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“Izuku!” Tenya waved his arms around in rapid motions over his head, as if he wasn’t already easy to pick out in the crowd. “Over here!” Izuku raised his own hand to show he saw as he gingerly nudged himself through the other students heading outside. He maneuvered his way through the crowd like a fish in a stream. Meanwhile, Tenya stood his ground like the steady rock that he was until Izuku managed to reach him. As soon as he was close enough Tenya clapped his hand down on Izuku’s shoulder in a tight and (now that Izuku was used to it) comforting grip.
“How was your day??” Tenya asked as if they hadn’t just spent the day sitting in the same room. “Did you understand the material? I am aware that you typically have no trouble with the class work but please let me know if you did not understand anything! I would be glad to help you review it!” Izuku grinned up at him.
“Thanks, I-”
“Also, you look very nice today!” Tenya added, then jerked back and slapped a hand over his mouth. “Ah! I apologize!” His hand left his mouth to make a contrite gesture. “I did not mean to interrupt you! Please go on!” Izuku laughed.
“I think I understood the lesson pretty well! And thank you!” Tenya ducked his head to fix his glasses, still looking embarrassed. In the first three days of them being together, Tenya had warned Izuku no less than twelve times that he was inexperienced with romantic relationships. As it turned out, this meant adorable exchanges like this happening at least once a day, followed by Tenya going beet red and covering his face with his hands.
“Ten, Ten....” Izuku grabbed his wrist to stop his hands as they approached his face. “You don’t have to be embarrassed. It’s fine.”
“I know, Izuku, but...” He grimaced and closed his eyes. “I want to improve, to be someone truly deserving of your love.”
Izuku held back a snort. He couldn’t tell if the sentiment was heartwarming or cheesy. What he did know, though, was Tenya was already far more deserving of all the love in the world.
Izuku slipped his hand into Tenya’s own. He let his touch roam over the familiar calluses there and savored the enveloping warmth. “I was going to go buy some snacks for studying,” He said, “Want to come?” Tenya brightened at the offer.
“Of course! At the usual place?” Izuku nodded as they headed down the path toward the convenience store.
“A food high in protein would be best for studying,” Tenya began, and his free hand moved up to press against his chin. “Something low in sugar as well, but it also can’t be messy, of course. As for a drink...” Izuku smiled as he went on. He loved to listen to Tenya talk, watching the way his hands moved or how he strung his thoughts together out loud. It hardly even mattered what he talked about, he always brought his trademark intensity into it. Tenya could get Izuku hyped up over paint drying, talking like that.
“We should also bring into account calories as well as-oh!” Tenya stopped suddenly. Izuku stumbled at the break in stride, then looked up ahead to see what had distracted him. Instantly he froze, his blood running cold.
“No no! Stop yanking it!” A young girl cried out and tugged her leash back. The teenager scowled and pulled on his bike, but her leash remained securely tangled in the gears. “Stop pulling! You’re going to choke Snowball!”
Snowball was, evidently, the medium-sized fluffy white dog on the other end of the leash. As the teenager pulled, the dog made a distressed noise and scrambled backwards.
“It won’t come loose unless I pull it!” The teenager argued. “Your dog will be fine if you just keep the leash like that. See?”
“No!”
“Excuse me!” Tenya jerked his hand up as he stepped forward. Izuku felt the grip on his hand slip away as he moved toward the two of them. “Good afternoon! I am a student from U. A. High School. Please, allow me to assist you!” The two of them paused in their arguing to give him and his introduction a baffled look. Tenya took that as his cue to go on and knelt down by the bike.
“The leash has been tangled around the pedal here,” Tenya explained and indicated the area he was referring to. “To unravel it, it would probably be best to briefly remove the dog from the leash.” He gripped the collar of the dog and fumbled around the collar. “Ah, Izuku, could you-” He looked up, then frowned and glanced around until he spotted Izuku where he had left him. “Izuku!” He called out, and Izuku jerked back at his voice. “Could you hold the dog for a moment while I unravel the leash?”
Izuku didn’t answer. He stood rooted to where he was, staring at the dog. The color had drained out of his face and he was breathing faster than usual. Tenya’s eyebrows drew together in concern.
“Izuku?”
“I’ll do it!” The girl came forward and wrapped her hands around the collar. “You can unhook him now.” Tenya blinked, then turned to her.
“Are you certain you can hold him?”
“Mm-hm!” She nodded. Tenya nodded back and unhooked the leash from the dog’s collar.
“This should only take a second,” He quickly unraveled the leash and pulled it free from the bike, then turned back to reattach it to the collar. “There! Is your bike ok, sir?”
“Yeah...” The teenager tested the pedals, then nodded. “...Thanks.”
“No trouble!” Tenya stood up to flash him a tight salute. “It is my pleasure to help those in need, even for more casual moments.”
“Uh, yeah,” The teenager nodded as he straddled his bike, “Whatever, bye.”
“Please mind the traffic laws!” Tenya called after him as he rode away. The girl knelt down to ruffle her hands through her dog’s fur.
“Thank you, mister!” She grinned up at him. “That was super nice of you!”
“Again, no trouble!” Tenya jerked one hand up to wave her off. He was already turning toward Izuku. “Izuku, are you alright?” Izuku blinked, then swallowed and jerked his head in a nod.
“Y-Yeah!” He then flushed with embarrassment and hunched his shoulders. Tenya had leapt in to help and he had just stood there. He would have helped but...
Izuku’s eyes crawled back to the dog, then quickly away again. “S-Sorry I didn’t help, I just-”
“It’s ok!” The girl answered and stepped closer. “He’s alright! See?”
Izuku choked and stumbled back as his hands flew out in front of him.
“Y-Yeah!” He squeaked out. “Ha, Ha yeah, I see!” Don’t come closer, don’t come closer, oh God please don’t-
The dog mistook Izuku’s hands as a signal to play and went bounding up to him, mouth open and tongue lolling out. Izuku shrieked and fell backwards, flinging his arms up in front of his face. He heard Tenya yelling and the dog barking and oh God don’t come closer get it away get it away-
“Izuku!”
He felt strong arms wrapping tight around him, pulling him up to cradle him against a firm chest.
“Izuku, it’s ok.” Tenya spoke into his ear. “You’re safe.”
Izuku hadn’t even realized he was shaking. Tenya held him tight with one arm while the other began to gently pat his hair.
“Do you want to go back?” Tenya asked him. Izuku shook his head.
“No! No, I’m fine.” He tried to stand up again. Tenya pulled him up until he was on his feet.
“We’re ok here.” Tenya addressed the girl, who gave an uncertain look before bowing and leaving. Izuku felt his nerves settle as she tugged the dog away down the street.
“Are you ok?” Tenya reached out to cup his chin, studying his eyes.
“I’m fine, I’m fine.” Izuku rested his cheek against his shoulder. “I, I’m sorry, it’s just...” His eyes slid away. It was so embarrassing. He was training to be a hero for heaven’s sake.
“Izuku,” Tenya’s voice was gentle, “It’s ok, I want to help. Please tell me what the problem is.”
He deserved to know, especially after that fiasco. Izuku sniffed in a breath of air and stepped back.
“I’m um,” He mumbled down at the sidewalk, “I’m, a little scared of dogs.” Tenya cocked his head to the side, then frowned and pressed his fist to his chin.
“A phobia?” Izuku winced at the word, but well, it was true, wasn’t it? It wasn’t a mild discomfort, he was full-blown terrified of them. That had been obvious enough from his reaction, and he doubted he could have lied to Tenya even if he had wanted to.
“You should have told me earlier!” Tenya once more clapped his hand down on his shoulder. “How recent is this?”
“Since I was little, actually,” Izuku muttered.
“This is unacceptable!” Tenya’s hand went up to press again his chest while the other made a chopping gesture. “Have you spoken with anyone or made a plan to counter this phobia?”
“Um, no, not really.” Izuku pressed his fingers together. He still couldn’t look Tenya in the eye. “I just kinda thought I’d like, grow out of it. It’s childish, you know?”
“It is absolutely not childish!” Tenya threw his hands out. “Phobias can be very serious and debilitating! In addition, it could get in the way of hero work!”
Izuku’s shoulders slumped. He couldn’t argue with that. What if he had to save someone’s dog? What if a villain had a dog-related quirk? Heroes couldn’t be held back by things like this!
“Izuku,” He blinked as Tenya reached down to grab his hand in both of his. Izuku looked up to see Tenya staring back at him with fierce determination.
“Don’t worry,” Tenya said, “I know now, and I will act accordingly.” Izuku blinked and gave him a baffled look, but nodded.
“O…kay. Um, thanks, Ten.”
“Don’t worry!” Tenya repeated, patting his shoulder rapidly. “For now, do you still want to go shopping?”
“Oh...yeah.” Izuku turned his attention back toward the store up ahead. Tenya grabbed his hand once more in a firm grip, and as they moved forward again, Izuku let the thoughts of his fear fade away for the moment. He wasn’t sure what Tenya had meant by “act accordingly,” but he hoped Tenya didn’t plan to go out of his way or anything.
000
The minute that the last bell rang for class, Tenya got up and strode over to Izuku’s desk. Izuku was preoccupied with sorting his notes into his bag and didn’t notice until a sizable folder had been slammed down in front of him.
“This is for you, Izuku!” Tenya declared as Izuku peered down at the folder. “To help you with your phobia!”
“T-Tenya!” Izuku yelped and his eyes darted around as several members of the class looked over curiously. “D-Don’t, mention that so loudly.”
“Ah!” Tenya’s eyes widened in realization and he flailed his hands around. “Of course! I should have expected you would not want me to speak so plainly about it. My apologies!”
“J-Just don’t, mention it to anyone else, ok?” Izuku peered down at the folder. “What’s this?”
“As I said, it is the first step in helping you to overcome your phobia! I have compiled several photos to help you grow accustomed to the imagery.” Tenya pinched the cover of the folder, then paused. “Er, you may want to prepare yourself.” Izuku grimaced.
“Um, o-ok.” He closed his eyes, bracing himself for the image of powerful jaws, snarling lips and ruffled fur. He opened his eyes. “I-I’m ready.” Tenya nodded and pulled the cover back.
It was a puppy. A tiny cream-colored puppy that barely looked like it could open its eyes. And it was asleep, curled up on a plushie doughnut.
“It was the most non-threatening picture I could find, with some advising from Kouda.” Tenya gestured to the pile with both hands. “The pictures increase in intimidation down the pile, so you can work your way through. I recommended we go through them in a comfortable environment.”
“Oh, um,” Izuku’s eyebrows drew together as he flipped to the next picture. This one was another puppy, but awake and rolling on the carpet, “Ten, you didn’t have to do this.”
“Of course I did!” Tenya pressed a hand to his chest, “What kind of boyfriend, friend, class president, or hero in training would I be if I did not help you overcome this?? Please, allow me to give my very best in assistance!”
His arms moved as he spoke, fluidly outlining every word with his feelings. Izuku couldn’t help but smile at it. Tenya was a person who wore his heart on his sleeve, quite literally, so it was easy to see how he truly wanted to help him.
And well, if Tenya was going to put this much effort in, Izuku had no excuse.
“Tenya,” Izuku smiled up at him, “Thank you, I’ll look through all of these until I’m not scared anymore.”
“I’ll stay with you!” Tenya flashed him a double thumbs-up and a wide grin. “As a source of comfort to work you through them!” Izuku laughed. He had to admit, few things were more comforting than having Tenya at his side.
000
“How would you rate your anxiety levels right now?” Tenya asked.
“Well,” Izuku stared down at the next picture, which featured a full-grown Shiba Inu, sitting up and alert, facing the camera, “Out of ten? I’d say a 3, I guess, but I have to admit it might be low because it’s hard to feel scared sitting in your lap.”
“I am glad to hear that!” Tenya announced. He had his hands clasped around Izuku’s waist, and leaning back, Izuku could feel the vibration in his chest as he spoke. “Though perhaps in the next step, you could look through the pictures on your own, without me to mediate your fear.”
“S-Sounds reasonable.” Izuku tried not to sound disappointed. It wasn’t like he couldn’t sit in Tenya’s lap again when they studied together.
He flipped the next picture and tensed up. The fluffy Shiba Inu had been replaced with a large German Shepherd. Izuku could feel a cold sweat break out on the back of his neck and his breathing speeding up.
“Izuku,” Tenya spoke into his ear and reached up to clasp his arm, “Easy, breathe.”
“...Yeah,” Izuku squeaked out, “I guess, my fear rose up to a five right there.”
Tenya rubbed his fingers up and down Izuku’s arm, providing a soothing sensation.
“Take your time,” He said, “You can flip to the next picture when you’re ready.” Izuku nodded. He leaned back, letting his head rest against the solid muscle of Tenya’s chest. Tenya was here. He was here for him. He would never do anything to endanger him. These were just pictures.
He stared at the picture until his fear began to ebb away. Tenya had told him it would be best to not rush through them, but instead let himself acclimate to each image before moving on. Yes, this was a dog, but it was not going to leap out and attack him. He swallowed, then flipped to the next picture.
It was the same German Shepherd, but this time flipped over on its back, legs splayed out and curled over toward the camera. Its tongue lolled out, and while Izuku could clearly see its rows of jagged teeth, but from its general posture it was hard to see it as threatening. It was obviously begging for a belly rub, not aiming to chomp anyone’s arm off. Sure, Izuku wasn’t going to be the one to give it a belly rub, but still.
“What are your anxiety levels now?” Tenya asked.
“I think, it’s back down to 3 again. I’m still a little uncomfortable, but I don’t want to like, run away.”
“That’s great!” Tenya jostled Izuku a little as he moved his arms to clap his hands. “You’re approximately three quarters of the way through with the pile. You’re doing marvelously!” A tiny smile rose up on Izuku’s lips and he nodded. He had to admit, if Tenya hadn’t been here, he probably would have tried to skip straight to the end by now, and get the worst part done all at once, but this way seemed more thorough.
It was, really nice, actually. Cuddled up with Tenya, and finally overcoming his fear. It made him feel almost exhilarated.
“Ten,” He began as he flipped to the next page. Tenya straightened up behind him.
“Yes?”
“Thank you.” Izuku smiled faintly. This next dog was snarling at him, but not even that could stop the fuzzy feelings in his chest. He could beat this. He really believed he could. “Thank you for helping me through this. It’s really nice of you.”
“Izuku,” Tenya leaned in to hug him closer, resting his chin on Izuku’s shoulder, “I am happy to help you with this. I wish to help and support you in every step of your life, just as you support me.” Izuku’s smile widened and he leaned into him before turning his attention back to the stack.
“I’m going to flip to the next one now, ok?”
000
“-And that’s the last.” Izuku finished flipping through the pictures as he walked toward the school. He had now gotten through the entire pile without Tenya at his side. He was eager to tell him, to see the pleased look on his face.
At the thought, Izuku’s phone buzzed in his pocket. He fished it out to see a message from Tenya.
Izuku! There is someone I would like you to meet. Are you free directly after the end of classes, to meet by the east wing stairs on the first floor?
Izuku’s eyebrows drew together in confusion, but he typed out that he was. He received a message back immediately that was an exclamation of happiness, followed by wishing him luck in class, as well as some adorable emoticons that Ochako had showed him, which he probably typed out piece by piece himself.
Izuku smiled faintly and continued on his way. He wondered who Tenya wanted him to meet. Someone from another class, perhaps?
000
“Izuku!” Tenya jerked both his hands over to the girl beside him. “This is Shiro Kaminu from class 2-b!” The girl, who boasted the head of a husky, grinned, flashing a row of sharp teeth as she raised one clawed hand to wave.
“Heya!”
“H-H-H...” Izuku’s bag slipped from his fingers, which had locked up as he began to shake. “H-Hello!” He took a deep breath, then offered a quick bow. “Um! N-Nice to meet you.”
“Shiro is an exemplary student with a fascinating quirk!” Tenya gestured to Kaminu once again, making her turn away and cover her face with one hand.
“Oh hush!” Her tail wagged rapidly behind her. “No need to lay it on so heavy, good sir!”
“My apologies! Anyways!” Tenya jabbed his hand over at Izuku with an excited grin. “Izuku! Would you like to interview her on her quirk?”
At the word “quirk” Izuku’s head perked up. Of course, Tenya would know his one passion, and find a way to help Izuku overcome his fears.
“Ask away!” Kaminu threw her arms out, “I’m happy to talk about my cool quirk! And Iida here gave me a candy bar for the time!”
“A-Ah, well, if you insist, um.” Izuku pressed his fingers together, then peaked at her through his bangs. “Um, how does your quirk work?”
“It’s pretty straightforward!” She jabbed a thumb at herself. “Dog powers! I’ve got the ears of a dog, the nose of a dog! I can sniff things out from kilometers away!”
“I see,” Izuku pressed his hand to his chin and started to mutter to himself, “That would be a huge boon for search missions, and having someone with the senses of a dog, but the intelligence of a human who could communicate with the other members of the group or call out for victims in need of rescue...” His other hand reached out subconsciously to pull his notebook out, as well as a pencil. “Is having enhanced senses troublesome, sometimes?”
“A little!” She reached up to scratch her snout. “I have special earplugs and nose plugs, and my hero costume is equipped with them as well, which can be easily activated and deactivated.”
“That makes sense!” Izuku began to scribble in his notebook. “When engaging in combat, increased senses can be both a boon and a handicap, depending on the situations. If you can’t block it out, you need some way to control it.”
“Hey hey,” Kaminu grinned and pointed at her teeth, “You should ask me about my bite!”
“How is your bite?” Izuku asked immediately. Tenya looked like he had been about to intercede, but quickly closed his mouth once more.
“It’s great!” Her grin widened and her lips peeled back. Izuku flinched a bit, his hand tightening on his pencil. “I can chomp down hard enough to break cow femurs!”
“Wow!” Izuku squeaked. He was impressed, and only a little terrified. “That’s, incredible!”
“Jaws of life, right here!” She ran her tongue over her teeth. “Course, I can’t go biting just anything, but I can drag people out of dangerous areas, and once I get my jaws on a villain I don’t let go!”
“And your hands and feet are still free!” Izuku nodded along and added some more notes to his book. “That’s amazing!”
“Thanks!”
The questions went back and forth for about half an hour, until eventually Kaminu said she had to get back. Both Tenya and Izuku thanked her for her time before they parted ways, Tenya and Izuku going one way back to the dorms.
“How do you feel?” Tenya asked as they headed down the path. Izuku flashed him a wan smile, clutching his book to his chest.
“I’m, alright! That was fun!” Tenya beamed in response and puffed his chest out a bit.
“Good! You are making rapid progress!”
“I, I think I am!” Izuku clenched his fists and looked down at them. “It feels good.”
“As it should!” Tenya clapped him on the shoulder. “I have no doubt that you will continue to succeed!”
They stopped where the path to their dorms split off. Izuku had to work on a project and Tenya was going to go train, so this was where they would part ways for now.
“Be sure to get plenty of rest tonight!” Tenya jerked his hand up in his usual chopping gesture. “As we are going to be doing on-the-job training tomorrow!”
“Oh, yeah!” Izuku nodded eagerly. He had been looking forward to it. He and Tenya were in a group together, going on a patrol with the Air Blast hero, Jettison. Izuku had been practically vibrating all week over it. He hoped he could concentrate on the work without getting too caught up in studying her techniques.
“Try to get to sleep at a reasonable hour!” Tenya’s tone turned parental as he wagged a finger at Izuku. “And eat a good breakfast tomorrow!” Izuku grinned and nodded again.
“I will, Ten. You too!”
000
“Group a, with me!” Jettison swung her arm around to command the team. “Newbies, you’re on crowd control!”
“Understood!” Tenya shouted back and Izuku gave a sharp nod as well before the both of them turned to run down the street, away from the approaching villain and toward the civilians.
“Attention!!” Tenya’s booming voice carried easily through his helmet and over the crowds, and his hand movements helped catch attention and direct his instructions. “There is a villain in the area! We ask that all civilians evacuate immediately to the marked safe areas!” There was some murmuring of surprise, but Tenya’s confident presence and businesslike gestures had them all quickly shuffling in an orderly manner down the street. Izuku couldn’t help the small smile tugging at his lips. Crowd control and evacuation would probably always be Tenya’s strong suit.
This was really just to be safe. The villain was several blocks away, and Jettison’s team would most likely be able to take him down, but there was no harm in safety when villains were involved.
They heard a loud crash down the street. Izuku turned around just in time to see a large body hurtling down the street toward them.
“Tenya!” He shouted. “Up in the sky!” Tenya glanced up for a second before grabbing the two civilians nearby and zipping away out of the way.
A giant of a man crashed down onto the street between Izuku and Tenya. Sweat poured down his back and his eyes glowed bright red. His head swiveled around as he clutched a duffle bag to his chest, paper money leaking out of it.
Izuku gulped. So that was FightFlight.
“Villain!” Tenya got into a fighting stance and jabbed a finger at him. “You are outnumbered and surrounded! Surrender immediately!” FightFlight sneered down at him, and his free arm flexed. The veins bulged and tensed. Izuku gulped and for a second his mind flashed to a similar power, a man who could create muscles, facing him down on a mountainside-
Izuku shook his head. He needed to focus. This man was just a simple adrenaline rush. Izuku could handle that, especially with Tenya by his side.
FightFlight’s back was to him, so Izuku leapt forward, drawing his fist back. He swung in a hard right hook right at the back of his head, sending FightFlight stumbling forward to the ground. Izuku leapt back into a fighting crouch. Was that it?
Nope. FightFlight lumbered back to his feet, whirling around to glare at Izuku.
“Deku! Ingenium!” Jettison came skidding over to stand beside Izuku, making a little gust of air as she stopped. “Fan out and surround him! Keep him away from the civilians!”
“Understood!” Izuku ran to the side to circle around him. FightFlight’s eyes narrowed and he tensed up, his jaw clenching.
“Snowball, stop!”
Izuku froze, then his eyes flickered to the side. There in the crowd, there was the girl from before, fighting with her leash as Snowball bounced around, whining and anxious to be stuck in the crowds with all the loud noises. FightFlight saw them as well, and his face twisted into a grin as he lunged forward. The crowd scrambled and scattered to get out of the way. A man grabbed the girl’s arm and yanked her out of the way, making her drop her leash.
“No!” She shrieked as Snowball burst away from the people to run down the street. “Snowball!”
To Izuku’s horror, FightFlight surged forward and scooped Snowball up in one hand.
“You’ll be my distraction,” He growled before squeezing. Snowball yelped and struggled as red light surged up around him. The light soaked into his fur and Snowball spasmed once, then his body rippled and began to change.
FightFlight dropped him. The dog was now twice his normal size, muscles bulging under the fur and teeth and claws having grown sharp. It peeled its lip back, snarling as its eyes glowed bright red.
With a yell FightFlight ran forward to engage Jettison. At the same time, the dog lunged for the nearest person, a boy who had tripped in the rush to get away. The boy screamed and threw his hand up.
“Recipro Burst!” In a blur of speed the boy disappeared, reappearing on the other side of the street in Tenya’s arms. Tenya’s engines coughed and sputtered, spent for the moment.
The dog skittered around and found them around. With a snarl he leapt toward them, opening his jaws wide. Tenya saw the dog leap and shoved the boy down, covering him with his body and bracing himself. Izuku’s eyes snapped wide.
No.
Could bite down hard enough-
That was without being berserk-
Even with Tenya’s armor-
He had to-
Izuku shot forward, tackling the dog head-on and wrapping his arms around its neck. He clung on tight and yanked it off his feet. The dog thrashed and snarled as they rolled around on the pavement. Izuku grit his teeth.
“Berserker types typically involve an influence that overwhelms the target’s mental processes with violent and aggressive impulses.” Izuku squeezed his eyes shut. “It is not true mind-control. The target’s consciousness is still aware and can break through!” He clenched his jaw.
“Snowball!” He shouted. “Snowball! Hey! Down! Easy!” The dog paused for a brief second every time Izuku used his name. “Snowball! Shhh!” He hugged the dog tighter. “Shh, Snowball, shhh...”
“Snowball!” He heard the girl shouting from the sidelines. “Snowball! Stop it!” He heard something else. The sound of dry things being shaken in a bag. Judging by the way Snowball perked up, he heard it too.
“Look Snowball!” Izuku didn’t dare twist around to look, but the shaking continued. Dog treats. “It’s your favorite! Come on, Snowball!”
“It’s ok, Snowball.” Izuku started to riffle his shaking fingers through Snowball’s fur. “Y-You’re a good dog, yeah? Good dog, good dog...” Snowball made a whining noise, and Izuku heard something hitting the pavement in a steady, fast beat. His tail was wagging. Under his arms, Snowball began to shrink, burning off the last of the enhancement. After about ten seconds, Snowball flopped over, limp in Izuku’s arms, back to his normal size.
“Ph-Phew...” Izuku heaved a sigh and leaned back. His mind was already churning for next steps.
“He needs water!” Izuku called out to the other heroes. It looked like they had caught FightFlight and the area was safe now. A berserk rush often left the target weak and dehydrated. It was especially dangerous for smaller animals like dogs. “Miss!” He addressed the girl. “How old is Snowball? Is he in good health?”
“He’s 5,” She sniveled, “And…he’s healthy. He’s good! He’s a good dog! He didn’t mean to!” Izuku offered her a warm smile.
“Yes, he’s a very good dog, and he’ll be alright. You can come over now, if you want.” He patted Snowball’s side. “He’s safe now. He’s pretty pooped, but he’ll be ok after a nap and some food and water.”
The girl burst into a fresh wave of tears as she ran over to Snowball, arms outstretched. She fell upon him, sobbing and rubbing her hands through his fur. Snowball answered with a weak tail wag.
“Is everything secure?” Izuku asked as he got up. The nearest hero nodded as she came forward with a bowl of water.
“Yes, it’s all just calming the crowds and wrapping up now. Izuku gave a relieved grin and nodded, then his smile faded as he looked around.
“Where’s-”
“IZUKU!!”
He spun around to see Tenya barreling straight toward him. Before Izuku could react Tenya caught him up in a bone-crushing hug.
“YOU DID IT!! I’M SO PROUD OF YOU!!” Tenya scooped him up off his feet and spun him around. “YOU OVERCAME YOUR FEAR TO FULFILL THE DUTIES OF A HERO!!”
“Y-Y-Yeah!” Izuku grabbed onto his shoulders to steady himself. Tenya’s exuberance was giving him a warm feeling in his chest, but the swinging around was giving him a queasy feeling in his stomach. “B-But Ten, can you put me down?” Tenya gave a quick nod and dropped him back on his feet.
“I’m so happy!” Tenya popped his helmet off to reveal an ear-to-ear grin and tears running down his face. He dropped his helmet to jerk both his arms up and down in a wide arc. “I’m so happy for you, Izuku!”
“Ten, your helmet!” Izuku bent down to scoop it up, dusting it off. Tenya was rapidly cycling through every “happy” gesture he had in quick succession. Izuku knew them all, but he hadn’t seen them going this fast since Tensei had managed to walk on crutches for the first time.
“Izuku!!!” Tenya clapped his hands down on his shoulders. “I’m so happy!” Izuku laughed and nodded.
“I know! I am, too!”
Tenya shook him a little, then released him to gesture rapidly at him, as if trying to throw all his pride and joy onto Izuku. He really was overflowing with feelings right now, so much he could hardly express them. He still had that gorgeous wide smile on his face; it probably wasn’t going to go away anytime soon. He was still crying too, every part of his body desperately trying to release his outpour of emotions.
“I’m so-!” Tenya hiccupped, then sniffed and wiped at his eyes. “I’m s-so happy!” Izuku grinned and nodded.
“I know, Ten, I-”
“Yo newbies!” They jumped as Jettison called out to them, “I know we caught the villain and all, but like, c’mon.”
“O-Of course!” Tenya spun around to flash her a quick salute. “My apologies! I was completely overwhelmed for a moment!” Jettison sighed and crossed her arms.
“It’s fine, just leave the celebrating until we’ve wrapped everything else up, ok?”
“Understood!” Tenya nodded and turned to start dealing with the civilians. Izuku sucked in a heavy breath, then went to go help with taking the villain to the police.
000
“I’m still so proud of you!” Tenya squeezed Izuku tight from behind, pressing his face into his hair. Izuku grinned and leaned back into him. They were sitting once more on the floor of Izuku’s dorm, but a folder of dog pictures had been replaced by snacks and some schoolbooks.
“I couldn’t have done it without your help,” Izuku answered, then his face fell into a troubled expression, “If you...hadn’t been helping me these past few days, when that dog attacked you, I would have just...”
“No, Izuku,” Tenya rested his hand on his wrist, “I think you would have jumped forward regardless. That is the kind of person you are.”
“I probably would have been panicking a lot more thought,” Izuku muttered, “And I would probably not have been able to keep my mind working and think up a plan. I probably would have just clung until Jettison or another hero had interceded, and either Snowball or I could have gotten hurt in the process...”
“Izuku,” Tenya squeezed his wrist, “You need not dwell on it.”
“R-Right.” Izuku nodded, then tilted his head back to look at him. “Are you scared of anything, Tenya?”
“I’m scared of many things,” Tenya linked his hands together over Izuku’s chest, “I am not ashamed to admit that. I am afraid of those close to me being harmed. I am afraid of losing control of my emotions and acting recklessly. I am afraid my engines will be damaged and cripple me.” He tilted his head to the side. “But I do not let those fears control me. I go through with my actions despite them.” Izuku blinked, then chuckled. Tenya sputtered and waved his arms. “I-Is that amusing??”
“No! It’s just,” Izuku grinned and rubbed his arm, “It’s such a Tenya answer, is all. You’re really amazing.”
“I would hardly consider myself so,” Tenya protested, “I have a long way to go, even to catch up to you, Izuku.”
“You don’t have to catch up to me,” Izuku murmured as he leaned into him, “You really are already amazing in so many ways.”
“That’s kind of you to say, Izuku.” Tenya began to knit his fingers through Izuku’s hair. Izuku closed his eyes and relaxed into the touch.
“...There is one thing,” Tenya admitted. Izuku opened his eyes and tilted his head back to look at him.
“What?”
“I have one weakness,” Tenya spread his hands out, “That being, I am abnormally hesitant about trying new foods.” Izuku creased his eyebrows together, and Tenya went on quickly. “The reason being, there are a few things, such as carbonated beverages, that can lead to malfunctions in my engines, so I need to be cautious. But, in addition, I have just always been hesitant to try new things.”
“Ah, yeah...” Izuku scratched his cheek, “Trying new foods can be hard sometimes. I wouldn’t really consider that a ‘fear’ though.”
“Well...” Tenya rolled his shoulders back, then coughed. “By ‘hesitant,’ I do recall one time in which Tensei, tried to get me to eat curry for the first time...” Izuku drew his eyebrows together.
“But, you love curry.”
“Yes but, at the time-” Tenya stretched his hand out past Izuku, “I broke down crying at the smell, then hurled my glasses at the wall. It was quite the tantrum.”
“Well, you were a kid,” Izuku pointed out. Tenya just shrugged again.
“Even now, it can be rather stressful for me. Sometimes my hand will not bring the food to my mouth.”
“Well...” Izuku frowned and pressed his fist to his chin. His eyebrows drew together in thought. “...Ten,” He twisted around to face him. “What if, uh-” He faltered. Tenya cocked his head to the side.
“Yes.”
“I could...” Izuku pressed his fingers together. “I thought, would it help if I fed you?” Tenya stared at him blankly. Izuku ducked his head and went on hurriedly. “Then I would be the one holding the spoon or whatever! And it might, help? I-It was just an idea, if that’s weird to you, we don’t have to...” He led off, then chanced a glanced back up at Tenya’s face. Tenya’s expression hadn’t changed at all, but Izuku did find his complexion had gone several shades redder. “...Ten?” Izuku grabbed his shoulders and shook him. “Ten! A-Are you breathing? Breathe!”
Tenya gasped and shook his head, then smacked his hands over his face.
“I-I appreciate the thought, Izu, Izuku...” He mumbled through his fingers, “But, the very thought of that just unbalanced me far more than the thought of trying new foods, so the attempt may be counterproductive.”
“R-Right...” Izuku gave a weak laugh, “Sorry.”
“I-It’s a nice thought!” Tenya assured him and waved his hands around in neat, tight circles. “A-And I would...! Like to try it sometime! I mean-!” He froze, then slapped his hands over his face again as it bloomed red again. “I-It’s too much for me,” He mumbled, “I think, I’m too inexperienced with this.” Izuku laughed once more, this time with a little more energy.
“Ten, Ten it’s ok.”
“I’m sorry!!”
“It’s ok!”
“Let’s do it sometime but give me time to prepare first!”
“Sure!”
“Preferably 3 to 6 months!”
“Um, sure!”