Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

"There's still a long road ahead of you before you can inherit my full power set, but it's starting to look like you can do it!"

It really had been a long road. Ten torturous months of training, to forge himself into a vessel worthy of All Might's power. Midoriya Izuku had barely finished the challenge set before him in time - to clean the trash from Dagobah Municipal Beach - but in the end he had and he actually felt... good about himself for the first time in recent memory. Or at least as good as he got. The whole thing honestly still felt like a dream. That he'd rescued his childhood friend from a villain, attracted the attention of the number one hero, and was chosen to inherit his idol's quirk. But it was real. The problem was? He still hadn't overcome the self-doubt that had plagued him the entire time. "All Might... do I deserve this? Are you sure? You put so much time and energy into helping me. How did I end up so lucky?"

Throwing his head back, All Might laughed boisterously. Which was how All Might did just about everything, to be fair. He was just a gentle, joyful giant of a man and Izuku genuinely hoped that he could grow to fill the shoes he was being picked to step into. Because as it was... the only thing giant about him was his anxiety and his self-esteem issues. "It was your hard work that did this, not mine. Now! For your reward, Midoriya Izuku!"

Izuku clenched his fist excitedly. The moment was here. He was finally ready to inherit One for All. "Yes sir!"

"Someone told me this once: there's a difference between being lucky and deserving. One's an accident, the other a reward. Never get the two confused. Take that to heart, young man. This gift, you've earned it with your own valiant efforts." Plucking a strand of hair from one of his signature bangs, All Might held it out to Izuku. "Now... eat this!" As Izuku stared at him in disbelief, the towering man shrugged awkwardly. "To inherit my power, you have to swallow some of my DNA. That's how it works!"

Raising his hands between them, Izuku shook his head nervously. "This isn't exactly how I imagined it!"

All Might thrust the hair at him insistently. "Come on, there's no time! You'll be late for the exam! Eat! Eat! Eat!"

Grumbling softly under his breath - because this probably was the least weird method to transfer DNA, up to and including a few passing thoughts that made Izuku blush - Izuku took the hair and stuffed it into his mouth before washing it down with his bottle of water. "Now what?"

"It'll take a little time for the quirk to settle. I'd say it was digestion or some such, but... well, quirks don't always play by conventional rules." All Might studied Izuku curiously. "You should feel at least one side effect right away: the... perfection, for lack of a better word. The quirk takes its new host and helps them achieve their ideal body. Why, when I was a boy-"

Whatever he was about to say was cut off as a searing pain ripped through Izuku's body and he doubled over with a cry. Dropping to the sand, he curled into a ball as he felt his body shift and change. All Might had been so casual about it! Had this happened to him too? Was he... idealizing? Or was something wrong? Was One for All rejecting him? Was he going to be quirkless forever? Worthless forever?

Crouching down, All Might rested one large hand on Izuku's back. "Steady, my boy. It's all part of the process. Just ride it out. It'll get better soon, I promise. Just a little pain as One for All remakes your body, and then it's all going to be better from there."

Izuku grit his teeth and nodded unsteadily, which was about the best he could manage because there wasn't a single part of him that wasn't in pain. Even his teeth hurt! Even his hair hurt! How did hair hurt? It didn't have nerve endings! Just as suddenly as it came, the pain was gone and Izuku let out a gasp as he sagged into the sand. "I... I'm alive?"

Wait, what was going on with his voice? Izuku brought a hand up to his throat and then frowned, pulling his hand away so he could study it. It was still a hand, obviously, but it seemed... slimmer? Daintier, even. The callouses from his hard work on the beach were still there, but the underlying appendage had changed. What? Why? What about smaller hands was his 'ideal body'?

Looking down at himself, Izuku did a double take, because his hands were the least of the changes. His entire body was different. He didn't seem to be any taller, but he could have sworn his legs looked longer. Was there a bit of ankle poking out between the cuff of his track pants and his shoes? His hips seemed to push out wider against his pants, too. Oh, and he was topless at the moment, and so it was pretty impossible to ignore that he had breasts.

Like, not small breasts, either. Izuku wasn't really familiar with bra sizes for obvious reasons but, uh, wow. Those were some hadonkaroos. Some real bazoomahuengas. Tits, even!

All Might cleared his throat awkwardly. "Do you want me to go get your top, young Midoriya?"

Izuku nodded frantically. "That would be very nice of you, sir, yes!" He brought one arm up to cover his breasts as he looked around frantically. There didn't seem to be anyone else around to see what was going on, but he was still half-naked in public. And not half-naked in the acceptably masculine way that he had been only a minute ago.

There was a gust of wind and All Might was back with his track suit top, which Izuku shrugged on gratefully and zipped up as best he could. "All Might, I'm... One for All turned me into a girl!"

"I, erm, apparently?" All Might rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "As I was trying to say before this happened, it made me taller and bulkier. It gave me a more heroic figure. Some of this is hard won gains, but some of my famous physique is the quirk. So I guess... did you want to be a girl, young Midoriya?"

Reaching up and rubbing the back of his head sheepishly, Izuku shrugged. "Kinda? I mean, to quote one of my classmates when I confessed that to her... I needed to pick my struggle? Like, I was already bullied and ostracized for being quirkless. Did I really want to make things worse by coming out and being the quirkless trans girl?"

All Might nodded in understanding and then peered back down at Izuku. “So then you are transgender, then? Just so that we’re on the same page?”

“I wanted to be? Like I said, I just wasn’t brave enough to subject myself to a complete second source of ridicule.” Izuku rubbed his hands over his arms as he looked down at himself. “It’s still not exactly common, even in this day and age. And you know what they say about nails that stick out. I guess One for All decided to go ahead and crack the egg, though, so… I guess I need to figure out how to deal with this.”

Reaching out, All Might rested his hand on Izuku’s shoulder. “I’m honored that you’re trusting me with this information, my girl. I just wish…” Izuku tensed, preparing for rejection. To hear that All Might was disappointed in him. That the man regretted giving Izuku his quirk. “I wish you’d told me months ago! I could have been using the proper pronouns for you all this time! What would you like your new name to be? Do you have better clothes at home? Should we go shopping before the entrance exam so you look your best?"

Staring up at All Might in disbelief, Izuku’s lip wobbled. “Just like that?”

“My girl, you’re my successor no matter what. If you’re a girl, you’re a girl. I want to help you become the best hero… no! I want to help you become the best person you can be!” All Might leaned back, rubbing his hands together excitedly. “So, shall we go get you something cool to wear to the entrance exam? School uniforms are recommended, but not required.”

And so before Izuku could even catch his breath and come to terms with what was going on, he was whisked off on a whirlwind tour of the shopping options at S-Pulse Dream Plaza, the closest mall to the beach. He kept waiting for someone to say something, for someone to make a fuss that there was a boy in the girls’ clothing section trying things on, but nothing happened. He really just was a girl now, wasn’t he? Just like he’d quietly, secretly wanted all along. The whole thing was… pretty cool to be honest.

It was at one of the stores that he first got a good look at his new self. Standing there in a sports bra and panties that didn’t ride up unpleasantly, Izuku reached out to touch the mirror. His hair was a bit longer. His eyes seemed a bit bigger and brighter. And there were the, uh, obvious changes. His hard earned gains were still there; thankfully the transformation hadn’t stripped any of his muscle tone. It hadn’t enhanced it, like it evidently had for All Might, but Izuku was okay with that. He looked kinda like a taller, slightly more fit version of his mother? And his mother was a beautiful woman. He was… beautiful now? Something else - to join the multitude of other things - that he needed to ponder when life slowed down a bit.

Decked out in a sleek new black and green tracksuit that fit him a bit better - and could zip all the way up the front - Izuku stumbled out of All Might’s beat up truck and hurried through the gate in front of UA High School. Because his newfound girlhood was something that he could process later. Today he had a date with destiny. All of his preparation, all of his training, all of his struggle, it had all led to this. The day of the entrance exam for the most prestigious high school in all of Japan.

“Hey.” Izuku’s head whipped around at the familiar voice and found Bakugou Masama leaning against the inside of the gate. The blonde looked him up and down slowly and then pushed off the wall, striding over to Izuku. “You look kinda familiar. And I can’t figure out why. I’d like to think that I’d remember meeting someone like you, though.”

The look in Masama’s keen red eyes made Izuku blush a little and despite himself, he found himself giggling softly. Oh! He was a giggler now. Good to know. Bringing his hand up to his mouth to hide his smile, the verdet cocked his head to the side. “Are you… is that a flirt? Are you flirting with me?”

Masama shrugged lazily as she continued to inspect Izuku curiously. “Haven’t decided yet. I’m impulsive but I’m not that fucking impulsive. Fuck, though. There’s something about you…” She trailed off for a moment, shook her head, and then offered Izuku her hand. “Bakugou Masama. You’re in the presence of the next number one hero.”

That coaxed another giggle out of Izuku. When it wasn’t being shoved in his face as part of an insult, Masama’s confidence was actually kinda cool. And vaguely attractive. To be honest, the blonde herself was kinda pretty when she wasn’t sneering and insulting him. “Well, it’s a pleasure to meet you, err, Bakugou.”

“The pleasure is all yours, I promise.” Masama offered a fierce grin. “I’m going to get first place on the exam today, and show everyone why I’m the next big thing. What’s your name, so I can look for you on the results list?”

“You really don’t recognize me, Machan?” The blonde’s brow furrowed at the familiar nickname and Izuku giggled again. “It’s me. Izuku. We’ve known each other since we were babies.”

Jaw dropping, Masama shook her head and then took a step closer so she could lower her voice. “Deku? What the absolute fuck?”

Oh heck. He hadn’t prepared for this. What would his excuse be for why he was now a she? Um… think fast. “Uh, quirk accident. Yeah. Quirk accident. I’m a girl today. Not sure how long it’s going to last, but… yeah. Tada. It’s me.”

“…huh. Random quirk accident turned you into a girl, eh?” Masama’s eyes swept up and down over Izuku one final time and then she nodded decisively. “You’d better hope this is permanent. Because you’re kinda better like this.” And with that, she swept past Izuku and headed toward the front doors.

Was that… a compliment? From Masama? Would the wonders never cease. Izuku shook his head in amusement. And then another voice piped up in the back of her head. ‘Isn’t that the girl who’s been insulting and belittling you for the last eleven years? Izuku, you’re adorable, but your taste in women is horrible.’

‘First of all, Machan is... okay, yeah, we're not in a great place right now. I keep holding out hope that she'll be nicer to me and... uh, she just was?’ The attempted defense of his friend earned Izuku a derisive snort. ‘Second of all… why am I hearing voices in my head?’

There was a soft chuckle that was distinctly feminine. ‘Hey there, little one. Let me just start by saying that I love the form you picked out for yourself. You look lovely. But… surprise. Your quirk’s haunted. You now have a bunch of ghosts living in your head. My name is Shimura. Shimura Nana. I was the… seventh holder of One for All. Yeah. Seventh. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it. Also? Start walking before you’re late for the exam. Walk and talk, walk and talk.’

Oh right! The exam! There were still students streaming toward the entrance and so he presumably wasn’t late… yet. That didn’t mean he wouldn’t be if he didn’t get a move on it. Izuku set off toward the doors, only to catch his toe on an uneven paver and pitch forward. As he mentally prepared himself for a painful impact and a humiliating trip to the nurse’s office before the exam even began, he felt something snake around his body and arrest his motion. Several somethings. Izuku looked down to find himself wrapped in sturdy green vines. "What a cool quirk!”

The vines slowly pulled him upright and then carefully set Izuku on his feet, revealing their owner to be a young woman with dark eyes and, well, thick green vines for hair. The girl bowed her head toward Izuku. "The grace of God goes with all of his creations... but perhaps slightly less so with you?"

Okay. So. Girl. Pretty girl. Talking to him. He could kinda handle Masama because he’d known her forever, and he had a tenuous friendship with Yuki Mitsuki at school based on his little secret. Completely unknown girl? Izuku did not know what to do with that. And so he just smiled dumbly at her.

"A person's worth in the eyes of God is measured not by their words, but by their actions. Hopefully mine reflect positively on me.” The girl looked him up and down slowly, nodded in satisfaction, and then turned to head for the doors. "Good luck on the exam."

Izuku watched her go before shaking his head in wonder. ‘I talked to a stranger!’

‘You did not in fact talk to that stranger, Izuku.’

Making his way into the building, Izuku found a long table staffed by clones of Ectoplasm checking the examinees in for the day. They were arranged by gojuuon order and Izuku easily found the line for Mi where it should be between Ma and Mu. Checking in for a distinctly masculine name when he was very obviously a girl got him a weird look, but Ectoplasm was professional to a fault and opted not to ask any awkward questions. He received a slip of paper that denoted which room he’d take his written exam in and where he was headed for the practical.

The written examination wasn’t as difficult as Izuku had feared, or maybe he was smarter than he thought? He most definitely wasn’t the top of the class - Masama had claimed that position when they’d first started doing graded work and fiercely defended it since - but he generally did respectably. He’d also had Shimura whispering in his ear the entire time, which… may have contributed to how few questions he didn’t know the answer to. Possibly cheating? Shimura assured him that it wasn’t any less inappropriate than a person using an intelligence quirk or talking to a sentient quirk. He wasn’t sure how he felt about that, but he had to admit that her knowledge had been useful.

They broke for lunch and then came the briefing for the practical exam, which actually sounded sort of fun. Well, for an exercise that was going to determine his entire future. Just… run around and wreck a bunch of robots? Izuku could… actually, wait. How was he going to do that? He had no idea how One for All actually worked. And so Izuku turned his attention inward. ‘Uh, Miss Shimura? How does One for All work?’

‘First of all, call me Nana. We’re going to be spending a lot of time together. Second of all? Great question. Fantastic question. And the answer is… I don’t know. At least for you.’ Nana sounded distinctly apologetic even as Izuku huffed softly. ‘Okay, let’s try a visualization exercise. You like the beach. It has positive associations for you. So imagine One for All as the ocean. And you’re the beach. And then picture kneeling down and sticking your hand in the water. The water is unchanging. But now it surrounds you. And you can feel it.’

Inhaling deeply, Izuku did as instructed. It felt… yeah, he could feel the ocean. He could feel the water against his hand. Then he pictured cupping his hand, taking some of the water for himself to use. And he promptly jerked in his seat as green lightning crackled into existence around him, lighting up the dark auditorium. He hastily released the power and stared at his hands in disbelief. ‘I… wow. So that’s what having a quirk is like.’ He was going to need to practice that a few more times, and probably figure out how much water he could safely scoop. But it was progress, and at a moment where he dearly needed it.

From her spot in the seat next to him, Masama leaned over and hissed lowly to him. “Deku! What the fuck was that? You turn yourself into a girl and suddenly you have a fucking quirk?”

“Or something. I’m still trying to figure this out. Maybe… maybe I had the genes for a quirk all along but because I was a boy, I couldn’t access it? And so now that I’m a girl, suddenly I have a quirk?” And he absolutely needed to come up with a coherent, definitive explanation for what was going on and soon. If anyone was smart enough - and knew him well enough - to poke holes in a bad story, it was Masama. Izuku looked over at the blonde and furrowed his brow. “Does it really matter to you? Are you going to start being nice to me now that I have a quirk or something?”

Masama scoffed softly. “I wasn’t mean to you because you were quirkless. That was just the easiest way to hurt you. I was mean to you because you were a guy. Guys are fucking gross. I respect exactly two guys: All Might and my dad. The rest of them can fuck right off.”

That made Izuku raise an eyebrow at the sheer impracticality of it all. “Machan, there’s something like four billion men on this planet.”

“Yeah? And?” Masama sneered. “I’m gonna be an absolute bitch to all other three billion, nine hundred and ninety-nine million, nine hundred and ninety-nine thousand, nine hundred and ninety-eight of them.”

Izuku’s other eyebrow inches upward as he stared at Masama uncertainly. “But now you’re fine with me?”

Still sneering, the blonde wave dismissively. “It’s sisterhood, not cisterhood. Trans women are women.” Oh. Okay then. Masama looked Izuku over speculatively. “So what does your new quirk do?”

Izuku smiled faintly. A lot, not that he could admit to knowing as much. “I’ll let you know when I figure it out.”

They’d sat in silence for the rest of the briefing, and then Izuku had headed out for his practical. He’d pointedly bypassed the whole locker room situation, thankful that he was already wearing something that he could take the practical in. He was going to have to face the inevitable at some point, but that point definitely was not going to be today. The ride over to the battle center had been reasonably quiet, although one boy had eyed him and winked at him. It was then that Izuku discovered that he had not turned from a heterosexual boy to a heterosexual girl. Boys weren’t gross, per se, but at the same time? No thank you.

At the same time? Izuku was grateful that one wink was the extent of his interactions on the bus. After years of primarily negative interactions with his peers, he had exceptionally poor social skills. He had no idea how to interact with people outside of transactional interactions. He could pay a cashier with the best of them. Talking to random people? Not so much. Which was something he really needed to work on before he got far enough into the hero course to be allowed out on patrol.

Stepping off the bus, Izuku inhaled deeply and drew himself up to his full height as he looked around. Aldera Junior High School was a decent sized school, so he was used to being in a crowd, to say nothing of making his way around the bustling metropolis of Musutafu. That didn’t mean he liked them, though. Idly, he wondered if anyone would approach him. Evidently he was attractive enough now for that one boy to wink at him, and Masama had been… not quite flirting but sorta?

Only one person dared approach him.

“What a beautiful day this is. The Lord has blessed us.” Making her way over to stand next to Izuku, the vine haired girl bowed politely to him. “It pleases me to see that no further calamity has befallen you.”

Gathering his courage, Izuku smiled back at her. “I’m not sure that falling on my face would have been a ‘calamity’, but I appreciate the save all the same.” The girl nodded in agreement and the two stood there in silence for a moment. Then Izuku threw caution to the wind and offered her his hand. “Well, it’s nice to meet you properly. My name is…”

Heck. What was his name? He couldn’t just keep introducing himself as Izuku when he clearly wasn’t anymore. Assuming this was permanent - and All Might’s long career made it look pretty permanent - he needed to decide who he wanted to be. And probably get his pronouns in order? He… no, she. She needed to start thinking of herself properly. This was what she’d secretly wanted, wasn’t it? For literal years now. So now that it was here, why wasn’t she embracing it?

And so she inhaled deeply and thought for a moment. What were the other readings for her name kanji? That might be a good start. She wanted to keep Izu; she honestly didn’t trust herself to reliably respond to a name that didn’t start with that. So Izu… something? Ku was obviously right out. Kyuu? Hisa? Kyu with a short U sound? Naga? Hisa? Uh, definitely not Hisashi. That would just be weird.

None of that really spoke to her. Her first kanji meant being from a certain place, or to exit. What about… being from a place of beauty? Izuku was reasonably certain that she was pretty now. And so it seemed like an appropriate name. Izu… mi? Izu… haru? Izu… ri? Izu… bi? Hmm. Izumi was sort of a cute name. Close enough to her original name that she’d probably respond to it. Auspicious meaning. Pleasing to the ear. And so Izumi thrust her hand out a bit more confidently. “My name is Midoriya Izumi.”

She had a long way left to go when it came to figuring out her situation, but at least she’d taken a step in the right direction.

Smiling serenely, the girl took Izumi’s hand and shook it. "My name is Shiozaki Ibara. Less virtuous classmates have decided that an appropriate nickname is…” Ibara blushed, looking both ways before leaning in. “Shibara.”

Despite her best efforts, Izumi found herself snickering softly. “Are you telling me this because you want me to call you Shibara?”

Ibara’s blush deepened as she shrugged helplessly. “It would be a cute nickname if not for the unsavory implications inherent in it. Alas, all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

Huh. Someone with a strong sense of religion. That wasn't really common in Japan, all things considered. Izumi furrowed her brow uncertainly. "You're... what, Christian? I can hear the capital G on that God and I think there's at least two religions who do that?"

Nodding hesitantly, Ibara continued to look around nervously. “I know that such a thing is intensely unpopular in our country, and even more so amongst our generation. But… yes. I am. You aren’t repulsed by it?”

That was a really good question. Like most Japanese people, Izumi loosely followed a syncretic fusion of Shinto and Buddhism. Rites and practices - ancestor and spirit worship - were paramount. Doctrines and beliefs were considerably less important. The concept of religious affiliation was almost unknown and the minority in Japan who did identify that way mostly belonged to specific Shinto sects. Christianity as a whole was an alien - and quite literally foreign - concept to her, but it wasn’t unwelcome. Merely different from what she was used to as someone who had been raised and identified as mushuukyou. “I’m not ‘repulsed’, no. A little curious. A little uncertain. I’m a little worried that I might say something wrong.”

Ibara offered a shallow bow to Izumi. “I greatly appreciate the consideration, Midoriya. You seem like a genuinely decent person.”

“I try.” Izumi offered the girl a bright smile and then something occurred to her. “If you’re Christian… forgive me if this is rude, but why do you want to become a hero? Isn’t the profession a little violent for you?”

“If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them. The book of James, chapter four, verse seventeen.” Ibara straightened up proudly and stared back at Izumi. “I am who I am and I am unapologetically who I am. I genuinely believe that I have been gifted with this quirk so that I can do the Lord’s work. And I intend to do so to the best of my ability.”

At the risk of being mildly blasphemous? Izumi nodded emphatically. “You know, meddling when you don’t need to is the essence of being a hero.” Ibara cocked her head to the side uncertainly and the verdette grinned at her. “All Might said that. It’s why I want to be a hero. The same reason as you. Because I can’t simply stare at the world as it is, knowing that I can help, and simply doing nothing to better it.”

Ibara’s eyes widened. “You really do understand, after a fashion at least. I feel as if I’ve discovered a kindred spirit of sorts in you, Midoriya. Granted I would like to think that most - if not all - of those here today for the exam would share that drive and motivation… but people tend not to talk to me much at all.”

Bringing her hand up to her chest, Izumi’s smile became nervous. “Do you… want to be friends? Because it sounds like you could use one and if I’m being completely honest, so could I.”

"Right! Let's start!" Izumi’s head whipped around to stare up at the observation tower, where Present Mic was waving down at them excitedly. "Get moving! There are no countdowns in real battles! Run run run, listeners! You're wasting airtime here!"

“Hold that thought, Shibara! Look for me on the other side!” Waving excitedly, Izumi raced through her visualization exercise as quickly as she could and was rewarded by the green lightning crackling into being around her body again. She pictured herself as a funnel, with all of One for All poured into the top and only a small bit making it through. After a moment or two, she settled on one or two percent. It wasn’t much, but hopefully it would be enough.

It turned out to be as she rounded the corner and let out a shriek of surprise, burying her fist in the robot. The metal caved in around her hand, the robot collapsing to the ground as she took it offline. That looked like… a one pointer? She had one point! She was off to a good start!

With One for All enhancing her abilities, Izumi raced through the battle center, disabling robot after robot. Feeling a bit of an urge to show off, she found a pair of two pointers and beat one with the other to defeat both. This was what having a quirk was like? No wonder Masama was so confident. This was amazing!

Making her way into a plaza already littered with the remains of fallen robots, Izumi looked around as she took a moment to catch her breath. How long had it been? How long did she have left? How many points did she have? The verdette didn’t know the answer to any of those questions, but she wasn’t ready to stop quite yet. Then the ground started to shake, and Izumi watched in horror as what could only be the zero pointer tore its way free of the ground. “How the heck are we supposed to ignore that?”

Turning to make her escape, Izumi froze at the sound of a cry of distress. Scanning the area, she sucked in a breath at the sight of a person trapped in the debris near where the zero pointer had emerged. She looked around wildly and frowned when she realized that everyone - even people who had been closer to the person - were fleeing the area. They were… just going to leave the person to an unknown fate? But… weren’t they supposed to be heroes? Or at least aspiring heroes?

And so Izumi dashed forward, pushing her way through the panicking students to make her way to the person in danger. She found a purple haired girl stuck under some rubble in the shadow of the zero pointer. After ten months of cleaning the beach, it was all well within her ability to move, and so she promptly did so. They had to get out of there! “Hi hi! Uh, I am here? Can you get out of here now that I've freed you?"

Much to Izumi’s dismay, the girl shook her head. "It landed on my ankle and I don't know what'll happen if I try to put weight on it, but I've got a feeling it's nothing good. I know this is a bit forward of me, but are you strong enough to carry me out of here?"

Looking up as the zero pointer continued its slow but inexorable approach, Izumi rose to her feet and clenched her fist. She was, yes, but there was another way to solve this problem. One that would allow her to properly test her quirk to its fullest potential. “Okay then. Just... sit tight for me.” She reached down inside herself and flipped the funnel upside down, immersing herself in One for All’s power. She knew rationally that she wasn’t ready for this; that the backlash might be extreme. But she couldn’t just leave this girl to her fate. “Gosh, I really hope I don’t mess this up.”

“Wait, what are you-“

Hurling herself upward with one titanic leap, Izumi twisted her body through a smooth pirouette as she reached the apex of her ascent, taking in the entirety of the battle center as it stretched out in every direction beneath her. The sight was beautiful in a way, although perhaps that was just because she was a city girl at heart. As she drew closer to the zero pointer, she drew her fist back and inhaled deeply as she remembered mentor's rather dubious advice on how to use her inherited quirk to its fullest.

'So clench your butt cheeks, kid-‘

‘I can’t decide whether I want to laugh or cry. Both that he actually said that to you, and that you’re thinking about it now.’

‘-and yell this from the depths of your heart!'

"SMASH!"

Chapter Text

“SMASH!" Izumi’s fist slammed into the face of the zero pointer, easily caving it in and rocking the massive robot backward. She watched as the robot was wracked with explosions, and smiled in pride at a job well done. Then gravity reasserted itself and she began to flail helplessly as she started to descend. ‘Uh, Nana? I realize this is completely my fault and I deserve what happens to me… but I don’t want to die.’

‘Hang on, kiddo.’ Nana made a straining sound and then huffed unhappily. ‘Okay, so I can’t give you my quirk. At least not yet. Which would have been handy because it’s literally Float. Is anyone else having better luck?’

‘Uh, no.’

‘Nope.’

‘Not me.’

‘When I walk in, sit up straight. I don’t give a fuck if I was late.’ After several male voices, the newcomer was distinctly female like Nana… and a bit sexy? Which felt like a weird quality to assign a ghost in her head, in all honesty. ‘In the immortal words of my ancestors… let’s fucking go!’

‘Oh God, it’s her…’

Izumi’s back arched as something tried to claw its way free of her body and then there was a loud tearing noise. Looking back, she discovered that both her skin and her brand new tracksuit had given way to reveal leathery green wings that reminded her a bit of a bat from the claw at the thumb joint. It took a little trial and error to control two new appendages, but she managed to spread them and slow her fall. As the ground drew closer, though, she realized that she still had a problem. ‘Well heck. How am I supposed to land with two broken legs?’

Circling the plaza, Izumi did her best to keep her spirits up, offering an enthusiastic thumbs up to the girl that she’d saved. Then she spotted a familiar figure approaching the plaza and her smile widened. “Shibara! Catch me please!”

Nodding sharply, Ibara tensed and sent dozens of vines shooting upward as Izumi clumsily angled herself to pass overhead. The vines curled around her body and arrested her motion, allowing Izumi to breathe a sigh of relief. She wasn’t dead. She wasn’t a broken mess on the pavement. Technically she couldn’t walk away from this landing, but it was still a decent one in Izumi’s mind. Ibara slowly brought her down to hang in front of her, concern plain on her face. “Are you okay, Midoriya? And… do you have a transformation type quirk? Or were you hiding your wings earlier?”

Laughing hysterically, Izumi shook her head as she wriggled her unbroken arm free and held her hand out toward Ibara. "Oh my gosh. That was insane. Shibara, I have literally never been happier to see anyone in my entire life than I am to see you right now. You saved me."

Offering a demure smile, Ibara reached up and took Izumi's hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. "Being happy to see me? Nobody's ever told me something like that before."

As Izumi met Ibara's smile with a bright smile of her own, she heard a rhythmic thump-thump-thump, like the beating of a heart, and then a loud click. 'What the heck was that?'

"And that's it! Time's up!"

The answer came from a new male voice, not one of the ones she'd heard earlier. 'Pleasure to meet you, Izumi. My name is Shigaraki Yoichi. I was the first holder of One for All. And I'm not sure what just happened. Focus on the present situation, and I'll get back to you when I have something. Oh and Nevan, sweetie... be gentle with her.'

There was a soft scoff, and the sultry woman returned. 'I've never behaved a day in my life and that's why you love me. Now let me just... get a little bit more comfortable in here. You don't get to just take my wings and call it a day, Izumi. Heteromorph pride, baby. As Yoichi used to tell me... take it all!'

Izumi hung limply in Ibara's grasp as she felt her skin crawl unpleasantly. Looking down, she watched as green pigment spread down her arm to her hand. Then her eyes tingled oddly, and she rolled her neck as she felt two somethings push their way up out of her scalp. Last but not least, her tailbone began to throb and Izumi let out a sigh of exasperation, having a feeling she knew what was coming. "Shibara, can you give me a little space in the back? My quirk is sorta doing a thing and I think I'm about to have a tail."

She did indeed grow a tail, her new appendage as green as her arms and about as thick as her wrist at the widest part. Izumi flicked it back and forth experimentally before curling it around herself. So in the span of a minute or two, she'd picked up three completely new appendages to learn how to use. That promised to be interesting.

There was a soft snicker inside her head. 'If I can control... aww shit, you're going to need to learn how to control wings, a tail, and then Blackwhip on top of that. Never mind.' The voice belonged to a fairly cheerful sounding man. A bit low. But cheerful. 'Also? You're still holding her hand, Izumi. You might want to do something with that.'

'You should kiss her. You know, to show your gratitude.'

'Nevan, no.'

'Nevan, yes!'

Izumi looked down at her hand and did a double take at the unexpected green tone before focusing on the fact that she was in fact still holding Ibara's hand. And people were staring. Then it occurred to the verdette that without Ibara's assistance and cooperation at the moment, she would promptly be reduced to a pile of broken green limbs on the concrete. And so maybe... maybe if the girl wanted to hold her hand? Izumi would let her.

Before she could say anything else to Ibara, someone cleared their throat and Izumi looked over to see the violette that she'd saved standing there, her elongated earlobes tapping together nervously. Oh! What a fascinating quirk! "Hey. You know, you're supposed to turn green before you yell smash and punch something." Izumi stared at her blankly and the girl grimaced. "Hulk joke. Attempted Hulk joke. Didn't land. So I think I'm just going to take the tattered remains of my dignity and go be... anywhere but here." Before Izumi could say anything, the girl turned and limped away, dragging one leg behind her. "Way to go, Kyouka. Fuck shit up with the pretty girl. God, you're a useless bisexual."

As much as Izumi wanted to call out to the girl, she kinda had her hands full not messing up whatever was going on with Ibara. And so she let the violette go, turning back to the girl in front of her. Before she could say anything, she noticed a familiar face approaching and perked up a bit. Because oh my gosh, did her everything hurt at the moment. "Recovery Girl! The Youthful Heroine! You're a sight for sore eyes."

"I tend to be after these exams, dearie. The only thing that keeps this darn school from being sued for risk of injury to a minor." Recovery Girl hobbled her way over to Izumi and peered at her quizzically. "It's hard to see with your girlfriend's vines in the way, you know."

Izumi opened her mouth to deny the 'girlfriend' thing, and then realized she had bigger problems at the moment. "Well, Shibara can't really set me down because I broke two legs and one of my arms when I went a bit overboard with my quirk."

Shaking her head, Recovery Girl sighed. "Reckless. Just like Toshinori. The apple didn't fall far from the tree with you, it landed on the roots and splattered." Before Izumi could ask the woman what she meant - and for that matter, who Toshinori was - she leaned in and pressed a kiss to Izumi's wrist. The verdette hastily filled herself with a small percentage of One for All; Recovery Girl's quirk was notorious for draining stamina and Izumi really couldn't afford to be any more out of it than she was. Thankfully that seemed to do the trick, and she felt her limbs twist back into their proper shapes without feeling like she needed to sleep for a week. "There you go, dearie." Recovery Girl thought for a moment, and then handed Ibara a few miniature Snickers. "Give these to her if you can bear to let go of her hand for a moment so she can eat them." And then she winked at them and hurried away to help other people.

Ibara looked down at the handful of chocolates and then over at where her hand was still grasped in Izumi's before promptly exploding into the brightest of blushes. Releasing the verdette's hand, the smaller girl shoved the chocolates into Izumi's hand before backing away as far as her vines would permit her to. "I apologize. I made that awkward, didn't I?"

As Izumi met Ibara's nervous gaze, she stared into a dark pair of eyes and was struck by a sudden burst of knowledge. Ibara was positively starved for attention in most every way. Few people talked to her. Even fewer people touched her. Conversing with Izumi today and now holding her hand was the most interaction that she'd had with someone other than her parents and the parishioners at her church in quite some time. Also, she was secretly fond of her crude nickname because she harbored fantasies of tying girls up with her vines and kissing them. Someday, when she met the right girl.

Well, they were halfway to that at the moment, weren't they?

Given that they'd barely talked on two separate occasions so far, Izumi had absolutely no idea how she knew any of this, but she knew it with absolute certainty. And she knew with just as much certainty that this was a girl who would respect any overtures of friendship that she extended. No pretenses. No motives. Just… a desperate desire to be wanted. To have companionship. To be a friend. And as someone in her situation, where practically nobody wanted to give her the time of day and those who did tended to behave poorly toward her? Izumi valued that more than she could ever articulate to anyone.

And so Izumi leaned forward in Ibara's hold and recaptured the girl's hand. "Listen, I know we just met. But you seem like a really cool person and you just keep getting cooler. I asked before the practical but we got a little distracted by, well, the practical. But do you want to be my friend? You could even call me Izumi."

Her free hand fluttering lightly against her chest, Ibara ducked her head shyly. “I would be delighted to be your friend... Izumi." Looking back up, she furrowed her brow. "Does friendship come with an explanation for why your appearance keeps changing?"

Oh, she really needed one of those, didn't she? She needed a lot of explanations, or at least good excuses. Oh. Oh no. She needed to find a way to explain all of this to her mother, didn't she? "Can you put me down? We can still hold hands. I just... we should probably get going?" Ibara let out a soft squeak and promptly unwound her vines, lowering Izumi to stand on her own two feet. "Okay. So. My quirk is... complicated. I don't really understand it well. And so I don't really have an explanation to give you because I don't know the answer myself. I probably need to see a quirk counselor, like, yesterday."

"The Lord detests lying lips, but he delights in people who are trustworthy." Izumi's eyes went wide as she stared at Ibara, who met her gaze with a reproachful expression. "Forgive me, but... you are lying. I do not know how I know this, but I am completely certain of it. You have some idea what is going on, but are choosing not to tell me. Our friendship is off to a poor start, Izumi."

Izumi sighed unhappily. She didn’t really want to lie to Ibara. The girl genuinely seemed cool. But not only did they barely know each other, but they were in public. And so she gestured for Ibara to follow her. She’d just have to figure out what she wanted to tell the girl by the time they got… somewhere. “Just out of curiosity, how do you know I’m lying? Because you’re right. I just… do I have some sort of tell?”

Furrowing her brow, Ibara shook her head. “Not that I’m aware of, no. And I have been told more than once that I am rather gullible. I do not know how or why I know that you are lying to me, I simply… know.”

Oh. So there was something going on that was giving her insight into Ibara, and Ibara likewise now knew things about her. That was… odd. And given how many secrets she had? Frankly concerning. Izumi shook her head and smiled at the girl. “But yeah, I’m lying. I have… a whole bunch of secrets that I feel like it’s completely understandable to not tell someone I just met?”

“Which is entirely reasonable, Izumi. At the same time? A simple ‘I cannot tell you’ would suffice, and be infinitely preferable to a lie.” Ibara gave a gentle tug on Izumi’s hand, pulling her in the direction of the gate. “I hope to be able to earn your trust in due time, so that you feel you can share your secrets with me.”

As they walked, Izumi took the candy that Recovery Lady had given Ibara and tucked it into the pocket of her jacket. Then she pulled out her phone. “Do you want to trade contact information?”

Before Ibara could reply, there was a crackle of explosions and a familiar voice. “Deku!” Izumi couldn’t help but grin at the sight of Masama standing just outside the battle center, shifting in place restlessly. Her red eyes swept over Izumi’s transformed body and her eyes widened. “What the fuck? You turn into a…” Trailing off, she looked over at the girl standing next to her and then over at Ibara next to Izumi. And for once in her entire life, Masama demonstrated discretion, which Izumi appreciated greatly at the moment. “What the hell did your quirk do to you now?”

Izumi shrugged innocently. “I have literally no idea what’s going on.” Ibara shifted next to her but didn’t say anything to contradict her, which she was thankful for. Her eyes drifted to the girl standing next to Masama. She was ten centimeters or so shorter than Izumi, with long brown hair that was partly pulled up into space buns, and kind brown eyes. She was wearing a red tracksuit similar to Izumi's, but adorned with a bold white Yaoyorozu Aerospace logo? Interesting. She wasn't aware that the Yaoyorozus made apparel. “Machan, did you make a friend?”

Jerking, Masama looked over at her companion. “What? No. We just worked together a little during the practical exam and I thought you’d like to meet her.” Izumi cocked her head to the side curiously and the blonde huffed softly. “I don’t know, she has a cool quirk! You go nuts for that shit! It’s a fucking peace offering, you damn Deku!”

“Deku?” The brunette next to Masama looked back and forth between the two girls curiously. “That’s a really cute nickname! It sounds a lot like dekiru."

Masama shot an appraising look at the unknown girl. "So what, you're gonna roll right up to a girl and be like, hey, your nickname sounds like 'let's fuck'? Damn. Even I'm not that bold."

Face erupting into a blush, the girl shook her head vehemently. “Sdlkfjsldkdfsd! Not like that! Dekiru like ‘you can do it'!" The girl stammered and flapped her hands anxiously a few times before turning away. "You know what? I'm just going to go. Bye!"

As the girl hurried off, Masama snickered softly. "It was just a joke. Damn. Girl needs to relax a little. You would have loved talking to her about her quirk, though, Deku. She can remove the weight of objects or something. She made a few chunks of debris weightless and I fired them with my quirk. It was actually pretty cool."

Gasping, Izumi brought her hand up to her mouth. "She could alter a fundamental force of nature? That's so interesting! Machan, you're so mean, scaring her off like that! And you're even worse for telling me what her quirk is! Now I have so many questions and no way to get answers!"

"Sucks to suck, Deku." Making her way over, Masama waved dismissively at Ibara. "No idea who you are, don't really care to be honest. But I'm gonna take the little weirdo from here. We need to talk and you don't need to be there for it."

Ibara hastily released Izumi's hand as the blonde reached in and grabbed Izumi, tossing her over her shoulder like a sack of potatoes. Izumi flailed a little bit in surprise, and then let out a squawk as Masama pulled on her tail. "Shibara! Come around on this side!" The vine haired girl obeyed, and Izumi held her phone out toward her new friend. "Quick, take my contact information before she drags me away. I'll text you!"

Smiling bemusedly, Ibara tapped her phone against Izumi's and transferred the contact. "It was a pleasure meeting you, Izumi, all things considered. I look forward to speaking with you more."

"Christ, you sound like a fucking textbook." Masama shook her head and then strode off, bringing Izumi with her. "See you never, Tangela!"

Izumi kicked her feet playfully as Masama carried her away from the battle center. And damn, she'd known her friend was strong but just straight up carrying her like this should have taken some effort. She was like... she didn't feel any lighter as a girl? If anything, she should be heavier than her original self's sixty-eight-ish kilograms because of her newly acquired wings and tail? She rode in silence for a bit and then peeked back over her shoulder at the approaching gate. "Are you going to carry me all the way to wherever we're going?"

Reaching up, Masama tugged on Izumi's tail again. "Can I trust you not to get into trouble if I let you down?" Izumi let out an offended huff at that. She didn't get into trouble. She just... sometimes acted without thinking. But All Might said that was a heroic characteristic, so nyah. When no response was forthcoming, Masama chuckled. "Also, kinda enjoying this, Deku. You've got a nice ass as a girl."

"Nope! Getting down now!" Flaring her wings wide, Izumi twisted and wriggled her way free, landing neatly next to Masama. Huffing again, she rose to her feet. "Seriously, what's going on between the two of us? I just showed up today as a girl and you've done a complete one-eighty on me. It's a little disconcerting, I'm not going to lie."

Masama shrugged negligently. "Like I said, I don't like guys. You never did anything to prove yourself, so I never promoted you out of the 'guys' category. Like Wings. And Fingers. I treated you the same as them. No, that's a lie. I was worse to you. Can you blame me, though? I mean... look at it from where I'm standing. You just kept blindly insisting that you were going to be a hero someday and you did literally nothing to achieve that. You didn't get in shape. You didn't take martial arts classes. You didn't learn how to use a weapon. You just wandered around taking notes, like an absolute nerd. While I was out here busting my ass to be the best hero candidate I could be. Do you... do you not understand how infuriatingly arrogant that made you seem? How patronizing? How condescending?"

Jaw dropping, Izumi stared at Masama in disbelief. Had she really come across like that to her friend? To everyone? Was that really how it looked from the outside all these years? Gosh. No wonder Masama had been mean to her. No wonder everyone had been mean to her. The way the blonde was explaining it, she sounded positively insufferable. She hadn't meant to be, obviously. She just hadn't seen any other way to learn how to be heroic. But intention was less important than perception; it didn't mean what you meant, only what people took away from it. Endeavor was living proof of that. And if that was what people had been taking away from her all these years... she wouldn't have liked her either. "Machan..."

"And so now? I mean, part of it is that I treat girls way better than guys to begin with. Give them a little bit more leeway. Not much, but more. But... look at you." Masama gestured to Izumi insistently. "You have a quirk. I don't know what it does, but you didn't die during the practical so it has to be something decent. Not as great as mine, obviously. Nobody's is. But you actually have a chance. When you didn't before. You're out here actually trying to make something of yourself instead of just telling people you're going to be something. And I'm down for that. That's something I can get behind. It earns my respect, and that's the only respect I'll ever give. So I’m upgrading you in my mind. At least a little. And I mean, you’re cute like this. That doesn’t hurt things.”

“Machan, that’s so shallow of you.”

“Fuck you, I’m trying to be fucking civil here.” Masama huffed softly. “I didn’t say it was the whole reason, I just said that it helped.”

Huh. Okay. So what she was hearing was that while Masama had been kinda cruel to her in the past, the blonde felt like Izumi wasn't necessarily blameless in the entire thing. She wasn't sure whether or not she agreed; she kinda needed time to process and think things over. Although there was absolutely no excuse she would accept for some of the things that the blonde had said. Those would need to be apologized for. But Izumi could at least see Masama's perspective, which she felt was an important step. Nibbling on her lower lip, she eyed her companion uncertainly. "Do you think maybe you should have talked to me at some point? Like, sat down with me and gone 'hey, I have this problem with you, can we maybe do something about it'?"

Masama arched a brow at Izumi. "When in my life have I ever been wrong?" Izumi groaned softly and Masama rolled her eyes. "But no, I get what you mean. And the answer is... I don't know? I didn't particularly want to fix things, to be honest. You just kept following me, like the other two, no matter what I did so I guess I just got used to that. And I didn't want to be any closer to you or anything so no, I didn't really see a point in trying to get you to stop what you were doing. It was none of my business if you wanted to be a disaster."

"The last few years have been... not great for me, Machan. And I didn't understand why. Like, I genuinely never understood how I was coming across to people and why they didn't like me." Izumi sighed unhappily. "You could have told me. I could have fixed things. I could have tried to grow into someone you respected, instead of being 'worthless' and 'useless' to everyone. To you."

"I guess I could have, yeah. Maybe even should have. But I didn't. So yeah. Here we are, being an absolute mess together." Masama thought for a moment and then eyed Izumi with an uncommonly vulnerable expression on her face. "Can we... maybe at least try to fix this? Because this is the longest single conversation I’ve had outside my house in years. I just… I don't know, I’m standing here realizing that I don't have any more friends than you do. And I'm tired of having lackeys. What's the point of being the number one hero someday if there's nobody there to celebrate it with me? Who am I going to tell about all the cool things I've done if I'm all alone? You've stuck with me all this time, no matter how horrible I've been. So clearly you think there's something worthwhile about me."

Today really was a day for dreams come true, wasn't it? Izumi had received a quirk. Turned into a girl. And now Masama wanted to fix their damaged friendship. Was she going to forget what Masama had done to her? Maybe someday, but most definitely not today. But they were roughing out a path forward, and Izumi was willing to try going down it if Masama was. "Will you be better to me? Turning into a girl didn't really change who I am. Neither did my quirk activating. I'm still... me. I'm still Deku at heart. I'm still a nerd, I’m still going to obsess over quirks, I'm still going to write notes about everyone and everything, I'm still going to pester you about your feet."

Masama furrowed her brow uncertainly. "Wait, my feet? What about my feet? Do you have a thing for my fucking feet or something that I should know about?"

"What? No! Remember, I did some research and you have a whole lot of sweat glands on your feet? Which means that theoretically you should be able to learn to fly by making explosions out of the soles of your feet." Izumi giggled softly and shot the blonde a playful look. "But what if I did have a thing for your feet?"

Considering that, Masama shrugged. "I would charge you to touch them. Or lick them. Or whatever weird foot stuff you'd want to do. I'd need to do some market research, though. These are the feet of the next number one hero, after all. I need to make sure that I'm pricing myself appropriately."

Izumi snickered. "Good to know, Machan. Good to know. I may take you up on that at some point." At the blonde's horrified look, Izumi did her best to look innocent. "What? I'm still young and discovering myself. If it turns out that I'm into feet, I will grab some of my allowance money and come straight to you."

"Or, and hear me out here... do me a favor and fucking don't." The two girls laughed together and then Masama bumped herself gently against Izumi's side. "So. To answer your question? I will try. I'll be honest with you, I don't know if I even know how to be someone's friend at this point. I haven't been a friend in years. And I'll probably mess it up here and there along the way. But if you're okay with that? Then... I guess it wouldn't be awful to try?"

To be honest? Izumi wasn't sure how to be a friend either. She hadn't really had one since she was five or six. Oh, she'd called Masama her friend, but they hadn't really been friends. Not truly. But that could change, if she wanted it to. "I'm probably going to mess things up too, Machan. I'm a great big awkward nerd, and I'm pretty sure I have some anxiety issues. But yeah. We can try. Together."

Masama inhaled and then nodded sharply. "Deal. Now. This is getting really fucking deep and I'm ready for it to be done. I do not do feelings very well, and this has exceeded my quota for the day. Is there anything else we need to discuss? Or can I pointedly change the subject by asking about your quirk yet?"

Hmm. They'd covered some serious ground. Beating the subject to death wouldn't accomplish anything, though. Masama probably needed some therapy, but Izumi didn't want to risk whatever was going on right now by saying as much. She had some things she wanted to say, yeah, but maybe... maybe they could wait for another day. And so she smiled brightly and summoned One for All to her, albeit only at two percent. The lightning returned and she pantomimed throwing a punch. "You're going to love my quirk, Machan! I'm an enhancer! I'm strong! And fast!"

Masama looked Izumi up and down appraisingly. "Huh. That doesn't suck. Still not as good as mine, obviously, but that's kinda cool." She reached up, flicking one of Izumi's horns. "Where do these come into things? Can you turn them off? You can't just have... manifested a heteromorphic quirk that was locked away behind a Y chromosome for fifteen years. I do not believe that for a minute."

"Uh, actually... surprise?" Izumi giggled and flapped her wings a bit, buffeting Masama with a small gust of wind. "Yeah, my quirk is sorta still manifesting. This probably wouldn't have happened for months or years at this point, but I pushed myself a little too hard and so my body just said... hey, let's do this thing now!"

'Speaking of doing things now, can you make things up to her by having her sit on your face?' Nevan chuckled wickedly in Izumi's head. 'My quirk is Succubus, Izumi. You can now absorb sexual attraction and use it to enhance yourself. How you harvest that attraction... well, that's up to you.'

Despite logically knowing that nobody could hear the vestige's words, Izumi still exploded into the brightest blush of her life. "So yeah. I'm green. And I have wings. And a tail. And horns. And-"

"Your eyes changed." Izumi brought her hand up to her face curiously and Masama pulled out her phone, taking a picture of the girl and then showing it to her. Sure enough, she still had green eyes but her sclera had turned pitch black. Probably the least of the changes she was going to need to explain to people, but still neat. "Also, we need to get you... hmm, you can probably wear one of my spare uniforms on Monday. I will give you exactly one, since I won't exactly be able to wear it again after we make it work for your wings. But we need to get you some girl clothes. Good ones. I'm not going to be seen with you in a halter top that says 'Halter Top', I swear to fucking god."

Throwing her head back, Izumi laughed but followed Masama out into the city as they headed for the nearest shopping area. Tatooine wasn't too far away, maybe they were going there? It would be oddly appropriate; her whole story coming full circle in a way. As they walked, Nevan nudged at her gently. 'Ask her how she feels about the childhood friends to lovers trope.'

'Nevan! No! I don't want to make things weird.'

'Ask her or I'll take over and do it for you.'

'Can you... do that?'

'Do you want to find out?'

Ugh. So she had a pushy and flirty ghost in her head. The next... however many years she had One for All for were going to be fantastic, weren't they? Izumi rolled her eyes but decided not to risk finding out the vestiges could in fact highjack her body. "So. Machan." The blonde looked over at her and Izumi ducked her head a little. "How do you feel about a childhood friends to lovers trope?"

Masama let out a bark of laughter at the question. "You’re joking, right? I've been decent to you for a few hours now, and you think you're ready to make that move?”

Shrugging awkwardly, Izumi did her best to look up and meet Masama’s eyes. “It was just a thought that popped into my head and I figured… you know what? What’s the worst that can happen? I undo the last few minutes and things go back to how they were? Not to mention that, well, I’ve always had a crush on you, Machan.”

Masama eyed the verdette appraisingly. “Even when I treated you like shit? Especially when I treated you like shit?”

“I never said my taste in women was good.”

That made Masama laugh again, a real laugh and not one of her sarcastic little snickers. “Fucking ballsy. I respect that, too. Hmm. How do I feel about that? I mean, I don’t necessarily know how to be a girlfriend any more than I know how to be a friend. I don’t really know what I’d look for in a girlfriend, either, except for maybe one thing.” She eyed Izumi thoughtfully. “You know what? I'll make you a deal, Deku. Get into UA. And then meet me in the Sports Festival. And if you beat me in the final round of the Sports Festival... I'll let you take me out on a date."

Well, that'd gone better than Izumi expected. Because she'd always treasured Masama, even at the worst of their moments. She'd never really understood why they weren't working out as well anymore. But she'd never given up. And yeah, she'd kinda had a crush on Masama for a while. If Masama wanted to be meritosexual, though? If she wanted Izumi to prove that she was good enough to be the blonde's partner? Izumi was down for the challenge. Because she was going to be aiming for the gold medal at the Sports Festival either way. Getting a girlfriend out of the deal would just be a bonus. In the interim, though? "What do I have to do to be allowed to hold your hand?" Masama snorted and Izumi smiled bashfully. "Shibara and I were for a bit and it was really nice."

"Pfft. Holding hands in public. What are you, some kind of degenerate?" The faintest of blushes colored Masama's cheeks as she looked over at Izumi. "But I mean, alright. I guess that'd be cool. If you wanted to, that is."

That made Izumi peer at Masama curiously. "Machan, are you a tsundere?" The blonde sniffed and looked away, making Izumi giggle and reach out to grab her hand. Interlacing their fingers, she smiled. "Aww. This is nice. I like this."

Masama looked down at their hands. "I guess this isn't bad. Deku." She paused and frowned. "Huh. I think I'm going to have to find a new nickname for you. Because obviously you're not useless anymore. Also, it's pretty much just me insulting you? And I feel like that's probably I should stop doing if we're going to be actual friends instead of... whatever we were before."

"Machan, I'm going to be honest with you. I just sorta... got used to it a while ago. And at this point, I honestly don't think I can picture you calling me anything else." Izumi grinned impishly and looked down at herself. "Although if you want to call me Dekiru, I could be into that? I'm thinking that could be a good hero name now that I've gone all succubuscore and stuff. I'd fit at least two meanings of the word."

Squeezing Izumi's hand, Masama snorted. "So what, you get a little weird looking and decide you're a succubus on me? Don't you need to be like, sexy and kissing people and stuff to be a succubus? You'd probably die if you tried to kiss someone."

That sounded like a challenge to her. And so despite their past, despite their uncertain future, despite the fact that the blonde could - and very well might - explode her for her presumption, Izumi swung around in front of Masama, reached up to tangle her free hand in the blonde's hair, and kissed her. Masama went still for a moment and then her eyes narrowed and she pressed her free hand against Izumi's chest, using a small explosion to push the smaller girl back. "See. Succubus. It's kinda my thing now."

Masama reached up, touching her lips. "You fucking fuck, you just stole my first kiss! I was saving that! And I was supposed to be the one who kissed her!" The blonde growled and stomped her foot angrily before taking off down the street, dragging Izumi behind her. "You fucking suck, Deku."

Izumi just laughed. They weren't alright. Not yet. But maybe they could get there someday. And at least they were going to try.

Chapter Text

To say that her mother was a bit surprised when she got home was one heck of an understatement. Midoriya Inko had, uh, thought Izumi was a home invader and hit her with a broom several times before she could explain herself. But she had managed to. Explain herself. They’d talked a lot, about a lot of things. Cried a lot too, as Midoriyas were wont to do when faced with emotional circumstances. But in the end, her mother loved her and supported her, and Izumi physically becoming Izumi instead of Izuku didn’t change that. Nor did turning into a green girl. Inko was mildly concerned about the wings and tail, though. It was still February, and making sure Izumi didn’t catch a chill was very important to her.

Her first day of school after the entrance exam was... an experience. Walking into school as a green girl with wings when everyone had previously known her as a boy was certainly something. Izumi had found a confession in her getabako cubby after class. From a boy. So evidently being a pretty girl outweighed everything else in some people's minds. Good to know.

Her classmates had seemed to sense that something had shifted between her and Masama, even if they weren’t sure what. But Izumi couldn’t miss the way their behavior changed overnight once they saw the pair walking around together. Evidently despite not being particularly popular because of her attitude, Masama set the tone for how everyone else behaved… and that tone had shifted dramatically. There wasn’t a mad rush to be her friend, and Izumi wouldn’t have wanted them to anyway. But at least now she was being left alone almost completely. And she was fine with that.

She'd picked up a few rudimentary outfits with Masama after the entrance exam, just the essentials to tide her over. Accordingly, her mother had met her outside of Aldera Junior High School that Monday afternoon and dragged her shopping. Given that Masama preferred a more severe, jirai kei tracksuit aesthetic in black with vibrant accent colors, Izumi couldn't wait to show the blonde her new wardrobe at the first available chance.

Decora. Kei.

Rainbows. Everywhere.

Oh, and she'd started messaging with Ibara as soon as Masama let her out of her sight. That was going well too. Things were still slightly strained because the vine haired girl had the same unnatural level of insight into Izumi as Izumi had to her, and positively no filter when it came to verbalizing what she discovered. She'd picked at a few wounds that Izumi didn't really want picked at, but had at least displayed the good grace to apologize when Izumi politely asked her to change the subject.

Thankfully, whatever connection they had to each other hadn't revealed any of her biggest secrets to Ibara. Yet, at least.

Izumi had also managed to have a sit down with the vestiges. At least in her dreams. They could - and did - still talk to her at will, but she could interact more fully with them when she was asleep. There was Shigaraki Yoichi, the originator of the quirk. Nevan, his girlfriend who had helped him discover that he had a transferrable quirk through... dubious means. Two and Three, who everyone referred to as Two and Three despite the fact that Nevan was clearly the second holder of the quirk. They didn't want to talk to her, but that was fine. Izumi's head was already fairly busy as it was. The others had opted not to share the pair's real names or their quirks without their consent, which Izumi could respect.

Shinomori Hikage was a quiet man who had taken the quirk from Three and retreated into the wilderness to hone it, holding it for eighteen years before passing it on. His quirk was Danger Sense, which sounded positively fascinating to Izumi. Then came Daigorou Banjou, who Izumi had met briefly, the pro hero Lariat. His quirk was Blackwhip and Izumi wasn't looking forward to emotion powered tendrils coming out of her. She tended to feel passionately and vibrantly, which could cause problems with his quirk. He'd been succeeded by Tayutai En, the pro hero Smoke-Eater. En was also quiet but in a more calm and measured way than Hikage. He'd contributed the quirk Smokescreen to the stockpile, before passing it on to the eighth holder: Shimura Nana.

Shimura Nana. Literally Izumi's favorite vestige, although she would never tell Nevan that. Nana was like the grandmother that Izumi did actually have but had never met, a constant fount of happiness and encouragement. To be honest, she reminded Izumi a lot of her own mother. And if one mother was good, than two mothers was even better. Nana had picked out All Might, helped teach him to become the hero he would grow into, and then passed One for All to him.

Oh, and All Might's real name was Yagi Toshinori, which explained Recovery Girl's seemingly random comment. He had a fragment of a vestige too, presumably because he was still living. Yagi’s vestige seemed cheerful and supportive enough, and in her dream he'd put his hand on her shoulder just like at the beach and stared down at her with kind blue eyes. Izumi really hoped she got to experience that again soon in real life, because... yeah. Having a supportive mentor really meant a lot to her.

The week passed in a blur, and soon it was the weekend again. Izumi woke up on Saturday, and promptly proceeded to lounge in bed for a bit to take advantage of her rest day. Her mom managed to tempt her out with the delicious smell of breakfast, which she heartily enjoyed. After that, she breezed through the shower, making sure to scrub her new wings and tail well, and then got dressed for the day.

Halfway through a rerun of her childhood favorite Adventures of All Might, there was a knock on the door. Given that they seldom received visitors, Izumi approached the door hesitantly. Opening it, she peeked out and her eyes widened. “Machan?”

Masama’s eyes swept up and down over Izumi critically. “What the fuck are you wearing, Deku?”

Glancing down at herself, Izumi did her best to look innocent. She was wearing an off the shoulder pink top with bright and colorful print on it, a pleated white skirt with an equally loud print on it, rainbow stripe arm warmers, and as much colorful jewelry as she could comfortably fit on her body. “Clothes?” At Masama’s unimpressed look, she grinned sheepishly. “We can’t all run around in jirai kei tracksuits, Machan. I like my decora kei. I like it a lot.”

That made Masama reach up and pinch the bridge of her nose. “Ugh. Revolting. You’re lucky I like you, nerd.”

“Aww, you like me?” Izumi leaned forward, batting her eyelashes playfully. “Me? The worthless Deku?”

Masama grimaced at that. “I can tell from your tone that you’re joking, but can we maybe… fucking not? I said a lot of things that I really shouldn’t have, and I feel like cracking jokes about it isn’t exactly healthy? I don’t fucking know, I mostly don’t like the way my stomach turns when you say stuff like that back to me.”

Reaching out, Izumi rested a hand on Masama’s arm. “That’s guilt. Now that we’re trying to fix things, you feel guilty about how you treated me. And that’s important. But I feel like as much as it sucks, I can’t let you invalidate my coping mechanism. Like, making light of it is how I handle the memories. Because I may be willing to forgive, especially if you show you’re willing to change, but I’m not going to forget. Not for a long time, at least.”

Masama exhaled noisily. “Yeah, no, that makes sense. So I’m just going to have to suck it up and deal with you giving me snide little reminders of what I did. Gotcha.”

Looking back over her shoulder, Izumi couldn’t spot her mother but decided she’d rather be safe than sorry. Pushing Masama back a step, she stepped out of her apartment and closed the door behind her. “Machan, don’t you dare take that passive aggressive tone with me. I really don’t think I’m asking much. You… ugh, I hate swearing but I feel like it really underscores how I feel right now. You fucking suicide baited me, Machan. Like, we’re not talking about ‘let’s hide her outdoor shoes’ sort of bullying or pulling my hair or something. You were completely atrocious to me. And I’m still not convinced this is going to work, because I’m still me and I genuinely don’t know if you’ll ever be able to accept that. So yes, you are going to have to put up with how I cope with your behavior because you are literally the one who made me this way and this is the consequences of your poor decisions.”

“I… you’re right. You’re completely right. I’m sorry. You have every right to hold me accountable for what I did.” Masama sighed noisily, looking down at her hands. “But like, I think I need to say the same thing? I’m still me. I’m willing to change how I treat you. Treat you better. But I’m not going to change who I am as a person for you. And maybe this won’t work because of that.”

Reaching out, Izumi took Masama’s hands. The blonde flinched but didn’t pull away. “I’m not asking you to, Machan. I honestly accepted long ago that you are who you are. And maybe someday who you are will change. Maybe you’ll get tired of being all sharp angles. Maybe you’ll grow out of it. I’m never going to stop trying to blunt your worse impulses, but I’m not here to fix all your flaws. That’s not my job and it never was. Becoming a better person is something that you’ll need to decide to do for yourself. If you decide you want to.”

Masama let out another sigh and looked up at Izumi uncertainly. “I am kind of a mess, aren’t I?”

“We both are. But we’ll be messes together. And maybe someday, we’ll be better. Because I don’t know about you, but I’m never going to stop trying to be the best person that I can be.” The two stood there in silence for a stretch, holding each others’ hands, and then finally Izumi gave Masama’s hands a squeeze. “Why are you here, Machan?”

Looking up, Masama shrugged uncertainly. “It’s the weekend. Friends hang out on the weekend, right? And we’re trying to be friends again. So… fuck, I feel stupid now. I’m just going to go. Sorry for bothering you.”

As Masama tried to pull away, Izumi stepped closer and whipped her tail forward, wrapping it around the blonde and halting her movement. “Machan. I would love to hang out with you. What do you want to do?”

Masama eyed Izumi critically again and then the corner of her mouth quirked upward in a smirk. “Can I take you to the mall and buy you a better outfit?”

Izumi shook her head firmly. “You cannot. Unless…” She slipped a hand out of Masama’s, throwing caution to the wind and reaching up to run it through the girl’s hand slowly. “Can we buy you a bunch of little explosion hair clips? There’s that stand at the mall with the 3D printer. I got a bunch of mine there.”

Sighing, Masama rolled her eyes but offered a faint smile. “And if I let you buy me hair clips, I can buy you something better to wear?”

“I don’t know if some hair clips are worth you having the right to put me in an entirely new outfit.” Izumi grinned playfully at Masama as she tapped a finger against the corner of her mouth. “Let me dress you in like, a light explosion decora aesthetic and I’ll let you put me in a new outfit. But the hair accessories stay.”

Masama grinned back. “I can work with that.” Pausing, she looked down at their bodies and then back up at Izumi. “Do friends hold hands? And kiss? Because fuck, I have not stopped thinking about that since last weekend.”

Izumi smirked at that. Did that mean she was a good kisser? Then again, she’d stolen Masama’s first kiss so it wasn’t like the blonde had anything to compare it to. Still. It’d stuck with Masama, eh? Nice. “I feel like the kiss was a little impulsive of me. I was a little too in the moment, I guess. Like, we were joking about my whole succubushood, I felt the need to prove myself to you, I acted without thinking…” Wait. Didn’t All Might tell her that the best heroes acted without thinking? Izumi cocked her head to the side. “Do you want to hold hands at the mall? And then see where it goes from there?”

‘I’m going to be real with you Izumi, since you don’t really have anyone you can talk about this with.’ Nana sounded distinctly unhappy, which made Izumi furrow her brow in concern. ‘I have severe reservations about this. I get that you’re the girl who wants to save everybody, but could we maybe draw the line on the other side of your childhood bully? Masama is… she’s an absolute raging bitch, Izumi. She’s a horrible person. Why are you even giving her a second chance after what she did to you? You’re just giving her another chance to hurt you.’

Sighing, Izumi stared off into space and shook her head slightly. ‘Because how can I call myself the hero who saves everyone if I can’t save my own childhood friend? We used to be friends. And we can be friends again. I just know it.’

Edging her way into the conversation, Nevan decided to offer her thoughts. ‘She’s clearly attracted to you now. I say we just suck her dry and use her energy to help people.’

That made Izumi sigh. ‘Nevan, no. I’m not going to lie, I wouldn’t mind experimenting with Succubus on her. If she consented first. But I’m not going to… no.’

‘I genuinely adore how cheerful and optimistic you are. Really, I do. But not everyone can be saved, Izumi.’ Nana sounded tired in that moment. Was she remembering someone she failed? Izumi wasn’t brave enough to ask. ‘Not everyone deserves to be saved.’

Izumi shook her head mulishly. ‘Everyone deserves a chance to be saved, Nana. Everyone. Even Masama. Even villains. When I say everyone, I mean everyone. And I’m going to dedicate my life to proving that.’

‘Woefully naive. Childish. Idealistic. Foolish.’ That was the rarely heard voice of the one Izumi still only knew as Two. She waited, but evidently he’d said his piece.

‘You really are Toshi’s kindred spirit, aren’t you? Want to save the whole world with a smile.’ Nana chuckled softly. ‘Alright, kid. Let’s see what you can do.’

Shaking her head, Izumi turned her attention outward again to find Masama staring at her in slight concern. "Sorry, I was sorta... lost in my head. Arguing with myself. So yeah. Did you answer and I missed it? On the holding hands thing?"

Masama offered a hesitant, dare she almost say shy smile in response. "I said yeah. I'm down for the hand holding at the mall thing."

"Okay, cool. Let me just..." Ducking back into the apartment, Izumi pulled on a pair of sneakers before calling out to her mother. "Mom! Going to the mall! Don't know when I'll be back!"

Inko peeked her head out of the kitchen. "Try to leave some hair clips for somebody else, sweetie."

Throwing her head back, Izumi laughed at that. "I make no promises, Mom. I really do love the decora kei look." Closing the door behind her, Izumi extended her hand to Masama. "Shall we?"

They did. Hand in hand, the pair made their way down the street and boarded a bus to the nearby mall. Fitting in a crowded public space with wings was an adventure, but Izumi did her best not to be a nuisance. Mostly she snuggled up against Masama and wrapped her wings around the blonde. Thankfully, Masama didn't seem to mind.

When they got to the mall, Masama led the two of them over to the pillar with a map on it and studied it thoughtfully. "Okay, so there's the stand that you were talking about. What else am I going to get subjected to in exchange for getting to fix your fucking wardrobe?"

Izumi stuck her tongue out at Masama at that one. "Rude. My wardrobe is fantastic. But no, there's a cute little dress place that Yuki told me about when we were discussing clothes. They have a little kiosk where you can drag and drop designs onto a template, they print the fabric while you wait, cut it out, and sew it. So I was going to do like, an explosion themed skater dress for you? Black with orange explosions, or maybe orange with black explosions? And then some hair clips? Explosion decora kei."

"That... doesn't sound horrifying. I guess." Masama looked a bit conflicted as she looked over at Izumi but in the end, she just shrugged. "And then I get to buy you whatever I want?"

That made Izumi hold up a finger. "Anything you want... within reason. I know how much money you get for an allowance, Machan, and I refuse to let you buy me a thirty thousand yen dress or something."

Masama smirked faintly as she checked her phone. "Joke's on you, I didn't buy anything at all last week, so I have around seventy thousand yen to play with today." Izumi's jaw dropped; she could buy a bunch of figures for that much. Surely Masama wasn't going to spend even half that on her... right? "It's the least I can do, all things considered. You deserve to feel pretty."

Izumi smoothed her free hand down the front of her shirt. "But I do feel pretty, Masama."

"You deserve to be pretty." Masama smirked at Izumi's outraged gasp before tugging on her hand. "Okay, I see the custom dress place on the map. Let's get this show on the road."

True to her word, Masama allowed Izumi to pull her into the custom dress store and order her a black skater dress decorated with orange cartoon explosions on it. They then made their way across the mall to the stand that had made Izumi's hair clips. Evidently Masama wanted to get everything done as fast as possible so she could enjoy shopping for Izumi. Turning down an offer to break for lunch, Masama then led Izumi to a higher end dress shop. Slowing down next to one of the racks, Izumi checked a price tag out of curiosity and promptly recoiled, pressing herself up against Masama. "Machan! This place is expensive!"

Masama shrugged nonchalantly as she led Izumi deeper in the store. "Deku, you wear decora kei. Anything is going to be expensive compared to that." She paused next to a rack of black dresses and pulled her hand free so that she could grab one of the dresses. Turning, she held it up in front of Izumi with a thoughtful look. "You'd look good in this." She seemed to consider her words for a moment, looked both ways, and then grinned wolfishly. "You'd look good out of it, too."

"Machan!" Izumi blushed brightly as she flapped her hands in the blonde's direction. "Stop that!" Her protests just made her companion laugh, which led to Izumi huffing and taking off into the store on her own. Wasn't she supposed to be the succubus here? She needed to get better at flirting, Izumi realized. As she wandered the racks, something caught her eye and she paused. "Oh this is cute."

Given that her style so far seemed to lean in the direction of 'girly' rather than mature attractiveness, Izumi was surprised that the dress called to her, but it did. It was a bit slouchy in the neckline, and cut low enough that she could probably fit her wings into it with a little work. The sleeves were huge, which just seemed fun to swish back and forth. The rest was fitted pretty well, although there was a tailor in store - like at most higher end stores these days - who could probably adjust the dress for her tail. Biting her lip, she peered over the tops of the racks. "Machan? I think I found something."

Masama made her way over and eyed the dress critically. "I don't like the sleeves. I could see you trying to hide a hundred bracelets up those things."

'C'mon, Izumi.' Nevan purred softly in the verdette's ear, egging her on. 'Stand up for yourself. And get her back for that comment she made a minute ago.'

Gathering her courage, Izumi held the dress against her body with one hand and used the other to cup Masama's chin. "I think it'd look good on me. And... perhaps just as good on the floor of your room, if you play your cards right." Not that she would, at least anytime soon, but... two could play at that game, right?

Masama's jaw dropped and her mouth worked soundlessly for a few seconds. She swallowed and nodded slowly. "You know what? On second thought, I kinda like it. Yeah. It's a good dress."

Smiling widely, Izumi turned and bounced off in the direction of the dressing room. "Let's make sure, hmm?" A very lovely worker opened the dressing room for her and Izumi stripped out of just enough of her outfit to try on the dress. The sleeves did in fact conceal her wide assortment of bracelets, rendering her normal-ish in the mirror... or as normal as someone wearing as many hair clips in her green hair as she was could look. It was a little weird in the back, but that could be solved by letting her tail out. Popping out of the dressing room, she beamed at Masama. "I think I look pretty."

"You look... gorgeous, Deku." Masama nibbled her lower lip uncertainly as she leaned in toward Izumi. "Friends can think their friends are really fucking hot, right? I'm not entirely sure how this works."

Izumi threw her head back and laughed. "Let's get to a stage where we can decide if friends kiss, and then maybe you can worry about that after." Masama nodded and the verdette held out the arm that had the price tag on it. “I’m not even going to look at that… but I’m pretty sure this is the part where you come in.”

Grabbing Izumi’s hand, Masama led her up to the register and paid for the dress before carefully removing the tag. Satisfied with her efforts, Masama wrapped an arm around Izumi’s waist and hugged the smaller girl to her. “Now what?” Her eyes scanned the concourse and landed on one store in particular, and she grinned. “You wanna go in there?”

Eyes widening, Izumi nodded and took control, dragging Masama toward the hero merchandise shop. Entering the store, she gasped excitedly and pulled the blonde toward one display in particular. “Machan! Look! It’s-“

“A Memorial Edition Bronze Age All Might hoody.” Masama stood next to her, staring at the sweatshirts just as excitedly. “With metallic red accents. Fuck, this is cool as hell, Deku.” Peering at Izumi out of the corner of her eye, she grinned. “You want one?”

Izumi nodded eagerly, paused, thought for a moment, and then shook her head. “I don’t think I can afford it. Not this week. Maybe if I save my allowance for two or three weeks and get really lucky, there will be one left that I can…” She trailed off, watching uncertainly as Masama checked a few tags and then pulled two sweatshirts off the rack. “Machan?”

Shrugging, Masama’s grin widened. “What if I buy two and then I let you wear one?” Izumi stared at her incredulously and she shrugged defensively. “What? I’m not going to let you miss out on something that I know you really want.”

On one hand, Izumi wanted to protest. She didn’t need Masama trying to buy her friendship back. She just needed the blonde to be nice to her. On the other hand, Masama was wealthier than her - well, her family was - and maybe this was just her way of expressing her friendship. Or it was until she got to know herself better. Love languages could extend to platonic love, right? And gift giving was one of the defined love languages. “Are you sure? It looks expensive. You don’t have to buy me things to be my friend. You just have to be nice to me.”

“And this is how I want to be nice to you.” Masama shrugged uncertainly. “I mean, I did damage a bunch of your stuff. As long as we’re on an accountability kick. Consider this the first step in making it up to you.” Izumi considered that for a moment and then nodded; that seemed fair and very reasonable of Masama. “Cool. Let’s pay for this and then head to the food court.”

The pair headed up to the counter, Masama paid for both hoodies, and then they headed back out into the mall. As they walked, Izumi turned her new hoody over in her hands. “This may have been a bad idea. How am I going to get my wings into this thing?”

Masama waved dismissively at the question. “The old man sews, remember? We can cut the back for you and then finish the seam so it doesn’t unravel. Half an hour, tops.”

“Oh! Does this mean that we’re heading back to your house after this?” Izumi bounced on her toes excitedly. “I haven’t seen Aunt Mitsuki in forever.”

Groaning, Masama hung her head. “I do not want to explain to the old hag where you’ve been all these years.”

Reaching out her hand, Izumi recaptured Masama’s and gave it a reassuring squeeze. “Machan, I’m not going to rat you out to your parents. What would that accomplish? I just want to see her. She was always so nice to me.”

Masama glanced over at Izumi uncertainly. “I mean, I feel like you have the right to tell her if you want to.”

“Like I said, what would that accomplish? Getting you in trouble wouldn’t help you become a better person, it would just make you resent me. Especially since…” Izumi trailed off, choosing her words carefully. “I remember how your mom tended to administer discipline.”

Snorting, Masama shook her head. “Yeah, if you told her what I’d done to you, she would absolutely beat my ass.” Yes. That. That was what Izumi had trying to avoid saying. "I kinda deserve it, to be honest." She looked down at herself and then over at Izumi. "Speaking of which, would punching me help things between us? I mean, you have a quirk now. That let you punch robots. I'm pretty sure I'd feel it if you punched me."

Considering she'd punched out the zero pointer, Izumi was reasonably certain that Masama wouldn't be feeling much of anything ever again if she really cut loose. That being said, while she appreciated the offer? "I think I'll pass, Masama. That being said, I'd love to spar with you a bit. Using your quirk on mindless robots is one thing. Knowing how to fight actual people is something else entirely."

Masama nodded slowly. "To be honest, I'm not sure how much I can teach you. I don't really have a fighting style to speak of, unless you want to call it like... explosion fu. Everything that I do is fueled by my quirk, and so apart from throwing a few punches... yeah."

To be fair, most of All Might’s fighting style was just application of overwhelming strength with minimal technique. Izumi idolized the man, but even she could see that. She was going to be a smaller, more wiry combatant than him when she became a pro hero, though. And she had no definitive timeline on how long it would take her to harness the full power of One for All. Which meant she needed to know what she was doing.

‘You’re also going to have seven other quirks to balance at a minimum.’ Hikage sounded thoughtful. ‘I never really learned how to fight, but I can only imagine how Danger Sense will help you in the field once you master it.’

En let out a noise of agreement. ‘You’re probably going to be a hit and run combatant… or at least you could be if you put your mind to it. Remember, you’re not just getting the quirks we had, you’re getting versions amped up by One for All. I wasn’t capable of it, but you might be able to cover the entire battlefield and strike unseen. Especially with Danger Sense to guide you.’

‘So what I’m hearing here is that we’re all very enthusiastic to let Izumi use our quirks…’ Nana’s words elicited two distinctly different muffled grumbles, and she sighed. ‘Fine, most of us are enthusiastic. And we’re going to kick ass once we unlock them all. But we’re going to have to train harder than anyone else, because this isn’t going to be easy.’

Izumi grinned eagerly. ‘I’m not afraid of working hard, Nana. I promise to do my best to make you all proud.’ It was then that she noticed Masama staring at her expectantly and she blushed. “Sorry, I was-“

“Lost in your own head.” Masama shot her a concerned look. “You seem to do that a lot.”

Izumi shrugged defensively. She couldn’t exactly tell Masama the truth. But even if she didn’t have the vestiges? “I was always safe in my head.” The two stared at each other awkwardly for a few seconds and then Izumi sighed. “Sorry. What were you saying?”

It took a moment for Masama to recover and then she hesitantly stretched her hand out to Izumi. “I don’t really have anything at home that’ll be ready fast. Do you want to eat before we leave or go back to my house and I’ll figure something out while my father fixes your hoody?”

Izumi reached out and took Masama’s hand. “Let’s go eat together in the food court. It’ll be practice for lunch on Monday. Because if you’re serious about being my friend, I want you to prove it by bringing me a bento. Your lunch always looks so good.”

Chuckling, Masama shrugged nonchalantly. “What can I say? I take my food seriously. Healthy living starts with healthy eating.” And she still wanted to go to the food court? When the pair reached the food court, Izuku went for a gyuudon restaurant as Masama wandered off to take care of herself. When they met back up at a table in the center, Izumi bit back a laugh. Masama looked down at her lunch and then back up at Izumi. “The fuck is your problem?”

Izumi leaned forward. “Machan, that’s the biggest bowl of sunomono I’ve ever seen!” And it was! Masama easily had at least two entire cucumbers in her bowl, possibly more. Reaching out with her chopsticks, Izumi tried to steal a slice and giggled when Masama blocked her. “Where’s the rest of your food?”

“I don’t really eat out because finding places that are vegan friendly can be difficult. We have pretty good luck when we look up shoujin ryouri restaurants but to be honest, it’s a little limiting in a country where seafood reigns supreme.” Izumi stared at Masama in disbelief and the blonde shrugged self-consciously. “What? Stop looking at me like that. I’m vegan. So what?”

Making another grab at Masama's lunch, Izumi giggled as the blonde batted her chopsticks aside. "But you want to murder villains, Machan. Aren't you going to be Queen Explosion Murder when you grow up?"

Masama huffed and leaned over the top of her bowl protectively. "That doesn't mean I want to murder animals." Izumi made one more attempt to steal a slice of cucumber before giving up and turning her attention to her own food. "If you want to have a gyouza, have at it. But the sunomono is mine."

Taking her up on the offer, Izumi reached out and curiously took one of the pan fried dumplings for herself. She bit into it, chewing thoughtfully. "So question. Does this mean I have to learn to eat vegan if I want you to make food for me?"

"It's really not that bad, Deku." Izumi sent a pointed glance down at the gyuudon in front of her and Masama shrugged. "What? It's not. Buddhists are some of the world's oldest experts in making meat substitutes. This isn't America; I'm not going to serve you some lab grown Frankenstein yeast shit. Like... okay, are you still fucking obsessed with katsudon?" Izumi nodded eagerly; they ate that at least once a week at home and it was her favorite dish of her mother's. "So gimme a week, maybe two, and I'll serve you a notsudon that'll have you swearing that you'll never eat pork again."

Pfft. Fat chance, but Izumi admired the confidence.

Chapter Text

Sunday, Izumi rested, and then came another week of school. Wake up. Exercise. Go to school. Eat lunch with Masama. True to her word, the blonde began bringing her bentos every day, all of them filled with surprisingly delicious vegan cuisine. Evidently Mitsuki and Masaru weren't practicing vegans, because on Wednesday she found tako sausages in her box with a little note. After school, she went home, did her homework, and went to sleep so that she could wake up and do it all over again. To be honest, the entire thing felt a bit useless. If she was going to get into UA, nothing she did now was going to change it. Why did she have to keep doing homework to earn grades that nobody would look at?

Finally, she reached the weekend again and Izumi was woken up by her mom barging into her bedroom with an envelope clutched tightly in her hands. "Izumi! Izumi, sweetie, wake up! Your results are here! And the envelope feels pretty heavy. I don't think this is a rejection letter."

That brought Izumi to full awareness in record time, and she swung her legs out of bed and rose to her feet so that she could dart over and take the envelope from her mother. Opening it, she frowned at the sight of a metal disc. It was... a decently high end personal hologram projector? For exam results? Sure, UA supposedly had a big budget, but wasn't that a bit extravagant? Holding it out in the palm of her hand, she poked at it experimentally. Her family wasn't poor by any means, but they didn't have personal hologram projector sorts of money. After a few tries, she managed to activate it and promptly hurled it onto her desk in surprise at the image that appeared.

"Booyah! I am here as a projection!" Izumi's eyes went wide at the sight of the number one hero - her mentor, her predecessor - in a bright yellow pinstriped suit. "I know it's been a while, but with great power comes a great amount of paperwork! Heh. My apologies, young lady. The truth is, I didn't come to this city just to fight villains. You're looking at the newest UA faculty member!" A hand poked itself into the corner of the screen and All Might leaned over. "Hmm? What's the matter? Who's showboating? Oh, sorry, I'll wrap it up but I have to... wait I have to do how many of these things?"

Izumi giggled despite her nervousness. That was pure All Might. He did enjoy his secrets and surprises, and the verdette wasn't mad that he'd kept this one from her. All Might. As her teacher. That was going to be... so beyond cool. Assuming that she made it in. Which... she stared up at the projection, willing it to continue. Surely they wouldn't send her a hologram from the number one hero to tell her that she was rejected, right?

"Right, so, moving on. Ahem. Not only did you pass the written test with flying colors, but you managed to get a very respectable score of forty-seven combat points on the practical exam. Not quite top ten material, but still a satisfactory score that would have seen you admitted to the hero course." All Might paused for a beat and then raised a finger in the air. "But wait! There's more!"

Wide eyed, Izumi trembled slightly in her seat. Had she done something wrong? Was it a score of forty-seven and then penalties would be applied? She didn't think she'd messed up, but what if she had? She was really good at messing things up!

"The practical exam wasn't graded on combat alone. How could a hero course not acknowledge someone who is committed to saving others, no matter the consequences to herself? After all, that is what makes a hero." All Might smiled widely at the camera and Izumi felt her heart swell. Was this about the zero pointer? She had saved that violette with the cool ear quirk. "And that's what my alma mater is all about: training those who would risk their lives for the greater good. And so we have... rescue points! A panel of judges watches, and they award points for heroic actions beyond just fighting villains."

The screen shifted to be a black and green hued scoreboard, and Izumi found herself all the way down at number fifteen. Well, found Izuku. She really needed to talk to someone about that. Then she gasped as the scoreboard grew two new columns, and a bold sixty joined the forty-seven next to her name, followed by the total of one hundred and seven in the last column. "Midoriya Izumi! Sixty rescue points! You passed the exam with flying colors, my girl. You were this year's number one scorer." All Might stretched his hand out toward the camera, beckoning to her. "Welcome, Izumi. You've made it. You're now part of the hero academia."

On the other side of the hologram, her mother burst into tears and Izumi wasn't far behind. "My baby! My baby girl! You did it! You really did it! You got into UA!"

Nodding eagerly, Izumi gave her mother a tight hug and then pulled back with a smile on her face. "I did! And I beat Machan! I need to go tell her! I need to go-"

There was a loud thumping on the front door, and the Midoriyas exchanged looks. Exiting her room, Izumi made her way down the hall and around the corner to the genkan, opening the door curiously. Outside stood Masama, who looked both proud and irritated at the same time. "You beat my score, Deku! Do you know what this is going to do to my origin story? I was supposed to come in first!"

Reaching out, Izumi wrapped her arms around Masama and pulled the blonde into a hug. Then she wrapped her tail around the taller girl too for good measure. "We did it, Machan! We're going to go to UA together!"

Leaning her head forward, Masama chuckled softly and brushed her forehead against Izumi's. "Yeah we did, didn't we?"

Izumi pulled back, but not far enough that she would have had to relinquish her grip on Masama. They held hands regularly but they didn't hug very often, and she didn't want it to end so quickly. But her brain wasn’t good at sitting still, and neither was her body. "Machan, do you have any hair gel? I had an idea for a new year new me sort of thing that I wanted to try out."

"I... Deku, my hair has looked like this since you first met me. It's natural. What the hell would I know about styling products?" Reaching up, Masama grinned smugly as she fluffed her hair. "I'm just naturally amazing and proud of it."

Huffing, Izumi pulled her shoes on and then called back over her shoulder to her mother. "Mom! I'm running out for something! I'll be back in a few minutes! And I promise I'll bring Machan inside so you can talk to her when I get back!"

Izumi casually slipped her hand into Masama's as she pulled her down the hallway, and the blonde looked down at their joined hands. "If you keep this shit up, Deku, people are going to think that we're dating."

Grinning over at her friend, Izumi winked playfully. Things were steadily improving between the two of them to the point that Izumi was starting to genuinely feel comfortable with banter like this. And see it as a potential possibility instead of just jokes. Maybe it wouldn't happen. But Izumi was starting to think that maybe someday it might. "Just wait until the night after the Sports Festival, and we will be."

"Oh, someone's getting confident." Masama brought her free hand up and let it crackle softly with explosions. "You think you've got what it takes to beat me?"

Izumi just shrugged in response. "I think I've got a shot, Miss Number Two On The Entrance Exam."

The two of them made their way down the street and ducked into the nearest Matsumoto Kiyoshi. Izumi had never really bothered with hair products and so it took her a little while to find and select a jar labeled 'maximum hold'. Then she doubled back to the cosmetics section, frowning thoughtfully. "Machan, do I need to wear makeup?"

Frowning, Masama looked over at the verdette thoughtfully. "I mean, I wear it sometimes." She gestured up at her face, which was currently sporting some bold orange eye shadow and heavily applied eyeliner. "I actually did look up decora kei a little after last Saturday, and some of the girls I saw had some pretty aggressive makeup. But at the same time... you kind of have a natural beauty going? And you're already pretty colorful. Adding makeup on top of that might be a little too much."

Izumi gasped delightedly and leaned in toward Masama. "You think I'm beautiful, Machan?"

Blushing, Masama looked away and rubbed the back of her head. "Shut up, Deku."

The two wandered up to the counter and Izumi paid for her purchase, collecting her bag and making her way out into the cool spring afternoon. She immediately wrapped her tail around Masama's wrist, grinning impishly. "Look! We're like those freaky couples where one puts the other on a leash, Machan."

Masama made a disgusted noise and yanked her hand free, holding it out to Izumi. "And you made it weird on me. Just... get over here and hold my hand like a normal person." Hah. The joke was on Masama, that was what Izumi wanted all along. As they walked down the street, Masama shot glances over at the verdette. When Izumi met and held her gaze, the blonde huffed and looked away, making Izumi shake her head. What a tsundere.

Returning to Izumi's apartment, the verdette pulled Masama inside. They both removed their shoes and then padded into the living room where her mother was sitting. "Mom! I'm home! And look who's here!"

"Oh my gosh, Masama darling, look at you! I haven't seen you in forever! You're so big now!" Inko hurried over to wrap Masama in a hug, the blonde patting her back awkwardly. Yeah, Masama hadn't been a guest in... quite a few years now, had she? Izumi pushed that out of her mind and smiled encouragingly at her mother when the older woman looked over at her. Things hadn't been great, yeah, but they were getting better. Pulling back, she smiled up at her best friend's daughter. "Would you like something to eat? Izumi just woke up, so I could make omurice for the two of you?"

Izumi perked up even as her stomach rumbled. "Some breakfast would be great, Mom. I'm going to go in my room with Masama for a bit. Let me know when it's done."

As Izumi made to drag the blonde away, Inko called out to them. "Keep the door open if you have a..." Trailing off, she made a confused expression as she looked their way. "Is that an issue anymore? I mean, you are a girl. Do I have to worry about what you're going to do with girls in your room?"

Masama snorted softly and raised their joined hands. "You absolutely need to worry about what your daughter wants to do to me in her room. Why, just the other day, she said she wanted to-"

"Call us when breakfast is ready, Mom!" Izumi yanked sharply on Masama's hand, pulling the cackling blonde away from her mother. They made their way into Izumi's room and the verdette closed the door just because she could. Sitting on the bed, she pulled out the container of hair gel and got to work. It took a little trial and error, but soon she had a rough approximation of All Might's signature bangs going in her own hair. The horns framed them nicely, in her opinion. "Okay. So. I'm open to feedback."

After staring in disbelief for a few seconds, Masama shook her head in resignation. "No matter what I tell you, you're going to do this, aren't you? God, you're such a fucking nerd."

Izumi pouted, using the front facing camera on her phone to inspect her handiwork. “What? I kinda like them. And they can be my way of telling everyone that… I am here! I'm in the hero course and I'm going to grow up to be the hero who saves everybody! Oh! And this year I’m going to talk to everybody! No, I’m going to make friends with everybody! This is going to be the best year ever!”

“As long as you don’t try to ‘make friends’ with everybody the way you’re making friends with me these days, I guess I’ll survive.” Izumi shot her friend a quizzical look and Masama gestured back and forth between the two of them. “You are not allowed to date nineteen people at once. I refuse.”

Izumi tapped her chin thoughtfully. “What about twenty-seven people? Well, twenty-seven girls? I don’t think I’m bisexual. But twenty-seven girlfriends sounds like an amazing adventure.”

Scoffing, Masama threw herself down on the bed next to Izumi. “I swear to fuck, Deku, that if you try to turn yourself into a harem protagonist, I am out of here.”

“Wait, really? Because I think I may be polyamorous.” Tipping backwards, Izumi let herself flop against Masama, the blonde rolling over until Izumi was pressed against her stomach. "Like, I know it might be getting ahead of myself since I can't even get one person to like me, but... I don't know, I've just got this gut sense that I have a lot of love to give and I want to give it to more than one person?"

Sprawled out on the bed, Masama contemplated that for a stretch, clearly considering her answer before responding. "I... don't know. We're sorta this blurry grey thing right now: we're friends but we keep making jokes about more? But it makes it really hard for me to tell... I mean, I wouldn't mind more of..." She trailed off, gesturing back and forth between the two of them. "But do I feel that way in a 'fuck I need more friends' way or a 'fuck, I want to date more than one girl' way? I honestly don't know."

Izumi nodded thoughtfully; that was very fair of the blonde. They were a bit complicated at the moment, weren't they? "Well, if it helps you figure things out any... I think my quirk has some sort of bonding component? And so if it works on more than one person, I might be polyamorous by necessity?" Masama raised an eyebrow and Izumi reached up to gesture to her hair. "I had a weird connection to Shibara after she caught me at the entrance exam.”

Masama's other eyebrow raised at that. “Define ‘connection’.”

Fidgeting with her hands, Izumi tried to figure out how to explain what was going on without sounding overdramatic or crazy. “So we just keep… knowing things about each other. Not huge things. But it’s made becoming friends a lot faster and smoother. I can’t prove it’s my quirk? But it feels like something a succubus would do so maybe?”

‘You know what else a succubus would do?’ Nevan giggled wickedly. ‘Have Masama sit on her face.’

Exploding into a blush, Izumi shook her head rapidly. ‘Nevan, stop that! We’re just friends for now. I have to beat her in the Sports Festival and then… I don’t know, maybe eventually I could bring that up? Gosh, you're lewd.’

Nevan chuckled throatily at that. 'Izumi, I'm a succubus who routinely got shared between three handsome men. I could tell you stories that would make your tail curl.'

Izumi's eyes went wide in disbelief. 'So wait, you and Yoichi and... who, Two and Three?'

'What can I say? I had a lot of love to give, and some amazing men in my life.' Nevan sighed wistfully. 'It got really interesting once the resistance formed and we really started fighting. Being out there using my quirk to its fullest extent was some great foreplay, and then Yoichi used to-'

‘That’s enough of that.’ Yoichi let out an embarrassed chuckle and from the way Nevan’s voice abruptly became muffled, Izumi pictured the man slapping a hand over his girlfriend’s mouth. Fiancée? Wife? She should probably ask about their relationship at some point. ‘And no, this isn’t coming from Succubus. Nevan and I studied her quirk fairly extensively back in the day. We can sense a very tenuous connection spawning out of One for All and heading out… somewhere outside of your body. So there very well may be some sort of bonding component inherent to One for All that has come to life because we’ve reached singularity with you.’

Rolling over, Izumi carefully pressed her cheek against Masama’s stomach as the blonde reached up to ruffle her hair, doing her best to avoid driving her horn into her companion. ‘Okay so quirk analysis is sort of my thing and I have a question. Well, questions, but let me start with the most important one. I’m going to get all of your quirks now that One for All has reached singularity, or at least that’s what you’ve implied. I already have Nevan’s. And yours, Yoichi. But… where was One for All before it was with you? All Might has been a bit sparse on details about this whole thing.’

Yoichi hummed softly, a thoughtful noise. ‘One for All was born when my brother forced a quirk into me that would have allowed me to stockpile my own life force. It merged with my otherwise useless ability to transfer my quirk, creating One for All as we know it today.’

Izumi itched to take notes, but knew that she couldn’t with Masama right there. ‘Okay so I want to get back to the brother forcing a quirk into you part later. But okay. You had Transfer. He gave you Stockpile. Together they made One for All. Yes?’ Yoichi made an affirmative noise and Izumi pressed on. ‘Okay so does anyone know if Stockpile was empty when he gave it to you? Had Stockpile… stockpiled at all?’

There was a long stretch of silence and then Yoichi returned. ‘I… don't… know? None of us have ever been able to access the stockpile except for raw strength. I was the first holder of One for All, but what if… what if I wasn’t the first to add my quirk to Stockpile? My brother can give and take quirks at a whim-‘

‘I’m sorry, he can what?’

‘-and so who knows what he had floating around inside of him. Who knows what Stockpile was exposed to. You could end up inheriting ten quirks, twenty quirks, one hundred quirks.’ Yoichi sounded breathlessly excited about the prospect. ‘This is amazing. I need to look into this. Just, uh, keep doing what you’re doing and… I don’t know, maybe explore this bond thing in the meantime? See how it works? See if it’ll work with anyone else?’

Nevan let out a wicked little laugh. ‘Izumi should go out and flirt with more girls. That’s the first sensible thing I’ve heard all day. Also, Izumi, you should probably start honing Succubus alongside One for All. It’s no Fa Jin-‘

From the depths of Izumi’s mind, the relatively rare voice of Three joined the conversation. ‘Nevan. I love you. But keep my meta ability out of your mouth.’

‘-but it can boost your abilities some when you’re charged up.’ Nevan laughed again. ‘Maybe you can practice on Masama. Or that vine haired girl. Or both.’

A hand flopped lazily against her shoulder and Izumi looked up to find Masama peering down at her curiously. "So, can we address a little something that I don't think we've touched on in the last two weeks? You're trans? You're Izumi? I mean, at this point, it's pretty undeniable that you're Izumi but... you're not freaking out about this even a little. So, uh, you're trans?"

"Yuh huh. And people need to respect my trans homies, or I'm gonna identify as a problem! Because I can now! I can..." Izumi called up a bit of her quirk, sending lightning crackling over the pair of them as she threw punches at the air. "But no. I've been, like, an uncracked egg for a couple of years now. I just didn't really know how to do anything about it because, well, what was I supposed to do? Come out to the teachers at school? Show up in a girl's uniform? Ask you to call me Izumi? Pfft. That would have gone well."

Nodding to concede the point, Masama eyed Izumi uncertainly. "So you've just... for however long... been keeping that inside you? Nobody knew?"

Izumi shrugged. "Like I said, coming out wouldn't have ended well. I was already the quirkless nerd who was bullied for existing, I didn't really want to add being transgender on top of all of that. My mom knew, obviously. She wanted to homeschool me so we could start my transition, and then I'd come back as Izumi when it was time for college. I turned her down. It felt like quitting. Oh, and Yuki at school knew. She caught me drawing a girl version of myself and we ended up talking about it."

Masama raised an eyebrow at that. "Wait wait wait. You and... you and Yuki Mitsuki? You two actually talk? Even I'm not good enough for her to talk to, and I'm me."

That made Izumi smile smugly. "I guess she sees something in me that she doesn't see in the next number two hero." Masama let out an outraged noise at that, tipping Izumi off of her and tackling her onto the bed. The verdette laughed and struggled beneath her, twisting enough to free her tail and slap Masama with it. "Can you even beat me? Miss Next Number Two?"

The two scuffled for a bit before Masama settled down with a soft grumble, lowering her head to rest on Izumi’s stomach. Looking down at her pillow, the blonde frowned. “Is this normal? Or am I just so fucking starved for casual affection that I’m going nuts now that you’re willing to tolerate me?”

“I feel like that’s pretty much what I’m doing, so... probably?” Izumi wrapped her tail around Masama’s shoulders and then gave a start as her phone rang. Grabbing it, she accepted the call and held the phone up to her head. For all of three seconds. “Moshi moshi?”

“I am… here!” Izumi yanked her phone away from her head as All Might’s voice bellowed out of the speaker. “Congratulating you on your exam results!”

Lifting her head, Masama’s red eyes narrowed. “Is that fucking All Might? Why the fuck is All Might calling you, Deku?”

“…young Midoriya, did you put me on speakerphone?”

“No? You’re just… really loud.” Izumi sighed and poked at the screen of her phone. “Now you’re on speakerphone, seeing as how the cat is out of the bag. All Might, meet Machan. Machan, meet All Might. She finished second on the exam.”

Growling, Masama reached up and snatched the phone away. “My name is Bakugou Masama. Fucking Machan. Ugh. But no, how do you know Deku?”

Clearing his throat awkwardly, All Might chuckled. "Uh. Well. That is to say..."

"Oh that's easy, All Might and... wait no, that doesn't make any sense. Hmm. Can I think about this for a few seconds and come up with something?" Masama stared at her with a distinctly unimpressed expression, and Izumi craned her neck toward the phone. "All Might, can I be… limitedly honest with Machan? We’ve been friends forever. And she’s really smart. We’ve sorta been avoiding the subject, but a lot has happened recently lately that I don’t have good explanations for.”

A thoughtful noise emerged from the phone, and Izumi could picture her mentor rubbing his chin as he considered the question. “This isn’t my story anymore, young Midoriya. Your time has come. I’ve made the decisions that I have, but they are just that: my decisions. You are free to do as you see fit, although I would prefer if you left certain elements out of things for my sake.”

Ah. So in other words, respect All Might’s privacy and don’t tell Masama his real name or any personal details. Gotcha. That was really… none of Masama’s business anyway, especially if they were talking about her. Izumi thought for a moment. “If it's my story now, then can I publicly declare that I’m coming for your title of the Symbol of Peace?”

Laughter boomed from her phone in response. “Young lady, I would be genuinely delighted.”

Izumi grinned at the phone in spite of herself. Logically she knew he couldn’t see it, but talking to All Might just put her in a good mood. “Is now a good time to tell you that I’m submitting a costume design based on your Young Age costume?”

“Fantastic. I can’t wait to see it. But I’m sure you have better things to do than talk to an old man like me all night. Especially if you have a friend over. So in conclusion… follow your heart, Midoriya. It’s noble. I trust you to make the right decisions.” With that, All Might ended the call.

Masama stared at the phone in disbelief. “So. That just fucking happened. The fucking number one hero has your number and just... called you up."

Giggling softly, Izumi took her phone back and placed it on the bed. “Okay, Machan, get ready for a wild ride. I… have All Might’s quirk. Literally. All Might’s quirk… is inside me right now.”

Masama’s red eyes went wide. “What the fuck?”

Raising her hand, Izumi summoned One for All. “Okay, so, All Might has a transferable quirk. He’s the eighth-“

Nevan snorted softly. ‘What the hell am I, chopped liver?’

“-sorry, the ninth person to hold the quirk. It was created around the dawn of quirks and passed down from person to person ever since. And now All Might’s decided that it’s my turn.” Releasing her hold on her quirk, Izumi grinned impishly. “It’s also responsible for my new look. Fantastic power evidently comes with free gender affirming care.”

If possible, Masama’s eyes got even wider. “…at the risk of being repetitive, what the fuck?”

Izumi giggled again. “Okay, so, One for All - that’s my new quirk - is a stockpile. It contains the strength and heroic spirit of everyone who came before me. But I guess it comes with a reward for carrying on the fight? I’m not really clear on the why, to be honest. All Might didn't know how this part worked, just that it did. But it idealizes your physical form. It makes you into the hero you want to be. It’s why All Might is so… well, All Might-y. He’s a big buff guy naturally, don’t get me wrong, but even he admits that part of it is from holding One for All. How many two hundred and twenty centimeter men do you see walking around Japan? So since I was quietly a little green egg, One for All took me and did… well, this.” She gestured down at her body.

Cocking her head to the side, Masama eyed Izumi curiously. “Okay so I’m almost there. I think. Having a hard time believing it, but… it’s kinda hard to argue with. So where does the succubus bullshit come in? Because at least me and Tangela saw you as a human girl, so you may be able to bullshit everyone else that your quirk makes you a succubus but we know better.”

“Oh, that’s Nevan’s quirk!” Izumi smiled brightly and tapped the tip of her tail against Masama’s cheek. “She was the actual second holder of One for All. Which... there's some sort of thing going on between the holders that I really need to sit down and document at some point. But no, I’m going to be able to access and use every holder’s quirk because One for All hit singularity with me. Oh, and there’s ghosts in my head of all the other holders. They like to talk to me. Nana is nice. Nevan… I will not repeat a single thing she’s ever said to me. Especially about you.”

‘Coward.’

Scowling, Masama sat up between Izumi’s legs, staring down at her unhappily. “So wait, you’ve not only inherited All Might’s quirk - which is possibly the strongest quirk in existence - but now you’re telling me that you’re going to manifest a bunch of other quirks too?” When Izumi nodded, she crossed her arms over her chest and her scowl grew. “I’m not giving up. But do you know how hard I’m going to have to work to beat that and become the number one hero?”

Beneath her, Izumi shifted and then brought her legs up, wrapping them around Masama and yanking the blonde back down onto her. "You're going to have to work extra hard considering that I can use your own energy against you." Masama huffed and looked away, and Izumi trailed her fingers over the blonde's cheek. "Aww, what's the matter, Machan? Afraid of how much pent up sexual attraction I'm going to be able to suck out of you and use to make myself stronger?"

Masama looked back over at Izumi and raised an eyebrow. "So wait, Succubus specifically siphons sexual attraction from people? Not like, general life force or something else? It's definitely sexual attraction?" Izumi nodded in agreement and Masama let out a snort. "Good fucking luck, then."

That made Izumi cock her head to the side curiously as she continued to play her fingers over Masama's lightly blushing cheek. "Oh? Why's that?"

"Because... ugh, fuck. I've never told this to anyone before, even my own parents. And so if you make fun of me, we're going to see if you're as tough as All Might when I blow your ass through that window." Izumi blinked owlishly and Masama's expression became distinctly uncertain. "I... I don't think I'm aromantic. Pretty sure I'm not, to be honest, because the idea of dating you really appeals to me. But little jokes and shit to try and seem normal aside, I think I may be asexual."

Izumi gasped delightedly. "Did someone say quirk experiment opportunity?" As Masama sputtered, Izumi leaned up and pressed their lips together again. 'Nevan?'

'Yeah, you should feel like... a heat. A warmth. Centered behind the point of contact. Any contact will do if they're feeling attraction, kissing is just a good way to focus and channel it.' Nevan sounded puzzled as to the lack of reaction. 'I've never tried to intentionally kiss an asexual but judging from the lack of reaction... yeah. She may be right.'

Breaking the kiss, Izumi cupped Masama's face with both hands. "Machan, Nevan says you're probably right. I don't get the right feeling when I kiss you."

Scoffing, Masama turned her head sharply, looking away. "Way to make me sound defective, Deku."

Izumi kept her hands on Masama's face, gently coaxing the girl into looking at her again. "That's not what I meant and you should know that, Machan. No. I'm just saying... I think you're right and that's perfectly okay with me."

Masama's expression remained guarded as she stared down at Izumi. "Why, because you're going to be polyamorous if we date and have other girls to kiss?"

"I mean, I'm not going to lie, if I had Nevan's quirk as my quirk? If I solely had to rely on Succubus to be a hero? Maybe it'd influence my decision here." Izumi slid her hands up into Masama's hair, running her fingers through the blonde locks. "But it's an 'and' at this point. I'm going to have One for All... and Succubus. And so while I'm sure if I never used Succubus a day in my life, Nevan would be disappointed in me... I don't need it to become a hero, Machan. But I... can I swear for a moment?" The corner of Masama's mouth quirked upward and she nodded. "Fuck, I don't want to be a hero without you. It's what I've wanted since I knew what heroes were. These past two weeks have been a dream come true, and I can't wait to see where we go in the next month, and the month after that, and the month after that. And so if it's going to get between us? I'll swear off using Succubus."

Masama stared down at Izumi in disbelief. "Don't do that, you little nerd. It's part of who you are. Besides, we're not even dating yet. Why would you say something like that?"

Shrugging, Izumi smiled up at Masama. "Because like I told Nevan, I'm going to be the hero who saves everyone. Even you, Machan."

Sniffing softly, Masama reached up to rub the corner of her eye. "Fuck, Deku, you need to clean your room. The dust in here is insane. But also... thanks. I'll try to make sure that I'm worth the effort."

"Just be a big damn hero with me, Machan, and it'll all be worth it." Izumi leaned up and then paused. "Does being asexual mean you don't like kissing me?"

Masama shook her head vehemently. "No, uh, I'm definitely into that."

"Okay, cool. Because I definitely feel like friends can kiss." And so she kissed Masama again.

Chapter Text

The next three weeks passed in a blur and before Izumi knew it, she'd graduated from junior high school and was on spring break. Given that she had exactly one friend, she knew how she was going to spend it. And for that matter Golden Week. Having gotten well and truly used to waking up early months ago for her training with All Might, Izumi woke up early on the Monday of break and skipped her trip to the beach to work out in favor of heading to Masama's house. There was a light on when she arrived and she looked both ways before knocking ever so gently on the door.

Bakugou Mitsuki opened the door a crack, peered out, and then opened the door wide and yanked Izumi inside. "Please tell me that you're up to no good."

Blushing, Izumi looked down at her hands. "I was going to go sneak into Machan's bed and then try to wake her up at 5:30 or so?"

Mitsuki eyed the verdette appraisingly. "So what, you're just going to lay there watching my daughter sleep for a bit?" When Izumi mumbled something incoherent, she let out a bark of laughter. "Fucking gay. We love to see it. You two are going to make such a fascinating couple, I honestly can't wait for the Sports Festival. Go on up and curl up on her right side. She swings with that arm if you startle her awake; you'll be safer that way."

“Wait, really?” Izumi peeked up at Mitsuki uncertainly. “You’re okay with me and Machan? If we we do date? Which we’re not? Yet?”

Mitsuki shrugged and waved her hand. “I’m sure there’s some sort of story for why you disappeared for a few years. And came back a green girl. But you know what? I don’t really care. These past few weeks are the least obnoxious that my daughter has been in forever. You’re good for her. So whatever you guys have going on? I’m all for it.”

Smiling, Izumi darted forward to hug Mitsuki. “Thanks, Auntie. Which… hmm. Would it be weird to keep calling you that if Machan and I do date?” Mitsuki shot her an odd look and she flapped her hands awkwardly. “Sorry, sorry, I’m making it weird. Lemme just… go upstairs.” Laughter followed her as she ascended the stairs and made her way down the hall to Masama’s room. Opening the door, she peeked inside and blinked. “Machan?”

“The fuck… Deku?” Masama stared back at her, lit by the glow of her phone. “What are you doing here at… 5:05?”

Darting into the room, Izumi closed the door behind her. “I was going to wake you up. What are you doing already awake?”

Masama shrugged in response. “Early to bed, early to rise, and all that. My sleeping habits really haven’t changed that much over the years. These days, I wake up and catch up on the news before getting out of bed. I like to stay informed.”

Slumping a little, Izumi pouted. “But I was going to wake you up.”

“Boo fucking hoo. We’re both early risers. Deal with it.” Masama hesitated for a moment and then lifted the corner of her sheet in invitation. “Come on over, I guess.”

Izumi took one look and immediately slapped her hands over her eyes. Then she peeked between her fingers, because Masama was hot. But also… “Machan! You’re half naked!”

Looking down at herself, Masama brought a hand up to her chest uncertainly. “Yes? This is how I sleep. What the fuck do you sleep in?”

Izumi continued to peek out at Masama uncertainly. “Pajamas! Not just… you have no pants on! And there’s like, sideboob! Tank top! No bra!”

“For fuck’s sake. Just… get the fuck over here, you little weirdo.” Izumi scampered over to the bed, lowering herself to sit on the edge. Then she let out a squawk of surprise as Masama grabbed her and pulled her down next to her. By necessity, they tended to do this sort of thing face to face, and so Izumi found herself staring at Masama’s bemused expression. “You really are the worst succubus.”

“Well sorry, I’m still new to this!” Izumi stuck out her tongue and then summoned her courage and yanked off her shirt so that she was left in her bra and track pants. “Hah! See! I’m totally comfortable with this sort of thing!”

Masama’s eyes widened and she held up her hands in the narrow space between their bodies. “Jesus fuck, Deku, put those away! What if my mom comes in? You can’t just…” Pausing, she peered down at her body and then over at Izumi. “Are your breasts bigger than mine? Because I’m kinda… obnoxiously not small.”

Looking back and forth between them, Izumi furrowed her brow. “I… maybe? Why?”

Reaching out, Masama evidently thought better of it and yanked her hand back. “Was that One for All or Succubus?”

“I, uh…” Izumi looked down at herself again and thought hard. “I… oh wait. The bras I bought with All Might-“

“The… what?”

“-are the same size that I bought with you and with my mom. So I guess this was part of One for All turning me into a girl?” Izumi looked back up at Masama and shrugged helplessly. “Why?”

Masama snickered softly. “So you secretly wanted to have anime titties. Got it.”

Huffing, Izumi covered her chest with one arm. “They are not that big.” Masama shot her a look and she huffed again. “They’re not. Yaomomo is bigger.”

Evidently they shared an appreciation for Japan’s most popular influencer, because the two exchanged looks and wistful sighs. “Yaomomo.” Then something occurred to Izumi and she eyed Masama curiously. “Wait, I thought you were…”

“I don’t feel sexual attraction to her, but I feel like… physical attraction? Aesthetic attraction? One of those two.” Masama thought for a few seconds and then shrugged. “I’m asexual, not blind. Objectively, Yaomomo is a beautiful girl. Even I can see that.”

On that, they could agree. Then something else popped into Izumi’s head. “So when you tell me that I’m beautiful..?”

Masama rolled her eyes at the question. “I tell you that you’re beautiful because you’re beautiful, Deku. Although I could do without the All Might bangs. Those just look ridiculous.”

“Well good. Because I think you look beautiful too, Machan.” Applying a bit of her superior strength, Izumi rolled Masama over onto her opposite side and snuggled up against her back. She made a point of keeping her arms wrapped safely around the blonde’s waist as she rested her head on the pillow. “Let me know when you actually feel like getting up.”

After muttering softly for a few seconds and squirming around a bit, Masama settled into place and went back to reading her phone. Yawning, Izumi rubbed small circles on her companion’s flat and toned stomach as she let her mind wander. The city was going to be flooded with other youngsters and possibly a decent number of parents who had taken the week off to spend time with their children. What did she want to do with her day? For that matter, with her week?

At fifteen years of age, she'd pretty much seen everything that there was to see in Musutafu. She'd thoroughly explored all three wards of Musutafu, or at least as much of Aoi Ward as she could given that it stretched north far beyond where the buses and subways covered. But still. Apart from hiking the hills and mountains of northern Musutafu, she'd pretty much done it all at this point. But... but not with a friend. So maybe some of her old favorites could take on new life now that she had Masama by her side?

Hmm. Or... even if she set a limit of an hour or two on the train so that she'd be able to return at a reasonable hour, that still gave her a pretty good range along the Toukaidou Main Line. She hadn't visited Kanagawa Prefecture much, and had never been to Aichi Prefecture at least that she could remember. Maybe a series of small day trips would be fun, if Masama was amenable?

Wait. Did Masama like capybara? Maybe they could go to Izu Shaboten in Itou, and see the original capybara onsen?

Pfft. Who didn’t like capybara?

What else could they do with their week off? Hmm. They were at the right time of year, weren’t they? What if they did one of the cherry blossom festivals in a neighboring prefecture? Or even in Shizuoka Prefecture? She honestly hadn’t attended in years because, well, festivals were more fun with friends and she didn’t really have any. But she did now.

Wait. Kanagawa Prefecture was famous for their onsens, weren’t they? Hence the capybara onsen? What if they visited an onsen together? Then Izumi realized… that would mean being naked in the water with Masama. And she promptly exploded into a blush.

Suddenly, the perfect idea for a day trip occurred to her and Izumi dug out her phone. Even with Masama and Ibara, she had exactly four numbers saved in her phone, and his number was on the favorites list directly under her mother’s. Poking it, she raised the phone to her ear. When the other end picked up, a rush of words emerged from her. “Hi it’s me and I’m not alone. So… yeah. I know you have some… time issues… going on, but I was wondering if you’d be willing to meet Machan?”

There was a low chuckle from the other end, the rougher tone of Yagi instead of All Might’s boisterous laugh. “I’m in the office in Roppingi today. Getting a few things taken care of since I’ll be in Musutafu starting on the fifth. Hmm. Would you be willing to take the train up here with young Bakugou?”

Izumi’s eyes widened and she let out a little squeal. “Are you… inviting me to the, err, tower where you work?”

“Well, I mean, it depends.” Yagi’s voice took on a distinctly playful tone. “Are you doing this to try and impress this girl, young lady?”

Squeaking, Izumi looked over at the back of Masama’s head. Was she? Not… really? She wasn’t trying to show off her connection to All Might. Really, she wasn’t. But Masama had idolized the man from just as young an age as Izumi and it just felt… right to help the blonde meet her idol. Especially since she could. “No?”

“That wasn’t very convincing.”

“No! I just…” Izumi found herself measuring her words carefully, not wanting to give away the surprise. “I just think that she’d really enjoy meeting you and that it would mean a lot to her. So yeah.”

“Very well, young Midoriya.” Yagi chuckled softly. “I will see you when you get here. Perhaps in time for-“

“We’ll get dressed and head out now!” Ending the call, Izumi jumped out of the bed and began tugging her shirt back on. “Machan! Machan! Get dressed! We’re going on an adventure!”

Masama rolled over and eyed Izumi suspiciously. “We’re not going to walk all the way to a volcano so that we can destroy a cursed ring, are we? Because I will demand both first and second breakfast.”

Izumi blinked several times and then shook her head. “What? No. We’re going to Roppongi.” She began tapping at her phone, nibbling at her lower lip as she thought. “Take the Shinkansen from Musutafu Station to Shin-Yokohama, and then switch to Toukyuu Railway to get to Roppongi-itchoume. Six hundred and fifty meter walk, totally doable. Yeah. We got this.”

Yawning, Masama stretched and then tossed her phone onto the bed. “Yeah, alright. What the fuck is in Roppongi? Or rather, who do you think I want to meet in Roppongi? I could hear most of both sides of that conversation, and it made no sense at all.”

Grinning mischievously, Izumi bounced on her toes. “That is a secret. Now come on. You don’t want to meet… someone… with no pants on.”

Masama grumbled under her breath before pulling a pair of cargo pants out of her dresser and yanking them on. She grabbed at her tank top, paused, and looked over at Izumi. “Kindly get the fuck out? We are not at the point where I want you seeing my bare tits.”

You know what? Fair enough. Izumi blushed and hurried out of the room, clattering down the stairs. Bakugou Masaru was awake by now and waved in greeting, and Izumi waved back excitedly before making her way over to the genkan and tugging her shoes back on. She bounced up and down in place until Masama appeared, pairing a simple skull t-shirt with her cargo pants. Izumi bit her lip again. Should she… nah, Masama would probably still love selfies with All Might dressed like that. Wait. She looked down at herself. Should she go home and change?

Before she could decide, Masama grabbed her by the hand. “Going to Roppongi on a mysterious adventure! Be back whenever!”

Masaru waved to them and Mitsuki called out to them from the kitchen. “Don’t get your ass arrested! I’m not coming to Tokyo to bail you out!”

Huffing, Masama rolled her eyes. “That was one time, hag. Let it go.” At Izumi incredulous gaze, she sighed. “Assault. I caught someone trying to rob a couple at knifepoint and promptly fucked them up. I didn’t use my quirk, so it wasn’t vigilantism, but… yeah.”

“I… hang on. Auntie, Uncle, can you cover your ears so I can swear?” Mitsuki shook her head, and Izumi decided to go for it anyway. “Holy shit! Machan, you’re so cool!”

Masama rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. “Yeah, well, thankfully UA thought it was cool. If I’d had anything else on my record, I probably wouldn’t have gotten admitted.”

The two of them made their way out of the house and down the street, grabbing a bus to Musutafu Station. As always, the train was perfectly punctual and they grabbed two seats together on the right side of the aisle. Popping in her earbuds, Izumi leaned her head on Masama’s shoulder and settled in to enjoy the ride.

Exactly fifty-six minutes and several prefectures later, the train arrived in Yokohama and they disembarked to switch to a smaller train. The few seats were already taken by the time they boarded, and so Izumi promptly pinned Masama between her smaller body and the wall before reaching up to grab a hand hold. Her tail wrapped around the blonde’s middle and she put her free hand on the wall next to Masama’s head. “Who sucks at being a succubus now, Machan?”

Masama huffed and ducked her head, blushing faintly. “Shut up, nerd.” Turning her head to the side, she sank her teeth into the soft flesh of Izumi’s wrist and raised an eyebrow. And… huh. Biting was something that the verdette was into. Good to know. Maybe someday she’d have a partner who was into that? Hmm. Was Masama into that? Was this a form of physical affection that she was okay with? Like kissing?

Deciding to test that theory, Izumi waited until Masama released her wrist and then leaned in and bit her companion’s jaw gently. The blonde went rigid for a few seconds before relaxing and reaching up to ruffle Izumi’s hair. Before Izumi could adequately process that, a blond haired boy next to them looked up from the pocket watch that he was fiddling with. “Could you two perhaps… not?” Masama narrowed her eyes at him and he hurriedly clarified. “Not a homophobe. Just a hater.”

Izumi stuck her tongue out at the boy and promptly kissed Masama properly, making him sigh and move away through the crowd of passengers. Turning to Masama, Izumi harrumphed softly. “How rude.”

“Starting shit with random people on the train? Screams inferiority complex to me. He’s clearly compensating for something.” Masama shook her head and then grinned at Izumi. “Also, look at you. Trying new things to mess with me. Maybe you’re not as bad at this succubus thing as I thought.”

Izumi beamed and lifted her hand off the wall so that she could make a peace sign. “All bites are love bites if you love bites.” Masama snorted softly and shook her head. “What are your limits, Machan? And like… what do you like? I guess I’m just wondering because like… we’re not really friends but I’m not sure these are benefits so I’m just sorta in this grey area with no real structure and I really don’t want to-“

Raising a hand, Masama pressed a finger to the verdette’s lips. “Deep breath, nerd. So far, you’re doing fine. I’ll let you know if you stumble onto something that I’m not into. As for overall limits or some shit… I don’t know. Uh. Maybe friends can make out at some point? I’ve obviously never, but I just… I feel like I’d be okay with that but not much more?”

Okay, cool, because Izumi felt like that was a general boundary of hers at this point. Sure, she was a teenager with curiosities and urges and stuff, but she wasn’t looking to rush into anything. And so she smiled widely at Masama. “Good talk.”

They stepped off the train at Roppongi-itchoume station and climbed the stairs up out of the basement of the imposing - but amusingly named - Izumi Garden Tower. From the street, their destination was already visible and Izumi giggled excitedly. “Machan!”

Masama tore her eyes away from the same awe inspiring building that Izumi had spotted and looked at the verdette in disbelief. “Wait. On the phone. You were talking to someone who works at Might Tower?” Izumi just giggled more, smile widening, and Masama’s eyes got even wider. “Wait. Are we going to see All Might? Was that what he sounds like when he’s not being a hero?” Izumi kept giggling and Masama sucked in a breath. “Holy shit. I…” Pausing, she looked down at herself. “I am not meeting All Might looking like this.”

That made Izumi laugh even louder and gesture to herself. “Machan, All Might has seen me in the absolute worst things. I have puked in front of All Might. Not to mention that he already saw you covered in sludge when he rescued you from that villain. He is not going to care what we’re wearing.”

Tugging her phone out of her pocket, Masama consulted it. “Are we on a schedule? Do we have to be there at a specific time?” Izumi shook her head and Masama sighed in relief. “Let’s go. Roppongi Hills is nearby; I’ll buy something better for both of us.”

Despite her protests - mostly because she wanted to see Might Tower now - Izumi found herself dragged on another whirlwind shopping expedition. Masama quickly and skillfully picked out smart looking blouses and skirts for both of them, and got both altered to fit Izumi. They ended up looking a bit more conservative and businesslike than Izumi ever had before in her life. Except for Izumi's bright red sneakers, that was. It wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, just different.

Then and only then did Masama allow Izumi to lead her to Might Tower. The pair made their way into the lobby and then stopped as Izumi looked around uncertainly. Surely she couldn’t just walk up to the receptionist and tell she was here to see All Might. Right?

“I am… here! To welcome the number one scorer on the UA High School entrance exam!” All Might breezed into the lobby in the same brilliant yellow suit that he’d worn in her acceptance letter, making his way over to Izumi and throwing an arm around her shoulders. After a moment’s hesitation, he did the same to Masama. “Fujimori! Hold my calls! I need to have a talk with these two aspiring young heroes!” All Might led the two of them into a nearby elevator and sighed softly as the doors closed. “Young Midoriya, have you..?”

“Hmm?” As the elevator began to ascend, All Might gesture to his side and Izumi realized what he was asking. How much had she revealed to Masama? What did the blonde know? “I did not. I was trying to respect your privacy.”

“I appreciate that, my girl, but if you want to spend any real amount of time at the tower? I’m going to have to drop my form and save some time for heroics later this afternoon.” All Might pulled away from the pair and held up a hand. “Young Bakugou. Try to remain calm.” And with that, he deflated in a puff of smoke.

“What the fuck? I just… what the fuck?” Masama looked from the emaciated form of Yagi to Izumi and back. “Is this… did giving Deku your quirk do this to you? Because if it did, holy shit, give it back. Give it back right the fuck now.”

Chuckling, Yagi held up a hand and forestalled further discussion until the elevator opened into his office on what was one of - but not the absolute - top floors. “No, my girl, this is the result of a grievous injury that I suffered several years ago. I am gradually losing my ability to hold my form. My time is coming to an end. Soon, it will be your generation’s turn. Young Midoriya’s turn.”

“And my turn.” Drawing herself up to her full height, Masama jabbed a thumb into her chest. “Maybe I don’t have it in me to be the Symbol of Peace. To be the hero who saves everyone with a smile. But I’ll be the next number one hero. Bet on it.”

Throwing his head back, Yagi let out a laugh that was a bit quieter and raspier than what his alter ego was known for. “I dare say that young Midoriya is going to give you a run for your money, my girl.” Circling around his massive desk, he shrugged off his oversized jacket and placed on the back of his chair before sitting down. “Come. Sit. Join me.” The girls took seats opposite him and Yagi leaned back in his chair. “Young Bakugou. I’ve had this discussion at length with Midoriya and I am curious. Why do you want to be a hero? What does being a hero mean to you?”

Inhaling deeply, Masama steepled her fingers under her chin as she considered the question. They sat in silence for nearly a minute before the blonde responded. “Might. Power. Being victorious. Defeating evil. I want villains to cower in fear from the thought that they might have to face me. I want fights to be over before they begin because the other person knows they’re going to lose if they’re dumb enough to try and fight me.”

Yagi stared at her thoughtfully. “Is that… you look up to me, don’t you? Most children these days do.” Masama nodded rapidly and he tilted his head to the side as he regarded her. “Is that what you think I am? Is that how you see me? Is that my legacy?”

Nodding confidently, Masama made a fist and smacked it against the opposite palm. “You’re literally the strongest there is. Half the time, villains don’t even want to fight you. And when they do? It’s over before they know what happened to them. That’s the kind of hero I want to be. That’s what being the number one hero is to me.”

“Interesting. A very different answer from what young Midoriya gave me. I‘ll freely admit that I’d seldom considered how people might perceive me before I met her. I was fairly singularly focused on eradicating evil for my forty years of heroism.” Yagi rubbed his chin as he continued to stare at Masama. “And what do you think of Midoriya, then? Of my successor?”

Masama looked over at Izumi uncertainly. “Are you going to stop kissing me if I answer him honestly?”

Ignoring the strangled noise from Yagi, Izumi smiled reassuringly at her friend. “Machan, think about what we’ve been through together, and then maybe reconsider that question? If I haven’t abandoned you yet…”

“Heh. Yeah. I guess.” Turning back to Yagi, Masama shifted uncomfortably. "I think she's idealistic and naive. A little childish, to be honest. She genuinely still thinks she can save everyone. Even villains. Like this is some sort of playground game of Heroes and Villains. It’s just not realistic.”

‘Finally, someone with some damn common sense.’ That was a voice that Izumi had rarely heard before. The mysterious Three.

Surprisingly enough, Two decided to respond. ‘I kinda like her. Is it too late for Ten to transfer us to her?’

Equally surprisingly, it was Nevan rather than Nana who defended Izumi. ‘If you go, it’ll be without me. I like Izumi. And I’ve pretty obviously staked my claim on her. So I’m staying here.’

Nana vehemently agreed. ‘I will tear this quirk in half. Toshi chose her, and I’m sticking with her. And I swear to God that if you so much as try to convince her to pass the quirk on, you will never know another moment of peace for as long as this quirk exists.’

"Hmm. She is rather idealistic, isn’t she? Although I would argue that she’s… overly optimistic, perhaps, rather than childish.” Yagi looked back and forth between the two girls. "I do my best, but even I haven't been able to capture every villain that I’ve ever faced, despite my best efforts." Izumi made a surprised noise and he gestured to his side. "The villain who injured me. I walked away with his brains on my fist. It's rare for me, but it's not the first time."

Izumi's jaw dropped. "All Might. You... you've killed people? But you’re supposed to be the hero who saves everyone with a smile! Everybody!”

Sighing, Yagi nodded reluctantly. "The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, young Midoriya. Sometimes... sometimes you need to take a life to save the lives of all the people that person might harm if left alive."

After staring at the man in disbelief for a few seconds, Izumi shook her head defiantly. "No. I refuse to believe that. There's always another option. It may not be the easiest option. But it's there. And so... so I'll do what even you haven't been able to. I will save everybody with a smile, All Might. Everybody. You’ll see.”

"I picked you precisely because of that idealistic worldview, Midoriya. That desire to do better. And so maybe... maybe you'll manage to be better than me. I look forward to seeing you try." Yagi regarded the verdette for a moment and then cracked a smile. "I see that you're taking the successor part literally these days."

"Hmm?" Yagi brought his hands up to his own floppy bangs and Izumi giggled, reaching up to touch hers. "New year, new me. And that me is going to be the next Symbol of Peace. I considered trying to outdo Star and Stripe too, but I felt like I'd look silly just walking around with all my hair in tufts."

"Ah, yes, young Cathleen. I haven't talked to her in ages." Yagi thought for a moment before snapping his fingers. "It's... what, 8:30 our time? That would be something like 3:30 on Sunday in California? Do you two want to give her a call with me?"

Masama inhaled sharply. "Wait, so you're going to let me meet the number one American hero? Just like that?" Yagi shrugged and the blonde looked down at herself. "I mean, I look respectable enough. Fuck it, yeah, let's go."

That made Izumi giggle loudly, and Masama looked over at her oddly. "You just swore in front of All Might."

"You just noticed that? I’ve been swearing in front of him all damn morning." Masama looked over at her idol and shrugged. "He’s a man I respect, but I am who I am. And... huh. You've been in a room with both of the only two men I respect in one day. How about that?"

"You only respect me and... I'm guessing your father?" Masama nodded sharply and Yagi made a confused noise. "With your attitude, I would think that if nothing else, you would admire Endeavor to some degree..."

Masama let out a derisive snort. "Fuck that douche. I'm gonna pass his sad ass on the way to the top, and I'm going to laugh when I do it. But I feel like we're getting off topic. Star and Stripe?"

Yagi nodded. "Right, right. Come around on this side, the webcam is good but not good enough to catch you sitting over there." The two girls rose and circled around to the other side of the the desk as Yagi fired up Zoom and shot off a meeting invitation.

Within a matter of seconds, the recipient responded and Yagi hastily transformed back into All Might as the program shifted to show the other person's camera. "All Might! It's been forever! How are you?"

"Cathleen! Long time no see!" All Might laughed boisterously and Star and Stripe joined him, and then the towering man jerked a thumb in Izumi's direction. "I have my protégé in the office with me, and I wanted you to meet her. And..." He looked over at Masama and shrugged. "This girl, I guess."

Masama let out an outraged noise even as Izumi giggled at All Might's introduction for her friend. She leaned in, waving excitedly. "Hi! I'm Midoriya Izumi! Izumi Midoriya? I'm Izumi! I'm the future pro hero Dekiru and All Might's official successor. Or, well, it'll be official at some point down the road. I haven't even entered high school yet."

Bate Cathleen waved back just as animatedly. "Nice to meet you, Izumi! I'm Cathleen Bate. You can call me Cathleen, Cathy, or Star if you want to. Pro heroes tend to go by their hero names socially. I don't even know what All Might's real name is." Cathleen peered into the camera curiously. "And who is 'this girl', precisely?"

Izumi looked over at Masama and blew her a kiss. "This is Bakugou Masama. My Machan. The official situationship of All Might's successor."

"The fuck I am. You are not tapping this ass at any fucking point." Masama rolled her red eyes and waved a hand in Izumi's direction. "The nerd and I are friends. Uh, I suppose best friends by default since we're literally the only friend that each other has.” Well, Izumi had Ibara too these days, but… close enough. “And we kiss sometimes. But it's not a situationship."

Grinning impishly at how uncomfortable All Might looked with the byplay - and how amused Cathleen looked - Izumi turned back to the monitor. "Cathleen, maybe you can settle something for us. Is 'benefits' just sex or can it be other things? Like, we like to kiss and cuddle and stuff. Are we friends with benefits? Or just friends with a weird sense of boundaries?"

Cathleen rubbed her chin thoughtfully as she considered the question. "I would say... yeah. Kissing and cuddling can be benefits. Especially at your age. You're not even in high school yet? That makes you what, thirteen?"

"Fifteen. We start high school a little later in Japan, but we only have three years." Izumi thought for a moment and then looked over at her companion. "Machan turns sixteen during our second week of high school, though. Which reminds me, I need to figure out a plan for that."

"Question.” Masama looked at the screen and then shot a narrow eyed look at Izumi. “Why are we talking about our personal lives in front of two different number one heroes? At the same fucking time?"

Cathleen laughed at that, cutting off Izumi’s response. “Do you know how stressful the life of a number one hero is? This is a great change of pace for me. The way you bicker is adorable. Like that enemies to lovers, All Might and Endeavor fanfic I’ve been reading lately.”

All Might blinked owlishly at that. “I’m sorry, young lady, the what?”

Cackling, Cathleen waved her hand. “There’s an entire category for All Might fanfiction on AO3 under Celebrities and Real People. Blazing Hearts is the most popular story in the All Might category; it’s two point six million words long and has been running for over two years now. You should read it. Or maybe you shouldn’t. I wouldn’t want to give you any ideas. Endeavor is married, isn’t he?”

That made All Might laugh boisterously. “My girl, the only ideas I’ll ever have are about Lady Nagant!”

Izumi and Masama shared a look at that. “Based.”

After a moment, Masama shook her head and turned back to the video chat. "Star! You have some sort of... vague reality manipulation power. The nerd knows more than I do, but it's pretty well known that you do reality fuckery. What's the coolest thing you've ever done with your quirk?"

"Hmm. Coolest fuckery, eh? Well, I'd have to say..."

Chapter Text

The first day of high school arrived faster than Izumi expected. Putting on the UA uniform for the first time was a literal dream come true, and they’d even altered the shirts and blazer to accommodate her wings. Spiking her bangs took a bit, but she felt she was really starting to get the hand of imitating All Might’s signature look. She stared at herself in the mirror for a while, just drinking it in. Then she’d reached over, opened up her brand new jewelry box, and pulled out a transgender pride hair bow from her wide assortment of hair clips and bows. She could have passed… but she wasn’t ashamed of where she’d come from.

Masama was waiting at the base of the stairs when she descended, muttering softly as she viciously devoured a piece of toast. Izumi grabbed her hand and pulled her along, heading for the station. It was a short ride to the north side of the city, where UA was free to sprawl out over the previously undeveloped wilderness, and soon they were passing back through the gate for the second time in their lives as they headed for homeroom. They reached the towering door for class 1-A, stared at it in awe for a few seconds, and then Izumi opened the door and stepped inside.

“Oh! It’s the gravity girl!” Izumi immediately spotted the familiar face sitting atop a desk near the back of the room and began tugging the resisting Masama toward her. Bounding up to the girl, she waved excitedly. “Hi! It’s me! Again! We didn’t actually get to introduce ourselves. I’m Midoriya Izumi! It’s so nice to properly meet you! Oh, and you made it! Your quirk must be as awesome as Machan says it is!”

From her spot behind Izumi, Masama snorted softly. “How the fuck is she supposed to respond if you won’t stop talking?” Izumi shot a pout back over her shoulder and Masama rolled her eyes before waving to the brunette. “Hey again, Round Cheeks. Glad to see you made it. You were pretty cool, not gonna lie.”

The brunette puffed up indignantly. “Round Cheeks? What kind of nickname is that?” She huffed and turned to the girl whose desk she was sitting on. “Not that I want them using it or anything, but you gave Go-chako a much better nickname.”

“That I did, Starchild. That I did. I gave you a much better name in general, if you’ll recall.” The tall ravenette brought her hand up to cup her companion’s cheek, the brunette nuzzling into her palm. Izumi let out a soft coo at how cute the entire thing was, and the ravenette smiled at her. “So you’re the girls that she met at the entrance exam. You left quite an impression on my girlfriend.”

Izumi chuckled ruefully at that. “Machan tends to leave impressions on people. Rarely good ones.” The blonde drove her elbow into Izumi’s side, and the verdette retaliated by slapping Masama with her tail. “But we can try to make a better second impression, right? Especially since we’re going to be together for the next three years?”

Nodding, the ravenette let her hand drop away from the brunette’s face, making her girlfriend pout at the loss of contact. “Well, at the risk of being arrogant, I dare say there’s a passing fair chance that you already know who I am, Midoriya.”

Squealing excitedly, Izumi clapped her hands together excitedly. “You’re Yaoyorozu Momo. Yaomomo. The influencer known for her STEM tutoring and quirk experiment videos and, uh…” She trailed off, blushing faintly. “Your… conventional appeal?”

Yaoyorozu threw her head back and let out a peal of laughter. “You’re so polite, Midoriya. I appreciate the effort, mind you, but you can be honest with me. We are going to be classmates, after all, and perhaps even friends. I am known for my intellect and my attractiveness.” Resting her hand on the brunette’s thigh, Yaoyorozu smiled up at her. “And this… is my Starchild. Uraraka Ochako. Someday soon, the Cosmic Hero: Uravity.”

“Brought to you by Yaoyorozu Aerospace.” Uraraka grinned and offered a peace sign as Yaoyorozu chuckled softly. “I feel like that’s important to include. The Cosmic Hero: Uravity, brought to you by Yaoyorozu Aerospace. I have sponsors already.”

Izumi held out her hand curiously and when Uraraka hesitantly responded, Izumi grabbed the brunette’s hand and inspected it. “Oh! I recognize this hand. Your little finger bean things. You’re the one behind her content. You hold the camera and hand her things in her videos. And, uh, hold her hand in the lifestyle videos. That’s actually really romantic.”

Smiling shyly, Uraraka pulled her hand away. “Good eye, Midoriya. Or I can call you Izumi? Or Deku? Or is that your version of my Starchild?”

Izumi looked over at Masama, thought for a moment, and then smiled shyly at the blonde. “I’d rather keep Deku between me and Machan these days, if it’s all the same to you.” Masama nodded with a smirk on her face, and Izumi turned back to Uraraka. “You can call me Izumi. And you’re… do you prefer Ochako or Go-chako?”

“That name is not for your lips!” Uraraka glared fiercely until Yaoyorozu squeezed her thigh warningly, making her huff and shake her head. “It’s not. They can’t have it. Call me Ochako. Or my name kanji are ‘imperial tea child’, if your girlfriend wants to do something with that. I’d rather not be Round Cheeks, if it’s all the same to her.”

Suddenly the play on words with how she referred to herself to Yaoyorozu made sense. The first kanji in her name wasn’t just ‘imperial’, it was an honorific prefix in keigo. Kinda clever, actually. And kinda romantic, if it was only between the two of them. Izumi nodded in understanding. “I’m sorry. I won’t call you that again. And she’s not my girlfriend… yet. She’s going to make me beat her in the Sports Festival before she lets me take her on a date. Her name is Bakugou Masama, though, since she’s evidently not feeling polite at the moment. Only Bakugou. Never Machan. I’m pretty sure that’s her Starchild.”

Masama huffed in annoyance. “How am I supposed to introduce myself when the rest of you won’t shut the fuck up long enough for me to say anything? But yeah. I’m Bakugou Masama, the next number one hero. Like the nerd said, you are free to call me Bakugou and literally nothing else.” She looked Ochako up and down, and then did the same to Yaoyorozu before nodding decisively. “As for you two? Round Cheeks and Easy Bake Oven.”

Despite herself, Yaoyorozu let out a soft snort of laughter. “Charming. Well, I suppose that’s that then. I know how people like her are. Well, Izumi… and that’s a lovely name, I adore it. Izumi, you can call me Yaomomo.”

"I would love to call you Yaomomo! Ahh! This is so exciting! Are we friends now?" Momo thought for a moment and then nodded, making Izumi squeal excitedly. "I made a friend! On the first day of school! I'm so happy, I could cry!"

Masama groaned and shoved at Izumi's shoulder roughly. "Please don't. We don't need you flooding the classroom."

"Two." Izumi looked over at Ochako, who smiled and held up either two fingers or a peace sign at her, the verdette wasn't sure. "You've made two friends today.”

"Two friends down... well, three if you count Masama. Which, well, I will until the Sports Festival, if all things go well. So three. Three down and sixteen to go." Izumi's gaze swept over the class as she furrowed her brow thoughtfully. "Who do I want to make friends with next, Machan? Do I want to mix it up and make friends with one of the boys? I know you don't like them, but I can't be friends with everybody if I'm not friends with the boys."

"Tch. You have fun with that, Deku." Masama crossed her arms over her chest and shook her head. "Easy Bake Oven seems about my speed. Calm. Cool. Collected. Maybe I'll try to be friends with her while you're off running around making friends with everyone in the class."

"If you're just here to make friends, then you can pack up your stuff now." The voice was low, but cut through the noise and chatter of the students getting to know each other. Izumi looked over to find a... yellow caterpillar in the doorway? "Welcome to UA's hero course." The caterpillar rose upright and then unzipped itself to reveal a disheveled man in a yellow sleeping bag. "It took eight seconds before you all shut up. That's not going to work. Time is precious. Rational students would understand that."

Izumi gave a parting wave to Momo and Ochako before hustling up the aisle to the front of the room. Because the man wasn't wrong: there were only so many minutes in so many hours in so many days in one's high school career. And even UA probably needed every last one of them to make sure that they turned out to be the best heroes they could be. Skidding to a stop in front of the blackboard, she let out a sigh of relief. The class was seated in gojuuon order rather than anything more esoteric, so her and Masama were going to be neighbors again.

"Hello. I'm Aizawa Shouta, your teacher." After letting that sink in for a moment, Aizawa reached into his sleeping bag and pulled out a gym uniform. "Put these on and head outside."

Izumi hesitated for a moment and then nodded decisively. If he wasn't thrilled about them needing eight seconds to quiet down, he wouldn't appreciate any stalling when it came to this, either. And so she darted over to the man, grabbing her gym uniform, and then heading out the door. Some Japanese high schools required the students to change - and for that matter, eat - in their classrooms but surely not the illustrious UA High School, right?

She found a pair of doors for the locker rooms at the end of the hall, hesitated for a moment, and then stepped into the girl's locker room. No time like the present to confront that particular fear, Izumi decided. It wasn't even a rational fear; she was fully female at this point with nothing to give away that she'd ever been anything else. Other than her hair bow, that was. But even if someone did put two and two together, surely the kind of students that UA would accept would be accepting of that sort of thing?

As Izumi picked out a locker and started pulling her clothes off, the rest of the girls came rushing in, giving the verdette her first good look at her classmates. There were Ochako and Momo, obviously, and Masama too. There was also a girl with pink hair and skin, and really cool eyes similar to Izumi's. Oh, and she had horns too! An invisible girl had accompanied the rosette into the locker room, and then a slightly stooped girl with green hair had followed. Bringing up the rear was a diminutive girl with split red and white hair, and then... "Oh! Earlobe girl! From the exam! How's your leg?"

"Oh. You remember me. Damn. I did not make the best impression." Making her way over to Izumi, the girl smiled ruefully. "I'm usually not the damsel in distress type, either. You caught me on a bad day."

Izumi shrugged and offered the girl her hand. "We all have them. I'm Midoriya Izumi. Nice to meet you!"

Taking her hand, the violette shook it. "I'm Jirou Kyouka. The future Heartthrob Hero: Kyouji. Please take care of me." Jirou opened and closed her mouth a few more times, evidently thought better of whatever she was going to say, and then turned to head for her own locker.

Well. That was a pleasant surprise. And she seemed nice. They all did, except for the short girl who kept eyeing her balefully. Izumi kinda wanted to go over and ask the girl what she could have possibly done to her, but they were on a time limit. Slipping her jacket on over her sports bra, Izumi nodded in satisfaction as the modified back settled around her wings and then headed out to whatever awaited her.

Aizawa was waiting for them out on the athletics field, in particular lingering near a shot put circle. The other students straggled out, clearly not feeling the urgency that Izumi had. Once they were all there, Aizawa continued. "You've been taking standardized tests most of your lives. But you never got to use your quirks in physical exams before. The country is still trying to pretend we're all created equal by not letting those with the most power excel. It's not rational. One day, the Ministry of Education will learn." Turning to Izumi, he looked her up and down slowly. "Midoriya, you managed to get the most points on the entrance exam."

From her spot next to Izumi, Masama snorted and elbowed the smaller girl. "If you count rescue points as points, I guess."

Pulling out a softball, Aizawa held it up. "What was your farthest distance throw with a softball when you were in junior high?" Considering the last time she'd done the standardized MEXT physical exam was just after she met All Might? The answer was not great. Aizawa didn't wait for it, though. "Try doing it with your quirk. Anything goes, just stay in the circle."

Oh, this was going to be interesting. Ochako had some sort of gravity quirk, that would probably be great for throwing a softball a long distance. To say nothing of the things that Momo could create with her quirk. And of course Masama was going to excel at this: propelling a softball with Explosion would be child's play. Izumi nodded resolutely and accepted the ball, making her way to the circle. She entered it, thought for a moment, and then grinned sheepishly. "Let me start by saying this is strictly voluntary, but... does anyone want to help me with my quirk?" She received nineteen blank stares in response, and so she elaborated. "I'm a succubus. I'll throw better if I kiss someone first." At least in theory. She hadn't really tested this part of her quirk yet. She'd only kissed Masama so far in her life, and those kisses had just been kissing. Well, there was also the fact that she couldn't draw from Masama and therefore had no idea how to do it... but there was no time like the present to find out.

Jirou's hand immediately shot into the air. "I volunteer. I volunteer as tribute."

Ochako looked from Jirou to Masama and sucked in a breath. "Oh no..."

"What?" Masama snorted derisively. "We're just friends. We're not dating. Yet. If Deku wants to go kissing up on Skullcandy, I'm not going to stop her."

Well, seeing as how they evidently had a volunteer? Izumi crooked her finger playfully, beckoning Jirou over. When the girl reached her, Izumi reached up and ran her hand through the girl's hair. "Just out of curiosity, can I call you Kyouka after this?"

Blushing, Jirou leaned into her touch. "Ma'am, you can call me whatever you want."

That made Izumi laugh. "Kyouka it is, then. Alright, Kyouka, nice and simple. Just..." Leaning down, she pressed her lips against Kyouka's. It took her a moment to figure out how to activate her quirk; she could feel the surging heat that Nevan had mentioned behind the smaller girl's lips, and quickly intuited how to grab it and pull it into herself. Kyouka moaned and leaned into her, making Izumi blush faintly. Good to know that she wasn't half bad at this whole succubus thing?

As they broke apart, the very pink girl raised her hand and looked around curiously. "So wait, does Jirou get to kiss her before all the events or are we going to like, rotate or something? Because, uh, hey girl hey."

"Oh geez. Um, as long as Mister Aizawa doesn't mind, I guess I can swap between events. Okay, Kyouka sweetie, I need you to get back in line with everyone else." Kyouka wandered off with a dazed, goofy grin on her face and Izumi turned her attention back to the softball. She slid the funnel into place again and siphoned off two percent of One for All, and then grabbed at the power Kyouka had given her and pressed the two together. Her green lightning gained little green heart-shaped motes of light dancing around it, which Izumi took as a sign that what she was doing was working. Rearing back, she hurled the ball with all her might. "Smash!"

Off to the side, she heard Masama sigh. “Nerd.”

Izumi squinted into the morning sun as she watched the ball fly and wow, that ball was going for a ride. It finally hit the ground with a soft puff of dirt and the verdette turned to Aizawa, who held up his phone. “Four hundred and twenty meters.”

A boy with spiky red hair and a boy with yellow hair looked at each other and bumped fists. “Nice.”

Bouncing her way back over to the others, Izumi smiled brightly at her classmates. “Let’s give it our all, everybody! Machan! Maybe you can make up for me beating you on the entrance exam and beat me at the assessment test?”

“I’m sure as fuck gonna try.” Masama smacked her fist against her opposite palm before pausing. “Wait, I’m competing against you and how many little helpers?” Jirou’s hand shot back into the air, followed closely by the pink girl and the invisible girl. Ochako looked over at Momo, who eyed her girlfriend appraisingly before nodding, and then the brunette added her hand to the mix. “Fuck my life.”

“More like fuck your wife.” Reaching out, the pink girl grabbed ahold of Izumi and pulled her over. “Hey girl hey. My name is Ashido Mina, and let me just start by saying that I love literally everything you have going on here. The hair. The skin. The wings. And especially the horns and eyes. We match!”

Grinning at the girl, Izumi high fived her. “We do! And thanks! You’re really pretty too!” Ashido brought her hands up to her chin and fluttered her eyelashes playfully. And she did have the prettiest eyes golden eyes with black sclera, although maybe Izumi was biased on that front. “But let’s focus on the assessment test, Ashido! We’re here to be our best selves, after all!”

Ashido nodded sharply. “Right! And call me Mina! Especially if we’re going to be kissing!”

“All of you need to know your maximum capabilities. It's the most rational way of figuring out your potential as a pro hero." Aizawa's gaze swept over the class as they began chattering amongst themselves. "I would tell you that you're not here to have fun... but I don't think anyone can stop Midoriya from enjoying what comes next."

Bringing her hand up next to her head, Izumi offered a cheerful smile and a peace sign. “I’m just here to do my best, Mister Aizawa. Just out of curiosity, isn’t this the part where you threaten to expel someone?” The dark haired man raised an eyebrow. “One of your students last year was wearing smart glasses. He thought he was going to make it big producing content from his hero course experience. He posted the assessment test.” Izumi’s voice dropped a bit. “Today you'll compete in eight physical tests to gauge your potential. Whoever comes in last has none.” Her voice came back up to its natural pitch. “And then you expelled eight of them after the test because you thought none of them had potential.”

Aizawa offered a malicious grin as the rest of the class gasped loudly. “I did, didn’t I? Well, I thought this crop looked rather promising, but since you asked so nicely? Today you'll compete in eight physical tests to gauge your potential. Whoever comes in last has none... and will be expelled immediately.“

Huffing, Mina bumped her shoulder against Izumi’s. “Way to go, Midori. Now we all have to-“

“Do our best. Which is what we should be doing anyway.” Izumi grinned excitedly at Mina. “I want you to show me your best. And I’m going to show you my best. Got it?” The rosette nodded resolutely and Izumi’s smile grew. “Then let’s go!”

Aizawa's gaze swept over the class and he held up a finger. "Before we begin... Yaoyorozu." The ravenette gestured to herself and he nodded. "Are you planning to conform to the uniform code at all this year?"

Glancing over, Izumi noticed that the taller girl was wearing a red haori embroidered with a gold dragon design over her sports bra with the gym uniform pants. Come to think of it, Izumi had seen her wearing it in place of the regulation uniform blazer as well. Momo looked down at herself, shrugged, and then offered the smuggest of grins. "With how much my parents donate to this fine institution, do I really have to?"

That made Aizawa snort faintly. "Fair enough, Yaoyorozu. Fair enough. I suppose you'll be extended that umbrella of privilege to your girlfriend as well?" Oh. Ochako was wearing a Yaoyorozu Aerospace t-shirt under her open uniform jacket. Cute. Momo's grin grew the faintest bit smugger and their teacher sighed. "Rich kids. Alright. Let's get started."

The first event up was a fifty meter dash and Izumi found herself considering her options as she watched the first students line up. Wait. Masama was probably going to propel herself down the track with explosions, wasn’t she? And if that was okay, there would be no rule against her flying. Unless… was she measurably faster in the air? She hadn’t really been able to experiment with that. Well, no time like the present!

Izumi did her best to keep her focus inward as her classmates took their turns. Everyone had such cool quirks! But she knew that geeking out about them when she’d literally met these people for the first time half an hour ago… probably wouldn’t be appreciated. No need to repeat the mistakes of junior high, after all. And so… oh, the stooped girl hopped like a frog! That was so cool!

Soon it was her turn and her and Masama lined up next to each other. The blonde shot her an exasperated look before gesturing to the crowd. “Do you need to charge up before each event, or..?”

“I’m literally figuring this out as I go. It’s not like I have a lot of practice. Thanks for nothing, Machan.” Izumi shot her friend a teasing grin, and then let out a gasp of faked outrage when Masama flipped her off. “But yeah, probably. Oh! Do you want to pick who helps me this time?”

Masama shot her an unimpressed look. "So what, I'm going to be the empress lording over your consorts in this harem? Pfft. No thanks. Figure it out for yourself."

“Wee! My turn!” Bouncing over, Mina wrapped her arm around Izumi and dipped the taller girl before pressing their lips together. This time, it was easier for Izumi to activate her quirk and she began drawing a bit more confidently on the well of energy she could sense inside Mina. Not too strongly; she had no idea if she was siphoning off something tangible that Mina might miss. But enough for a flight down the track.

To be honest, Izumi was enjoying the hell out of this particular kiss. Mina just… made her feel seen. Sure, other people had acknowledged the verdette’s attractiveness since her transition. Kyouka clearly thought she was pretty, and presumably the other girls volunteering to kiss her found her attractive. Masama was obviously into her. But none of them were just so… completely into her. Mina professed to like all of her, from the tips of her horns to the end of her tail, and that was just so very validating to Izumi. Hopefully, this was the start of something amazing. It certainly seemed to be, from Izumi’s perspective.

The kiss continued, Mina’s free hand coming up to play with Izumi’s hair, and then the verdette heard a thump-thump-thump followed by a click. That made Mina break the kiss, yanking Izumi up and staring at her with wide golden eyes. “What was that?”

Well heck. So it wasn’t a one time thing. Izumi smiled awkwardly at Mina as she reached up to rub the back of her head. “I, uh, I haven’t figured that out yet. So far it’s only happened twice. My quirk seems to be forming some sort of bond between me and a girl who I… kinda am into?”

Mina gasped excitedly. “You’re kinda into me? And wait, who? Jirou? Is it me and you and Jirou so far? Because she’s pretty cute!”

“Uh, actually it’s a girl in 1-B. I can probably introduce you to her after school?” Izumi’s eyes went wide as she noticed something concerning. “Also, you’re bubbling?”

Izumi watched in dismay as Mina began to change, the same way that Izumi had changed that day on the beach. Her horns shifted apart and backward on her scalp, growing thicker and longer. Strange little tendrils grew out of Mina’s jaw even as her ears grew longer and pointed, and then both were hidden as Mina’s hair lengthened into a mass of riotous curls. Mina wobbled a bit on her feet as her shoes exploded, revealing hoofs where her feet had been. And then a tail similar to Izumi’s grew out of the base of her spine.

When the changes stopped, Mina stared down at her body in wonder. “Midori, did you do this to me?” Izumi shrugged helplessly; at this point, it was pretty impossible to deny that the bonds were some sort of One for All shenanigan. Although why had it turned Izuku into Izumi, but Mina into… “This is so cool!” What? “I’ve always loved being a heteromorph but felt like I was a little boring. The horns. The eyes. The color palette. They were cool, but not really that cool?” Mina gestured down at herself emphatically, a wide grin on her face. “This is amazing! I love it!”

Clearing his throat, Aizawa drew the pair’s attention. “Ashido, are you fit to continue?” Both girls blinked at him uncertainly, and he sighed. “Are you fit to continue, yes or no? We have an assessment to finish. Do you need to go see Recovery Girl, or are you able to continue the test?”

Mina wobbled a little on her new hooves and then offered Aizawa a cheerful thumbs up. “I’m good! I think! Uh, might fall on my butt while I’m trying to figure out my new balance, but… eh. That’s life.” Giving Izumi one last peck on the nose, the rosette giggled and bounced back over to stand near the invisible girl. “Tooru! I’m going to be part of a soul bond harem plot! Just like all those manga I read! Finally, an experience that I’m genre aware for! Also, we need to do an entire photo shoot after school! Look how cool I am now!”

Biting her lip to avoid laughing, Izumi turned her attention forward as she lowered herself into a runner’s stance. Then she flared her wings and frowned as she smacked against Masama’s shoulder. Sighing, she rose to her feet and looked over at Aizawa. “Can I do this one separately? I don’t really want to get my wing exploded if I’m not faster off the starting line.”

Aizawa pinched the bridge of his nose. “This year is going to be wonderful, I can already tell. Fine. Bakugou. You go. And then Midoriya.”

Masama completed the run in a very respectable four point one three seconds, and then Izumi took her turn. Powering up, she pushed off the starting block with all her might and then gave a mighty flap of her wings, propelling herself down the track. Despite her best efforts, she came in at four point three seconds, just slightly behind Masama. That made the blonde grin smugly at her, and Izumi rolled her eyes before bumping playfully against her friend. “Oh, and Deku?” Izumi glanced over at Masama, who nodded in Mina’s direction. “I swear to god, if you turn me into some sort of weird exploding demon on our first date? It’d better be at least as cool as that, or you’re not getting a second date.”

Good to know.

From there, the group trooped over to a long jump sand box. Masama easily cleared the sandbox with her explosions, and the invisible girl managed to do likewise by… taking off her uniform and throwing it across? Mina evidently took her supposed harem position very seriously, roughly pushing the invisible girl out of the way so that she could come over and charge Izumi up again. With her wings, it was child’s play for Izumi to clear the sandbox and after a few more attempts, they moved on with the assessment test.

Next up were the repeated side steps, which Izumi did… less than stellar on, even with One for All enhancing her speed. She just couldn’t get moving as fast as she wanted to. She did get a bit of guilty pleasure watching Momo attempt it, though. And Masama. And Mina. Pretty much all the girls, to be honest.

From there, they headed back to the shot put circle and Izumi found her resolve not to pester her classmates about their quirks sorely tested. Ochako sent it into orbit with her quirk! The frog girl used her tongue like a sling to launch the ball! The tiny bicolored girl made ice jut up out of the ground sharply, launching the ball into the air! So many cool quirks on display, and Izumi couldn’t wait to find out more about all of them!

Mina was one of the last people to take the test, and Izumi watched curiously as the girl stripped off her gym uniform jacket to reveal a series of white markings stretching over her pink skin. Looking over at Izumi, she winked. “You like my tattoos, Midori?”

Chancing a glance over at Aizawa, Izumi decided to risk darting over to stand outside the circle and inspect Mina’s markings. “I didn’t know they could do white tattoos. Not that I know much about tattoos, for obvious reasons. That’s… a life choice. Possibly an illegal one at our age? And you arentt going to be very popular when people see that. You know that, right?”

“Midori, I genuinely don’t give a fuck. I am me and that’s all that matters.” Mina smiled widely, rubbing her hands over her arms. “But no, they’re not white ink. They’re part of my quirk.” Oh! That might get her a pass, then. “Watch this.” Closing her eyes, she brought the ball up in front of her eyes and mumbled something that Izumi couldn’t catch but that sounded vaguely foreign. Her tattoos began glowing with pink light, and an unfamiliar sigil manifested hovering in front of the rosette’s forehead. Her eyes snapped open and Mina reared back, hurling the ball with all her might. “For Midgard!”

The ball soared off into the sky, plopping itself down around two-thirds of the distance to where Izumi’s ball had landed. Izumi’s eyes lit up in excitement as Mina came bounding over. “Mina, that’s so cool! What’s your quirk?”

Mina gestured to her tattooed arms, which had returned to their dull and lifeless white state after the throw. “My quirk is… Paladin! I pledged myself to a god… well, gods. I’m polytheistic. But yeah. I’m full of holy power that makes me stronger, more durable, and I can do some cool attacks with it. Oh! And I can heal! Like, as good as Recovery Girl!”

Eyes widening, Izumi looked back at Aizawa. “Can I… can I have another go at the ball throw?”

“What the fuck?” Masama looked back and forth between Aizawa and Izumi in horror. “Hobo, you’re not going to let her break her arm just because Raccoon Eyes can heal her, right?”

Aizawa rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “Well, I did say that you needed to know your maximum capabilities, didn’t I? You know what? I’m going to allow it. I’m not going to lie, I’ve been wondering where that zero pointer destroying power has been hiding all morning.” Masama buried her face in her hands as Aizawa tossed another softball to Izumi. “Impress me, Midoriya.”

Grinning, Izumi caught the softball and switched places with Mina. “Wait, I should probably ask if you’re okay with this, Mina. If I break my arm using my quirk, will you heal it for me?” The rosette thought for a moment and then nodded eagerly. “Okay, cool. Kiss for good luck?” They exchanged another kiss, and then Izumi backed away from her new… ooh, her and Mina were going to have to work this out this afternoon. Her and Ibara too, probably.

Right now, she had a ball to toss. Izumi grabbed the funnel, shook it a few times, and then flipped it over on top of herself, immersing herself with the power of One for All. Now that she knew its destructive power, she made sure to focus it only in one arm; how she hadn’t obliterated every bone in her body during the entrance exam, she had no idea. As green lightning wreathed her arm, crackling angrily, Izumi added fuel to the fire by packing the power she’d just absorbed from Mina into her arm. Rearing back, she hurled the ball with all her considerable might. “SMASH!”

Chapter Text

“SMASH!”

Wind tore at Izumi’s clothes as she launched the ball into the sky, disappearing into the cloudless morning. Her arm hurt like… well, the last time she’d broken her arm. It didn’t feel any worse, but the process definitely hadn’t gotten any more pleasant. As she let her arm hang limply at her side, Izumi turned to Aizawa and cocked her head. “Are you impressed, Mister Aizawa?”

Aizawa stared at his phone intently, mouth slowly opening wider. It eventually pinged, and he turned it to face her with a dumbfounded expression on his face. “Over one million meters. One thousand, one hundred and seventy-six kilometers. You threw a ball… from here to China. And you’re going to be able to do that all the time once you get a better handle on your quirk?” Izumi nodded and he reached into his pocket, pulling out a flask and taking a long pull from it. “I need to retire.”

Giggling made Izumi wince in pain. “Uh, Mina? Can you do whatever thing you do? Because this really is not fun.” Mumbling an apology, Mina uttered another soft prayer under her breath and her tattoos started to glow again. She reached out, laying her hands on Izumi’s arm, and the verdette watched in awe as it was restored to perfect condition. “Oh my gosh, that’s amazing. And no stamina drain?”

“Nuh uh! It’s powered by my beliefs and the gods that I trust in. Neat, huh?” Mina grinned impishly, leaning in toward Izumi. “Do you wanna come pour out some mead with me on Walpurgisnacht? Everything’s more fun with friends.”

Izumi nodded agreeably as the two headed back toward the rest of the class, and then something occurred to her and she sucked in a breath. “Oh. Oh this is going to be interesting.” Mina looked at her in askance, and Izumi cringed. “Shibara is Christian. Like, really Christian.”

Waving dismissively, Mina pulled Izumi over to stand near the invisible girl. “Not the worst person I’ve ever dated. Remind me to tell you about my ex Toga sometime. And… Tooru! I win the bet! I got two girlfriends before you got one!”

“You didn’t get two girlfriends, your girlfriend got you and brought another one along with her.” The invisible girl blew a raspberry before holding her hand out to Izumi. “Hagakure Tooru. Nice to meet you. Just out of curiosity, do you know the frog girl at all? She said I looked pretty and I’m just sorta like…” She gestured to her invisible form. “What?”

“I can see near infrared. You’re not invisible to me.” The frog girl leaned forward, peering down the line at them. “I don’t have good hearing. You’re just not being very quiet.” Tooru brought her hand up to her mouth with a squeak. “I tend to say what’s on my mind. Hagakure, you’re very beautiful. Would you like to get tea with me after class?”

Hagakure gasped excitedly. “Would I!” Turning to Mina, she cuffed the girl’s shoulder. “Well then. I have a date to talk to. Toodles.”

Bemused, Izumi watched the girl go and then her eyes caught sight of some unexpected movement. The boy with the bird head, the back of his jacket was pushing outward and then… a bird head made of shadows appeared? “Psst. Fumi.” Was that… did that boy have a sentient quirk? “Fumi, go stand next to that French boy. He’s handsome.”

Looking back over his shoulder, the boy sighed deeply. “Dark Shadow, Aoyama’s quirk is literally producing light.”

“What can I say? I like boys who are bad for me.” Dark Shadow giggled mischievously. “Do it or I will make the worst racket tonight when you’re trying to sleep.” The boy considered that for a moment and then muttered something distinctly unflattering as he began edging toward the group toward the blond boy.

Aww. Love was in the air all over the place today.

Speaking of love being in the air, Izumi watched curiously as Momo made her way out to the circle for the final throw of the round. The ravenette thought for a moment and then beckoned to Ochako. Her girlfriend scurried out to the edge of the circle, where Momo leaned down and whispered something in her ear. Whatever it was, it reduced Ochako to a blushing, stammering mess who promptly removed the ball’s gravity before hurrying back over to the rest of the class. Momo then turned and calmly threw the ball into the air, claiming the second score of ‘infinity’ on the afternoon.

Which… completely based on Ochako’s part. Izumi wasn’t ashamed to admit that she would do a lot of things if Momo whispered in her ear.

From there, they moved to the field in the center of a full sized track, where Izumi did fairly well on the seated toe touch and sit-up tests. One for All didn’t really help with either, but being in great shape sure did. She went a little overboard on the grip strength test to beat the boy with strange arms, but thankfully Mina was nearby to relieve the sting in her muscles. She then proceeded to positively destroyed everyone in the distance run, though, holding a steady two percent of One for All as she zipped along wreathed in green lightning. Eventually, Aizawa grew tired of watching her, Momo, and the ice girl going around in circles while everyone else watched, and declared that all three of them took first place in that event.

Bounding over to lean on the winded and exasperated looking Masama, Izumi casually wrapped her tail around Masama’s thigh as she waited for Aizawa to present the results. He tapped at the screen of his phone a few times and then projected the results for them all to see. Izumi found herself all the way up in second, edging out one ‘Todoroki Shoukou’ and… “Hah! Machan! I win again!”

“Yeah but it took you and Raccoon Eyes and Skullcandy to beat me, so it doesn’t count.” Masama huffed in annoyance, crossing her arms over her chest. “And who the fuck is Todoroki Shoukou?” Oh! She wanted to know the answer to that too! Thanks, Masama!

The small girl with split hair and mismatched eyes raised her hand, staring balefully at Izumi and Masama. “I’m not here to make friends. Midoriya may have-“

She was cut off as Masama erupted into laughter. “Not here to make friends? Fuck, Creamsicle, you’re in the wrong ass class.” Pausing, she leaned in toward Izumi. “They make strawberry creamsicles, right?” Izumi shrugged uncertainly and Masama thought for a moment before shrugging back. “But yeah, wrong fucking class. This nerd is going to make friends with everyone. You might as well surrender to the inevitable. You’ve seen her run. What are those short shit legs of yours gonna do compared to that?”

Gasping, Izumi clutched as Masama’s arm. “You can’t just call someone a ‘short shit’, Machan! That’s even ruder than you usually are!”

“It is not! It’s a fucking fact! She’s short as shit! The only person person in our class who’s shorter than her is that weird little grape who’s been staring at you all day.” Izumi blinked and Masama thrust a finger out at one of their classmates. “That fucker. He’s practically drooling over you.”

The short boy with unfortunately grape-like hair shrugged uncaringly. “Can you blame me? She’s a goddess.” Next to him, Kyouka eyed the boy appraisingly and then hesitantly extended a fist to him, which he bumped his own against.

Sighing, Izumi shook her head in resignation. These were her classmates, evidently. And her Masama, whatever form that might take. Pulling away from the blonde, Izumi approached Todoroki cautiously. “You don’t really seem fond of me, but this is the first time we’ve talked. I think. Can I ask what I did to make a bad impression on you? Maybe I can fix it.”

Todoroki shook her head. “I was created to surpass All Might in a way my father couldn’t and become the next number one hero.” She brought one hand up to her forehead, pantomiming Izumi’s bangs. “If you seek to emulate All Might, then you’re just another obstacle between me and my ascent to the top.”

“Hah? You think that Deku is the one you have to worry about?” Masama jabbed a thumb into her chest. “My name is Bakugou Masama, and I’m going to be the next number one hero.”

Todoroki looked the blonde up and down and snorted. “You don’t impress me either.” Turning away, she began walking back toward the school, playing with the end of her braid as she walked.

Watching her go, Izumi shook her head slowly. “Well, that’s not off to a good start. Oh well. I have three years to win her over.” She thought for a moment, checked her phone, and then frowned. “Do you guys think everyone else is out as early as us? Because if Shibara’s not ready to go, I don’t know what to do. Mina, I really think you should meet her since we have this whole bond thing going.”

“Speaking of which…” Kyouka looked around awkwardly before gesturing back and forth between the two of them. “Did I not kiss you well enough? You can be honest, it won’t hurt my feelings. I just was wondering why she got the magical makeover and I didn’t.”

Izumi frowned, bringing her fingers up to brush against her lips. That was actually a very good question. She’d bonded to Ibara without kissing the girl, but she’d since kissed Masama and Kyouka without bonding to them. And her and Masama held hands a lot, which was what she’d been doing when she bonded to Ibara. What a weird quirk she had. She shrugged helplessly. “I don’t know? Do you, uh, do you want to try again?”

Beside Kyouka, the short boy sucked in a breath. “Hero course is the best.”

That made Izumi laugh and she made her way over to the pair, putting her hands on her hips as she leaned over the shorter boy. “What’s your name? I feel like I should at least know your name, considering you called me a goddess.”

“Uh, Mineta Minoru. Ma’am.” Mineta shuffled from foot to foot nervously. “Do you want me to call you ma'am? Can I call you ma’am?”

Smiling, Izumi reached down and patted the balls that made up his hair. “Izumi is fine. It’s nice to meet you, Mineta. Let’s be friends!” The boy’s eyes rolled back into his head and he collapsed to the ground, unconscious. “Okay. Maybe later, then.” She turned her attention to Kyouka, who was staring down at Mineta with a bemused expression on her face. "He seems nice. So. Do you want to try that second kiss thing? See if it jumpstarts a bond? I will warn you that I've kissed Machan a few times-"

"Deku, that is none of their fucking business."

"-and nothing's happened, so I genuinely have no idea how this works. Although Machan is adamant that we can't date until I beat her in the Sports Festival, so maybe that's preventing us from bonding? My quirk respects that?" Izumi threw her hands up in the air in exasperation. "I genuinely don't know how my quirk works apart from kissing girls and getting stronger. Well, I could kiss guys too, but I'm pretty sure that I'm a lesbian."

Kyouka offered a bemused smile in return. "Can't relate. I'm bi." Huh. But she was so... butch? With her cute purple fade and all? Not that Izumi was going to call her a liar or anything. But... huh. "So. About that additional kissing thing."

Looking over at Mina, Izumi nibbled her lip uncertainly. To be honest, now that she wasn't in a class exercise using her quirk anymore, she felt a little shyer about the whole thing? Like, this wasn't kissing for practical reasons, this girl just wanted to kiss her. And... well, Masama didn't seem to mind her doing whatever, but how did Mina feel about watching her kiss other girls? Especially since she'd decided they were dating? Which... they also needed to talk about. "Can I get a rain check? Now that I'm thinking about it, I kinda... Mina? You know?"

That made Kyouka nod sagely. "I know. Was kinda thinking that if I could get in on the whole thing, we could have a you and me and Mina discussion... but I heard you mention some other girl, so maybe two's company, three's a polycule, and four's a crowd?" She shrugged nonchalantly. "Oh well. Maybe I'll get lucky next class or something." And with that, she reached down and grabbed the unconscious Mineta, tucking her under her arm as she wandered off toward the school.

Izumi turned and stretched a hand out toward Mina, who eagerly rushed over to take it. After a moment's consideration, the verdette turned in the other direction and more hesitantly extended her free hand toward Masama. Huffing, the blonde made her way over and grabbed Izumi's hand. "Yeah, I mean, alright."

"She's a tsundere." Izumi giggled as Masama let out an annoyed huff, tugging her friend and her girlfriend toward the school. Which... "By the way, Mina, are we dating now? Are we counting the kiss as a confession? Or the bond? Or the transformation? Where in that whole assessment test did we start dating? Just, you know, for the record."

Mina tapped her chin as she considered that. "I think I'm going to say... the bond. Which, I mean, if you're not dating the other girl you're bonded to, that's fine for you two. But for me, the moment your whole entire quirk said 'yeah, I like this person a lot'? For me, that's when we started dating."

That seemed fair, yes. Izumi grinned over at Mina, squeezing her hand. "You're taking this whole situation very well. I mean, we kissed and now you're connected to me. And you transformed. That's kinda a lot, isn't it?"

Waving dismissively, Mina scoffed. “Like I said, I’m genre aware for this whole thing. I’ve read a bunch of manga like this. The protagonist and the love interest meet and bond very suddenly…” She gestured to her transformed body, and then over at their joined hands. “And then the rest of the story is them learning to live with the bond and discovering how to love each other properly. So. We’re bonded. I have assumed the girlfriend position because, well, we’re bonded. You’re not getting rid of me. We have fucked around. Now it is time to find out.”

Smiling, Izumi gave Mina’s hand a squeeze. “Fair enough, Mina. Fair enough. Although… Machan. Do you want to come with us? I feel like even if you’re not bonded with me yet, you’re pretty much inevitably going to be. Or we’re going to be dating even if we’re not bonded, if you end up somehow being more Kyouka and less Mina. But I feel like you should have a voice in what’s going on between now and then? Does that make sense?”

“Of course I’m coming along, Deku.” Masama smirked as she gestured across at Mina. “Raccoon Eyes is Ásatrú and looks like a demon, and you’re going to introduce her to the most Christian girl in all of Japan? This is going to be fucking hilarious.”

Mina peered back across at Masama in wonder. “How did you know that I’m Ásatrú?”

Rolling her eyes, Masama waved dismissively. “It’s pretty obvious if you think about it.” And that was all she had to said on the matter.

The trio ducked through the school and changed back into their uniforms, and then made their way out the front doors to find clusters of other first years milling about aimlessly. Ibara was easy to spot and Izumi pulled her companions over to her. “Shibara! Oh! You cut your hair!”

Ibara did indeed look different from last time Izumi had seen her, with her formerly long hair trimmed down to chin length. It was a very flattering haircut on her, and Izumi positively adored it. Turning to face Izumi, Ibara looked her up and down slowly. “Izumi. You look the same.”

“I do, don’t I? I haven’t mutated any further since last time I saw you, which I’m very excited about. Succubus is more than enough for me.” Izumi looked to either side, frowning as she realized that she’d run out of hands. Then inspiration struck and she twisted her hips slightly, flicking her tail out toward Ibara. “How have you been?”

“Nothing interesting has happened to me since we spoke last night.” A single vine grew outward, stretching down and wrapping around the tip of Izumi’s tail. Ibara nodded politely in Masama’s direction. “Bakugou. A pleasure as always.” The blonde nodded back and Ibara’s attention shifted to Mina. “You… I dare say that I would remember meeting before.”

Smiling brightly, Mina leaned forward and grabbed one of Ibara’s hands. “I’m Ashido Mina! Nice to meet you! I’m the other girl that Midori has bonded with!”

Ibara’s dark eyes wandered up and down over Mina, and then bounced back and forth between Mina and Izumi several times. “You are drawn to me, but likewise drawn to her?” Izumi nodded hesitantly. “If he takes another wife to himself, he shall not diminish her food, her clothing, or her marital rights. The book of Exodus, chapter twenty-one, verse ten. As long as this does not negatively impact the way I am treated? I am fine with it.”

Eyes widening, Izumi gasped excitedly. “Really? I figured that you of all people would have a problem with this, and that we’d have to try and figure out how to sever a bond.”

Blushing, Ibara looked down at her hands. “I have found it extremely difficult to find people in this world willing to accept me for who I am. Now that I have one? I am discovering that I am willing to be… compromising in order to keep her.” She looked back up at Mina. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mina. My name is Shiozaki Ibara. You may call me Shibara like Izumi if you’d like.”

Masama snorted softly. “Tangela.”

“You may not call me Tangela.” Ibara shot a reproachful look at Masama, who stared back at her unrepentantly. After a few seconds, Ibara turned back to Mina. “You have a fascinating beauty, Mina. Is your quirk similar to Izumi’s Succubus?”

“Question. You’re a Christian.” Mina pulled her hand free and gestured back and forth between Izumi and Ibara. “She’s a succubus. How does that work?”

Ibara sighed and rolled her eyes bemusedly. “I am quite aware of what a quirk is, Mina. She’s not actually a demon of the night, her quirk just makes her similar enough to one that she took the name for herself. There is a significant difference.”

After looking back and forth between them a few more times, Mina shrugged. “Fair enough. But no. My quirk is Paladin. I can channel the energy of my faith and my gods to protect and heal people.”

That made Ibara frown. “Your… gods?” Mina nodded and reached into the collar of her uniform, pulling free a round silver amulet engraved with Norse runes. “Oh my.”

“Raccoon Eyes is a whole ass mess.” Masama peered across Izumi at the rosette. “I can’t figure out what magical system her quirk is supposed to be like, but she’s basically a bootleg Draenei.”

Mina hissed softly and brought a finger up to her lips. “Shh! Do you want me to get sued? Blizzard is a bag of dicks! Besides, if I am, it’s all Izumi’s fault. I was just a casual pink skinned girl before I met her. Had some cute little horns and my glowing tattoos, but I wasn’t… all this.”

Nodding, Izumi pulled her hands free of her companions and reached out to grab both of Ibara’s. “Shibara. I didn’t really see anything happen when we bonded, but we were sorta distracted at the time. Have you noticed any changes since the entrance exam? Big or small?”

Ibara looked down at their hands. “I am sorry, when you what?”

“Okay so you’ve been having insight into me, I’ve been having insight into you, it’s made getting to know each other go really smoothly. You can’t have not noticed that.” Ibara nodded slowly and Izumi pulled one hand free and brought it up to her chest. “So it turns out that my quirk forms like, tangible bonds between me and people. You. And now Mina. And when it formed a bond with Mina, it transformed her into how she looks now.”

“Oh. When you said severing a bond, I thought you were speaking a bit eloquently about ending our friendship. Not speaking of a literal, tangible connection.” Ibara cocked her head to the side, thought for a moment, and then shrugged. “Now that you have informed me, I find that I do not mind such a thing. As for any changes, I have not noticed any and am quite grateful for as much. I am the way that God created me and I am perfect in his eyes.”

Izumi furrowed her brow and then her eyes widened. “Oh. Oh! Mina subconsciously wanted to look weirder. So my quirk made her weirder. You’re perfectly happy as you are, so it didn’t do anything to you. That’s so neat!”

Nodding, Ibara regarded Izumi curiously. “Has your quirk ever done anything like that to you?” Izumi reached up to finger the transgender bow in her hair, and the vine haired girl’s eyes widened. “I see. How wonderful for you.”

“I know, right?” Pulling back, Izumi spun in a playful pirouette that made her skirt flare around her thighs before settling back down. “Okay. So. It is just past noon. We are free for the day. What do we want to do? Machan, are your parents home? Can we go eat lunch at your house and then walk Mina and Shibara to the station? I know Shibara is from Odawara. Mina, where are you from?”

“Chiba! Bit of a ride, so if anyone wants to have a sleepover, I would be all for it?" Mina looked around hopefully and Izumi hesitantly raised her hand. “Wait, really? I was pretty much just joking but if you’re down for it, hell yeah.”

Izumi ducked her head bashfully. “I’ve never had a sleepover before, but it sounds fun.”

Sighing, Masama shook her head. “I’ll sleep over your house this weekend, nerd. Wait. Fuck. I’ve never had a sleepover before either. New plan: Raccoon Eyes sleeps at your house tonight, and then you sleep over my house on Friday.”

Ibara cleared her throat. "Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths. The book of Ephesians, chapter four, verse twenty-nine. Accordingly, I would appreciate it if you both watched your mouths around me."

Taking a step forward, Masama leaned into Ibara’s personal space. “Fuck.” The vine haired girl sighed and rolled her eyes, making Masama chuckle. “You’re going to have to make more compromises than just sharing Izumi’s attention, Tangela.”

“Be nice, Machan.” Izumi swatted the blonde’s shoulder before shooting Ibara an apologetic smile. “Sorry. She’s been like this for as long as I’ve known her. If you can get her to stop swearing - or even swear less - her parents will adore you.”

“I will take that under advisement.” Ibara thought for a moment and then stuck her hand out. “Bakugou. Take my hand.” The blonde hesitated for a few seconds before obeying, and Ibara extended a few more vines to wrap around Masama’s wrist. “Let us return to your house for the afternoon.”

Masama looked like she wanted to argue for a few seconds and then sighed before leading Ibara away. Izumi and Mina exchanged amused looks before joining hands and following them. Evidently Masama enjoyed strong women? Good to know.

It was a brief train ride back to their neighborhood, and then Masama was leading the trio down the street to her house. When they reached it, she gestured up at it proudly and Izumi couldn’t blame her. Her parents had bought a fairly nice house, at least for the neighborhood. “This is my house. Welcome and all that shit.”

Leading them inside, Masama slipped off her shoes and padded into the living room. Mina wasn’t far behind, looking around in wonder. “Bakugou, your house is so cool! And so big! I have to share an apartment with my parents and two siblings! This is practically a mansion!”

“You have a delightful home, Bakugou.” Ibara padded after the others as she took in her surroundings. “Oh. What a lovely kitchen. Would you permit me to assist you in preparing a meal for us?”

Masama eyed the girl appraisingly for a few seconds. “You seem like you have your shit together. So sure. I’m vegan, though. I’ll murder a fucking villain, but I won’t murder animals. Is that cool with you? Raccoon Eyes?”

Eyes widening, Mina let out a low whistle. “Uh, I don’t mind eating vegan with you, if that’s what you’re asking. Just… maybe don’t ask me what happens at a blót? For your own sake?”

Masama eyed Mina suspiciously for a few seconds before deciding that ignorance was in fact bliss. Grabbing Ibara by the hand again, she headed for the kitchen. “I know that Deku is a culinary disaster and you’re probably useless too, Raccoon Eyes. Go curl up on the couch and whisper in each other’s ears or some shit.”

“Sounds good to me!” Taking advantage of her hard earned gains, Izumi lifted the giggling Mina into her arms and carried her over to the couch. Plopping down, she shifted the girl on her lap and then eyed her feet thoughtfully. “Do goats get shoed? Do we need to see someone about making shoes for your hooves?”

“She’d better not be scratching the hardwood with those things!”

“She’s not!” Mina looked around furtively and then leaned into Izumi, lowering her voice. “Maybe carry me back to the genkan, just to be safe?” The verdette nodded and they shared a giggle as Mina snuggled in against Izumi. “So. What do you want to talk about? Girlfriend?”

Izumi curled one wing around Mina’s shoulders and her tail around the pink girl’s waist for good measure… and then promptly reached down to grab Mina’s ankle. “No seriously, we need to think about this. Do you need shoes? Do we need to trim your hooves? Do we need to take you to a, uh, what are they called? A farrier? You’re a more expressed heteromorph than you were a few hours ago, that might require some lifestyle changes.”

From across the living space, Masama snorted loudly. “Don’t be fooled, Raccoon Eyes, Deku just has a foot fetish. She’s like this about my feet too.”

“What? I do not! I do not have a foot fetish!” Masama stared at her impassively and Izumi waved her hands. “I don’t! I’m just being very serious about Mina’s feet because I feel like it’s an important topic to discuss!”

“And my feet?”

“You could learn to fly with explosions from your feet, freeing up your hands to attack! That’s also really important!” Masama continued to stare at her disbelievingly and Izumi threw her hands up in the air. “I do not have a foot fetish!”

From where she was standing next to Masama, Ibara shot her a reproachful look. “What does the Bible tell us about lying, Izumi?”

Izumi huffed and crossed her arms over her chest. “Oh my gosh, you guys are so mean to me. I do not have a foot fetish.” She managed to sulk for a few seconds before Mina pressed a kiss to the corner of her mouth, and Izumi turned her head to meet her girlfriend’s lips. “Mmm. Fine. We can kiss. But I don’t have a foot fetish.”

The two kissed for a few seconds and then Mina leaned up, pressing her lips to Izumi’s forehead. “You’re adorable, Midori. And I’m very thankful that you’re thinking about how the changes might affect me. Because I’m going to be honest, I would not. I’m dumb as hell.” Before Izumi could counter - Mina was a student in the hero course at the most prestigious high school in all of Japan, she couldn’t be dumb - the rosette pressed on. “What else do I have to worry about? You seem like a quirk nerd. Nerd for me, baby.”

Izumi found herself instinctively reaching for her notebook, which was safely ensconced in her backpack where she’d left it by the door. Lacking that, she began ticking off points on her fingers. “Um, horn care. Your horns look completely different, so we may need to look into new horn care routines. Your ears grew in addition to the obvious points. Is your hearing more sensitive? Do we have to worry about, say, Machan’s explosions near you? I have no idea what those jaw tendrils are or what they may do. How sensitive is your tail? Mine’s pretty dexterous but that comes with the risk that someone can grab it and pull it to cause me pain in a fight. Uh…”

“Can I touch your tail?” Mina leaned in, grinning wickedly. “Can I… fondle your tail?” Izumi blushed and buried her face in her hands, making Mina cackle. “You’re so shy for a succubus. You really need to work on that, Midori.”

Summoning her courage, Izumi raised her head and offered Mina what she hoped was a seductive look despite her blushing cheeks. “Can I fondle your tail? Mina darling?”

Mina squirmed and brought her hands up to her cheeks as they turned purple. Which said… fascinating things about her circulatory system. “Oh my gosh, you just went from cinnamon roll to sinnamon roll. How do you do that?”

Giggling, Izumi leaned in and rubbed her blushing cheek against Mina’s likewise blushing cheek. “I guess it’s natural talent that I just haven’t realized yet.”

“Please don’t get any better. I don’t know if my heart can take it.” Mina buried her face in Izumi’s neck, snuggling against the taller girl. “Aww yes. This is great, Midori. I have a good feeling about this.”

Picking the girl up, Izumi held Mina against her body as she wandered over to where Masama and Ibara were cooking. She plopped Mina down on the counter but kept her girlfriend pulled tight against her as she peered over Mina’s shoulder at what the others were doing. “Oooh. Are you making notsudon, Machan?”

Masama offered a grin and a nod. “You’ve been… reasonably good today. With the exception of the second ball toss. I figured I would reward you to help encourage good habits.” Aww, yay. Masama had sent her photos of her test batch the other day. Panko breaded fried tofu patties, some Simply Eggless, dashi, mirin, soy sauce, and onion over a bed of rice. What wasn’t to love about that?

Clasping her hands, Ibara kept half an eye on the cooking but peeked up at Izumi. “Out of curiosity, Izumi, are we also dating? I will freely admit I am not at all knowledgeable about such things. We share a bond by your own admission, but…” Trailing off, she shrugged helplessly. “What are we, Izumi?”

Izumi nibbled on her lower lip uncertainly. She honestly didn’t know any more about relationships than Ibara. Heck, she didn’t even really know how to have a friendship. Her and Masama were sorting making things up as they went. But… she enjoyed spending time with Ibara. Enjoyed talking to her. Thought she was kind and smart and beautiful. Was that… was that a good enough reason to say yes? Throwing caution to the wind, Izumi decided to seize the moment. It had turned out well in the past. Hopefully her streak would continue. “Shibara, will you go out with me?”

Ibara straightened up, regarding Izumi thoughtfully. She stood like that for nearly a minute as the notsudon patties crackled and popped in the frying pan, and then inclined her head slowly. “I do believe that I will, Izumi. I do believe that I will.”

Letting out a sigh of relief, Izumi stretched one arm out toward Ibara. The vine haired girl eyed it for a moment and then edged around Masama, taking Izumi’s hand and allowing the larger girl to pull her into the little cuddle puddle that was forming on the counter. “We need to figure out an actual first date, since tonight is taken and so is Friday. But… oh my gosh, Shibara, you have no idea how excited I am about this.”

Masama snorted softly. “Fucking gay.”

Raising her head, Mina looked around with a thoughtful expression on her face. “You know what every good polycule needs? An overly complicated shared Google calendar!”

Izumi perked up. “That would be amazing! And each of us can pick a color and add what’s going on in our lives so that everybody else knows what’s going on, and-“

“Midori, I was joking!”

“But it’s a good idea, though!”

Chapter Text

After a delicious lunch came reading the syllabus that Izumi hadn’t seen Masama sneak off to grab copies of, and comparing 1-A’s copy to 1-B’s. Thankfully they seemed largely similar, which meant that they’d be able to study with Ibara much of the time. The main difference seemed to be their Foundational Heroics periods. They had alternating classes with an unnamed teacher - although Izumi had a suspicion who it was - and then Aizawa would teach 1-A on the other days while Ibara’s lessons would be taught by Kan Sekijirou. Who was evidently the pro hero Vlad King? So cool!

It did make Izumi wonder who Aizawa was. He didn’t dress like any hero that she recognized, and she had no idea what his quirk was. If he was teaching at UA High then surely he had to be either an active or retired pro hero… but Izumi couldn’t place him. Which annoyed the heck out of Izumi. What was the point of being a walking hero encyclopedia if it failed her when it counted?

As the evening wore on, Masama decided that she wanted everyone out before ‘the old hag’ could come home and make a nuisance of herself, and so Izumi kissed her goodbye before walking to the station with Ibara and Mina. At the station, she gave Ibara a hug that lingered a bit before watching as she entered the station to make her way home. And then it was just Izumi and Mina, and time for her first ever sleepover.

Thankfully, Mina had grown up in a small apartment and was a respectful enough guest. Energetic, but not noisy. The two of them stayed up in the living room watching anime for longer than probably advisable, broken up by one of her mother’s excellent meals. Eventually, though, Mina grew tired of watching fictional people pummel each other and they went to bed.

Sleeping was a little awkward because Izumi didn’t have a futon for a guest, and Mina wouldn’t have wanted it even if she did. The two crowded into Izumi’s bed, the pink girl becoming the little spoon to Izumi’s big spoon as the verdette hesitantly wrapped her wings around her girlfriend. Izumi stayed awake for a while after Mina fell asleep, listening to her girlfriend breathe and wondering how she’d gotten so lucky.

In the morning, they found that Inko had washed their clothes and so they had fresh uniforms for their second day of high school. After wolfing down omurice, they hurried to the train station and held hands all the way to the stop closest to UA. From there, it was a quick pass through the genkan and they were off to their second ever day of high school.

Izumi chivalrously opened the door for Mina, who giggled and preceded her into the classroom. Looking around, Mina spotted Hagakure perched on Tsuyu’s desk and made a beeline for the pair. "Tooru! Spill! Immediately! How was your date?"

"Well, I mean..." Hagakure held up her hand, which was interlaced with the frog girl's slightly larger hand. "We're dating now, so I'd say that it went pretty well." Oh! Izumi was happy for her. And... shoot. What was the girl's name? "Tsu and I have another date after school today. So it didn't take me much longer to find a girlfriend than it took you. How did your afternoon go?"

Mina clapped her hands together excitedly. “Phenomenally. Bakugou is actually really cool once you get to know her.” From across the room, Masama let out a derisive scoff. “She is, though! And she’s really smart, and an amazing cook!” Blushing faintly, Masama ducked her head but smiled in spite of herself. Mina bounced excitedly and gestured for Izumi to come closer. “And Midori is super smart too and a total quirk nerd! We had a whole discussion about how the changes from yesterday might affect me and my Paladin quirk.”

Cocking her head to the side, the frog girl studied the pair of colorful girls thoughtfully. “First of all, my name is Asui Tsuyu. Please take care of me, kero. And call me Tsu. Secondly, what exactly happened yesterday? Midoriya-“

“Oh! You can call me Izumi!”

“-Izumi kissed Jirou without anything happening, but you changed when she kissed you.” Tsuyu’s dark eyes narrowed at Izumi. “I wouldn’t mind kissing you for your quirk, but not if it turns me into an entire frog or something.”

Hmm. How did she want to explain this to her classmates? Which was basically a small scale test for how she would explain her quirk to the public at large someday. “Okay so my quirk contains a self-idealization component, which makes me into the best me that I can be. Then there’s also a bonding component, that can link me to other people. The two of those combined yesterday: I bonded with Mina when we kissed, and then my quirk transformed her into how she really wanted to look.”

Tsuyu tapped the corner of her mouth with one finger as she considered that. “So I would have to want to turn into a frog for your quirk to turn me into a frog?” Izumi nodded agreeably; that sounded about right, at least based on what she knew about her quirk at this point. “But I don’t want to turn into a frog. So I should be safe if I kiss you, kero.”

Giggling, Tooru leaned toward Izumi. “If you do kiss her, go for some tongue.” Izumi’s eyes widened and her giggles grew louder. “There is… so much tongue.”

Something occurred to Izumi, a niggling memory from science class back in junior high, and she pulled out her phone. After checking to be sure, she peered over the top of her phone at Tsuyu. “Please tell me if this is rude… but don’t only male frogs ribbit? As a mating call?”

“You’re not wrong, kero.” Tsuyu regarded Izumi for a few seconds and then stuck out her free hand to display a bracelet in transgender pride colors. “I like your bow, Midoriya.”

Izumi let out a delighted gasp. “That’s so… ahh! Thank you for entrusting me with that information, Tsu. It really means a lot to me.”

Looking back and forth between the two of them, Tooru made a surprised noise. “Wait, really? Both of you?”

“You didn’t notice when we were changing yesterday?” Tsuyu peered up at Tooru curiously. “It’s kinda hard to miss.”

Tooru leaned toward Tsuyu. “Oh believe me, I noticed. I was just being polite. And, uh, wink. Since you can’t see me winking.”

Evidently they’d cut things closer than Izumi would have liked that morning, because the bell rang before they could continue their conversation. Izumi pressed a kiss to Mina’s lips and then hurried off toward her seat. Sliding into it, she beckoned for Masama to lean backward, and gave the blonde a kiss as a reward when she obliged. Today was going to be a great day, Izumi just knew it.

“You were all seated when I arrived. Not quiet, but seated. Progress over yesterday, with some room for improvement.” Aizawa swept into the room and set a sheaf of papers on the podium, the class quieting down and staring up at him. “Did everyone familiarize themselves with their course schedule?” The response was vaguely affirmative and he offered a pleased nod in return. “Very good. Keep the uproar to a minimum, and the time until first period is yours.”

Turning to face Masama, Izumi smiled excitedly at the blonde. “Our first day of Foundational Heroics. Are you excited?”

Raising her hand, Masama wobbled it from side to side. “It’s only the second day of class. I’m not getting my hopes up. We’ll probably go over the syllabus and discuss a bunch of stuff. Boring as fuck.”

“Eh, you’re right. But it’s still our first Foundational Heroics class, so I’m excited. The first step toward achieving our dreams.” Izumi reached out and grabbed Masama’s hand before glancing over at Mina. She hummed thoughtfully and turned back to Masama. “Are you going to make everyone fight you before they date you?”

Masama’s red eyes widened. “Who the what now? The fuck are you on about? You’re the harem protagonist here. I’m just one of the love interests.” She paused and then amended that. “But still the shounen manga protagonist. I’m going to be number one. Just, you know, maybe dating you. If you can beat me.”

Shaking her head, Izumi squeezed her hand. “But I was thinking about this last night. Because I couldn’t sleep. Mina makes the cutest snuffling noise in her sleep? But also yeah. Thinking. And I know that my quirk is sorta setting me up as the focal point of a harem, but I don’t really want to be. I want to be polyamorous. And so that’s why I brought this up with you.”

Masama eyed her uncertainly as she rubbed her thumb over the back of Izumi’s hand. “Your ass is not nice enough to convince me to date a bunch of other girls, Deku. Sorry.” Izumi stared at her pleadingly and she sighed, looking away. “Ugh. Those eyes should be outlawed. Especially since your transformation. You just look at me the right way and… ugh.”

Batting her eyelashes, Izumi tried her best to smile invitingly at Masama. That was something she was going to have to practice in a mirror, she decided, especially now that she was a succubus. Playful expressions, inviting expressions, seductive expressions. All sorts of expressions. “Would you start getting closer to my girlfriends? For me, Machan? Pretty please?”

“Jesus fuck, stop that. Fine. Fucking fine.” Masama huffed and pulled her hand out of Izumi’s crossing her arms over her chest. “Specifically. What do you want me to do?”

Preening at her minor victory, Izumi grabbed Masama’s hands again, both of them this time. “You should take Mina out to an arcade after school. She likes dancing, I’m sure she likes rhythm games. And then you can walk her to the train station.”

Masama considered that for a bit, shot a glance over at Mina, and then sighed. “Fine. What are you going to be doing after school?“

“Simple.” Izumi grinned mischievously at Masama. “I’m going to go around kissing girls to see if I bond with anyone else.” Masama’s jaw dropped and the verdette giggled. “Kidding. Kidding. I don’t know. Depends what Shibara’s doing. If she’s not interested… maybe something with Kyouka? Or Mineta? I would love to get to know them better.”

Before they could continue, Aizawa breezed out of the room and was replaced by Present Mic, and classes started for the day. Izumi stared up at the podium attentively through their core classes, all of which were taught by licensed heroes. First period was with Present Mic for English, and Cementoss was their Modern Literature teacher. Then came Ectoplasm to teach them math, and finally Modern Hero Art History with Midnight of all people. It was all just so cool!

Then came lunch and Izumi found herself tucked into a corner with Ibara, Mina, and Masama as they enjoyed Lunch Rush’s stellar cuisine. Such good food, and for so cheap! Truly UA was the pinnacle of the educational experience. Once she was finished eating - nutrition came first, especially since they still didn’t know what they were doing this afternoon - Izumi turned to Ibara. “Shibara! Do you want to go out somewhere after school? It doesn’t have to be anything big. Maybe just a walk in a park? I just want to spend time with you.”

Clasping her hands on the table in front of her, Ibara made a thoughtful noise as she considered the request. “Would you be amenable to doing so tomorrow instead? I was rather hoping to spend some time with Mina this afternoon.”

Mina perked up at that and gestured to herself. “You want to go out with me? Me? Instead of Midori? Seems fake, but I’ll allow it.”

“Forgive me but… you seem fascinating, Mina. We are so very different, but have found ourselves tied together by fate. I fear that no matter what happens from here, you may in fact be the person that I have the hardest time becoming accustomed to.” Ibara stretched out a vine across the table, letting it hover uncertainly in front of Mina. “Accordingly, I would like to… get out in front of things, as they say. Mina, would you like to go out on a date?”

Gasping excitedly, Mina grabbed Ibara’s vine and twisted it around her wrist. “Absolutely! Ahh! Shibara! We’re going to have so much fun! What would you like to do? Go to a cafe?”

Ibara nodded agreeably. “Could we find one that features a reasonably robust menu? I would like to sample natto for the first time with someone who enjoys it as much as you do.” As Mina squealed happily, Ibara looked over at Izumi and smiled. “Bond knowledge.”

Oh! So the bonds went in every direction? Her to girls, girls to her, girls to girls? That was so exciting! It was going to be so much easier to forge a polycule if all of her girlfriends were bonded to each other. Izumi giggled and waggled her fingers at Masama. “Guess you’ll have to wait until tomorrow to ask Mina on a date. Hopefully I’m a good consolation prize.”

Masama smirked in response. “I’ll survive.”

When they finished lunch, Ibara reached into her bag and pulled out a concerning large blade, lopping off the vine that she had extended to Mina and leaving her hair uniformly chin length again. She smiled sheepishly and placed the severed vine on her tray, dumping it into the trash as they passed. “I find myself feeling somewhat more conscious about my appearance.”

“Shibara, don’t. You’re beautiful no matter what. If you want to have mismatched vines so that you have something to work with for your quirk? That’s fine.” Izumi grabbed Ibara’s hand and squeezed it tightly. “You shouldn’t feel the need to be anyone other than your absolute self around us.” Ibara teared up a little at that, and Izumi gave the girl a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek before letting Masama pull her back toward their classroom.

Sitting in the classroom waiting for the bell after lunch to ring was literally the most exciting thing that Izumi had ever experienced. Based on the chatter as they headed out to lunch, nobody else even suspected what was coming next. But she had a really good idea. And she was… was there a word beyond excited? She was ebullient! This was going to be so cool!

"I am… here! Coming through the door like a hero!" Izuku let out a high pitched squeal and then clapped her hands over her mouth in embarrassment as All Might lunged through the door and strutted up to the podium. Hah! She was right! And even if all they did was read the syllabus, they would be reading the syllabus with All Might and that was just fine with Izumi. “Welcome to the most important class at UA High! Think of it as Heroing 101! Here you will learn the basics of being a pro! And what it means to fight in the name of good!" He flexed for a few seconds before reaching behind his back. "Let's get into it! Today's lesson will… pull no punches!"

All Might held up a card that read ‘Battle’ and Izumi looked back to find Masama grinning fiercely at her. This was right up the blonde’s alley. She was in her element. Izumi… slightly less so, but she was no less excited to have any excuse to show off her quirk again. “Machan!”

“I know, Deku, I know.” Masama chuckled lowly. “I have never been happier to be wrong in my entire life.”

“I thought you were never wrong?”

“Shut up, Deku, and pay attention.”

"But one of the keys of being a hero is… looking good! These were designed for you based on your quirk registration forms and the requests you sent in before school started!" There was a soft whine as racks holding numbered cases emerged from the left wall of the classroom. Izumi vibrated excitedly; she and Masama had worked together to submit their entries and if the school had followed their designs? They were both going to look super cool! "Get yourselves suited up and then meet me at Training Ground Beta! Except you, young Yaoyorozu and young Uraraka. Please stay behind for a moment."

Izumi shot a concerned look back at Momo, who waved dismissively. Oh. Okay. If Momo wasn't concerned, Izumi wasn't going to invent problems on her behalf. Rising to her feet, she hurried over to collect her costume case and then made her way out the door, heading down the hallway to the locker room for the second time.

Setting her costume case down on the bench, Izumi began investigating what was inside. She had... a top. A skirt. Boots. Gloves. A belt. And a cape. Everything she'd asked for, and it all looked reasonably close to what she'd specified on her registration sheet: 'take this design and then print All Might's Young Age costume over it'. She was beyond excited. And so she stripped down and began putting on her costume.

The others filed in behind her, each with their own costume case, and Momo brought up the rear with her arm wrapped around Ochako's waist. Izumi shot the pair a curious look and Momo waved again. "I suppose it won't be a secret once we start class exercises. Starchild and I are registered as a hero duo in training. Accordingly, there are certain special considerations given to our academics. Specifically, All Might is required to place us on the same team for any practical activity involving two or more participants working together. We need to ensure their our training adequately reflects our future."

"That's actually really cool!" Izumi turned to Masama, a hopeful expression on her face. "Machan!"

"Nope. Next number one hero here, not the next number one hero team." Masama reached out, playfully flicking the end of Izumi's nose. "You're on your own, Deku."

Izumi pouted but turned her attention back to her costume. She was pretty sure it was made of some sort of self healing fabric, because the back smoothed itself out and melded into one piece once she got it arranged around her wings. Gosh, she looked so cool. Hopefully All Might would agree.

Looking over, she grinned as she watched Masama caress a pair of giant grenade bracers. Not big enough to be a hindrance, but definitely feature elements of her costume. The blonde quite frankly looked amazing, and Izumi was going to make a point to grab a selfie with her at some point to immortalize their first day of training.

Tsuyu had a green and black wetsuit with a pair of goggles and a tan harness and belt. Hagakure had... Izumi made a delighted noise. DNA fabric? Or something else that would turn invisible with her? So cool. Todoroki’s outfit was a simple blue dress with some accessories, making Izumi wonder what the girl’s heroic identity was going to be. Kyouka had a very punk rock looking outfit, and Mina had... a full suit of gleaming metal armor? Izumi didn't know much about paladins, to be honest. Were they supposed to have armor? Was that just Mina's aesthetic? It was cool either way. Izumi just had questions.

When Ochako pulled off her uniform shirt to change, Izumi let out a loud gasp. There was a large bruise mark stretching along the brunette's right trapezius, ranging upward onto her neck. Between the the collar of her shirt and blazer and how she wore her hair, it hadn't been visible before now, but it was sure visible now. Momo noticed the attention Izumi was paying to her girlfriend and grinned smugly at the verdette. "In the words of a delightful novelty shirt that my Starchild bought for me... I leave bite marks."

Ochako shot a look back at Izumi and then looked back up at Momo. Pressing up against the ravenette, Ochako smiled up at her girlfriend lovingly. "Go-chako likes it when you do."

Holy heck. Okay then. Izumi was passingly aware of love bites, hickeys, whatever people wanted to call them but... that seemed like a little much. The more she stared at it, though, the more curious she got, and then she let her gaze drift over to Masama. The blonde snorted and shook her head. "Absolutely not, Deku. Biting is fine. That… is not.”

Momo raised an eyebrow at that. "You let yours talk back to you like that?"

That made Masama bristle. "The fuck you say?"

"The sass is part of the fun." Izumi giggled and winked at Masama, who huffed in annoyance. Doing her best not to stare, the verdette watched as Momo changed into a rather revealing leotard that she layered what was evidently her signature haori over, while Ochako donned a red and black jumpsuit with a bold white 'Yaoyorozu Aerospace' that stretched across her chest. Izumi had never seen a hero be so blatant about their corporate ties before, but there was a first time for everything.

Actually, Izumi was just... insanely curious at this point and sincerely hoped that she wasn't about to lose a new friend - or two - by being nosy. "So what exactly is the story between the two of you?" Ochako and Momo looked over at her and Izumi gestured back and forth between them. "You're dating, and Ochako helps you with your content, but then your parents are sponsoring Ochako as a hero? Is that... appropriate?"

Momo threw her arm around Ochako's shoulders, pulling the brunette against her. "I can understand why there would be the appearance of impropriety from the outside, but I assure you that it's less unseemly than it seems on the surface. Starchild was selected by my parents out of over three hundred candidates who applied for the Yaoyorozu Industries Exemplar scholarship program. She came to live with us at the beginning of her junior high career, so that she could undergo intensive training and tutoring to prepare her to enter the hero course in high school. We spent most of every day together for three years and, well, along the way we fell in love."

Aww. That was actually sorta romantic, now that Izumi knew the truth. Masama evidently saw things differently, though. "So you're dating the hired help? That's fucking classy."

Izumi shot her a reproachful look. "Machan! That's so rude of you!"

Rather than look offended, Momo seemed genuinely amused at Masama's perspective of her relationship. "I suppose that's one way of looking at me and my Starchild's relationship. I can assure you, however, that our feelings for each other are genuine and that while I am ostensibly in a position of power over her, I have at no point taken advantage of that to influence her unduly."

"No, you just buy Go-chako the most extravagant gifts to ruin her for other women." Ochako grinned up at Momo and winked. "Go-chako thanks you for the Uravicycle, even if she's not old enough to legally drive it yet."

"Think nothing of it, Starchild." Momo pressed a kiss to the top of Ochako's head before elaborating for the others. "It's a three hundred cubic centimeter Yamaha XMAX done up to match her costume colors. She can get her Ordinary Motorcycle license next January, and that class is authorized to operate on expressways as well as surface roads. Until she masters the ability to fly, she'll have unparalleled urban mobility."

Wrapping an arm around Izumi's waist, Masama snorted softly. "Skill issue. We can already fly."

Izumi rolled her eyes and bumped her hip against the blonde's. "We can, but a motorcycle is still really cool. Can you buy me a motorcycle, Machan?" She snorted and pulled away, making Izumi giggle softly before smiling at Momo and Ochako. "No, seriously, you guys have an adorable relationship and I'm really happy for you. Dibs on riding pillion on the Uravicycle after you get your license, though."

Momo smirked back at the verdette. "You'll have to wait until she's seventeen for that... and then you'll have to wait your turn."

Once everyone was ready, the girls headed out to the battle center as a group. The boys seemed just as excited as them for their first day of Foundational Heroics, and were waiting when the girls arrived. All Might clapped his hands together excitedly as he looked them over. "They say the clothes make the pros, young ladies and gentlemen. And behold! You are the proof! Take this to heart: from now on, you are all heroes in training!"

Izumi beamed up at Masama and then hugged her arm. They were finally starting their journey to become heroes! Together! This was so exciting! Masama shot her a tolerantly bemused look and rubbed her cheek against Izumi’s forehead. “Today is the day I beat you, Deku.”

“Pfft. You can try.”

"This is getting me all revved up! You look so cool!" All Might's gaze swept back and forth over the assembled class. "Now! Shall we get started, you bunch of newbies?"

As one, the class called out an answer. "Yes, sir!"

All Might clapped his hands together excitedly. "Now that you're ready, it's time for combat training!"

"Sir! This is the fake city from our entrance exam." The boy gestured to their surroundings and it took Izumi a moment to place him. The blue haired boy with engines in his legs. Izumi needed to introduce herself to him later; his quirk seemed fascinating. "Does that mean that we'll be conducting urban battles again?"

"Not quite! I'm going to move you... two steps ahead!" All Might held up two fingers as he smiled excitedly at them. Izumi smiled back just as excitedly, albeit a bit uncertainly. Given that the man’s entire advice to her on using One for All had been 'clench your butt cheeks', the verdette wasn't sure they should be skipping any steps... but obviously she didn’t want to protest. "Most of the villain fights that you see on the news take place outside. However, statistically speaking, run ins with the most dastardly evildoers take place indoors. Think about it! Backroom deals. Home invasions. Secret underground lairs. Truly intelligent criminals stay hidden in the shadows. For this training exercise, you'll be split into teams of good guys and bad guys and fight two-on-two indoor battles!"

Tsuyu looked around uncertainly before verbalizing exactly what was on Izumi’s mind. Because while on one hand, the whole thing seemed very exciting. But on the other... "Isn't this a little advanced?" Yes. That. Thank you, Tsuyu.

All Might shook his head vehemently. "The best training is what you get on the battlefield! But remember, you can't just punch a robot this time. You're dealing with actual people now."

"Sir, will you be the one deciding who wins?"

"How much can we hurt the other team?"

"Do we need to worry about the losers getting expelled like earlier?"

"Will you be splitting us up based on chance or comparative skill?"

"Isn't this cape tres chic?"

"...I wasn't finished talking." Reaching into his pocket, All Might pulled out a piece of paper. "Listen up! The situation is this: the villains have hidden a nuclear missile somewhere in their hideout. The heroes must try to foil their plans. To do that, the good guys either have to catch the evildoers or recover the weapon. Likewise, the bad guys succeed if they protect their payload or capture the heroes." He pulled out a bright yellow box helpfully labeled 'Lots' and held it out toward them. "Time's limited, and we'll choose teams by drawing lots."

The engine boy raised his hand to speak again and Masama sneered at him. "Just shut up and go with it. He's the teacher. He can do what he wants."

Chuckling, All Might offered Masama a thumbs up. "I can! And so I am! Let's draw!" Momo cleared her throat and he sighed before reaching into the box, pulling out a matching pair of balls. “Right, right. Yaoyorozu, Uraraka, come collect your balls. You are Team A.”

Making her way up to the box, Izumi pulled a ball out and looked down at it. She was going to be Team B? Cool. Wait. Was that a hero team or a villain team? Not that it really mattered; she would enjoy the exercise either way. Masama followed close behind her, pulling a Team D ball. That made Izumi pout. She’d been hoping to team up with the blonde.

Moving to stand between two boxes helpfully marked 'Villain' and 'Hero', All Might stuffed a hand into each. "I declare that the first teams to fight will be..." The blond held up a black ball with a D on it and a white ball with an B on it. "These guys! Team B will be the heroes! Team D will be the villains! Everyone else can head to the monitoring room to watch."

Oh! She was going to be fighting against Masama! That was just as cool as being on her team, to be honest. Izumi looked around curiously. “Who else is on Team B with me? Uh, who else is on Team D with Machan?”

Mina came bouncing over to Izumi with a clank of metal. “Guess who, girlfriend? We’re on Team B together!”

Nearby, Masama was pairing up with the yellow haired boy, who was sending her frankly appraising looks. Masama huffed and pushed at the boy’s shoulders. “I’m here to kick Deku’s ass, Sparky, not flirt. Keep it in your pants.”

As the rest of the class broke off to head for the monitoring room, Izumi hugged Mina and then frowned. “I do like hugging you… but hugging armor isn’t fun. Oh well. I’ll get used to it.”

“Sorry, Midori. Being a paladin means putting yourself between everyone else and danger, and so I sorta wanted to hedge my bets when it came to soaking damage.” Mina peered down at herself and then shrugged. “I’ll be fun to hug the rest of the time, I promise.”

Fair enough. All Might led the quartet to a five story office building. "Bad guys, you can go on in and get set up. In five minutes, the good guys will be let loose and the battle will start." He opened the door and gestured for Masama and her teammate to enter. "Young Kaminari! Young Bakugou!" Oh! She had a name for the yellow haired boy now. Score. "The key to being successful in this challenge is to embody villainy. Think from the perspective of an evildoer."

Masama looked over at Izumi and grinned wickedly. "Got it."

"If things go too far, I'll step in." And with that All Might gave Izumi a broad smile and a thumbs up before turning and hurrying off to the monitoring room. Masama winked and shut the door behind her, and then Izumi was alone with Mina.

Mina promptly threw her arms around Izumi and pressed their lips together. After a few seconds, she pulled back and giggled. "If we have five minutes to prepare, we should spend all of it kissing so that you're at maximum strength when we go in there."

Kissing Mina's nose, Izumi giggled in return. "I appreciate the enthusiasm, but I have some baseline strength without Succubus charging. I feel like if we only have five minutes to prepare, we should be looking at the blueprint that he left us and coming up with a strategy. Like... Kaminari has an electrical quirk, if I remember correctly from the assessment test. That would be a bad matchup for you."

Looking down at her metal armor, Mina sucked in a breath. "Yeah, I can make shields with my quirk but if he gets through that... I am in for a bad time. Shit. Um. Do you have a plan?"

"Um, do you have any ranged ability?" Mina nodded and Izumi rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "I should probably try to tie both of them up in close range, and then let you take shots at them. Machan is going to come straight for me; she's been waiting for this for too long not to. I don't know if she'll let Kaminari come with her. We're kinda doing the fated rivals thing on top of being best friends and maybe girlfriends? She'll probably want to prove herself against me by herself, without needing anyone's help."

Mina rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "Yeah, that sounds about right. I've only known her for a day at this point and... yeah. She's very proud. How has she taken the fact that she's come in second to you twice now?"

Shrugging sheepishly, Izumi rubbed the back of her head. "Well, maybe the third time will be the charm?" Mina stared at her with a deadpan expression and the verdette raised her hands between them. "What? It's part of what I lo... admire about her. Her tenacity. Her commitment. She genuinely thinks she can be the number one hero some day and will stop at nothing to achieve that."

Leaning in, Mina grinned widely. "Midori. Were you about to say you love her?"

"Uh... maybe?" Izumi slumped a little. "I don't know. We have a sorta complicated past, and we're just now really starting to get along. Maybe I'm moving too fast, but I've known her for fifteen years. And after the past month and a half of the two of us being on the same page and really clicking? I don't know. Maybe I do love her. Does it matter? I feel like it won't change anything. She told me no dating until I beat her in the Sports Festival, and I don't see her going back on that."

Whatever Mina was going to say in response was cut of as there was a crackle from the speaker mounted on the outside of the building. "All right! Let's begin the indoor combat training! Team B and Team D! Your time starts now!"

Chapter Text

"All right! Let's begin the indoor combat training! Team B and Team D! Your time starts now!"

Flinging the door open, Izumi charged inside and raced down the hallway. There was no point in being careful; Masama wasn't the type to lay traps or wait to ambush her. Kaminari had probably been left behind at the bomb. So all she had to do was charge... Masama would have put the bomb on the lowest floor, just to minimize the distance between herself and confrontation. So pretty much just run in a straight line down the main hall toward the big open room at the end and prepare for the inevitable.

Her prediction bore out as she heard the crackle of explosion and Masama came flying down the hall at her. "Third time's the charm, Deku! Consider this a preview of our Sports Festival fight! Show me what you've got!"

Summoning One for All, Izumi grinned excitedly and rose to the challenge. Masama opened with her signature right hook, the same way she'd started every schoolyard fight that Izumi had ever seen, and Izumi twisted to the side and grabbed her by the wrist. Pivoting, she slammed Masama into the wall and leaned in, kissing her on the nose. "Boop. What else you got?"

Snarling, Masama twisted in her grip. "Are you going to make this whole fight really fucking homoerotic?"

Izumi's eyes widened and she nodded eagerly. "I am, though!"

From where she was leaning against the wall, Mina giggled. "Gay, gay, homosexual, gay." The pair looked over at her and she waved dismissively. "Don't mind me. I'm just gonna enjoy the show."

"Fucking... ugh. I had to have romantic tension with a girl with an enhancer quirk." Bringing one leg up, Masama planted a foot in Izumi's stomach and forced her back, freeing herself. Spinning nimbly and using her explosions for propulsion, the blonde slammed her foot into Izumi's jaw and sent her stumbling all the way back to hit the opposite wall. "There we go. That's more like it."

Izumi reached up and rubbed at the corner of her mouth, coming away with a little blood. So she was more durable with One for All, but she was only like... two percent as durable as All Might at the moment. Good to know. Flapping her wings, she threw herself back toward Masama and threw a sloppy punch at the girl. "I really need to get some actual combat training. I have no idea what I'm doing right now."

Dodging the punch, Masama circled around Izumi and tried to kick her in the back. The verdette awkwardly caught the kick and yanked upward, flipping her opponent backward. Masama let out a startled squawk but managed to stabilize herself using explosions and land nimbly. “Fuck, I should have taken some karate lessons or kickboxing or… something. You know what you should do? Capoeira. Especially being able to whip that tail around as an extra limb.”

Pulling back a bit, Izumi considered that. Capoeira? That was the Brazilian martial art, right? All jumping and spinning and stuff? It would definitely be different from how All Might fought… but she was not a giant muscular man, so maybe that wouldn’t be a bad idea. “Like… this?” Leaping forward, she twisted around and executed a horribly clumsy imitation of what she saw in her mind’s eye. She succeeded in slapping Masama across the face with her tail, though, so… not bad for a first try?

“Oh! Oh!” Off to the side, Mina waved her hand excitedly to get Izumi’s attention. “First of all, you literally throwing ass at your opponent? Love it. Secondly. You’re a succubus. What if you infuse that attack with your kiss power and call it Hot Piece of Tail or something?”

Bringing her hand up to her face, Masama sighed. “Please don’t encourage her. She comes up with enough dumb ideas on her own.”

Izumi giggled and nodded as she threw herself into another twisting jump, smacking Masama with her tail again. “I really do! This is actually kinda fun, though! I wonder if there’s someone on campus who can give me lessons?”

“Ugh, I’m supposed to be proving myself against you!” Masama recovered from her twin tail slaps and launched herself forward again. “Let’s get serious, Deku!”

Doing her best to adopt a serious expression, Izumi couldn’t help but smile as she lunged forward to meet the blonde. She was in the hero course training with Masama. Literally a dream come true. “How serious are we supposed to get when neither of us really knows what we’re doing, Machan? You can’t just explode me to death like a robot.”

Masama grinned viciously. “I can try!” Lunging in, she pressed her hands to Izumi’s chest and promptly froze, blushing faintly. Izumi looked down at where the blonde’s hands were on her breasts and then back up before raising an eyebrow. “It’s not my fault you have anime titties! Just… fucking die!”

A loud explosion rent the air and Izumi found herself rocketing down the hallway until she flared her wings to arrest her flight. Cringing, she rubbed at her chest, which now bore a large burn mark. “Okay, so we’re not letting Machan do that again. Ow.” Rubbing it, she frowned. “Mina, Machan might not want help but I’m okay with it.”

Reaching back, Mina unsheathed a ridiculous looking sword and swung it around a few times experimentally before nodding resolutely. “Tyr guide my hand! For Midgard!” The glowing sigil appeared in front of her forehead again as she launched herself at Masama. Closing into range, she twisted the blade ninety degrees and swung the flat at Masama. The blonde reached up to slap at the sword and let out a shout as she was launched backward in a flash of pink light. “Bakugou, I’m a literal magical girl. The sword isn’t a sword, the sword is a conduit.”

“So what, Divine Smite or some shit?” Climbing back to her feet, Masama rolled her shoulders before nodding resolutely. “Got it. Let’s try this again.” And she threw herself at Mina, firing off an explosion as the rosette raised her sword to block. That weakened Mina's grip on her sword and allowed Masama to slip inside the rosette's guard. She placed her hand on Mina’s stomach before firing off one of her biggest explosions of the morning. “Die!”

The explosion sent Mina sailing backward, landing on her back and skidding for several meters with the shriek of metal. Wanting to buy her time to recover, Izumi threw herself at Masama and tried to sweep the blonde’s feet out from under her. Masama launched herself into the air on little explosions, steering herself toward the wall. Kicking off it, she propelled herself at Izumi with her hands raised and ready. Izumi rose to her feet smoothly, crackling with energy as she unleashed an uppercut.

The attack landed and Masama was thrown off course by the hit. Landing, she grabbed Izumi by her outstretched arm and twisted around, firing off little explosions to accelerate herself. She hurled Izumi down the hall toward Mina, the verdette skidding for a meter or two before coming to a stop. "Fuck. I'm supposed to announce my attacks first, right? I wanna get more of a spin going, but I was going to call that the Explode-A-Pult."

"Machan, you're so cool." Izumi looked down at her hands and then nodded determinedly. "I'm probably just going to keep using All Might's attacks until I come up with some of my own... and then I'll name them Smashes too."

Masama shook her head fondly. "Fucking nerd. You're such a fangirl."

Giggling, Izumi nodded. "I am!" You know what, though? There was no time or place like a battle trial to try throwing a smash that wouldn't put her in the hospital. She gave a hard flap of her wings, throwing herself forward toward Masama. The blonde promptly responded by using her explosions to shoot forward at Izumi. Drawing her arm back, Izumi summoned what stored power she had banked from Succubus and added it to the low level of One for All that she'd been holding through the entire exercise. "Detroit..."

Eyes widening, Masama threw her hands up in front of her and fired twin explosions to try and abort her attack. "Oh fuck no."

"Smash!" Izumi drove her fist into Masama's stomach with two percent of One for All enhanced by Succubus, and felt the blonde fold in half around her attack. Then Masama reversed direction and went flying back in the direction she'd come from, hitting the wall hard. Eyes widening, Izumi took a step toward her. "Machan! Are you okay?"

Sliding down the wall, Masama landed on her feet. Holding up a finger, she shook her head. "Hang on, I just need to..." Turning her head, she promptly vomited up what looked like everything that Izumi had seen her eat for lunch, and possibly the remains of her breakfast too. After almost a minute of that, she straightened up with a ragged breath and drew the back of her hand across her mouth. "Okay, let's go."

Izumi put her hands on her hips and shook her head vehemently. "We are not. All Might! Can we call off the exercise? I think we've proven that Machan is a match for the two of us and... I think we need a hazmat team before the next team goes?"

There was a brief pause and then All Might's voice came over the radio. "I suppose this means the villain team wins? They managed to hold you off for... most of the allotted time. You didn't capture the two villains, nor did you reach your objective. So... villain team wins!"

Masama pumped her fist into the air triumphantly, and then winced and groaned as the sudden movement aggravated her stomach. "Ugh, that fucking sucked. And was embarrassing as hell. Deku, I changed my mind. This counts as a draw. You didn't beat me, but I didn't beat you. So... yeah. Until next time."

Moving over to Masama, Mina crouched down. "Let me see your stomach." The blonde flinched again as she lifted her shirt, and both Mina and Izumi sucked in a breath at the mottled bruise that was already forming. Looking up at Masama, Mina winked playfully. "Chat, how do we feel about me turning my healing power into Lay On Lips?"

"The fuck are you on about, Raccoon Eyes?" Masama gestured down at her stomach emphatically. "Are you going to heal me or not?"

Giggling, Mina pursed her lips. "What if I want to heal you the way Recovery Girl does? Magical smooch power?"

Izumi snickered softly. "Machan really does have a nice stomach, doesn't she?"

"She does!" Mina leaned in toward the blonde. "And I want to kiss it."

Sighing, Masama leaned her head back and stared up at the ceiling. “This is literally what I’m signing up for, isn’t it? Ugh. Fine. You can… you can kiss my stomach, Raccoon Eyes.” Mina whispered something under her breath and then pressed a kiss to Masama’s stomach. As they watched, the bruising faded away to reveal perfect skin again. Masama sighed, paused, and then stiffened. “Is the entire fucking class watching this shit?”

Izumi peered up at the ceiling and shrugged. “Possibly? Probably. What’s the matter, Machan? Ashamed to be seen with us all of a sudden?”

“Yes.” Despite her words, Masama slipped her hand into Izumi's as they began heading for the exit. "Uh, should someone go get Sparky?"

After thinking for a moment, Izumi shrugged. "He can find his way back on his own, right? He's a reasonably capable young adult. Or at least I assume he is. He's in the hero course. Surely he's at least vaguely competent?"

As they made their way down the hall, Mina looked over at Masama and pouted. "Question. Can I sleep over on Friday too? Your house is huge. There's gotta be room for me."

"Don't do it, Machan." Giggling, Izumi leaned toward the blonde and lowered her voice in a stage whisper. "She hogs the covers."

Mina scoffed at that. "Girl, I just grabbed your wing and wrapped it around me all night. The only covers I was hogging was you."

Chuckling, Masama shook her head. "You know what? Sure. And you can pass an invite to Tangela on your date this afternoon, and with our luck Deku will have kissed two or three more girls by then. Let's just make it one big fucking party at my house."

"Question." Izumi peeked over at Masama curiously. "Do they have to be bond girlfriends to be invited to the sleepover, or just girls I'm kissing? Because I don't know why I'm not bonding with Kyouka, but she seems pretty cool and I feel like I'd enjoy spending more time with her. Can I invite Kyouka?"

"Sure, what the fuck."

The trio made their way back to the monitoring room, where All Might was waiting with the class. He patted Izumi on the shoulder as she passed before turning to the rest of the class. "Who has feedback for our first teams of heroes and villains?"

Mineta thrust his hand into the air. "It could have been sexier?" At the looks he received, he raised both hands defensively. "No, I just mean... Izumi is a succubus, right? She sorta has a built in brand or persona because of her quirk. Think about how Midnight handles encounters. From the moment she arrives on the scene until they load the villains into the police cars, she's completely in character. Obviously we're still in training, but that's something Izumi needs to work on. Is she a succubus? Or isn't she?"

Looking down at Mineta, Kyouka made a thoughtful noise. "You know what? You have a good point, Minoru."

"Thanks, Kyouji." The violette raised an eyebrow and Mineta shrugged. "You told me I could call you Kyouka. Kyouka is who you are. Kyouji is who you want to be. And I know you're going to be her someday." As Kyouka blushed faintly, Mineta turned back to the combatants and nodded firmly. "So yeah. Could have been sexier."

Rubbing his chin, All Might nodded. "He has a point. You're not just going to be the Symbol of Peace someday, my girl. You're going to be the Succubus of Peace! Let me talk to Midnight about setting up some private lessons for you." Izumi let out a high pitched squeal and he chuckled before moving on. "Young Midoriya's performance aside, who else has thoughts?"

Momo raised her hand. "It highlights a shortcoming inherent in the general entrance exam process, at least for our school year. Bakugou ranked second, and Izumi ranked first. But neither of them is capable of fighting a human opponent yet. The exam gave preference to flashy, frankly destructive quirks over people capable of displaying greater finesse or skill." Pausing, she looked over at Izumi and smiled awkwardly. "No offense intended."

"I mean, I didn't know I could enhance until literally the day of the entrance exam, so I feel like I'm actually doing pretty okay?" Izumi rubbed the back of her head sheepishly as Masama squeezed her other hand. "Like, I guess you're not wrong in a sense but also... I didn't know half of what my quirk could do until I was placed in a combat situation and learned on my feet?"

Kyouka nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I don't exactly know how you'd train being able to destroy a skyscraper with a punch?" That earned her some odd looks and she pantomimed throwing a punch. "Izumi took out the zero pointer with a single punch." As jaws around the room dropped, Kyouka looked over at Izumi uncertainly. "Are we... you never gave me permission to use your first name."

That made Izumi grin. "Kyouka, we've kissed. You can absolutely use my first name."

"Okay, cool." Kyouka let out a sigh of relief before continuing. "But yeah. Like, I feel like we should be cutting Izumi a little slack here? At a minimum?"

Mineta smirked up at her. "Are you just saying that because you're down bad for Izumi?"

Letting out a noise halfway between a chuckle and a snort, Kyouka swatted him playfully. "I really am, though."

Looking over at Izumi in surprise, Momo ducked her head apologetically. "Forgive me, Izumi. I didn't know. That doesn't excuse Bakugou, though. Or... Ashido."

"Mina!"

"Mina." Momo peered at the girl curiously. "Do you have any idea how to use the sword that you requested as part of your hero costume?"

"I do not!" Mina shrugged and looked down at her sword for a few seconds before reaching back to sheath it. "No offense, but what the hell sort of teenager would legitimately have sword training in this day and age?"

Momo raised her hand slowly, looked around, and slowly lowered her hand when she realized she was the only one with her hand in the air. "I see. Very well. Objection with... wait. Am I allowed to object to Bakugou's lack of combat prowess, at least? What's her excuse?"

Sighing, Masama rolled her eyes. "Yeah, that's on me. I spent a lot of time practicing how to use my quirk and improve it, but I never really thought about mixing it with any formal fighting style. I guess I just expected my quirk to take me as far as I needed to go in life. Which, in my defense, my quirk is pretty fucking awesome."

"Ha ha! It is awesome, though!" All Might clapped Masama on the back mightily, making the blonde jerk forward. "To be honest, the purpose of this exercise is to let me evaluate where each of you stands, Yaoyorozu. A baseline. If that baseline is that most of you lack combat training, that's completely acceptable in my mind. It just gives me a starting line to work from for our future classes."

Momo nodded in understanding. "I see. I feel that Starchild and I may ruin the curve for the rest of the class, but I will endeavor to set my expectations for my classmates more appropriately going forward."

Without further ado, Momo and Ochako set out for their battle trial as the heroes invading the base of Todoroki and… wow, that was a lot of arms. Oh! He was growing more arms! Izumi stared after the boy in rapt fascination. What a cool quirk! As the door shut behind them, Izumi turned to Masama and Mina. “Predictions?”

“Creamsicle makes ice. Easy Bake Oven can make anything she wants. If she creates the appropriate counter? Creamsicle is cooked. Possibly literally.” Masama leaned against Izumi and then looked over, snickering softly. “Oh hey, you made it back. Eventually.”

Kaminari let out an aggravated groan as he made his way over to them. “I didn’t agree with Bakugou’s plan so I was still hauling the bomb to safety when the match ended. And then I got lost trying to find my way out of the building! I have a terrible sense of direction.”

Reaching out, Izumi patted Kaminari’s arm consolingly. “Machan absolutely isn’t sorry-“

“I’m really not.”

“-but I am. Next time we’ll make sure we’re all accounted for before we head out.” Izumi smiled brightly at Kaminari, who smiled back at her. Then his smile turned flirtatious and the verdette immediately jerked a thumb at Mina. “We’re dating.”

That declaration made Kaminari slump for a moment, and then he rebounded and looked over at Masama. The blonde raised an eyebrow at that. “Shouldn’t me giving you a rude nickname be a hint?”

Shooting finger guns at Masama, Kaminari grinned widely. “You can’t hurt my feelings, but I like pain.”

Masama reached up and pinched the bridge of her nose. “Christ. I’m surrounded by idiots.” She turned to Izumi. “You know what? I’m gonna let you handle this one for me.”

Clapping her hands together, Izumi gasped excitedly. “Okay so you cannot date my Machan. Sorry. But let’s not waste an opportunity. You know what we can turn this into? Like, a clique. Or a squad. A Bakusquad!” Izumi darted forward and nudged Kaminari toward Masama before looking around thoughtfully. The red-haired boy was off to one side and Izumi zipped over, grabbing him. “Do you want to be friends with Machan?”

The boy rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “She does seem pretty manly. And having some friends in my class would be pretty awesome.”

From over with Masama, Mina thrust her fist into the air. “Kiri is awesome! I totally support this!”

Letting out a cheer, Izumi pulled the boy over to stand with Masama and Kaminari. Masama eyed the boy appraisingly. “I mean, your quirk is pretty cool, Shitty Hair. You could harden yourself and then I could launch you.” She frowned as she looked over at Kaminari. “Not sure what I’m gonna do with you.” He waggled his eyebrows and she sighed. “Shut up, Sparky. Christ.”

“Okay, so three is pretty good. But we can do better.” Izumi looked over at Mina. “I feel like I need a little feminine energy. And you know, uh, Kiri?”

Jerking, the red-haired boy held his hand out to Izumi. “Uh, Kirishima Eijirou. Pleased to meet you.”

Mina nodded excitedly. “I do know him! We went to junior high together! He’s great!” The rosette thought for a moment and then nodded decisively, looping her arm through Masama’s. “But if I’m here and she’s here, where are you going to be?”

“Everywhere! I want to make friends with everyone!” Izumi looked around and then bounded over to a black-haired boy standing nearby, dragging him over to the quartet she’d already assembled. “And… done! Bakusquad!!”

Her new acquisition looked around bemusedly. “Uh, hey. Sero Hanta. Nice to… meet you?”

Smiling brightly, Izumi bounced off to talk to new people. Oh! The tall boy! With the engine legs! He seemed very nice, albeit a bit proper. “Hi! I’m Midoriya Izumi! You can call me Izumi! Nice to meet you!”

The boy looked to either side uncertainly and then gestured to himself, and Izumi nodded. Pulling his helmet off, the boy tucked it under his arm and nodded to Izumi. “My name is Iida Tenya. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

Izumi’s eyes widened and she gasped. “You sound very educated. You know who you’d probably get along with? Yaomomo.”

“I am acquainted with Yaoyorozu already, Midoriya. And Uraraka by way of her.” Iida peered down at her and adjusted his glasses. “I appreciate the effort, but I can make friends of my own choosing.”

Pouting, Izumi gestured to herself. “Can we be friends at least?”

Iida considered that for a moment and then shrugged. “As long as you refrain from trying to kiss me? Then certainly.”

That made Izumi laugh. “I’m not even sure how I’d get all the way up there.”

Comparing their heights, Iida frowned. “Midoriya, I am only ten to fifteen centimeters taller than you. Furthermore, you have wings.”

“I was being polite. I’m a lesbian, Iida. Although I may have to weaponize kissing male villains in the future? I haven’t thought that far ahead yet, to be honest.” Izumi pondered that for a moment before shrugging uncaringly. “Sounds like a problem for future me. Well, good talk. I’ll get your contact information after class.” Iida nodded agreeably and Izumi darted off to talk to… “Oh! The match is starting! Exciting!”

Making her way over to stand next to All Might, Izumi peered up at the screen. Todoroki made a powerful opening move, encasing the entire building in jagged ice. Which was just… wow. Sure, Izumi had known the girl could make ice but that was a lot of ice. Momo and Ochako exchanged looks and then the ravenette shrugged out of her haori, placing it on the hood of a nearby car. She then proceeded to create an entire flamethrower out of her body, making Izumi gasp excitedly. So cool! And just like Masama had predicted!

Entering the building, Ochako promptly tapped her fingers together and then ran up the wall, dodging between the icy spikes. She quickly left Momo behind as her girlfriend began melting a path with her flamethrower, conducting reconnaissance for the pair. She made it all the way to the third floor before finding the villain team. The boy with arms peered around as Ochako peeked into the room, but evidently didn’t think to look up, because the brunette ducked back out undetected.

There was a brief conversation between the girls that Izumi wasn’t privy to, and then Ochako ducked back into the room. Making her way directly above the multi-armed boy, she pressed her fingers together and then dove down on him from above. He let out a shout of surprise that turned into alarm as Ochako shot grapples out of either gauntlet and then twisted herself, displaying amazing core strength as she threw the boy across the room.

Or maybe she removed his gravity first? That made more sense, to be honest, but the brunette was surprisingly muscular so Izumi honestly wasn’t sure.

Whether or not Ochako herself still had gravity was an interesting question as she flipped and spun across the room toward Todoroki, who sent out smaller bursts of ice to try and dissuade her. Ejecting a blade from one of her gauntlets, Ochako sliced through one of the spikes before snaring it with her grapple and hurling it back at the brunette. The spike slammed into Todoroki's shoulder hard, drawing forth the briefest burst of flames before the girl shouted something at Ochako. Which… Todoroki could make both fire and ice? How overpowered! But also… why wasn’t she using her fire more?

A definite missed opportunity appeared when Ochako swept inside Todoroki’s effective range and grabbed the smaller girl in a sleeper hold. Todoroki struggled as best she could, but all too soon she was unconscious on the icy ground and the match was two against one.

“Young Uraraka is a beast, Midoriya. She reminds me of a younger Miruko.” All Might kept his voice low, but low for him was relative. “I wouldn’t recommend going toe to toe with her in your current state. If anything, I might politely request that she give you lessons. Your quirk would synergize well with her techniques.”

“It’s definitely a hybrid style. I’m seeing a little judo, but also some baguazhang from the movements?” Kirishima made his way over to stand next to Izumi and then ducked his head. “Sorry, you two aren’t exactly being quiet.”

Izumi made a beckoning gesture. “No, no, I love learning things. What were you saying?”

Straightening up, Kirishima continued a bit more confidently. “I love martial arts movies. They’re so manly. Uraraka has a very well defined hybrid style. She absolutely knows what her body can do and how to do it. If she had a staff…” Momo picked that moment to enter the room, swiftly creating a pair of staffs and throwing one to Ochako. As the brunette went on the attack again, Kirishima nodded. “Yeah. Baguazhang. She’s small and fast, it works for her. I wouldn’t be surprised if… yeah, look at Yaoyorozu go. They both know what they’re doing.”

Oh. This was why Momo had been concerned about ruining the curve for everyone else. They were both exceptionally well trained combatants, although they fought very differently. Ochako was all over the place, flitting around like a wasp, while Momo struck more directly and incorporated her quirk into her fighting. Izumi winced as she made a sweeping motion with a glittering arm, littering the ground with caltrops. “Yeesh. I really need to get my act together, don’t I?”

“I mean, that’s why we’re here, isn’t it?” Kirishima held up a hand and it became rocky and jagged. “Literally all I can do right now is get hard and punch people. Which is pretty manly, I guess, but I feel like I have a long way to go.”

Sidling up on Kirishima’s left, Kaminari winked at him. “You get hard, eh?”

Kirishima promptly exploded into a blush as red as his hair. “Bro…”

Distracted by the byplay, Izumi almost missed the end of the match. The final blow came from both girls working in tandem, as Momo swept their opponent’s feet out from under him and then Ochako lunged in, driving her staff into the boy’s throat. He held up all his arms and All Might confirmed the win. “Hero team wins! Shouji, if you would be so kind as to collect Todoroki and bring her to the nurse, I believe you performed admirably given the odds and have no further notes for you.”

Rewarding her girlfriend with a quick kiss, Momo smiled up at the camera before wrapping her arm around Ochako and guiding her away. Shouji was in fact polite enough to recover Todoroki’s fallen form and hurriedly made his way off to the nurse. Izumi peered up at All Might curiously. “As long as we’re waiting… what do you think of my costume? Oh! And my hair! You noticed it when we visited Might Tower, but you never told me how you feel about it.”

The barrage made All Might chuckle and slap her on the back. “My girl, you look so cool! It’s a bit on the nose for someone wanting to succeed me; I don’t know how they’re going to make a clothing line for you if you keep stealing my costumes. And my general aesthetic. But I can’t complain. You’re turning into an amazing young woman before my eyes, and I’m incredibly proud of you.”

Sniffling softly, Izumi wrapped her arms around All Might. “Thank you, sir.” Then she froze, realizing that sixteen twentieths of the class was present with her. “Uh, does anyone else want to hug All Might? He’s surprisingly huggable.”

Kyouka approached hesitantly and wrapped one arm around Izumi and the other around All Might. “Huh. This is kinda nice.”

All Might chuckled softly. “I suppose that I should add that to my list of accolades then. Symbol of Peace. Number one hero. Huggable.”

“I tend to say what’s on my mind.” Approaching them, Tsuyu hugged All Might from the other side and then peeked around at Izumi. “You two are too similar to ignore. Your quirks. Your looks. Your personalities. Izumi, is All Might your father?”

Looking up at All Might, Izumi did a double take. All Might’s smile was many things. Friendly. Warm. Comforting. Never before would Izumi have considered it mischievous before. Her eyes widened. “Don’t you dare…”

All Might promptly threw his head back and laughed loudly. “You’ve caught us, young Asui!” He threw one massive arm around Izumi’s shoulders and gave her a squeeze. “I thought we'd be able to hide it until the press conference announcing it, but alas. Young Midoriya is my only daughter.”

Masama’s jaw dropped. “…the fuck? Deku, doesn’t your dad live in America or something?”

Doing her best to play along with the absolute insanity unfolding around her, Izumi chuckled sheepishly and rubbed the back of her head. “You mean Midoriya Hisashi? Whose name is a reference to ‘hisashiburi’? ‘It has been a while since I last saw you’? And whose name is also literally just the second kanji of my name? That dad?”

“I… holy fuck.“ Masama fidgeted and looked around nervously. “I have kissed the daughter of a man who can change the weather with a punch.”

All Might let out another laugh. "You're a lovely young lady, Bakugou. I couldn't be happier about the company that my daughter keeps." Masama gestured to herself and he nodded. "Yes, you, young lady. You have your rough spots, but I firmly believe that your heart is in the right place and that you'll be a wonderful hero someday."

Sniffling softly, Masama rubbed at the corner of her eye. "Jesus Christ, can't UA afford a janitor? The dust in this place is insane."

Kyouka made a thoughtful noise, which attracted All Might's attention. "Sorry, I just... I think we all heard Todoroki saying that her father created her to try and ascend to the rank of number one hero. That's kinda gotta suck, doesn't it? Being set on a path and you take your first step and your father's nemesis's daughter is in your class with you?"

"Ah. Yes. That. I've been aware of Endeavor's frankly concerning machinations since back when he first married his wife. It's honestly what spurred me to have a daughter of my own." All Might thought for a moment and then backpedaled. "Not the part about wanting to give birth to the next number one hero. But in a way it was, I suppose? I thought about my legacy, and what I would leave behind. When I retired. Or when I passed on."

Masama raised an eyebrow. "And you decided to leave behind the world's most awkward succubus?"

Chuckling, All Might patted Izumi on top of her head. "Well, the succubus part was a bit of a surprise, I won't deny. But as I told her, I couldn't be prouder of how she's turning out and I think she'll make a wonderful hero."

Opening the door, Momo strode in confidently with her arm around Ochako. Then she paused and looked around uncertainly. “What did we miss?”

Chapter Text

"Okay so real talk. Hisashi never existed?"

Hopping up to sit on the edge of the bathroom sink, Izumi hooked one leg around Masama's hips and pulled the girl closer. All Might had shut down the conversation about their relationship so that the third match could proceed, and then proceeded to leave 'like a hero' as soon as the last match was done. Izumi had followed suit, dragging Masama with her through the locker room and changing back into her uniform as fast as humanly possible so that they could make their escape. Was it fair to Mina in particular? Not especially. But she just... needed to get away at the moment. As her closest confidant, though, Masama was an exception to that. "Not so loud. Sheesh. It's not a secret if you tell everyone." She looked around furtively before leaning in toward the blonde. "Hisashi exists. All Might is absolutely not my dad. I have no idea why he decided to tell you guys that, and absolutely no idea where any of this is going. This is just like, the latest One for All shenanigan in a series of shenanigans."

'Wait a minute, what do we have to do with anything?' Nana sounded genuinely confused. 'Toshi chose to do this all by himself. It's not like we can talk to him.'

Izumi rolled her eyes. 'I meant more a shenanigan happening because of One for All. Because of my connection to All Might. Not, like, literally because of it.'

After a moment's consideration, Nana let out a noise of understanding. 'Ah. Yeah. Kinda is, isn’t it? Carry on then.'

Before Izumi could turn her attention outward, Nevan chimed in. 'And kiss Masama for me. You should be kissing more girls.'

Rolling her eyes a second time, Izumi leaned forward and pressed her lips to Masama's. When they broke apart, she tapped her temple. "Sorry, Nevan was asking me to kiss you more. But no. I have absolutely no idea what's going on. I have no idea where this is going. I have no idea if he's ever met my mom, much less talked this over with her. But he went ahead and said it, and so now... I guess we're doing this. The whole world doesn’t know I’m All Might’s daughter, but it probably will soon. Especially with Yaomomo in our class.”

"Okay, that makes me feel a little less anxious. Like, maybe five percent less anxious." Izumi shot Masama a curious look, and the blonde tugged at her collar nervously. "I'm not going to lie, the idea that I might have told the Symbol of Peace's daughter to jump off a building almost made me shit my pants."

Izumi smirked faintly at that. “You do know that if my mom ever found out, she would probably pull your appendix out or something, right?” Masama’s eyes widened and she shrugged. “Attraction of Small Objects, remember?”

That made Masama tug at her collar a bit more aggressively. “Human beings are full of small objects, Deku.”

Snorting, Izumi nodded. “Well, a person would be less full if my mom ever found out that they’d been bullying me.” Masama paled and the verdette leaned in to kiss her forehead. “Yeah, my mom is scarier than she looks. So even discounting the fact that All Might has spontaneously decided to adopt me? I think that the less all of our parents - real or otherwise - know about some of our, uh, let's call them rougher patches?"

"Me bullying you."

"Yes. That. The less our parents know, the better. Especially Mom. But especially All Might." Izumi reached up to rub her face and groaned. "Ugh. This is so weird and messed up. Why did he do this to me? I’m not mad, obviously, but at the same time… ugh. What am I even supposed to call him? I can’t call him All Might.”

Masama shrugged helplessly. “I don’t know, Dad Might or some shit? What did you call him in that ‘adopted by All Might’ story you wrote?”

Cringing, Izumi buried her face in her hands. “Machan, you’ve read my fanfic?”

That made Masama laugh, reaching up to tug on Izumi’s hands. “Friends don’t let friends write real person fic, Deku. You’re going to need to stop that shit immediately. Especially because you know All Might. That’s so weird of you. But in all seriousness, why not call him Dad Might? Or, I don’t know, just Dad?”

“Yeah. I guess. Actually…” Izumi giggled softly. “I kinda want to go with Dad Might. Not because it’s in my fanfic. But because it’s cute. And I like cute things.” She thought for a moment and frowned. “We need to sort out names all around. If he was planning to do this, why did he keep calling me ‘young Midoriya’ in class? Doesn’t that make him Midoriya Something? Someone’s going to realize that. Not to mention he has a last name and it's not Midoriya. Also, neither my mom nor I have that much of an online presence, but we have a small community presence and so someone's going to have to explain why we're living in a humble apartment in Musutafu while All Might lives in Might Tower without us. And it's not going to be me."

Masama wrapped her arms around Izumi's neck and chuckled. "Better you than me, I guess. Speaking of Might Tower, what happens if he wants you and Auntie Inko to move in with him? Because no offense, but if you’re going to be doing fake family bullshit? I don’t see him wanting to move into your apartment.”

No offense taken. It was home, but it was definitely modest by all standards. All Might would barely even fit in their apartment. As Yagi, he wasn’t significantly shorter, so he would probably feel pretty cramped even when he deflated. Something occurred to Izumi and her eyes widened. “Wait what if he does, though? How are we going to walk to school together if I’m in Tokyo and you’re still here in Musutafu?”

Masama rolled her eyes. “Then I’ll meet you at the train station, nerd. The main one, and we can take the train to school together.”

Sniffling softly, Izumi did her best not to burst into tears. “That’s so sweet of you, Machan.”

Sighing, Masama shifted from foot to foot awkwardly. “The dust in here isn’t that bad. No crying.” Izumi let out a soft chuckle and the blonde nodded toward the window. "Do you wanna just... run away for a bit? I mean, all of this will still be here tomorrow. Or tonight. The window's pretty big. We could make a run for the gate and go get some tea. Come back when you’re feeling this a little bit more.”

Looking over at the window longingly, Izumi sighed and shook her head. "No. Being in the spotlight is sorta what I signed up for. Like, I knew I was going to be the center of attention someday when I accepted One for All. I just didn't think it would be in my first week of high school. So... I guess I'll go to the teacher's lounge and catch up with All Might and see where things go from there?"

"I mean, I know more about what's going on than anyone other than the two of you." Masama looked at Izumi uncertainly. "Do you want me to come with you?"

A sigh of relief escaped Izumi and she nodded rapidly. She would never, ever, ever turn down having her Emotional Support Explosion with her under any circumstances. "Can I say that I love you? Are friends allowed other tell each other that they love them? Or do I have to save that for after the Sports Festival?"

Masama groaned in exasperation. "We really are some sort of something, aren't we? Ugh. Fine. I love you too, nerd." There was a thump-thump-thump followed by a click and then a ding, and her red eyes went wide. "No..."

Giggling, Izumi nodded and pulled Masama even closer. "Welcome to the polycule, Machan!"

Reaching up, Masama poked Izumi in the chest. "We are not dating until after the Sports Festival. I'm standing firm on that. I may be part of your stupid soulbond harem anime protagonist bullshit, but I'm not budging on that."

Even that adamant declaration couldn’t keep Izumi from grinning ecstatically at Masama. “You won’t regret this, Machan, I promise you won’t.” Pausing, she looked the girl over curiously. "Wait. Are you like Shibara? Are you perfectly happy with who you are too? Or... what changed? I don’t really see anything different.”

Unwinding her arms from around the verdette, Masama swatted at Izumi gently. "None of your business. And I'm going to hold you that that. The part about not regretting this. But we can discuss my unexpected entry into this clusterfuck later. Let’s go talk to Dad Might.”

Hand in hand, the pair departed the bathroom and made their way down the hall toward the teacher’s lounge. When they arrived, literally all of the teachers were present with All Might: Aizawa, the four core class teachers that they'd met already, and several more adults that Izumi vaguely recognized including Ibara's homeroom teacher. Rising to his feet, All Might stretched his arms out toward them. "There she is! My daughter!"

Aizawa's jaw dropped. "I'm sorry, your what?"

"Hi Dad Might!" Darting across the room, Izumi hugged All Might tightly and then peered over at Aizawa. "Wait, you didn't know? I mean, you two are coworkers and all. And you're my homeroom teacher."

Gesturing back and forth between the two of them, Aizawa stared incredulously. "I... what?"

Rolling her eyes, Izumi grinned at the man. "Where do you think quirks as strong as All Might's come from? The ball throw to China should have been a bit of a clue, Mister Aizawa."

Aizawa reached up and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Jesus. I'm teaching All Might’s daughter.” Looking up, he gestured toward the two of them. “Isn’t you being her Foundational Heroics teacher wildly inappropriate?”

“I’m quite capable of being impartial, Aizawa.” All Might looked down at Izumi and then ruffled her hair, making her laugh. “That being said, there hardly needs to be favoritism involved for my daughter to be at the top of the class. She’s a wonderful student and an amazing future hero.”

“Christ. What a shit show these next three years are going to be.” Aizawa thought for a moment and then narrowed his eyes at the pair. "Does Todoroki know?"

Shaking her head, Izumi reached up to touch her bangs and then all the way up to flick at All Might's. "She thinks that I just want to be like him because of my quirk. I... is it mean that I kinda want to see her face when she finds out?" She peered up at All Might. "Is it mean? It feels mean."

"From what I saw of her yesterday, she's been downright hostile to you since you first met. Getting a bit of enjoyment at her expense doesn't make you a bad person, my girl." Breaking their hug, All Might clapped a hand onto Izumi's shoulder and then waved over to Masama. "Bakugou! You did wonderfully in today's exercise. You're going to be quite the hero when you grow up."

Masama waved dismissively. "We all knew that already. Deku's going to be number two behind me, just wait and see." She jerked a thumb back over her shoulder. "Do you have an office or something? I feel like we should have a family talk and there are an awful lot of people in this room who aren't family."

Midnight looked over at Masama and raised an eyebrow at that. "And you are?" That made Masama blush and duck her head, and the woman gasped. "Is that young love I see? All Might already has a future daughter-in-law?"

"Uh, daughters. Daughters-in-law." Izumi giggled and bounced over to wrap her arms around Masama's waist. "We're not dating yet; she's going to make me beat her in the Sports Festival to prove my worth. But I am dating Mina from my class and Shi... err, Shiozaki Ibara from Mister Kan's class."

That made Kan's jaw drop. "You and... huh. I can honestly say that I did not see that coming based on what little I've seen of Shiozaki so far."

Izumi giggled more at the look on his face. "Yeah, we're an interesting pair. We met at the entrance exam and, well, let's just say that we bonded over shared experiences." Masama groaned at that and Izumi gave her a squeeze. "What can I say? I'm a succubus. I have a lot of love to give and it turns out that I'm willing to give it to more than one person."

Reaching up, Masama poked her cheek. "I swear to god, Deku, if you bring home twenty-six other girlfriends... I don't know what I'll do, but I'll be very unhappy."

Izumi turned her head and kissed her still just a friend on the cheek. "You know that image of the woman who was very happy to see her cat? That'll be you. You'll look like that." Masama groaned and rolled her eyes. "But yeah, Dad Might, office? Machan is a little blunt, but she's not wrong."

"Right, right. Follow me." All Might waved goodbye and then ushered the two girls out of the room, leading them down the hall past a series of doors labeled with the teachers' names to one that simply said 'All Might' on the plaque. He showed them inside and then let out a sigh, deflating as the door closed behind him. "I barely have enough time to do your lesson and then socialize with my coworkers. This sucks."

Hugging Yagi's deflated form, Izumi made a thoughtful noise. "Have you thought about talking to Mina? Once we've let her in on my secrets, at least? I won't insult your intelligence by asking if you've tried to have Recovery Girl heal you, but... Mina's healing seems slightly different? Maybe you'll get lucky?"

Yagi patted Izumi on the back. "I will consider it. Especially since my questionable decision today means that I now have to worry about presenting as All Might socially for... how many young women do you plan on dating?"

Izumi perked up. "Twenty-seven!"

Swatting her, Masama brushed past and flopped down in one of the seats in front of Yagi's desk. "You can have nine. Total. Me and eight others. That's it. So choose your kissing partners wisely, Deku."

"Wait, why nine? That's such an arbitrary number. Why not ten?" Masama gestured to her and Izumi let out a soft noise of comprehension. "Oh. I'm ten. That makes sense, I guess." She thought for a moment and then giggled. "One for All and nine for the tenth."

'She may be righter than you know, Izumi.' Yoichi's voice was distinctly bemused. 'The bonds are undoubtedly coming from One for All, there's no denying it at this point. But the other vestiges are reporting that they can... for lack of a better term, feel the connection to your new partners. So it stands to reason that you’ll probably be able to form one bond for each of us. Nine total. Unless there’s someone hiding inside Stockpile that we haven’t met yet. In which case… who really knows?’

'Not sure how I ended up with the Christian girl, to be honest.' Daigorou sounded a bit befuddled but also happy enough with the situation. 'Not that I mind, but... I guess the superficial similarities were enough for us to bond? My quirk Blackwhip is sorta similar to her vines. Or maybe someone up there thinks I need a good influence?’

There was an exasperated sigh, and then the rarely heard voice of Two. 'I told you guys that I appreciated Masama’s mindset. I don't know why any of you are surprised that I bonded with her. Girl takes her shit seriously. She's fierce. I respect that.'

Three’s voice was even less frequently heard, but he chose to speak up with his thoughts on the subject. 'Fuck if I know how I ended up with the pink chick, though. She seems more like Nana's type of girl. Or Nevan's.'

'Well I think Mina's amazing. If you don't want her, I'll take her.' Nevan huffed softly. 'Although Izumi sweetie, if you could romance a nice heteromorph to represent me, that would be amazing. Like, get freaky with this shit. Bring me someone weird.'

Izumi snickered softly. 'I will be on the lookout for 'someone weird' just for you, Nevan. I promise.' The verdette shook her head and pulled away from Yagi, who was peering down at her curiously. "The vestiges were just sharing a bit of information with me. Nothing too serious. We were just talking about the bonds."

Frowning, Yagi made his way over to take a seat on the opposite side of the desk as Izumi sat down next to Masama. "I'm sorry, young Midoriya, but... the bonds?" Then something occurred to him and he blinked. “The vestiges?”

"Okay, so I think we need to have a longer talk because... Mister Yagi, your quirk is haunted." Yagi's eyes widened and Izumi nodded earnestly. "One for All reached singularity with me, probably because of how strong you made it. So I can talk to the other users and I'm going to be able to use their quirks. That's how I turned into a succubus. That's the second holder's quirk activating in me."

Yagi grimaced and ducked his head. "Oh. I thought you just really wanted to be a succubus and so One for All turned you into one. That makes more sense, I suppose." Then he looked up. "When you say that you can talk to the past users..."

Nodding, Izumi tapped her temple. "Nana's in here with me. That's actually how I know your name. You, uh, never told me. Which her and I had a good laugh about. When we have downtime, she likes to tell me stories about how you were growing up. I... I feel like we would have been friends, sir." Just... two idealistic quirkless kids, together against the world. Granted Yagi had been quirkless back when it was a little more common, but she could still identify with his struggle to be a hero without powers. "So okay, now that we've put that on the table...”

“I don’t think it’s fully on the table.” Yagi put one hand on the edge of his desk and then gestured to it with the other. “You can’t simply inform me that the quirk that I transferred to you is ‘haunted’ and that you can speak to my predecessors and then go ‘well anyway, moving on’. That’s a lot to take in, my girl!”

Izumi sighed softly and offered an apologetic look. “Sorry, I’ve just been sorta… rushing from one thing to the next ever since you gave me this quirk. I feel like I haven’t really had time to stop and reflect on anything, so I just keep charging forward.”

That earned her a concerned expression from Yagi. “My girl? Are you… okay?”

“I just…” Izumi looked down at herself and then gestured to her body emphatically. “I was Izuku. And then I was Izumi. And I literally had from the moment on the beach until when Shibara approached me to come to terms with that. Because then I had to be Izumi. And then One for All reached singularity and Nevan gave me her quirk. And so then I wasn’t just Izumi, I was a succubus. Which I’m not mad about, don’t get me wrong, but dang I really would have liked to take a breath in there somewhere. But then like, Machan and I patched up our differences after a decade and so I wasn’t just Izumi, we were Izumi and Machan. And I’m still not entirely over that. And then on the first day of class, I bonded with Mina and asked out Shibara and so now I’m polyamorous and lying to my two girlfriends because I can’t tell them things but they know I’m lying and that sucks. And now I’m your daughter. And I’m just… barely keeping my head above water here, I’m not going to lie.”

Rising from his seat, Yagi circled around the desk and leaned down to wrap Izumi in a hug again. "My girl... I didn't know. You seemed so happy and confident and carefree. If I had known that you were struggling with all this, I-"

Izumi shook her head vehemently. "I'm not struggling. I'm okay. I swear. I'm fine. I just like... really wish I could have taken a week or two to just exist? But I was sorta focused on fixing things with Machan and settling into myself and so I was just going, going, going. I don't think I'm going to get that break for a bit, and that's fine. I'll keep on keeping on. I always do."

Looking over at her, Masama let out a soft hiss. "Fuck. Deku. I... do you need a break from me? Would that make things easier for you? I'm a big girl. I can survive on my own for a bit. If you need me to fuck right the hell off and give you some space, I can."

"No!" Twisting in Yagi's arms, Izumi reached out to grab Masama's hand. "You've been a constant for so long. Not always a good constant? But a constant. You're like... I don't know, my lighthouse? Everything else is changing, but you're there. You're you. You're always you. And I can count on that even when I can't count on anything else."

Grabbing her hand, Masama squeezed it. "Okay then. So why don't we keep going for right now? Get it over with and then we can go home and just... exist together. It's not much. But at least we can get you an hour or two just for you."

Izumi offered Masama a wobbly smile. "That would be really nice, Machan." She took a moment to compose herself, breathing deeply, and then looked up at Yagi. "So. I can talk to the vestiges. Are we on the same page there? I know it's weird and I can answer more questions for you later, but I need to tell you more so I need you to just... let me keep going." Yagi nodded, giving her shoulders one last squeeze before moving back around to his side of the desk. "The first vestige is named Shigaraki Yoichi. And I was spaced out for a little because Yoichi just told me that the individual vestiges are basically like... linking with the people that I'm dating."

"We're not dating, Deku."

"The people I'm bonding with." Izumi quickly corrected herself, giving Masama's hand another squeeze. "The bonds are coming from within One for All and they're creating... well, bonds. Connections. Between me and my partners. We can sorta read each other's surface thoughts so far. And it's sharing the idealization aspect of One for All with them. So sooner rather than later, we're going to have to let Shibara and Mina in on our secrets. Because if the bonds get any deeper as we get closer, they'll find out on their own and I don't think we want that to happen. And... oh. Machan. I guess you're right. Those two, you, and six other girls. One for each vestige."

That made Masama sigh. "I was setting a limit for you, you nerd, not a goal. For fuck's sake. What are you even going to do with nine girlfriends? You can barely keep up with me, and we're not even dating yet."

Izumi grinned and chopped both hands in Masama's direction. "Cuddlepuddle, Machan. I'm going to take nine girls and just... pile all of you on top of me and be really gay and really in love and really happy. Not sure what I'm going to do about the wing situation, but... eh, I'll cross that bridge when I come to it."

After considering that for a moment, Masama shrugged. "Valid of you, I suppose. I guess as long as hands stay in appropriate areas, I'd be okay with that."

Izumi nodded rapidly. "Of course. Not only would we respect your boundaries? But I am fifteen, Machan. I definitely don't need hands in areas that aren't appropriate."

Masama grinned over at Izumi. "I'm going to be sixteen soon. You're going to be dating an older woman. How scandalous."

Gasping, Izumi brought her hands up to her cheeks. “Machan, I just thought of something. We have absolutely no idea how this works, other than that some of the vestiges are finding things in common with the partners that I've bonded through them. Nevan is pretty wild. What if I end up bonding with an older woman? What if I bond with like… Miruko?”

“…I was so ready to give you a list of reasons why dating an actual older woman would be wrong and messed up and a terrible idea, and then you said Miruko.” Masama huffed softly and turned to Yagi. “You, uh, you want to help me out here? Because… Miruko.”

Yagi blinked owlishly. “Why would Miruko be any different from any other older woman?”

The two girls stared at him in frank disbelief. “Miruko!”

“Frankly, I don’t see the appeal. She doesn’t hold a candle to Lady Nagant.” Yagi shifted uncomfortably as the two girls continued to stare at him uncomprehendingly. “Moving on. So my girl, you… did you really learn my name from Nana? I never told it to you?” Izumi shook her head and he drew his hand over his face. “I am a terrible mentor. And father.”

Izumi raised a finger. “Yeah. About that. Where did that come from?”

Yagi straightened up in his seat. “A moment of inspiration, my girl! As you grow into your power, you’re going to become more and more similar to me. To say nothing of your decision to directly emulate my looks and seek to replace me as the Symbol of Peace. It would raise questions, and people would start looking into the two of us. I can’t say that it’s impossible that the secret of One for All might come out, especially if people can trace the power from you to me to Nana to… erm, I believe it was Tayutai? Which would put a target on your back; everyone would be after your quirk. So given that Endeavor has a child in your year with her half-n-half quirk, along with the next Iida being present? I thought to myself… Toshi old boy, what if you pretend that young Midoriya is your daughter? That would not only explain her incredibly similar quirk, but her fixation with modeling herself after you!”

Shooting him an unimpressed look, Izumi crossed her arms over her chest. "You couldn't just pretend that I was your student or protégé or successor or... something? I mean, there are a lot of boys and girls my age who are really into All Might. I can't be the only girl in Japan walking around with All Might bangs."

Masama looked over at her. "All Might bangs, wants to be the Symbol of Peace, wants to save everybody with a smile, and has an alpha hero costume modeled after All Might's Young Age costume? You've either got to be his daughter or completely obsessed with him. I'm going to be straight with you, Deku, this actually works in your favor. You come off as... so much less weird if people think you're actually All Mighty Girl."

In response to her original question, Yagi shrugged uncertainly. "To be honest, I was struggling to come up with an excuse to spend extensive amounts of time with a girl young enough to be my daughter that wouldn't get me put on a watch list, my girl. My fellow teachers would have noticed our association sooner or later, and it would have led to some very awkward questions."

It took Izumi a moment to realize what Yagi was implying and she blushed bright red. The idea that All Might of all people might be accused of something that inappropriate seemed ludicrous... but All Might was now Yagi for twenty-one hours a day, and those hours included almost all the time they might spend together before or after classes. Also, she was a lesbian but All Might was All Might, and her mind took a moment to go on a very inappropriate tangent. 'Eat this' indeed.

Seemingly sensing where her thoughts had gone, Masama snickered softly. "I mean, I suppose that if you're going to end up being an enjo kousai girl, nerd, you could do a lot worse than All Might of all people." Izumi shot the blonde a betrayed look and she laughed a bit louder. "I'm not gonna lie, based on what we know about the Todorokis? If you were an icy succubus, you'd be one encounter away from being Creamsicle's stepmom."

"Machan? You know how I don't like to swear?" The blonde nodded as Izumi looked her dead in the eye. "Jesus fucking Christ." Throwing her head back, Masama erupted into loud laughter and Izumi shook her head before turning back to Yagi. "Okay, so, you had a valid concern. Especially with my whole bond situation, where it would have turned into like... ten teenage girls surrounding you on a regular basis. I understand the intent. But like... you didn’t think to clear this with me first? Or my mother?”

That made Yagi’s jaw drop. “You have a mother? But you’re quirkless! And looked so shabby! And scrawny! I thought you were an orphan like me.”

As Masama collapsed into hysterical laughter, Izumi huffed and looked away. “Listen, I know Izuku-Me wasn’t great but… wow. Just… wow. No, I have a mother. And… well, I haven’t seen my father since I was a kid, so maybe she’d jump ship to be All Might’s wife? I don’t know. We’ll have to ask.”

“A… a wife? I’m going to have a wife?” Yagi grinned goofily. “Cool.”

Izumi sighed in exasperation. “Yes, I have a mother. So if you're now supposedly my dad, you really need to talk about this with her. She may not take kindly to you trying to abscond with her daughter. Dad might not either. Or they might? I'm really not sure how this is going to go, to be honest. But we're kinda stuck with it now that you've done it, so we've just gotta... hope for the best, but prepare for the worst."

Staring off into space, Yagi continued to grin goofily. "I'm gonna have a wife."

"...Dad, you're ridiculous." Izumi frowned, testing the word again. "Dad? I suppose I kinda have to call you Dad. I can't call you Dad Might when you're like this. At least not in front of other people. Too many awkward questions. Actually. Really awkward question. If my mom does say yes to this... like, I'm assuming she's going to have to know about the whole Yagi Toshinori thing. But from now until you run out of the embers of One for All and can't transform anymore... is she going to be All Might's wife or Yagi Toshinori's wife?"

Opening and closing his mouth, Yagi frowned and made a consternated noise. "I... didn't think that far ahead, to be honest. Obviously Yagi Toshinori is how I exist most of the time... but I guess I'll just have to be on very good terms with my boss's wife for the near future?" Izumi cocked her head to the side and he elaborated. "Yagi Toshinori is All Might's personal assistant. At least on paper."

Huh. She learned something new every day. Izumi nodded determinedly. "Okay. So. Let’s go back to my apartment. I feel like we could discuss the situation all afternoon but we really need to do this faster than that. I’m not sure how credible anyone will find a random high school student, but if Yaomomo decides to talk about her first class with All Might on a live, we are cooked.”

Yagi cocked his head to the side uncertainly. “Cooked?”

“Just… come on.” And so with that, the three of them made their way out of the office and out to the staff parking lot. Yagi’s rickety, very American truck was there and they hopped in for the ride to Izumi’s apartment. As they pulled out of the parking lot, Masama slowly wrapped her arm around Izumi's shoulder and the verdette snuggled into her embrace. She couldn't help but grin at the gesture. Her whole life was in flux and things were getting weirder by the moment, but at least she officially had Masama now.

Sorta.

When they arrived, Yagi transformed back into All Might and bounded up the stairs like an excited child, making the walkway shake. Izumi shook her head, following a bit more sedately with Masama. He rapped his knuckles on the door and struck a pose as it swung open. “I am… here! To sweep you off your feet!”

Chapter Text

“I am… here! To sweep you off your feet!” There was a thump and All Might looked over at Izumi sheepishly. “She fainted.”

To be fair? Izumi was pretty sure that most people would faint if All Might showed up at their door for any reason. Sighing, she elbowed her way past and hefted her mom into her arms, carrying her to the couch. Given that her mother was especially prone to fainting, they had a well stocked first aid kit with plenty of smelling salts. Tearing open a package, Izumi waved it under her mother’s nose. Inko’s eyes fluttered open and then she bolted upright, barely missing Izumi’s head. “All Might!”

All Might let out a laugh, placing his hands on his hips. “Ha ha! It’s me! And…” Doubling over, he coughed harshly before deflating into Yagi. “Well darn. I thought I had more time.”

Inko stared at the man for a brief stretch and then turned to Izumi with wide eyes. “What is going on?!”

“Okay. So. Mom. This is Yagi Toshinori. Also known as All Might. Mister Yagi, this is my mother, Midoriya Inko.” Turning to her mother, Izumi placed her hands on the woman’s shoulders. “Mom. How would you like… to be All Might’s wife?”

Blinking slowly, Inko stared at Izumi uncertainly for a few seconds before shrugging. “I mean, alright.”

“Before you say anything, just give me a moment to…” Izumi stared at her mother in disbelief. “Wait, what do you mean alright?”

Slowly rising to her feet, Inko reached up to rest her hands on Izumi’s shoulders. “Sweetie, I’ll freely admit I’m not the brightest woman out there, but even I haven’t missed…” She gestured up and down at Izumi. “There’s a lot going on with you recently and to be honest, it’s genuinely very reassuring as a mother to find out that whatever’s going on, All Might of all people is involved.” Then she looked over at the man and bit her lower lip. “And I mean, I’m not straight or anything but All Might is All Might.”

Izumi’s jaw dropped and she looked back at Masama in search of support, but the blonde looked just as dumbfounded. “Auntie Inko, you… what?”

That made Inko grin mischievously. “See if you can ever get Mitsuki to talk about our high school and college years.” She giggled softly and then waved her hand. “But enough about that. Tell me what’s going on. Why am I suddenly having to marry All Might?”

“Okay. So. Let’s just like… make this as simple as possible. Bullet points. All Might has a transferable quirk. All Might gave me that quirk. I decided to play All Might Junior with that quirk. All Might decided I should be All Might Junior. All Might told the school that he’s my father.” Izumi thought for a moment, looked over at her mentor, and then turned back to Inko. “So yeah. That about sums it up.”

Inko nodded slowly. “Okay. Interesting. Kinda hilarious, since it’s not happening to me, I’m not going to lie.”

“…thanks, Mom.”

Making her way over to stand in front of Yagi, Inko peered up at him. She stood there staring at him silently for long enough that the man began to fidget uncomfortably. Finally, she spoke. “If this is the price I have to pay for Izumi to live her dream? Then I’ll do it. But you…” She reached up and poked Yagi in the chest before grinning wickedly. “You get to tell Hisashi that he got cucked by All Might.”

Yagi’s jaw dropped. “Good grief. I… I’m evidently a home wrecker. I really should have thought this through before I opened my mouth, shouldn’t I?” Inko nodded and he sighed. “Well, what’s done is done. Is Midoriya your family name, or your husband’s name?”

“We’ll have time for that later. But first…” Inko giggled playfully as she grabbed Yagi by the hand and tugged him down the hallway. “I need you to see Izumi’s room before she can hide anything.”

As the two disappeared, Izumi groaned and ducked her head. “Oh god. This is going to be so-“

“My word!”

“-embarrassing.” Izumi sighed deeply. “Why is my life like this? I should have said no to All Might that day and just kept going as Izuku. Stayed in my lane. Maybe I wouldn’t have been a hero, but at least I wouldn’t be having to deal with…” She trailed off and waved her hand vaguely. “This.”

“Yeah, but you also wouldn’t be dealing with…” Masama gestured back and forth between the two of them, an unexpectedly vulnerable look on her face. “Do you regret…” She gestured between them again.

Izumi’s eyes widened and she shook her head vehemently. “Never. This has been the best part of this experience. Better than punching giant robots. Better than getting into UA.”

Grinning wickedly, Masama held her arms out toward Izumi. “Better than Raccoon Eyes and Tangela?”

Clucking her tongue, Izumi slipped into Masama’s arms and let the blonde pull her into an embrace. “According to the articles I found online, it’s very important not to play favorites when you’re polyamorous. I would say that I won’t tell if you don’t… but I really don’t trust you not to brag if I’m foolish enough to tell you that you’re my favorite.”

“You know what? That sounds exactly like something I would do. Best quirk. Best future hero. Best… okay not best girlfriend yet, but you know where I’m going with this.” Masama smirked and kissed Izumi’s nose before growing more serious. “While we’re having a moment, how are we… weing these days? I feel like we’re doing okay, but like… it’s been two months compared to ten years.”

Izumi thought for a moment and then she shrugged before leaning against Masama. “I’m… healing. I’m not going to lie, I still flinch when I hear you use your quirk unexpectedly. Our practical today was fine, but like you disintegrate trash sometimes and I feel like I’m about to climb out of my skin. You’ve done a really good job at being a good friend, companion, partner, whatever. Really good. Uh, kinda need to work on how you interact with others, at least until we figure out where this whole bond thing is going. The girl you antagonize today could be the girl I kiss tomorrow. But other than that? I think we’re doing as good as we can be.”

Masama thought for a moment, drumming her fingers against Izumi’s back. “I wish your quirk was more predictable.” Izumi raised an eyebrow and she shrugged. “I keep thinking that hey, maybe it would be nice to put myself out there. Make a friend. Maybe more. But then like, what if I go kissing up on some girl and she’s the next Skullcandy and you don’t bond with her? Fucking awkward as fuck.”

That was a very fair point to bring up. “Is nine bondmates going to be all of our mutual polysaturation?” Masama shot her a baffled look and Izumi hurried to elaborate. “Polysaturation is when a polycule reaches the maximum number of partners that they feel comfortable with. So I guess what I’m saying is… is ten our maximum size? Or would you want to date a girl that I’m not bonded to? Or a guy?” She grinned teasingly. “Kaminari seems pretty into you.”

Opening and closing her mouth a few times, Masama made a consternated noise. “I’m pretty sure that I’m asexual, but like… I genuinely don’t know if I’m homoromantic or panromantic or what. I was pretty sure that I didn’t like guys - I still don’t like most guys, really - but some of the guys in our class… I don’t hate? Like, I’m willing to associate with them for starters. Not sure if it’ll go anywhere from there. Probably won’t. But who knows. That being said, I feel like seriously considering polycule formations and stuff is getting ahead of ourselves because I’m not even actually part of this yet. I brought up the theoretical partner as a possible complication, that’s it.” She shook her head, an exasperated expression on her face. “As for Sparky, I feel like his type at this point is ‘breathing’.”

Izumi gasped, clapping her hands together excitedly. “Machan! You’re breathing! You’re his type!” Masama narrowed her eyes and the verdette giggled. “But seriously, Kaminari does seem cool. Kirishima seems cool. Sero seems cool. Like, if you do decide you want to date a guy, you have options.”

“I guess?” Masama made a perplexed face. “What do you call it if there’s a polycule inside a polycule? Like, I’m already going to be dating Raccoon Eyes. What if like, me and Raccoon Eyes and one of the guys is a thing?”

Izumi let out another excited gasp. “You call that awesome! Machan, that would be so cool of you! Although I don’t know if Mina is lesbian or bisexual so you might want to check on that?”

Rolling her eyes, Masama sighed. “Well, something to keep in mind. Not planning to do anything with it until after the Sports Festival. I can’t use the same condition for everyone, but dating others while I make you wait seems like a dick move. So yeah. Maybe by the time we meet in the Sports Festival, someone will catch my eye and this will be a relevant discussion.”

Before they could continue, Inko poked her head back into the living room. “So, we’re going to have a press conference tomorrow evening announcing that All Might has a wife named Inko and a daughter named Izumi who’s the future hero, err, Dekiru? Did I get that right?” Izumi nodded dumbly and she pressed on. “We haven’t figured out how to handle the alter ego situation, but that’s something we can discuss at length later. So don’t make any major plans for tomorrow night. And bring your costume home from school. You’re going to need it.”

Izumi whined and burrowed into Masama’s embrace. “I don’t think there’s a kid out there who hasn’t wished All Might was their father, but… this is all moving very fast.”

Waving dismissively, Inko turned back down the hallway. “I’ve been a housewife for sixteen years. I’m due for a little excitement in my life. Now come pack a bag. Essentials and a bit more. I’ll probably hire a moving company to handle your room, but we’re going to be living out of Toshinori’s suite at Might Tower from here on out. Pack accordingly.”

With that, she hurried off back down the hallway toward her room, and Izumi looked at Masama with wide eyes. “This is really happening, huh?” The blonde nodded dumbly. “Do you want to take off? Or…”

“I wasn’t there when I should have been too many times in the past.” And so Masama gave Izumi one last squeeze before disentangling from the verdette, grabbing her by the hand and leading her down the hall. They narrowly missed Yagi crossing the hall to Inko’s room, and then Masama poked her head into Izumi’s room and came to a dead stop. “Okay. Lemme start by saying that I love All Might too. And I have some merch. But… what the absolute fuck, Deku?”

Burying her face in Masama’s shoulder, Izumi shook with laughter. “It’s a lot, isn’t it? Gosh, I can’t believe All Might actually saw this. I’m so embarrassed.” Looking up, she furrowed her brow. “Do you think he’ll sign any of it while he’s here?”

Masama sighed and shook her head. “Shut up and pack, you nerd.” It took her a bit of searching but she quickly located the essentials, dumping Izumi’s underwear drawer into the large suitcase that Inko had left on the bed. Then she paused, grinned, and held up one particularly lacy bra that Inko had bought Izumi. “Oh really?”

Blushing, Izumi grabbed it from her and shoved it back into her drawer, quickly locating the matching panties and leaving them behind as well. “Maybe after the Sports Festival.”

The two of them packed in companionable silence, Masama doing her best to curate Izumi’s wardrobe in the process. Izumi managed to sneak her entire box of hair clips into the suitcase so… hah. As they approached the finish, Masama sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. “Lemme just… throw some shit at the old hag and see what sticks. Don’t leave until I get back.”

“What?” Izumi looked over at her friend in surprise. “Machan, I don’t think you’re invited.”

Masama snorted derisively. “You’re getting dragged all the way to Tokyo to stay somewhere you’ve barely ever visited before. Try and stop me.” Izumi darted in to give the girl a kiss and then Masama made her way out of the verdette’s bedroom and disappeared down the hall.

Inhaling, Izumi let out a happy little sigh and then looked around her room. Her life really hadn’t stopped moving since she accepted One for All… since she met All Might, really. And to be honest, she was kinda ready for it to. Stop, that was. A break would have been lovely. And she wasn’t going to get one anytime soon. After all, UA held their Sports Festival sooner than any other school in Japan, showcasing the best of the best for the entire country to see.

But while that was only three weeks away, Golden Week came immediately afterward. From April 29 to May 6, she would be free and she could finally just… breathe. She could take time for herself, time for her partners, time to just live. And so that was her goal at the moment. All she had to do was make it to Golden Week, and then her life would be completely hers, if only for seven days.

Izumi took one last look around her room. The merchandise could stay; now that she was going to be All Might’s daughter along with his successor, she honestly wasn’t sure what the future of her collection was. Maybe it was time to grow up a little. New year, new house, new family, new her? Then she bit her lip and grabbed a few battered action figures off her desk, including the one that she’d used to play Heroes with Masama once upon a time. She might be changing, but that didn’t mean she had to forget where she came from.

Closing her suitcase, Izumi hefted it and walked over to the door. And then she turned off the light and headed for the next step in her journey toward becoming a hero.

And then she promptly sat in the living room for half an hour waiting while her mom packed and talked with Yagi.

The pair of adults emerged just as Masama returned with a duffle bag thrown over her shoulder. She nodded to it and then grinned at Izumi. “Told the hag that you had some family shit going on. She told me to take good care of you and to have Auntie Inko call when she can. So yeah. Next three nights, I’m crashing in Tokyo with you. After that? Sleepover at my house on Friday night and we’ll go from there.”

Throwing herself at the blonde, Izumi hugged Masama tightly. “I love you, Machan. Thank you for coming with me.”

“You’re such a sappy little nerd. But hey. I love you too.” Masama bumped her hip gently against Izumi. “Go grab your suitcase. And… I don’t think all four of us are going to fit in that truck. Even with All Might looking like that.”

Izumi scampered over to grab her suitcase where she’d dropped it in her rush to hug Masama and returned to stand by her not girlfriend as Inko eyed the pair contemplative. “Well, Toshinori and I have some serious discussing to do. So we have to ride together. Do you want me to take your bags and we’ll meet you in Roppongi?”

That sounded like a plan to Izumi, and in no time her bag was safely secured in the back of Yagi’s truck as she and Masama headed to the train station. School was out across town by that point but it was just shy of rush hour, so the train was only half full when they boarded. Either way, Izumi didn’t want to risk being overheard and so she snuggled into Masama’s side and stole one of the blonde’s earbuds for the ride to Tokyo.

They took the same set of trains that they’d used to visit Might Tower and in short order, they were back out in front of the majestic building staring up at it. “I’m going to be living here. Holy heck, Machan.”

Masama snorted softly. “This is another situation where swearing is completely acceptable, nerd.”

“Holy shit, Machan!” The two entered the lobby, where the same receptionist as last time was on duty. She beckoned them over, winked, and handed Izumi a security badge before pointing to the elevator. Huh. So either Yagi had broken some speed limits, or he’d called ahead? Either way, cool. “Nice seeing you again, Miss Fujimori!”

Hah. Sometimes having a near perfect memory of all the people she’d ever met came in handy.

They entered the elevator and Izumi pressed her badge against the reader. There was a brief pause and then the digital display on the wall shifted, highlighting several additional floors that hadn’t even been shown a moment ago. Izumi studied the map for a moment and then tapped at the topmost floor. All Might was the number one hero, after all. Logic dictated that if his agency’s tower had a penthouse, it was probably his.

The elevator opened into a massive living area and Izumi gasped loudly. Grabbing Masama’s hand, she pulled the blonde out and over to a nearby window. “Oh my gosh, Machan, look! You can see all the way to Mount Fuji from here!”

Masama just rolled her eyes. “Deku, you can see Mount Fuji from my house.”

“Yeah but it’s more impressive from here in Tokyo!” Izumi mashed her face against the window, staring out over the city in rapt fascination. “You can see so much from up here!”

“Why don’t we try and see your room first? And then you can sightsee? Hell, you can probably sightsee from your room.” Masama pulled Izumi away from the windows and led her through the well appointed - but not ostentatious - living area and down the hall. They passed a fairly large kitchen and dining area on their way, which Izumi knew her mother was going to appreciate. There was a door directly at the end of the hall that just screamed ‘master suite’ to Izumi and evidently Masama agreed because she instead opted to open one of the doors dotting the side of the hallway and peeked in. Then her eyes widened. “Huh. You, uh, you looking for a nesting partner? Once we’re actually dating and all?”

Ducking under her arm, Izumi peered in and gasped. The room that Masama had discovered was frankly amazing. Probably the size of the Midoriyas’ entire apartment, it was as tall as the rest of the rooms on the floor but made much better use of that space than the high ceilings that Yagi evidently preferred. This room had a split level layout, with a bed up in a loft over an expansive… well, it’d probably be her study area. And then more stairs going up to an area above her head? Why Yagi needed eight meter ceilings when he was… okay he was tall, but not that tall. But at least the space wasn’t being wasted in her area, which made Izumi happy. She didn’t know what she would have done with eight meter ceilings.

Slipping her hand out of Masama’s, Izumi flapped her wings and soared up to the loft, looking around curiously. She wasn’t sure what size that bed was called, apart from frankly ridiculous. Turning her head, she called back over her shoulder to Masama. “I think we’re going to need more than nine girlfriends.”

“The fuck you do!”

“Wait until you see this bed, Machan!” Izumi took a minute or two to explore that level of her suite before using her wings to bypass the stairs again and head up to the third level. Where her eyes bugged out at the size of the bathtub. Why did she need a bathtub that big?!

Descending back down to the bedroom level, Izumi giggled and tackled Masama from behind, sending her sprawling onto the bed. Showing remarkable restraint, the blonde snarled but refrained from exploding Izumi’s new comforter as she rolled over and grabbed the smaller girl. “So yeah. This place is pretty cool. There’s enough space for both of us and then some. Maybe I’ll move in with you.”

Izumi giggled and buffeted the blonde with one of her wings. “Don’t perpetuate lesbian stereotypes, Machan. You can’t move in with me the same day that we bond. We’re not even dating yet.”

Huffing, Masama tossed Izumi onto the bed next to her. “First of all, I’m not a lesbian. Second of all… how many days after the Sports Festival would be socially acceptable? Asking for no particular reason.”

“Are UHaul asexuals a thing? Because I feel like you’re trying to make them one.” Staring up at the ceiling, Izumi furrowed her brow and then pushed herself up on her elbows. "Do you think All Might was planning this? Or did he have this built forever ago for the family he never ended up having?" Her face fell. "Honestly, that's more likely and that's kinda depressing."

Sprawled out next to her, Masama rolled her eyes. "Don't look a gift horse in the mouth, Deku. It's here and you can use it, and that's the important part."

Fair enough. Izumi curled a strand of hair around her finger as she thought before looking back down at Masama. "How do you want to play us?" The blonde raised an eyebrow, prompting Izumi to elaborate. "There's a press conference tomorrow. Since you're evidently going to be here at Might Tower with me for it, do you want to be part of it? And before you answer, let me say that I'm going to offer to let Mina and Shibara be there too."

Masama made a thoughtful noise. "So you're going to be like hey, you're All Might's daughter and you're polyamorous, meet your girlfriend or girlfriends? Might as well pull the bandaid off, I guess. You're going to be catching shit for being a transgender succubus, might as well throw polyamorous lesbian on top while you're at it."

"Pretty much. I know Mina will say yes. I mean, being known as the potential future daughter-in-law of All Might? There's no way she's going to turn that down. Shibara, less certain on. She’s obviously not an attention seeker, but I feel like she might say yes just to be included for fairness and equality purposes." Izumi gestured back and forth between the two of them. "But I wasn't sure if you want to try and quantify our whatever for the media, or if you want us to go public by like... kissing on the podium after the Sport's Festival or something."

Masama snorted softly. "If you do win and I'm on the second place stand, at least we'll be the same height for once." Hey! They were only six centimeters different in height! Masama wasn't that much taller than her! "But eh, you know what? Fuck it. I might as well take advantage of a chance to introduce Japan to their next number one hero."

Laughing, Izumi rolled back over onto Masama, throwing her leg across the blonde's hips and wrapping a wing around her. "Never change, Machan. Never change. But hey. Today has been... a lot. I've had a lot of days lately that were a lot. Can I maybe just nap until my mom... my parents get here?"

Nodding, Masama wrapped her arms around Izumi's waist and tucked the smaller girl's head under her chin. "You know what? You absolutely deserve it, De... Dekiru." Izumi's eyes popped open and the blonde shrugged defensively. "What? I'm trying something new."

Izumi shook her head and then snuggled back in against Masama. "I've said it before and I'll say it again. I'm always going to be your Deku, Machan."

"Okay but..." Masama sighed and grabbed Izumi's chin, tilting her head back to peer up at her. "Look at Easy Back Oven and Round Cheeks with their nicknames and then look at us. Nobody else may know where Deku came from, the history that name has between us... but I do. And-"

Turning her head, Izumi bit the soft flesh of Masama's palm, making the blonde squawk. "Did I stutter, Machan? I know that Deku doesn't mean 'worthless' anymore. I know who I am, and who I'm becoming. But I refuse to forget where I started. And so this is what I want. Let me have this." She stared up at her friend until Masama raised a hand in surrender before huffing softly and settling back down atop the blonde. "Now your Deku needs a nap." And she closed her eyes, her breathing evening out in a matter of seconds as the day caught up with her.

She wasn’t sure how long she rested but the sun was lower in the sky when Masama nudged Izumi awake. Or kissed her awake, to be precise. Izumi grinned stupidly and squeezed the blonde. That was an excellent way to wake up if she did say so herself.

Evidently deciding to question the build quality of Might Tower’s accommodations, Masama descended from the loft on crackling palms, touching down nimbly and looking around before nodding in satisfaction. “It’s like this place was made for us.”

Gliding down after her, Izumi nodded. “I really do like this room. Although… wait. What if there was something even cooler behind the other doors?”

Masama thought for a moment and then shrugged. “To be honest? If there is, I don’t want to know about it.” You know what? Fair enough. The two emerged from Izumi’s new room to find Yagi sitting in a chair in the living area as Inko puttered around exploring the kitchen. “Hey, Auntie.”

“Masama sweetie! You get to be our first guest.” Inko hurried over to hug the girl and then Izumi for good measure before grabbing Masama by the shoulders and eyeing her. “You mentioned last time that I saw you that you’re vegan now? How is that working out for you with the pork addict that I gave birth to?”

Shrugging sheepishly, Masama shifted a bit in Inko’s grasp. “Yeah, I just… animals are cool, you know? And so I don’t really love the idea of killing them. Not going to judge Deku or you or anything, it’s just my choice. If you need me to, I can take care of my own food while I’m visiting.”

Inko shushed the girl. “The day I can’t treat a guest right is the day you put me in a retirement home. Vegan, not vegetarian, right?” Masama made an affirmative noise and Inko nodded determinedly. “Just leave it to me, Masama. I’ll take good care of you.”

As she hurried off to begin cooking dinner, Yagi beckoned to them from the living area. Izumi made her way over and then shoved Masama down so that she could flop across the girl. Possibly a bit too informal for around her new parent but at this point, she didn’t really care. “Question. I’m still thinking of you as Mister Yagi in my head. I can go to Toshinori when I’m not using Dad or Dad Might, right?”

“Of course, my girl.” Toshinori say forward in his chair and rubbed his hands together. “Your mot… Inko and I had time to discuss things in a bit more depth on the drive over here and we believe we’ve come up with some semblance of a plan. We decided to get your input before finalizing anything, though. I know your mother’s thoughts on this. But would you rather stay Midoriya Izumi or become Yagi Izumi?”

That was a difficult question. After all, she’d been Midoriya for her entire life. That being said, gaining a little separation from Midoriya Izuku - both in her head and in everyone else’s eyes - might not be a bad thing. “I don’t even know the kanji for your last name, Dad.”

“Erm, ‘eight’ and ‘tree’.” Toshinori shrugged. “Nothing horribly auspicious, but I do find it amusing that I’m the eighth holder of One for All and my family name contains the kanji for ‘eight’.”

Izumi snickered at that. “But you’re the ninth. When you include Nevan, Nana was the eighth, you’re the ninth, and I’m the tenth.”

That made Toshinori pout. “But I thought it was really neat that I had ‘eight’ in my name.” He sighed deeply and shook his head before continuing. “Anyway, I feel like we’re getting off track. Do you have any thoughts to contribute on the last name discussion?”

“I mean, would you be revealing your real name if we announce ourselves as the Yagi family?” Toshinori nodded and Izumi hummed thoughtfully. “I don't..." Trailing off, she peered up at Masama. "Polyamory is legal but we all have to be on the same family registration sheet. Any thoughts on being Yagi Masama at some point?"

Masama snorted softly. "I like it more than Midoriya Masama, not going to lie. What's wrong with Bakugou Izumi, though?"

Giggling, Izumi flicked her tail and wrapped it around Masama's wrist. "I feel like that'll be a discussion to have when there's ten of us. I mean, we could all end up as the Yaoyorozus or something. Don't want to get hasty. But okay, you like Yagi more than Midoriya?" Masama nodded and Izumi turned back to Toshinori. "I mean, I guess we can be the Yagis. So what, Midoriya was like... for our protection?"

"Yes. Exactly our thought. That I wanted you to grow up far from the spotlight, but now the time has come for you to ascend to your place next to me. So you were the Midoriya family and now it's time to come home and be Yagi Inko and Yagi Izumi." Toshinori fidgeted with his hands, looking down at them. "We haven't been able to get ahold of your father but based on what Inko tells me, he may simply just... not notice?"

Her father was absent in her life, sure, but Izumi wasn't entirely sure that Hisashi would just... not notice his wife being trotted out as the wife of the number one hero. "Can we like, overnight him some divorce papers or something? Or I don't know, maybe he's a fan and we can convince him to get in on all of this? I just feel like we should probably figure out a solution to that particular problem before tomorrow night?"

Toshinori nodded. "Very sensible, my girl. I'll get my people on it immediately. We're going to have to let a limited number of people into the secret, but I'll try to keep the circle small. The more people who know a secret, the more people who can spill the secret. Are you planning to tell all of your paramours? No judgement, just trying to plan accordingly."

Looking up at Masama, Izumi thought for a moment before nodding. "Machan knows, obviously, and it wouldn't really be fair to everyone else to keep a secret that big from them. I'm going to have to tell all of them about One for All too. Especially if the bond evolves and we get deeper connections. I'm not really sure how this works and neither are the vestiges, since this is the first time this has happened. Question. Speaking of telling people things. Would you hate me if I went public with a quirk named One for All?"

That elicited an uncertain look from Toshinori. "My girl? It's not exactly a secret anymore if you tell the entire world about it."

"No, I'm not going to tell them the entire thing, obviously. That would be stupid of me. But like..." Izumi twisted around to lay on her back across Masama's lap and gestured to herself. "I'm obviously a succubus but I'm going to be so much more by the time all this is said and done. I'm going to be the next Symbol of Peace. So..." Shooting upright, she reached up to flick her bangs and smiled widely. "I want to tell all of Japan that... I am here! That I'm going to be one hero for all people, just like my father. One hero for all people. One for All."

Rubbing his chin, Toshinori nodded slowly. "Well when you put it like that..." He buffed up into All Might, shooting to his feet and striking a pose. "I love it, my girl! What a mind you have! We'll have to worry about any remnants of All for One's organization targeting you over it, but I feel like they would possibly use a daughter of mine to try and get revenge on me anyway." He froze and eyed Izumi uncertainly. "Have I ever discussed All for One with you?"

Before Izumi could answer, Yoichi spoke up. 'My brother. The quirk thief. He's the one who gave Toshinori that wound of his. Given that he's very dead, there's no real point to worrying about him, but we can have a serious discussion about him whenever you want.'

"The, uh, the vestiges are willing to fill me in. Because we need to stay on topic, Dad Might." Izumi jumped to her feet, bouncing over to stand in front of All Might. "Which reminds me, if I'm going to be succeeding you... I have a pretty good working knowledge of your smashes from watching your fights, but could you maybe how to teach me how to do them properly? So I can be an even better successor?"

From the kitchen, Inko shook a spoon at them. "Not in my living room, you're not!"

"Yes, Mom."

"Yes, ma'am."

Chapter Text

Used to getting up ever so slightly earlier than her companion, Izumi narrowly beat Masama back to wakefulness the following morning. Somehow in the middle of the night, they'd completely switched positions, with Masama lying on her stomach with her head on the pillow and Izumi resting with her head on Masama's butt and her arms wrapped around the girl's legs. And it was then that Izumi discovered what changes the bond had made to the blonde. 'Oh my gosh, Machan's butt is huge now!'

'Back when I was alive, I had an entire playlist for this situation.' Yoichi sounded distinctly bemused as Izumi lifted her head and poked at one of Masama's cheeks experimentally. 'Nevan was, as you would say, double cheeked up.'

Nevan let out a cackle at that. 'Was? Try am. I'm still thicker than a Snickers here in vestige space. We just don't have enough privacy for you to enjoy it.' As Yoichi mumbled something indistinct, Nevan lowered her voice conspiratorially. 'Izumi. Let the intrusive thoughts win.' Hmm? 'Bite that girl on the butt.'

Well, Izumi definitely hadn't been thinking that... but she was now. She eyed Masama's butt thoughtfully before deciding to give in to her intrusive thot and sinking her teeth into the blonde's fleshy cheek. Masama let out a squawk and swatted her head. 'Why is my head so loud? And why the fuck is someone biting my god damn fucking ass?'

Eyes wide, Izumi peered up at Masama in wonder. 'You can hear me talking to the vestiges? But we're talking in my head.' When Masama stared back at her in horror, the verdette grinned widely. 'So that's what the ding does. Neat.'

'The what does what now?' Rolling onto her back, Masama reached down and hooked her hands under Izumi's arms before yanking the verdette up to eye level. 'Start talking. Or... thinking. Whatever. Honestly I... don't actually hate this, so you can keep thinking if you want to.'

Izumi giggled and rubbed noses with Masama. 'Okay, so you were thump-thump-thump click ding. Everyone else was just click. So clearly we formed a deeper bond because of the fact that you and I are closer than me and Mina or me and Shibara. I can read their surface thoughts. You and I are now telepathic. How cool is that?'

Sighing, Masama ran her hand through her hair before eyeing her companion in exasperation. 'So great, now not even my brain is safe from you. This is going to make staying apart until after the Sports Festival even harder. I can literally just... feel your feelings for me. And I'll hear you thinking about me.'

'You really will, though. I think about you a lot.' Izumi blushed faintly and giggled, scooting down a little and pressing her face against Masama's chest. 'Although while we're talking about the bond, what's up with your butt, Machan?'

Huffing, Masama turned her head and looked away. 'Listen, I do squats and squats and squats and just... nothing. I'm fairly confident about my looks, but I always wished I had a little more butt. Nothing I did seemed to help, though. And then this happened. And now I am... cakey. I hope this doesn't mess with my aerodynamics. I swear to god, if I have to relearn how to fly because baby's got back now, I'm going to scream.' Then she realized something and she lifted the blankets a little. 'Speaking of flying... you're not resting on the mattress right now, Deku. You did notice that, right?'

She wasn't what? It was then that Izumi looked down for the first time that morning and realized that Masama was right. She was hovering a scant few centimeters above the sheets, but she was in fact hovering. 'Uh, Nana?'

'Let's fucking go! Float works!' Nana cheered happily, and then snorted. 'Granted it's a little redundant with Nevan's quirk in the picture but still. You'll be able to fly faster than you can flap, maneuver in tighter spaces, and altogether dominate the air. I see this as an absolute win.'

'And that's super exciting, I'm not saying that it's not.' Izumi twisted in the air, spinning herself in a circle before coming to stop where she started. 'But, uh, how do I turn it off?'

Nana made a thoughtful noise. 'I never really turned it on by accident before. It was always a conscious decision for me. I had to focus on my positive, upbeat thoughts and that would cause my quirk to activate?'

Groaning, Izumi sat up over Masama and crossed her arms over her chest. 'But I'm always positive and upbeat! I'm never going to touch the ground again at this rate!' She sighed and looked around before drifting in the direction of her dresser. 'Thank god I bathed yesterday, because I don't even know if I could get into the water like this.'

'Deku?' Masama raised a finger in the air as she looked back the verdette. 'Why the fuck are we having a conversation with someone in your head? There's like, multiple people inside your head.'

Izumi sighed. 'Meet the vestiges. They're... here. Can you just... accept 'vestiges' and 'they talk' for now and we'll do the whole entire drawn out introduction and getting to know you thing once someone else dings? I really don't want to do that nine separate times.'

Rolling her eyes, Masama huffed softly. 'Yeah, whatever. That seems fair. This is just... you know what? Whatever. Not the weirdest thing you've brought into my life.'

Izumi dug out a change of clothes, took one look at Masama, and then zipped up to the bathroom level of her loft as the blonde chuckled. It took her a little longer than usual to change, and even then she lingered until she was sure that she'd given her companion time to put her uniform on. Then and only then did she descend, collecting Masama and heading for the kitchen.

“My girl, you’re… floating?” Izumi did a playful pirouette that made her skirt flare around her legs and Toshinori gasped excitedly. “Is that… did you manifest Nana’s quirk?”

Izumi nodded and zipped over to float in front of Toshinori, curling her wings around her to avoid taking up too much room despite the spaciousness of the area. “Yeah. It’s turned on and I’m not entirely sure how to turn it off? I kinda… just float now. Uh, help?”

Reaching out, Toshinori placed his hands on Izumi’s shoulders and slowly pushed downward until the verdette’s feet met the ground. He made a pleased noise, only to frown again as he removed his hands and Izumi floated back up into the air. “Well this is a problem. Let me call Nedzu while you eat breakfast.”

Izumi nodded and floated over to her mother as Toshinori hurried off to finish preparing for the day. Inko was humming happily as she cooked and… all but literally glowing? “Mom?”

“Turns out that villains aren’t the only people that he’ll smash if given a chance.” Izumi made a horrified noise as Masama retched softly behind her, and Inko pointed a wooden spoon at the pair. “I’ve been suffering through an eleven year dry spell. You girls mind your own damn business.”

‘Damn, your mom works fast.’ A laugh bubbled up out of Nevan as Masama retched again. ‘I wonder if we’re related. That’s the kind of thing that I would have done.’

Masama’s expression turned thoughtful, and then after a few seconds she began to chuckle. “You know what? I was a little grossed out at first because it’s Auntie Inko. But now that I’ve realized this isn’t happening to me? It’s actually kinda funny. Hey Deku, you should write a story about this. ‘My Mom Got Smashed by All Might’.”

Returning to the stove, Inko peered over at them curiously. “Why do you call my daughter that? Isn’t that perilously close to deadnaming, since it’s an alternate reading of her old name?”

Eyes widening, Masama grimaced. “Well fuck. I hadn’t even considered that it might be transphobic. I’d considered a bunch of other things, yeah, but not that. De… Izumi?”

“Deku.” Izumi wrapped an arm around Masama possessively and hugged herself against the taller blonde’s side. Looking over at Inko, she gestured to herself. “She got it from misreading my name as a kid, but it evolved past that. It’s short for dekunobu, one of those wooden dolls that can’t do anything on its own. Because I was quirkless for so long and, well, couldn’t do anything. It’s something significant just between us, and I don’t mind that she calls me that. Nobody else can, but she always can and hopefully always will.”

Inko narrowed her eyes, raising her free hand and wiggling her fingers in Masama’s direction. “Dekunobu isn’t exactly a compliment either, young lady.”

Flaring her wings, Izumi wrapped them around her companion protectively. “Mom! Leave it. Just… leave it. Machan has offered to call me something else. I don’t want her to. I’ll tell you the same thing that I told her: let me make my own decisions in life. Let me decide who I want to be. If I want to be Machan’s Deku, that’s my decision and I should be the only one who gets to make it.”

Raising her hands in surrender, Inko turned back to her cooking. “Fine. Fine. But if I ever find out that she’s treating you poorly… that any of your partners are treating you poorly? Partners, since evidently you’re going to have nine or so of them?” She made a sharp pulling motion.

Masama let out a shrill little anxious chuckle at that and Izumi squeezed her. “What if I want them to treat me poorly? What if I’m some sort of little freak? I mean, I am a succubus. What if I’m into some weird shit?”

Regaining her courage a little, Masama held up a finger. “She may be into feet.”

“I am not in fact into feet, but like… I’m fifteen and hormonal and very curious. I don’t know what I’m into yet. And that’s very normal of me.” Izumi reached up to poke Masama’s nose before looking back over at her mother. “And you can’t go getting mad at Machan or anyone else if it does turn out that I’m into weird stuff and they’re willing to fulfill that for me.”

Inko reached up and pinched the bridge of her nose. “My little girl is growing up and standing up for herself. I guess it could be worse. At least you're not back on the monk kick.”

Looking over at Izumi, Masama raised an eyebrow. “Is that why you came to school bald at one point?”

Izumi blushed darkly. “I don’t want to talk about it.” Uncurling from around Masama, she grabbed the blonde’s hand and tugged gently. “Can we get going? Do we need to ride with, uh, Dad? Or can we go on our own?”

“I mean, you’re a big girl. You ride the train on your own all the time.” Inko frowned and looked down. “But I’m not done cooking breakfast yet.”

“Yeah, I just… kinda am dreading the conversation with Mina and Shibara and want to get it over with. So I want to get going.” Inko sighed, grabbing two pieces of toast and slapping a cooked egg between it before holding it out to Izumi. The verdette darted forward, claiming her breakfast, and Inko did the same for Masama with what Izumi assumed was Simply Eggless or something similar from the fact that it was in a separate smaller frying pan. “Thanks, Mom!”

The two rushed to the elevator, only to be stuck waiting while it ascended to the penthouse. But in short order, they were out on the street and heading to the train station. Izumi did her best to float unobtrusively beside Masama, keeping herself as close to the ground as possible. As they made their way down the sidewalk, Masama glanced over at Izumi. “Thanks. For sticking up for me up there. That could have gotten really bad really fast.”

“I’m honestly so far over it, Machan, that I refused to get dragged back to where I was back in February.” Izumi scowled and took a vicious bite out of her egg sandwich. “I’m not that person anymore. I refuse to be. And you’re… still sorta that person but you’re at least working on it. I feel like you’re trying to be a better person?”

Sighing, Masama shrugged uncertainly. “I mean, I’m still the best with an awesome quirk and I’m going to be great someday. But having you around has helped me realize that I don’t want to be at the top alone? And so I can’t keep pushing people away? I’m still me. But I’m trying to be like, less abrasive at least?”

Izumi nodded in agreement. “So yeah. We weren’t going to get caught up in the past. We weren’t going back. I refused.”

“Yeah well just… thanks.” Masama leaned in and gave Izumi a kiss on the cheek that made the verdette’s skin tingle faintly. Pulling back, the blonde brought her free hand up to her lips. “The fuck?”

“I dunno, did you think it was hot that I was being protective of you or something?” Masama blushed faintly and Izumi giggled. “You did! That’s so cute of you, Machan! Baby’s first Succubus draining!”

Huffing, Masama looked away. “Shut up, Deku.”

They made it to the station just in time to board the next westbound train. As they settled into seats and Masama pulled out her earbuds, Izumi held out her hand expectantly. Masama rolled her eyes but obliged her. As they got comfortable, Izumi made a thoughtful noise. “I wonder if I could fly to school once you go back to living in Musutafu?”

Masama snorted softly. “Holy illegal quirk use, Deku.”

“I’m sorry, what?” Izumi looked over at the blonde in amusement. “You of all people wants to talk about illegal quirk use?”

Rolling her eyes, Masama threw an arm around Izumi’s shoulders and pulled her in against her. “I didn’t say I had a problem with it. Just that it was illegal. Also, not going to lie but I’d be a little jealous because I can’t.” Looking up at her, Izumi made a curious noise. “I have battlefield mobility, sure, but I can’t fly all the way from home to school, much less from Tokyo to Musutafu.”

Izumi grinned mischievously, rubbing her cheek against the blonde’s collarbone. “I bet you could if we figured out how to make explosions from your feet, Machan.”

Sighing, Masama shook her head. “You and my fucking feet, I swear to god. One of these days, I’m just gonna shove my foot in your face and get it over with. Or like, step on you or something. What do you feet freaks even like?”

Eyes widening, Izumi peered up at her companion. “Wait, I’m still not into feet, but you stepping on me sounds fun. Like, what if we got you some tall boots and a little leather outfit and a whip and-“

“Is this your fantasy about me or are you recycling an old daydream about Easy Bake Oven?” Thankfully Masama seemed amused rather than angry about the prospect. “Because I wouldn’t blame you, but also… what the fuck, Deku?”

Izumi shrugged helplessly, blushing a bit. “I don’t know! I just… dominant women are hot, Machan!”

Sighing, Masama shifted to tangle her right leg with Izumi’s left. “You little freak. Guess you got lucky when you found me.” When Izumi looked up at her hopefully, she smirked. “We’ll talk about it after the Sports Festival.”

They rode in companionable silence all the way to Musutafu Station, where they switched trains to head for school. Arriving, Izumi giggled at the sight of a clearly disgruntled Mina wrapped up snuggly against the morning chill and sipping from the largest cup of iced coffee that Izumi had seen in her life. “You’re not a morning person?”

“I am not!” Mina took a long pull from the straw sticking out of her cup, and then shook her head. “But you kinda left us in an interesting place yesterday and so like… yeah. And by interesting, I mean…” She calmly turned and handed her cup to Ibara before grabbing Izumi by the jacket and shaking her. “What the absolute fuck, Midori?”

Laughing, Izumi reached out and pulled Mina into a hug, curling her wings around the smaller girl too for good measure. “I’m really sorry for how that went down, Mina. And also Shibara, although I didn’t so much ditch you as just… not come find you. But no. I’m sorry. Yesterday was a lot, I’m not going to lie. An unplanned lot for me. I had no idea that was going to happen. Literally no warning. And so I sorta disappeared on the both of you until I could sort everything out. And for that, I apologize.”

Mina pouted as she leaned into Izumi’s chest. “Apology will not be accepted until I get answers. Answers, I say! I need to know everything! Immediately! Also, uh, can you not check your phone until I have a chance to unsend a message or five? I sorta… tried to lure you back toward our group chat last night.”

Slowly raising her hand, Ibara blushed faintly. “If she does remove the messages, I already saved copies.” Mina shot the vine-haired girl a betrayed look and Ibara did her best to look innocent. “They are very artistic and sensual photos, and there is no shame in admiring the female form as long as you do so in an appropriate manner.” She paused for a moment, thinking. “I am not sure if there is a Bible quote for this situation. I will check later.”

Evidently, Masama was feeling surprisingly helpful and pulled out her phone. After a minute or so’s investigation, she looked up at Ibara. “You are altogether beautiful, my darling; there is no flaw in you.” Ibara made a thoughtful noise. “Something called the ‘Song of Solomon’? Chapter four, verse seven.”

Blushing faintly, Ibara shot a sidelong glance at Mina. “That seems appropriate, yes.”

“Gasp! There’s no flaw in me? Even though I look like…” Mina gestured up and down at her body, and Ibara nodded slowly. “Really? That’s so fucking gay of you, Shibara!”

“Per chance are you using that as a synonym for ‘romantic’, Mina?”

“I am!” Mina fidgeted in Izumi’s grip. “Ooh, I want to hug you right now! Lemme at her, Midori! Lemme go!”

Throwing her head back, Izumi laughed loudly and gave Mina one last squeeze before releasing her so that she could close the distance and hug Ibara. “You two are so genuinely adorable. In all seriousness, can this wait until lunch? I got here early because I wanted to see you, but I want to ask my dad if there’s somewhere private that we can eat so we’re not overheard. Because…” Trailing off, she gestured to the trickle of students already arriving for their second day of school.

Mina looked around and then her cheeks puffed up slightly. “Mou! But I want to know… wait. If I say yes to this, do I get to eat lunch with All Might?” Izumi thought for a moment before nodding. They were going to have to be exposed to Toshinori eventually. So why not? Smiling brightly, Mina reclaimed her cup from Ibara and offered Izumi a cheerful thumbs up. “Objection withdrawn! See you at lunch, Midori!”

“Wait, what?” Izumi grinned bemusedly as Mina tried to hurry away, only to skid to a stop and look back at the verdette.”Don’t you want to hang out with me now?”

Shaking her head, Mina gestured emphatically at Izumi. “You’re joking, right? You didn’t dump me. You have no plans to dump me, correct?” Eyes widening, Izumi shook her head vehemently. “Then I have to go brag to literally everyone who will listen that I'm dating All Might’s daughter! See you in class!”

Masama watched as the rosette hurried away, grabbing a random student and shaking them excitedly. “And she’s gone.” She sighed in exasperation before turning to Ibara. “Did you two at least have a decent date last night?”

“We did, thank you for asking.” Ibara held her hand out uncertainly and then smiled when Masama took it. “We ordered the largest quantity of chicken nuggets that the restaurant was willing to serve us, and ate them together while getting to know each other.”

Snickering softly, Izumi fell in on the vine-haired girl’s opposite side as Masama began guiding her toward the front doors. “Chicken nuggets?”

Ibara nodded solemnly. “I am a carnivorous plant.” Based. Granted Izumi was a bit more of a pork fiend, but it was still relatable. Not that she didn't love Masama's cooking. But sometimes she just wanted a big mouthful of meat.

'Phrasing.' Masama smirked faintly as she peered across Ibara at Izumi. Then she switched to verbal conversation, presumably out of deference to Ibara's presence. "Glad to hear it. Out of curiosity, you're... I know I saw this shoot by in the group chat at some point. Kanagawa Prefecture, right?" Ibara nodded. "Any interest in a date tomorrow? You could take me somewhere in your neck of the woods, and then I'll take the train up to Tokyo when we're done."

That made Ibara raise an eyebrow curiously. "You live here in Musutafu. I have visited your house. It was lovely."

Masama waved dismissively. "That'll be covered at lunch. As will why I'm not asking for tonight. But yeah. Me. You. Something. Tomorrow?"

"I would enjoy that greatly." The trio fell into a companionable silence through the school's lobby and genkan, swapping out for indoor slippers before heading upstairs. 1-B was slightly closer to the stairwell than 1-A, and so Ibara gave each of them a hug outside of her classroom. "I will await you outside my classroom for lunch."

Izumi smiled and blew the girl a kiss. "Have a good day, Shibara!" The girl disappeared into her classroom and Izumi turned to Masama. 'So we're going to talk all day in our heads, right?'

Snorting, Masama nodded. 'Oh, absolutely.' The two made their way to their classroom and entered, only for Masama to come to a halt. 'Skullcandy looks different today.'

She did, though. Her hair had gone from chin length to mid back, and the waveform design had changed noticeably. She was also wearing glasses? Izumi approached the girl hesitantly. "Kyouka? Hi? You're... very pretty today. Not that you weren't the last two days. But... yeah. Any special occasion?"

Kyouka stared up at Izumi worshipfully. "Wow. You really are as pretty as she told me." She shook herself, slapped her cheeks, and then smiled up at the verdette. Which... was not really an expression that Izumi had seen on Kyouka before. She had a pretty smile. "So is it true that you're All Might's daughter?"

Looking around, Izumi hesitated for a moment before nodding. "Yeah. We're having a press conference tonight to officially present me to the public. You guys weren't supposed to know until then, but Dad Might had a big mouth."

"Gotcha." Kyouka looked both ways furtively before pulling out her phone. "Can I maybe get a selfie? And an autograph?"

Izumi giggled. "Selfie? Absolutely. Autograph..." She looked around uncertainly and then perked up when Momo promptly created something out of her thigh and passed it to Ochako, who slid off of the ravenette's desk and made her way over to Izumi. "Thanks, Yaomomo! You're... wow, this is a really good picture of me."

Given that it had been created by Momo's quirk, was this what she actually looked like in her hero costume or was this how the ravenette pictured her? Izumi stared down at the picture for a moment before shaking her head, turning her attention back to Kyouka. The violette held up a marker. "Can you make it out to 'Mitoku'? Uh, I can give you the kanji, one second."

Watching as the girl scribbled down two kanji on a piece of scrap paper, Izumi dutifully copied them onto the print in black marker before adding 'to' and then 'keep on rocking' underneath it. That seemed like a very Kyouka thing to want on an autograph. She floundered for a moment before scribbling 'Dekiru' in sprawling English and handing the print back to Kyouka. "Here you go."

Kyouka hugged it to her chest and sighed. "You really are a goddess." Then she looked around, her gaze landing on Mineta. "And... huh. I can kinda see the appeal."

Before Mineta could respond, things got altogether stranger when a second Kyouka made her way up the aisle, this one considerably more familiar looking. "Hey, sorry I'm late, I was..." She trailed off, staring down at her doppelgänger in annoyance. "Really, Mitoku?"

"She really is a goddess, though! I can see why you're into her! She's breathtaking!" Both Izumi and Kyouka blushed as Mitoku rose to her feet, sliding out of Kyouka's desk. "I've gotta get to my classroom. It was nice meeting you, Izumi! Keep kissing my sister! She's definitely into that!"

As Kyouka buried her face in her hands, her longer-haired sister darted past Izumi and down the aisle, hurrying out of the classroom. Mineta stared after her worshipfully. "Twins..."

Izumi shook her head slowly. "I have no idea what just happened." She shrugged, capped the marker, and carefully set it down on Kyouka's desk before turning and heading for her own seat. Sitting down, she began setting out her supplies for the day. She leaned forward a little, grinning at Masama as the blonde took her seat. 'Did you know that I'm incapable of telling a falsehood?'

Raising an eyebrow, Masama shot her an unimpressed look. 'Where the fuck is this going, Deku?'

'I like big butts and I cannot lie.'

'I knew it was coming because of the bond, and it was just as stupid as I thought it was going to be.' Masama shook her head, blushing faintly. 'But I mean, glad you approve of the changes.'

She really did, though! Izumi blew her not-girlfriend a kiss before turning back to setting out her school supplies. Mina managed to sneak in a split second before Aizawa breezed into the room. The man made his way up to the podium and sighed. “So. To address the elephant quirk in the room. Yes, I can confirm that you are in class with All Might’s daughter. Please conduct yourselves appropriately.”

Everyone turned to stare at Izumi, and there was a soft crackling noise as Todoroki enveloped half her desk in ice, staring at Izumi with wide eyes. She smiled and waved cheerfully because, well, bright happy smiles were sorta her schtick. “I’m still me, guys. Yaomomo is arguably more famous than me. I’m just a girl.”

Momo let out an incredulous chuckle. “Arguably? I would like to argue that, yes. I’m an heiress and an influencer. You’re All Might’s daughter. The daughter of the number one hero. The Symbol of Peace.”

Izumi nodded, still smiling. “And I’m still the same girl who kissed Kyouka to throw a softball the other day. I’m just me.”

“You’re the girl who threw a softball to China during the assessment test, kero.” Tsuyu brought a finger up to the corner of her mouth. “Not that I regret my decision to go out with Tooru or anything, but like… damn. I should have gotten in on the kissing while I could.”

Tooru let out a bright peal of laughter at that. “Tsu baby, you can still kiss Izumi. You can kiss her a lot. As long as I get to watch.”

Sitting up a little straighter, Tsuyu grinned faintly. “Oh. Never mind then, kero.”

The byplay made Izumi shake her head. “I’m seriously just a girl, you guys. Honest. Just treat me like everyone else. And come to me if you need jars opened.”

“If we’re quite through and agree to behave respectfully?” Aizawa’s gaze swept over the class, and the students nodded in agreement. "Let's get down to business. Our first task… will decide your future. You all need to pick a class representative."

The class erupted into chatter at that, and Izumi thrust her hand into the air excitedly. That killed all noise in the room, and she looked around uncertainly. “What?”

Masama let out a soft huff of laughter. “Nobody is going to run against All Might’s daughter. There’s no point.”

From the back of their row, Momo cleared her throat politely. “I may. I believe I have a good shot at securing Izumi’s vote, which would in turn allow me to leverage her to convince the rest of the class.” Izumi turned to peer back at the ravenette, and Momo smiled smugly at her. “I found your social media last night. SmallMight715.”

Izumi let out a groan. Not just because she’d forgotten to update her social media in the past two months to reflect her new reality, meaning a second classmate now knew of Izuku’s rather sad existence, but because… “You found the art I drew of us, didn’t you?”

“With you practicing writing Yaoyorozu as your last name, yes.” Momo continued to smile smugly as Izumi groaned and ducked her head. Between them, Masama erupted into raucous laughter, slapping her hand against the desk. “I have an idea, though, Izumi. What if we run as a ticket? Yaoyorozu and Midoriya for representative and vice? Together, we face no opposition.”

Izumi found herself considering the proposition. Given that she’d never had friends before, she had never been a class representative before because nobody would vote for her. Given that Momo and Ochako had been homeschooled together through junior high, Momo didn’t have any more experience than Izumi… but she struck the verdette as an altogether more organized and put together person. As much as she wanted to be the representative? Izumi realized that rationally speaking, Momo would quite likely be better at it. And so she nodded before turning to the rest of the class and pumping her fist into the air again. “Vote Yaoyorozu and Midoriya!”

As the class erupted into noise again, Izumi looked around before discreetly pulling out her phone. Logging into her social media in rapid succession, she quickly changed her username to TheRealDekiru across all of the services, and then updated her name to Yagi Izumi. Thank god Momo had said something, or more people might have made the same connection after tonight’s press conference. As the class continued to discussion the election, she took a moment to double back through each app and remove the cringiest of her posts. She left some of the selfies of Izuku behind; she wasn’t ashamed of being trans. But she removed some of the costume sketches, a few hero analysis videos, and yes, the art of Izuku as a hero teaming up with various other heroes.

With that completed, Izumi allowed herself to tune back into what was going on around her. The discussion was still the election, it turned out, and so she turned to Masama. ‘Me and Yaomomo teaming up didn’t settle the matter?’

Masama rolled her eyes and gestured off toward the right side of the room. ‘Four Eyes is trying to rally the boys to vote for him. Considering your voting bloc is currently… what, seven votes? He’s having a hard time.’

‘Seven votes?’ Izumi blinked owlishly. ‘How do Yaomomo and I have seven votes?’

Masama stared at her in exasperation. ‘You and Easy Bake Oven. Round Cheeks. The grape shit. Skullcandy. Raccoon Eyes. And me.’

Gasping excitedly, Izumi brought her hands up to her cheeks. ‘You’re going to vote for me, Machan?’

The question made Masama snort and roll her eyes. ‘I’m sure as fuck not voting for Four Eyes.’ As the discussion continued, Masama rose to her feet and let off a small explosion. “Oy! Rock Bottom! Sparky! Phil Swift! Vote for Easy Bake Oven and Deku!”

It took Sero a moment to realize he was being spoken to, and he gestured to himself. “I get that your thing is nicknames, but why the hell is mine ‘Phil Swift’?”

“Look it up.” Masama’s gaze swept over the class challengingly. “That’s ten. Four Eyes, do you think you can convince the entire rest of the class to vote for you and then persuade Hobo to break the tie and pick you?”

Letting out a despondent sigh, Iida hung his head. “I do not, no.”

“So that’s that, then. Easy Bake Oven is our representative, and Deku is our vice. I would tell them to give a speech, but I really don’t care.” Masama flopped back down into her desk, slouching and crossing her arms over her chest. “God, that took longer than it should have. Hobo, you got anything else for us?”

Aizawa reached up and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Can I at least get Mister Hobo or something vaguely resembling a sign of respect?” Masama offered a sharp nod. “I’ll take it, I guess. That’s pretty much all the time we have for homeroom. Don’t burn the classroom down while I’m gone.”

The next four classes passed in a blur of lectures and idle thoughts being hurled back and forth between her and Masama, and soon the lunch bell rang. Rising from her desk, Izumi stretched and made her way over to Mina. "Hey. Ready for lunch?" Mina nodded eagerly and they made their way to the door where they found... "Dad Might!"

"I am... here! To take you and your partners to lunch!"

Chapter Text

"I am... here! To take you and your partners to lunch!" All Might laughed boisterously as Mina stared up at him in awe. "Come, young Ashido. We'll collect young Shiozaki and then use the conference room for lunch." Suiting actions to words, the towering man darted down the hall to 1-B's classroom, collecting Ibara from her awestruck classmates. "To lunch!”

They made it two steps into the conference room when All Might deflated back into Toshinori with a cough. Izumi rushed forward, patting the man on the back. "Now would be an amazing opportunity to see how Mina's quirk affects you, Dad."

Mina's eyes widened. "Okay, so, just so we're on the same page... that is All Might, right? Not like, some crappy stunt double and you're related to him?" Izumi nodded. "Wow. Huh. Uh, never meet your idols, I guess?"

Snorting, Masama brushed past the group and headed for the conference table, sitting down and kicking her feet up on the table. "Yeah, he kinda just... does that. You get used to it. And the fact that more of his blood seems to exist outside of his body than inside it."

Cringing, Mina shook her head. "I was trying to ignore the bloody cough part. Okay. So. I have no idea what's going on, but that looks like it sucks." She muttered under her breath and the sigil appeared over her forehead as she stepped forward, placing her hands on Toshinori's chest. There was a bright pink glow that faded to reveal... Toshinori? "Mou! Lay on Hands has never failed me before! What gives?"

"It's alright, my girl." Toshinori patted Mina on the head before gesturing to his side. "My injuries are rather severe, and fairly grotesque. I was curious, but I wasn't expecting a miracle."

That didn't placate Mina in the least. "But I'm a paladin! I'm powered by the gods! My quirk is literally working miracles!"

Toshinori laughed softly. "It's genuinely okay, young Ashido.” I've had time to come to terms with my situation. I suppose I should introduce myself to the two of you, though. My name is Yagi Toshinori. You know me as All Might. And then my daughter will be reregistered effective as of tomorrow as Yagi Izumi."

Ibara turned toward Toshinori but kept her eyes fixed on Izumi. "And you are Izumi's father?"

Opening her mouth to answer, Izumi sighed. "Lying lips and all. That's kinda why we're here. Okay. So. Ooh! Bentos!" The verdette hurried over to the table, where four bentos were set out along with a large thermos. "Dad, I'm assuming the liquid lunch is yours?" He nodded and Izumi began peeking inside the bentos. "Machan, this one looks different. I'm assuming it's yours." She passed out the others and then settled into a seat as she opened her lunch. “Okay. So. Ten second version. All Might has a transferable quirk. All Might was seriously injured in a battle a few years ago. All Might can’t use his quirk as well anymore. All Might transferred that quirk to me so I could succeed him. I’m not actually All Might’s daughter. But we’re going to fake it to avoid any awkward questions. Especially because he's Toshinori most of the day, and it would be super sketchy for him to be seen around a bunch of random teenage girls all the time. So. Questions? Comments? Concerns?”

Mina’s black and gold eyes went wide. “Uh. I think I speak for both me and Shibara when I say… what the fuck, Midori?!” Ibara shot the rosette a reproachful look and she hurriedly amended herself. “Sorry. Speaking for Shibara at the moment, so that means… what the heck, Midori?!”

Laughing, Izumi reached up to run a hand through her hair. “Yeah, it’s a lot more complicated than that but lunch is only thirty minutes. And I know it’s kinda mean to just dump this on you and then ask you to go back to class, but we can absolutely discuss this further after school.”

Toshinori shook his head. “Not immediately, no. You have extra training with a third year hero course student this afternoon.” Izumi blinked and he gestured to her. “My girl, you’re literally floating two centimeters above your seat at the moment.”

To be honest, she’d kinda forgotten about that particular problem because ‘constantly flying’ honestly wasn’t as obtrusive as she’d thought it would be? She was just sorta… slightly floating all the time. Izumi wrapped her tail around the armrest of her chair, pushing herself down against the cushion. “So noted.”

“Oh good, so that’s not just something that I missed in the first two days of class or anything.” Mina wiped her brow before peering at Izumi curiously. “So why are you floating today?”

Izumi summoned a bare percent of One for All, just enough to cause the green lightning to crackle around her body. “Okay, I’m going to try and keep this reasonably simple, especially since I’m going to have to do it up to six more times. My quirk’s name is One for All. That much is going to be public. It’s a stockpile quirk; that’ll also be made public this evening. Where we’re going to lie is what and how it stockpiles, and how I came to access it. The official story will be that my body wasn’t ready to access the immense amount of power, and so I was perceived as quirkless by people for the first fifteen years of my life. Because seriously, can you imagine what would happen if you put All Might’s strength into a four-year-old’s body?”

Shuddering, Mina made a disgusted expression. “Considering I’ve seen what your quirk can do to you? I’d really rather not. Consider that, that is.”

“Yeah. Uh, chunky salsa. To be polite. So yeah. I’ve been stockpiling since I turned four or five, and I figured out how to harness and use it just in time for me to take the exam and get accepted to UA.” Izumi smoothed her hands down the front of her uniform blazer. “Which I took the general entrance exam for rather than getting in on recommendation because… because…” She looked over at Toshinori, who was pointedly looking away from her. “Why didn’t I do the recommended exam, Dad?”

Toshinori chuckled awkwardly. “Would you believe it’s because my daughter is earnest and down to earth and wanted to prove her worthiness to my alma mater?” Izumi stared at him dispassionately and he groaned. “I didn’t think of it.” Then he perked up. “But I wouldn’t have been able to give you One for All in time for the recommended exam! You weren’t ready! So hah! Not my fault!”

Izumi continued to stare at him until Toshinori shifted uncomfortably before cracking a smile. “Nah, I honestly didn’t think of it either. So you’re good.” Turning back to the girls, the verdette gestured to herself. “So where it gets complicated - and will stay between us - is that One for All is the cumulative strength, wills, and quirks of the nine people who held it before me. And it reached singularity with me.”

Shibara paused with a slice of cucumber halfway to her mouth. “Quirk singularity theory is generally dismissed as the ramblings of a crackpot.”

“Well, you can call it whatever you want, but the quirk reached a whole new level with me.” Izumi gestured to herself again. “I’m accessing the quirks of the previous holders of One for All. The whole succubus thing is actually the second user’s quirk. I manifested it to keep myself from dying horribly during the entrance exam. Ask Shibara what I looked like without it, or Machan. They both saw me that way.”

Ibara nodded in agreement. “You were beautiful in that form as well, Izumi.”

Blushing faintly, Izumi waved dismissively. “I didn’t have time to get used to it. I received One for All that morning, and it turned me from Izuku to Izumi literally hours before the exam. So yeah. Succubus came in during the exam itself. And then Nana’s Float is a new addition and, uh, I’m not entirely sure why it’s here?”

‘You’re like an adorable floating fairy now. A succubus fairy.’ Nana huffed softly. ‘Are you seriously complaining about the situation?’

“Question!” Mina pointed her chopsticks into the air and then made a vague gesture in Izumi’s direction. “Where do the bonds come from? Because if being a harem protagonist was part of One for All, All Might would be famous for a whole other reason.”

Izumi laughed at that. “The quirks coming out of One for All. We don’t have conclusive proof but… okay, so One for All was made of two quirks merging: Transfer and Stockpile. We think but don’t know for sure that Stockpile had Bond inside it when it merged with Transfer. Either Stockpile was bonded to Bond and accidentally dragged it along, or… well, the options actually get weirder from there. But yeah. It’s a nascent part of One for All that woke up with me. And so I bonded with Shibara, and then you, Mina, and then Machan. Uh, just a heads up? Machan and I have a second stage bond while you guys are still on the first stage. We’re not entirely sure what that means, but at a minimum?” She grinned nervously. “Telepathy.”

Shaking her head mournfully, Mina sighed. "You guys are screwed when I get to second stage. My head is full of memes and silliness."

"Maybe you'll get smarter by proximity from being connected to us?" Mina shot Masama a deadpan look and the blonde chuckled. "Yeah, I didn't think so either."

Izumi snickered at the byplay. "Since Bond was in Stockpile or connected to Stockpile or whatever it was by the time Stockpile came to Yoichi and became One for All? There isn't a vestige for it and we don't really know how it works. We're literally rediscovering the quirk as the bonds happen and deepen. We don't know how many stages there are, or what the stages will turn out to do to us. Just that there are at least two, and Yoichi thinks there will be nine total bonds formed: one for each fully manifested vestige in One for All."

Ibara nodded slowly. "So myself was one, Mina was two, and now Masama is three. And there will six other bonds formed with other young women in addition to us?" Izumi shrugged helplessly before nodding, and the vine-haired girl let out a thoughtful hum. "We really will need that shared calendar at that point."

Groaning, Mina rolled her eyes. "I'm on it, I'm on it. Midori was right and so are you: it'll be super useful for all of us." As she pulled out her phone, she looked over at Toshinori. "You've been surprisingly quiet through all of this, sir. Especially for someone who's so loud and over the top all the time."

Toshinori chuckled. "My girl, I haven't the foggiest what's going on at the moment. For me, One for All was simply a bottomless well of strength that I used to bring peace and order to Japan. If I have something to contribute, I will, but... my time is coming to an end, young Ashido. This will soon be Izumi's story."

“And I'm going to do my best to make it a properly heroic tale. Speaking of which, we’re going to be holding a press conference this evening to announce myself as All Might’s daughter, the future hero Dekiru.” Izumi smiled hopefully at her girlfriends. “Shibara, I know you’re not a huge fan of lies and lying so I’ll completely understand if you want to give this a pass. But you’re both invited to join me if you want. And maybe sleep over?”

Ibara considered the offer for long enough that Izumi felt her heart start to sink. But finally the vine-haired girl nodded slowly. “I do not like this in the least. But I understand the necessity. And so I will support you… quietly. The future hero Vine will be present for your public debut, but I ask that you do not allow them to direct questions to me. I will be truthful if they do.”

Given that was probably the best she could hope for? Izumi would take it. Her gaze slid sideways to Mina, who sat up a little straighter and nodded excitedly. “Uh, I mean, I need to workshop a name between now and then but count me in. For the press conference and the sleepover.” She turned to Ibara. “Sleepover?” After a moment’s consideration, the vine-haired girl nodded and Mina cheered. “Sleepover! Okay. Doubling back to names. I kinda want to go with Valkyrie? With my whole Norse theming and stuff? Also, I’m not entirely sure about the armor? That doesn’t seem very Norse to me. Like, I appreciate the protection but also I appreciate being on brand? And I’m not bad at Shield of Faith? Thoughts?”

After a moment’s thought, Izumi held up a finger. “First of all, love Valkyrie. Love it, love it, love it. As for the armor… what if we use it as like, hero training wheels? What if you slowly pare your costume down into something a bit more fun to wear as you grow into yourself as a hero?”

Mina nodded enthusiastically. “Love it. I absolutely love it. Okay. So… yeah, I can be Valkyrie the entire time. Maybe I’ll get my armor reworked a little visually to be a bit more… Valkyrie-y?”

"Do you know where the support labs are located, young Ashido?" Mina shook her head and Toshinori frowned. "Ask Mister Aizawa for directions. If you're looking to refine your costume, they're the ones to talk to. Obviously not in time for tonight's event, but you can at least get the ball rolling on it."

Before they could continue, an alarm started to blare and Toshinori shot to his feet, instinctively buffing back up into All Might. "Warning! Level three security breach! All students please evacuate the building in an orderly fashion!"

“Stay here, girls. I’m going to investigate what’s going on.” Pulling his suit jacket back on, All Might smiled brightly at them. “Everyone will be safe. Because… I am here.”

As he disappeared out the door, Izumi gestured to herself with her chopsticks. “Are we sure I should be staying here? What if Yaomomo needs my help with finding and gathering the class?”

Masama shot her an unimpressed look. “Deku, fucking All Might told you to stay here. So stay the fuck here.”

The quartet ate lunch in relative silence, occasionally peeking out the window to see if they could spot anything. The alarms shut off after a few minutes, which Mina in particular seemed to appreciate. Evidently she did have enhanced hearing, which was something they would have to look into at a later point.

Eventually, Toshinori returned, looking more than a little frustrated. “It was the media. They somehow managed to breach the gate and enter school property. How foolish of them. We’re letting school out for the day to look into the matter. Izumi, my girl, your tutoring is in Gym Alpha. Young Haya should be waiting for you there now. The rest of you are free to spend the afternoon how you wish, although I dare say I know what young Bakugou plans to do.”

Masama snorted. “Damn straight. Raccoon Eyes, Tangela, we’ll meet you in the support labs. Deku. Let’s go see if we can get you a little more grounded.”

They made their way through the building and then out into the grounds, hurriedly crossing the gap to Gym Alpha. In the distance, Izumi could see the decimated front gate and… wow. What kind of quirk had done that?

Inside, they found themselves greeted by a cavernous room that formed a three dimensional obstacle course, and a slender salmon-haired girl in a sports bra and shorts. Her hair and eyebrows didn’t match, which… why didn’t she want yellow hair? Yellow hair would have looked cute on her. Ooh, and she had earrings? Izumi was a little jealous to be honest. She hadn’t been able to convince her mom to let her get any piercings yet. The girl looked Izumi up and down and sighed. “You’re going flying in that?”

Izumi looked down at herself and grimaced. Yeah, they had not adequately prepared for an afterschool workout session, had they? “I mean, I’ve been flying like this since I woke up flying and struggled through figuring out how to get dressed so… why not?”

“At least take off the blazer. We’re probably going to work up a sweat.” The girl stretched her arms outward in the space in front of them, cracking her knuckles, and then she gestured to herself. “So. You are… Midoriya Izumi. Nice to meet you. I’m Haya Yuuyu. The hero intern Denryuuyu.”

Izumi perked up at that. “Electricity quirk?” Haya grinned and held up her hand, yellow tendrils of electricity licking over it. “Electricity quirk! I have… so many questions.” She held up her own hand, manifesting the green sparks of One for All. “I don't have an electricity quirk, but I can fake it.”

Cocking her head to the side, Haya eyed Izumi curiously. “Interesting. Is that why All Might wanted me to work with you instead of Nejire or another flyer?” Izumi shrugged uncertainly and Haya offered a dismissive wave in response. “Doesn’t really matter. All Might asked me to help you, so here I am. What exactly are we working on? He just told me that you’re floating now.”

“Yeah, uh, my quirk evidently has a mood regulated flight component. And I’m in such a good mood that…” Izumi gestured down at her feet helplessly. “I’m going to be honest, I have no idea how you’re supposed to help me. But I love meeting new people and making friends, so I’m not mad?”

Haya cracked a smile at that. “No offense, Kouhai, but I kinda have better things to do than hang out with random underclassmen. But… All Might is All Might, so let’s see if we can figure your quirk out.” She leapt into the air with a crackle of electricity, peering down at Izumi. “What if we actually have a little fun? Acclimate your body to having the ability to float, so it goes ‘well, I can’t do this literally forever’ and shuts off the floating for you?”

Considering the well of power that was One for All, Izumi wasn’t sure that she could not in fact sustain active quirk use for close enough to ‘literally forever’… but it was worth a try. Handing her bag and blazer to Masama, she leapt into the air and gave chase as Haya headed upward into the obstacle course. This would be a fun place to train with Masama, she realized. They’d have to come back sometime.

Given that she’d been flying with Succubus’s wings for longer than she’d been Floating, the urge to flap was strong but Izumi resisted as she narrowly squeezed through a metal ring and emerged into an area full of unevenly spaced bars. Darting over, she poked Haya’s arm. “You’re it.”

Haya's eyes widened in surprise before narrowing at the verdette. She rotated around to point herself at Izumi, and then there was a crack of thunder. A yellow blur shot past Izumi and she felt something smack her shoulder roughly. “Not it anymore, Kouhai.”

“Ooh! You can use your electricity to enhance your speed? That’s so cool, Haya!” Izumi summoned a bit of One for All and did her best to imitate the girl’s technique, jetting forward and tagging her again. Then she wheeled around and shot upward into the bars, deftly navigating between them. That should neutralize Haya’s straight line speed advantage, Izumi reasoned. “Catch me if you can!”

Haya scowled and rocketed after her, only to be brought to a halt by the metal bars. Sighing, she rolled her eyes and began picking her way through the obstacles. “You’re not any faster than me in here, Kouhai.”

Giggling, Izumi did her best to stay ahead of the pursuing girl. “Yeah but I’m ahead… of… you…” She trailed off as she emerged into an open area near the top of the room. She floated upward a bit and then peered back at Haya as she cleared the last of the obstacles. Izumi chuckled nervously. “Mistakes were made.”

There was another clap of thunder as Haya blitzed forward, slamming into Izumi. The verdette squealed, instinctively twisting and flinging Haya away as electricity trailed over her skin. It didn’t hurt, but it… huh. It didn’t hurt. Was she immune to electrical attacks while channeling One for All? Or was Haya’s flight voltage low enough to not harm people? She couldn’t exactly be a hero if she was electrocuting everyone she tried to rescue, Izumi realized.

The two darted back and forth in streaks of yellow and green as they enjoyed a bit of fun, tagging and evading each other in turn. Izumi quickly learned that she could shoot forward in arcs, curving noticeably compared to Haya’s straight line darting. It didn’t particularly keep her safe from Haya, but it was neat to discover.

Their fun came to an end as the two met under a large skylight in the center of the room, laughing breathlessly. Haya tagged Izumi one last time and then the verdette wrapped her tail and wings around the girl before she could escape. Looking up at Izumi, she smiled. “You know what, Kouhai? I take it back. I can’t remember the last time I had this much fun. Maybe… maybe there wasn’t anything better I could have done with this afternoon.”

Izumi smiled brightly at the salmon-haired girl. “You’re so cool, Haya! I’m so happy that we got to meet each other! Hanging out with you was so much fun!”

Reaching up, Haya tucked a tuft of hair behind her ear. “You can call me Yuuyu, Kouhai. If you want.” There was a thump-thump-thump followed by a click and Yuuyu’s reddish-brown eyes narrowed. “What was that?”

From down on the floor, Masama shouted up at them. “This better be as older as your girlfriends get, Deku!”

“You’re so helpful, Machan!” Shooting the girl an apologetic look, Izumi reached out for Yuuyu’s hand and frowned when the girl jerked back from her. “Why don’t we discuss this on the ground?”

The pair carefully descended to the floor, where Masama was waiting for them. She smirked at Yuuyu, throwing an arm around the smaller girl. “Welcome to the shit show, Ghidorah.”

Yuuyu gestured to herself uncertainly. “Why… oh. Because of my quirk. Heh. Kinda dig it.” Turning to Izumi, she poked the girl in the chest. “Explain. Now.”

Izumi smiled brightly at the girl. And… huh. Her roots were gone. She’d had a fairly well maintained dye job, but there had been a bit of yellow root showing. That was gone now. And her eyebrows were the same unique shade of salmon pink. Evidently they’d found what the bond had done to her. Or at least some of it. “Okay. So. My quirk forms bonds between me and people that I make a connection with. So far, we’re able to read each other’s surface thoughts and Machan and I are telepathic. Oh, and it sorta like… I don’t want to say it improved you, because you were beautiful to begin with. But it like… made you look more like what you want to look like?”

Pulling out her phone, Yuuyu inspected herself. “Huh. The yellow is gone. I’m not mad about that. And…” She reached up, making Izumi flinch as she removed a contact lens. Poking one’s own eye just seemed… eugh. “Yeah, my eyes changed too. Huh. Neat. I guess I can’t complain about that. I’m sure my parents aren’t going to be mad that I’m not stinking up the bathroom with hair dye anymore. And Nejire won’t have to do that anymore.” Her reddish-brown eyes widened. “Nejire!”

Izumi flinched as she stared at the girl uncertainly. “Do you… have a girlfriend or something? Did I just make a mess out of everything?”

“No. No. I sorta had an unrequited crush on one of my classmates. My best friend. Which I guess I’m going to have to get over.” Yuuyu looked around uncertainly. “So what, this is like… soul bond harem protagonist shit?” Masama nodded and the smaller girl let out a whine. “Aww, man. Kouhai, your quirk is obnoxious.”

Izumi flinched again as she heard an odd stretching, straining noise in her head. Yuuyu froze, staring at the verdette. “I’m sorry? I… do you want to figure out how to sever bonds? I can’t imagine that my quirk wants someone here against their will or anything. At least I hope not. It’ll probably take some trial and error, but-“

“No?” Yuuyu sighed deeply, reaching out to grab Izumi’s hands. “I guess… am I not allowed to express doubt or uncertainty or anything?”

Shaking her head vehemently, Izumi gave Yuuyu’s hands a squeeze. “You absolutely can. I just… that weird noise makes me feel like it’s more like genuine unhappiness? That the bond is straining and might break?”

“Kouhai, I just…” Yuuyu sighed and looked over at Masama. “So what, it’s me and you and her? Has anyone else been sucked into this?”

Masama held up two fingers. “Tangela and Raccoon Eyes.”

Looking back and forth between the two younger girls, Yuuyu raised an eyebrow. “And they were both ‘hooray, I live in a harem anime now’? You were? Shit, I just realized we’re bonded and I don’t even know your name.”

Showing more consideration than Izumi expected of the blonde, Masama just offered the girl her hand and a faint smile. “Surprisingly yes. The little weirdo seems to be finding people who match her freak. And me. I’m just along for the ride at this point. The name’s Bakugou Masama. The future number one hero.” Then she looked down and smirked. “Deku, let go of one hand so she can shake.”

Izumi obliged and Yuuyu reached out to take Masama’s hand, only to refuse to let go. “Okay. So. Just to recap. Harem anime. Soul bonds. I’m in this. The bond made me prettier. And… this is weird, right? Can we at least agree that this whole thing is weird?”

“It is. It’s so fucking weird. And I’m going to be honest with you, we’re all weird and Deku and I in particular are both kind of messes.” Masama shrugged self-consciously and used her free hand to gesture toward the gym’s door. “So if you want to get while the getting’s good… there’s the exit.”

Sighing again, Yuuyu rolled her eyes. “Do you guys not want me here? Because the repeated ‘hey, you can leave’ sorta has that vibe to it.” Both of the girls shook their heads, Izumi a bit more vehemently than Masama. “Okay. I just… guys, all I want is validation. That this is weird and that I’m not strange or messed up or defective for thinking that it’s weird. Because I’ve really struggled to fit in over the years, and so I’m currently just stuck on… is this normal? Is it not normal that I don’t think it’s normal? Am I proving everyone right in thinking that I’m not normal by thinking a normal thing isn’t normal?”

Izumi chuckled softly and gave Yuuyu’s hand another squeeze. “It’s weird. It’s so weird, Yuuyu. Because I mean…” She gestured up at the transgender bow in her hair. “My quirk goes all out when it comes to making you happy with how you look. I would know. And before this all started, I was a nobody with nothing. Now I’m a girl and I’m a cute girl and I’m a cute green succubus girl and I have girlfriends? Oh, and I’m All Might’s daughter. We’re having a press conference tonight to announce that. Do you want to come?”

Jaw dropping, Yuuyu stared at Izumi incredulously. “Kouhai, what the fuck? I thought…” She trailed off, inhaled deeply, and then let out an incredulous chuckle. “I’m soul bonded to All Might’s daughter. Holy shit. I… I think I need to take a step back and think about a lot of things. So, uh, thanks for the invite but pass? But I don’t want this hanging over our heads forever. So I’ll meet you by the front gate tomorrow. And tell you what I’ve decided about… all of this. Is that fair? I feel like that’s fair.”

A retort was on the tip of Izumi's tongue when she heard the straining sound again and hesitated. Sure, she wanted this resolved now, but she was also hasty and impulsive and still kinda making up for a severe lack of attention for most of her life. Yuuyu wasn't being unreasonable; she would be the unreasonable one if she tried to force the discussion now. And it would probably cost her a bondmate, which... sure she had three already, but that didn't mean she was willing to throw away an opportunity like this so easily. "Yeah. Yeah, that's very fair of you, Yuuyu. So I think Machan and I are going to head to the support labs to meet up with the others, and you can... go do that thinking?"

As Yuuyu nodded and pulled her hands free of the younger girls, hurrying off to go change, Masama sighed softly. "So. Now we know that you can break bonds if the people don't want to be in a relationship with you. That's... honestly kinda reassuring? That if I decided that I didn't want to be here, if we really hit a point where we couldn't stay together anymore? I could leave."

Izumi nodded solemnly. "Yeah. I just... I barely know her, just like the others, but I don't want to see her go? She seems so cool. And I like the way she calls me Kouhai. Like, with a capital K. It's a nickname."

"You would, you little weirdo." Masama threw an arm around Izumi's shoulder and began guiding her toward the door. "Let's go find the girls who have decided they definitely want our attention."

Yeah. That seemed like a good idea. Still floating slightly off the ground, Izumi allowed herself to be led out of the gym and across campus. Something occurred to her, and she grinned faintly as she looked over at Masama. "I'm almost the same height as you when I'm like this. I like that. Maybe that's why I can't turn Float off. Because I like being tall like you."

Snorting, Masama grabbed the back of Izumi's skirt and hoisted the girl another three or four centimeters into the air. "Not going to lie, I don't hate being able to look you in the eye, Deku. Do they make six centimeter boots? Can we get you some after we fix this?"

Izumi gasped and gestured to herself. "Machan! Are you fantasizing about me using my fantasy about you? You can't do that! Only one of us can be the tall boot and leather outfit girl, and it's going to be you!"

"Okay, but hear me out..." Masama offered Izumi a wicked grin. "What if you manage to seduce Easy Bake Oven, and she's both of our tall boot and leather outfit girl?"

Izumi tapped her chin. "But what about Ochako?"

After a moment's thought, Masama shrugged. "Round Cheeks is pretty cute. And she's got a fierce side. I wouldn't hate if her and Easy Bake Oven are numbers five and six."

Good to know. Something to consider, given that... she had absolutely no control over the bonding aspect of her quirk. Still, knowing that there were at least two people that Masama approved of out there in that wide world of three and a half billion girls? Actually no, that didn't really bode well at all. That was pretty damn concerning, to be honest. But oh well. Hopefully when they met the right girl or girls, Masama would come to enjoy their company. Because worst case scenario... they now had fairly conclusive proof that their bonds weren't permanent.

Shaking her head to clear it, Izumi made her way into the main building with Masama by her side. They paused, looked at each other, and then Masama dug her student handbook out of her backpack and consulted the map. "Support labs are on the first floor. Makes sense. If something catches on fire or some shit, you're not going to flood whoever's beneath it trying to put that shit out."

Izumi furrowed her brow. "Do you think a lot of things catch on fire in the support labs?"

"Nah, I was just speaking theoretically." Masama led the way, consulting her map as they went, until they found themselves in front of a large steel door. "Okay, so I'm not going to lie, the fact that they're containing the support kids behind a door like that is a little fucking concerning."

And then there was a tremendous explosion and the door came flying at them.

Chapter Text

Something collided with Izumi and she tipped over backward, hitting the ground hard. Thankfully it wasn't the door because... well, ouch? But there was something on top of her and as the smoke cleared, Izumi found herself blushing. There was a dark-skinned individual straddling her waist and staring down at her. Crosshair pupils spun and zoomed as the person stared down at her. "Whoo! That was a big one! Thanks for catching me like that."

Izumi nodded dumbly and then looked from the person's face down at where their bodies met. "Can you... huh, I'm actually on the floor. I guess I can be weighed down? Machan, we need to get me a weighted blanket before we go to sleep tonight. And maybe let me burrito in it tonight."

Reaching down, Masama separated the two teenagers, hauling the dark-skinned person to their feet first before doing the same to Izumi. "Yeah, sure, you betcha." She looked over at the... to be honest, Izumi still wasn't entirely sure if the person was a boy or a girl and was a little afraid to ask. "Who the fuck are you?"

"Hatsume Mei! Future CEO of Hatsume Industries! Remember the name." Hatsume stretched their arms up over their head before rolling their shoulders. "Were you two looking for the support labs? Because we're about the only thing on this end of the first floor, so you're in the right place."

Izumi smiled brightly at Hatsume. "We were! Our friends came down to the support labs after class and we were looking to meet up with them. Pink girl with horns and possibly a girl with vines for hair?"

That made Hatsume perk up. "My new customer and her girlfriend! Yeah! Come on it, they're at my station." Turning, the student led Izumi and Masama into the workshop and toward a blackened and soot smudged workbench. Sure enough, Mina and Ibara were standing next to it, thankfully looking none the worse for wear. "I found the friends that you guys were telling me about!"

Bouncing over to greet Izumi, Mina gave her a quick peck on the lips and then leaned in close. "She/her pronouns." Izumi pulled back and Mina shrugged. "I couldn't figure it out either, so I asked." Oh. Fair enough. Turning back to Hatsume, Mina threw an arm around Izumi's waist. "Mei, this is my girlfriend Midoriya Izumi, and her emotional support explosion Bakugou Masama. You can call her Izumi or Midori, but Bakugou is just Bakugou."

"Bakugou... Bakugou... Bakugou... you're the girl with the explosion quirk, right?" Masama nodded sharply and Hatsume's yellow eyes swept up and down over the blonde, scrutinizing her. "How do you feel about being Dynamite?"

"First of all, I'm all the nicknamer we need around here, so no." Masama crossed her arms over her chest, a vaguely annoyed expression on her face. "Second of all... what about Dynamight? Not mite, might. Spelled like All Might. That would be a pretty fucking cool hero name, now that I think about it. Which I have to, because I'm evidently doing my first press conference in a few hours."

Izumi perked up, nodded excitedly. "But I know you really wanted to be Queen Explosion Murder so like... what about the Great Explosion Murder Goddess Dynamight? And, uh, we'll tack on 'Explosion Hero' as an epithet, just to be safe?"

Snorting softly, Masama looked over at Izumi with a grin on her face. "You want my whole ass hero name to be 'Great Explosion Murder Goddess Dynamight'?" Izumi nodded more, an equally wide grin on her face. "I... don't hate it? But I think I'll call myself Dynamight for short."

"Dekiru and Dynamight and Valkyrie and Vine! Gonna take the world by storm." Izumi slumped slightly as she thought back to the events of the gym. "And maybe Denryuuyu?" She looked over at Mina. "Uh, I don’t know if you two were too busy in here to notice, but there was another click. The third year that I was training with. She's... not sure how she feels about us."

Mina let out an indignant huff. "We're awesome. I don't know how she could possibly do better than us." Giving Izumi one last squeeze, she made her way back over to Mei's workstation. "But we can discuss that on the way to Tokyo. For now... back to the armor redesigning, my good lady!"

As Hatsume nodded and joined the two girls standing at her table, Izumi found herself looking around the support labs curiously. And then she perked up and waved, spotting a familiar face. She tugged Masama's sleeve gently to get the blonde's attention, and then nodded in the direction of the violette before wandering off to go talk to her. Keeping her voice at an appropriate level for an area where people were working, Izumi approached her workbench. "Jirou! You're in this class too?"

Looking up from her work, Jirou smiled. "Call me Mitoku. You can't call my sister Kyouka and call me Jirou. That would be weird. Also, for the record, I would also kiss you. So call me Mitoku." Mitoku gestured to the slightly older blonde sitting next to her. "But no, I'm not usually one to stay after to work on things, but a few of the older students decided to come see what we were doing and so I'm picking Gemma's brain."

"Metalworking is my specialty." The blonde offered Izumi a hand as she flashed a smile that displayed a hint of fang. "Gemma. Just Gemma. I'm in 2-H. I know how overwhelming it can be to be a first year; the school tends to throw us into the deep end to see how we do. Someone helped me last year, so I figured that I should return the favor."

Izumi nodded in understanding as she let her gaze wander over the girl. She had her hair pulled up in a ponytail but Izumi guessed her hair was probably roughly shoulder or collarbone length when let down. Her eyes were yellow like Hatsume's, but with traditional pupils. She had the pronounced fangs that Izumi had noticed earlier and a pair of goggles around her neck, but otherwise seemed like a fairly normal UA High student. "If you're into metalworking, wouldn't you be better off over there helping Hatsume with Mina's armor rework?"

Drawing herself upward a bit, Gemma peered over at the trio at Hatsume's station before shaking her head. "Normally I would say yes, but Mina and I have a bit of a history. I'd rather not cause any drama this afternoon. I'll wait until she leaves and then go offer Mei my assistance."

Izumi looked back and forth between Gemma and the back of Mina's head. "Are you... my girlfriend's ex?"

"I'm something. Let's just leave it at that, shall we?" Gemma reached up to give Mitoku's shoulder a squeeze. "I'm going to step out for a few minutes. Keep working on that casing design, and I'll help you work the kinks out when I get back." She offered Izumi a nod of her head and then turned and hastily made her way to the back of the room.

That made Izumi slump slightly. "I made things weird by accident, didn't I?"

Mitoku shrugged. "I don't know what her history with Ashido is, but I'm sure you didn't offend her just by asking what you did. No offense because I'm sure your girlfriend is great and all, but if my ex showed up in my classroom and I had the option? I'd make myself scarce too." She paused and amended that statement. "Well, I'd have to have an ex for that to happen, but you know what I mean."

Relatable. Izumi didn’t have to worry about ex related issues either, on account of never having dated someone before Mina. Then something occurred to her and her eyes widened. “If I mess this up, I could have nine exes all at the same time.”

“Their loss could be my gain.” Mitoku paused and then her jaw dropped. “You have nine girlfriends? No wonder you didn’t need Kyouka.”

Izumi shook her head vehemently. “Kyouka seems great! And so do you! No, my quirk has a bonding component with nine… slots for lack of a better term. So I could theoretically have nine girlfriends to lose all at once if I make a bad decision.”

Letting out a soft noise of understanding, Mitoku nodded. “Well if there are… slots… still available? Keep Kyouka and I in mind.” She winked playfully at Izumi. “Would you care to sample the wares?”

Laughing, Izumi shook her head. “I’m currently in bond limbo with someone. I feel like if I did accidentally bond with you while Yuuyu is trying to figure things out, that might be my first broken bond. And I’m not trying to do that. Besides… you and Kyouka?”

“We’re twins. We do everything together.” Mitoku winked again and then snickered at the poleaxed expression on Izumi’s face. “In all seriousness, though, Kyouka mentioned that you can create green lightning? Can you channel it? Because if you can and need a little help with it, have I got an invention for you.”

Izumi found herself caught off guard by the question, and then furrowed her brow. Summoning One for All, she made a gentle flicking motion and then shrugged as the lightning remained curled around her body. “I don’t know if I can… but Yuuyu and Kaminari both have electricity quirks. Maybe I can send one of them to you? Or both, even.”

Mitoku offered Izumi a smile and a thumbs up. “Appreciate it. Now if you have anything else planned for the day, I strongly suggest rescuing your girlfriends from Hatsume. I’ve only known her for three days at this point, and I already know that she’s kinda intense…”

Fair enough. Waving goodbye, Izumi made her way back over to where Masama was standing beside the workbench as Mina, Ibara, and Hatsume huddled around something. And oh, Hatsume had a little trans flag sticking out of the top of a pile of debris. That was so cool! Her looking a little ambiguous suddenly made sense: if not for her quirk, Izumi would have been either freshly on treatment at this point or just presenting femininely without it, and looked sorta… in betweeny too.

Bouncing up to her girlfriends, Izumi tangled her tail with Mina’s and peered over the shorter girl’s shoulder. “Hey girlfriend. How’s it going?”

“So we’ve come to the conclusion that I went a little too traditional D&D paladin on my alpha costume.” Mina leaned back against Izumi and peered up at her, a pout on her face. “Vikings didn’t really do plate armor at any point in their history. So there’s lots of fun and creative ways that I could accessorize myself… D&D, WOW armor sets, stuff like that. But none of it will really scream Viking, which is my core premise. So we’re sorta casually designing a better beta costume that I’ll roll out once I really get the hang of using Shield of Faith in combat situations.”

Fair enough. Izumi rubbed her cheek against the top of Mina’s head, being careful to avoid her horns. “Should we maybe present in our UA uniforms tonight, then? Or the gym uniforms? Those look kinda cool, I’m not going to lie.”

Mina hummed thoughtfully. “Yeah but you have a really cool costume, Midori! And so does Bakugou!”

Masama snorted. “Fuck yeah I do.”

“And I’m sure Shibara is gonna look cool too. So…” Mina considered it for a few more seconds before shaking her head. “I’ll go up in my full armor, I think. Just to match the rest of you.”

“Speaking of which, I don’t know what time the press conference is but I do know how long the ride to Dad’s office is. So…” Wrapping an arm around Mina’s waist, Izumi gently pulled her away from the workbench. “It was nice meeting you, Hatsume! And I like your flag!”

Looking over at her, the crosshairs in Hatsume’s eyes spun. “I like your hair bow, Izumi.” She turned back to her work space, adjusted the flag a little to make it even more visible, and then got back to work.

Ibara extended a vine to wrap around Masama’s wrist as they made their way out of the support labs. “So we are headed to Might Tower, then? I am afraid that you were rather sparse on details so I have had to be exceptionally vague with my parents about my plans for the evening.”

Oh! They had been rather vague, hadn’t they? To be fair, Izumi didn’t exactly have a solid idea of what was going on either, beyond ‘show up at Might Tower and do a press conference and then sleep over’. But she hadn’t shared all of what little she knew with her girlfriends, either. “Okay. So. Machan, go with Shibara and get her costume case. Mina and I will get the three of ours. We meet up and go to the station. Musutafu Station to Roppongi. Up to Might Tower. Press conference. Dinner with my mom and dad. Sleepover. Breakfast because I don’t think I can skip two breakfasts in a row without annoying my mom. And then back here to school. Does that sound workable for everyone?”

It did and so they did. The classroom was long since emptied when they returned and so after a little trial and error, the girls figured out how to extend the costume case racks. They swiftly removed their costumes along with Masama’s and closed things back up before heading out. They met Ibara and Masama in the hallway and hurried down to swap their slippers for outdoor shoes before departing. The ride to the train station was made in relative silence, each girl lost in their own thoughts. They paid for four tickets and boarded the train, where Izumi paused in the aisle. They’d opted to go without the Green Car or Gran Class, and… “Oh. We’re back to back, not side by side. Who wants to sit with who?”

Having been firmly grasping Masama’s hand the entire way, Ibara promptly took the window seat in one row, pulling the blonde down beside her. Mina grinned over at Izumi and shrugged. “Tail cuddles all the way to Tokyo?”

Izumi definitely didn’t hate the sound of that. She took the seat behind Ibara and then grunted slightly as Mina flopped into her seat, pressing against her. The two intertwined their tails again and then Izumi pulled out her phone. Mina made a vaguely curious noise as the verdette opened up her web browser, and Izumi threw her arm around the rosette’s shoulders. “I mean, I’m already one of All Might’s biggest fans but it doesn’t hurt to brush up on some of the really obscure trivia. I’m going to have to pretend he’s my father in front of a crowd of reporters tonight.”

“Speaking of brushing up on things… can we brush up a little on you and Bakugou’s history?” Izumi looked over at Mina with wide eyes and the rosette leaned a little closer, lowering her voice. “I’ve been debating whether or not to say anything but like… Midori, some of the thoughts I get off of you are kinda concerning. She was your bully!”

Sighing, Izumi shot a look at the back of Masama’s seat before turning back to Mina’s concerned face. “We… misunderstood each other for a while and things weren’t great between us.”

Mina shook her head vehemently. “Midori, you can lie to a lot of people but you can’t lie to your bondmates. Shibara and I both know the truth. She was a bully! Your bully! And you know what I hate? Bullies!”

Looking at the back of Masama’s seat again, Izumi let out an even deeper sigh. ‘Any chance you want to help me out on this?’

‘I don’t know, just tell her that you’re a masochist and get it over with?’ One red eye peered back through the gap between the seats and Masama offered a mental shrug. ‘Fuck if I know what you want to tell her. I still don’t know why I’m here. Why you forgave me. I mean, I’m obviously grateful but… Deku, I was a bitch to you.’

‘Well, guess we’re just gonna see how this goes then.’ Turning back to Mina, Izumi ran her hand through the rosette’s hair. “She… she was. We had some rough times. Some good times. But some rough times. But I’m going to be the hero who saves everyone, Mina. Everyone. And that included Machan. That started with Machan. Because if I can’t save my childhood friend… if I can’t help her find a better path in life? Then how can I expect to be able to save anyone else?”

Mina puffed out her cheeks indignantly before exhaling slowly. “I guess… I mean, I guess that’s a very you thing to say. I’ve only known you for a few days and I already know that’s you in a nutshell. You’d probably date a villain, wouldn’t you?” Izumi blushed as Masama let out a soft cackle from in front of them. Mina looked forward with wide eyes. “She can hear us?”

Izumi tapped the side of her head. “Telepathy. From our bond.”

Scowling, Mina kicked the back of Masama’s seat hard. “If you ever, ever, ever go back to behaving how you used to treat Midori? I will smite you so hard!”

“Fair enough. I’m gonna hold you to that.” Masama continued to peer back through the gap between the seats. “Because if I ever go back to who I used to be to her… to anyone? I’d deserve it.”

Mina shook her fist at Masama before grunting softly and snuggling back into Izumi’s side. “What are you going to do if people from your old school speak out about Bakugou? I’m sure you can’t have been the only person that she bullied. And the public loves celebrity scandals. The only thing they love more than lifting people up is tearing them down.”

To be honest? Izumi hadn’t considered that possibility before. Masama had been wretched to her in particular, but Izuku hadn’t been her only target. Dating back years. Thankfully she had very abruptly changed course when she patched things up with Izumi, but that changed nothing about the past. “I guess… I guess we’re just going to have to see what happens. And hope for the best.”

The pair lapsed into silence for the rest of the ride, Izumi flicking through Reddit posts and fan sites as fast as she could. Sir Nighteye wasn’t going to be there but she assumed he’d probably be watching and he was not shy about posting his thoughts on social media.

They disembarked the train at the increasingly familiar station and hurried through what was approaching rush hour crowds of salarymen toward Might Tower. Izumi waved hello to Missus Fujimori before continuing onward to the elevator. “Wait until you see the penthouse. It’s ridiculous.”

The elevator doors opened into Izumi’s new home and Mina let out a loud gasp. “Midori. Question. Are you in the market for a nesting partner?”

Ibara nodded slowly as she looked around. “Or perhaps two?”

“Hah. See, I’m not the only one thinking it.” Masama led the way down the hall and into Izumi’s room. “You can look around after you change. I’m not sure when the press conference is, but I don’t want to be out of my costume when All Might shows up looking for us.”

Opening her costume case, Mina began pulling out pieces of armor and then froze, a conflicted expression on her face. “I just realized that I wished my ex was here.” Izumi looked over at the rosette, who grimaced. “Sorry, just… Toga would have been perfect for this situation. Because All Might has a time limit, right? Which means that doing a press conference means less time for heroics? Toga had a blood quirk that let her transform into anyone whose blood she drank. She could just drink a little blood from Mister Yagi and then go do the press conference as All Might.”

Izumi’s eyes went wide. That sounded like such a cool quirk! And hey, they were polyamorous, after all. Leaning in toward Mina, she grinned playfully. “Why did you two break up? Any chance of a reconciliation? Because she sounds really cool.”

Her expression went flat as Mina shook her head sharply. “She stabbed me in the arm with a steak knife and tried to drink my blood.” All activity in the room stopped as the other three girls stared at Mina in horror. The rosette waved off their concern. “I know, I know, I shouldn’t have tried to stick my dick in crazy. Lesson learned.”

“Jesus Christ.” Masama shook her head in disbelief before jabbing a finger at Izumi warningly. “I swear to fuck, if I check your phone later, I’d better not see ‘Toga’ in your search history.”

But she wanted to save everyone! Even Mina’s ex! Izumi huffed softly. “I don’t even know her name kanji, I couldn’t look her up if I wanted to.” She cocked her head to the side thoughtfully. “Unless she uses hiragana or katakana on her social media profile. Or even English.”

“For fuck’s sake.” Masama swatted the back of Izumi’s head. “We’re here to murder villains, Deku, not date them. Get that through your head.”

Pouting, Izumi crossed her arms over her chest. “Okay so I’m feeling a little attacked right now. I’m not necessarily saying that I’d date a villain. But also like… is this Toga girl even necessarily a villain? Or just someone really in need of help? Help that we could give her?”

Mina snorted softly. “Of course you’re the ‘whatever’s wrong with her is way hotter’ type, Midori. I honestly don’t know why I expected otherwise. I’m not mad. It’s very you. But I’m also not surprised in the least.”

“You know how you can help people like Raccoon Eyes's ex, Deku? You know how you can save them?” Masama scowled at Izumi before tugging her top over her head. “You can beat their sorry asses and send them to jail where professionals can help them. If they can be helped.”

Izumi looked over at Ibara beseechingly. “Shibara, doesn’t the Bible say things about forgiveness and helping people and stuff?”

Raising her hands in surrender, Ibara shook her head. “I would prefer you leave me out of this discussion, Izumi. I am all for the forgiveness of sins, but I also recognize that not all sinners seek forgiveness. What you are espousing is simply not practical.”

Really? And here she’d thought Ibara would have been a staunch supporter of her views. Izumi turned back to Masama and held her hand out beseechingly. “Think about who you used to be, Machan. Think about those people you affected. I’m sure you’re the villain in their stories. And I still decided that you were worth it.”

Masama ground her teeth for a few seconds before throwing her hands up in the air in frustration. “Fine! But if you kiss up on some villain and it all goes to shit, I absolutely get to say ‘I told you so’.”

Izumi finished changing and pulled out her phone, looking both ways before opening TikTok and tapping ‘Toga’ into the search box. Switching over to Users, she tapped hesitantly on the first result and then her eyes went wide as she found a familiar face staring back at her. She hastily closed the app and stuffed her phone into her pocket. Maybe… maybe she’d just keep that information to herself.

Understandably, Mina took the longest to get changed and then the quartet trooped back out into the living room to find Inko and Toshinori waiting for them: the latter in his deflated form but wearing his hero costume, and the former in a very nice dress that was very clearly patterned after All Might's current costume. To be honest, Izumi was a little jealous. She wanted that dress. "Ready, kids?" They let out affirmative noises and Toshinori inflated back into All Might. "Then let's go make history!"

The elevator was big enough that all six of them could descend together, although it was a tight fit with both All Might and Mina's Valkyrie armor in there. The doors opened back up into the lobby, which had been transformed in the brief period that they had been upstairs. A small stage had been erected with a podium on it, and a crowd of reporters was jostling noisily in front of it. Izumi looked up at All Might in wonder. "You just... told them to show up and they did. That's so amazing."

"This is the life that you're going to have some day, my girl." All Might clapped Izumi on the back before stepping up onto the stage and raising his hand. "I am... here! To hold a press conference!" The reporters immediately began to clamor more aggressively, and All Might laughed. "Yes, yes, it's been a while, hasn't it? Thank you for coming. Now, I believe you all know how this works. Let me speak and then when I'm done, I'll answer questions. Now... shall we?" The chatter died off and All Might turned back to where Izumi and Inko were waiting, beckoning them forward. "I've invited you here to meet a very special Might Tower resident. One who's going to be stepping into some very big shoes someday. I'd like you to meet... my daughter Izumi."

Izumi bounced forward to stand next to All Might, waving to the crowd excitedly. Leaning in, she lowered her voice. "Dad. Ixnay on the Agiyay." He looked down at her uncertainly and she rolled her eyes. "How are you going to tell the world your name if the world already knows that Yagi exists as someone who's definitely not you?"

Understanding dawned and All Might thought for a moment before gesturing to Izumi again. "Ahem. Yes. My daughter Izumi. And..." He paused as Izumi gasped and pulled out her phone, hurriedly racing to scrub the last name 'Yagi' from her recently renovated social media accounts. While she did that, All Might beckoned again and Inko demurely stepped forward to stand on his other side, waving to the crowd. "My wife, Inko. Or as I like to call her, Missus Might."

Inko smiled placidly and bowed to the crowd. "It's a pleasure to make all of your acquaintance."

Letting out a sigh of relief as she accomplished her objective, Izumi tucked her phone back into her pocket before waving to the crowd again. "My name is Izumi! The future hero Dekiru: the Can Do Hero." From behind her, Masama groaned softly but she pressed on. "It's amazing to meet all of you! Let's be friends!"

"Despite - or perhaps in spite - of her parentage, my daughter is still a typical teenage girl, with a social media presence to match. You can find her online on many services as TheRealDekiru." All Might narrowed his eyes, his gaze sweeping over the crowd. "You will behave respectfully."

Izumi giggled and pushed against All Might gently, doing absolutely nothing to move the immovable object. "You can be such a dad sometimes." Stepping forward, she bowed to the crowd. "Is there any objection to me taking over? Since this is sort of my debut and all?" Dozens of reporters just stared up at her silently and Izumi grinned. "Cool. Okay, so, I am Izumi. Hero name: Dekiru. Epithet: the Can Do Hero. And my quirk's name is... One for All."

"What does your quirk do?" The entire crowd turned to stare at one man who lowered his microphone sheepishly. "I broke the rules, didn't I? I'm just gonna... see myself out."

Izumi laughed and shook her head. "You're fine. It breaks up my monologue a little. So anyway, my quirk is named One for All because I intend to be one hero for all of Japan, just like my father. If it wasn't obvious from the costume and the hair..." She reached up, flicking her bangs playfully. "I really look up to my father. And so I want to be just like him when I grow up."

"Izumi, my dear, you're going to be better than me someday." All Might offered her a wide grin and a thumbs up. "I just know it."

Blushing, Izumi scuffed her toe against the stage. "He's such a doting father. I don't know where I'd be without him. But anyway, my quirk is a stockpile. And so I'm sure people are going to come forward who knew me before and say they thought I was quirkless. And I basically was. Until my body was sufficiently prepared to handle the might of One for All, and I stepped into some very big shoes. To be honest, I don't know much about One for All yet. I've only been able to use it properly for about a month and a half now. And I can still only use around two percent of my power without hurting myself. But I was ready to step into my dad's shoes when I didn't think I had a quirk at all. And so no matter what my quirk turns out to be, no matter what I turn out to be capable of? I'm going to be the hero who saves everyone with a smile."

Another reporter thrust their hand into the air rather than call out to her, and Izumi pointed at him. "Where do the heteromorphic traits come from? No offense, but All Might is clearly an emitter and Missus Might looks fairly normal too."

"Excellent question, my good man, and a great way for me to keep this rolling." Izumi gestured to herself. "If you look me up on social media, you'll see that I looked nothing like this before my quirk activated. I... well, I'm going to be honest with you. I'm trans. I was a boy named Izuku. But when my quirk activated, the power swept through me and turned me into who I really was inside. Izumi. Dekiru."

The reporter exchanged a look with the woman standing next to him, who shrugged uncertainly. Turning back to Izumi, the reporter looked confused. "You were a green girl with wings and a tail inside?"

Izumi giggled and shrugged back at him. "Apparently? Because here I am. I kinda fancy myself as like, a succubus? Dad Might calls me the future Succubus of Peace. So my quirk could have been Succubus, but I wanted a more inspiring name for it. So. Let's see. We've covered the trans. We've covered the green. We've covered One for All, or at least what I know about it so far. Oh! I know! Let's talk about everyone's favorite topic of hero gossip. Let's talk about romance!"

Before Izumi could introduce her, Masama swaggered forward to stand next to her. Wrapping one arm around Izumi's waist, she dipped the verdette and kissed her before straightening back up. She grinned smugly and thumped one of her grenade bracers against her chest. "The name is Bakugou Masama. Remember it. Because I'm going to be Dynamight, your next number one hero."

“This… is Machan. We’re going to be competing with each other for the top spot, and I look forward to every second of it. And…” Izumi bounced over to grab Ibara, herding her up to stand next to Masama. “This is Shibara. Shiozaki Ibara. The future hero-“

“Kudzu.” Ibara ducked her head, smiling shyly at Izumi. “I will be known as Kudzu, the heroine who invades every last nook and cranny of evil and eradicates it. With the help of Dynamight and Dekiru.”

“And Valkyrie!” Bounding forward to join them, Mina waved excitedly at the crowd. “Hi! I’m Ashido Mina! And this is my polycule!” The crowd exploded into noise, and she waved her hands to shush them. “I’m kidding, I’m kidding.” She leaned over and smooched Izumi on the cheek. “She’s the harem protagonist here, not me.”

Izumi shot Mina a reproachful look. “We are a polycule, Mina, not a harem. I would never.” The verdette turned back to the reporters and smiled brightly. “But yes. This is my polycule. Given that I can add to my stockpile by smooching cute girls, I decided that I needed to surround myself with the cutest girls in all of Japan.”

One of the female reporters raised a hand. “Isn’t the famous influencer and heiress Yaomomo in your class? If that’s true, why isn’t she here?”

The four girls exchanged looks and wistful sighs. “Yaomomo.”

All Might let out a chuckle and stepped forward, placing one hand on Izumi’s shoulder and the other on Masama’s. “Interview requests for Izumi can be submitted to the Might Tower public relations department, where I will personally review and respond to them. As for the others, I will expect you to respect their right to privacy and allow them to enjoy the remainder of their youth until they properly enter the heroic spotlight. No exceptions.”

As All Might’s gaze swept over the reporters menacingly, Izumi sighed and reached up to rub the back of her head. “Dad Might, you can be so overprotective sometimes.”

A younger looking reporter held up their hand. “You call your father ‘Dad Might’?”

Izumi shrugged awkwardly. “Sometimes? I think it’s cute.”

“It is, though!”

Chapter Text

“There is a girl outside our window, Izumi. Can you take care of that while I finish cooking breakfast?”

Blinking, Izumi looked over at the living area window wall and then her eyes widened at the sight of Yuuyu hovering outside the glass. She was bundled up against the morning chill, with tendrils of electricity crawling over her as she floated. The salmon-haired girl waved sheepishly to Izumi and the younger girl broke into a wide grin. “I think I will, Mom. I think I will.”

The previous night had been a lot of fun. Sleepovers were more fun with more than one person, and even more fun when those people were girlfriends. Izumi had pointedly turned off her phone and stored it in her room; she could obsess over the reactions to her press conference in the morning. They’d binged on gross greasy pizza courtesy of Mina’s delivery app and watched some movie that Izumi had missed most of while cuddling and kissing Ibara. They’d then adjourned to her bedroom, where Mina had decided to indulge in a little feng shui while the other three lounged on the bed level. Eventually, the rosette had joined them and they’d drifted off to sleep in a tangle of limbs, tails, and vines.

Come morning, Izumi had woken first and enjoyed their communal body heat for a bit, until Masama had joined her in wakefulness. They’d slipped out and dressed, padding to the elevator and making their way to one of the publicly accessible gyms on a lower level. Izumi wanted to be a friendly, familiar, approachable face to the world, after all. They’d managed to exercise without much fuss, return to the penthouse, and woken up Ibara and Mina at the last possible moment.

They’d had long days, Izumi decided. They deserved to sleep in.

And now they were all gathered for breakfast… with a possible plus one. It took a little investigating but there was a control panel for what turned out to be entire glass panels that became a door, opening up onto a landing pad outside so that All Might could come and go directly from the penthouse at will. Yuuyu touched down on the pad and waved to Izumi. “Hey, Kouhai. You, uh, you got a minute?”

“Can we have a minute inside? Because…” Izumi gestured down at herself ruefully, and Yuuyu nodded. The blazer from the UA High uniform was warm, sure, but it wasn’t ’stand outside at the top of a skyscraper’ warm.

The two made their way into the living room, and Yuuyu waved in greeting to the other girls. “Oh. Oh wow, you’re all younger than me. I guess that’s kinda cool? I get to be the older woman for the group?”

Looking up from the stove, Inko pointed a spoon at Yuuyu. “Not that much older, I hope?”

Yuuyu grinned and raised her hands. “Third year, hero course. All perfectly respectable to be dating your daughter, Missus Might.” Leaning in toward Izumi, she lowered her voice. “Speaking of which… where’s your dad?”

“That’s a good question, young lady. Masama dear, can you go see what’s keeping him?” Inko caught Masama’s eye and then pointedly looked in Yuuyu’s direction. Understanding dawned and Masama hopped to her feet obediently, making her way out of the room.

Yuuyu turned to Izumi and unwound her scarf a little before flicking it out toward the verdette. “So I woke up feeling impulsive and Might Tower is sorta one of the biggest landmarks in Japan these days so I decided to just show up and hope for the best. So if you’ll let me just, like, ramble a bit?” Izumi nodded and Yuuyu took a deep breath. “Kouhai. We have a soul bond. And I wasn’t sure how I felt about that until I saw your press conference last night. You’re just so… down to earth and grounded and cheerful. And I kinda got a glimpse of that, but I wasn’t sure that was who you really were until last night. And you and the others clearly do adore each other. Bakugou maybe a little less, but like… it’s a loving relationship. And you guys are helping encourage each other to become heroes. And I like that. Also, you were genuinely sad that I wasn’t there last night. We’d just met and you’d just… already made a place for me in your life.”

Izumi grinned shyly. “I also recommended you to a support course student who’s working on a piece of gear for electricity quirks. The bond sorta… connects us. I was thinking about you. You were thinking about me. Oh, and you thought my thighs looked good in my costume.”

“Kouhai! Shush! That’s embarrassing!” Yuuyu squirmed in place as she blushed. “But I mean, they did though.”

“They really did, Izumi.” Rising from the couch, Ibara offered a wide yawn before wrapping a vine around Yuuyu’s wrist. “I think I speak for all of us when I say… welcome aboard, sister. We are glad to have you.” She paused and then grinned sheepishly. “Except, perhaps, for Masama. She does not seem to like many people.”

“Nah, Ghidorah is pretty cool. Approve of her being honest enough to admit to having doubts. Approve of her facing her fears. Approve of her manning the fuck up and coming over here to discuss it.” Masama breezed back into the room, making her way over to throw an arm around Yuuyu’s shoulders. “Also, I kinda dig her hair.”

Izumi giggled, reaching up to pat the top of both girls’ hair. “You’re both kinda… floofy. It’s cute.” Grabbing Yuuyu by the hand, she pulled the older girl over to the dining room table. “You’re just in time for breakfast.”

Bringing out serving dishes, Inko smiled at Yuuyu. “I suppose the one benefit to Izumi’s relationship preferences is that I’ll have a reason to cook larger meals. That being said, my daughter has an active lifestyle. Please don’t get in the habit of dropping by unannounced.”

Blushing, Yuuyu ducked her head. “Yes, ma'am.”

“I am… here! Wondering who the unfamiliar face in my dining room is!” Clad in a spectacularly bright red and white suit, All Might swept into the dining area and clapped Yuuyu on the back. “Just kidding, my girl. I remember you from yesterday. Although I have to wonder about what went on during that tutoring session if you’re now a part of my daughter’s, erm, polycule? It’s a polycule, right? Can I call it a relationship?”

Izumi darted in to hug All Might before taking a seat at the table. “Relationship or polycule. And our tutoring session was completely above board, Dad Might. Nothing inappropriate happened. I just… can’t control the bonding part of my quirk and it grabbed Yuuyu. So now she’s here.”

Looking from Izumi to Yuuyu and back, All Might nodded. “Well, at least she solved the floating problem for us.”

“She did?” Izumi looked down and realized that she was indeed properly seated at the dining room table. But she’d been floating when she woke up and when she got dressed. And hmm, she still hadn’t bathed. Maybe she should… Izumi leaned down and sniffed herself hesitantly. “Okay I’m not sure when that actually happened but now that I can? I’m going to go… I could have showered at any time, couldn’t I? Eww. Showers.”

Masama shot a disgusted look at Izumi as she took a seat. “Wait, do you… not shower? You wash in the tub? Disgusting. I’m judging you.”

Nodding, Mina took the spot next to Masama. “Same, though! Remind me not to climb into your bathtub anytime soon, Midori.”

“I change the water after! I’m not a heathen! I just really like just… submerging myself in warm water to get clean. Showers aren’t the same.” Masama and Mina continued to eye her judgmentally, and Izumi threw her hands up in the air. “Fine then! Stay the heck out of my really cool tub then!”

As Izumi rose to her feet, Ibara casually looped a vine around her shoulders. “May I join you?” Izumi looked over at the girl in surprise and she stared back unflinchingly. “Let a little water be brought, and then you may all wash your feet and rest under this tree. Or thereabouts. The book of Genesis, chapter eighteen, verse four. My love language is acts of service, and I would very much like to wash your hair for you.”

Looking over at Ibara, Izumi grabbed the girl by the hand. “I would love to have you wash my hair, Shibara. And if you’re up for it, my wing joints are a little fiddly and hard to reach on my own.” She peeked back over her shoulder. “Mom, can you..?”

Inko waved dismissively. “Two breakfast sandwiches to take on the train, yes, yes, I’m on it. I’m going to stop cooking breakfast if this is how you behave every morning.”

Her mouth full, Masama shook her head. “I love your cooking, Auntie Inko.”

Inko patted Masama atop her head. “Well thank you, Masama. At least someone around here appreciates me.”

As the two headed off down the hallway, Izumi turned to Ibara. “We’re going to have to make this fast because we need to head out to Musutafu soon. But this raises an interesting question. How can I… I guess help you love me? I’m a quality time sort of person, which actually works well because you doing things for me means that you’re doing things with me. But I don’t know if I’m doing right by you?”

“Mina is also a quality time girlfriend, which dovetails well with your own preferences. And I believe Bakugou is giving gifts?” When Izumi nodded, Ibara chuckled softly. “She should hope, then, that we do not come to form a bond with your famous classmate. I do believe she would find herself routinely outclassed by her.”

Huh? Oh! Yaomomo! Assuming they did date the ravenette, and assuming her love language was the same as Masama’s… that would be something to watch out for, yeah. But that was a lot of assuming. As they entered Izumi’s room, the verdette casually swept Ibara into her arms and launched herself up to the third level. Setting her girlfriend down, she began to strip. “The uniform is clean, so I’m just going to dip into the water, scrub up real quick, rinse, and then…” She trailed off, noticing that Ibara was staring at her with wide eyes. “What?”

Turning, Ibara peered over the edge of the bathroom level, down at the room below. Then she slowly looked back over at Izumi, her eyes still wide. “That was a surprisingly arousing experience. Being handled so casually. I learned something about myself just now.”

Izumi threw her head back and laughed. “Would you like me to carry you on my back from the station to school?” Ibara thought for a moment before nodding slowly. “Okay! But first, tub!” Finishing stripping out of her uniform, the verdette slipped into the tub and sighed. “Bliss.”

She took a moment to enjoy the warmth before reaching over to grab her loofah and body wash, Ibara moving to kneel beside her and grabbing her bottles of shampoo and conditioner with her vines. “This is a very luxurious tub, Izumi, with a large capacity. It is rather wasteful of you to bathe in it and drain the water each time, is it not?”

“Not you too, Shibara.” Izumi pouted right up until the vine-haired girl began working shampoo into her fluffy green curls, groaning softly. “I know, one of these days I have to get over myself and get accustomed to washing in the shower. It wasn’t really an issue at our old apartment, where the tub was small. But here… you’re right. I need to grow up.”

“Perhaps. But not today.” Ibara continued to lather up Izumi’s hair, and then leaned over the top of her to press a chaste kiss to her forehead. “I wish everyone could see you like this.”

Izumi raised an eyebrow at that. “In the tub? Because there’s an entire Twitch category for that after that one American girl got famous doing it.”

Chuckling softly, Ibara shook her head. “At rest, Izumi. I wish that the world could see you when you are Midoriya Izumi, and not just Dekiru. You are going to live a hard life, Izumi, with the world resting firmly on your shoulders. I will stand by your side through as much of it as the Lord wills, of course. But I will also endeavor to stand behind you when I can. To support you, and bring you comfort and peace.”

Sniffling softly, Izumi reached up to take one of Ibara’s hands in her own. “That’s just so… ahhh! I love you, Shiozaki Ibara. I love you, I love you, I love you!”

Ding.

‘…and then there were two.’ Thankfully Masama sounded amused by the situation rather than annoyed or angry. ‘Welcome to being stuck with the nerd’s every waking thought, Tangela. Welcome to hell.’

Ibara thought for a moment and then shrugged and went back to washing Izumi’s hair. ‘I believe that I will be more exasperated with your thoughts than hers, but I suppose we will see.’

‘Fuck yeah, we will.’

‘Machan…’

‘Fuck fuck fuckity fucking fuck.’

Ibara sighed and shook her head fondly. ‘This is going to be rather interesting for us. Izumi. Rinse.’ The verdette ducked her head under the water and Ibara reached in to help coax all of the shampoo out into the water. When she surfaced, Ibara gave her forehead another kiss and got to work with the conditioner. ‘Are we… oh, this promises to be rather useful for me, actually. Being in a separate class and all. Are we missing anything interesting, Bakugou?’

There was brief pause and then a soft snort. ‘Not really. Raccoon Eyes is pestering Ghidorah. The whole getting to know you thing. I’m just eating my breakfast and minding my own business. I may grab her on the train, though. She seems cool. I’m just not stupid enough to try and get a word in edgewise once Raccoon Eyes gets going.’

Proving that she was an able multitasker, soft humming emerged from Ibara’s lips as she continued to work on Izumi’s hair, even as she kept up the conversation. ‘Would you care to join us? Or would seeing Izumi naked be-‘

‘Fuck it, you had me at naked Deku.’ Izumi’s eyes went wide and she clapped a hand over her chest. Ibara continued to hum and massage her scalp, almost disguising the noise of her door opening and closing. Explosions echoed through the room and Masama came sailing up onto their level. She stared at Izumi, a faint blush stealing over her cheeks. ‘Huh. So this is a naked girl. This is what all the fuss is about.’

Izumi rolled her eyes and grinned even as she blushed to match Masama. ‘I can’t possibly be the first naked girl you’ve ever seen, Machan. What about going to the sentou? What about porn?’

Snorting, Masama waved her hand. ‘Ah yes, the extensive porn stash of the asexual teenager. As for sentous, not really. I like my privacy.’

‘Well, here it is. Naked girl.’ Izumi curled her wings around her chest to provide a little modesty before gesturing to the spot next to Ibara. ‘Do you want to take wing joint duty when she’s done with my hair?’

Masama smirked as she sank down onto her knees next to Ibara. ‘How about tail duty?’

Izumi rolled her eyes. ‘Not today, Machan.’ The three sat in silence as Ibara finished her ministrations and then made way for Masama as Izumi dipped her head to rinse again. Leaning forward, the verdette sighed softly as Masama began vigorously scrubbing where her wings met her body including the gap between them. ‘This is nice. I can’t wait until we’re at a place where we can take a bath together.’

‘Well when we are? It’s not going to be on the morning of a school day.’ Masama finished her work and then splashed some water onto Izumi’s back. ‘There you go, you showerless weirdo. All clean. Now get the hell out and dry off. We’ve got to go.’

Izumi pouted and flared her wings, sending water droplets spraying across the bathroom area. She rose and accepted a towel from Ibara, wrapping it around herself. Her and Masama stared at each other for a few seconds and then Ibara grabbed the blonde, guiding her down the stairs into the bedroom area and giving Izumi some privacy.

Dressing in short order, Izumi bounced down the stairs, collected her two girlfriends, and then returned to the living area. She gave her mother a hug goodbye, grabbed her breakfast and her other two girlfriends, and then headed out for the day. For a change of pace, Izumi herded her polycule onto a bus and south to Shinagawa Station, where they boarded the Shinkansen directly and headed to Musutafu.

Their group one larger than the day before, they gravitated toward the right side of the car, grabbing a row of three and two seats in front of it. Masama took Yuuyu, as she'd planned, leaving Izumi to curl up between Ibara and Mina. They talked in low voices, not wanting to disturb their fellow commuters, about absolutely nothing of importance.

It did make Izumi wonder, though, how much longer she'd be able to enjoy such normalcy. Yaomomo had passingly mentioned being chauffeured to school, and she insisted that she was less famous than Izumi. While nobody was brave enough to approach her or talk to her - which really wasn't done on the Shinkansen anyway - Izumi did notice significantly more people staring at her than the day before. And the stations at both end of the trip had plenty of people pointing at her. News of her existence was already spreading, and she was a rather distinctive girl. Her days of riding on public transportation were probably numbered, she realized.

Although who was going to give them a ride if her polycule got much bigger? Certainly not Toshinori and his beat up truck.

They stepped out of the train into Musutafu Station and true to her word, Izumi tossed Ibara up onto her back for the trip to school. Maybe they were a little old to be behaving like that, but the verdette found that she honestly didn't care. It made her happy and it made Ibara happy, and that was all that really mattered to her.

Breezing into the school, Izumi set Ibara down so that they could swap their shoes out before heading to class. Yuuyu was the first to break off, giving each of them a hug before heading off to 3-A. And Masama a kiss. Izumi eyed the blonde appraisingly. So that was happening. Cool. After that, they made their way down the first year corridor, arriving at Ibara’s classroom first. And waiting in the hallway for them was... "Oh my gosh, can I ask what your quirk is? You look so cool!"

Shorter than Izumi and with darker green hair, the girl threw back her head and laughed at the greeting. "So you're in the market for a hot piece of tail? Good to know." She turned and shook her hips at Izumi, giving the verdette a better look at the multicolored tail peeking out from under her skirt. Then she turned back around to face Izumi and flashed a smile full of sharp teeth. "So, I caught your press conference last night. And all I have to say is..." Her grin widened as she brought her hand up to rest on Izumi's shoulder. "Hey."

Blushing a little, Izumi giggled at the girl's antics. "Hey. So, obviously I'm Midoriya Izumi. The future hero Dekiru. Who are you? And, uh, you still haven't told me what your quirk is. And I really want to know."

"Yeah, my quirk is pretty cool, isn't it? It's called Lizard Tail Splitter. I can split myself into up to fifty different pieces and control them independently." What? That was so cool! A perfect quirk for... frankly, in a matter of seconds, Izumi could think of a dozen heroic uses for Lizard Tail Splitter. The girl cocked her head to the side, where it proceeded to roll down onto her shoulder and onward down her arm before she flicked it into the air. She continued to grin as her head orbited around Izumi slowly, the taller girl staring in wonder. "The name's Tokage Setsuna. Don't have a hero name picked out yet, but I'm leaning toward Kimono Dragon. I'm one of the two recommended students for 1-B. And you're not the only one with questions. I never would have guessed that Ibara was dating All Might's daughter."

Izumi slung an arm around Ibara's shoulders, hugging the shorter girl against her and pressing a kiss to her forehead. "What can I say? We share a bond." The two girls exchanged looks and giggles at that even as Masama groaned in disgust. "It's so nice to meet you, Tokage. Let's be friends. And can you maybe do me a favor and take care of Shibara for me while she's in class? She means a lot to me."

Sobering, Tokage reattached her head to her body and then nodded firmly. "Absolutely. And I'm not just saying that because I want to score with you. My job as a hero is to keep everyone safe, and that includes..." She trailed off, grinning over at her classmate. "Can I call you Shibara too?"

"I would be delighted." Ibara gave Izumi a quick peck on the lips before separating from her girlfriend and stepping toward Tokage. "I will see you at lunch, everyone. Have a blessed day."

Suitably dismissed, the remaining three girls headed down the hall to their own classroom. Masama rolled her eyes and groaned at the sight of Todoroki waiting for them. "And here we fucking go. What do you want now, Creamsicle?"

Izumi drove her elbow into Masama's side roughly. "Be nice, Machan." Turning to Todoroki, she smiled. "Were you hoping to speak with one of us before class, Todoroki?"

"Yes." Todoroki eyed Izumi thoughtfully before reaching out to grab her by the biceps. She turned, hesitantly guiding Izumi toward the wall and pressing her back against it. Then she looked down at their bodies, frowned, and proceeded to force herself up onto the very tips of her toes so that she could place her hand against the wall next to Izumi's hand. "Am I doing this properly?"

Izumi looked down at the smaller girl, a confused expression on her face. "It depends what you're trying to do?"

Impassive as ever, Todoroki offered the faintest of shrugs. "Confess?"

Even as Mina erupted into giggles, Masama groaned loudly and buried her face in her hands. "For fuck's sake. This is what I'm going to have to put up with for the rest of my life, isn't it? Now that everyone knows about my polyamorous nerd?"

Peering over the top of Todoroki's head, Izumi waved dismissively. "Machan, Mina, why don't you go take your seats. Obviously this affects the two of you but at the same time..." She shrugged helplessly. "Four is kinda a crowd? I feel like this is going to be a somewhat personal discussion and Todoroki may not want you hearing everything she has to say."

"I don't mind. This affects all of you, as you mentioned." Sinking back down onto her heels, Todoroki thought for a moment before grabbing Masama and guiding the blonde over to stand next to Izumi. She nodded in satisfaction before pushing herself back up onto her toes and slapping the wall between their heads. "As I was saying... I wish to confess."

Izumi shook her head. "No you don't, Todoroki. You don't even like me and Machan. Worse. You actively dislike us. I can promise you that you don't want to date either of us, you just see something to gain from associating with me in particular now that you know who my father is. Which is kinda messed up when you think about it."

Shaking her head in return, Todoroki stared at her with mismatched eyes. "You seem to have a healthy family life. Parents who love and support you. Partners who care for you. A bright future as the heir to the title of the Symbol of Peace. I wish to have... all of that. And with you, I can."

Masama held up a hand with four fingers raised. "Four parents. My two adore the fuck out of Deku. And..." She peered over the top of Todoroki's head at Mina. "Oy! Raccoon Eyes! How do your parents feel about all this?"

"Uh, to be honest, they're about as excited as you about goat hooves on the hardwood, but other than that? They seem happy for me." Mina thought for a moment before shrugging. "Maybe you can meet one or the other of them soon? Someone's gotta stay home and take care of the kids. Unless you want them to bring my little brothers with them. Which... no thank you."

Masama shrugged and added her thumb and a finger off the other hand. "So we're gonna go with six. Six cool parents. I could ask Tangela and there's now Ghidorah in the mix, but you get the point already. Big happy family. Lots of love going on."

Nodding, Izumi leaned across Todoroki's arm and gave Masama a quick kiss before turning back to the smaller girl. "I barely know you and I'm already concerned about you, to be honest. You seem to have a lot going on in your life. But I can promise you that throwing yourself into the middle of what I have going on isn't the answer to your problems. It may seem like it, from where you're sitting watching us... but I promise it's not. This whole thing is more complicated than you can possibly imagine."

"If I can speak freely? I mostly desire the transformation." Todoroki reached up, brushing the fingers of her free hand over the scar tissue that surrounded her blue left eye. "The day that she gave me this scar, my mother told me that I reminded her too much of my father. Perhaps if I rectify that, she will be able to-"

Reaching up, Izumi clapped her hand over Todoroki's mouth, silencing her. "For all Machan's jokes that I'd bring home a villain if I could? Because of my saving people thing? And, I mean, Mina's ex Toga seems pretty interesting, don't get me wrong. But at the same time... I'm not an idiot, Todoroki. I'll help people. I'll save people. But I'm not going to let you use me. Will I try to help you? Sure. Will I let you sit down with me in an appropriate venue and we can talk about your problems and I can try to help you find solutions? Absolutely. But as for this... no. Just stop. Because I'm no one's fool."

Todoroki slumped, sinking back down onto her heels. "I see. I must consider this carefully. Thank you for your time." And before Izumi could say anything else, the girl turned and disappeared into their classroom.

Izumi let out a deep sigh, leaning her head back against the wall. "I sorta saw this coming but I was not expecting... gosh, that girl has an entire trunk full of baggage."

Leaning over, Masama pressed her cheek against the top of Izumi's head. "I'm not going to lie, I'm surprised you didn't go for it. Fixer uppers are sorta your thing. I mean..." She gestured to herself emphatically.

"There's a difference, though, Machan." Izumi turned her head and kissed the blonde gently. "You realized for yourself that you wanted to be better and decided to try and improve yourself. I'm just helping you out. Todoroki decided that she wanted me to fix her. There's a lack of... self-something, I'm not entirely sure what to be honest. Self-reliance, maybe? Self-reflection? But that should not be getting placed on my shoulders. That's not what I'm looking for in a girlfriend. Does that make sense?"

Bouncing forward, Mina kissed Izumi. "Absolutely. Also, I'm kinda enjoying being the polycule smol? I wasn't really looking forward to being dethroned."

Izumi grinned. "What about Tokage?"

"Tokage could dethrone me. I mean, Tokage could do a lot to me, I'm not gonna lie." Mina grinned wickedly. "Did you see how thick her tail was? Imagine the tail cuddles. There's enough tail there for three way tail cuddles."

"Her tail isn't the only thing that's thick." Izumi and Mina both looked over at Masama in surprise and she ducked her head. "I'm asexual, I'm not fucking blind. Minifig is caked up."

Izumi giggled. "I mean, Nevan did ask me to bring home someone weird for her bond... but I feel like I can get weirder than Tokage. That being said, I literally just bonded with Yuuyu yesterday and so I am on bond hiatus at the moment. I am not kissing anyone, holding their hands, staring too deeply into their eyes, or having a heartfelt moment until at least next Monday at the earliest."

Snorting, Masama grabbed Izumi by the hand before pushing off the wall. "I'm going to hold you to that." They stepped into the classroom, where Tsuyu, Tooru, Kyouka, Mitoku, Momo, and Ochako were all waiting for them. Masama sighed and looked over at Izumi again. "Holding you."

“Okay just… first of all, we need to be in our seats in a minute or two. So we don’t really have time for… all this.” Izumi swept her gaze over the assembled girls. “Secondly, I am putting an embargo on confessions, kisses, and other related things until Monday of next week. I currently have four girlfriends, including one that we officially added just this morning. I do not have it in me to be adding more people to my polycule today. Sorry.”

The admonition made the girls collectively slump and turn away, with the exception of Mitoku, who carefully slipped past Izumi and out of the room. Masama chuckled and gave Izumi’s hand a squeeze. “That’s the first reasonable thing you’ve said in a while.”

Izumi rolled her eyes before making her way over to her seat. 'Shibara, how's 1-B treating you this morning? I just had, like, six people try to confess. And one person who did confess. This is ridiculous. Please tell me that your class is being respectful?'

There was a brief pause and then a soft chuckle. 'Well enough for my tastes. I anticipated a number of questions, and I have not been disappointed.' Ibara pushed an image of a dark-haired girl who resembled Ochako through the bond, which wasn't something Izumi had thought they could do but was super cool. 'Yui in particular seems intrigued by our relationship and wishes to meet you at some point.'

'As a friend, right?' Izumi slumped slightly as Ibara chuckled through the bond again. 'Oh my gosh, I knew I was cute and all but this is getting out of hand. I just want to get to know everybody. Not 'get to know' everybody.'

Masama let out an audible snort from in front of Izumi, and then a mental one for good measure. 'This coming from the girl who announced that she needed to kiss girls on the first day of class. Deku, you are reaping what you've sown. You put yourself out there as the class waifu, you can't complain when all the girls want to be with you.'

'I know, I know.' Izumi sighed and shook her head in resignation. 'Well, Ibara, tell Yui... Yui Something? Something Yui?'

'Kodai Yui.'

'Tell Kodai that she can sit with us at lunch today because I would love to get to know her. And I'll see you then.' And with that, Izumi blew a kiss through the link before turning her focus outward. Thankfully she hadn't missed anything from homeroom apart from Momo taking roll on Aizawa's behalf, but classes would start soon and she had to pay attention. She had to do well. She had to prove that she was worthy of the legacies that she'd inherited. All of them.

Because she was the one here with the most to prove. She knew she couldn't beat Masama - or presumably Momo - in the class rankings, but she had to finish as high up as she could. Do as well as she could on every practical. Show people that she was here, and that All Might hadn't made a mistake by allowing her to step into his very large shoes. Sure, there would be moments of laughter and joy. But she had to stay laser focused on her goal: becoming the best hero she could be.

Although... Izumi looked down at her green hands, a visible manifestation of one of the legacies that she'd inherited. She had a lot to live up to, sure. But thanks to One for All... thanks to her bonds? She wouldn't have to do it alone.

Chapter Text

"Today's training will be a little different. You'll have three instructors: me, All Might, and another faculty member will be keeping tabs on you." Aizawa stood dispassionately behind the podium, staring out at the class.

As the rest of the class muttered softly to themselves, Sero raised his hand. "Sir? What kind of training is this?"

Like the day before with All Might, Aizawa held up a card that read 'Rescue'. "Rescue. You'll be dealing with natural disasters, shipwrecks, stuff like that." The chatter got a bit louder at that, the entire class expressing their enthusiasm for the idea. Izumi couldn't blame them: sure, fighting villains was cool and all but rescue work was the core of heroism. In order to be the hero who saved everyone with a smile, she had to know how to... well, save people. "Guys, I'm not finished yet. What you wear in this exercise is up to you. I know you're excited about costumes..." He triggered the costume racks on the side wall, causing them to extend. "...but keep in mind that you haven't gotten used to them yet, and they might limit your abilities. This special training is at a remote facility on campus, so we'll be taking a bus to get there. That's all. Start getting ready."

Izumi hopped up out of her seat and grabbed Masama's arm excitedly. "Rescue training! I'm so excited." She grinned teasingly at the blonde. "Nobody to explode. What are you going to do all afternoon?"

Rolling her eyes, Masama huffed softly. "I haven't the fuckiest. I kinda figured that I'd just be an urban hero who runs around chasing villains all day. Endeavor and Miruko aren't really known for their rescue prowess." Izumi opened her mouth to counter, but Masama pressed on. "That being said, the fact that neither of them is great at cleaning up after themselves isn't really something to imitate. If I want to be the number one hero, I have to be the best. And so... maybe there will be a training area for urban disasters or something? Like if the villain damages a building and I need to help pull people out?"

"That's the spirit, Machan!" Izumi kissed her girlfriend on the cheek before moving to collect her costume. They headed over to meet Mina by the door, who was waiting for them with her gym uniform in hand. "Mina?"

Rubbing the back of her head sheepishly, Mina shrugged. "I don't know what we're doing today, but I can't imagine that metal armor would be great for all of it. Hatsume and I are working on a redesign, but that'll take a few days to produce. Like... Tsu's excited about getting to go in the water. What am I supposed to do if I'm assigned the same task? Just sink?"

Fair enough. Then again, not everyone had to be the best at everything. Mina didn't have to be a water rescue hero when she grew up... but she probably did have to get a passing grade on this exercise. "That makes a lot of sense, to be honest. No sword either?"

Mina shrugged. "What am I going to do? Stab a shipwreck? I'd leave it in the office if I was sent out on a mission like this. It would only get in the way."

Personally, Izumi was of the opinion that it was better to be prepared for villains seeking to capitalize on the uncertainty of a disaster - or lower level villains seeking to profit on a more dangerous villain causing chaos - but then again, her being prepared was as easy as clenching her fist. Maybe Mina had a point. "True, true. Let's go get changed."

The girls headed to the locker room and quickly changed into their costumes. Izumi finished before Masama and looked over to find the taller girl staring at her grenade gauntlets contemplatively. Meeting her eye, Masama shrugged. "Sorta thinking about what Raccoon Eyes said. Maybe I'll need a sidekick someday so I can be like... here, hold this? And not have these clunking around while I'm trying to dig people out of rubble or something."

Also reasonable. Izumi leaned in and gave the girl a peck on the lips. "Why don't you leave them behind this time, just for starters, and once you know a bit more about rescue work, you can try to add them back into the mix?" Masama thought for a moment before nodding in agreement, and the pair collected Mina before heading out to the bus.

They arrived and found Iida fidgeting anxiously outside the bus, but brushed past the blunet to board the vehicle. The inside was a mostly open layout like an average city bus, and the trio grabbed seats along one wall. After a minute or so, the rest of the class began to trickle in and Tsuyu took a seat next to Izumi. "So, kero, how do you feel about frog legs?"

"Flattered, but still on bond hiatus, Tsu." Izumi reached over to poke the girl's nose playfully. "Besides, you're still getting to know Tooru. And are you even sure that you want to be polyamorous? It's a lot more work than being in a relationship with one person."

Tsuyu thought for a bit, shrugged, and pointed across Izumi toward Mina. "Mina's not very bright and she's managing it."

Indignant sputters erupted from Izumi even as Mina burst into laughter. "I'm not and I am, though!" The rosette tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Kinda curious what the bond would do to you, since you evidently wouldn't turn into a frog. What about..?" She trailed off, gesturing to Tsuyu's lap.

Blinking, Tsuyu tilted her head to the side. "I hope not. The tongue and the frog schmeat are two of my best selling points. They're pretty much my only selling points, to be honest. Heteromorphs aren't exactly popular on the dating scene."

“Aww, don’t be like that.” Mina leaned across Izumi and grabbed one of Tsuyu’s slightly oversized hands. “You also have some rocking tits.” Tsuyu chuckled at that and Mina gave her hand a squeeze. “In all seriousness, though, you already have a relationship to worry about. And I want you to take good care of Tooru for me. She’s a good friend and she means a lot to me.”

Tsuyu nodded solemnly. “Bet.” Turning back to Izumi, she made a thoughtful noise. “If you don’t mind me asking… I think we’re all curious. Or at least most of us are, kero. What’s it like being All Might’s daughter? He seems like a fairly cool dad. A little protective, but cool.”

Ooh heck. Izumi was going to have to tread carefully answering this one. And get her story straight with Toshinori afterward. Which meant not saying anything that he might not agree to. But at this point? He had put her on the spot a bit with his decision to pretend she was his daughter. If he didn’t want her to pretend to be his daughter? He shouldn’t have said anything in the first place.

“It’s honestly not as glamorous as you’d think. I had a fairly average upbringing. All Might didn’t want to put a target on our backs, so he hid us away as an average middle class family. The Midoriyas.” Izumi paused, cocking her head to the side in thought. “I guess I’m still a Midoriya? Until he decides to reveal our real last name. So it’s less a tsuushou and more an assumed identity?”

Tsuyu nodded slowly. “I was curious what your real name was, but I won’t pry. Your father clearly prefers his privacy.”

Considering she’d had to learn his name from the vestiges? She wasn’t wrong. Izumi chuckled softly before continuing. “He was there when he could be, but he’s the number one hero. Until we started figuring out my quirk and settled on the idea of me succeeding him, he could only spare so much time for me. But I enjoyed what time we did spend together. He’s a pretty cool dad. A little cheesy, though.” Grinning, she leaned in toward Tsuyu. “So many dad jokes. So many.”

From across the bus aisle, Ochako snickered softly. “Okan is the same way. So I feel your pain.” Momo made a slightly offended noise, and the brunette peered up at her girlfriend. “What? You are. You make… so many puns, and they’re all terrible.”

Momo arched an eyebrow imperiously but before she could respond, Mina cut in. “You call your girlfriend ‘mommy’? Wow. Y’all are freaks.”

Ochako let out a louder laugh at that. “That’s the part of our entire relationship that raises your eyebrows?”

“I… you know what?” Mina thought for a moment before nodding slowly. “You make a very good point. Y’all were definitely freaks before this.”

Chuckling lowly, Momo let her hand drop to rest on Ochako’s thigh possessively. “Allow us our eccentricities. We’re young and in love and discovering our respective - and in many cases, mutual - proclivities. I rather adore taking care of my Starchild, and don’t mind her tendency to call me Okan in the least. And at the end of the day, aren’t the two of us the only ones who get a say in the matter?”

Mina thought for a moment before chopping her hands at the ravenette. “Okay but does she have to call you Okan in front of us?”

That just made Momo grin smugly and squeeze her girlfriend’s thigh. “Yes.”

Izumi giggled softly as she looked over the top of Mina’s head at Masama, who glanced back at her with an uncertain expression. ‘Please tell me that’s not some shit that you’re going to turn out to be into.’

‘Wait, what?’ Izumi’s eyes widened as she stared at Masama in disbelief. ‘I was expecting some insecurity about nicknames again. And instead you're worried that I might be into calling you Mommy? Pfft.’

Blushing, Masama shot a faint scowl at Izumi. ‘You shut the fuck up. You’re a freak. You could absolutely be into that kind of shit and you know it.’

Izumi rolled her eyes and carefully threaded her tail through the gap between Mina and the seat, brushing it against the thin strip of skin exposed between the top and pants of Masama’s costume. ‘I can absolutely positively promise you that I will never try to call you Mommy. Cross my heart.’ She shot a wicked grin at the blonde. ‘If you can shift from the asshole partner to the healthily dominant partner, though, I will absolutely call you Mistress.’

Masama’s eyes narrowed. ‘Why don’t you just kiss up on Easy Bake Oven and call her Mistress? She seems like she’d be into it.’

‘What about Shibara? I mean, she has the vines to make it interesting…’

‘You two… do realize that I can hear all of this, right?’

"Hey hey, we're here." From where he was standing at the front of the bus, Aizawa looked back at them. "Stop messing around."

The entire class called out to him in near perfect unison. "Yes sir!"

The bus pulled up in front of an enormous geodesic dome, and Izumi's eyes widened. She had no idea what could be waiting for them inside the unique looking building, but given that it was at UA? It was probably amazing. As they exited the bus, they found an unfamiliar person waiting for them. Or at least it was probably unfamiliar to most of the class. Izumi knew exactly who they were, though. "Hello everyone! I've been waiting for you!"

Izumi let out a soft squeal of excitement, bringing her hands up to her face. "It's the Space Hero: Thirteen! The chivalrous pro who's rescued a ton of people from disasters across the world!"

Next to her, Ochako bounced up and down with a wide smile on her face. "Woo hoo! Thirteen is one of my favorite heroes!" She gestured to her costume. "A lot of my hero persona pays homage to them."

Thirteen swept an arm in the direction of the building. "I can't wait to show you what's inside." Without further ado, they led the class into the building, where a large landing at the top of a staircase overlooked the rest of the building. "A shipwreck. A landslide. A fire. A windstorm. Et cetera. I created this facility to prepare you to deal with different types of disasters. I call it... the Unforeseen Simulation Joint. But you can call it the USJ."

Making his way over to Thirteen, Aizawa frowned deeply. "Hey. Shouldn't All Might be here already? Let me guess, he booked an interview instead?"

Before Thirteen could answer, Izumi raised her hand hesitantly. "Can you... can you maybe not talk crap about my dad in front of me? Sir?"

"I... apologies. That was unprofessional of me." Aizawa pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. "Right. All Might's daughter is in my class. I need to remember that." Turning back to Thirteen, he raised an eyebrow. "The question stands, though."

"Actually, it's something else." Thirteen leaned in and lowered their voice below the point that Izumi could hear, but the verdette could hazard a guess what had happened when Thirteen held up three fingers. So her dad was low enough on time that he wouldn't be able to teach the class? But also... oh. He'd told the... right. Right. If he'd had to show up as Toshinori today, he would have been forced to let the others in on that particular secret. What had... Izumi's eyes widened as her mother's crude comment from the other morning came back to her. Had Toshinori used up all his time... on... Izumi retched softly.

"That man is the height of irresponsibility." Turning back to the students, Aizawa's gaze swept over them. "The clock's ticking. We should get started."

Nodding, Thirteen took a step closer to the students and held up a finger to get their attention. "Excellent! Before we begin, let me just say one thing. Well, maybe two things?" Pausing, they thought for a moment before slowly raising more fingers. "Possibly three. Four. Or five." Shaking their head, they planted both hands on their hips in a vaguely heroic looking pose. "Listen carefully. I'm sure you're aware that I have a powerful quirk. It's called Black Hole. I can use it to suck up anything and turn it into dust."

From where she was lingering near Izumi, Ochako pumped her fist into the air excitedly. "Yeah, you've used Black Hole to save people from all kinds of disasters before, haven't you?"

"That's true, but my quirk could also be very easily used to kill." Whatever good mood the class had brought to the USJ abruptly died at Thirteen's words. Izumi exchanged a look with Masama, and the pair nodded solemnly. Explosion and One for All were both inherently dangerous if used improperly, just like Thirteen's Black Hole. "Some of you also have powers that could be dangerous. In our superhuman society, all quirks are certified and stringently regulated, so we often overlook how unsafe they really can be. Please don't forget that if you lose focus or make the wrong move, your powers can be deadly, even if you're trying to do something virtuous like rescue someone."

And that's why they were here, Izumi thought with a resolute nod. She had all the power in the world at her fingertips, and no idea how to use it properly. Here at the USJ with Thirteen, she would learn how to harness that power for the good of society. Learn to save people. Learn to be a hero.

"Thanks to Aizawa's fitness tests, you have a solid idea of your quirk's potential. And because of All Might's combat training, you likely experienced how dangerous your powers can be when used against other people. Carry those lessons over to this class. Today, you're going to learn how to use your quirks to save peoples' lives. You won't be using your powers to attack enemies or each other, only to help. After all, that's what being a hero is all about: ensuring the safety of others." Pausing briefly, Thirteen bowed to the assembled students. "That's all I have to say. Thank you so much for listening."

The students erupted into noise, which died off quickly when Aizawa began speaking again. "Right. Now that that's over-" Before he could continue, there was a crackle of electricity along the massive bank of lights that illuminated the interior of the USJ, the bulbs exploding in a wave of shattering glass. Staring past Aizawa and Thirteen, Izumi raised an eyebrow as a small orb of purplish-black fog appeared, quickly growing and expanding into a massive cloud. What on earth was that? Aizawa's eyes narrowed as he turned to get a better look. "Stay together and don't move! Thirteen! Protect the students!"

Peering down at the plaza at the foot of the stairs, Kirishima furrowed his brow. "Huh? What is that thing?" A figure stepped out of the cloud, and then another, and then another. "Wait, has the training started already? I thought we were rescuing people?"

"Stay back!" Aizawa pulled a pair of yellow goggles up out of the scarf that was loosely looped around his neck, and suddenly Izumi could place him. Eraserhead: the Erasure Hero. Their homeroom teacher was Eraserhead? "This is real. Those are villains."

The cloud was evidently... a person? It spoke with a deep voice. "The only real heroes I see are Thirteen and Eraserhead. Perplexing." Collapsing into a well dressed man made of fog, he blinked glowing yellow eyes up at them. "According to the schedule we retrieved from UA, All Might should be here as well."

Scowling, Aizawa tensed up. "So you scumbags used the press as a cover and snuck onto campus." Izumi didn't have an exact count of how many villains there were, but there sure were a lot. And given that he was hanging back with the giant black-skinned man, the villain with hands on his face and body was probably in charge? As they continued to approach, Aizawa's capture scarf flared around his head and neck.

"What? Real villains?" Kirishima looked around uncertainly as Sero and Kaminari moved to flank him. Aww, the Bakusquad had already bonded to some degree. Nice. "No way. How could so many of them get into a UA facility this secure?"

Nodding, Momo took a step forward. "Yeah. Thirteen, why aren't the alarms going off?"

Thirteen looked around uncertainly. "Good question. I'm not sure..."

"Thirteen, get them out of here and alert the main campus." Aizawa moved to the edge of the stairs, staring down into the plaza. "Actually, if they've got the ability to block our sensors, then they might be jamming our regular communications too." He looked back over his shoulder. "Kaminari! Try using your quirk to contact the school."

As the yellow-haired boy got to work on that, Izumi lunged forward. "What are you going to do? You can't fight them on your own. There's too many of them. Even if you can nullify their quirks, your fighting style's not suited for this. Your quirk works best in stealth and one-on-one fights. That's not going to help with a group."

Aizawa smirked faintly at Izumi's concern. "You can't be a pro if you only have one trick. I'll leave it to you, Thirteen." And then he leapt over the edge, hurling himself down the stairs.

Watching in awe as Aizawa began tearing through the villains, Izumi ignored the tug on the sleeve of her costume. And the tug on her shoulder. And then she let out a squawk as she was bodily lifted into the air and thrown over someone's shoulder. Looking down, she groaned. "Machan..."

"You can geek out over heroes some other time, Deku." Masama ran toward the exit along with the rest of the class, keeping up despite the verdette's weight. "As much as I want to murder each and every one of those villains... today isn't my day. Not yet." Without warning, Masama skidded to a stop. "Fuck."

"There is no escape for you." Izumi wriggled her way free to find that the man made of fog had teleported to the exit, cutting off their escape. "It's a pleasure to meet you. We are the League of Villains. I know it's impolite, but we decided to invite ourselves into this haven of justice to say hello. And besides, isn't this a fitting place for All Might - the Symbol of Peace - to take his last breath? I believe he was supposed to be here today, and yet I see no sign of him. There must have been some sort of change in plans we could not have foreseen." The man shrugged before spreading his arms wide. "Ah, well, in the end I suppose it doesn't matter. I still have a role to play."

Masama and Kirishima moved to attack the villain, only to be brought up short as Izumi and Mina snagged them from behind. Wrapping her arms around Masama, Izumi shook her head rapidly. "Machan, I love you dearly but... leave this to the literal pro hero who's here with us."

Before Thirteen could act, the man exploded into clouds of fog that raced forward to envelop the class. "I'll scatter you across this facility... to meet my comrades, and your deaths!"

Already grabbing Masama, Izumi instinctively flicked out her tail to grab Mina as the fog washed over them. And so as the ground dropped out from beneath them and they were teleported away, she at least managed to ensure that the members of her polycule were with her. Safe? Perhaps not. But at least they were together.

They emerged several meters above the ground in an unfamiliar area, and Izumi hastily activated Float to keep them all from falling to the ground. Supporting three others quickly strained her, and she hastily made a controlled descent to land in the midst of a decimated cityscape. Letting out a sigh of relief, she patted Masama down. "Is everyone okay? We're all here, right?"

Kirishima pulled away from Mina and then went rigid as he stared out over the ruins. "We're here, but we're not the only ones here."

Following his gaze, Izumi sucked in a breath at the sight of... wow, that was a lot of villains. Not as many as had invaded the plaza but yeah, they definitely were not alone at the moment. Heck. And given that Izumi had no idea where they were or how to get back to where they'd started, their odds of being able to avoid the villains entirely seemed slim. Masama let out a laugh and Izumi sighed. “You're going to go murder the villains, aren't you?"

"Fuck yeah I'm gonna murder some villains!" Wriggling out of Izumi's grip, Masama smacked one fist against her palm. "Rock Bottom, you ready to ruin some days?"

Activating his quirk, Kirishima's exposed skin took on harsh planes and angles as he hardened. "Heck yeah, Bakugou. I was born for this."

As the two of them rushed toward the villains, Izumi sighed deeply and looked over at Mina with an expression of resigned amusement. "This is our girlfriend, Mina. This is who we're bonded to."

Mina snickered softly. "Too bad you're both here." Izumi looked over at her curiously and she shrugged. "If one of you was back at the school, you could be telepathic to each other and someone could go get help."

"Mina, I'm going to kiss you. Right now." Izumi pressed her lips against Mina's before closing her eyes. To be honest, the bond was still new enough to her that she wasn't used to having it at her disposal. Also, things were sorta chaotic at the moment. It was a forgivable lapse on her part, right? 'Shibara. We need your help.'

'I am currently in class, but I will render what aid I am able to.' Ibara's voice floated back across their bond, clearly concerned. 'What ails you?'

Izumi called up a mental image of the villains entering the USJ and passed it across to Ibara. 'We need you to tell Vlad King and the other teachers that there are villains at the USJ. I have no idea where All Might is, but it's just us and Aizawa and Thirteen. We need help.'

'I will make the utmost haste.'

As she broke the kiss with Mina, Izumi opened her eyes and gave the rosette an extra peck on the nose for good measure. "Good thinking, Mina." Mina made a noise of confusion and Izumi tapped her temple. "Machan, Shibara, and I are all linked. Machan is here... but Shibara is back at the school."

"Oh! Cool!" Mina turned toward the villains and frowned. "We should probably help them, shouldn't we?"

Kinda, yeah. Masama and Kirishima seemed to be doing pretty well on their own, but they were still outnumbered a bunch to two. Izumi nodded firmly. "We should. Are you going to be okay without your sword? And... ooh, you don't have your armor, either. Maybe you should stay back and provide ranged support? You mentioned that you could but I didn't get to see that during the battle trial."

Mina thrust her fist into the air excitedly. "I could... but I won't. I was going to get rid of the armor anyway. Guess this is my trial by fire." Inhaling, she manifested the glowing rune that appeared over her forehead when she used her quirk before charging toward the villains. “If we all die, we will feast on the high, for the mead is flowing in Valhalla!”

That was certainly a take, yes. Izumi shook her head ruefully. For the party healer, Mina was certainly aggressive. But part of being a hero was defeating villains. As much as she wanted to save everyone with a smile... these villains had broken into the USJ with the express purpose of killing them. There probably wasn't going to be much negotiation or deescalation in her immediate future. But maybe after she defeated them, she could convince them that there was a better path in life for them?

There was one particularly brawny villain that looked to be some sort of ox or bull heteromorph, and Masama's explosions didn't seem to be affecting him much. So Izumi summoned her quirk and let three percent of One for All wash through her body before carefully upping it to four and then five percent. She was getting a little stronger every day, and this called for pushing herself to her limits.

Throwing herself at the villain, Izumi drew her fist back and unleashed a solid punch to the man's midsection. Possibly a smash? But not really? Although... weren't all of All Might's attacks basically ultimate moves because each of them ended a battle in a single stroke? She bit her lip to keep herself from calling out a move in hindsight, and then twisted herself around into an awkward roundhouse kick. Which... if she was going to be kicking - and maybe tail whipping - people in the field, she was going to have to come up with some additional smashes.

Proving that she was only five percent as strong as All Might, the punch and following kick rocked the man back but didn't seem to do major damage to him. Which... he was a big guy and fairly durable. It made sense. And so Izumi held up one finger to forestall him before bouncing over to Mina. "Mina. Honey. Darling. Sweetie. Help."

Mina slammed a glowing fist into her opponent, sending him flying backward in a flash of pink light. Evidently she didn't need her sword for that attack? Super cool. Granted she had referred to the sword as a conduit during the battle trial, but hearing it was one thing and seeing it was something else entirely. "Midori. Hey. What's up?"

"Can I have kisses?" Izumi rubbed the back of her head sheepishly as Mina giggled. "I just punched my guy with five percent of One for All and didn't get very far. I don't know how much further Succubus is going to get me, but it can't hurt to try?"

That made Mina giggle again before adopting a mock exasperated expression. "Do you just feel like kissing me and this is the best excuse you can come up with?"

Izumi nodded eagerly. "I do, though!" Leaning in, Mina pressed their lips together and the verdette eagerly drank in her girlfriend's attraction. It was a heady feeling, having tangible proof that someone was so incredibly into her, and Izumi basked in it. Breaking apart, she poured that power into One for All and narrowed her eyes. "Alright, let's try this again."

There was a cough inside her mind, and then Nevan spoke up. 'Do you mind if we actually try and see if I can, shall we say, pilot the jaeger?' Izumi made a confused noise and the vestige sighed. 'Gimme control of the body. Your five percent plus Succubus is more power than I had on my best day. The other early holders and I had to rely on skill instead of brute force.'

Izumi looked down at her hands uncertainly. 'Do you think you can?'

'I mean, we have literally nothing to lose by trying. Best case scenario, I do something really cool with your body. Worst case scenario?' Nevan thought for a few seconds and then offered a mental shrug. 'I don't know, you blow up your arm punching this guy and Mina heals you?'

She had a point. Nevan and the others knew how to fight. If Izumi could willingly surrender control to them, they could teach her how to be a better hero in a way that literally nobody else could. 'Alright, let's do this.'

Nevan chuckled. 'Let's do this.' Izumi did her best to relax and ignore the peculiar sensation of her body moving without her input. Nevan bounced their shared form on their toes a few times before racing forward toward the villain. Launching herself into the air, she wrapped her legs around the villain's head tightly before throwing her body weight backward, unbalancing the villain. He managed to flail for a few seconds, and then Nevan dragged him over forward, slamming his face into the ground. Her lips moved of their own accord, her voice emerging throatier and more seductive than it had any right to be. "Winnemucca Smash."

Izumi blinked. 'Where's Winnemucca? Why Winnemucca?'

'It was the town in Nevada that had the largest concentration of brothels back in the day.'

'So basically Whore House Town Smash?'

'...it's me, Izumi. What did you expect?'

Shaking her head, Izumi retook control and climbed back to her feet. She poked the villain uncertainly with her toe, but he seemed to be well and truly unconscious. That was a cool move, though. On par with Miruko's Luna Tijeras, but without the... whole head removal aspect that kept Miruko from using that particular ultimate move regularly.

Izumi looked around curiously. Mina was acquitting herself well, bouncing from villain to villain and throwing them around the ruined cityscape with her ability to smite people. Masama and Kirishima had teamed up, it appeared, with the explosive blonde firing the redhead at opponents like a projectile before following him in to beat them into submission. All in all, their little corner of the USJ was progressing nicely.

‘Behind you.’

Lashing out, Izumi kicked a villain in the face as he tried to sneak up on her. She didn't manage to knock him out, but she did put him down for the count as he rolled around on the ground clutching his face. 'Thanks for the warning, Hikage.' The verdette looked down at her foe. "What kind of villain are you? I... that wasn't even a One for All kick. That was just a kick in the face." She shook her head. "These are not great villains."

So yeah. Everything was progressing well... except for one thing. Frowning, Izumi peered in the direction of foggy form lingering near the edge of the battlefield. Making her way over to Mina, Izumi gestured in the person's direction. "Is it me, or is that the teleporting villain over there?"

Mina looked over and did a double take. "Uh, unless he got hit with a genderswap quirk in the past few minutes... no?" Oh. That was a girl made of fog, wasn't it? The corset and skirt were a little telling in that regard. And she had cute little like… curled fog for hair? Huh. Brother and sister villains, maybe? Quirks tended to run in families. "Considering she could split us up if she wanted to, maybe you can go deal with that for us? And we'll keep going over here?"

"Right! Good idea!" Izumi bounced lightly on her toes before taking off in the direction of the foggy girl, ramping One for All back up to her current maximum. She'd have to be agile and quick to avoid getting teleported away by the villain, she reasoned. Bounding across the cityscape, Izumi drew her fist back as she launched herself at the villain. "Detroit... Smash!"

The villain's yellow eyes widened and she threw herself to the side to avoid the attack. "What the fuck? You can't just Detroit Smash people for standing around!"

Chapter Text

"What the fuck? You can't just Detroit Smash people for standing around! I'm clearly not fighting you guys. I don't even want to be here!"

Skidding to a stop, Izumi gestured back and forth between them. “With all due respect, you’re kinda obviously a villain if you’re here at the USJ and not one of the people who’s supposed to be here. And we’re heroes. So it’s our job to bring you to justice.”

“I, uh, I am a villain. I guess?” The foggy girl glanced down at herself for a few seconds before shrugging and looking back up at Izumi. She raised her fists in front of herself hesitantly. “Uh, prepare to die, foolish hero! Or… something?”

Despite herself, Izumi couldn’t help but smile. “You’re not very good at this.”

The girl shrugged uncertainly. “I mean, logically I knew my father was a villain and I’d have to be a villain too someday, but before today I was just a waitress. I served the drinks that my father made at the bar. Now he’s here and I’m here and I’m just… very much in over my head. I’m sorta…” She flapped her hands a few time before bringing them up to her face. “Ahhh? Like, I’m very much internally screaming?”

Her smile gave way to an outright giggle at the girl’s confession and Izumi relaxed into a more casual stance. To be honest, she really didn’t want to fight a teleporter if she didn’t have to. If she could peacefully deescalate things? She was all for it. “Okay so why don’t we just take a deep breath and calm down together. My name is Dekiru. Well, my hero name is, which is pretty much my name for this encounter. So yeah. I’m Dekiru. What’s your name?”

“Enmuko.” Enmuko gestured down at herself and let out a rueful chuckle. “A bit on the nose, isn’t it? Literally 'fog child’. But it’s mine and I love it. Nice to meet you, Dekiru.”

Izumi smiled brightly at the girl. “Nice to meet you, Enmuko.” Looking around, the verdette spotted a hefty chunk of debris and gestured for the girl to follow her over to it. Sitting down, she patted the spot next to her. “So your father’s a villain and you don’t want to be?”

Standing over Izumi, Enmuko crossed her arms over her chest. “I don’t… really know anything else though. I thought the self-defense classes were for if a customer got rowdy at the bar. Now, I guess I know why they were teaching me to fight. But yeah, my father is Kurogiri, who you obviously met based on how you arrived here. So I have a villain father and I’m surrounded by villains and they told me I was coming with them and I guess now I’m a villain too?”

“Okay but like… do you actually want to be a villain? Because I feel like you don’t.” Izumi patted the spot next to her a bit more insistently, and Enmuko hesitated a moment longer before lowering herself to sit beside the verdette. “Right now, you’re guilty of like… trespassing at worst. And knowing too much, which technically isn’t a crime but I feel like the police would want to talk to you about your father. But you’re not a villain.”

Enmuko eyed Izumi skeptically as she ran her fingers in winding circles over her skirt. “And then what? Let’s say I decide you’re right. And that I don’t want to be a villain. And even that I’ll talk to the cops and tell them all about my father and Shigaraki and Television Man. Then what? Where would I go from there?”

After a moment’s consideration, Izumi shrugged uncertainly. “Anywhere you want, really. You’d be free to be your own person. You’d be Enmuko: Regular Citizen. Not Enmuko: Potential Villain. You could go anywhere. Do anything. Especially if you have a teleportation quirk like your father.”

Shaking her head, Enmuko chuckled ruefully. “That would be too useful of me, I’m afraid. Well, I have a teleportation quirk like my father, but it’s nowhere near as useful as Warp Gate.” Her yellow eyes blinked shut and there was a soft popping noise. She disappeared from view and Izumi looked around wildly, only to discover the girl on the opposite side of her. “Obviously I don’t have a registration, but I guess if I went straight, I’d call it Blink or Flicker. I can teleport anywhere within my line of sight, but I have to close my eyes to do it.”

“That’s such a cool quirk, Enmuko! Wow! I’m kinda jealous, to be honest.” Enmuko’s yellow eyes widened and Izumi gestured to herself. “Especially after yesterday, you can’t possibly not know who I am.”

Enmuko chuckled softly. “Yeah, I’m not going to lie, I am terrified at the moment. This is going really well so I’m going to keep talking to you until you get tired of it. Because you could snap me like a twig and I am keenly aware of that fact.”

Nodding sheepishly, Izumi rubbed the back of her head. “I could, but I’d really rather not unless you force me to. I’m going to be the hero who saves everyone with a smile. Even villains. But no, the reason I was asking is that I wanted you to believe me when I told you that I know what it’s like to be living with expectations. I have… such a legacy to live up to. And so I absolutely understand how scary it can be to turn your back on those expectations. To tell people that you won’t let them decide your future. But you still have time, Enmuko. You don’t have to be the villain that the League of Villains wants you to be. You can be anyone that you want to be. Don’t you have dreams, Enmuko? Don’t you want to be… something? Anything? Other than a villain?”

“This is going to be really embarrassing. And if you laugh at me, I’m going to risk it and punch you. But…” Enmuko was silent for so long that Izumi was about to prompt the girl to continue when she spoke again. “I really like being a waitress. Just… serving drinks. And a lot of the villains who come into the bar are just lonely, messed up people. Talking to them, cheering them up? That makes me feel good about myself. So I kinda… I sorta want to be…” She trailed off and lowered her voice. “A kyabajou.”

“You want to work as a hostess at a club? That’s so cool, Enmuko!” The girl’s yellow eyes widened again and Izumi nodded enthusiastically. “Helping lonely people feel less alone is really noble of you! I grew up without a lot of friends, so believe me when I tell you that having someone who can put a smile on your face, even if it’s only for as long as the drink lasts? That’s a really amazing thing.”

Enmuko shifted in her spot. “Really? You think so?”

Grinning widely, Izumi nodded again as she reached out to take Enmuko’s hands in hers. “You want to make people smile, and so do I! We have the same dream, you and I! And I’ll do anything I can to help you achieve your dream, Enmuko! Will you let me help you? Will you let me save you from this life that your father chose for you?” Enmuko let out a little sniffle and nodded, and Izumi heard a thump-thump-thump followed by a click in her head. She slumped. “Aww nuts. Machan is going to kill me.”

From across the battlefield, Masama let out an outraged noise. “I knew you were going to turn out to be a freaky little villainfucker!”

“Okay but she really isn’t that villainous though?” Izumi called back across the battlefield to Masama, making the blonde groan and roll her eyes. “What? She’s not. She’s like us. Just a girl. A girl in a sorta bad situation that we can absolutely save her from. This is our first real chance to be heroic, Machan!”

“I’m having some feelings that I really need to let out right now and so if you’ll excuse me, I’m just going to…” Masama turned to the last remaining villain and thrust both palms out. “Fucking die!” She lit off a tremendous explosion, one of the biggest that Izumi had ever seen her make, and the villain went hurtling away from her. Inhaling, the blonde let out a satisfied sigh. “Okay, I feel better. Hi, Trash Cat. I guess.”

When she turned back to Enmuko, Izumi found herself looking at a completely different - and considerably less mutated - girl. Gone was the full body fog aesthetic, replaced by simply purplish black fog for hair. Her eyes were still hidden behind a yellow glow but other than that and her hair, Enmuko now appeared completely human. A bit pale, but human. Izumi gasped softly. “Enmuko. Look at you.”

Enmuko looked down at herself and let out a gasp of her own. “What the hell is going on? Also, Trash Cat?”

Izumi nodded solemnly. “She’s a nicknamer.”

A soft noise of comprehension emerged from Enmuko. “Gotcha. Not a great nickname, but I guess she’s not blowing me up like everyone else so I’ll take it?” The foggy girl looked from Izumi to Masama and back. And then down at herself again. “Uh, anyone want to fill me in here? I heard a series of thumps and then a click, and now you’re all being very familiar with me. Also, I’m evidently now a normal girl? Normal-ish?”

“Okay, long story short. My quirk has a bonding component. The thumps and click were my quirk grabbing you. And then my quirk has an idealization component. So evidently this is who you wanted to be, and my quirk made it happen.” Izumi cocked her head to the side and then leaned in to get a better look. “You stole my freckles? Except they’re foggy.”

“In my defense, you have really cute freckles.” Enmuko brought her hands up to her cheeks, covering where thin trails of fog were rising from the marks on her pale flesh. “As for the desire to be a normal girl… guilty as charged. I’ve always wondered what I would look like if I was a normal girl. Am I… am I pretty?”

Izumi giggled and nodded. “You are so pretty, Enmuko. But, uh, yeah. That pretty much sums it up. My quirk is making a polycule for me, and you’re invited. Thoughts?”

Glowing eyes widening, Enmuko looked over to Masama, who had been joined by Mina, and the pair of girls nodded. Mina smiled encouragingly. Masama did not. Turning back to Izumi, Enmuko looked uncertain. “I… you guys actually want me around?”

“No.”

“Shut up, Bakugou, she seems great so far.” Mina came bounding over, bending at the waist and leaning down over the pair. “Hi! I’m Ashido Mina! I was part of the same press conference, so I’m sure you know who I am?” Enmuko nodded slowly. “I agree with Midori, Trash Cat! You’re super pretty! And we’d love to have you!”

Groaning, Enmuko ducked her head. “Great. Trash Cat is spreading already.”

“In our defense, you’re kinda like an outdoor cat that we found in the trash and took home and cleaned up and now you’re our pampered and beloved pet?” Mina thought for a moment, shrugged, and then smiled again. “So yeah. Welcome aboard, Trash Cat.”

Masama approached a bit more cautiously, eyeing Enmuko. “I still think this is a less than amazing idea, but clearly I’m outvoted. Cuff the new girlfriend, Deku, and we’ll sort this out when it’s all over.”

Enmuko looked around nervously. “Are the handcuffs mandatory? Because bondage is not one of my kinks.”

Smiling apologetically, Izumi retrieved a pair of flex cuffs from the pouch on her belt. “Now that she mentions it… the best idea might be for you to turn yourself in like the other villains, and then my dad and I will do our best to get you released?”

“Oh yes, let’s throw the defector in with a pile of other villains in a police wagon. That sounds like an amazing idea.” Enmuko hopped to her feet and dusted herself off. “I have a better idea. I’ll find you when this is all over. Bye!” With a soft pop and an explosion of fog, she disappeared from view.

Izumi shot upright and looked around wildly as the fog dissipated, spotting Enmuko a short distance away. Scowling, the verdette jabbed her finger downward. “Trash Cat! Get back here!”

Shaking her head, Enmuko offered a jaunty wave. “Nope! Sorry not sorry!” And then she teleported a second time, reappearing even further away.

Izumi looked over at the supremely unimpressed Masama and sighed in resignation. “I know, Machan, I know. I’m on it.” Firing up One for All, she shot off in pursuit of her newest girlfriend.

While Izumi was superhumanly fast with One for All - albeit not nearly as fast as All Might yet - she couldn’t really compete with teleportation. By the time the verdette reached where Enmuko had been standing, the fog-haired girl had already popped away. Their game of cat and mouse continued all the way to the edge of the Ruins Zone before Enmuko waved again and popped across to the Landslide Zone.

Continuing to give chase, Izumi skidded to a stop to stare in wonder at the massive glacier rising up out of the ground. Not only did it seem to be stabilizing the unstable terrain, but it was dotted here and there with what appeared to be every villain in the zone. Thankfully, it appeared to predate Enmuko’s arrival because while Izumi wanted her new girlfriend stopped… that seemed like a bit much. The taller girl popped over to where Todoroki was standing, waved at her, and then continued onward. Bounding over, Izumi smiled brightly at the heterochromatic girl. “Todoroki, you apprehended all the villains in one attack? You’re so cool!”

Blushing faintly, Todoroki played with her hair as she peered up at Izumi. “Thank you, Midoriya. Your recognition of my abilities is… welcome.” She looked after Enmuko, who waved again to taunt them before popping further away. “Who’s that?”

“Uh, that’s Trash Cat.” Izumi rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. “I accidentally bonded with her and she’s… not really loving the idea of being taken into custody.”

Todoroki’s mismatched eyes narrowed. “You would rather bond with a villain than me?”

“In my defense? It was sorta an accident. Also? She’s less of a mess than you. Like her daddy issues are significantly less extensive.” Izumi clapped her hand over her mouth with a squeak. “Sorry. That was rude of me, wasn’t it?”

Todoroki raised a finger, paused, and then lowered her hand with a sheepish expression. “Rude, perhaps, but not inaccurate.” She sighed softly as she resumed playing with her hair. Then she paused and looked up at Izumi. “Would I look prettier if I shaved the sides of my head but left the braid?”

That made Izumi raise an eyebrow. “Is this really the time?”

“Right, right. Go chase after your… girlfriend.” As Izumi channeled One for All again, Todoroki offered her a hesitant and awkward thumbs up. “Good luck?”

“Thanks. I’m going to need it. She’s slippery.” Izumi took off in pursuit of Enmuko again, who at this point was very obviously playing with her and not trying to seriously escape because she had waited while Izumi conversed with Todoroki. Narrowing her eyes, Izumi tried to channel just a little more of her quirk - a little more of All Might’s legendary power - only to wince and throttle back immediately. Bad idea. She’d just have to do her best with what she was capable of channeling.

Their journey soon took them across the boundary of the Landslide Zone and into the Mountain Zone, where Enmuko popped into existence a short distance behind Momo, Kyouka, and Kaminari. Stepping forward, Momo thrust a finger at the villains. “I am Souzouryuu! The Dragon of Anjo! You should be in awe of me!”

A particularly brave villain scoffed derisively. “All I see is some jumped up little skank who couldn’t even find an entire hero costume.”

Rearing back, Momo unleashed a torrent of flames from her mouth as Izumi did in fact watch in awe. She’d known that Momo’s quirk was versatile and powerful, but this was so far beyond what she’d shown in the fairly brief battle trial. The fire swept back and forth over the villains as Momo strafed the area, until eventually her opponents all succumbed to the flames.

Hopefully to the heat? Izumi watched uncertainly as Momo cut off the flames. The villains were smoking, so they’d clearly been directly exposed to the flames. But they didn’t seem burnt to death or anything? So presumably Momo had been studying how Endeavor applied his quirk in the field? Izumi opened her mouth to call out to the ravenette, who held up a finger to forestall her. Turning her head, Momo spit out a mouthful of something thick and white before sighing in relief. “Yaomomo? Are you okay?”

“I create a thin coating of GreenFire in my mouth to enable me to pull off that little trick. And then simultaneously a continuing supply of the pyrophoric chemical. It’s one of my more complicated ultimate moves, but very effective against groups.” Momo spit a few more times to clear her mouth before turning to Izumi and Enmuko. “What brings you to my portion of the USJ, Izumi?”

Enmuko let out a low whistle of admiration. “Is she in the polycule, Izumi?” Izumi chuckled and shook her head. “Can she be?”

Momo thrust her arms out from her sides imperiously, and Kyouka hurriedly slipped the ravenette’s dragon haori back onto her. “And you are?”

Taking advantage of the currently situation, Izumi grabbed Enmuko by the wrist. “This is Trash Cat. A new bondmate. Uh, formerly a villain? Possibly still a villain? She’s been trying to escape me for three zones now.” Momo raised an eyebrow and Izumi sighed. “I have interesting taste in women, I’m aware.”

Snickering, Enmuko reached out and tickled Izumi’s side, making the verdette erupt into laughter. When she accidentally released the taller girl, Enmuko promptly popped away again. From the opposite side of the fallen villains, she called out to Izumi again. “Still running. And that’s a weakness you should probably look into compensating for.”

Groaning in a mix of exasperation and embarrassment, Izumi watched Enmuko go before turning to her classmates. “We’re going through a rough patch. Kyouka, do you mind if I charge off you for a few? My current power level is really not doing it at the moment.”

Even as Kyouka looked skyward and mouthed ‘thank you’, Momo cleared her throat and looked Izumi’s way invitingly. “Would you perhaps be willing to ‘charge off’ both of us before continuing your pursuit?” Izumi’s jaw dropped and the ravenette shrugged. “I’m curious what all the fuss is about.”

Izumi shook her head in disbelief. “You and Ochako are… you and Ochako’ing, and you’re wondering what the fuss is about? Yaomomo, I’m pretty sure you left me in the dust a while ago.”

“I’ve kissed Starchild, yes. Among other things, which I will gladly tell you about if you’re genuinely curious. But I haven’t kissed you.” Momo smirked faintly as she took a step closer to Izumi. “I’ve never kissed a succubus before.”

Looking back and forth between the two of them, Kyouka took a step back. “With all due respect, I will bow out of this one purely so I can watch the two of you make out. Like, what are the odds of me getting to witness that twice?”

That made Momo laugh brightly. “I do believe the saying is that she… brought enough to share?” Closing the remaining space between them, Momo reached up and cupped the back of Izumi’s head before bringing her lips down onto the smaller girl’s. As she melted into Momo’s embrace, the ravenette’s arms wrapping around her, Izumi found her few remaining functional brain cells analyzing the experience. Momo was a hair taller than Masama, so there was the whole taller girl appeal going like with the blonde just… slightly more so? But while Masama was uncommonly gentle and hesitant with her, Momo very much was not.

And Izumi was not mad about that. She'd known for as long as she'd wanted to kiss girls that she would likely be the more passive partner out of the pair. The bottom, as they said. She could fake assertiveness well enough. See: Kyouka. But this... Momo's hand in her hair, crushing her lips against Izumi's, bending her back ever so slightly from the force of their kiss... this was where Izumi wanted to be. Hopefully Momo would decide that she liked what the fuss was about? Because Izumi would love to do this again sometime.

It was also then that Izumi learned that Succubus had emitter-like tendencies, because caught up in the kiss, she had completely forgot to draw energy out of Momo. She hastily grabbed at the warmth she could feel flowing between their bodies and pulled it into herself, feasting on Momo’s attraction to her. Which… huh. For a taken girl, Momo was awfully into her. Interesting.

When they broke apart, Kyouka giggled and fanned herself. “Damn. Damn, I say. I am not going to try and follow that up unless you need me to.”

“That was hot!” Enmuko called out to them from where she was waiting a short distance away, and then her yellow eyes narrowed. “Wait, why did you stop chasing me to kiss someone? I’m not sure how I feel about that. Obviously you’re polyamorous but like, I thought we were having a moment here.”

Pouring her borrowed power into One for All, Izumi grinned as the green heart motes began dancing among her lightning. “Just want to give you my all!” She shot forward, noticeably faster than before, and Enmuko let out a squeak before teleporting away once again. She got closer this time, though. Hmm. Maybe she should have kissed Kyouka too?

Evidently desiring to be neither on fire nor soaked to her skin, Enmuko opted to head due north from the Mountain Zone, making her way back toward the central plaza where they’d left Aizawa and the bulk of the villains. Enmuko skidded to a stop so suddenly that Izumi collided with her, wrapping her arms around the taller girl. “Oh no, you got me.” Enmuko peered back at Izumi before nodding in the direction of the plaza. “Now what?”

Izumi sighed and reluctantly released Enmuko, remaining tense for a few seconds to ensure the girl remained stationary. Once it was clear that the fog-haired girl was done running, Izumi turned her attention to the battle in front of her. “I could possibly help Aizawa. But I can’t really afford to leave you unattended. You’ve already tried to run once. I need you to work with me here, Trash Cat.”

“Can we come up with a better endgame than me ending up arrested with the rest of them?” Enmuko gestured to the villains in the plaza and then made a fist. “I could help you. We could fight villains together. I actually did really well in my self-defense classes. If there’s some sort of… asylum or clemency or pardon or something waiting for me when the cops show up? So I don’t end up stuffed in a cell with someone I just beat up? I’ll do my part.”

On one hand? Izumi was keenly aware that she didn’t have the authority to promise a single thing to Enmuko. She wasn’t a cop or a judge or any other part of the legal system. Her word meant nothing. But on the other hand… she was All Might’s daughter. So her word probably actually meant at least a little something to someone out there. “You know what? Sure. Let’s go, Trash Cat.”

Izumi threw herself forward, spinning into a kick with more power than she'd used on the villain in the Ruins Zone. "St. Louis... Smash!" Her foot slammed into the villain's head, sending him tumbling away across the plaza and slamming into another villain in the process. Landing, she looked back at Enmuko.

The fog-haired girl inhaled before nodding resolutely. "I have to call out names and stuff, don't I? Um..." Enmuko popped out of sight, appearing near another villain. Displaying more rapid teleportation than Izumi had seen from her yet, she popped back and forth erratically, punching the villain from different angles. When the villain collapsed to the ground, she reappeared and crossed her arms over her chest smugly. "Flicker Flash Flood."

So cool! Bounding over to Aizawa, Izumi waved excitedly. “So, situation update. The teleporter scattered the class around the USJ. We’re holding our own. Um, the fog-haired girl who just…” Izumi looked over just in time to see Enmuko drive her foot into a villain’s groin and winced out of sympathy. She didn’t, you know, anymore. But she’d been kicked in the crotch back in the day and ouch. “Yeah. Her. Over there. She’s with us. New bondmate.”

Aizawa’s eyes widened and then he let out a loud groan. “You’re going to be the death of me, Midoriya. Alright. Do what you can, but stay safe. Your father would kill me if something happened to you. Possibly literally.”

“I… you know what? Possibly. He seems very protective of me and my mom.” Izumi went bounding back over to Enmuko, who was engaged in a stare down with the man covered with disembodied hands and his hulking black companion. “Oh, that is a big one. Uh. I have not kissed enough girls to fight that thing.”

Enmuko let out an incredulous laugh. “I don’t think there’s enough girls in the USJ for you to fight that Noumu. He’s basically an All Might killer. Super strength, absorption, and regeneration. He’s a giant punching bag that hits back really hard.”

Well. That was intimidating. Especially since she was currently only at five percent of All Might’s power. A bit more with kisses, but a solid five-ish versus something designed to kill a one hundred percent All Mighty All Might. Izumi looked down at her right hand. That being said, there weren’t a lot of villains that All Might couldn’t defeat in a single punch. What if she kissed a girl or two, exceeded All Might’s total power, and just punched the heck out of this thing? And then Mina could heal her and Masama could yell at her and they’d all go home and live happily ever after?

The hand-covered man reached up to scratch at his neck, glaring out at them with malevolent red eyes. “Is that you, Enmuko? Something about you is different. Can’t quite put my finger on it.”

Enmuko arched a brow at that. “Considering you couldn’t find my face most of the time, I’m genuinely not surprised.” Keeping close to Izumi for protection, the taller girl gestured to the man. “Meet Shigaraki Tomura. Supposedly the leader of the League of Villains, but I’ve seen him taking orders from a television so… probably not.”

That made the man scratch his neck more aggressively. “The League of Villains is all mine, you stupid little bitch. Sensei is merely an advisor and mentor.” That was… a little too defensive oh him, to be honest, especially with the unnecessary name calling. Izumi didn’t quite buy it. “You know what? You’ve obviously turned traitor. After we made you. Whatever. I never liked you anyways.”

Enmuko leaned in closer to Izumi, lowering her voice conspiratorially. “He’s kind of an incel. Also, I don’t know how old I am but I feel like I’m not old enough for a twenty-year-old to be hitting on so… yikes there, too.”

That actually raised a very good question. Several of them, as a matter of fact. Keeping one eye on Shigaraki and his companion, Izumi turned toward Enmuko a little. “How do you not know how old you are? And… are you young enough to be dating a first year in high school?”

“I mean, my father had me doing high school online courses so I feel like we’re good?” Enmuko shrugged helplessly. “My memories just begin one day in the bar with my father. Which probably says nothing good about my background, but I try to stay upbeat about it.”

Shigaraki let out a derisive scoff. “Your memories start one day because that’s when the doctor woke you up.” He jerked a thumb in the direction of his hulking companion. “You’re just a sack full of quirks stuffed into the corpse and reanimated to serve us. At least your ‘father’ was made from a worthy adversary. You were just some disease ridden skank who died in a gutter. And you couldn’t even have the good sense to reanimate properly. Your stupid quirk ruined the copy of Warp Gate that the doctor grafted into you.” Izumi and Enmuko exchanged wide eyed looks. "Whatever. The exposition monologue is clichéd and I’m done with this shit. Noumu. Kill her and All Might’s brat for good measure.”

Even as Izumi instinctively flooded her right arm with as much of One for All as she could, a body slammed into her and the world erupted into purplish-black smoke. When she could see again, she was clear across the plaza from where she’d started, Enmuko wrapped around her protectively. Tilting her head back as she released her grasp on One for All, Izumi stared up at her new bondmate in wonder.

Enmuko stared back at her uncertainly.

 “You… you saved me.”

“…looks like it. I guess I’m officially defected now. No going back from that.” Enmuko let out a squawk and tightened her grip on Izumi, teleporting away again as Noumu went powering through the spot that they’d just occupied. “Can we go back and get the dragon girl? I feel like she’d be helpful right about now.”

Frankly, Izumi could think of a handful of classmates that she’d love to have by her side at the moment, and she had none of them. Studying the Noumu, something occurred to her. “Can he fly?” Enmuko shook her head slowly, and Izumi spread her wings. “Let’s get out of here.”

The Noumu might not have been able to fly, but it turned out that he could sure jump pretty well. Izumi let out a shriek and shot upward powered by Float rather than her wings as she evaded the Noumu. Enmuko squirmed against her and the verdette hastily shifted the taller girl into a bridal carry for safety’s sake. Enmuko looked down at their new position and letting out a surprised noise. “So, this is awakening things for me that I didn’t know about myself.”

Izumi laughed as she spun them around in the air, surveying the USJ spread out beneath her. “One second.” Narrowing her eyes, she spotted Masama, Mina, and Kirishima near the edge of the Ruins Zone. ‘You guys may wanna stay put for the moment.’ Masama looked around wildly before thinking to look up and spotting the pair. Mina followed her line of sight and waved excitedly. ‘Tell Mina that I said hey. And also good job. But seriously. There’s an All Might killer in the plaza. Avoid that place like the plague.’

Even as far away as she was, Izumi could see Masama visibly perk up at that information. ‘Something strong enough to challenge All Might, huh? And it’s in the plaza, you say?’

With her arms full of Enmuko, Izumi couldn’t do more than sigh in exasperation, and so sigh she did. Before she could admonish her bondmate, Ibara’s voice cracked across their mindscape like a whip. ‘Bakugou. I forbid it.’

Masama groaned softly, crossing her arms over her chest. ‘Oh come on. I had the perfect plan, too.’

There was a moment of silence and then Ibara made a curious noise. ‘Enlighten me.’

‘Okay so Raccoon Eyes hops on my back and just does Lay On Hands constantly. I take advantage of that to release bone shatteringly strong explosions, with the damage being instantly reversed by the healing.’ Ibara made a doubtful noise in response and Masama became defensive. ‘Oh come on, I saw it in an anime once. It’ll absolutely work.’

Ibara’s response was resolute. ‘No, Bakugou. I have summoned help and we are nearly at the USJ. You must simply hold out for… oh, there goes All Might. Help is arriving now.’

Izumi went zipping through the air toward the landing at the top of the stairs as the massive doors were thrown wide open and All Might strode in. “Dad Might!”

Peeling off his yellow suit jacket as he strode forward, for the first time in Izumi's memory, All Might wasn't smiling. He was visibly angry, gritting his teeth as he stared down at the plaza. "Have no fear, students. I am here."