Ochako emerged into the domed area, she saw Izuku holding a chair in his hands, ready to prop the door shut behind her.
Once the pair had secured the door, they turned toward each other.
"Izu-"
"Ocha-"
The pair laughed. Izuku awkwardly rubbed the back of his head. "You go first."
"Thanks." Ochako gave Izuku a serene look as she gently reached out to take his hand. "I wanted to tell you since last night but people kept interrupting us." She let out a relieved giggle. "I guess I should have forced the issue sooner."
"Well, we're alone now," Izuku reminded her, his heart already racing. Despite the countless times the two of them held hands in the past, this time felt different. More intimate than it was in the past. He was filled with the same feeling that he felt walking home with her hours ago, magnified a hundred-fold.
"Izu I–" Ochako gazed into Izuku's green eyes - eyes that she had no problem getting lost in. Had gotten lost in countless times before. "-love you. As more than a partner. I've known for a long time but I grew complacent. And I made the same mistake I made back then. But then on the roof… seeing Nagant pointing a rifle at you. It was the first time I felt like I could actually lose you. That one day I would wake up and you would be gone. Trapped in here with the others, unable to follow me out of our shared dream and back to reality. And it scared me." Ochako looked down at the ground. "I just–" She looked back up at Izuku. "–needed to tell you how I feel. It's… I'll be ok if you're not ready to talk about it yet."
"Ocha…" Izuku looked at her round face reverently. Untangling his hand from hers, he slowly raised it to place his hand on her cheek, tracing the soft curves. Her warm brown eyes stared at him, a mix of anticipation and longing as she waited for his response.
He also knew she wasn't lying. She would wait forever for him if she had to.
She deserved better.
Sliding his hand to the back of her head, he felt her soft brown hair as it parted for his fingers, falling around his hand. Izuku's eyes darted to her lips, asking a simple unspoken question.
May I?
Always.
No words were spoken as he leaned in, both of their eyes closing as their lips found each other.
As he felt her soft lips on his, it felt like a circuit had been completed, two halves made whole as energy coursed through him. He separated from her for a moment, only for his lips to crash back into hers with renewed vigor as months of building emotion finally found release. His hands carded through her hair while hers wrapped tightly around his chest, pulling him close as the pair explored new ways to express their feelings for each other.
Several minutes later, they both released each other, panting heavily but unable to keep the smiles off their lips as they opened their eyes, once again finding themselves lost in the other's gaze.
"I love you too, Ocha."
"Holy shit Izu," Ochako said between breaths. "If I had known it would feel like that I would have told you months ago."
Ochako found herself immediately regretting her words as she watched Izuku sober up, a somber look appearing on his face. "I'm glad you waited, Ocha. I… don't know if I would have been ready a few months ago."
"Oh." Ochako's own face fell. "Because of Uravity?"
Izuku bobbed his head. "Is it okay if we talk about it?"
"Yeah," Ochako murmured, "it is."
Taking Ochako's hand, Izuku led them over to their shared couch and let go of her hand, taking a seat. Ochako sat down beside him and leaned into his side, their hands once again finding each other as they continued to draw strength from each other.
"Tell me about it?" Ochako asked.
Izuku took a deep breath and gathered his thoughts. "When we first came back it was… so easy to forget who you were. To pretend you were Uravity. In some ways it made things easier." Using his free hand, he rubbed the back of his neck. "Coping with what happened to us, I mean."
"I get it." Ochako gently squeezed his hand as she leaned further into him. "When you didn't bring up the fact that you were quirkless, it was easy to forget you weren't my Analyst. Even the notebook you gave me for my birthday felt like the gift he would give me." Izuku felt her vibrate as she giggled.
"Exactly," Izuku said. "It didn't help that we only saw each other a few hours each week, and all of the time we spent talking on the phone. But then… Himiko happened."
"Mmm, that wasn't my finest moment," Ochako agreed.
Izuku untangled his hand from hers and slipped it out from under her grasp, repositioning it to the back of her head as he began to card his fingers through her hair. "I know why you acted the way you did though. If things were different and you went after Tomura…" Izuku sighed. "But I think I needed it."
"What do you mean?" Ochako pulled back slightly so she could look at Izuku's face.
"Well, it really helped to show me that you are you, Ocha." Izuku's face screwed up as he tried to find the right words. "That you weren't Uravity. And after that… it became easier to separate the two of you in my mind."
"Then what happened?" Ochako asked curiously.
Izuku couldn't help but study her face, looking for any hint of judgment or pain at his words, but he found none. Despite his admission, she didn't seem to hold it against him for feeling the way he did. Feeling the knot in his stomach easing, he smiled at her. "You made me fall for you all over again."
Ochako gasped, a blush quickly spreading. "Izu…"
Gently, Izuku's fingers guided Ochako, tilting her head toward him as he leaned in for another kiss which she gladly reciprocated. "So thank you, Ocha, for waiting for me."
Ochako smiled at the green-haired boy. Her hand found its way to his face as she traced her finger along his soft, boyish features. "It's not like I wasn't going through the same thing, silly." Looking into his eyes, her soft expression disappeared as her face turned serious. "I guess it's my turn?"
Izuku nodded wordlessly, and Ochako looked away from him. She didn't want to admit it, but she found him too distracting and needed a moment to focus. Taking a deep breath, she turned back to Izuku.
"I think I had it a little easier than you at first. While it was easy to forget you weren't Analyst, every time we talked about One For All I was reminded that you were you," Ochako admitted.
"Sorry about that," Izuku apologized.
Ochako frowned at him and jabbed his cheek. "You shouldn't be! Besides, it doesn't matter now!" With a giggle, she gestured with her eyes to indicate the room they were in.
Izuku simply followed her gaze around the room before his cheeks began to heat up.
"Anyways, I think Himiko helped me too. Even though the distinction was always there, seeing you so thoughtlessly chase after her really cemented it in my mind." She gave him a fond smile. "By the time we visited the planetarium, I was actually afraid that it wasn't you sitting beside me."
"You've felt that way for that long?" Izuku asked nervously.
"Mhm." Ochako nodded. "It took a few more months before I really knew. But that was the first time that I genuinely felt saddened by the thought that you weren't you."
"I'm sorry I took so long."
"Don't be, silly!" Ochako sat upright. "I didn't want to force it. Our whole… Everything is so complicated as it is. I didn't want our love to be complicated."
"I get it," Izuku said softly. "I feel the same way. I want to love you because of you. Not because of who you remind me of."
"Exactly!" Ochako's face lit up. "I love you because of who you are. You are kind, thoughtful, selfless to a fault…" Ochako leaned forward and gently placed her lips on his. "And I've never felt stronger about anyone before."
"Not even Analyst?" Izuku asked nervously.
Ochako giggled. "Not even Analyst." Gently, Ochako removed Izuku's hands from her hair and held them in her own. "When I look at you, I see you, Izu, not him. And what I feel for you is so, so much more than I ever felt for him."
Izuku smiled back at the girl, letting himself get lost in her mocha-colored eyes. "I feel the same way. Uravity was my first friend. But you, Ocha, are the first girl I fell in love with."
"Don't let Himi let you hear that." Ochako smirked.
"I- she's different!" Izuku protested. "She's family! Besides, she's been waiting so long for us to get together that she'd probably be offended if I said I loved her before I loved you."
"That's true," Ochako laughed. "She thought we were dating back when I first moved to Mustafu, after all!" With a content sigh, she leaned forward, burying her head in Izuku's neck. "So you'll be my boyfriend then?"
"O-only if you'll be my girlfriend," Izuku said, his face heating up slightly at the word.
"Of course!" Ochako sat up again, her brown eyes gazing lovingly into green. "I'm ready for everyone to start teasing about it, too."
Izuku paled slightly. "I'm not ready for Himi to find out."
"Or Aika," Ochako added, adjusting herself and leaning into Izuku's side. "At least we have tonight to ourselves, just the two of us."
"Mhm." Izuku wrapped his arm around his girlfriend. "I don't think Nana's going to come after us after that outburst."
"She'd better not!" Ochako exclaimed. "I was serious about what I said yesterday - I want to spend more time alone with you - just the two of us."
"I guess we can now tell people we're busy because we are going on a date?"
"Yeah." Ochako smiled serenely at the thought. "We can."
Hours later, Ochako let out a loud yawn. The two had settled on the couch, limbs tangled together as they wrapped around each other and watched the sky. It was an activity that the pair had done dozens of times before, but tonight was different. As the two looked at each other and smiled, they knew exactly why.
"You ready to tell your parents you have a boyfriend?"
"Yep!" Ochako giggled. "I'm sure Dad'll want to talk to you."
"He's been threatening to give me 'the talk' for months now," Izuku sighed. "I guess I can't really avoid it now?"
"Nope!" Ochako gave Izuku a goofy grin. "It'll be fine though! My parents love you."
"Yeah…" Izuku extracted a hand to rub the back of his head.
Ochako leaned up and kissed Izuku on the cheek. "It's not going to be any worse than me dealing with your grandmother tomorrow."
Izuku laughed nervously and checked the door. The makeshift barricade was still in place, providing the illusion of privacy. He'd have to talk to Yoichi tomorrow and see who had managed to keep the seventh holder corralled for the entire night and thank them. "I wonder if the lower levels will have any flood damage tomorrow."
"Hopefully whatever quirk magic built this place prepared for it," Ochako teased. "Then again, I'm not sure Yoichi was prepared for Midoriya-level tears when he created this place."
"We could go look?"
"Nope," Ochako responded by wrapping herself even more tightly around Izuku. "Sleepy. I just want you to keep holding me until I slip back into my body, then I'm gonna track you down and kiss you some more - I want to know what it really feels like."
"That sounds nice," Izuku agreed. "We'll deal with Nana tomorrow."
Izuku adjusted himself slightly so that his arm wouldn't fall asleep before he did and closed his eyes. "Goodnight Ocha, I love you."
"Goodnight Izu, love you."
Ochako's eyes snapped open as she woke up in her room, the lingering warmth of Izuku's touch fading into a memory. Quickly crawling out of bed, she grabbed her gym uniform and went to the bathroom, getting ready for her morning jog.
As much as she had other things on her mind, she knew Izuku, and that meant that the two of them would be jogging this morning, and as much as she wanted to just drag Izuku to the beach and spend the day with him, she knew that he'd insist that they get their morning jog in.
Afterward, however…
Ochako stared at the mirror with a giddy grin. Hopefully the beach won't be crowded today.
After she changed, she grabbed a protein bar and left her family's apartment, beginning her jog toward their meeting spot. She knew she was early, but she silently hoped Izuku was as excited as she was and would be just as early.
Minutes later as she approached her meeting spot, she couldn't help but feel a pang of disappointment when she didn't see Izuku waiting for her nor did she see his approach. Slowing down to a halt, she unwrapped the protein bar she brought with her and took a bite, slowly chewing it as the morning air chilled her skin.
Ochako was two-thirds of the way through her breakfast when she saw a familiar mop of green hair coming from the direction of his apartment. Already smiling, she shoved the rest of her meal into her mouth, quickly swallowing it before waving in his direction.
"Morning Izu!" Ochako called out.
"Good morning Ocha!" Izuku smiled at her as he slowed to a halt, his cheeks already tinged pink. "Um… last night. We were in the vestige realm together, right? I wasn't dreaming by myself?"
Ochako giggled before she leaned forward, placing a soft kiss on his cheek before whispering in his ear.
"Nope, not unless I was having the same dream."
She took pleasure in watching Izuku shudder as her breath hit his ears before he turned to look at her and let out a sigh. "Good, I was worried that everything…"
Ochako cut him off, already feeling her heart cracking. "Izu, don't think like that! Even if it was a dream, I'd still love you and all you'd have to do is ask me out."
"Oh."
"I meant everything I said last night." Ochako took his hands and leaned forward, a smile on her lips. "And I really want to know what kissing you out here feels like."
"Me too," Izuku whispered as he began leaning forward, seeking to meet her halfway.
Once again their lips found each other as they kissed. The sensation was different then their kisses in the vestige realm. The literal energy that had passed through them whenever they kissed was gone, replaced by a new, different kind of energy.
Ochako couldn't get enough of it as she wrapped her arms around Izuku, pulling him close as she felt his hand found its way to the back of her head, fingers beginning to slip through her hair as they traded a series of quick pecks on the lip back and forth.
"So what do you think?" Izuku asked, all of his nervousness seemingly melted away in light of their impromptu make out session.
"I definitely prefer kissing out here," Ochako admitted. "There's just something missing that I never noticed until now."
Izuku bobbed his head in agreement. "Me too."
Pulling away from her boyfriend, Ochako fiddled with her hands. "So I was wondering - after our jog, would you like to go to the beach with me? I know Himi's got plans and we don't have anything with-"
"Ocha, I'd love to," Izuku said. "It sounds like a lovely first date."
"Yep!" Ochako pumped her fist in the air. "That's what I thought too!"
"But jog first."
"Of course." Ochako rolled her eyes at Izuku but made no indication that she was going to fight him.
With a bright grin, Izuku began jogging down the street, only for Ochako to fall in alongside him.
"If we're fast enough, we might be able to watch the sunrise from the beach."
"Well then, what are we waiting for?" Ochako asked before she increased her speed and pulled ahead.
"Hey, wait for me!"
Chapter 48: Alley Talk
Himiko sat up in her bed with a loud groan, glaring at the rising sun as if it personally offended her. It was probably her fault that she forgot to close the windows last night because of how late she was up watching anime, but right now, she was annoyed by the rays of light that woke her up.
Looking at the clock, she sighed and gently moved her plushies next to her pillow before getting out of bed. Grabbing her phone, she felt a smile tugging at her lips as she saw a message from Emily. She opened the message to see that the other girl was still on for their trip to the seaside park. For as smart as Emily was, she was frustratingly high strung, and Himiko had made it her personal mission to rectify that.
Sending off a quick message, Himiko grabbed the cute aqua-colored sundress she had chosen for today and dashed off to the bathroom to prepare for the day.
As Himiko left the train station, she scanned the crowd for her friend. Sure enough, she saw a blonde head of hair poking out above the crowd across the plaza. Grinning, she took off toward the other girl, weaving through the crowds until she caught sight of Emily standing there in a loose-fitting orange shirt and a pair of jean shorts. The other girl had her arms crossed and an annoyed look on her face, tapping her foot impatiently as she searched through the crowds.
"Emily!" Himiko called out as she waved her hand at the girl.
"Himiko!" Emily replied. "You're late!"
"I'm five minutes early!" Himiko snickered as she closed the final few meters between them. "I checked."
Emily looked down at her watch and her gaze softened until she looked up and saw the obnoxious grin on Himiko's face. "You did that on purpose!"
"Maybe. Maybe I just wanted to spend more time with you?"
Emily let out a strangled sound and averted her eyes, her cheeks heating up. "I still don't get why you insist on spending so much time with me."
"Because someone's gotta get you to lighten up!" Himiko tugged on the other girl's sleeve.
Emily let Himiko take the lead, following right behind her friend as she weaved through the crowded plaza and onto the open street where the crowds thinned. Letting go of her sleeve, the two walked in lockstep with each other, resuming their conversation.
"So what's so special about this park?"
"Because I'm visiting it with you, obviously!"
Emily made a sound that could best be described as a dying cat as she froze on the spot before wheeling around to face Himiko. "What's that supposed to mean?!"
"What do you think it means?"
Emily looked around and noticed exactly how many people were on the street. Grabbing Himiko's arm, she bodily dragged her into the alleyway before letting go. When she faced Himiko again, she felt her face heating up as she saw her fanged grin. "Are you implying you like me?"
"Maybe…" Himiko teased.
"As in, you like like me?"
"I thought I was being obvious." Himiko crossed her arms. "Not that you noticed!" She paused, giving the other girl a chance to fire off one of her usual retorts, but Emily was uncharacteristically silent. Taking a breath, Himiko continued. "You're smart, passionate, and hot." Himiko felt her cheeks heating up as she recalled a memory. "And you accepted me for who I was from the moment we met when so few people did."
"Himiko…" Emily spun away from the other girl, her face turning bright red. "Why now?"
"Because you'll be going to UA in two days." A predatory smile grew on Himiko's face. "And I don't want to have to fight off the hero students who'd be confessing to you if you're still single."
Emily scoffed. "The only people who ever tried confessing to me on I-Island were boys." Her voice dropped to a whisper. "None of the girls I was interested in felt that way back."
"Then they were stupid!" Emily gasped and spun around to face Himiko, brilliant blue eyes locking with golden. "And I'm glad that they didn't."
"Why? So you could confess instead?"
"Yep!"
Emily felt a smirk tugging at her lips. "Someone's confident."
"You know you love me." Himiko's grin softened, losing its edge and gaining a hint of playfulness.
"You're right, I do."
Himiko's eyes went wide as it was Emily's turn to grin. "You put up with me and keep dragging me out, despite my protests. Most people are fine to just let me do my own thing but not you."
"Someone's gotta do it. Besides—" Himiko felt her permanent blush spreading. "—you were one of the first people who really accepted me without any qualifiers. Just a random stranger in a cafe asking about my quirk and telling me how cool it was."
"I couldn't help it! Your quirk is so cool!"
"That's what I mean! I never had that before. Then the day we had together… It was fun!"
"I had a lot of fun too," Emily admitted. "You throw yourself at everything, trying to live your best life, and somehow you decide to bring me along with you. Why wouldn't I be interested in you?" She giggled. "And it doesn't hurt that you're cute too."
Himiko grabbed the collar of Emily's shirt and pulled herself up, crashing her lips onto hers. Emily responded in kind, gladly returning Himiko's kiss with her own enthusiastic response. The two wrapped their arms around each other as their kiss deepened, finding their own rhythm as they explored each other's lips. It wasn't until they were both out of breath that they broke apart, both panting heavily.
"When'd you learn to do that?" Emily asked.
"Some cute American girl helped me just now," Himiko teased as she stared up through lidded eyes. "She's a pretty good teacher."
"I see." Emily smirked. "Tell her I appreciate it."
Himiko responded by leaning in for another kiss, slower this time, but with the same level of passion behind it. Emily closed her eyes and followed suit, holding the other girl tightly and not wanting the moment to end as they shared their second kiss. As they kissed, they began to notice new things that they had missed. Emily tasted faintly of smoke, and Himiko the faint tang of iron. Neither girl could get enough, and both found themselves excited for what else they would discover in the future.
Neither could stop smiling as they pulled away from each other, Himiko giggling before Emily joined her. Both were lost in their own world, uncaring that they were simply in a half-hidden alleyway off a main street.
When the two finally calmed down, Himiko wrapped herself around Emily's arm and leaned into the other girl's shoulder. "We should probably get going. We still have a park to visit!"
"Right!" Emily agreed, her stress about school all but vanished.
As they left the alleyway and continued to their destination, Emily looked down at their joined hands and couldn't help but smile.
"You were right—this park is going to be pretty special."
As Izuku and Ochako spent the afternoon on the beach together, they realized that even though everything had changed, in many ways nothing had changed either. If anything, they now felt more aware of each other, their smiles a little brighter and their eyes a little warmer as they looked at each other and felt their partner's presence next to them.
They had lost track of the hours until Izuku's stomach started rumbling. Ochako giggled at her boyfriend, ready to make a joke when her own body betrayed her by announcing she was hungry as well. Red-faced, the pair decided they had spent enough time on the beach and should go get food.
The two changed back into their clothes and took a train to the shopping district. The two were walking along debating where to eat when they noticed something unusual.
"What's Himi doing here with Song?" Izuku asked as he noticed his sister up ahead.
"Hrm?" Ochako asked, looking around until she noticed them as well. "They're holding hands now, too!"
"Do you want to say hi?" Izuku asked. "We don't have to if you don't want to. Today's supposed to be just the two of us, after all!"
Ochako felt her permanent blush spreading as she avoided Izuku's gaze. "I did, but I'm kind of curious what's going on? I-if you don't mind, that is!"
"Nope." Izuku shook his head.
Speeding up, the two approached the other couple before Izuku called out to them. "Himi! Song!"
Both girls spun around at the sound of their names. Himiko's face lit up in recognition, a grin splitting her face. "Izu! Ocha! We have good news!"
"We're dating now!" Emily announced proudly.
"Yep! Unlike you two." Himiko's eyes darted to their hands.
"Um, actually…" Izuku started rubbing the back of his head as his eyes darted over to Ochako.
Mine as well rip this band-aid off now. The resigned look on her face told him everything he needed to know.
"...we got together last night," Izuku finished.
"Last night?" Himiko asked incredulously, her eyes going wide. "You mean to tell me you two got together before us?!"
"Yep!" Ochako boasted. "I may have accidentally blurted out how I felt and then we talked it over, and now…" She gave a warm smile to her boyfriend.
"You two weren't together when Himi and I talked last night!" Emily said, trying to figure out when it happened. "Wait… did you confess to him over the phone?!"
Izuku, Ochako and Himiko all fell into an awkward silence as the three of them glanced at each other. While Himiko knew about the shared vestige realm and how they spend most of their nights together, they weren't ready to bring Emily in on the secret of One For All. Not yet. And certainly not in the middle of the shopping district.
Taking the silence as confirmation, Emily turned toward Izuku. "I can't believe it! I feel so bad for you Midoriya!"
"S-so what if I did?" Ochako asked a little too loudly.
"You were going to see him this morning! Couldn't you just have waited until then!"
"It doesn't matter how she did it!" Izuku came to his girlfriend's defense. "All that matters is we love each other."
"Finally! Now I don't have to keep trying to wingwoman the two of you."
"I can't believe you're ok with this!" Emily looked at her girlfriend.
"We confessed in an alleyway. I don't think we're much better," Himiko remarked, giving her girlfriend a flat look.
"Wait, you confessed where?" Ochako asked.
"It doesn't matter!" Emily squeaked. "I can't believe it. Why am I surrounded by you people?"
"You know you love us," Himiko teased.
"So why are you two here?" Izuku asked in a desperate attempt to change the topic. "I thought you were going to a park?"
"We did!" Himiko chirped. "And now we're looking for dinner."
"So are we!" Ochako said.
"We should eat together!"
"Ocha?"
Ochako gave her boyfriend a playful smile. "I kind of want to hear all about this alleyway confession."
"We're not talking about it!"
"I'm not asking you! I'm asking Himi. You'll tell us, right?"
"Of course!" Himiko grinned.
"I can't believe this," Emily groaned.
"Are you really surprised?" Izuku asked.
"No." Emily turned to look at her girlfriend whose grin split her face. "Not in the slightest."
"Next time pick a more romantic place for us to confess!"
"That means I'd have to break up with you first."
"True." Himiko put an index finger to her face as she mimicked a thoughtful expression before grinning again. "I guess we're stuck with our alleyway confession."
"I hate you."
"No you don't."
Emily let out a sigh. "No, I don't. So where do we want to eat?"
A few minutes later, the four chose a restaurant. Izuku was actually impressed by Himiko's discipline as they walked to the restaurant, sat down, and ordered food.
His relief was short-lived as the moment the waitress left Himiko turned toward her brother. "Ok what happened?"
Ochako smirked at the other girl. "I asked first. An alleyway?"
"Look, there wasn't anywhere else private nearby and I wasn't thinking clearly!" Emily exclaimed.
"Did it even matter?" Izuku asked his sister.
"Nope!" Himiko gave a serene smile to her girlfriend. "It was perfect."
"I'm happy for the two of you," Izuku said softly before turning to Emily. "You two are great for each other."
"Of course we are!" Emily smiled at her girlfriend happily. "I'm glad you two ditched her on I-Island."
"Hey!" Ochako protested. "That was months ago and we made it up to you!"
Himiko burst out laughing before leveling a stare at the pair sitting across from her. "I guess I can finally forgive you for that."
"My turn!" Himiko said before leveling a stare at Ochako. "Details, now."
"I wasn't thinking clearly," Ochako admitted. "I was waiting for Izu to make the first move, but after our mission I decided that I needed to tell him."
"But over the phone?"
"I didn't want to wait, ok?" Ochako glared at Emily. "It felt like there was always someone there to interrupt us and so it just sort of slipped out!"
"So why didn't you tell her sooner?" Emily turned toward Izuku. "It's not polite to keep a girl waiting like that!"
Izuku rubbed the back of his head. "Well I just - with our training and studies I didn't want to be a distraction."
"My life is suffering." Himiko put her head on the table before her head shot up and she looked at her girlfriend. "See what I had to put up with?"
"It sounds like he's just trying to be responsible!"
"You've seen how they act around each other!"
"It's fine," Izuku said softly, gazing at Ochako. "When I'm with her, I feel like I can do anything. Even though we may not have a lot of free time, we'll figure it out."
Emily felt her face grow red as she looked at Himiko's satisfied grin before her face was filled with its own determination. "Well if they can do it, so can we!"
"Exactly!" Himiko said. "We just have to take our moments when we can get them." As if to prove her point, she leaned in to kiss Emily, who gladly reciprocated.
"Himi!"
"In public, really?"
"What?" both girls asked simultaneously.
"This is my life now." Izuku cradled his head in his hands.
Ochako giggled and patted him on the shoulder. "I'm sure you two'll be fine. I don't think Song will let either of your grades slip."
"You're damn right I won't!" Emily slammed her hand on the table. "Now that I'm dating Himi, she'd better be getting into UA next year!"
"We'll be training hard next semester." Ochako punched her fist into an open palm. "We've all got hand to hand teachers lined up, and somehow Himi's got a stint with Mr. Brave!"
"Hey, that's not just me. Jiro's coming with me to that!" Himiko pointed out.
"And don't think I'm going to go easy on our study sessions now that we're dating," Emily said.
"I didn't." Himiko gave a predatory look to her girlfriend. "At least I'll have a nice reward waiting for me at the end of our sessions."
Emily made a strangled sound before glaring at Himiko. "Only if you earn it!"
Izuku and Ochako started giggling at the antics of the two girls. Himiko quickly joined them, and finally Emilly followed suit, the four letting the tension and worry flow out of them. Soon enough they'll be restarting school, but before then, they still had one day left to enjoy themselves.
With their meal finished, Izuku and Ochako said goodbyes to Himiko and Emily and trekked home.
"Feeling less frustrated than yesterday?" Izuku asked as they left the commercial district.
"Mhm." Ochako gave a warm smile to her boyfriend. "Much."
"I'm glad." Izuku gave her hand a subtle squeeze and felt her return the gesture.
"I feel like we got lucky, though," Ochako giggled. "If Himi didn't have Song to distract her…"
"You know she's gonna be bugging me as soon as she gets home."
"And your mom is going to be after both of you. Good luck!" Ochako turned her head and gave Izuku a bright smile.
"Ehehehe." Izuku rubbed the back of his head with his free hand.
When they reached their traditional spot to part ways, they didn't even slow down as Ochako gave Izuku a questioning glance, his subtle nod all she needed to know that he wasn't going to leave her side yet.
"I think I like this new routine," Ochako said as they reached her parking lot. "Are you ok staying out late every day?"
"Mhm." Izuku gave her a reassuring smile. "I don't mind. You're worth it."
Ochako gasped, feeling her blush spreading before she whacked his shoulder. "You're worth it too, you know."
"I know. If it makes you feel better, we could start taking turns? Next time you walk me home?"
"I think I'd like that."
As her eyes locked with Izuku's, Ochako felt her heart speeding up as she once again realized that he was her boyfriend - her partner in all things. Closing her eyes, she began to lean forward, meeting him in the middle as she felt his arms wrap around her waist. His kiss was gentle, just like he was, and she wouldn't have it any other way. When they were done, she reluctantly pulled away, folding her hands behind her back lest she be tempted to wrap them around his shoulders a second time.
"Love you Izu. See you soon."
"I love you too Ocha. I'll see you later tonight."
Chapter 49: Winter Break
After their eventful summer break, returning to school felt tame by comparison. The group of friends took full advantage of that fact and used their newfound determination to work even harder in preparation for UA's entrance exams. Between school, training, and studying, the days passed quickly, stretching into weeks. The weeks stretched into months, and before they knew it, the final day of the semester had arrived.
"I'm so ready for this vacation!" Aika declared as she stood up from her desk, stretching as classes were dismissed for the final time.
"Not like it'll be much of a vacation. We've still gotta prepare for entrance exams next semester," Jiro replied coolly as she walked over.
"Hey, you saw my last practice test. I actually got a passing score!"
"Shizu, you were one point above the bare minimum," Himiko deadpanned as she joined them.
"That still counts! Not like you're doing much better!"
Himiko blushed. "At least I got higher than you!"
"That's what you get for constantly distracting your tutor," Ochako teased.
"Emmy always makes sure we get through the material first!" Himiko pouted. "No matter how hard I try!"
"Yes, and how much are you remembering?" Izuku asked.
"Enough." Himiko smiled mischievously at Izuku.
Ochako heard Izuku's exasperated sigh and reached out, her hand finding his as they shared a comforting smile. "We've still got a little over a month until the exams. I'm sure everyone will be ready by then!"
"Yeah! What Uraraka said!"
Jiro laughed at Aika's enthusiasm before she turned toward the rest of the group. "So, Arcade? I'm assuming Mido's keeping his promise of no more sneaking off to kidnap new family members."
"That was one time!" Izuku protested.
"I'm glad he did it!" Himiko interjected.
"Thank you, Himi!"
"Fine, you get a pass on how cool Himiko is." Jiro crossed her arms. "But I'm still not gonna let you sneak off again."
"Neither will we!" Himiko agreed as she pulled Ochako into a side hug. "He's already getting in enough trouble with supervision!"
Izuku gave a pleading look to his girlfriend who responded with a sympathetic look of her own before she said, "We should get going if we want to beat the crowds."
"Yeah!" five voices replied.
"Good morning, Toshi!" Inko's face lit up as she opened the door to see Toshinori's smiling face.
"Good morning, Inko," Toshinori greeted as the woman leaped into his arms, catching her with practiced ease as they kissed. "You're in a good mood."
"Of course I am! I get to spend two days with you." Inko smiled mischievously. "I'm going to make the most of it!"
Toshinori smiled back as he set the woman down. "I'm looking forward to it!"
"But first, lunch!" Inko said as she led Toshinori deeper into the home. Izuku and Himiko had already set the table, and everyone was just waiting for Toshinori's arrival.
The four sat down and seemed to be enjoying lunch, but it didn't take long for Izuku to notice how nervous Himiko was acting. At first his questioning glance was met with a glare in return, but it continued throughout the meal with her constant glances at Toshinori. As they were finishing up, he finally decided it was now or never.
"Himi, is something wrong?"
"No!" Himiko said too quickly.
"Himi." Inko looked at her daughter. "If something's bothering you…"
"It's about All Might," Himiko blurted out. She felt her blush spreading as she looked at Toshinori before bowing her head. "I just– I hate having to keep the secret from Emmy, and I know I invited her to the party tomorrow, and I'd have to lie to her the entire night about who he is, and–"
Toshinori held up a hand to cut off Himiko's rambling. "You are starting to sound like Young Midoriya," he said with a light chuckle.
"I know." Himiko glared at Izuku. "I'm picking up bad habits."
Izuku stuck out his tongue before his expression turned serious. "Is this just about All Might?"
"There's also One For All," Himiko added softly. "Emmy's smart. If she knows about Toshi, she might figure out the similarities?"
"Mmm." Toshinori placed a hand on his chin as he looked at the girl. "This girl means a lot to you, doesn't she?"
"Of course!" Himiko's face lit up. "She's one of the first people who told me my quirk wasn't a curse!"
"You really love her, don't you?" Inko asked.
"Yeah, I do," Himiko said, a faraway look on her face. "I love spending time with her, and that means it's only a matter of time before she finds out anyway."
"Hmm. What do you think, young Midoriya?"
Izuku turned toward Toshinori. "Himi's asked me this before. I didn't really know anyone from Class 2, so I don't know what she was like." He turned toward his sister. "But I know what Himi means by keeping secrets. If it's important to her, I'm okay with her knowing."
"Then I don't see any reason why you can't tell her." Toshinori smiled as he saw the relief fill Himiko's face. "But you must impress upon her the importance of this secret!"
"I will!" Himiko promised. "And… what about the other thing?"
"I don't think she needs to know about that part right now," Izuku said apologetically.
Himiko silently agreed. The four finished lunch as a much more relaxed atmosphere settled over the table. As they finished, Izuku and Himiko helped clear the table before saying their goodbyes, leaving Inko and Toshinori in peace.
"They are growing up into fine individuals," Toshinori said proudly as he watched the door close.
"Yes, they are," Inko agreed fondly. Walking over to Toshinori, she wrapped herself around one of his arms as she quietly guided him to the couch, where the two sat down. "You're a great father figure for them."
"F-father figure?!" Toshinori gasped.
Inko laughed lightly. "Oh please, you've seen how Izu acts around you. You're the father that he never had. Himi too."
Toshinori stiffened. "I never noticed."
"Of course you didn't," Inko said fondly as she leaned into Toshinori's side. "But I have."
"Well, it's a good thing I have you to help point these things out to me," Toshinori smiled as he gently wrapped his arm around Inko.
"I think so, too," Inko agreed.
Himiko stepped off her train and raced out of the station, her eyes already scanning the crowd for her girlfriend. When she finally spotted Emily, she noticed the blonde girl was already headed in her direction. Smile splitting her face, Himiko closed the distance and the two embraced as their lips found each other.
"Hey, Emmy," Himiko said as she pulled away from her girlfriend, looking at her through lidded eyes.
"Hey, Himi. You said you have big news?"
"Yeah!" Himiko looked around the crowd as her hand found the other girl's. "Come with me."
"We'd better not be going to another alleyway!"
Himiko laughed as she took off running, the other girl matching her pace as they raced down the street. "Nope! I want to walk through the park and gaze at the snow with my wonderful girlfriend."
"You've been watching those movies with your mom again, haven't you?"
"It's not my fault! It's what mom likes to watch at night and our couch is comfy!"
Emily rolled her eyes. "You're hopeless."
"You knew what you were getting into!" Himiko replied, her smile splitting her face.
"You never told me how much of a cat you were!"
"Maybe if you spent more time with me," Himiko shot the other girl a mischievous glance. "Like I kept asking you to!"
Emily scoffed. "I can always break up with you!"
"Oh please, you know there's nobody else who could keep up with you!" Himiko teased.
"Just you wait, I'll find someone!" Emily cried defiantly.
The two slowed their pace for a moment as they locked eyes with each other before they broke down in laughter. Without another word they sped back up, running all the way to the entrance of a nearby park. Finally stopping, Emily turned toward her girlfriend. "So now what?"
"Let's find someplace private."
"Well, what are we waiting for?" Emily asked, her curiosity already running rampant.
The two quickly entered the park and walked along the frozen paths. The snow resting on the trees made everything seem more beautiful, or perhaps it was the effect of the girl whose hand she held. Either way, Himiko vowed to take Emily back to the entrance of the park and walk through it a second time. Maybe even a third time after they were done with karaoke and the sun had set, just to see how the lights changed the atmosphere. The other girl deserved it.
But first, she had to tell her the truth about her future father. Despite the reason why, it still made her feel funny and uncomfortable lying to Emily. She didn't like it.
"Here we are," Emily said as she guided them off the path and through the snow until they were standing underneath an isolated grove of trees. "Himi, what is it?"
"Promise you won't tell anyone what I'm about to tell you," Himiko said, giving her girlfriend a serious look.
Emily locked eyes with her girlfriend. "You know I won't."
"I know." Himiko's face softened. "But I needed to hear it. It's about my fa- it's about our trainer. Mom's boyfriend."
"Mr. Yagi? What about him?"
"Well…" Himiko bit her lip. "He's actually a pro hero! We just see him when he's off duty!"
"A pro hero? Who…" Emily began thinking about potential heroes that matched his profile before her eyes started going wide. "There's no way!"
"Tall, blond, bright blue eyes. Sure he isn't all muscle-y when we see him, I still don't know how he does that and I wonder what that means for Izu and Ocha in the future, but…"
"Your mom is dating–" Emily realized she was about to scream before she whispered. "All Might?!"
"Yep!" Himiko's smile split her face. "That's him!"
"HOW?!" Emily shouted, the volume of her voice causing some snow to shake loose from the trees. "Actually! Wait! Back up! You said you wonder what this means for Izuku and Ochako in the future. What did you mean by that?"
"Something happened a little over a year ago…"
Himiko spent the next five minutes explaining everything to her girlfriend, watching in amusement as her face looked more and more incredulous. When she was done, she watched Emily and awaited her reaction.
"Why didn't you tell me any of this sooner?!" Emily exclaimed.
"Because it's a secret!" Himiko threw her hands in the air.
"Fine!" Emily crossed her arms. "But you owe me!"
"What do I owe you?" Himiko asked, confused.
"You." Emily jabbed a finger at her girlfriend. "Need to set up a meeting with Izu and All Might!"
"Why?"
"Because I need to know everything about their quirk!"
Himiko should have expected it, but she still groaned when she heard Emily's demand.
Izuku heard his phone beep, letting him know that he had received a message from Himiko. Using his free hand, he pulled his phone out and unlocked the screen to read the message.
"What's so exciting?" Ochako asked as she saw his expression change.
"Himi told Song about us. And now she wants to talk to me about my quirk."
Ochako giggled before nudging his shoulder with her own. "That sounds fun! I bet you've been dying to talk to someone else about it."
"Am I that obvious?" Izuku asked as he pocketed his phone. When he saw the look Ochako was giving him, he gave her a nervous smile in return. "I know Melissa's transferring to UA in April, but that's so far away! And I can't exactly talk to her over the phone about it."
"I know. I'm happy for you!" Ochako smiled. "Plus you might think of new cool ways for us to use it!"
"You might need to rescue Himi though. She gets bored easily whenever I'm talking about quirks."
"I think I can do that! Maybe we can grab Jiro or Shizu and go out while you two nerd it up."
Izuku smiled back. "That sounds great!"
"You sure have a weird view of fun."
"H-hey!" Izuku protested. "I can't help it…"
"I know." Ochako leaned over and kissed Izuku on the cheek. "And you're so cute when you really get into it, too. I just have a hard time keeping up with it all."
"Sorry…"
"Don't be!" Ochako shook her head and sent him a reassuring smile. "I still learn a lot from your notebooks when you're done!"
The two continued their walk in silence. For the holiday they had decided to visit the cafe where their parents first met in Mustafu, and with the entire day to themselves, they decided to enjoy the holiday atmosphere that had settled over the town. As they walked, they saw families running last-minute errands and more than a few couples enjoying each other's company on this special day.
"We've come a long way since last year, haven't we?" Ochako murmured.
"Yeah." Izuku glanced at her, unable to keep the smile off his face. "We really have."
"I know why All Might made us do what he did but—" Ochako squeezed Izuku's hand tightly. "—I'm glad we're doing it differently this time."
"Me too. It makes me feel lighter."
As if to emphasize his point, Izuku pushed the faintest trace of One For All into his hand, wrapping it in a soft green glow, barely perceptible in the daylight. Ochako saw it and gave him a warm look before responding in kind, the pink light of One For All dancing and twisting around green as the colors blended together. They only dared keep it up for a moment before they extinguished its power and descended into giggles.
"Next year's going to turn out alright, isn't it?"
"Of course it is!"
"Thank you, Izu," Ochako said, stopping in the middle of the sidewalk. Izuku looked at her in confusion as she wrapped a hand around his neck and pulled him in for a quick kiss. It only lasted for a moment before she withdrew, a giddy smile on her face. "Now I know why Himi and Song don't care what others think. It's fun kissing you in public!"
Izuku felt his face heating up as he stared at his girlfriend dumbfounded before finding his voice. "Ochaaaa!"
Ochako's smile widened. "Don't worry. I won't do it… much." As if to emphasize her point she held her hands behind her back and toed the ground with her boot as she offered her boyfriend an innocent expression.
They fell into a fit of laughter before Ochako slipped her hand back into Izuku's and the two continued onward. It didn't take long for them to circle the lake and reach the cafe, its seats mostly empty in the late afternoon. The two placed their orders and ate together, enjoying each other's company as they continued watching people pass by.
They stayed longer than necessary, and the sun had begun to set by the time they left. Checking the time, Izuku grabbed Ochako's hand. "Come on, we need to hurry!"
"For what?" Ochako asked curiously.
Izuku smiled and pulled two tickets to the observatory out of his pocket. "It's a day early, but I wanted to give you your Christmas present tonight."
Ochako's face lit up when she saw the tickets. "Izu, you–" Without warning, she leaned forward and kissed Izuku. "-you didn't have to do that! Seeing it once was enough!"
"I know, but I wanted to go again with you. Just you."
Ochako used her free hand to wipe away the stray tear that was building in her eye. How did she get so lucky to end up with someone so thoughtful? "I love it. Let's go!"
Without waiting, Ochako took off, Izuku protesting as he almost lost his grip on the tickets before he was able to shove them back in his pocket.
As the show concluded, Ochako looked down at her hand, fingers intertwined with Izuku's. Smiling, her eyes traced their way up his arm until she reached his shoulder, and then her gaze continued to his face. He had a thoughtful look as he stared at the ceiling as if trying to catch a last glimpse of the stars.
"So what'd you think?" Ochako asked.
"I think it was better the second time," Izuku admitted before he turned to look at her. "Getting to see it with you made it feel more special."
"I know just what you mean." Ochako squeezed his hand slightly. "Thank you, Izu. I loved it."
"Anything for you, Ocha."
After the holidays, the next month passed even faster as everyone focused even harder on their training and studies. Izuku and Ochako tried their hardest to help Kyoka and Aika, while Emily continued to privately tutor Himiko. When the group resumed their training at UA, Emily began to join them, her light arrows adding a new dynamic to their training as everyone began to practice against her.
Before they knew it, the day of the exam was upon them. As they were dismissed from classes for the day, the friends looked at each other, filled with nervous energy about tomorrow's exam. It was pointless to study, and any further training could leave them weaker for the exam itself.
Without anything better to do, they made their way to a nearby cafe. Ordering drinks, the six pushed a pair of tables together.
"Really, after all of our training they should just let us into UA," Aika declared as she sat down in her seat.
"Some of us, maybe," Jiro said as she shot a lazy glance toward Izuku and Ochako. "The rest of us are gonna be in for a tough battle tomorrow."
"I don't think it's gonna be easy for us either," Izuku defended himself as he rubbed the back of his head.
"But you two are amazing!" Aika exclaimed. "There's no way you two won't make it in."
Ochako glanced at Izuku before turning back to Aika. "Don't forget, this school's got a zero-point-five percent acceptance rate. There's going to be almost seven thousand students taking the exam."
"That many?" Himiko asked.
"Mhm." Izuku bobbed his head. "Most people don't pass the written exam, and those that do then have their scores averaged with the practical exam."
"Ehehehe." Aika rubbed the back of her head. "So go for a high score on the practical portion, got it!" She gave a thumbs up to the table. "With all of our training, that part should be a piece of cake."
"Seriously." Despite her cool demeanor, Izuku and Ochako noticed Kyoka's ear jacks tapping together as she looked around the table. "I knew I was gonna need to take extra training to stand a chance, but I never imagined I'd learn sword fighting on top of everything else we've learned."
"I'm glad you did though!" Himiko happily responded. "It was nice having a training partner while I learned how to use my knives."
"Too bad we can't bring weapons into the entrance exam."
"Says you! They let me register a pair of knives as support gear."
"Only because your quirk is classified as a non-combat quirk!" Aika interjected.
"I think Himi would have figured something out even if she couldn't bring them," Izuku said in defense of his sister. "It's scary how perceptive she is."
"And Emmy's gonna kill me if I don't make it into UA, so I'll get in or die trying!"
"Hopefully it doesn't come to that," Ochako replied.
"Have you seen the study sessions Emmy has put me through?"
"Yes, you've complained about them enough," Ochako giggled.
"Exactly! I can't let her down!"
As the others descended into casual conversation in an attempt to unwind, Ochako slid closer to Izuku so they could whisper to each other. "You don't think that Nezu's just going to put us through a normal entrance exam tomorrow, do you?"
Izuku shook his head. The movement was barely perceptible, but to Ochako it was loud and clear. "He knows we'd just destroy the entrance exam if we took it again."
Ochako gave him a soft smile. "And this time you won't have to break yourself to rescue a cute brunette, either." Izuku felt his neck heating up as she started giggling. "Sorry, it's too much fun teasing you."
"Ehehehe." Izuku rubbed the back of his head as he tried to get his embarrassment under control. "Whatever it is, we'll figure it out!" He looked at his friends around the table, all of them laughing and smiling as they talked to each other. "Everyone will! And then we're going to become great heroes!"
This time, we won't fail!
"Yeah." Ochako smiled gently at him. "We will."
No, we won't.
Chapter 50: Entrance Exam
For most of the students arriving to take the entrance exam, it was their first time entering its massive gates and seeing the school in person. For a smaller number, they've been there once or twice, lucky enough to attend a culture festival or secure an elusive tour.
For five students in particular, it was Tuesday.
"Well, here goes nothing!" Aika said in a too-loud voice, betraying her nervousness.
"Just relax," Kyoka responded, "and remember if you start to panic, just pick a column and start filling it in. You'll get more points that way."
"You-you!" Aika kicked Kyoka in the shins.
"Ow-hey! I don't need you beating me up before the exam!"
"Then you should have thought of that before you made fun of me!"
"Girls." Ochako stepped up, placing a hand on each of their shoulders. "I know the exam's scary, but we've got this!" She gave their shoulders a reassuring squeeze as she smiled at them. "We've literally been training for months to get here!"
Himiko smiled at her friends' antics before turning toward Izuku. "Are you sure you won't tell us what we're going against?"
"It won't matter now." Izuku gave his sister a sheepish smile. "You've got your knives, right?"
"Yep!" Himiko swept the hem of her skirt, revealing the holster underneath. "Emmy already found better ones for my costume, but she wouldn't let me use them for the exam."
"Those should be good enough," Izuku admitted. "Just remember everything we learned."
Himiko rolled her eyes. "We've learned so much I can barely remember it all. The only reason I have any chance at all is because of everyone's help. I just don't want to disappoint anyone."
"No one will be disappointed, Himi. You've come so far in a year. It…" Izuku swallowed the lump in his throat, hoping he didn't overstep any invisible boundaries. "I wish I met you sooner. Maybe things could have turned out differently."
Himiko gasped, turning away to hide her growing blush. "Well, you found me this time."
"I'm glad." Izuku smiled before crashing into his sister's back, wrapping her in a hug. "Let's become heroes together."
"Yeah!" Aika exclaimed, joining the heartwarming embrace. Kyoka followed, and finally Izuku felt Ochako's warmth as she pressed herself against his back.
The five separated and looked at each other, silently wishing each other luck before they walked toward the main building to take their exam.
As the five walked into the building, they spotted the check-in table. It was almost as they remembered it, only with one notable addition: Nemuri Kayama stood there, a pair of manilla envelopes in her hand.
Her face lit up as the group approached the table. She motioned Izuku and Ochako over, pulling them off to the side.
"There's our little prodigies." Nemuri smiled at the pair as she offered each of them an envelope. "Special instructions for your practical exam."
"Not the written exam?" Izuku asked.
"Nezu decided to be nice and let you two take the written portion with everyone else. He almost had you take the finals that the first years will have to take next month."
Ochako blanched at that. "There's no way we could have passed that!"
Nemuri chuckled. "I'm sure you two would have found a way. It's not like we're letting you out of our sights. Not yet at least."
"Right," Izuku replied uneasily as he opened the envelope. Inside was the card and map that he had remembered from his first exam. However, in place of the training ground, the location was listed as 'Gym Gamma.'
"I trust you two remember the way there?"
"Of course!" Ochako confirmed.
"Wonderful." Nemuri smiled at the pair. "I can't wait to see how you do. But before then…" She looked down the hallway at the crowd of incoming students. "I believe I have an exam to monitor."
She departed, leaving Izuku and Ochako alone in the hallway. "Gym Gamma huh? I wonder what they've got planned for us."
"I'm surprised they aren't splitting us up," Izuku mused. "There's more gyms, and they have the resources to set up a second one if they wanted to."
"They're in trouble then," Ochako laughed, the tension visibly draining out of her. "There's nothing that can stop us!"
"No, there isn't," Izuku agreed, a smile tugging at his own lips.
Izuku left the classroom feeling fairly confident with his answers. Even though this was the second time taking the exam, it still felt like a challenge and made him wonder if Nezu had managed to give him a more difficult version of the exam compared to his peers. It wouldn't surprise him if that was the case.
As he walked through the halls to the locker room, he saw a familiar head of indigo hair. Making a snap decision, Izuku reached out to touch his arm, getting his attention.
"Wha–" The boy turned to look at him, surprised.
"There's more to the test than you think," Izuku said quickly, hoping the boy wouldn't use his quirk on him.
Shinso Hitoshi's face turned into a scowl. "What would you know about that?"
Izuku just shrugged helplessly. "Just trying to help."
"Trying to make me fail is more like it. Get out of my sight."
Izuku's mind went blank as he turned around to walk away a couple steps before a familiar jolt of energy ran along his arm and snapped him out of his zombie-like state. Letting out a sad sigh, he gazed down at his hand. "Thanks."
Not wasting any more time, he hurried through the halls toward the locker room.
Himiko tried to catch her brother after the exam, but despite her best efforts, she couldn't find his mop of green hair anywhere. Sighing in disappointment, she continued to the auditorium where Kyoka and Aika were already sitting.
"Either of you see Izu?" Himiko asked.
"Nope," Kyoka said coolly, "Didn't see Uraraka either."
"I wouldn't have recognized them even if I did," Aika complained, holding her head. "That was terrible."
Kyoka patted her friend on the back. "You're just gonna have to get a new record on the practical to make up for it."
"Yes," Aika said with forced enthusiasm as she sat upright. "That's the plan!"
Himiko laughed with her friends as the lights in the room began to dim. Not wanting to miss anything, the three turned their attention to the front of the room where a single spotlight appeared, shining down on a podium with a hero standing behind it.
"Good afternoon, candidates! I'm your host for the second part of the exam, Present Mic. Who's excited for the practical portion of the exam?"
Aika stood up, her arms in the air. "Yeah!"
Present Mic gave a bright smile to the sole voice in the crowd who played along. "That's what we like to hear, examinee one-one-three-eight! That enthusiasm'll carry you far! Now then, the moment you've all been waiting for…"
The three girls paid close attention as they heard the hero explain the rules and the way they would be scored. Himiko's face screwed up as a tall blue-haired student asked about the zero pointer, only for the hero to wave it off as an obstacle to be avoided.
"There's gotta be more to the test. There's more to being a hero than just fighting bad guys…"
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the auditorium, Katsuki Bakugo scanned the crowds. Fighting robots would be child's play to him; it would be the perfect way to show off his quirk, especially with all the training he did these last ten months. He wasn't going to let some no-name villain embarrass him like that ever again!
No, what worried him was that he couldn't find Izuku. Sure there were a ton of students in here, but he should be able to recognize that messy green hair anyway! He couldn't find that round-faced girl who punched him either, but she was a secondary problem.
"Tch, Deku where are you," Katsuki muttered under his breath. Despite his warnings, he knew Izuku was here somewhere. There's no way he wouldn't be.
So where was he?
"Are you ok, Izu?" Ochako asked as she watched him emerge from the locker room in his gym uniform.
"Yeah, I just–" Izuku shook his head. "I wanted to try helping Shinso."
Ochako gave him a flat look. "That pretentious jerk?"
"He got better once he started training!" Izuku tried to defend himself.
"For you maybe," Ochako sighed. "Hopefully this time he takes after yours and not mine."
Izuku rubbed the back of his head. "I hope so too."
Their hands found each others' as the two began the ten minute trek from the main building to the gym in eerie silence. Even when they visited the school for their training, there were usually pockets of other students there. But not today. Other than the background hum of bus engines, it was as if the school itself sat in silent anticipation, watching and waiting for the students to begin their exams.
Even if they didn't dare break the silence, Izuku and Ochako drew comfort from each other. The gentle touch and subtle movement of their hands, the movement of their eyes, and their subtle smiles were enough to reassure them that they would be able to handle whatever Nezu had planned for them.
Arriving at the gym, the two pushed open the door and entered. The lights were out in most of the gym. The only place that was illuminated was the front area where Sir Nighteye and Ryukyu stood, both holding clipboards.
"Sir?"
"Ryukyu?"
"Good afternoon Midoriya, Uraraka," Mirai greeted them. "Today Ryukyu and I will be the ones evaluating you for your entrance exam."
"Nezu and All Might will also be evaluating you later," Ryuko elaborated. "We had considered inviting Fat Gum as well, but given your particular circumstances, we decided against it at the last minute."
Izuku paled at the mention of Fat Gum, the gears in his head already turning. "And what is our test?"
Mirai gave him a tight smile before he pulled a small button out of his pocket and pressed it. The rest of the gym lit up, revealing a massive obstacle course. And on the far end stood the second year students Le Million, Suneater, and Nejire-chan, in costume and ready for battle.
"These three second-years have been receiving extra training these last two semesters, ranking top of their class. Given your unique circumstances, it seemed fitting to test your skills against them," Mirai explained.
"Midoriya," Ryuko added, "your objective is to prevent Uraraka from being tagged by one of these students for as long as possible. And Uraraka, your objective is the same for Midoriya."
"That means if you jump in front of your partner to intercept a blow, their score will be affected. So you will have to think about how you two protect each other."
Izuku felt his cheeks heating up as Ochako chortled. "Did you hear that, Izu? If you want me to get into UA, you can't jump in front of me~" she teased.
"I've got other ways to keep you safe!" Izuku insisted.
"Yeah, but now you've got to use 'em!"
"If you two are done, we have an exam to conduct."
"Sorry!" both students apologized, their faces turning bright red.
"Nezu set up a special monitoring station over there." Ryukyu gestured to a small room off to the side of the gym. "Once everything is ready we will begin. In the meantime, why don't you go introduce yourselves to your opponents?"
"Okay!"
Leaving the teachers behind, the pair walked further into the gym.
"I guess they're not the big three yet, are they?" Ochako asked softly.
"Probably not," Izuku mused. "But they're still going to be strong. We know Sir and Ryukyu have been training Mirio and Nejire, and we can assume from what they said that Tamaki's been receiving additional training from Fat Gum. So even though they're still second-years, they're still going to be nearly as strong as we remembered them."
"That's ok, we're stronger, too!" Ochako grinned at Izuku. Picking up the pace, she approached the second-years with a wave and a bow. "Good afternoon! So you're our opponents for the test?"
"Yep!" Mirio proudly proclaimed. "Nezu told us that you two had some special circumstances, so he requested our help for the exam!"
"They don't seem too special," Nejire said as she touched her chin with her index finger. "They look like ordinary middle schoolers to me."
"Don't you see how they hold themselves?" Tamaki asked as he turned away from the pair. "They've been through a lot."
"And that's why they asked us to test them!" Mirio said as he flexed his arm. "So why do you two want to become heroes?"
"I want to save people with a smile," Izuku said as he drew upon One For All's energy. Green lightning sparked around him as he wrapped himself Full Cowling, surrounding him with its green corona. "I want everyone in Japan to feel safe, because I am here!"
"I want to uplift people and protect their smiles," Ochako said as she called upon One For All. Pink lightning gave away to the soft glow of Galactic Shroud. Black stars twinkled along her skin as she held up a fist in front of her. "Everyone in Japan deserves that."
"Ohohoho," Mirio chuckled as he casually slid into a fighting stance. "You two have some fancy quirks there. This is going to be fun."
"Don't hold back, because we won't either!" Nejire said as she began floating upward, her spiral waves carrying her to the sky like a fairy.
"Let's wrap this up quick so I can go home," Tamaki grumbled as he turned around to face the students. Despite his timid remarks, the tentacles that grew out of his hands warned that he was deadly serious.
Himiko stood in front of the massive archway, looking nervously at the crowd of heroes around her. Many of them just looked physically imposing, and she had to stop herself from quietly slicing some of them to collect a little bit of blood before the exam.
As she looked over the crowd, she couldn't help but mull over Izuku's words… and the zero pointer. There had to be something there, some hidden score they weren't talking about. She just had to figure it out! Otherwise what's the point of people with quirks like her even bothering to apply?
"Begin!" Present Mic's voice called out from overhead.
Himiko's instincts took over and she was off, racing inside. Glancing back, she noticed only a few people had actually left the starting line, most of them looking confused as the hero was yelling at them. She felt a smile tugging at her lips.
Well if their instincts are that bad, maybe this will be easy after all!
As she raced forward, she pulled her knives out in one smooth motion and observed the training ground. Fortunately, the robots were hard to miss, approaching like a marching army ready to do battle.
Not wanting to face so many directly, Himiko darted down a side alley and emerged on another street in the fake city. Her efforts were rewarded as she found herself face-to-face with a much more manageable crowd of robots.
Her grin split her face as she charged the first robot, eyes already finding targets. The robots had exposed sensors, and she could see wires running along the unarmored parts. Gripping her knives tightly, she raced toward the first robot. As she watched, it raised two massive limbs to strike at her before she dropped to the ground, letting her momentum carry her forward as she slid underneath the robot.
There!
Thrusting her knives upward, she felt resistance as they tore through wire and cable, causing the robot to screech to a halt. Scrambling out from underneath it, she watched with grim satisfaction as it fell over.
I can do this!
Whipping around, Himiko chose her next target.
"Begin!"
As soon as she heard the words, Aika began singing as she took off toward the entrance.
"Out of the way, extra!" a loud blond student roared as he shot ahead of her, using explosions to propel himself forward. Aika frowned. She really wanted to yell at him for being rude! But her training held, and she didn't let up on her singing. If she did, that meant she'd lose the protection of her quirk, and in a real fight, that could be fatal!
Instead she simply ducked her head and charged forward, trying to keep up. She saw the rude guy land in the middle of a pack of robots, but fortunately, she seemed to have got the attention of several others. One aimed a pair of limbs at her and launched a pair of missiles. Holding up her arms, Aika felt a wave of heat wash over her as they exploded, the force enough to give her pause. Waving her arms to clear the smoke, Aika launched herself at the robot.
Can't let them fire another shot!
Pulling her fist back, Aika slammed a foot in the ground to brace herself before she threw her first punch, smashing the face of the robot in question. She watched in satisfaction as the robot fell apart before she felt another wave of heat as missiles slammed into her back.
Blushing at her inattention, she whipped around and charged the robot, using her momentum to punch it's head off before she continued onward to body check a third, knocking it off-balance and sending it to the ground.
This is easy! I'll get so many points that my written exam won't matter!
"Begin!"
Kyoka took off, charging forward alongside the rest of her group. She saw several other students fire beams of energy as they unleashed their quirks on the robots and silently cursed her lack of support gear. With a slight shake of her head, she pulled her earjacks out of their dock around her neck, the appendages hovering menacingly as she approached her first robot.
Jamming her ear jack into the robot, she felt the metal tip pierce the robot's shell, and used her weaponized heartbeat. The effects were instantaneous as she saw the robot shudder, its internals being destroyed by the vibrations she sent through the machine before it collapsed.
"Too easy." Kyoka smirked as she retracted her ear jack before she looked around.
She hopped over the fallen machine in pursuit of her next target, running between a pair of robots and shooting her jacks out to connect with both of them at once before she used her quirk to destroy them. Withdrawing her jacks, she started planning her next attack when something caught her eye.
Smiling, she walked over to the corpse of a fallen robot, one which had been more thoroughly dismantled. There, lying among the parts, was a long pipe. Picking it up, she tested the weight and gave it a few practice swings.
"Well, this isn't a sword, but it'll have to do."
Armed with a weapon and her quirk, Kyoka spotted a large group of robots and charged.
From the loudspeaker, the five students heard Sir Nighteye's voice ring out. "Begin!"
The words weren't even fully formed when Nejire launched the opening salvo, sending a massive wave of spiral energy toward the two. Izuku and Ochako both leaped into the air, barely avoiding the blast. Hovering in the air, they saw Nejire and Tamaki looking up at them.
"Ocha!" Izuku called, using Float to close the gap and shove her out of the way.
"Hahaha!" Mirio's laughter filled the space where they had occupied moments before as he zipped through the air. He began falling only for Nejire to catch him, the pair descending to the ground. "You're good! Let's see how long you two can keep it up."
"We'll keep it up as long as it takes–" Izuku began.
"-because we're not letting anything stand in our way!" Ochako finished.