Chapter Text
Denki sighed heavily as he, rather boredly, watched his documentary on butterflies. It was a boring documentary, but he had a plate full of food and he needed something to watch while he ate. So…butterflies. It was the middle of a nice Sunday afternoon. Most of his classmates were off training, but Denki felt it was okay to skip training today and train tomorrow after class.
He quietly, but quickly, shoved instant noodles in his mouth as the poor bored sounding narrator droned on.
"-When the male monarch butterfly wishes to attract the attention of a female monarch butterfly he will first approach-"
"-So, what kind of training did you want me to try?" Izumi asked and she and Hitoshi walked out of the elevator.
"-The male butterfly will first try and flutter his wings rapidly in an attempt to catch the female's attention-"
"-We're doing gymnastics. For all the power you have, you should try and be a little more flexible."
"-Sometimes it doesn't work. Like this time. The female looks away, disinterested.-"
"Are you saying I'm not flexible?" Izumi coyly smiled at Hitoshi as they stepped down towards the main doors.
"I mean. You've got muscles, sure, but it's as Mr. Aizawa says: It's what you do with those muscles that count-"
When Hitoshi went quiet, Denki turned to see what was going on. Izumi was now on the ground. She had her forearms on the ground while she had her back and legs up in the air, her legs and back at an angle that was hard to do unless you knew exactly what you were doing. 'The scorpion.' Denki recognized the move instantly. He went back to his documentary so he wouldn't be caught staring. 'Oof. Wrong move, 'Toshi.'
"-When flapping his wings don't work, the male will chase after the female for a while."
"Oh…" Hitoshi slumped a little as Izumi quickly went upright. "Sorry."
Izumi giggled and straightened her shirt. "No harm done, but you know, I wouldn't mind learning a bit about the silk acrobatic training Mr. Aizawa teaches you. Now that looks fun."
"Yeah! No problem. We'll start small."
"Of course."
"-And then, the male will pull out one final move to attract the female to him. A courtship dance. For every butterfly, the dance is different only relevant to the species."
"You know, if you want, Kitten, I can even show you some trapeze that I know."
The two of them walked past Denki without any acknowledgment.
"Trapeze, huh? Well, only if you're there catch me…" Izumi rubbed up against Hitoshi's shoulder.
"Ah-hah…" Hitoshi gave a startled laugh. "Of course! Of course!" Then the two of them left the dorm. Thus, leaving Denki alone to enjoy his noodles once again.
"-This mating courtship seemed to be successful. Look at how the female reciprocates the male's advances."
"Not the only one." Denki slurped at his food. A small smile played at his lips. There was a small- okay pretty big- betting pool on when Izumi and Hitoshi would finally admit their feelings for one another. It was there and it was obvious. Denki had next month in the pool.
"And now the male Monarch butterfly will pin the female butterfly to the ground in an attempt to copulate with her. The female does everything she can to avoid this by keeping her abdomen as far away as possible from the male pinning her down. If this mating is successful and the eggs are fertilized, the male butterfly will soon die."
"Jesus Christ!"
"As future heroes, it is your job to inspire hope in the youth of today. So, suit up. We're going on a field trip." Those were the first things Mr. Aizawa said to them that crisp autumn Monday morning.
"Don't tell me we're going to be babysitting a bunch of snot-nosed toddlers." Bakugo groaned at the idea of having to be entertainment for children. Especially after what happened with him and Todoroki during their provisional license re-do. Something Izumi was glad she missed. Mr. Aizawa's silence spoke volumes.
Izumi grabbed her case and perusal she stood to the side while she waited for Hitoshi to grab his own case. Once he had his case, the two of them started to walk together. "So, how's therapy with Dr. Kenji going?" She asked him softly while she held her case out in front of her.
Dr. Kenji was Hitoshi's personal therapist, paid for by the school, Dr. Alistair Kenji specialized in teenagers like Hitoshi. Teenagers who were abused by loved ones now had to learn how to cope healthfully. While Hound Dog was the school counselor, who had therapist credentials. it was decided that Hitoshi and Izumi alike were out of his pay grade of expertise.
"He's great," Hitoshi answered softly. "He-" Hitoshi blushed a little and rubbed at the back of his head. "He encouraged me to take a bit of a leap of faith."
"Oh?" Izumi got closer to Hitoshi. "Spill." She demanded and he rubbed at the back of his head while his blush grew across his face.
"Not yet." He practically whispered. "Later. On a later day." He told her.
"Hm. Fine, keep your secrets." Izumi backed off with a smile.
"What about you and Dr. Collins? Hm? How are those coming along?"
Yep, the school got Dr. Nina Collins for Izumi. The therapist helped her when she was in the mental health facility for a short period of time after her rape. Dr. Collins and Izumi really clicked well, she was just what Izumi needed. "Oh. She's great, as usual. She-... well…" Izumi blushed the same as Hitoshi had just moments ago. "She told me to go after something that I've been debating on…" Izumi whispered and tried to hide her face behind her suitcase.
"Oh?" Now Hitoshi rubbed his shoulder against her similar to the way she had just moments ago. "Wanna talk about it?"
Izumi shook her head slowly as her face continued to heat up. "I- maybe another time." She laughed an awkward laugh while fully hiding her face behind her case now. It was funny, he could still see the glow that was radiating off of her blushing cheeks.
"Of course." He backed off with a smile.
Izumi lowered the case. The two of them went on to talk about normal things until they had to separate to go and get changed.
Izumi was humming softly as she quickly changed into her hero costume. "So, our job is to inspire hope into a bunch of children? It should be easy." Ochako happily came up and wrapped her arms around Izumi's shoulders once her friend was finished zipping her costume up.
"Hm. Disagree." Izumi commented without thinking about it. "These children are the offspring of generations of quirks at this point. They most likely have super-powerful quirks to show for it. How do you inspire hope into someone who knows they're a lot stronger than you are?" She inquired with a bit of a weak smile. She then turned to Ochako. "You demonstrate. This isn't us giving some half-assed cheesy message about hope. This is us showing these kids that we will be their heroes."
"Izumi's right. If it was simple, Mr. Aizawa wouldn't have us do it, after all." Momo joined in.
"True." All the girls sighed.
Izumi finished putting on the rest of her outfit and looked at herself in the mirror. Just checking to make sure everything was where it needed to be.
"Look at you~" Mina cooed as she came up and gently pinched Izumi's cheek. "You're looking good these last few months. You're glowing again and there's that smile!" Izumi couldn't help but smile.
"Have I been smiling a little more?" She asked and rubbed at the back of her head.
"Yes."
"Yep."
"Uh-huh."
It was Jiro that came up next. "If I had to guess why I'd say it's a certain lavender-haired boy." She teased.
Izumi blushed. "Huh? Toshi? Heh…" She faked looking at a watch that wasn't on her wrist. "Oh, look at the time-" Yeah, no, the girls weren't going to let her go so easily. Instantly, Jiro and Mina grabbed Izumi's shoulders and kept her still. Stopping her from escaping them.
"C'mon, Zu! Spill! When are you confessing?" Mina immediately demanded. "The wait is killing us! We can't stand the flirting anymore!"
"You are aware that if she confesses and he says 'yes' the flirting will intensify, not decrease, right?" Ochako grinned and wrapped an arm around Izumi's shoulder.
Ochako was the first female in their class to learn of Izumi's crush on her best friend. She…wasn't surprised. Neither were the other girls. In fact they already knew before Izumi knew! When asked how Momo answered with a simple: "Sweetheart, it was obvious."
Well, how was she to know that? She never had a crush before. She's never liked someone the way she liked Hitoshi. Izumi was never given that luxury through junior high. Okay, that was a semi-lie. When she was eleven Izumi was convinced that she was going to marry All Might (Ew.) But what child didn't have a celebrity crush? This was different than that! This isn't some impossible dream of marrying All Might (again. Ew.) Hitoshi was right there! He wasn't an impossible dream. He was a real person. And that terrified her.
"Regardless! Just tell him. Izumi, he likes you too, I see it all over his face. You are practically his world. Every time you walk into a room that he's in his face just lights up. It's actually quite cute." Mina blushed while she cradled her own face in her hands. "I wish someone would look at me the way he looks at you!" She gushed.
Izumi's face heated up the same.
Hagakure gave her own dreamy sigh. "I know what you mean. I wish someone would hold me and call me 'Kitten.' every day."
Yep, Izumi was sure her face was going to explode with how hot it was heating up.
Thankfully their savior came over the intercom telling the girls they had five more minutes to get dressed so they could start boarding the bus. Since Izumi was already finished getting dressed she was able to run out of the changing room.
She rushed towards the bus where a couple of her classmates were already getting on.
Izumi quietly boarded the bus. She immediately zoned in on Hitoshi, who was sitting alone, his voice changer dangling around his neck. When they locked eyes he, like Mina had said, lit up. He immediately smiled. Izumi couldn't help it, she smiled all the same. Izumi walked towards his seat, it was easy after all he had an empty spot-
"Whoa!" Izumi did not expect Bakugo. Her friend grabbed her around the waist and pulled her into his seat.
"You're sitting with me, nerd," Bakugo grumbled. "If I have to sit through an entire bus ride with you and Mindfuck making kissy faces at one another, I'm going to hurl." He rolled his candy-red eyes as he said this.
"Oh… okay." Izumi was a little disappointed but figured that maybe Bakugo had a point. Even though the girls seemed okay with their 'flirting.' as they put it (it wasn't flirting. They were just being friendly!) that didn't mean that everyone got their friendliness and she didn't want to be a burden on anyone. So, she could tough out a bus ride by Bakugo's side.
Well, Hitoshi certainly didn't seem to think that way. Maybe it was because he knew this would piss Bakugo off, or maybe it was something else, but while the bus was still semi-empty he took this opportunity to sit directly behind them. "Hey, Kitten." He put his arms on the back of their seat and leaned in so he was blocking Bakugo off.
"Why hello!" Izumi's heart felt like it was filled with butterflies as she giggled.
"Errr!" Bakugo's eyes turned white with anger as he gnashed his teeth together.
"Sorry, I don't speak dog." Hitoshi waved Bakugo off.
Bakugo became angrier with his eyes turning large and he was clenching his teeth so hard that Izumi thought he was going to crack his teeth. "Know when you're not wanted!" Bakugo roared.
"Hm. I'm pretty sure I'm wanted. Wouldn't you think so?" Hitoshi asked Izumi, who continued to giggle behind her hands.
"ERRRR!" Bakugo snarled and growled at the same time. More people started to board the bus by this point.
"Sup?" Denki sat next to Hitoshi's open seat, now solidifying Hitoshi's place behind Bakugo and Izumi.
"Heyhey." Hitoshi greeted Denki and sat back. He could have sworn he heard Bakugo sigh with relief when he backed up. Hitoshi allowed himself to get lost in a conversation with Denki about the newest horror game that came out. Denki seemed excited, especially since it was multiplayer and wanted a friend.
'He's scared…' Hitoshi realized with a little smile.
"Hey, I know about that game." Izumi spun around her seat and put both of her arms on the seat. "I could play with you if you want." She offered with a smile. "It's supposed to be about strategy and I heard it was lots of fun."
Denki gave a bit of a flirtatious grin. "Yeah, that sounds fun, I can hold you if you get scared."
Izumi didn't look impressed. "I think you got the roles reversed there, buddy. I remember the time we watched a horror movie together in your dorm. You clung to me for dear life."
"When was this!?" Both Hitoshi and Bakugo demanded. Hitoshi could only see it. The dark room except for the glow of the TV. Denki practically crushing Izumi in a hug-
'Is this…jealousy?' Hitoshi realized fairly quickly once it struck him. 'No. No. Of course not. I can't be jealous of something I don't have.'
"Calm down." Izumi laughed. "It was last week."
Bakugo looked like he was going to explode on Denki Kaminari. He looked like he had some serious words to give the blonde, but was cut off as the last of the class boarded the bus, ending when Mr. Aizawa got on. He took his seat at the very front and took a quick roll call. Once he was finished the bus got rolling.
Hitoshi looked at Denki for a moment and then looked out the window. He decided to just put what was said in the back of his mind (for now). Leaning against the window, he decided to pass the time by watching the world pass him by.
The trees outside were turning orange due to autumn being upon them.
'How time flies.' Hitoshi thought as he looked at the trees. Memories of the traumatic experience with his aunt flashed into his mind. It may have only been a few months prior but it was still fresh in his mind. Mainly when he nearly killed his Aunt after learning that she had erased his mother's memories. His mother that he thought hated him for his quirk, but it was never the case. She loved him dearly. She loved him so much that she named her second son after him, even if she didn't remember him. It was still his choice to let his mother go once they were face-to-face. He couldn't do it. That hasn't stopped Hitoshi from crying about it some nights.
Suddenly someone was touching his hair. Hitoshi's eyes were wide as he slowly turned to Denki in question. The blonde was running his fingers through Hitoshi's hair absent-mindedly as he chatted happily to Mina across from him. "Denki…" Hitoshi whispered trying to get his friend's attention. Nope, Denki wasn't listening. He just kept continuing to run his fingers through Hitoshi's hair. Denki was petting him like he was a cat. Not that Hitoshi minded in all reality. He loved the feeling of someone running their fingers through his hair. It just wasn't expecting it here, now, and by Denki.
A giggle caught his attention. He looked at Izumi, who was looking back at him. "It is quite soft." She smiled and before he knew it she was petting his hair. He felt like the cat at a party being patted by the introverts in the corner.
"Stop it-" Bakugo grabbed Izumi's arm and yanked her back down into her seat.
Eventually, Hitoshi just allowed this. Denki really wasn't hurting anything.
The grade school they were supposed to be at wasn't all that far, thankfully, before they knew it they were quietly boarding off the bus and standing outside of the small grade school. Izumi suddenly tensed when she looked up at the name of the school. A soft "Oh shit." left her mouth making Hitoshi follow her gaze up toward the name of the school.
Aldera Grade School was proudly shown and Hitoshi felt his lips tug into a frown at this.
Hitoshi was told all about Aldera Junior High, the school that was currently still under investigation by Nedzu for its quirkest beliefs and teachers and thus was shut down for the time being. Hitoshi would be lying if he said he didn't feel rage just by looking at that name. Aldera. It was a shit school, one he was glad he's never been to. Okami and Izumi both have been, and because both were quirkless they faced horrors that Hitoshi couldn't even imagine. Someone else had gone to Aldera but instead of being pushed down, he was praised.
Hitoshi looked at Bakugo. Bakugo was scowling as clenched his fists by his side. It was clear that he didn't care for Aldera, the same for Izumi, and now the same for Hitoshi. Mr. Aizawa walked by Hitoshi, and Hitoshi grabbed his teacher's arm. "Why did you pick this place?" He asked in a soft voice.
"Not up to me." Mr. Aizawa shook his head. "It was up to the HPSC. Toshinori tried to get us to back out, but it was too late." His teacher then kept on walking until he was in front of the class. "Alright, listen up, you Helions." He called his class. "While you are here to help inspire hope into these young children, you are to also be mindful as you're still in a school setting. You are to be mindful and respectful to these children and teachers alike. Am I clear?"
"Yes, Sensei!" Everyone shouted at once.
"Good. I'll hold you all to it."
They were soon inside the school. Hitoshi realized that maybe someone should have asked what grade they would be currently talking to, but in the end, it didn't matter in the long run. They were talking to a bunch of first graders.
They walked inside the classroom and all twenty of them stood proud in front of the classroom full of children. "Oh!" The teacher clapped his hands happily and stood up to greet Mr. Aizawa-
Hitoshi felt a hand slip into his and squeeze. "Ow!" He whisper-yelled in shock and pain. He turned toward Izumi, the culprit behind the pain, and saw that her eyes were trained on the male teacher greeting Mr. Aizawa. Behind those eyes was a layer of fear as she just stared intensely at the man who was now bowing to Mr. Aizawa. Then, with no prompting, she put her ventilator up and over her mouth hiding the lower half of her face. Then, in one final move, she put her mask up. Which was something she rarely ever did. Hitoshi often wondered why she had a mask in the first place if she never wore it. But here she was. Hiding from this man. It made Hitoshi turn toward the teacher and narrow his own eyes.
"I'm so proud to be able to host your class today! I hope your children help inspire mine!" The man grinned and his grin only grew when he looked down the line of twenty students. "B-Bakugo? Bakugo Katsuki? Is that you?!" The man rushed past Hitoshi and Izumi alike to get to Bakugo. The teacher was looking at Bakugo like he was looking at his own child. "Do you remember me? I was your teacher during your last year of Junior High!"
Oh. Now Izumi's reaction made sense, didn't it? Hitoshi held right back onto her hand and gently- keyword- gently squeezed.
In true Bakugo fashion, Bakugo only growled in distaste. "What happened? Got demoted? Decided Junior High was too hard to teach?"
A couple of the teacher's students giggled at this. The teacher snorted at these students. "Oh, haha. Always a trickster, this one!" An awkward and loud laugh left the man's mouth. Hitoshi took this moment to look for the teacher's name. On the desk, engraved on a plaque, read: Mr. Akani.
Akani slapped Bakugo on the shoulder and started to walk forward. No doubt looking at everyone and taking all of them in. He paused when he got to Izumi. Hitoshi tensed his shoulders up. Akani kept on walking after that brief pause. "Now, what we have for all of you young and inspiring heroes is a partner system. I want you guys to find a child, any child, and go ahead and speak to them. Your aim for today is to show your child partner hope for the future." Akani told them. "So, let's not waste any time. Go on and find a child."
Izumi let go of Hitoshi's hand and seemed to gun it for the back of the class. At first, Hitoshi didn't know why, until he spotted the little girl.
A girl, no older than six, sat in the far corner of the class. This little girl had no visible quirks and seemed to be trying to keep quiet and unseen. She had plain black hair that was choppily cut, not as she had cut it, but like someone else had cut it for her. Like maybe a couple of bullies with nothing better to do. "Hey…" Izumi whispered as she squatted down beside the girl's desk in a non-threatening way.
The girl blinked owlishly. "You're a girl?"
"I am."
'Leave it to Izumi to find the broken kid that fast.' Hitoshi shook his head as he started to look for a child. Well, Hitoshi wasn't much better. He spotted a kid, another little girl, who had her head down on the desk. It didn't seem like she was sleeping, more like she was pretending to sleep so as not to attract attention. "Hey." He kicked her foot lightly. Instantly the girl sat up and stared at him.
This girl had baby blue hair that was long. Way down to her butt. It was wavy, like Hitoshi's own hair. He squatted down. So they were eye to eye. Her eyes were different colors, like Todoroki's. Her right eye was blue and her left eye was a pretty pink color. "You need a partner?"
"Hmph." The girl abruptly turned from Hitoshi. "Go bug someone else." She grumbled and tried to lay her head back down. Hitoshi knew this kind of attitude. This was his attitude. The attitude of someone who was angry at the world because of something they couldn't control.
"Well, I can't do that, missy. I'm a hero and it's my job to help you." He told her in a soft voice.
"You can't help me. Nobody can help me…" She breathed weakly.
"Try me." He smiled at her.
The girl looked at him again and then rolled her eyes. "Look. We both know you're just doing this for a grade. So, just get someone who will actually be a hero. Someone excited to do this stupid protect."
"Now, who said you had to be a hero? My job is to inspire hope. Not to convince you to be a hero." He shook his head as he explained this to her. The girl gave a snort through her nose and laid her head on her arms. She then lightly pushed her pencil up and down with her finger.
"I don't have what it takes to be a hero…" She grumbled again. "Not with my quirk."
'Ah-ha.' Hitoshi cracked the code. "Look. There's no such thing as a villainous quirk-"
"My quirk isn't villainous. It's just lame!" She whined. "Do you know what my friend Hanaka can do?"
"No-"
"She can fuse with anything she touches! I watched her touch a flower and suddenly she was a walking bouquet of flowers! Do you know what I can do?"
"No."
"This." Looking unimpressed the girl raised her right hand up with her palm up. At first, nothing happened as she just sat there looking bored. Then finally, after about fifteen or so seconds her pencil slowly rose up at a lax pace and landed in her palm perfectly. It was like watching Thor summon his hammer, only it was a girl slowly summoning her pencil. "I can bring objects to me. Only small objects and I need to be patient while doing so because it takes forever depending on how far the object is! It's literally the most boring quirk on earth!"
Hitoshi wasn't laughing at the girl, seriously, he wasn't. He trying not to laugh at her delivery. She sounded so much like him when he was younger. He remembered cursing the sky at that age for the quirk he was given. Technically he didn't stop cursing at the sky until Mr. Aizawa gave him a chance. "Okay. So you don't have the flashiest of quirks. That's okay. You can do plenty of things with that quirk."
"Like what? Be a librarian? Come here book!" The girl opened her palm. Another beat of silence as her notebook ever so slowly rose into the air and into her open palm.
"A quirk isn't everything." He settled on saying as he put a hand on her. "Look at me. My quirk isn't the flashiest, but that doesn't mean I'm not going to be a hero. You don't need your quirk to be anything."
"Hmph."
"...My name is Hitoshi Shinsou." He brought his hand out. "What's yours?"
The girl looked at him. "Yume Cho." She greeted him in a soft voice before she put her hand into his. They shook hands and he smiled.
"Yume Cho. How pretty. A pretty name for a pretty girl." He teased and gently pinched her cheek.
"Heh!" Yume giggled at this. "If you think I'm pretty. You should see my older sister! She's…" Yume sighed. "I wanted her quirk. I waited and begged for my wings to unfold."
"I'm sure maybe one day." He patted her head. "For now, let's talk about what you maybe want to be when you get older. I know you said a hero is out, but surely there's something you want to be."
Yume blushed. "A ballerina…like my sister. You should see her when she dances…"
So, something the 2-A kids didn't realize was that this was an all-day thing. Meaning they would eat lunch in this school as well. All were paid for by UA. No doubt her classmates would be wondering where Izumi was when she went off with her little partner to the back of the courtyard. Taiyo Yuri was her partner's name.
Izumi knew it the moment she laid eyes on the little girl trying to make herself invisible in the back of the class. Taiyo is quirkless. A poor child caught in the twenty percent. A child with plain black hair, slightly pudgy, and had big brown doe eyes that made Izumi's heart melt. While out of the classroom, Izumi allowed herself to lower the ventilator and hood from her face. Thus allowing Taiyo to see her full face.
"Mr. Akani is mean to me," Taiyo whispered while she clung to Izumi for dear life. Izumi knew it was unprofessional to be holding Taiyo like she was Eri. She hardly knew this child, but she couldn't help it. Izumi knew that heartbreak personally.
"I bet he is. He was mean to me to when I was his student."
"He gives me detention for no reason! My pencil dropped and I leaned down to get it and he yelled at me in front of the whole class!" Taiyo slammed her head against Izumi's chest and cried softly.
"It's okay," Izumi whispered while she patted the little girl's hair. "It's going to be okay. I know it seems like it'll never end, but it will end. Soon, you'll get friends who love you for you."
"You can't possibly know that…" Taiyo whimpered pitifully. She pulled away from Izumi and wiggled a bit, a sign she wanted to be put down. Izumi complied and put the girl back on the ground.
"I do know that. I was like you until I reached high school. I was quirkless. It sucked. I was picked on endlessly by students and teachers because of something I couldn't control."
"-Your dream came true. Mine never will. I just want a quirk. Any quirk. I'll even take Yume's lame quirk…"
"While your dream of getting a quirk may never happen. That doesn't mean your dream won't come true, Taiyo." She whispered and ran her fingers through the girl's choppy hair. "Let me guess? Little girls cornered you?" She asked the child. Taiyo nodded.
"Tell you what, lets get some lunch together and after, if we have time during recess. I'll help you fix it. I have this friend. He's pretty good with scissors." Izumi promised.
"...You mean it?"
Izumi nodded. "Yeah." Izumi brought her hand out for the child to take. "C'mon."
"The others might pick on me."
"Not while I'm with you they won't."
Hand in hand the two of them walked toward the cafeteria. Izumi opened the doors for both of them. She allowed Taiyo to walk in first and she followed right behind the child. They got halfway through the cafeteria when someone Izumi didn't know thought it wise to throw something in their direction at Taiyo. Only, Izumi was quicker. She grabbed the milk carton before it hit Taiyo. Izumi tossed the carton up and down in her open palm as she stared at the fifth grader that tossed it. "Do something more productive with your time." She demanded before herding Taiyo along. She tossed the carton of milk in the trash.
She and Taiyo got their food with ease. It was when they were coming to their table did Izumi pause and swallowed hard. Mr. Akani was with their class. He was, per usual, gushing over Bakugo, only it wasn't just Bakugo.
"Who's the girl with Kacchan?" Izumi asked Taiyo.
"That's Hana. She has a really strong quirk. She can put anything and anyone in a bubble and send them floating up."
"Hm." Izumi huffed and then walked with Taiyo. "Let's sit at the end with my teacher," Izumi whispered to the little girl. As soon as they sat down Mr. Aizawa smiled.
"Hey." He greeted Taiyo.
Taiyo looked at Izumi. Izumi smiled at her. "He doesn't bite."
"H-Hello…"
Mr. Akani came stalking up only seconds later.
"Taiyo. Do not bug the kind hero from UA."
"She's not bugging me." Mr. Aizawa told the teacher respectfully.
"Nonsense, this one is just a boatload of trouble-"
"-I said she's fine. If anyone is bugging me, sir, it's you. Let us eat in peace. Please." Mr. Aizawa shooed Mr. Akani away with a hand wave. Mr. Akani looked like he wanted to fight the decision, but he decided it wasn't worth it.
"Fine. But uh. I would like to talk to you later about one of your students-"
"Leave." No more arguing as Mr. Aizawa's eyes flashed red.
Mr. Akani gulped and swiftly left the cafeteria after that. Once it was just them, Izumi spoke. "It's me-"
"-Yeah, I know it's you." Mr. Aizawa shook his head. "If his character is anything to go by- do you need help with that?" Seeing Taiyo struggle to cut her chicken off of the bone, Mr. Aizawa took the tray and swiftly helped debone the chicken with a clean fork and knife. "-If he's anything to go by he's going to try and bad mouth you to me. He can try.- here you go, sweetie." Mr. Aizawa shoved the now cut-up chicken back towards Taiyo once it was off of the bone and easier for her to eat. Taiyo looked shocked at this.
"Thank you…" She whispered before she started to eat. Izumi couldn't help it, she laughed a little.
"Of all the schools and of all the teachers…"
Izumi had noticed that Mr. Akani was watching her…a lot. It sent shivers down her spine as she could only think of Fujiwara. Her rapist. Fujiwara liked to watch her. A lot. So much so that he had camera footage of her. By the end of the day, Izumi couldn't help it. She gravitated towards Mr. Aizawa just to feel safe without making Taiyo aware.
"You know. I think my big brother would like you." Taiyo told Izumi rather excitedly.
"Is that so?" Izumi smiled at Taiyo. Taiyo nodded.
"He's nice. I hope you'll see him! He usually picks me up after school." She grinned.
"I'd love to meet him." Izumi grinned. The grin was forced but not because of Taiyo. 'Stop staring at me you creepy motherfucker.' She thought as she stared at Mr. Akani out of the corner of her eye.
Taiyo hugged Izumi. Izumi reacted as she would with Eri. She picked Taiyo up and held her close. Happy laughs left Taiyo's mouth when Izumi gently tossed her up in the air.
"Izumi." Mr. Aizawa spoke softly making her stop instantly. "Don't do that."
"Sorry, Mr. Aizawa." She apologized and put Taiyo on the ground. "Apologies." She bowed to the girl.
Taiyo smiled. "It was fun. Don't worry about it."
The door to the classroom opened just as the final bell rang. In came a boy. A boy just a little taller than Izumi. He had a bit of a belly, which was fine. He had silver hair that had loose curls. His eyes were a bright golden color, reminding Izumi of honey. The boy had some fat on his cheeks and neck, but it wasn't that bad really. It was rather cute on him, in fact. Not everyone needed to be physically fit like Izumi was. His build was a bit stocky as well. They locked eyes and both froze.
Izumi knew this boy.
"Izumi Midoriya? Is that you?" He asked sounding surprised as he made strides over towards her.
"Taoka. It's been a while." She turned away from the boy.
Taoka Beri. One of Izumi's many bullies in Junior high. However; Taoka was a little different as he was one of the few that actually caused Izumi harm outside of Bakugo doing that time.
"Taoka? Like… the Taoka that threw you into three lockers and broke your ribs. That Taoka?" Hitoshi demanded with a growl as he stepped up.
"Oh geez. Look buddy, I mean no harm. I get what I did wasn't cool." Taoka gave an awkward laugh as he put his hands up. "I was just some dumb middle schooler."
"Hitoshi, it's fine." Izumi gave her friend a smile. "It was in the past."
"Hmph." Hitoshi grumbled a little but returned to his little friend.
"Big brother! I'm ready to go." Taiyo happily skipped up next to Taoka. She stood next to him and smiled. She looked at Taoka like he was her world.
"Just give me a second, okay? Kiddie?" Taoka asked as he stepped up to Izumi. "Look. I really do want to apologize for the things I did in middle school." He was quiet as he approached her. "Having a quirkless sister opened my eyes more than I could think. I realize just how messed up what I did to you was."
Izumi smiled a little at his apology. "Apology accepted." She whispered back.
"I want to make it up to you if you'd like?" Taoka continued to speak softly as he started to write on a piece of scrap paper. He then folded it and handed it to Izumi. "That's my number. Maybe we could…I don't know. Go on a date sometime?" He said with a coy, yet flirtatious, smile playing on his lips. Then he winked. Izumi was gobsmacked, as was the class listening in. Jaws were dropped from nearly everyone in 2-A. More so Izumi's own jaw.
"Just- what do you think your playing at you damn extra!?" Bakugo grabbed Taoka by the collar. "Take your sister and go!"
"Yeah! If we can't get Midoriya what makes you think you have a chance!" Mineta scoffed.
"I agree!" Ochako was with Bakugo now trying to get Taoka out of the classroom. "Leave us alone! Don't be trying to steal our class sunshine!"
Taoka mimicked putting a phone to his ear. "Call me!" He called Izumi.
"Out! Out!" Hitoshi was now the third person who gave Taoka one final shove out of the room. They were all nice enough to allow Taiyo to just walk out with ease.
Izumi couldn't help it she laughed. It was a genuine laugh. "I'm sorry- I just-" She doubled over. "I didn't expect that!" She slapped her leg and shook her head.
Well, after that things seemed to be calming down. Some kids rushed to get their bus while others waited for their siblings or parents to come and get them. Hitoshi stayed with his kid until someone came to pick her up and boy…
Izumi wasn't expecting the sheer beauty that came through that door to pick up Yume.
In walked Yume's sister and all eyes were on her. She was absolutely stunning. She made Izumi's bisexual heart sing. Yume's sister, Rin Cho. She reminded Izumi of royalty. She was a tall woman, the same age as Izumi (seventeen). She had the same baby blue hair as her sister, only it was in a tight bun up the top of her head. She was thin and lithe, the ballet slippers told Izumi that Rin had to be. She had high cheekbones and a thin face that Izumi would kill for. Her eyes were a smokey gray color. But the real attraction was her wings.
Rin Cho had the most beautiful butterfly wings on her back. From the looks of it, she could furl and unfurl them at will. Keep them hidden or keep them out. At first, they were hidden, but the moment Rin looked at Hitoshi they unfurled showing off their beauty. She had the wings of a Narathura butterfly. Black around the outer parts of the wings with a deep pretty blue filling in the center. The wings were huge about the entire size of her back.
Stunning. Nobody could speak.
"Yume. Are you ready? I'm needed at practice soon." She smiled and extended her hand for her little sister to take. When she and Hitoshi looked at one another her wings fluttered. She quickly furled them back in once she realized she was gusting everyone. "My apologies. Rin Cho." She extended her hand for Hitoshi to take.
"Ah-hah…" Hitoshi blushed as he took her hand. "Hitoshi Shinsou."
Rin coyly smiled. "Hitoshi. I like that name. Look at those eyes." She cooed a little.
Izumi felt something stir in her gut. It was an old feeling that she thought was long since dead inside of her. Jealousy.
"Ah-hah…" He could only repeat. "I- Uh…" Hitoshi shook his head vigorously. "Thank you." He breathed out a shaky breath.
"Surely a big strong hero like you has a girlfriend."
At that point everyone in class 2-A had one singular thought. 'Shit.'
Hitoshi scratched at his head vigorously. "I- Uh- well- I mean-"
Rin grabbed Hitoshi's wrist and wrote on it with a sharpie from her bag. "Call me. C'mon Yume."
'Did… that just happen?' Izumi thought. A feeling of despair suddenly swirled around her person. She wanted nothing more than to collapse to her knees and cry. How could she compete with her? Rin was stunning. She had every guy in their class drooling and she chose Hitoshi!? The one guy Izumi wanted for a boyfriend!?
'Okay, breathe, breathe… It's not that bad. I can- I just have to confess. I have to confess later on tonight and maybe he'll choose me!...right? But what if he realizes he wants Rin? I mean who wouldn't want Rin? Ohhhh~' Izumi's mind was running a mile a minute. She was constantly gnawing at her lips to keep from muttering out loud.
To say that class was rather silent after that was an understatement. The only person to speak was Mineta. "Man, how come she wanted you!? I have purple eyes too!" He gasped once everyone got back on the bus.
Izumi sat with Ocahko at the back while Hitoshi sat next to Sero up front. It was the first time in a long while that they didn't sit near one another. "I'm screwed," Izumi whispered as she lay in Ochako's lap once Shouta finished roll call. "Absolutely screwed. That girl was drop-dead gorgeous."
"He's not going to choose her. He'd be a fool to do so. He knows this. It just happened so fast that he couldn't respond properly. Trust me, Izumi. He likes you so much. He won't choose her. No more than you will choose Taoka. Okay? Just breathe." Ochako whispered as she ran her fingers through Izumi's curls. "Besides. We aren't coming back here after today. So, odds are they won't see each other again! It was just a one-off assignment!"
Well, the funny thing about that. Mr. Aizawa stood as the bus drove off. "Alright, I hope you all are comfortable with your partners. Because this is a project we're doing for the rest of year. C'mon, you guys didn't expect to inspire hope in children during one visit did you?"
Izumi groaned the loudest from her spot in the back of the bus. Her teacher was a sadistic monster.