kikyo851! hypewoman

𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐓𝐔𝐒 𝐔𝐏𝐃𝐀𝐓𝐄:

[𝐊𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐦𝐚 𝐄𝐢𝐣𝐢𝐫𝐨𝐮 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐞𝐧𝐣𝐨𝐲𝐬 𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮.]

[+𝟏𝟎 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐬.]

[𝐂𝐮𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬: 𝟔𝟎/𝟏𝟎𝟎]

So far, things with Kirishima were going really smoothly, and you were thrilled to finally have met someone kind, just like Izuku. Now, ideally, the system would pick only pleasant people for you to approach from now on, but somehow, you really doubted that would be the case. 

Oh, well. No point in worrying about something before it even happened. You were choosing to remain blissfully ignorant and just enjoy the moment.  

You were in a good mood, and you’d already completed your daily task, so there wasn’t much left for you to do besides lounge around and mess around on your phone.  

But then, the doorbell rang.  

You instinctively jumped to your feet, wondering who in the world it could possibly be. No one else knew where you lived. Well, not unless you counted Ketsu and Tama, but they weren’t supposed to show up without letting you know in advance. It was part of the terms of their contract.  

As it turned out, it wasn’t a person, but a delivery. An envelope was sticking out of the mailbox next to your door, and your eyes widened when you read who the sender was.  

“I-It’s here,” you stammered nervously. “The letter from U.A finally showed up...”  

For obvious reasons, you were freaking out. The system knew exactly what you were doing at all times. It wasn’t as if you could hide this information from them, the way a child might lie to their parents if they scored a bad grade on a test.  

No, the second you opened this envelope and unfolded its contents, your fate would be sealed. For better or worse.  

Fucking hell. Your legs suddenly felt like they were made of jelly.

[“𝐖𝐞𝐥𝐥? 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐚𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫? 𝐇𝐮𝐫𝐫𝐲 𝐮𝐩 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐧 𝐢𝐭.”]

Your teeth chattered uncontrollably. “J-Just give me a s-s-second. I want to go inside and sit down first...”  

You’d been dreading this moment. This past week had only been bearable because you’d deliberately shoved the issue to the very back of your mind, but you couldn’t possibly delay things any further.  

If the system wasn’t happy with the outcome, your punishment was guaranteed.  

You swallowed hard, hoping to clear the lump in your throat, but to no avail. You hopelessly tried to buy yourself some more time by saying you needed to grab a glass of water, but the system kept bombarding you with impatient messages.

[“𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞’𝐬 𝐧𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐝. 𝐉𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐧 𝐮𝐩 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐭 𝐬𝐚𝐲𝐬.”]

No reason to be scared, my ass. You’re literally going to torture me if I fail. 

There wasn’t much to be done about this tricky situation, unfortunately. Besides, if you dragged things out for too long, it was entirely possible they would go ahead and trap you inside the void anyways. You still had a chance at passing. You’d given it your all, and you felt like you did pretty well.  

Desperate to get it over with as fast as possible, you tore through the envelope and pulled out the letter. 

Except you were too afraid to actually look at it, so you squeezed your eyes shut.  

Ugh... I feel like I’m gonna throw up... 

You couldn’t see anything, but you heard the usual notification alert. The system had just sent you a message, and when you hesitantly lifted your eyelids, the message was what you saw first, rather than the letter itself. 

[“𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐢𝐭. 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐝.”]

“I-I did?” you couldn’t help but blink. Honestly, you’d been deathly afraid, to the point that your head was spinning, and you could’ve sworn you were on the verge of passing out. But the system hadn’t punished you yet, and why would they lie about you passing the exam? They seemed to lie about a lot of things, but in this case, they had nothing to gain from it.  

You frantically read over the letter yourself, and sure enough, it confirmed the system’s words.  

It was official. You were going to be a U.A student. 

The way you reacted was far from being graceful or composed, but oh, to hell with it. You were way too excited and relieved right now to even care.  

“Fuck yes!” you screamed, then proceeded to repeatedly punch the air. “I did it! I really did it! I'm not going to be trapped in that dark place again! Holy crap, am I actually secretly amazing? My raw potential must be beyond anyone’s wildest dreams!”

Obviously, you were exaggerating. It was actually a bit sad, because the intensity of your emotions just went to show how much the system had already traumatized you.  

But at least for now, you were happy.  

[“𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐞𝐱𝐚𝐦 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐲 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝, 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐧𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐝. 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐞𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐩𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞. 𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐚 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐨𝐮𝐭. 𝐖𝐞𝐥𝐥, 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐢𝐝𝐧’𝐭 𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐨 𝐃𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐲, 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐝𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐚𝐧 𝐨𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧. 𝐈 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐃𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬. 𝐀𝐬 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐠𝐨𝐭 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐔.𝐀 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫, 𝐰𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝’𝐯𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐠𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐨𝐮𝐭.”]

You stopped mid-cheer, suddenly deflating. “Wait... what?”

[“𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐢𝐝𝐧’𝐭 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐲 𝐬𝐨 𝐦𝐮𝐜𝐡. 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐞𝐱𝐚𝐦 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐨 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞, 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐔.𝐀. 𝐃𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐞 𝐢𝐭’𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝. 𝐘𝐨𝐮’𝐯𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐚 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐟𝐥𝐞𝐱𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐬𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭.”]

“So, basically... I was worried for nothing?”

[“𝐊𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐟. 𝐀 𝐥𝐨𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐔.𝐀 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐯𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐬, 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐢𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐐𝐮𝐢𝐫𝐤𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧’𝐭 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐥𝐲 𝐟𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐡𝐲 𝐨𝐫 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐟𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭. 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭’𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐬𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐝𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬, 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐃𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐃𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭.”]

Leave it to them to make your accomplishment feel like a total waste of time.  

“That’s just perfect,” you gritted out. “Thank you so much for sharing this information with me now. It would’ve been nice to know ahead of time, so that I didn’t drive myself insane worrying about what would happen if I failed.”  

The system decided to act extra cocky, adding insult to injury.

[“𝐃𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐭. 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭’𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈’𝐦 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫.”]

You grabbed fistfuls of your hair, drew in a sharp breath, then let out an ear-blasting scream.  

“MOTHERFUCKER!”

Despite the fact that the system kept on testing your patience, you received a text later that same day that immediately brought your spirits back up. 

𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐓𝐔𝐒 𝐔𝐏𝐃𝐀𝐓𝐄:

[𝐌𝐢𝐝𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐲𝐚 𝐈𝐳𝐮𝐤𝐮 𝐢𝐬 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐣𝐨𝐲𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐰𝐨 𝐨𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐭𝐨𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐬 𝐭𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫.]

[+𝟏𝟎 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐬.]

You got to the park first and killed time by swinging from the monkey bars. It was going pretty well for a while, until you got overly ambitious and tried to skip three bars on one swing, which caused you to promptly fall right onto your butt.

[“𝐇𝐚. 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐥𝐚𝐦𝐞.”]

“Shut up,” you hissed, fighting the urge to flip off thin air.  

“[Name]? Who are you talking to?”  

Shit! 

Izuku had apparently just showed up, and when you turned, you found him staring at you with a perplexed expression. God, this was such a pain. It wasn’t the first time someone had seen you talking seemingly to yourself. If you weren’t more careful about communicating with the system in public, people were going to think you were a real weirdo.  

“Just... no one,” you denied, forcing a weak smile. “I was, um, pretending I was in an argument. You know when you imagine having an argument with someone in your head and plan out all the things you want to say? So that when you see them next time, you know exactly which insults to use?”  

Izuku clearly couldn’t relate, but he still nodded patiently. “Oh. I think I get it. Who were you pretending like you were arguing with?”  

“Katsuki,” you blurted immediately. It was as good an answer as any.  

Izuku nodded again. “Yeah, that makes sense.”  

Thankfully, he looked convinced. As expected, Katsuki could be such an asshole that it warranted all sorts of strange behavior. But more importantly... 

“We got into U.A!” you cheered, excitedly clapping your hands. “I’m so pumped! I’m sure becoming a hero will require a lot of training and hard work, but the acceptance rate for U.A is still super low, right? We did amazing just by passing the exam!”  

“Yeah,” Izuku smiled. “We’ve still got a long way to go before becoming full-fledged heroes, but the fact that we’ve even made it this far is worth celebrating. I’ve been Quirkless all my life... up until now. For so long, becoming a hero felt like a dream far out of my reach. I still can’t really believe this is actually happening...”

Izuku was sworn to secrecy, and so he couldn’t tell you the truth—that he’d obtained his Quirk from All Might rather than having it manifest on its own. He had a lot more riding on his shoulders than the average person, since he was striving to become the next Symbol of Peace. Your life was by no means a cakewalk, but Izuku still had it a lot harder. You’d known each other for more than ten months, and up until he’d met All Might after the slime villain incident, you could tell that being Quirkless was absolutely destroying him. 

That was what made this turn of events so much more meaningful. He’d gone from having all the odds stacked against him to finally being given the opportunity he’d always deserved. And for that reason, you were immeasurably happy.  

So much so, in fact, that you acted without thinking and kissed him on the cheek.  

“What—?!”  

Izuku’s reaction was immediate, not that you could blame him. It took a few seconds for what you’d just done to fully sink in, and when it did, you suddenly felt as though your face was on fire, and your heart threatened to leap out of your chest.  

“W-W-What did you just do...?!” Izuku squeaked. His face was so red it was actually a thing of wonder. His eyes were wider than ever, and you could tell that his head was spinning. It was a miracle he was still conscious, honestly.  

As much as you wanted to have a good answer lined up, all you could say was: 

“I... don’t know.”  

You stared at him stupidly, becoming more mortified by the second. You’d gotten carried away in the excitement of the moment and done something you couldn’t take back. Goddammit! You’d clearly freaked him out. You wished you could go back in time and erase your mistake.

𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐓𝐔𝐒 𝐔𝐏𝐃𝐀𝐓𝐄:

[𝐌𝐢𝐝𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐲𝐚 𝐈𝐳𝐮𝐤𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐧’𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐤𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐡𝐢𝐦. 𝐇𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐢𝐟 𝐡𝐞’𝐬 𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐧𝐨𝐰.]

[+𝟓𝟎 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐬.]

[𝐂𝐮𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬: 𝟐𝟏𝟎/𝟓𝟎𝟎]

...on second thought, maybe this was for the best.  

Izuku tried to stand up from the bench, but his legs were so wobbly that he took a tumble, then instead of trying to stand up a second time, he just stayed lying on the ground with his face pressed against the grass. 

“I’m awake,” you could hear him mumbling in a daze. “I’m awake, but I’m still dreaming...”  

The whole thing was unbearably cute, and despite your embarrassment, you couldn’t help the burst of giggles that left your lips.

“I still can’t believe it! Not one, not two, but three students from our school made it into U.A! And Midoriya’s acceptance in particular is a miracle among miracles!”  

Your middle school principal was speaking to you. Not just you, though. Izuku and Katsuki were there as well, and upon hearing the news, Katsuki’s jaw had dropped so low you could’ve sworn it hit the ground.

He was in complete and utter disbelief, because as far as he knew, Izuku was still Quirkless.  

“Great job, kids!” the principal beamed. “I’m so proud of you! Having such distinguished graduates will do wonders for our school’s image.” 

He cared more about reputation and increasing the school budget rather than celebrating your personal achievements, but you’d expected as much. Unlike Katsuki, you could care less about being one of the very few from this school to have made it into U.A. You didn’t care about getting your name out there and having people be jealous of you. You just cared about making progress and reclaiming your memories, little by little.  

Unfortunately, Katsuki was determined to hold onto his petty pride, and so the second the three of you walked out of the school and were away from any teachers’ prying gazes, he shoved Izuku against the nearest wall. 

“You piece of trash!” he spat. “I told you to apply somewhere else, for fuck’s sake! What dirty goddamn tricks did a Quirkless nerd like you use to pass the exam?!”  

“Katsuki, stop it,” you pleaded. “He couldn’t possibly have cheated. There were countless invigilators and other teachers watching the exam unfold. You know that as well as we do.”  

Katsuki gritted his teeth, holding Izuku in place by gripping his collar, but paused to flash you a glare as well. “And you,” he grimaced. “You got in too? I don’t even know what your shitty Quirk is, but I thought I made it clear from the start that I wanted to be the only one from our school to get into U.A! Why can’t you assholes just stay out of my business?!”  

He was making zero sense, although that was nothing out of the ordinary. You and Izuku—and anyone else, for that matter—were perfectly welcome to do whatever you wanted. Katsuki seemed to think that he could just control people and tell them what they were allowed to do, but the world didn’t work that way.

You grabbed Katsuki by the arm with the intention of pulling him back and making him let go of Izuku, but as it turned out, your interference wasn’t needed.  

Because for a change, Izuku was glaring at Katsuki and standing up for himself.  

“I-I’m going to U.A,” he insisted. Even though his voice was trembling, he still didn’t back down. “Two people that are very important to me... acknowledged that I can become a hero. I’ve won the right! I’m going, and... you can’t stop me.”  

Your chest swelled with pride. Izuku really was amazing. You’d always known it, but in this moment, watching him stand up to his bully, it was more apparent than ever. In a way, it was even more impressive than the fact that he’d gotten into U.A.  

This was proof that he was done letting Katsuki dictate how his life would unfold.  

Part of you feared that after what he’d just heard, Katsuki might retaliate with violence, but instead, his hand dropped, as if he’d been defeated.  

Katsuki stepped back, finally giving Izuku some space. You took that opportunity to pat Izuku's back and ask him if he was okay. All the while, Katsuki kept on staring at you, still with that defeated, almost desperate expression on his face.

𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐓𝐔𝐒 𝐔𝐏𝐃𝐀𝐓𝐄:

[𝐁𝐚𝐤𝐮𝐠𝐨𝐮 𝐊𝐚𝐭𝐬𝐮𝐤𝐢 𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐌𝐢𝐝𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐲𝐚 𝐈𝐳𝐮𝐤𝐮 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐮𝐩 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐢𝐦, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐢𝐭 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐛𝐢𝐭.]

[-𝟏𝟎 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐬.] [𝐂𝐮𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬: 𝟏𝟎/𝟏𝟎𝟎]

Fuck! Not again! It took me so long to get out of the negatives! 

Katsuki walked away without another word. Izuku wasn’t hurt, which was a relief, but you still needed to try and rectify the situation somewhat. If things kept progressing backwards like this, then soon enough, the system would punish you again. Whether they used Chisaki to torment you inside that simulation or whoever else, you had no intention of finding out.  

And so, you asked Izuku to wait for a few moments, then chased after Katsuki. 

“Katsuki, wait!” you cried out. “Just... just listen to me for a bit!”  

He was still walking away, and didn’t even bother to glance back over his shoulder. “Piss off,” he said simply. He wasn’t yelling the way he normally did, so that was how you knew he was really angry.  

You couldn’t leave things like this. You just couldn’t. Otherwise, you were right back to square one. 

“Neither of us is as strong as you are,” you tried to insist. “You’re still amazing, Katsuki. It’s just that... other people have dreams too. We have to at least try.”  

He still wasn’t looking back at you, or stopping, so you became increasingly desperate. Back when you kissed him, your love points had risen drastically for the first time. Naturally, you weren’t about to spring another kiss on him, but perhaps another form of affection might work? A hug, for instance?  

At the rate things were going, you were doomed to have your love points plummet if you didn’t take a few risks, and as the saying went—nothing ventured, nothing gained.  

So, you wrapped your arms around him from behind and held him tight, hoping that it might help to pacify him a bit.  

“T-The fuck are you doing all of a sudden?!”  

It didn’t work. Rather than pacify him, it just riled him up even more. His points hadn’t dropped right away though, which was an indication that he probably didn’t hate being hugged by you, even if he was pushing you away quite aggressively.  

“Let go of me!” Katsuki screamed, blushing a deep scarlet. “I want to go home, you goddamn freak!”  

He kept pushing you back, and you realized you were being kind of annoying, but there was really no other way to get through to this guy apart from being persistent. Plus, you felt like he really could use a hug. He was way too angry all the time. Someone needed to show him some affection for a change.  

With no sign of his blush disappearing, Katsuki proceeded to call you some of the most heinous curses known to man. You were used to it by now, which is why it didn’t really faze you, so you kept clinging to him and hoping that his points would go back up.  

And then, things took a turn. Katsuki’s pushing became more forceful, and since you still refused to let go, you ended up being forced downwards by his sheer strength. Your hands inadvertently slipped as you tried to hold on, and in the process of doing so, you pulled. Hard.  

Hard enough to yank down Katsuki’s extremely low-riding pants, which meant that you’d just gotten a front-row view to what his boxers looked like.  

All Might-themed... 

Katsuki screamed. You screamed. From a little distance away, even Izuku screamed, because he’d just watched the whole thing unfold.  

Before Katsuki could unleash another series of curses your way, you stood up, smiled politely, then bowed your head.  

“I would totally understand if you wanted to punch me right now, so go right ahead. I deserve it.”  

“WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK IS THE MATTER WITH YOU?!”  

His reaction was completely warranted, so you just stood there, waiting to be punched. You already knew that Katsuki didn’t go easy on anyone just because they were a girl, so if he wanted to, he could have easily kicked your ass.  

But he didn’t. Maybe because he was too busy pulling his pants back up and tightening his belt for a change to make everything was in place. You’d likely embarrassed him beyond measure, and rather than sticking around, he seemed desperate to leave as fast as possible.  

“Perverted fucking stalker,” was the last thing he muttered before storming away. He was just as red as the time you’d kissed him. 

And now, your points would surely drop. 

Or would they? 

𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐓𝐔𝐒 𝐔𝐏𝐃𝐀𝐓𝐄:

[𝐁𝐚𝐤𝐮𝐠𝐨𝐮 𝐊𝐚𝐭𝐬𝐮𝐤𝐢 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐳𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐤𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐡𝐢𝐦, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮’𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐬𝐨 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐡𝐢𝐦 𝐢𝐧 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐰𝐞𝐚𝐫. 𝐇𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐮𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐛𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞. 𝐇𝐞’𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐫𝐲, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐡𝐨𝐰... 𝐡𝐞’𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐬𝐨 𝐧𝐨𝐭?]

[+𝟒𝟎 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐬.]

[𝐂𝐮𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬: 𝟓𝟎/𝟏𝟎𝟎]

“Haha!” you couldn’t help but laugh. “Oh my god. It’s seriously so backwards I have no clue what to make of it. I’ll never understand how he thinks. At least it worked out in my favor. I’m not sure how, but it did.”

Even the system was bewildered.

[“𝐈 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐈 𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐡𝐢𝐦 𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐈’𝐦 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥 𝐛𝐚𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐮𝐲.”]

You chuckled one last time, trying to push the memory of Katsuki’s embarrassing underwear to the back of your mind. It would be difficult to forget. Probably even impossible. But at least you’d avoided the negative digits once again.  

You turned, ready to finally go home, only to find that Izuku was frozen in place with a look of sheer horror.  

“You... you just pantsed Kacchan,” he spluttered in disbelief. “And... you’re still alive.”  

“I am, Izuku. I am.”  

Perhaps you were more powerful than you realized.

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“All Might!” you cry out. “Oh, thank god you’re here! My friend was attacked by a villain, and I think he’s stopped breathing! He might need CPR!” 

All Might scratches his cheek. Well, this is certainly a first. He’s used to being relied on for mopping up villains or evacuating people from disaster sites, not basic first aid. Granted, he does know first aid, but that’s beside the point. 

He kneels down next to Izuku’s unconscious body and checks his pulse, then takes a moment to listen to his breathing. 

“The boy is fine,” All Might says. “I can’t hear anything irregular or concerning. My guess is that he must have just passed out from the shock and fright of the situation. Here, let me try to wake him up.” 

“Phew,” you sigh. “And how will you wake him—?” 

“Young man! Hello, young man? It’s time to wake up now, alright?” 

All Might starts repeatedly slapping Izuku’s cheeks, which makes you reel back and let out an offended gasp. You were expecting a more gentle awakening, but then again, who are you to argue with the top hero? 

Anyways, it clearly works, because hardly a few seconds later, Izuku’s eyes open. 

“There we go,” All Might grins. “See, young lady? Everything’s perfectly fine. Your friend’s going to be alright—” 

“Izuku!” 

You barrel straight into Izuku’s body, shoving All Might out of the way. He gapes in disbelief yet again. Seriously, what’s going on here? Normally, people have a much more noticeable and enthusiastic response to meeting him for the first time, but you don’t seem starstruck in the slightest. 

All Might crosses his arms and watches as you squeeze the living daylights out of Izuku, asking him over and over again if he’s sure he’s okay. 

Well, perhaps it’s better this way. It’s good to be concerned about your friend. His safety is clearly your top priority, as it very well should be. Besides, it’s not like All Might does this job for the acclaim. It’s actually for the best that you seem so indifferent to him. Now he can just collect the slime villain and turn him in to the police…

“Wait, is that All Might?!” 

…looks like he spoke too soon. 

Unlike you, who barely even took note of him at first, the formerly unconscious boy is now staring at him with pure adoration in his big green eyes. Izuku’s excitement is clear as day. By the looks of things, he must be a big fan. 

“Yes, hello!” All Might greets. “I’m glad both you kids are safe! Now, don’t mind me, because I just need to collect this villain and stuff him into these bottles here… just like that! See? He’s all cozy and tucked in, ready to be handed over to the police.” 

Izuku’s eyes are wider than ever. “I-I can’t believe this is happening. The real All Might is standing right in front of me…! So, um, does that mean that you saved me?” 

“Well, that was the plan,” All Might chuckles sheepishly, glancing over at you. “But actually, your friend there beat me to it. It was really impressive! Technically, you’re not licensed or authorized to use your Quirks to engage in combat, but since this was a matter of life-and-death, it’s an exception. Either way, you did very well by protecting your friend, young lady. You put yourself at risk to save someone else. Perhaps you’re considering becoming a hero?” 

You nod happily. “Yep! Izuku and I both want to get into U.A. and become pro heroes. Actually, Izuku is your biggest fan! Go on, Izuku. You should ask him for an autograph, at least. You never know when you’ll get a chance like this again.” 

“O-Oh, right!” 

Izuku scrambles through his bag and eventually pulls out the notebook that Katsuki blew up earlier. It’s definitely seen better days, but the pages are still mostly intact, and All Might grins widely while penning his autograph in big, bold lettering. 

“This is… amazing,” Izuku breathes, fingers trembling as he grips the notebook and stares down at the autograph his idol just left for him. Seeing how happy he is makes you happy. You’re glad that despite all the crappy things that happened today, there was something incredible waiting at the end of it. 

“That’s so cool, Izuku!” you grin. “That villain was a real slimeball—no pun intended—but we got pretty lucky meeting All Might because of him!” 

“This autograph is going to be my family heirloom,” Izuku says matter-of-factly. It’s adorable, and exactly the sort of thing you’d expect from him, and you’re just so relieved that he’s finally in better spirits. 

And that he’s alive, of course. You felt like you were about to have a heart attack back then. 

“Wait, but… you’re the one who saved me, right, [Name]?” Izuku affirms. 

“Hm? Oh, yeah. I guess so,” you shrug. “But it looks like All Might was right behind us, so I’m sure he would have jumped in if I couldn’t pull it off. So, either way I think we would’ve been fine! It was still really scary in the moment, though. The villain held you hostage for way longer than me, so I can’t imagine how frightened you must have been.” 

“Right. But you still saved me. That’s… amazing. You’re amazing.” 

Izuku smiles so brightly that you swear you can hear angels chiming bells from above. Now that you know All Might was on the scene, it certainly makes the situation seem much less dangerous than you thought it was, but still. 

It’s nice to know that your efforts paid off, and you were able to save someone. 

All Might scoops up the last of the slime villain into one of the plastic bottles, then tucks it into his pockets. “Okay, well, I need to go turn him in now! Thank you for supporting me all this time! The next time we meet, it’ll probably be through a TV screen, but I appreciate you both nevertheless!” 

“Huh?” Izuku blinks repeatedly. Now that he isn’t as disoriented anymore, he’s finally starting to make sense of everything. “Wait, you’re… you’re leaving? Already?” 

“Sorry, kid. I’m really busy. Pros are always on the clock, and there’s just never enough time to go around. I need to keep moving if I want to keep everyone safe.” 

All Might flashes him another one of his trademark smiles, but even though Izuku was so ecstatic just a few moments ago, it’s now painfully obvious that his expression has turned to disappointment. He clearly wanted to talk to All Might for longer. He’s been dreaming of this meeting for the better portion of his life. Surely All Might can spare at least a few more minutes, right? 

“Just a bit longer,” you insist. “Izuku has a lot of things he wants to talk to you about. He’s seriously your biggest fan in the whole world!” 

“That’s very nice, and I really do appreciate it, but I’m afraid I can’t make exceptions. Otherwise, I would be stopping and chatting for just about every one of my supporters, and then I’d never get any work done. Villains don’t rest, which means I can’t afford to either.” 

It’s not like you don’t get where he’s coming from. He’s the strongest hero in the world, and you can only imagine what sort of pressure that comes with. He’s constantly carrying everyone’s expectations on his shoulders, and if he ever messes up, lives could very well be lost. 

You do get that, but… even so, you really want Izuku to finally have a heart-to-heart with the man he’s looked up to all these years. It’d be such a shame to let All Might go before they’ve even had a chance to get to know each other. 

By the looks of it, though, Izuku is already two steps ahead of you—he latches right onto All Might’s leg and refuses to let him leave. 

And, well, you decide to do the same thing. 

“What in the world is wrong with you two?!” 

Before you can really process what’s happening, you’re already soaring up above in the sky, wind hitting your cheeks with a velocity you’ve never felt until now. All Might, being the absurdly strong man that he is, jumped straight up into the air and is basically flying at this point. You and Izuku can only cling on for dear life, because the smallest slip-up means plummeting to certain death below. 

“I swear!” All Might fumes. “I’ve never met such stubborn fans before! For the time being, keep your eyes and mouth closed! I’ll find somewhere to land as soon as I can.” 

Long story short, that’s how you find yourself on a nearby rooftop, having successfully forced the Number One Hero into spending more time with you. 

“Mission accomplished,” you grin towards Izuku. “Now you can talk to him for a bit more and ask what you wanted earlier!” 

“I-I’m not sure how you’re in such high spirits right now,” Izuku groans. “I feel like part of my soul left my body…” 

“Well, it was kind of scary flying so high up like that, but it could have been worse. Plus, it was a pretty unique experience!” 

“You’re way too brave…” 

All Might faces away from both of you, with his hands squared upon his hips, and it’s obvious that he’s rather irritated. “Seriously! I wasn’t kidding when I said I was pressed for time, you know? Since both of you are safe and sound, I really need to get going now.” 

“Wait!” Izuku blurts.

“I can’t wait! I simply don’t have any more time left—” 

“—can someone without a Quirk become a hero?” 

Izuku’s question must have caught him off guard, because you note the way All Might briefly flinches, and he doesn’t try to cut him off again either. He’s awfully quiet for a few moments, until he finally glances back over his shoulder with a complicated expression.

“You’re… Quirkless?” 

Izuku nods weakly. “Yeah. As far back as I can remember, I’ve always been made fun of for not having a Quirk. [Name]’s the only one who’s stuck by my side all this time, and I’m really grateful for her, but… I just can’t help but want to become a hero. Even though I’m weak, I’ve always wanted to save people. I know it might sound like a ridiculous dream, but I can’t let go of it, no matter how hard I try.” 

You listen attentively while Izuku pours his heart out, and so does All Might, if his silence is any indication. But somehow… something feels off. 

There’s a concerning amount of smoke that’s gradually surrounding All Might’s body, and by the time you part your lips to try and get a word in edgewise, it’s already too late. 

“I want to be a hero that saves people with a smile!” Izuku enthuses. “I want to become an amazing hero, just like you—?!” 

The smoke clears before Izuku can properly finish his sentence, and where All Might was standing just a few seconds ago, a completely different man has suddenly taken his place.

Um. 

“What is this sorcery?” you gape. “Izuku, I can’t believe it! All Might didn’t want to hang out with us, so he had someone swap places with him while you were telling him your life story! Talk about rude!” 

Izuku’s face is deathly pale, and clearly, he can’t seem to make sense of the situation either. 

“Y-You’re right,” he stammers nervously. “This can’t be All Might! You must be… an imposter! What’s going on here?!” 

The man, who is so skinny and frail-looking that he may as well be a skeleton, proceeds to stare at the two of you long and hard. 

Then, he speaks. 

“I am All Might,” he says, and almost comically, blood gushes out of his mouth. 

You like to think you’ve experienced a lot of crazy shit in your lifetime—you are, after all, an odd case who doesn’t remember their real parents, and who was experimented on by a mad scientist from a young age—but this takes the cake. 

“Th-There’s no way that’s true!” Izuku protests, furiously shaking his head. “How could All Might… the strongest hero in the world possibly look like this?!” 

“If I had to use an analogy, I guess it’s similar to how guys will flex their muscles to try and impress people that are watching,” the skeleton-man shrugs. 

“No way!” 

You blink repeatedly. Well, now that you look more closely, this man is wearing the exact same clothing All Might had on a second ago, except his body is so thin that the clothes hang loosely off his skeletal frame, threatening to swallow him whole. 

No way. It’s actually him…?

All Might sits down and lets out a sigh. “Saving people with a smile, huh? Yeah. That’s the image I’ve worked so hard to maintain all this time. It’s the whole reason no one’s ever seen me in this weakened state before. Well, not until now, at least.” He grimaces for a moment, then lifts up his shirt, revealing a wound so gruesome you instinctively swallow. “This is an injury I got from fighting a villain a few years ago. My respiratory system was almost completely destroyed as a result, and my stomach and organs are in shambles. I’ve had countless surgeries and suffered from their aftereffects. As a result, I’m now limited to no more than three hours of hero work per day. Just now, I passed that limit, which is why I was in such a rush to leave.” 

You don’t know what to say. You would’ve never imagined that the strongest hero in the world—the man carrying everyone’s hopes and dreams—would be in such a horrible state. If anything, it just makes you admire him that much more, knowing how much he’s pushing himself to protect the people he cares about. 

“For obvious reasons, this has never been publicly disclosed,” All Might continues. “I ask that you please not tell anyone about what you saw today. I am the Symbol of Peace that saves people with a smile, and therefore, I can’t succumb to the forces of evil. Just imagine what would happen if all those villains discovered that I was significantly weaker than they thought. Havoc would break out, and the people would no longer feel safe. Also… if you see me smiling or laughing, it’s because I’m trying to distract myself from the fear and pressure that I constantly feel. Heroes are expected to constantly put their lives on the line. For me to tell you that you can do such a dangerous job without even having a Quirk… it’s just impossible. I can’t bring myself to tell you such a cruel lie.” 

You watch as Izuku’s face sinks. Over the years, you’ve seen him suffer countless times, most notably at Katsuki’s hands. But this is different. Because in spite of all the horrible things everyone else always said to him, he still had hope. He still allowed himself to keep believing.

But now, his biggest idol has just told him to give up. You can only imagine the sheer despair he must be feeling. 

“If you want to save people, becoming a policeman is still a respectable job,” All Might says. “It’s true that they don’t often receive the acknowledgement heroes do, but you would still be saving lives and making a difference. I’m not saying it’s a bad thing to dream. Still. It’s important not to lose touch with reality.” 

And then he leaves. What was supposed to have been the best day of Izuku’s life, the fateful meeting with the person he admires most in the entire world, has instead left him endlessly more broken than before. 

It hurts. Of course it does. It hurts for you to see him like this, but even so, you know it can’t possibly compare to the anguish he must be feeling himself. 

You know All Might wasn’t trying to be cruel. Aizawa and Present Mic are heroes, and they’ve told you time and time again how dangerous their jobs are, and how they shouldn’t be glorified, especially if you plan to become a hero one day. Many pros lose their lives on the job, and you can never know which day might be your last. Without a Quirk, it goes without saying that the danger would increase a hundredfold. Since All Might cares about others, he must have been trying to discourage Izuku from throwing his life away. Or, at the very least, that’s what it must have looked like in his eyes. 

But you can’t help but disagree. It’s true that not having a Quirk will make things more difficult. All his life, Izuku has had to work harder than others. That is the unfortunate truth. But even so, it doesn’t mean he’s not fit to become a hero, and it doesn’t mean he’s not aware of the dangers that come with it. 

The fact of the matter is that there’s no one in this world that wants to save people as badly as Izuku does. There’s no one that’s more selfless or compassionate than he is, and in that sense, isn’t he already a hero? 

You turn towards your friend and offer him a weak smile, even though you know it probably won’t do much. “All Might just doesn’t know you very well, that’s all. He’s worried about you getting hurt, which is why he said all that. But I know, Izuku. I know that you’re strong and brave enough to overcome any obstacles. So, don’t give up. I’m sure it hurt to hear him say those things, but I still believe in you. Nothing’s changed.” 

Izuku doesn’t say anything. He doesn’t even try to strain a smile, the way he normally would. 

From the look in his eyes, it’s obvious that All Might’s words have completely and utterly destroyed him.

“I should… go home now.” 

He drags his feet as he walks, expression almost entirely vacant. You’re not sure what else to do but keep close to his side. Part of you wants to suggest inviting him over to try and take his mind off things, but you don’t want to come across as overbearing, especially if a bit of time and space is what he needs. 

“It’s going to be okay,” you reassure, and you cringe a bit, because you can only imagine how empty those words must sound to him right now. But really, what else can you say? All you can do is keep reminding him how much you believe in him. You don’t want him to give up on his dream because of this. No matter what, you want him to keep fighting. 

Still, it’s been a pretty awful day, and going home to clear his head is probably for the best. 

Except he doesn’t actually get the chance to. 

Was that an explosion? 

As you walk down the streets with Izuku, you happen to come across a large group of people, crowding around something or another, and making a whole lot of noise. You swear you heard an explosion just a second ago, and based on all the cheering and yelling, whatever’s going on must be quite exciting. 

“A hero must be fighting a villain over there,” Izuku mumbles absentmindedly. Even though he’s certainly not in the mood, his feet still lead him towards the crowd of people, most likely by instinct alone. You don’t try to discourage him, and you secretly hope that watching a hero in action will reignite his passion and help him momentarily forget what All Might said earlier. 

But as it turns out, there’s a whole new problem waiting on the other side of that crowd. 

There he is again. It hasn’t been long since the dreadful encounter, and you wouldn’t have been able to forget the nasty villain that nearly killed your best friend, not even if you tried. It’s the same disgusting slime villain from before. But… didn’t All Might capture him back then? Without a doubt, you remember him collecting the slime and stuffing all of it into those plastic bottles. 

A shiver rips down your spine, and not only because you’ve just realized that you and Izuku unintentionally screwed up All Might’s job, but because the slime villain’s latest victim is someone you’re all too well acquainted with. 

Katsuki.

Sure enough, he’s putting up one hell of a fight. You would expect nothing less from a guy like him. All of the explosions are thanks to how much he’s resisting and refusing to relinquish control of his body to the slime villain, but the more time passes, the more you can tell that Katsuki is weakening. A person can only hold out for so long without getting the air they need, and bit by bit, the blond is suffocating.

It doesn’t look like any of the heroes on site have been able to apprehend the villain. They probably don’t know how to, because he’s got a hostage and is running rampant with the use of Katsuki’s Quirk. However, if this keeps up for much longer, then without a doubt, Katsuki will find himself in the exact same position as Izuku was in. 

He’ll die. 

For the second time that day, fear consumes your body whole. Even though Katsuki is admittedly a scumbag, and he said all sorts of horrible things to Izuku earlier today, it doesn’t mean you would ever wish such suffering upon him. He may not be close enough for you to call a friend, but he’s not evil, and above all else, he’s still a kid, just like the rest of you. 

Right now, he must be so, so scared. 

But try as you might, you can’t muster up the same power as before. You’re already exhausted from using so much force in one blow, and you have little to no experience when it comes to wielding it. You try and try, desperate to channel the same rush of energy so that you can blow the slime villain to pieces again, but much to your horror, it doesn’t manifest. 

All Might already went over his limit for the day. He doesn’t have any more time left on the clock. Wherever he may be right now, in his present state, he’s every bit as helpless as the average civilian. 

So, then… is Katsuki really going to die here?

You feel faint, and in fact, you’re actually on the verge of tears. The day is getting worse and worse by the second, and it’s become nearly impossible to hold out any hope. 

It’s in that very moment, when you’re ready to give up, lament your weakness, and curl up into a ball, that he acts. 

It happens so fast you barely have time to process it. You feel sudden movement from beside you, and when you look over, you see Izuku rushing headfirst towards the villain.

“Izuku?!” 

You run after him, terrified that he’s going to get hurt. Even though you don’t know if you have any way of fighting the slime villain again, instinctively, you just know that you can’t let your friend rush in there all alone. You don’t have a plan, not even in the slightest, and you doubt Izuku does either. 

Nevertheless, his bravery spurs you onwards, and you follow him as if your life depends on it. 

Izuku grits his teeth and throws his backpack at the villain’s face. It makes the villain falter for a few moments, and then he starts clawing at the slime to try and peel at least some of it away, giving Katsuki a few brief moments to catch his breath. 

“The fuck?!” Katsuki cries out. “What the hell are you two idiots doing here?!” 

“I-I’m sorry!” Izuku splutters. Tears are streaming down his face as he keeps trying to pull the slime away, and you’re busy doing the very same, pointless as it may be. “My legs, they… they moved by themselves! I really d-don’t know what’s happening, but… even so, it’s just… you looked like you were crying for help!” 

Katsuki doesn’t get a chance to respond, because the slime covers his mouth, asphyxiating him once more. 

“Both of you are such a damn pain!” the slime villain near-roars. “Hurry up and…. get the hell out of my way!”

A massive hand made of slime comes hurtling towards Izuku’s body, and thankfully, you manage to react in time and shove him down to the ground. This leaves you right in the villain’s path, but you would much rather get hurt in Izuku’s place. Odds are, your body will withstand it. You can handle the discomfort, and you’ll heal up in no time. 

If it buys Izuku and Katsuki at least a few extra seconds, you’ll gladly take on any amount of pain.

“...good grief! After seeing that display just now, how could I not act?” 

You were prepared to have your body sent crashing against the side of a building, but much to your surprise, the abrupt impact never comes. 

Instead, a strong hand latches out and grabs you, Izuku, and Katsuki, all in one fell sweep. You recognize the voice behind it, and the relief that spreads through your body once you turn your head is impossible to put into words. 

“Thank you for that, boy,” All Might grins. Smoke is coming off his body, but against all odds, he maintains his muscle form and brandishes a fist. “I almost forgot… that pros are always supposed to put their lives on the line!” 

You’re not sure whether it’s from physical and mental exhaustion, or if it’s the culmination of all the emotions you’ve experienced today, but from the moment you lock eyes with All Might, your entire body goes completely limp. 

The last thing you see before you pass out is slime splattering in all directions.

A lot of shit happened today. 

School sucked ass, and you have his Royal Dickheadedness (Katsuki) to thank for that. Afterwards, you and Izuku were attacked by a villain, and poor Izuku nearly lost his life. Thankfully, no CPR was needed, but it was still way too close for comfort. 

It seemed like the day was taking a turn for the better at that point, because Izuku finally got to meet his biggest role model. But then he promptly had his dreams shattered by said role model, so the day went back to massively sucking ass. 

And then, just when you thought things couldn’t possibly get any worse, you discovered that Katsuki was captured by the same villain who managed to escape thanks to your meddling, and for a while there, it looked like he was an absolute goner—only to be saved by All Might right in the nick of time. 

So, yeah. It’s been pretty damn eventful, and not at all in the way you would’ve liked. Your definition of a fun-filled day is stuffing your face at a burger joint, not whatever the hell this was. 

All Might disappeared from the scene just about as quickly as he showed up, most likely because it was only a matter of time before he reverted back to his skinny form. Once again, the slime villain was apprehended, and this time, you were able to confirm with your own eyes that he was safely handed over to the police. 

What followed after the fact was a lengthy bitching directed your way as well as Izuku’s. Apparently, the two of you are massive dipshits for charging straight into danger like that, and while you’d like to disagree, it’s true that you didn’t have a single coherent thought at the time.

On the other end, Katsuki received nothing but praise for putting up a fight against the villain for so long. The pros seemed super impressed with his Quirk and bravery, and you wouldn’t be surprised if some of them tried to scout him in the future. 

It’s funny how things work out. Izuku had nothing but good intentions, but somehow, he ended up getting in trouble for acting and trying to save his classmate. You were hoping that at least one of the heroes would appreciate how brave and selfless he is, but as always, it seems like his kindness is being overlooked. 

Well, whatever. It’s been a complicated, long-ass day, and the sooner both of you get home, the better. 

“Deku! [Name]!” 

…

Goddammit. Does this guy ever give it a rest? 

“Go away, Katsuki,” you sigh tiredly. “I don’t think any of us are in the mood right now. Just get some rest and spend a bit of time with your parents. I’m sure they’ll be really worried once they hear what happened.” 

He mashes his teeth together, but as always, disregards what you have to say. “Shut up. Don’t tell me what to do. I just… I came here because I needed to set the record straight. You didn’t save me, got that? Not you, and definitely not shitty Deku. I never asked either of you to come and help me, and I had everything under control! You’d better not expect me to owe you or some shit. Got it?!” 

He turns away, shoves his hands in his pockets, and curses aloud once more, just for good measure. 

You certainly weren’t expecting him to be grateful or anything, but come on. Would it kill him to not be an absolute ass for once in his goddamn life? 

“Sometimes I really wanna kick that guy in the nuts,” you mutter. 

Izuku chuckles softly, but strangely enough, his expression looks much more at peace than it did a few moments ago. “It’s okay. He’s not wrong, anyways. I didn’t do anything, and I was reckless. I’m not really sure what came over me back there, but it only worked out because All Might showed up. I know I didn’t accomplish anything. Still, I’m glad he’s okay. And now… I guess it’s finally time for me to start working towards a more realistic goal.” 

You part your lips in protest. “I still think you can—” 

“I… am here!” 

Seemingly out of nowhere (which has been a recurring trend today), All Might slides into view, wearing his trademark smile. He’s still in his muscle form somehow, which is weird, because you thought he’d gone well over his limit for the day. 

Of course, hardly two seconds after you’ve had that thought, the hero deflates and reverts back into Skeletal-Might. 

“A-All Might,” Izuku stammers. “Um… what are you doing here? I could’ve sworn you disappeared while those reporters were trying to chase you down earlier…” 

“I gave them the slip. But more importantly, I came here to talk to you.” 

“Me?” 

Izuku’s eyes are wide with disbelief. All Might nods, then glances over at you, looking awfully perplexed. 

“I know this may not be my place to ask, and I shouldn’t even put any expectations on you in the first place, since you’re not a pro hero… but earlier today, you were able to save this boy,” he says. “I watched you defeat the slime villain with your bare hands. But it didn’t look like you were able to do it the second time around. Does that have to do with your Quirk’s drawbacks?” 

“Huh? Oh.” You scratch your head, suddenly feeling a bit sheepish. It sucks, because if you were better at using that power, you could have saved Katsuki without All Might needing to push past his limits. Needless to say, you have a long way to go before you’ll be able to wield your other power properly. “I’m not really good at using that power,” you admit. “I kind of fall back on it in emergencies, but I’m not even close to mastering it. I tried to use it a second time, but I kept coming up with blanks. I guess… I’m still pretty weak.” 

All Might awkwardly clears his throat. “The power I watched you manifest was far from weak… but I see. It sounds like you still have yet to get a hang of it, which is fine. You’re still young. Your Quirk is still developing, and so are you.” 

“That’s [Name]’s second Quirk, actually,” Izuku chimes in. 

“Eh? She has… two Quirks?” 

All Might blinks repeatedly. At first, he seems bewildered, which is generally the case when pretty much anyone discovers your unique situation, but after a few seconds pass, he seems to have made his peace with it.

“Well… it’s certainly possible,” he nods. “In fact, it’ll probably make what I’m about to tell you a lot more believable. But we’ll get to that in just a second. First and foremost, young boy, I wanted to apologize to you.” 

Izuku’s brows arch. “Huh? B-But why?” 

“What I said earlier. I realize now that I was way out of line. If you hadn’t told me your story, I wouldn’t have had the courage to act back then. Even though you’re Quirkless, you were the very first to rush in and help that other boy. Even knowing that you’re Quirkless, you didn’t let it stop you from trying to save the person in front of your eyes.” 

“I-I didn’t do anything,” Izuku stammers. He’s too hesitant to even look All Might in the eyes. “Kacchan said that I didn’t help him, and he’s right. I was just in the way—” 

“No!” All Might interjects. “The fact of the matter is that your body moved by itself, as if on instinct! Even though you knew how dangerous it was, you chose to prioritize someone else’s wellbeing above your own, and that, my boy, is the fundamental part of being a hero. In that moment, all you cared about was saving someone. Everything else blurred into the background. And when it comes to top heroes, all of them report having similar experiences. Just like yours.” 

His words make your heart race, because unless you’re getting ahead of yourself, you’ve got a really good feeling of where he’s going with this. 

And based on the tears that are forming in Izuku’s eyes, so does he. 

“I came here… because I needed to tell you that you can be a hero.” 

It only takes a second for Izuku’s tears to burst free, streaming down his cheeks without abandon. He crumples to the ground, overwhelmed with emotion, and you wrap your arms around him and hold him close as he sobs his heart out. 

Today really has been one hell of a rollercoaster. It had both highs and lows, but ultimately, it ended with the best words Izuku could have ever hoped for. 

This marks the start of his journey. The Number One Hero has officially acknowledged him as being worthy. From this moment onward, surely, there’s no more room for doubt. He will become a hero, no matter what it takes. His dream will undoubtedly come to fruition.

But it won’t be easy. Not for him, and certainly not for you either. 

At the time, you could never have imagined just how many problems you would unknowingly create.

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“I just want to get stronger,” you say, which isn’t the truth of what happened last night, but it isn’t a lie, either. “I don’t want to be useless to anyone. This stuff doesn’t come naturally to me, but… yeah. I can’t stop thinking about how badly I need to improve. So that I can actually make a difference.”   

Fushiguro blinks. It’s strange how you can go from acting flirty and shameless one second, to fiercely determined the next. In moments like these, he’s reminded of the fact that you’re a kind, caring person, and it makes him feel a bit guilty for the ridiculous thoughts he’s been having. Like how he can’t stop wondering if you were with Inumaki last night.   

“It’s good to want to become stronger,” he nods. “But if you let it eat away at you, I think it’s counter-productive. There’s no point in torturing yourself like that. Just keep working hard and don’t give up. Eventually, it’ll pay off.”   

He grimaces a bit at the end. As expected, he sucks at cheering people up. No matter what he says, it either sounds too passive and cold, or unbelievably awkward.   

Not that you seem to mind, though.   

“Thanks,” you beam. “You’re right. I just need to stay focused and do my best. I’ll try not to beat myself up too much. Doing that won’t help anyone. I feel like you’re good at calming people down, Fushiguro. You always seem to know just what to say.”   

“Not really,” he mumbles, turning away so that you can’t see the blush spreading across his cheeks. “I’m sure anyone else would’ve said the same thing.”   

“Well, I don’t know about that, but it definitely means a lot more coming from you!”   

He continues looking away from you, face burning, and fortunately, the door to Nobara’s room swings open not a second too late.   

Nobara yawns loudly. “G’morning. Man, I’m hungry. [Name], are you going to help us cook breakfast again? I really don’t want to eat the leftovers of the dinner Fushiguro made last night. It tasted kind of crappy.”   

“Yeah, well, sorry about that,” Fushiguro grits out. “Like I said, I don’t cook much.”   

“Sure, I was going to make something anyway. We can all make it together. I’m sure it’ll turn out great. But I bet Fushiguro’s dinner wasn’t bad. Don’t worry, Fushiguro. Nobara’s just teasing you.”   

“No, I’m really not,” Nobara insists. “You weren’t there last night, so you don’t know. It tasted like—”   

“Alright, alright, let’s just go!”   

You grab Nobara by the arm and start pulling her along, making sure to chastise her for being needlessly rude. You make it to the edge of the stairs before you stop to glance back at Fushiguro over your shoulder, your smile as bright as ever.   

He’s not sure how to explain it, but he really loves that smile of yours, and as shameful as it sounds, he secretly wishes you would only smile for him. 

“...I’m telling you, it was crazy! First, sensei randomly appeared out of nowhere, and before I knew it, he’d grabbed me and taken me to this cursed spirit with a volcano for a head! Even I could tell that was the strongest curse I’ve seen so far—including the one at the detention center. But sensei called him weak and kicked his ass no problem.”  

Itadori recounts last night’s events with a bright, animated expression. You’re back down in the basement, of course, and Gojo is here too. This time, you have an actual excuse. Gojo told the other students that since you’re struggling to control your cursed energy, you need extra, personalized training from time to time. At least Fushiguro won’t think too much of it when you disappear every now and then. Although knowing him, he’s probably still not entirely convinced.  

Gojo proudly crosses his arms and chuckles. “Well, yeah. I am the strongest, after all. I wouldn’t lose to a weakling like him.”   

“So, you were able to exorcize the cursed spirit?” you ask, even though, unfortunately, you already know the answer to that question.  

Both Gojo and Itadori fall deathly silent.   

You shift in place and offer a weak smile. “Um. Is there a reason neither of you are saying anything…?”  

“Sensei, you shouldn’t have acted all smug,” Itadori whispers into Gojo’s ear—rather loudly, at that. “You just said you were the strongest, so now it’s going to be embarrassing to have to tell [Name] that the cursed spirits got away.”   

“Quiet, Yuji,” Gojo whispers back. “I was getting there, okay?”   

These two are honestly ridiculous.   

Gojo hastily clears his throat. “I guess there’s no point in beating around the bush. Last night, I brought Itadori out for a demonstration after I was attacked by a cursed spirit. I won, of course, but he had an ally, who helped him escape. The other cursed spirit was good at concealing their presence. I’ll admit, it caught me off guard for a second.”   

“That sounds dangerous,” you say, doing your best to look surprised. “Should we… be worried? Do we know what their objective is?”   

“It’s hard to tell. But seeing cursed spirits form a faction is already quite the rarity. They don’t often join forces and coordinate their efforts like this. Well, they could very well just have been trying to kill me, but somehow, I can’t help but feel like there’s more to it.”  

He’s right to be wary, because there is more to their plan. Far more than Gojo himself could possibly imagine. And while they won’t be able to kill him outright, in Shibuya, according to the canon plot, they will succeed in sealing Gojo inside the Prison Realm.   

That won’t happen for quite some time, but still. Is there any way you can prevent Gojo from being sealed, without divulging too much and risk branding yourself as a traitor?   

You really don’t know. In fact, you don’t even know what’s supposed to happen after Gojo does get sealed, but he’s the strongest jujutsu sorcerer, and without him, you’re all at a massive disadvantage.   

Gojo tilts his head towards you. “What’s wrong, [Name]? You look deep in thought all of a sudden.”   

“Huh? O-Oh. It’s nothing,” you say, hurrying to plaster on a smile. “I’m just a little shocked that those cursed spirits actually attacked you. I guess I can’t stop thinking about it. But I’m glad you’re both okay. I’m glad neither of you got hurt.”   

“You’re worrying about me?” Gojo chuckles. “That’s cute. I can’t remember the last time someone expressed concern on my behalf. If ever.”  

“All I heard was that you think I’m cute,” you beam.   

Gojo chuckles again. It’s strange to even hear those words coming out of your mouth. People don’t worry about him because they have no reason to worry. He’s the strongest, after all. He’s the one that’s supposed to be protecting everyone, not the one that’s meant to be protected. Logically, it’s a waste of time and energy to bother worrying about him. He’s the last person those feelings should ever be directed towards.   

But coming from you, oddly enough, he doesn’t mind it. Somehow, it just makes you all the more endearing.   

What a cute little enigma you are.  

“Anyways, [Name], have you heard about the upcoming exchange event?” Itadori asks. He looks especially excited all of a sudden. “I heard that we’ll be competing against the Kyoto school branch, and I’ll finally be able to let people know that I’m alive! Sensei said he has the perfect plan to unveil me in front of everyone.”   

You know exactly which ‘plan’ he’s referring to, and it’s far from perfect. Fushiguro and Nobara are going to lose their shit when it happens, but oh well. You don’t really feel like raining on his parade. He’s way too cute when he gets excited.   

“That’s why you need to train as much as possible until the exchange event rolls around,” Gojo hums. “Both you and [Name]. Yuji, you can continue with the movie marathons, because it seems to be working, but I’ll also have you go out on missions to help you gain some more experience that way. As for [Name]—”  

“Can I go out with Itadori on missions too?”   

You stare at Gojo with a hopeful, near-pleading expression. You have to accompany Itadori on those missions. That’s how he’ll encounter Junpei. And without your interference, things are bound to unfold exactly as was pre-determined in the plot. Which means that, inevitably, Junpei will die.   

You refuse to let that happen.   

Behind his mask, you can see Gojo furrowing his brows. “Hmm. I’m not sure. You still have classes to attend. Plus, if you’re gone too often, people might start to get suspicious.”   

“But you’ve told me a bunch of times that something about my cursed energy is weird. And people already think you’re helping train me separately. Please, sensei? I really want to go on the same missions as Itadori. He almost died before. I… want to make sure he’s safe. I want to stay with him.”   

Your admission makes Itadori blush a bit, although you’re not being completely honest with either of them. You do want Itadori to be safe, of course, but there’s someone else you’re hoping to protect. And since Junpei will become Itadori’s friend, it’s even more reason to want to pull this off.  

That way, you’ll be able to protect Itadori’s smile, too.  

“Maybe,” Gojo relents, and although it isn’t confirmation, at the very least, it’s a start.   

“Thank you,” you beam. “I promise I won’t hold anyone back. I want to go on lots of missions so that I can become stronger. Strong enough to be able to help as many people as possible.”   

That smile of yours really is contagious, and with each passing day, Gojo finds it more and more difficult to say no to you.   

“Yuji, put on some movies and continue with your training. I need to have a little chat with [Name] for a bit,” Gojo says.   

You blink. What does he want to talk to you about all of a sudden? Not that you’re complaining (being a fangirl and all), but you always worry that people will find new reasons to be suspicious of you, and if you’re not careful—they might reject your existence entirely.   

You’d better be careful not to make any serious oopsies.   

Itadori settles into a comfortable position on the couch, along with the cursed puppet he’s become so familiar with lately. He already seems to be making a lot of progress. The puppet is reacting a lot less than it was yesterday.   

“Come here,” Gojo gestures, and after flashing Itadori an encouraging smile, you follow.   

You leave the basement and climb back up the stairs. You suppose you don’t really have to be worried about anyone stumbling across your conversation, because Gojo is bound to notice before they can sneak up on him.   

Still. Every time you’re alone with Gojo Satoru, you can’t help but get a little nervous.   

…and also a little excited. You’re only human, at the end of the day.   

“I wish I was an adult,” you sigh heavily, shaking your head in disappointment.   

“What’s this now?”   

“Nothing. What did you want to talk about?”   

Gojo purses his lips. “Last night. Did something happen? I need you to be completely honest with me.”   

Your face starts to burn. Hold up! Is he referring to… that ? He can’t possibly be referring to that , of all things, right?  

“W-What do you mean?” you ask, trying to play innocent.  

It doesn’t work.   

“I mean beyond whatever awkward moment you and Yuji suffered,” Gojo sighs, waving his hand dismissively. “He didn’t want to tell me the details, so I won’t ask you for them either. But other than that, did something else happen? Something… involving Sukuna, perhaps?”   

The mention of Sukuna’s name makes you frown, and you’re able to momentarily set your embarrassment aside.   

“Sukuna? I’m not sure what you mean, but he didn’t say anything. Sometimes he pops up on Itadori’s hand or cheek and makes creepy remarks, but I’ve kind of gotten used to them by now. He definitely didn’t appear last night, though. Why?”   

Gojo just stares, watching you gaze up at him with a look of obvious, genuine confusion. It’s not like he can always tell whether or not someone’s lying to him, but he’s usually pretty good at gauging these things, and it’s clear that you really have no clue what he’s referring to.   

Itadori said the same thing. He insisted that Sukuna didn’t make any appearances last night. Could it really be that Gojo’s Six Eyes are failing him? He swore he saw faint, nearly nonexistent traces of Sukuna’s cursed energy. But then again, the presence of your cursed energy within that same room might actually have been throwing him off. You’re the only person whose cursed energy flow he’s failed to make sense of. After all, if Sukuna had the ability to manifest at will, the casualties would be endless.  

“Sukuna didn’t appear before you,” Gojo reiterates. “Are you absolutely sure of this?”   

“I wouldn’t lie to you, sensei. Besides, Itadori can suppress Sukuna, right? Otherwise we would already be done for. Don’t you… believe me?”   

Hurt colors your expression, and it makes Gojo’s heart ache a bit. Either you’re telling the truth, or you're the most skilled liar that ever lived.  

He’s already got a soft spot for you, though, which is why he’s much more inclined to believe the former.  

Gojo smiles and places his hand on your head, ruffling your hair a bit. “Don’t worry. I believe you. I just had to ask. Some things weren’t adding up. I think it might have to do with your unique circumstances.”   

“You mean how Sukuna always pervs on me?”   

“That’s not exactly what I was referring to, but… wait. What do you mean he ‘pervs’ on you?”   

“He says gross things all the time. Like how he plans to make me his woman or something.” You shudder, expression turning to disgust. “I think he’s getting carried away just because he’s using Itadori’s body. I bet he’d look ugly in his real body. He’s supposed to have two faces and four arms, right? Yuck .”   

The hand Gojo was using to stroke your hair drops to his side, and he can’t help but frown at what he just heard. Granted, he could already tell that Sukuna was somewhat intrigued by you. The King of Curses was surely able to discern that something about you is strange, unnatural. It must have caught his eye.  

But to say that he plans on making you his woman? And not only that, but Fushiguro himself said that Sukuna saved you from the special-grade curse at the detention center. Gojo could hardly believe it when he first heard the news. He was in utter disbelief.   

Sukuna more than likely has some sinister plot in the works. And while Gojo doesn’t know exactly what it is, he has no intention of letting you get caught up in it. His strength isn’t just for show.   

If Sukuna knows what’s good for him, he’ll keep his dirty hands off you.

The next day proceeds normally, for the most part.   

You attend your regularly scheduled classes and do your best to pay attention. Going to school might be boring, but ever since your life changed in a big way, you find yourself appreciating the peaceful, mundane aspect you took for granted before. God, how badly you wish Jujutsu Kaisen was a slice-of-life anime. If only.   

After classes end, it’s time for training again. You spend some time with the second-years, until suddenly, Maki decides to send you off on an errand.   

“It’s hot out. Go buy drinks and bring them back for us. Don’t take too long.”   

She’s addressing you, Fushiguro, and Nobara. Panda sighs and tries to tell her that it’s not nice to boss the first-years around, but in response, Maki starts angrily swinging her weapon, so the three of you hurry to leave.   

“They could at least add more vending machines around here,” Nobara mutters. “I feel like I walked for miles.”  

Fushiguro shakes his head. “You’re obviously exaggerating. Let’s just hurry up and get what we need. Zen’in will give us hell otherwise.”  

While Nobara pushes buttons on the machine, you glance around, and it’s only then that you realize this area looks familiar to you. To be honest, it kind of slipped your mind. You nearly forgot about it.  

Today is when they’re supposed to appear, right?  

Your suspicions are confirmed when two figures approach. A boy and a girl, both of which you immediately recognize.   

Fushiguro turns his head. “What are you doing here, Zen’in? Why are you in Tokyo?”   

“Wait, Zen’in? No way,” Nobara blinks. “I thought she looked familiar. Not just appearance-wise, but their aura, too. Is she Maki’s sister or something?”   

“How unpleasant, Fushiguro. If you refer to me by last name, no one will be able to tell us apart. Call me Mai,” the girl chuckles, adding a playful wink at the end.   

Mai isn’t alone, of course. Standing just next to her is a tall, muscular male student, and even though you already know he isn’t a bad guy, you have to admit, he’s pretty damn intimidating in person.   

“Hm. So, these guys are supposed to be Okkotsu’s and the third-years’ substitutes,” the male, Todo, comments with a scrutinizing gaze. “One of them… that girl over there. Do you notice it, Mai? She has a massive amount of cursed energy. She must be the other student Gojo Satoru found, along with Sukuna’s vessel. Another type like Okkotsu, perhaps?”   

“Oh, how lovely,” Mai comments in a dry, lackluster tone of voice. “I’m simply overjoyed for her. I’m sure it must be nice to be so blessed.”  

Nobara grits her teeth. “Huh? Why are you picking a fight with [Name] for no reason? What the hell did she do to you?”   

“I did nothing,” you mumble awkwardly. “I was just standing here.”   

“Yeah, she was just standing here, goddammit!”   

Mai puts on a fabricated smile. “I wasn’t picking a fight at all. In fact, we were so worried about you guys, we decided to come along with the school principal on his visit. I heard your classmate died, right? Was it painful? Or not?”   

“What is it exactly that you’re trying to say?” Fushiguro frowns.  

“There are some things that are hard to put in words, right? It’s okay. I’ll do it for you. Although the terms ‘vessel’ or ‘host’ are accurate, to some extent, the truth is that he was a half-curse monstrosity, right?” There’s a pause, and suddenly, a cruel, gleeful expression spreads across Mai’s face. “For that kind of filthy non-human to have the nerve to call himself a sorcerer… you were repulsed by it, weren’t you? Aren’t you glad he’s dead?”   

Both Fushiguro’s and Nobara’s faces immediately drop, and if not for the fact that you already knew this was coming, you would probably be yelling all kinds of obscenities right about now.   

“What the fuck did you just say?”   

Oh, nevermind. Nobara’s going to do it for you.   

“Take that back,” she glares, and she even grabs you by the arm and pulls you in close. “You bitch. Itadori was [Name]’s close friend. They went to the same high school together, before they came to Jujutsu High. What kind of scumbag takes joy in mocking someone who’s grieving?”  

“I was just stating the facts,” Mai shrugs. “And even if they were friends before, that was obviously bound to change once he became a monster. I’m sure you feel the same way, right, [Name]? You must have been disgusted to call a freak like that your friend. You must have felt ashamed to have ever gotten close to him to begin with. Poor thing.”  

Your expression darkens, but before you can say anything, Todo steps forward and shakes his head.   

“You sure like to talk about worthless nonsense, Mai. I just want to know if these guys are worthy replacements for Okkotsu. [Name] looks like she might have some potential, but I’m not sure about the other two. Which is why… I’ll start with him . Fushiguro, you said your name is?  Answer me right now. What’s your type?”   

Fushiguro and Nobara blink, visibly bewildered, and at the same time, Todo rips his poor t-shirt to shreds, revealing his toned, bulging muscles in full.   

“Depending on your answer, I might beat you half to death right here, and drag Okkotsu, or at least the third-years, out to the exchange event. Oh, and by the way…”   

Todo grins widely.   

“My type is a tall girl with a big ass.”

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You can hardly suppress the grin that keeps pulling at your lips. It sounds like she’s excited to be a new mom, and for that, you are immeasurably thankful. It’s such a relief to see how much she cares about her daughter. You can only hope that in this life, she won’t abandon Eri, no matter what happens. Of course, it’s still too early to tell what the future has in store, but you’re going to try believing in her. You’re choosing to believe that she’ll always stay by Eri’s side.  

Needless to say, you’re rather restless during class. It’s hard to pay attention to the lessons—not that you really need to—given the big news you’ve just been privy to. All throughout the day, you keep pulling out the letter you received and reading through it, over and over again. By now, you’ve memorized the whole thing, but you hang onto each word nevertheless, giddy at the thought of Eri thriving in a happy, loving family.  

Since your excitement isn’t exactly subtle, Shouto takes note of it.  

“Did something happen?” he asks during lunch. Despite his initial protests and how hard he tried to push you away, the two of you each lunch together every single day now. “I feel like you’re even more restless than usual,” he remarks. “Which is... saying something.”  

You suppose there’s no reason to hide it, so you flash him a huge grin, then proudly declare:  

“I’m an aunt now!”  

“An... aunt?”  

Shouto blinks repeatedly. Time and time again, you find new ways to surprise him. Aren’t you a little young to be an aunt? Not to mention that as far as he knows, you live at the orphanage. It doesn’t exactly make sense.  

“But how?” he blinks, and rather bluntly, he adds, “I thought you didn’t have a family.”  

It obviously wasn’t his intention to be inconsiderate, and since you know Shouto so well, you don’t take any offense at his comment. Most kids are rude without meaning to be, after all.  

“My adoptive sister,” you explain. “I lived with a family for a while. They weren’t my biological family, but they took me in for a few years. And now I’m living at an orphanage again. My sister just recently had a baby, so that technically makes me the baby’s aunt!”  

“Oh.”  

Shouto nods in understanding. It all sounds rather complicated, and since you’re back to living in an orphanage, that means that your former family must have sent you back, right? Although you don’t look too upset about it, and you speak about your adoptive sister rather fondly. To some extent, it confuses him, but then again, he’s hardly in a position to judge.  

It’s not like his family is any better.  

“Man, I can’t wait to meet my niece,” you beam, happily swinging your legs. “She’s so adorable! I just want to pinch her cheeks forever and forever, and tell her what a good girl she is.”  

“Have you seen a picture of her?”  

“What?”  

“Your niece. Did your sister send you a picture?” Shouto asks.  

“No. Why?”  

He frowns. “But... you just said she’s adorable. So, you must already know what she looks like, right?”  

You part your lips to respond, then hurriedly clamp them shut.  

Shit! I almost totally spilled the beans! I really need to be less careless about this kind of stuff.   

Of course, you do already know what Eri looks like, or at the very least, what she’ll look like several years from now. It’s not an exaggeration to say that she’s cute enough to make your heart melt, but you seriously need to get better at hiding your knowledge of the future.  

“Ahem.” You clear your throat and compose yourself, then grin widely. “I haven’t seen her yet, but my sister told me she’s ridiculously cute, and I believe her. She sounds like she has super pretty features, and I can hardly wait to play with her!”  

“I’m sure you’ll have fun,” Shouto says, offering you a supportive smile. He doesn’t look suspicious, thankfully, although you suppose it was a rather small slip-up, easy to recover from. 

Still. You’d better be more careful from now on, especially when it comes to major events. You don’t have a precognition Quirk, after all.  

The rest of your classes trickle by, and soon enough, the day is over. You assume your usual position outside the building, waiting diligently for the group of teens to arrive. True to his word, Shouto has been waiting after school with you every day to make sure that you don’t break the rules and get in trouble again. When your posse approaches, you expect him to wave goodbye and leave, like he usually does, but for some reason, he doesn’t budge.  

As a matter of fact, what he says next takes you completely by surprise.  

“Can I... walk with you?” Shouto asks hesitantly.  

You frown. “Is that okay? I’d be happy if you stayed with us for a little while, but I wouldn’t want you to get in trouble or anything. Won’t your family—”  

You stop mid-sentence. You were just about to say, won’t your family worry about you? It’s a good thing you caught yourself in time.  

“I’ll be fine,” Shouto says. “I can get home whenever. I just feel like walking with you for a bit. As long as you don’t mind.”  

The truth is that he’s trying to stall for time. He gets to spend more time with you this way, but also, he’ll get home later, which means he won’t have to see his dad right away. It’s by no means a solution to the root of the problem, but still. 

If he can prolong the happiness he feels with you and delay the pain he feels because of his father, then he’ll take every chance he gets.  

“Of course,” you beam. “You can come with me whenever. Every single day, if you want!”  

The pained look in his eyes is enough for you to discern what he’s thinking, so you flash him your trademark grin and take his hand in yours. He stiffens up at first, but just like when you walked together before, he doesn’t try to pull away.  

The teenage girls giggle at the sight of the two of you holding hands.  

“You’d better be careful, [Name],” one of them muses. “That other blond boy will probably be jealous if he finds out you two are so close.”  

“Yeah, he’ll probably show up and start screaming again. He might even cry this time.”  

They keep on giggling, and poor Shouto is as confused as ever, blinking at the speed of light.  

“Who are they talking about?” he asks.  

You wave your hand dismissively. “Oh, just some guy who’s obsessed with me for some reason. He’s way too stubborn to admit it, though.”  

Some guy who’s... obsessed with you?  

Shouto isn’t quite sure why, but hearing that makes his chest feel a bit funny, and instinctively, he squeezes your hand tighter.  

Despite the girls’ constant teasing, he refuses to let go the whole time as you walk.

For the past few weeks, you’ve been waiting. Babies are especially vulnerable in the earliest stages of their development. They need plenty of rest, nourishment, and their bodies are so frail that they’re susceptible to all sorts of infections. Most doctors suggest keeping newborns away from crowded spaces, so that they don’t risk getting sick.  

But from what you’ve heard, Eri is healthy and strong, and since her mom went through all the necessary steps in order to be allowed to meet with you, today, you’re finally getting to see your niece in the flesh.  

“Stay right outside the building,” the caregiver reminds you. “Where we can keep an eye on you. We’re only letting you do this for the baby’s wellbeing. Too many kids will try to touch her if we bring her inside, but that doesn’t mean you can try to run off or pull some other nonsense.”  

You let out a loud, overly dramatic gasp. “Why, I would never! What kind of person do you take me for? Have I ever once broken the rules?”  

“You’ve already tested our patience more than enough times, you little troublemaker.” She shakes her head, but offers you a gentle smile nonetheless. “Well, you’re still a good kid, so I trust you’ll be on your best behavior. Go ahead, then. Go meet the baby.”  

You’re quick to sport a big grin, and you certainly don’t need to be told twice. Letting out an excited cheer, you promptly race out the front doors of the building.  

Eri’s mom is there, of course. She’s wearing a long, flowy maternity dress, and she’s holding onto a stroller. When she spots you exiting the building, she smiles brightly, and you watch as she carefully reaches into the stroller and takes her daughter into her arms.  

There she is. Baby Eri. And man, you thought you were absurdly cute as a baby, but she might just have you beat.  

Impossibly eager, you bound over to them, making sure not to cry out or do anything that might startle Eri. Her mom cradles her in her arms, and you know you aren’t imagining the warmth filling her gaze. There’s nothing but love in those eyes. A mother’s love—the most powerful form of love of them all.  

All you can do is hope that even in the face of Eri’s Quirk, her love will persist.  

“You look well, [Name].” She smiles again and ruffles your hair, and you lean into her touch, comforted by the feeling. “I was worried you might not be adapting well since it’s such a big change... but as always, I underestimated you. You’ve always been very capable.”  

“Because I’m the best,” you hum in affirmation. 

“Haha. And I see your confidence hasn’t been shaken in the slightest. That’s good to know. Anyways, here she is. Isn’t she such a beauty? I still can’t get over how sweet her little face is.” 

She adjusts her hold on Eri, and finally, repositions her so that her big ruby eyes are now facing towards you.  

Eri is remarkably small. You never got to see what she looked like as an infant, and your heart aches knowing that in a different timeline, this poor little girl suffered far beyond anyone’s wildest dreams.  

But things are different now. She’s tiny and innocent, having never learned the meaning of pain. She hasn’t experienced any form of suffering, and so long as you have a say in things, you intend to keep it that way forevermore.  

“Hi, Eri,” you mumble softly. Her mother is still holding her snug, but you reach out and carefully brush your fingers against her pudgy little cheek. “You’re such a pretty girl. I’m [Name], your auntie. And I’m going to make sure to protect you, no matter what. Okay?”  

It goes without saying that she can’t possibly understand you. At this stage in her life, you’re scarcely more than a talking blob to her. But even though she doesn’t know the weight you carry in your chest, nor does she comprehend why your expression is vaguely tinged with sadness, it still doesn’t stop her from gurgling happily and flashing you a gummy smile.  

She’s happy. At this point in her life, Eri is undeniably happy. This is the kind of life she should always have. She should always be able to smile like this, blissful and carefree. 

Things will be different this time.   

She wraps her tiny baby hand around your thumb, and there’s no denying how full your heart feels in this moment.  

“Just as I thought, she loves you,” her mother hums. “She can tell right away how much you care for her. She knows the two of you are family.”  

Family. That’s exactly it. You would’ve been determined to save Eri no matter what, but even more so now that you share a bond that can’t be severed.  

Eri is your family, and ironically enough... the man you’re trying to protect her from is also your family.  

You couldn’t change Chisaki. It hurts to admit it to yourself, but just having knowledge of this world isn’t necessarily enough to rewrite fate. But you’ve learned from your mistakes, from the frustration and regret that you feel, and you won’t let things end the same way again. You’re going to do everything you can to protect this sweet little girl—even if it means facing the man you fear most.  

“I’m here for you, Eri,” you whisper. You say the words over and over again, even though she can’t understand them. It’s a promise to her, but also, a promise to yourself.  

She is a symbol of the peaceful, happy future you’re determined to build, and above all else, she gives you hope .

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“I see,” you say, trying to ignore how hot your cheeks feel. “Well, um… you mentioned wanting to hang out sometime, and this might be a bit last-minute, but did you want to grab coffee later in the evening?” 

You can’t possibly know this, since you’re not face to face with him in person, but right now, Xavier is clumsily pumping his fist in the air. 

“Of course,” he says. He manages to keep his voice steady, so that you can’t tell how excited he is. “Generally speaking, anytime in the evening works for me. I work pretty standard hours during the day, and I find nighttime to be more pleasant anyways.” 

A smile creeps onto your lips. Sometimes, it’s easy to forget that he and Elliot are actually vampires. Apart from what they need to consume in order to survive, they’re just genuine, normal guys. It goes to show how heavily prejudiced most people are. 

“Great,” you smile. “I have to work until then too, so let’s meet up someplace once we’re both done. Do you have any suggestions?” 

“There are a few coffee spots that I usually go to. They might not be to your taste, though, so maybe you’d like to pick instead.” 

“Nah, that’s fine. I trust you. And besides,” you sigh, “one of my jobs is working as a barista, so if it was up to me, I’d probably just default to the same old coffee shop I’m used to. Trying new things out is more fun.” 

Xavier takes a moment to respond, because he’s letting your words slowly sink in. 

One of her jobs? So… she works multiple jobs? And she’s also selling her blood to me every now and then?

Honestly, he can’t help but be concerned. From what he’s heard, donating blood is a physically-demanding process that weakens the body, and he sees you quite regularly. On top of that, it sounds like you’re working more hours than the average person. He’s worried that you’re pushing yourself too much, and that it’ll ruin your health. 

But he knows his place. As things stand, the two of you are barely acquaintances. He has no right to meddle in your life. If you’re choosing to sell your blood to vampires, money must be tight. You’re doing whatever you can to provide for yourself, and he has to respect that. 

First, he needs to get to know you a bit better. Once he’s proven that he’s someone you can rely on, maybe then you’ll consider letting him help you. 

For now, he’ll take things slow. After all, the last thing he wants is to act too overbearing and scare you off. 

“That makes sense,” Xavier says. “I’ll send you the address for one of the places I’m considering. If the location isn’t too inconvenient for you, let’s agree to meet there once we’re both done with work.” 

“Yep! Sounds good.” 

You click off the phone call, still smiling. At least there’s something to look forward to today. It’ll help you get through yet another tedious shift. 

I’ve seen him a bunch of times at Plasma Inc., but since it’s a more special occasion, maybe I should put some effort into my appearance? 

You open up your closet and start weighing your options, which is kind of weird, since it’s not like it’s a date or anything. It’s just a meet-up between two people who are hoping to become better acquainted.

…it’s not a date, right? 

Your heartbeat quickens, and suddenly, you’re not quite sure what to think. 

Even though you’ve already met with Xavier several times before, the novelty of the situation makes you a touch nervous. 

It’s kind of funny, when you think about it. This is the same guy that drinks your blood on the regular, something which most people would be scared shitless to go through, and yet, the idea of meeting up with him for coffee is what’s getting you all worked up. Perhaps part of you can’t help but be worried that if today goes poorly, he might not want to be your client anymore, and then you’ll have to hope the program will match you with someone else so that you can afford to keep making Johnny’s payments in time.

As always, money is the main source of your concerns, but it’s not just about the money. Now that you’ve spent a bit of time with Xavier and gotten a feel for what kind of person he is, you’d honestly be pretty bummed out not having him to talk to anymore. You enjoy spending time with him, and you want to see if this will develop into a meaningful relationship—either as a friend or perhaps even something more. 

So, yeah. You’re a little nervous, and when you step inside the coffee shop, you can feel just how rigid your steps are. 

However, one look at Xavier, sitting at a table by the window and smiling gently in your direction, makes all your worries melt away. 

Just like that, your excitement overshadows your anxiety. 

“Xavier!” 

You grin widely and rush over to him. He stands up to greet you. “Hello,” he says, as poised and charming as always. “Thank you for agreeing to meet me here. How has your day been so far?” 

“It’s been fine,” you say, quickly sitting down. You pause for a moment, then smile shyly. “Well, it’s better now that I get to hang out with you.”

Xavier does his best not to let it show, but the second you utter those words, his heart nearly stops beating. 

He’s convinced it must be illegal for someone to be this cute. 

“What about you?” you ask. “Did work go well? You look like you must have a pretty important job. You’ve even got business cards and everything.” 

“Is that so?” Xavier chuckles. “I didn’t realize owning business cards automatically dictated a person’s professional success.” 

You blush. “Um… well, not exactly, but I’m sure you know what I meant.”

“Yes, I do know. I was just teasing you a bit.” He furrows his brows and stops to ponder your words. “I suppose my job could be considered relatively important, depending on how you look at it. I work for a big company, and I manage several teams of employees. I actually only moved to the city in the first place because I got a promotion. It’s definitely more work, but I guess I liked knowing that my career was progressing.” 

“Wow,” you mumble. “I mean, with the suits and all, I could already kind of tell that you were an important guy. The way you act makes it pretty obvious too. You’re super professional and respectful of others.”

Xavier awkwardly scratches his cheek. “I appreciate you speaking so highly of me, but back home, I was used to people telling me I was often too serious for my own good. From what I’ve heard, I’m rather dull, so I’m pleasantly surprised that you agreed to meet up with me.” 

“What?” you frown, very much in disbelief. “You’re not dull at all. Just because you’re not overly loud and extroverted doesn’t mean you’re not fun to be around. Maybe those people that said those things were just jealous they aren’t as successful as you.” 

“Haha. I guess that’s a possibility,” he muses. “I’ve never really thought too much about it, if I’m being honest. I’m good at dismissing the people whose opinions don’t matter to me. As a result, I tend to be pretty selective when it comes to spending time with others.” 

Hearing that just strokes your ego even more. You feel kind of special, all of a sudden. It’s nice to know that a classy, successful guy like Xavier holds you in such high regard.

Still, you probably shouldn’t get too ahead of yourself. If you’ve learned anything from your time with Caleb—who, by the way, still has yet to respond to any of your messages—it’s that relationships with others are incredibly fragile, and you need to be careful not to ruin a good thing. 

“Well, I’m glad you suggested we meet up normally every now and then,” you smile. “I don’t think you’re dull at all, and I’ve always looked forward to talking to you.” 

Xavier nods politely and tells you that he feels the same way, but deep down, he wishes he could just take you in his arms right now and hug you to his heart’s content. 

…it’s getting harder and harder to act like he’s only interested in being your “friend”. 

“So, should we go order?” you ask, pointing towards the counter. “I’ve never tried the coffee here before, but if you like it, then it must be good.” 

“I’m worried I might be getting your hopes up,” Xavier chuckles. “It could be that what tastes good to me might not apply to you. I do drink quite a lot of coffee though, so I’d like to think I have a decent grasp on the matter.” 

“I’m sure it’ll be great,” you reassure. 

The part about having different preferences when it comes to taste is undeniably true. He regularly consumes blood, after all. But based on what you’ve heard from Elliot, vampires still process most food and drinks generally the way humans do. Their taste buds aren’t exceptionally different. The only glaring difference is that blood tastes pleasant to them, rather than metallic and unpalatable. 

You order your coffee, and a little pastry to go along with it, then you sit back down. Xavier doesn’t seem to be eating anything, and even though you don’t ask, you secretly wonder how long one session of drinking your blood lasts him. You hope he doesn’t let himself go hungry. Although, now that you think of it, he might alternate between other clients apart from you, just to make sure he has enough blood to go around. 

“Is something bothering you?” Xavier asks. “You seem deep in thought. Was work difficult today?” 

“Huh? Oh, not really,” you dismiss, taking a slow sip of your coffee. Your expression brightens. “Hey, this is pretty good! I might even come here on my own sometime. I get discounts at the coffee shop I work at, but maybe I’ll drop by here every now and then whenever I want to treat myself. Or this could just be our little meet-up spot.” 

Xavier isn’t sure whether the last part of what you just said was an afterthought, but nonetheless, hearing that you might be open to seeing him again makes it nearly impossible to suppress his smile.

Lately, he seems to be smiling around you almost constantly. He’s not used to it, but strangely enough… he doesn’t mind. 

“Oh no,” Xavier mutters under his breath. He might already be too far gone, and this is only the first time you’ve ever met up outside of your usual client-donor arrangement. 

You tilt your head. “What’s oh no? Did they mess up your coffee?” 

“N-No, I was just remembering something. Sorry.” He takes a needlessly large gulp of his coffee to try and distract himself, and in the process of doing so, he accidentally burns his tongue. But since he’s too embarrassed to let it show, he swallows the pain and bites down on his lip, glowing red from shame. 

When it comes to you, he also seems to be acting a lot more clumsily than he’s used to. 

“Since you’ve got such an important job, I guess you must have a lot of things on your mind,” you remark. 

Xavier just stares at you for a few moments, letting the warmth of your presence envelop him. When he finally responds, his gaze is noticeably softer than before. 

“Yes,” he nods. “There are definitely a lot of things on my mind lately. Too many to even express.”

You smile gently. “I can’t imagine how difficult or stressful it is to be responsible for so many people. But I’m sure that whatever it is, you’ll get through it. You’re clearly very competent. I doubt there’s anything you can’t do.” 

Xavier chuckles. You’re clearly unaware of his budding feelings, but for the time being, that’s alright.

He’s always been a patient man, and he doubts that’ll ever change. 

You’re feeling great. 

It’s not like you couldn’t already tell that Xavier is a good person, but today’s meeting just further reinforced it. When you think back on your very first encounter, and how detached he was at the start, you definitely never could have imagined being on such good terms. You always assumed your relationship would never leave Plasma Inc.’s walls. 

And yet, here you are, letting him escort you back to your apartment. 

“Thanks again for agreeing to meet with me tonight,” you say, smiling brightly. “I had a lot of fun. It’s nice to see each other in, um… in a different setting.” 

Xavier studies your expression, looking a bit amused. “I feel the same way. Try not to worry too much about how we met. I know it’s a bit unconventional, but it shouldn’t get in the way of us spending time together.” 

You nod happily. Well, your contract for the program never mentioned any clause about not being allowed to meet your clients on your own time, so you doubt you’re breaking any rules. It’s probably exceedingly rare that humans and vampires get along so well, at least in the eyes of society. 

After walking and chatting for a while, it’s time for the part you dread the most whenever you get lucky enough to make a new friend (which, admittedly, doesn’t happen all that often).

Having to show them your crappy apartment. 

Much like Elliot, Xavier doesn’t visibly react when he lays eyes on the shoddy building. You figure he’s doing his utmost to be polite. He’s a classy businessman, and based on the expensive suits he’s always wearing, as well as the fact that he can afford to pay for the program, it’s reasonable to assume that he earns a good wage. 

Comparing yourself to others is never a good thing, but… yeah. You doubt you’ll ever get used to revealing how poor you are. It makes your stomach churn from embarrassment. 

“Uh, well, this is me,” you say, awkwardly pointing to the building. “Thanks again for walking me all the way. I appreciate it.” 

Xavier offers you a gentle smile. “Of course. It’s too late for you to walk outside all alone. This is the least I can do.” 

“I work a lot of late shifts, so I’m pretty used to walking alone in the dead of night,” you admit.

“Do you have a weapon?” Xavier frowns. “Like a taser, or something along those lines? I might be overstepping, but it’s always best to be safe rather than sorry. Ah, I’m not implying you can’t take care of yourself, of course. It’s just that… there’s a lot of awful people out there. I just want you to be safe.” 

His words are nothing but genuine, but after staring you in the eyes for a few moments, he clears his throat and looks off to the side, ever-so-slightly flustered. 

“Sorry,” Xavier blushes. “I didn’t mean for that to come across as a lecture. Please forget what I—” 

“No, no,” you reassure. “I totally get where you’re coming from. I think a taser is a bit out of my budget… but I always carry some pepper spray in my bag, at the very least. I’ve pulled it out a few times whenever I felt like someone was following me, but it always turned out that I was just being paranoid.”

“When you’re a young woman all alone at night, it’s called being cautious, not paranoid. But I’m relieved that you have a way to protect yourself. That’s all that matters.” 

Xavier smiles again. He’s the type that doesn’t smile very often, which is honestly a shame, since he looks even more beautiful whenever he does. Still. It seems like, slowly but surely, he’s getting into the habit of doing it more frequently. 

And you can’t help but smile back. 

“It’s nice to know you’re looking out for me,” you say, playfully punching him in the arm. It obviously doesn’t hurt—it probably wouldn’t have hurt him even if you’d been using your full strength. 

It does, however, make his blush deepen.

“Caring about your safety is the bare minimum,” Xavier mumbles, gaze drifting down towards his feet. He tries not to look too flustered, and thankfully, you don’t read into things too much. “Anyways… let me walk you to the door. I want to make sure you get inside the building. For my own peace of mind.” 

You beam at him. For someone such as yourself, who’s long been abandoned by their own family, you have to admit, it feels really nice that there are people who care. 

Xavier walks you to the front of the building, and now, it’s finally time to say goodbye. Admittedly, you’re a bit reluctant to do so.

“I had a great time,” you smile. “We’ll do this again at some point, right? And we’ll keep seeing each other through the program too.” 

Xavier’s eyes brighten. “Oh… of course. I was hoping you’d be open to meeting up again. I had a very nice time as well. I was worried that I might have made you too uncomfortable with my sudden request, so I’m glad that’s not the case.” 

“I reached out to you first, so I wouldn’t worry about that anymore. Anyways, thanks again! I’m gonna try and get to bed early for a change. Goodnight, Xavier.” 

You wave goodbye, and he smiles before doing the same. 

“Goodnight, [Name]. I hope you can get some rest.” 

The building door closes behind you, and sure enough, there’s no sign of your smile disappearing. 

You walk down the hallway, unlock the door to your unit, and let out a happy sigh as you step inside.

That happy sigh, however, is soon to be replaced by a shiver, because for some reason, it’s really, really cold. 

“Did I accidentally leave the window open…?” you mutter, palming for the light switch in the darkness. It takes a moment, but eventually, you find it, and light floods into the room. 

You shiver again. It’s pretty cold this time of year, and you were looking forward to at least having a warm apartment to come home to. It figures you would make a dumb oversight like this. Oh, well. Looks like you’re keeping your jacket on until it warms up. 

You walk over to the window and roll it down, then fasten the lock shut.

Or, at least, you try to. 

It doesn’t sink in until you get a closer look. The window is open, sure enough, but not in the conventional sense. It turns out that you didn’t forget to shut the window before you left. 

Someone broke it.

A few seconds pass, with you just standing there, frozen from shock. The window is broken. It’s broken, which means someone must have gotten into your apartment to try and steal stuff. But nothing looks to be out of place, and you have very few valuables to begin with—all of which are exactly where you left them. 

Someone broke into your apartment, but they didn’t steal anything. Which can only mean that…

They still haven’t left. 

Before you can scream, someone clamps their hand over your mouth, preventing your cries from echoing across the walls. You thrash and put up a fight to the best of your ability, but it feels like pushing back against a brick wall. The difference in strength is undeniable, and it overwhelms you in no time flat. 

You’re pulled to the ground, and the intruder locks you in their steel grip, giving you absolutely no chance to break free. The situation already feels hopeless enough. It doesn’t look like you have any hope of escaping, and the desperation is enough to send you into a state of utter panic.

Just when you think it can’t possibly get any worse, you hear them speak, and the voice is one you recognize all too well. 

“I’m sorry,” Felix mumbles, his hot breath hitting the shell of your ear. Your eyes widen, and more tears stream down your cheeks. He tightens his grasp on you and lets out a heavy sigh. “I wish it didn’t have to be like this. I really, really tried to make it work. But you just left me no choice. You weren’t willing to hear me out at all. So, now… this is the only way. Please understand. I felt like I was going to die without your blood. It’s not my fault, [Name]. It’s just… not my fault.”

He sinks his fangs into your neck, so hard that you nearly pass out on the spot. You try to scream again, but any noise you make is completely muffled behind his palm. This is a small, crappy apartment, home to very few unfortunate tenants, most of which get up to all kinds of shady business themselves. You doubt anyone will hear you struggling, and even if they do, it’s unlikely that they’ll bother to risk their own necks and step in. 

After all the effort you put in, after all the resolutions you made to try and be more optimistic about your future…

In the end, none of it meant a damn thing. 

“So good,” Felix gasps. He pulls away, just for a moment, and even though you can’t see his face from this angle, you can already imagine the disgusting, sinful expression he’s making right now. “Your blood… it’s just unreal. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever had before. You’re perfect. You really are, [Name]. So perfect. So sweet. And all mine.” 

He bites you a second time, and the pain is so intense that you feel as if a part of you just died. It looks like he isn’t making the slightest effort to hold back. Not that he ever did in the first place. Fuck.

You’re going to die here, aren’t you? 

Felix takes big, greedy gulps of your blood. The pain is already unimaginable, but the more blood he drinks, the fainter you feel. Your body is progressively losing all of its strength, and with every passing moment, you feel more numb.

At least… it’s not… hurting so much… anymore. 

Your sobs are silent and breathless. Eventually, you’re so exhausted that you can’t even muster up the strength to keep crying. You stopped struggling a long time ago. Your body is starting to shut down.

But Felix still doesn’t stop.

To be more precise, he can’t stop. He’s like an animal gone feral, with no rhyme or reason governing his actions. The only thing he cares about right now is satisfying his urges, and you are simply a means to an end. But he’s not trying to kill you. Of course not. If he killed you, he would never be able to drink your blood ever again.

But by the time he breaks out of his trance, it might already be too late. 

You’re not breathing.

“...[Name]?”

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“What are you doing here?” she gritted out, in a rough, clipped tone that was very much unlike her. She was good at dealing with customers, even the ones that didn’t follow the rules. If they were making trouble, she knew how to kick them out and handle herself. It wasn’t like her to sound so distraught.

You couldn’t see what was going on since she was by the hostess stand at the front of the store, but when a certain man walked into the room, it suddenly all made sense.

Tatsumi locked eyes with you and immediately smiled. “Ah, there she is. Good. I was worried I’d come in on a day when she wasn’t even working.”

“I never said you could go in,” Ekaterina fumed, angrily stomping after him. “What am I supposed to make of this? Does Ryu know you’re here right now?”

“Ssh, don’t make a fuss,” Tatsumi chuckled. “I was only doing business nearby as per the terms of our new agreement. There’s no rule saying that I can’t be over on this side of town. Besides, isn’t this club meant to be for everyone to enjoy? I wouldn’t dare to start any trouble when everyone’s watching me like a hawk.”

You had several questions. Sure, it made sense that he might end up on the Shimazaki group’s turf whenever he followed up with his drug deals, but was it really okay for him to be in here right now? Technically, he was right. This was a legal establishment and there was no rule that prohibited him from spending money here. But considering all the tensions that had arisen since your kidnapping, on top of the fact that him and Ryu already didn’t seem to like each other, something still felt wrong about this picture.

Ekaterina inhaled sharply. “I will still need approval to ensure that—”

“Don’t bother with all that,” he waved her off. “You’re only making problems for yourself. I am a paying customer, just like everyone else. I saw all those bodyguards stationed out front. Do you really think I’m stupid enough to try and kidnap [Name] again under these circumstances? For your own peace of mind, I deliberately told my men to let me go on my own. I’m not armed, either. Here,” he smiled, raising his arms above his head. “You can pat me down, if that’ll make you feel better.”

“I will do no such thing.”

“Alright,” he shrugged. “Can’t say I didn’t try. Anyways. I would like to pay for [Name]’s time, if you don’t mind. We got to know each other quite a bit recently, and I’m interested in carrying on with where we last left off.”

“I do mind,” Ekaterina glared. “But regardless of how I feel, I get the sense you’re going to act as you please.”

“That is correct.”

“Fine, you can stay. Just like you said, you’d be stupid to try anything with so many men posted out front and ready to pull the trigger if something goes wrong. But I’m charging you double for coming in here and ruining [Name]’s evening.”

“I’m not doing that, am I?” he asked, looking over at you with a heartfelt expression. It was so convincing, you struggled to tell whether or not he was faking it. “[Name], you don’t mind, do you? I’m sure you’re just as happy to see me as I am to see you.”

You kidnapped me and scared me half to death, but yeah, sure. I’m overjoyed.

“Ekaterina, I’m fine,” you assured. “Plus, he seems willing to pay extra. Right?”

“Of course,” Tatsumi smiled. “Anything for you.”

“Well, there you have it. He’s just a paying customer like everyone else in here.”

“But I’m worried,” she insisted, nibbling on her bottom lip. “I don’t want you to feel unsafe. I want this environment to be comfortable for you. It’s important.”

“I trust that Tatsumi won’t do anything stupid. If he does, it’s his life on the line. Come on,” you gestured towards one of the couches, “let’s go grab a seat.”

Ekaterina still didn’t look all too convinced, but the logical part of your brain was telling you there was nothing to be afraid of. The circumstances were different this time around. Tatsumi didn’t have the means to kidnap or hurt you, not without immediate retaliation. And as self-assured as he came across, you got the sense he wasn’t in a hurry to die. He seemed far too money and power-hungry to want to do that.

Knowing him, he was probably only making this little visit to get under Ryu’s skin. Which is why if Ryu didn’t find out, his efforts would be completely pointless. To that end, you were willing to play along with his little game.

He sat down next to you and slowly looked you over. “That dress suits you very well,” he complimented. “You’re even more beautiful than I remember.”

 “I’m sure a man with as much influence as you has probably seen his fill of beautiful women.”

“None quite as beautiful as you.”

“Right,” you deadpanned. His charisma and suave demeanor wasn’t going to help him win you over. Even if you had become hopelessly entangled in the life of the yakuza, you weren’t going to allow them to brainwash you into thinking they were the good guys.

“How often do you work here?” he asked, using small talk to work his way into a conversation.

“It depends,” you shrugged. “A couple nights a week, I guess. Some weeks I work less than others.”

“And you enjoy it?”

“For the most part. We get the odd rude customer here and there, but Ekaterina is really good at managing things. Now that those bodyguards follow me around all the time, it’s even less likely that some asshole will start shit.”

Tatsumi’s lips pulled into a grin. “I presume the bodyguards are a new addition courtesy of Ryu, in light of recent events.”

“You are correct.”

“Ha!” he laughed, throwing his head back enough that his hair fell out of place. “He is so funny sometimes. Always with the overreacting. But I suppose that’s only because you’re so dear to him. I take it you’ve realized this by now?”

“For better or worse,” you admitted.

“Hm. So, how does it feel having a yakuza boss under your thumb? It must be empowering.”

“He’s hardly under my thumb,” you scoffed. “Whatever soft spot he has for me, I’m sure it doesn’t mean I’m untouchable. I can never know when things might go wrong and my life will be in danger again. I’m not living as carelessly as you might think.”

“What a shame,” he sighed, shaking his head in disapproval. “If it were me, I would make sure you never had to worry about a single thing. Everything you’ve ever wanted would be provided for you. You would be granted all the freedom in the world. When you truly care for someone, you should allow them to do what makes them the most happy.”

“Interesting. I didn’t know that line of thinking applied to criminals.”

“Not all criminals,” he mused. “Just the good ones.”

You were contemplating whether there was even such a thing as a good criminal. Hikaru and Yuki came to mind. For Yuki, joining the yakuza had sort of been his way of paying homage to his deceased friend, and apparently his schooling hadn’t gone as planned. And in Hikaru’s case, it sounded like he was being forced to stay in the yakuza, for reasons he hadn’t yet disclosed. If there were good criminals, it was probably people like them.

People like Tatsumi, however, were clearly only in it to sate their own greed. He was cunning, yes, and well-spoken, but he was delusional if he thought you were ever going to trust a word that ever came out of his mouth.

“I don’t want you to have a bad impression of me, [Name],” he went on. “You are an interesting woman, and I’d like for us to get along.”

“It’s not like I have anything against you. I know the kidnapping wasn’t personal. But I need to keep my guard up. It’s the only way I’m going to survive.”

“Whatever you’re most comfortable with,” he smiled. “We’ll take our time building a good relationship.”

You hoped your smile was convincing enough. It was actually bothering you. Ever since you’d returned  back to Ryu’s side, you couldn’t help but wonder how much of Tatsumi’s words had been true. He seemed most concerned with money above all else, and a single person doing odd jobs like you was hardly bringing in a big sum. Now that his deal had been established with Ryu and he no longer had any use for you, was it really possible he’d considering granting you your freedom?

Not that Ryu would ever agree to it. But perhaps using more forceful means…

Normally, you weren’t one to want to resort to violence, but right now, the idea of moving to some other country far, far away and starting a new life from scratch didn’t sound so bad. Tatsumi had said that with his help, achieving that wouldn’t just be a fantasy. In a world of crime, it was inevitable that people would get hurt. Things would hardly be any different if you left.

The only question was what did he have to gain? Tatsumi had absolutely no reason to set you free without profiting from the situation somehow. He hardly seemed like the charitable type. Assuming there was any truth to his words, there had to be something he wanted from you in exchange for making your dreams a reality.

What exactly that was, however, remained to be seen.

Tatsumi cocked his head to the side. “What’s wrong? You’ve been awfully quiet.”

“Sorry,” you blinked. “I zoned out for a bit.”

“Haha. I’m not that boring, am I?”

“Not at all. It’s just been a slow day. I’m a little groggy, but a good conversation should wake me right up.”

“That blonde woman sure seemed intent on getting me kicked out,” he remarked with a grin. “I do appreciate you speaking out on my behalf. I realize we still have a lot to learn about each other, but I can see us having a very long and amicable relationship.”

“Yes, I do try to maintain good relations with all my other kidnappers as well.”

His grin showed no signs of disappearing. If there was one thing in particular that was different about him compared to Ryu, it was that he allowed you to speak and express yourself however you wanted. It probably had to do with the fact that he wasn’t part of the group that was directly in control of your life, but he seemed like he had a much more lax methodology than Ryu in general. He didn’t look as stern, his voice and body language wasn’t as menacing, and his humor helped break the tension at times.

All of this was probably by design, intended to make others get comfortable and let their guard down, but you could at least appreciate not having to walk on eggshells around him.

“I’m sure that Ryu really will get upset if he finds out you came here, though,” you frowned.

“You can tell him if you want,” he shrugged. “Or don’t. It makes no difference to me either way. I’m not technically breaking any of the rules. I approached you when you were working at a public establishment, and that’s hardly a crime.”

He seemed a lot less concerned with Ryu’s reaction to all this, which was admittedly a bit surprising. Initially, you’d thought the purpose of his whole surprise visit was to get under Ryu’s skin and test how far he could push him before he broke. But if he really didn’t care, then… he’d actually come here just to see you?

“What’s so interesting about me?” you felt compelled to ask.

Tatsumi seemed to like your question, if his smile was anything to go off. “There are a great many things about you that I find interesting. First and foremost, meeting someone in your unique position is quite rare, and it’s been a treat watching the way you’ve handled yourself thus far. I like that you’ve got a good head on your shoulders. You know how to behave rationally instead of allowing your fear and emotions to drive you towards reckless decisions. And obviously, I am very attracted to you, but you can’t blame me for that, can you?”

“Well, glad you’re enjoying the show, I guess,” you sighed. You stopped for a moment to pour out a glass of sake for Tatsumi. “Here,” you gestured. “It’s nothing like the fancy wine you gave me back at your place, but this one is pretty good too.”

“I had that wine imported from another country, so that’s understandable.” He waited for you to pour a glass for yourself as well before tilting his head back to gulp it down. “Cheers,” he nodded.

You were convinced that Tatsumi was coming onto you for reasons far beyond your level-headed nature and the fact that you were essentially a prisoner. It probably had something to do with Ryu. You still hadn’t forgotten that comment from before, when he’d asked if you wanted him to kill Ryu for you.

I wonder if he actually plans on acting on it.

Would you be sad if Ryu died? Hell no. Did you want to be a witness to murder? No, not particularly. Would an incident like that complicate your life even further? It was hard to say, because you didn’t yet know what would come next. But if Ryu was out of the picture, you liked to believe that you would have more options.

Already, you could feel knots forming in your stomach. God, you felt disgusted with yourself. He was a horrible person, but you didn’t want to actively hope for anyone’s death, not just his. But if it happened, by some chance, just if it happened…

You prayed that it would mean the end of your misery.

“The sake is good,” Tatsumi hummed. “I’m pleasantly surprised. Usually, the liquor they tend to serve in these places isn’t exactly top-notch.”

“Feel free to give honest feedback if you don’t like anything. I didn’t pick the drinks, so I really have no reason to be offended.”

“Rest assured, there is nothing wrong with the drinks. And the service is particularly lovely,” he beamed.

You were tempted to roll your eyes, but there was something about Tatsumi that made it hard not to get swept up in his pace. So, you kept on drinking, kept on humoring him and allowing the conversation to unfold. At some point, he brought up the poems you had read together last time, and though it shamed you a bit to admit, he had very interesting takes on some of the pieces. You actually found yourself enjoying the discussion far more than you’d expected, which could be as a result of all the alcohol, but the more time passed, the less you really cared.

Occasionally, Tatsumi would get very close to you. Close enough that he would touch you—gently, of course, and nothing that made you openly uncomfortable. He would caress your cheeks at times and lightly stroke your hair. If you’d been dead sober, perhaps you might have been a bit more indignant, but you were taking it surprisingly in stride. It felt nice having someone pay attention to you and care about what you had to say—or at least pretend that he cared. From the very first time you’d met, you’d been immensely attracted to him, but you’d been doing your best to act cautious because he was a criminal, just like Ryu.

Now, though? You were a bit tipsy, and the intoxicating scent of his cologne certainly wasn’t making things any easier for you.

“You seem like you’re in a good mood,” Tatsumi chuckled, pressing you flush against his shoulder. “I’m glad you’re starting to let your guard down around me.”

“My guard is still up,” you protested. “I just feel warm, and it’s nice… that’s all.”

“Whatever you say, gorgeous.”

“Ahem,” a familiar voice cut in. You looked up through bleary eyes to see Ekaterina standing in front of you with her arms crossed. “Sir,” she gritted out. “While I am glad that you were willing to pay double the standard price for [Name]’s time, you are far too close right now. Our store policy is very strict when it comes to physical intimacy, and you’re cutting it dangerously close.”

Tatsumi turned towards you, eyes all wide and innocent. “[Name], am I making you uncomfortable? Because that isn’t at all my intention. If I am, you have every right to slap me across the face.”

“No,” you giggled, “you’re fine.”

“See?” he chuckled. “She says it’s okay.”

“Only because she’s been drinking. I’m worried she’s not in the right state of mind to refuse. She might even be afraid to do so.”

“I’m not forcing her into anything. If she tells me to leave, I will leave. Not happily, mind you, but I will still respect her wishes.”

You glanced between Ekaterina and Tatsumi, then fervently shook your head. “Seriously, I promise I’m fine. I’m actually having a good time. This is probably the most fun I’ve ever had with a customer before.”

Ekaterina’s expression shifted then, and if you didn’t know any better, she was looking at you with disgust. You really hoped it was just the alcohol in your system making you see things.

“Fine,” she sighed. She jabbed her index finger out accusingly in Tatsumi’s direction. “But you better watch yourself. I’m being remarkably patient just by allowing you to be here right now.”

“And I appreciate it very much,” Tatsumi replied in a sing-song voice.

“Ugh,” Ekaterina grimaced, all but stomping away in her high-heeled shoes.

You understood why she would be concerned, and you still had your fair share of reservations, but just for once, you wanted to stop thinking of all the potential consequences and just enjoy yourself. Even if he was a criminal. Even if he was definitely not a good guy. For now, you just wanted to forget about all that and enjoy a nice talk. Pretend that you were like any other girl, giddily clinging to the arm of a well-to-do gentleman.

Still, you didn’t completely let loose. You stopped drinking any more, because you didn’t want to risk getting flat-out drunk and doing or saying something that would definitely come back to bite you in the ass. More time went by, and though the fuzziness in your head was beginning to fade, you still couldn’t stop smiling for some reason.

“Well, I think I’ve just about overstayed my welcome,” Tatsumi mused. “Last time I checked, that hostess was making a voodoo doll that looked just like me.”

“I wouldn’t put it past her,” you laughed.

He smiled and lovingly traced along your jawline. “Yes, well, I had a very nice time, [Name]. I understand my visit was somewhat unconventional, especially considering recent events, but I don’t want you to be afraid of me. What I did was an unfortunate necessity so that I could bargain with Ryu and obtain what I wanted. I never intended to hurt you. I hope you know that.”

You didn’t know that, but right now, you were inclined to believe him.

“It’s okay,” you said. “Ever since you kidnapped me, Ryu has been treating me better. In some strange way, I think it worked out for the best.”

“I’m glad to hear that. However, I would treat you much better than he ever could,” he mumbled, carefully guiding your face towards his. “I just want you to know that.”

Maybe he was telling the truth, but it didn’t really matter, because all he was doing in that case was dangling a nearly unobtainable future in front of you. But you were lonely, and in spite of how much you tried to reassure yourself, still very much afraid. So you took the bait, like the hopeless fool you were.

The next second, he was kissing you, and you didn’t even try to pull away. You felt his strong arms curl around you, keeping you close to his core. It was definitely wrong to be kissing a man like him. Someone who had doubtlessly hurt many people in the past. But god, how long had it been since you’d felt any sort of passion in your life? For the longest time, all you could do was put your head down and work several jobs to put yourself through school and pay for your mother’s medical bills. You hated to admit it, because you loved your mother dearly, but you’d been robbed of your youth. While others were going out to parties, falling in love, you’d just been focused on surviving.

But surviving wasn’t living. You knew that now, better than ever before.

Tatsumi pulled you onto his lap, deepening the kiss. You outright moaned when you felt him slip his tongue into your mouth. You were so hot. Every part of your body felt like it was on fire. This was wrong, this was wrong… you kept telling yourself that, but you still didn’t want to stop.

By the time he pulled away, your lips were all swollen and red, strands of spittle coating the bottom of your chin. You probably looked like a total mess, but Tatsumi was somehow still just as perfectly put-together as always. The only indication of what you’d just done was the flush that had spread across his cheeks.

“Adorable,” he praised, pinching your cheek affectionately. “But I really should get going now. Work never ends for me, I’m afraid.”

“Oh. Okay.”

You hated that you felt the tiniest bit disappointed. Did your regret what you’d done? No, not really. It was just a kiss. There was no rule saying that you weren’t allowed to kiss anyone, and if you had your way, Ryu would never find out about this anyways.

It felt cathartic, having just done that. You’d been in need of some form of release. Being desired felt nice, every now and then. It reminded you that you weren’t just some robot being forced to work as Ryu pleased, but a human with feelings and desires.

You’d acted selfishly for the first time in a long while, and you liked it.

Tatsumi smiled again and stood up to leave, but not before gently kissing the back of your hand. “Until next time,” he hummed.

An impish smile crept onto your lips. You had no idea whether there would even be a next time, but you were in such high spirits right now that it didn’t even matter.

Ekaterina all but flipped Tatsumi off once he finally left the club. You walked over to her since you were sure she was wondering how you were faring. To no one’s surprise, she whipped her head around almost immediately, brows pinched together.

“I’m worried, [Name],” she sighed out. “I realize that he what he did wasn’t technically in violation of any rules, but Ryu would still lose it if he found out.”

“That’s why he doesn’t need to find out,” you suggested.

“What?”

“It’ll only make things worse for no reason. He’ll get mad over something like this. If he doesn’t find out, then there’s no issue, right? If you tell him, I’ll probably get in trouble.”

Ekaterina pressed her lips together. “I know that. I wasn’t planning on telling him, but if that man ever comes by again, we should tell him he’s not welcome here. Just for our own peace of mind. In case Ryu ever does find out by some means.”

“Okay. We’ll deal with that when it comes to it, I guess.”

She stared at you for a few moments. “He didn’t do anything, did he? Because your safety is important. You can be honest with me, you know.”

Obviously, she hadn’t seen the kiss, otherwise she would have intervened immediately. You didn’t see the point in creating trouble for no reason, so you just smiled and shook your head.

“I’m telling you, it was fine. He was very nice to me.”

“Huh,” she scoffed. “Listen. I understand that Ryu can be rather volatile… and it probably scares you that you can’t always predict his behavior, but Tatsumi is a very cunning, dangerous man. He may look like he’s better than Ryu, but he wouldn’t have gotten to where he is without getting his hands dirty. Appearances can be deceiving, that’s all I’m saying.”

“I know,” you nodded. “I’m not an idiot. I just think it’s to my advantage to treat him kindly, right?”

“I guess it’s better than antagonizing him, yes. Just please be careful.”

“Yeah. I will.”

You weren’t an idiot. The rational part of your brain knew better than to fall for the leader of a yakuza group. But right now, you didn’t want to think so hard about things. You just wanted to remember the feel of his lips against yours.

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“Yes, thank you so much for your input,” Yaga drawls, heavy on the sarcasm. “Are you trying to get detention on your first day?”   

“Hm, I don’t know. Would I be setting some kind of record? Would I be the first person to get detention this soon?” Satoru asks, with visible eagerness in his eyes.   

“Just watch your mouth, you cheeky brat. Since it’s the very first day of school, we’ll wrap up with introductory classes for now. Make sure to tuck in your chairs before you leave. Tomorrow, I expect everyone to be here on time .”   

“‘Kay,” Satoru muses, and he makes a point to not tuck his chair in, just to piss off Yaga even more. Of course, you’re quick to correct his mistake for him, with a bright smile and a polite bow of your head.   

Suguru is convinced you must be a saint, because he can’t imagine having to put up with someone like that every single day.   

The four of you leave the classroom. Satoru is stuck to your side like glue, of course. Suguru watches as he deliberately tousles your hair and makes a mess of it, then lets out his trademark obnoxious laugh before wrapping an arm around you and pulling you in close. He’s very touchy-feely, by the looks of it. Maybe he’s like that with other people too, or maybe you really are a special case.  

It’s probably a mix of both, to be honest, but definitely more so the latter.   

“Geto Suguru and Ieiri Shoko,” you suddenly say, turning to look back at your classmates with a smile. “Did I get both your names right?”   

“Sure did,” Shoko nods, already pulling out a cigarette and flicking her lighter on.   

“Wow, you’re really going to smoke?” Satoru chuckles. “We’re still in the building, you know.”   

“It’s fine. We’re basically almost outside. And I thought you didn’t care about the rules anyway.”   

“You’re right, I don’t. I actually think it’d be funny if Yaga finds out and gets mad.”  

Suguru rolls his eyes, wondering what’s so fun about annoying people just for the hell of it. The school year has barely just begun, but he already feels drained, somehow. This Gojo Satoru guy is going to be a real pain in the ass to deal with.   

…on the other hand, there’s you .   

“What did you think of the first day of class?” you ask cheerfully.   

Suguru blinks. “Oh. It was… fine , I guess. Nothing out of the ordinary. We have to take academic classes too, so in that sense, it’s not all that different from what I’m used to. I’m still waiting to see what kind of actual training we’ll have. This place is supposed to help us hone our skills.”   

“Me too,” you nod, with a vigorous sort of excitement that Suguru still can’t really make sense of. It’s nice to be passionate about things, he supposes, and it’s true that jujutsu sorcerers have a rare and unique gift, but… dying is still a very real possibility. You haven’t forgotten that, have you?  

“What’s your cursed technique?” Suguru feels inclined to ask.   

“Oh, I can heal people!” you beam, and sure enough, Shoko’s brows arch in surprise. “I don’t have an ability that I can fight with, but I learned how to use reverse cursed technique, so I can help support all of you and make sure you don’t get hurt!”   

Suguru is plenty taken aback, because he recognizes the rarity of such a power, but before he can even respond, Shoko cuts in.   

“You can use reverse cursed technique on others?” she frowns. “Huh. What a small world. Here I was, thinking I’d be the exception.”   

“No way,” you gasp, doing your very best to act as convincingly as possible. “You can heal other people too ??”   

Shoko removes the cigarette from her lips, chuckling as she blows a few smoke rings. “Yeah. That’s incredible, to be honest. The fact that there are two of us, in the same year, with such a rare ability. Well, I’ll tell you what. We’re pretty much guaranteed to graduate. We’re too valuable for the school to risk losing us. I bet we could do whatever we want and get away with it.”   

“Even if we’re important to Jujutsu High, I think we should still take school seriously and follow the rules,” you say—with a gentle, patient smile.   

It’s the mature response, but naturally, it makes Satoru laugh.  

“Haha! Get a load of this nerd ,” he muses, grinning from ear-to-ear.   

You frown. “I’m not a nerd, Satoru. I just don’t need attention as badly as you do. People can still follow the rules and be cool, you know.”   

“Nope. People who follow the rules are all nerds, without exception.”   

“That’s your insecurity talking. I think you’re just jealous that I’m going to get better grades than you. There, there,” you smile, reaching up to pat him on the head. “It’s okay. No need to be upset. I’ll make sure to tutor you if you need help, alright?”  

Suguru snorts, holding back his laughter, and at the same time, Satoru narrows his eyes and turns towards him with a slight glare.   

“What’s funny?” he challenges.   

“Oh, nothing really.” Suguru bites down on his lip, finding it impossible not to smile. “It just stands out to me, that’s all. I was wondering how [Name] puts up with you, but it must be because in her eyes, you’re just a needy little child that’s constantly throwing tantrums.”   

“Are you picking a fight?”   

“No. It was just an observation. I can speak freely, can’t I? Unless that was already enough to bruise your fragile ego.”   

“...ha.”  

Satoru lets out a dry, humorless chuckle as he continues to glare Suguru down. As expected, they’re clashing. You can see the beginnings of some bad blood between them, and although you’re sure it’ll work out in the end, you’d much rather avoid the escalation. Satoru’s petty feud with Naoya is already bad enough as it is.   

“I don’t know about all of you, but I’m pretty hungry,” you suddenly pipe up. “There’s a kitchen in the dorms for us to use, right? I think I saw they had some ingredients stocked up too. We should cook something together! I think it’d be a fun bonding activity.”   

Shoko takes another drag of her cigarette and nods. “Yeah, let’s do it. Having some food in my stomach probably wouldn’t hurt. Otherwise I might end up going through the rest of my cigarette pack today.”   

“Um, please don’t do that. It’s not good for you.”   

“Meh,” she brushes off. “I’ll live.”   

Well, she’s certainly right about the last part. Even though she was never fated to die in the canon series, you’re going to ensure her survival too. Plenty of things have already changed because of your involvement in this world, and while certain characters have been spared, it’s entirely possible that others might end up facing death in their place.   

Not that you have any intention of letting that happen, though.   

Satoru and Suguru are still glaring at each other by the time you get back to the dorms, so you seriously need to get this group cooking session started—and fast . You’re actually really looking forward to this. You do a lot of cooking on your own, but you can’t remember the last time you cooked alongside someone else. Not as long as you’ve been in this world, at least.   

“[Name], you sit this one out,” Satoru says.   

“Huh?” You blink profusely, only to puff out your cheeks at him. “No way! It was my suggestion to cook together. You can’t exclude me!”   

“Yeah, what’s the big deal?” Suguru frowns. “Don’t be an asshole.”   

Satoru hangs his head, sighing heavily. “You don’t even understand. I’m doing you a huge favor here. The food she makes is unlike anything you’ve ever had before. And not in a good way.”   

“Sure, sure.”   

Neither Suguru nor Shoko seems to believe him, and why should they? You’re a great cook. Gordon Ramsay approved. Well, maybe not officially , but you had a dream that you met Gordon once, and he only had nice things to say about your food, so it must be true.   

Satoru firmly insists that you each focus on one part of the meal. He divides the labor so that everyone is working on a different component at a time. You’ve ended up with the very simple task of making rice balls. Which, come to think of it, was the first food of yours that you ever gave Satoru to try. Maybe he’s feeling nostalgic. It’s a shame you don’t have chocolate this time, though.   

Before long, you’ve got a mouth-watering spread laid out in front of you, and you can hardly wait to dig in.   

“[Name], you made the rice balls, right?” Suguru asks.  

“Yep!”   

“They look good. Here. Pass one over so I can try it.”   

You do just that, and you watch, while holding your breath, as Suguru takes a generous bite, seemingly without reservation. Meanwhile, Satoru is trying—but failing—to hide his smile. He knows full well what comes next. What a fool. To think that he was nice enough to try and prevent this outcome. Some people are seriously just asking for it. Well, any second now, he’ll spit the food out while screaming bloody murder. Even Naoya, your biggest simp, had to force himself not to gag while he swallowed your meals down.   

Except… Suguru isn’t struggling to eat the rice ball at all? He hasn’t even tried to spit it out yet, and his expression has remained largely unchanged.   

“Hm.” Satoru’s jaw fully drops open as Suguru proceeds to swallow what’s in his mouth, then he leans back in his chair and crosses his arms. “It’s okay. It’s definitely not bad. I don’t really know what I’m tasting, though. The flavor is kind of hard to describe.”   

“What the hell do you mean, it’s not bad ?!”   

Satoru is outraged. There’s just no way this is happening again. Seriously, what is this, Naoya 2.0? Is there really some other lunatic in this world that’s crazy enough to eat your food and pretend like it isn’t an atrocity?   

“Satoru, shush,” you chide. “Just admit that your opinion is wrong. Suguru said he likes it, and that’s all that matters.”   

“I mean, I didn’t go as far as to say that I liked it, but it’s alright. I wouldn’t say no to eating more of it.”   

“But it’s garbage,” Satoru gapes, ignoring you as you shake your fist at him in frustration. “Why do you lie to her? This is why she’ll never improve her cooking skills. Because of people who keep feeding into her delusions.”   

“You’re so overdramatic,” Suguru snorts. He proceeds to take another bite of the rice ball, which has you absolutely tickled pink. Between him and Naoya, it looks like people are finally starting to give your cooking the recognition it deserves.   

Shoko reaches out to grab a rice ball for herself. “It sounds like they turned out just fine. How in the world would anyone manage to screw something like this up anyway? No offense, [Name], but your job was definitely the easiest.”   

“I seriously wouldn’t do that if I were you,” Satoru warns.   

Unfortunately, it’s too little, too late.   

“ ...ugh! ”   

Shoko spits directly onto her plate, and her usual lazy-looking eyes are now wider than ever, trembling in confusion, disbelief, and just plain horror .   

Satoru’s shoulders sag. Ah, yes. The expected result. He feels vindicated now. It’s not that your food is good, but rather, that Suguru’s taste buds are plenty fucked up in their own right.   

Having to forcibly swallow down cursed spirits will do that to a person, after all.   

“Th-That was horrible ,” Shoko says, and you tilt your head to the side, very much perplexed. Suguru was just saying moments ago that it was fine. And Naoya eats your food up like it’s the best thing in the whole world (he does it while holding back tears).   

Strange. There’s really no accounting for personal taste, huh?   

“You’re both way too picky,” Suguru scoffs. “You have no idea what truly disgusting flavors are like. In fact, you’ll be lucky enough to go your entire lives without ever knowing.”   

“What’s this dude on about now?” Satoru frowns.   

“I don’t know,” Shoko shudders. “I think he and [Name] are conspiring or something. Seriously, what did you put in there? I was so shocked I couldn’t even process what I was tasting.”  

“I just used some of the ingredients that were lying around,” you shrugged.   

“ Which ingredients, exactly?”   

“I found some shredded cheese in the fridge. I thought it would pair well with pickled onions, so I added those in too. Then I crushed up some pretzels that were in the cupboard, because I thought it’d give it a fun crunchy texture. For the rest of the filling, I think I used… red bean paste, and a little bit of wasabi? Oh! Plus, fish sauce. You can never have too much fish sauce.”   

Satoru and Shoko turn towards each other, and almost in perfect sync, they both go, “ Ewww .”  

Wow. Talk about rude.   

“Ha… haha!”   

Suguru clamps a palm over his mouth, but it does little to suppress his laughter. In fact, it seems to build more and more, with each second. He feels as if he’s on the verge of hysterics, but he just can’t help it.   

“Man, you’re ridiculous,” Suguru keeps laughing, and he can feel his cheeks starting to ache. “I personally didn’t mind how it tasted, but you seriously thought to combine all those things together?”  

“Yes,” you nod simply.   

“Pfft. And why was that, if you don’t mind me asking?”   

“Hmm… I don’t know. I guess it was just a gut feeling I had.” To echo your statement, you bite into one of the rice balls, and as always, you’ve got a bright smile on your face. “But I’m glad I trusted my instincts, because clearly, the food turned out great! Wow, this might be one of my favorite combos yet. The flavor just has so much depth!”   

Shoko is visibly appalled by your reaction, Satoru is disappointed but not surprised, and as for Suguru, well… he still can’t stop laughing. In fact, he can’t even remember the last time he laughed this hard.   

Suguru wipes a few tears from his eyes, still grinning widely.  

It seems like he’s got a rather eventful high school life to look forward to.

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That being said, it was the first time you’d ever met anyone who you could somewhat relate to since coming to this world. You’d never seen anyone else who drank blood the way you did, so you felt a bit inclined to get to know her better. Liking the sight of blood didn’t necessarily make her a bad person or anything. She just had a unique preference, for lack of a better word.

You cleared your throat. “Right. So, um... how does your Quirk work, then? Once you drink blood, what can you do?”  

“Hehe.” Toga got awfully close to you, her already flushed cheeks darkening even more. “If you want, I can show you.”  

“Alright! That would be cool.”  

You didn’t quite realize what she meant by that in time, because when you blinked the next second, her fingers were brushing against your neck and pulling the fabric of your shirt aside.  

“Um—”  

Toga bit into your neck, and you couldn’t help but let out a sharp cry. It certainly wasn’t the most pleasant sensation, and you’d always prided yourself on having a decently good pain tolerance. Was this what it felt like for people whenever you drank their blood? If so, you suddenly felt a lot more guilty, even though you couldn’t really help that you needed it to survive.

Thankfully, it didn’t look like Toga was drinking too much of your blood. She pulled away not long afterwards, giggling like she’d just kissed her crush or something.  

“[Name], you’re just so cute!” she enthused. “You’re really nice, letting me suck your blood like that. Most people usually get mad at me, but I don’t get why. I’m just showing them how much I love them. Because when you love someone, you want to be just like that person, right?”  

You didn’t really get what she was saying. Frowning, you rubbed at your neck. It was a bit sore, but the bite mark was nothing major, so you were confident you’d heal up in no time.  

Suddenly, smoke erupted from Toga’s body, and you coughed while trying to expel it from your mouth and nose.  

When the smoke cleared, you found yourself staring at a carbon copy of yourself. 

“Isn’t it neat?” Toga said, except she was speaking with your voice, so the whole thing was kind of freaky. “When I drink someone’s blood, it lets me turn into that person. I can turn into the people I love! Being able to do this makes me so happy.”  

You blinked. “Wow. You look just like me.” A bit hesitantly, you reached out to poke her on the cheek. “Even your skin feels just like mine! It’s like you’ve replicated me perfectly.”  

“Do you like it?” Toga asked. Since it was your voice, you could recognize the hopefulness in her tone.  

“It’s super cool,” you encouraged. “There really are all kinds of Quirks out there. How long can you be transformed like this? There’s got to be a limit, right?”  

“The more blood I drink, the longer I can stay this way. I didn’t take too much, so I won’t be able to maintain my transformation for very long.” Without warning, she wrapped her arms around you and giggled once more. “I’m so happy right now! I can’t believe I made a cute friend like you. Hey, are we besties now? We are, aren’t we?”  

You chuckled and patted her back. “This is so funny. It’s like I’m hugging myself. Sure thing. We’ve only just met, but we’ve got a lot in common, so I can see us becoming close friends.”  

Toga squeezed you even tighter, then abruptly pulled away. This time, it looked like some sort of goo had begun to drip from her body. More and more of it fell off, revealing her true body underneath. Just like that, she was back to normal.  

Except she was naked now.  

“Oops,” she said sheepishly, blushing a bit. “This always happens when I undo my transformation.”  

You averted your gaze as best you could, pulling off your blazer in one fluid motion. “Wear this,” you said. “If you knew you would end up naked once you turned back, you shouldn’t have transformed. I’m worried people might see you.”  

“But I wanted to show you how my Quirk works,” she insisted. She slipped into your blazer and closed the buttons, letting out a soft sigh. “It smells like you, [Name]. I like it a lot.”  

“Well, that’s very flattering, but I’m really worried that someone will spot you while you’re still so exposed,” you frowned. “You’re not even wearing pants.”  

Toga just kept on grinning. “Don’t worry. I’m good at sneaking around. I’m confident I can get by undetected. More importantly, you let me suck your blood, so did you want to do the same to me?”  

You couldn’t help the look of surprise that crept onto your expression. It was the first time someone had actually offered to let you drink their blood. Even back when you’d met Izuku, you had to ask him first and fill him in on your situation. But Toga seemed positively delighted by the idea of letting you have some. You supposed it kind of made sense, considering her overall fascination with blood.  

“Are you sure?” you felt the need to affirm. 

Toga nodded enthusiastically. “Yeah! I did it to you, so you can do it to me! Helping each other out is what best friends do!”  

“Well, alright then. Thank you for this,” you smiled.  

It was a good opportunity, since it meant you wouldn’t have to bother Izuku for a while longer. Even though his blood was your absolute favorite, he was really important to you. The more time he had to recover in between having his blood drained, the better.  

Doing your best to ignore the fact that Toga was fully naked underneath the blazer you’d given her, you leaned in the way she’d done to you earlier and unhinged your jaw. Right on cue, your teeth sharpened into fangs, and Toga let out an ecstatic squeal. 

The next moment, you let your fangs pierce her skin and enjoyed the sensation of her blood flooding into your mouth.  

Her blood was certainly interesting. It definitely tasted good, but there was also something about that was a touch unsettling. You struggled to put it into words. It didn’t give off the same impression as Izuku’s though, that much was for sure. You hoped you were just reading into things too much. Your ability to judge someone based on the smell and taste of their blood was useful, but it wasn’t something you could rely on wholeheartedly. People were more complex than that, at the end of the day.  

Toga let you drink for longer than you’d expected, her arms falling loosely around your body. You wondered if she would have even bothered to try pushing you off at some point. She seemed to be enjoying it quite a bit. Nonetheless, you pulled away before long, making sure to practice self-restraint.  

“How was it?” Toga asked, still grinning. “Was my blood yummy?”  

You nodded. “Mhm! It was good. Thank you. But I’m afraid I can’t do a proper demonstration like how you transformed into me. My Quirk just relies on blood to maintain my strength. I’m a lot stronger than the average person, but there’s nothing too exciting about it for me to show off.”  

“That’s okay. I’m glad I got to do this with you. The fact that we shared blood means we care about each other. And I even got to feel what it’s like to be you! This has been such a good day,” she giggled. 

Well, it was nice that she was enjoying herself. In spite of her obvious eccentricities, she seemed like a fun, friendly person. And pretty much the only person who would ever understand your desire for blood. 

“Can I get your number?” you asked her. “That way we can stay in touch.”  

Toga excitedly clapped her hands. “Of course! Wow, it’s been so long since someone asked for my number. Not since...”  

She trailed off at the end, and for just a moment, her smile dropped.  

“Anyways, I’ll give it to you. Because we’re besties.” She extended her hand out, and you passed her your phone so that she could add herself to your contacts. “My phone isn’t with me right now, but text me whenever you want! I’ll respond as soon as I see your messages.”  

“Sounds good,” you nodded. As expected, you still didn’t feel great about her walking around butt-naked through town. God forbid she get arrested for public indecency or something.  

Sensing your thoughts, Toga chuckled. “I won’t be seen,” she reassured you again. “Don’t believe me? Just look over there.”  

She pointed you in the direction of the river, so you turned your head that way for a brief moment.  

When you turned back, she was already gone.  

“Toga?” you called out. There was no response. Not even a sign that she’d been there just a few moments ago. She didn’t also have the ability to turn invisible, did she?  

Oh, well. As long as no one saw her naked, then that was good enough for you. Besides, you had her number now. You could meet up with her again sometime.

You stood up and decided it was probably time to head back home. Izuku was in desperate need of cheering up, so maybe you’d join him in watching those classic hero movies he was so fond of.  

Too fixated on having met a kindred spirit, you didn’t even realize what this little friendship of yours would spell for the future.

Several days had passed since then, and as much as you would’ve liked to say that Izuku was feeling better, that sadly wasn’t the case.  

He had a vacant expression at practically every moment of the day. Not only that, but he kept checking his phone obsessively, hoping that All Might would contact him. So far, that hadn’t happened. You understood that the Symbol of Peace was bound to be busy, but you really wished he would try to cheer Izuku up a bit, especially since your own efforts had been unsuccessful.

The atmosphere in the Midoriya household was rather dismal, but whether for better or worse, something eventually shifted the tone. 

“Izuku! [Name]! T-They're here!” Inko exclaimed, holding out two envelopes. “The letters from U.A finally arrived!”  

You felt your chest tighten. It was the moment of truth. No matter what happened, it wasn’t the end of the world. U.A wasn’t the only hero school in the country. Even if it wasn’t exactly what Izuku had dreamed of, there were still other solutions. 

You tapped Izuku on the shoulder. “Do you want to open them together? We could start with yours, if you’d like.”  

He stiffened up at your touch, then hastily shook his head. “N-No,” he mumbled. “If it’s okay with you... I’d rather do this on my own. I already don’t have high hopes, and having you in the room might just make me even more nervous. Sorry...”  

“That’s alright,” you reassured. “Just do whatever makes you feel comfortable.”  

Izuku nodded and proceeded to withdraw into his room. You couldn’t say that you were quite as nervous as he was, but you still had your own concerns. Inko pressed her palms together and squeezed them tight as you carefully peeled open your envelope.

You pulled out the letter, smoothed out the wrinkles, then cleared your throat.  

“Ahem. We are pleased to inform you that—”  

“You got in!” Inko immediately exclaimed, wrapping you in the tightest hug of your life. “Oh, goodness! That’s what they always say when someone’s enrolment has been approved!”  

She excitedly shook you back and forth, making your head rattle quite a good deal. You did your best to let your eyes trail over the rest of the letter, and sure enough, it seemed to be confirming your admission.  

At the very bottom of the letter was an extra note, written out in ink rather than being printed directly on the paper.  

“Great job on scoring 4th on the practical exam!”  

- All Might 

“Fourth place,” you mumbled. “Huh. That’s higher than I expected. I wonder if I would’ve done even better if I hadn’t blacked out before the time officially ran out.”  

“You got fourth place out of everyone?!” Inko uttered in disbelief. “I never knew you were so strong!”  

“Most vampires are,” you shrugged. “You really should’ve seen me back in my old world. I would always kick my siblings’ asses whenever we sparred against each other. Ah, good times.” 

Inko chuckled. “Well, I’m glad you know how to take care of yourself. And now that you’ve been here for a while and gotten used to things, I don’t have to worry as much about you getting lost anymore. You really gave me a fright at the start. But that’s not important! What matters is that you got into U.A. You’re amazing!”  

She happily patted your head, and you had to admit, it felt good. Your parents had always expected nothing short of excellence from you. It was one of the reasons you’d been named heir to the throne despite being one of the youngest. You were always on top of your studies, and you were blessed with admirable strength, but unfortunately, you had an alarming lack of self-control. That was the whole reason they’d banished you.  

But even though you’d worked hard all your life in order to make your family proud, they’d never really acknowledged you for it. Whenever you did good things, the most you would get out of either of them was an approving nod. They never hugged you or told you they loved you. They never comforted you whenever you were struggling with something.  

Honestly, they did almost none of the things parents were supposed to do.  

That was probably why you got so emotional all of a sudden. To see Inko celebrating your accomplishments so earnestly was entirely unfamiliar to you, and you couldn’t help the tears that started streaming down your cheeks.  

She heard you sniffling and realized you were crying. “[N-Name]?! What’s wrong, sweetie? Are you feeling homesick because you remembered your siblings...?”  

“The furthest thing from it,” you half-chuckled, wiping at your eyes. “I was just thinking how lucky I am to have met you and Izuku. No one’s really shown me they care like this before. I’m just... really grateful. Yeah.”  

Inko’s shoulders slumped. “I’m sorry to hear that your family didn’t treat you the way they deserve. Even the fact that they sent you off to a different world all on your own... I still can’t wrap my head around what sort of parent would do such a thing. But it’s alright. You have us now. So, please don’t be sad.”  

“I know,” you beamed. “I’m not sad. These are happy tears.”  

As it just so happened, your joy was quickly echoed by a cry coming from Izuku’s room, and based on how excited he sounded, you assumed it had to be good news.  

He rushed out a few moments later, eyes brimming with tears—much like your own—and also struggling to contain his grin.  

“I-I got in!” he cried out. “I really... I really did it!”  

Inko squealed all over again, and she pulled her son into her arms. Now, the three of you were all smothered against each other and giggling uncontrollably. You had a feeling that the fact Izuku had saved someone would pay off in the end. After all, it was a school for heroes. Saving people was literally in the job description. 

It was the best possible turn-out, and you could hardly wait to take the next step forward.

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You certainly aren’t in modern-day Japan anymore. Instead, you find yourself in an alternate plane of reality, where superpowers known as Quirks are the norm, and police aren’t the only ones responsible for fighting crime. You have yet to actually see a hero in person, but sure enough, they’re everywhere on TV, on the covers of books, merchandise, and some food stalls even sell products that are supposedly based on popular heroes’ favorite meals. 

Not to mention that you can just see this isn’t the regular world. Some people hardly look like, well, people. Mutant-based Quirks allow for vastly different appearances, and sure, anyone can dress up in a costume, but these are hyper-realistic, and go beyond the limits of special effects makeup.  

Which brings you back to your original point. You’re now more sure than ever that your neighbors are Bakugou Mitsuki and Bakugou Masaru, along with their newly-born son, Bakugou Katsuki. Even the dates align. Katsuki’s birthday is April 20th, and based on the fact that he’s only a few weeks old and you’re entering the summer season right now, there’s virtually no ambiguity left.  

Plus, he’s kind of a little brat. And that’s exactly what you would expect from the notorious Bakugou Katsuki.  

A wave of violent sobs fills the room, as Mitsuki desperately rocks Katsuki in her arms and tries to get him to quiet down. You’re really not sure what he’s crying about, considering she literally just fed him and changed his diaper. He’s screaming so loud that you’re worried your tiny baby eardrums might pop.  

“Oh, please calm down,” Mitsuki sighs, swaying him back and forth while she nuzzles her nose against his cheeks. “Come on, Katsuki. It’s okay. Please just cut me some slack. I’m so tired…”  

She sighs for what is probably the hundredth time in less than ten minutes. Meanwhile, your mother watches with an empathetic expression. She must secretly feel both guilty and relieved, because you almost never cry. The only times you actually do cry is when you’re doing it to maintain appearances, otherwise you’d be suspiciously quiet, and you don’t want your parents to worry. 

Your parents have it easy, that’s for sure. Poor Mitsuki. It’s no wonder she always yells all the time. Her blood pressure must be through the roof because of her son. And this is supposed to be him at his best. Pre-character development, at least.  

Either way, you can’t help but feel bad—and thus, you make a noble attempt to communicate with Katsuki in the only language he knows.  

Baby talk.  

“Ba,” you say, mimicking the same syllable Katsuki enunciated at you, upon your very first meeting. You honestly doubt he can even hear you because of how loud he’s screaming, but maybe he really does understand you. Somehow. In the same way that babies think they’re able to talk to people, despite only knowing gibberish.  

Whatever the case, his eyes drift towards you, just like they did when you first met, and he suddenly falls silent. 

Mitsuki blinks. “Oh. Y-You’re done now, right? Please. Please tell me you’re done. Look at how happy and relaxed [Name] is. She must be helping you calm down.” 

It’s a nice thought, you have to admit. Just imagine if you could actually appease Bakugou Katsuki of all people. He’s a baby right now—granted, a restless, wailing baby—but all things considered, he’ll be much more of a handful later on. You don’t want to get ahead of yourself by acting like you’ll magically be able to fix all of his flaws and insecurities.  

You can be his friend, though. That, at the very least, is something you’d really like to do.  

And perhaps it’s just a coincidence, but the second you have that thought, Katsuki’s furrowed brows momentarily uncross, and he flashes you a wide, gummy smile.  

You smile back at him without even realizing it.  

“Vroom! Vroom!”  

Currently, Katsuki is playing with a toy car. His pudgy little hands grip onto the car to the best of their ability as he drags it across the ground—rather ungraciously, you might add. In fact, you would actually go as far as to call the motions straight-up violent.  

…not that you’re all that surprised.  

Most kids would probably play with a toy car by making it drive in circles, around a race track or something, but no, not this guy. Both of you are roughly nine months old, and you have to give credit where it’s due. He has pretty amazing spatial awareness for someone his age. Everyone always hails him as a prodigy, but clearly, for good reason. He has his bright eyes affixed on the stack of wooden blocks in front of him, and instead of veering around it, he deliberately drives the toy car into the blocks, causing them to crash down.  

Then he starts clapping his hands excitedly and giggling, as if causing destruction was exactly what he wanted to do. It’s kind of giving Stitch, to be honest.   

You stare at him for a few good seconds, then resume fidgeting with the most recent batch of puzzles your parents bought you. Considering these are intended for literal babies, it’s safe to say that you have a 100% accuracy rate. The most difficult part is exerting control over your own limbs. Your mind may be advanced, but your body can’t really keep up with it yet. You move much more slowly and clumsily than you’re used to. 

Still, practice makes perfect, and you obviously know how to problem-solve way better than an infant. Even your coordination must seem extremely advanced for someone your age. You constantly hear your parents gushing about how smart you are. They compliment you at practically every turn. You honestly haven’t gotten used to it yet, because the difference between your current family, and your old one, is like night and day.  

Yeah. You’re definitely not used to it.  

However, it makes you happier than you ever imagined you could be.  

“Vroom!” Katsuki suddenly exclaims, and he proceeds to drive his toy car in a sharp upward arc, accidentally hitting you in the face with it. Needless to say, your parents and Katsuki’s parents cry out in alarm, immediately fussing over you.  

“I’m so sorry,” Mitsuki apologizes, hurriedly pulling Katsuki away. “Is she alright??”  

“It’s okay. I’m sure she’ll be fine,” your father reassures, but when he looks at you, there’s no denying the way his bottom lip trembles, as if his heart aches at the thought that you might start crying. Yet another expression that you’ve never seen directed your way before. Someone worrying on your behalf. Someone who actually cares about your pain.  

Your reaction clearly catches everyone off guard. Although, of course it does.  

Instead of crying, you just smile.  

But then Katsuki starts wailing loud enough for the both of you.  

“Oh, Katsuki!” Mitsuki cries out in exasperation. “Why are you the one crying, you silly little boy?”  

“Maybe he’s upset that he hurt [Name],” Masaru offers.  

“Really? Do you think this brat is actually capable of that kind of empathy?”  

Masaru sighs, hanging his head tiredly. He probably wanted to correct Mitsuki over her choice of words just then, but decided it probably wasn’t worth the effort. Which, to be fair, it wouldn’t have been.  

Anyway, Katsuki keeps crying and crying, with no end in sight. You’re not quite sure what possesses you, but you’re suddenly imbued with a surge of strength, and upon huffing determinedly, you rise to your feet. 

“Oh my god,” your mother gasps. “Honey, look! [Name]’s walking! Quick, pull out your phone! We need to film this!”  

The process is slow, and rather torturous, if you’re being honest. Your brows are completely scrunched together as you direct one foot in front of the other. It really does feel like you’ve forgotten how to walk, even though you have more than fifteen years’ worth of experience. These squishy little limbs of yours refuse to cooperate most of the time, but despite the fact that it’s much more difficult than it should be, you manage to pull it off somehow.  

You’re now standing right in front of Katsuki, and you slowly wrap your arms around him.  

He stops crying immediately.  

In fact, he actually starts pawing his way out of Mitsuki’s grasp so that he can lean his head against you. He even tries to stand up, but ends up falling onto his butt quite a few times. It’s cute, and kind of funny, although he obviously doesn’t realize you’re resisting the urge to laugh.  

Since Katsuki can’t stand alongside you, within a few moments, you plop back down on the ground. You’re still hugging him, though—and by the looks of things, everyone watching is downright amazed.  

Countless pictures are being snapped, several videos are rolling, and there are too many squeals of delight to even keep track of. They all seem to be in unanimous agreement that this is probably the cutest thing they’ve ever seen. More praise is being hurled your way, too. They keep marveling as to how unbelievably clever and emotionally mature you are. Obviously, they don’t know the half of it, but it’s still nice to hear. 

You feel so warm and fuzzy. Honestly, you wish this moment would never end. It’s not even the fact that you've been reborn in the world of My Hero Academia that has you so elated. You just can’t get over how happy you are to be surrounded by kind, loving people. And Katsuki might cry and scream a lot, but even by baby standards, he’s unbelievably adorable.  

So, so adorable. You just want to pinch his chubby cheeks, and—ah.  

Nevermind. He just sneezed all over you, the little bastard.  

“Ah, we need tissues!” Masaru says, eyes darting to and fro in a panic. He stands up and starts rummaging through drawers until he finds an unopened tissue box, and meanwhile, you stare down at the layer of mucus that has since collected upon your shirt.  

Ew.  

You fully let out a sigh just then, but thankfully, nobody notices. Apart from Masaru, who’s now wiping you clean, everyone else is still gushing about how you not only walked on your own earlier, but deliberately hugged Katsuki as well. As far as babies go, those are both fairly impressive feats. Or so their reactions would imply.  

“Vroom, vroom,” Katsuki says happily. At some point, he must have placed his hand on your back, and he might not be fully aware of what’s happening around him, like you are, but he definitely seems content in your arms. You’re willing to bet that if you pulled away right now, he’d probably start crying again.  

Not that you have any intention of doing that, of course. He’s a little cutie. You still can’t believe you actually get to see him like this, during his formative years, well before the canon part of the series is set to begin.  

You really are lucky, huh? It almost feels too good to be true.  

Which is probably why, a few seconds later, Katsuki sneezes on you again. Extra snotty this time. Then he even laughs, as if to add insult to injury.  

And yet, you continue hugging him regardless.  

In this new life of yours, time seems to pass in the blink of an eye. Before, you used to dread every single day, and each minute felt comparable to an eternity. You had nothing to look forward to. Only a multitude of things to avoid. You can’t think of a single moment when you were genuinely happy or at ease. You wish you could say that your former parents weren’t always cruel, but the horrific memories date back as far as you can recall.  

Obviously, that’s not the case anymore. Your trauma runs deep, so you doubt you’ll ever be able to forget about all those miserable experiences. Maybe at some point you’ll be able to, but not anytime soon. Still, you know you shouldn’t sour your mood by willingly revisiting those moments. It’s just that sometimes, you can’t help but compare. It makes you all the more grateful for your new life.  

You’re two years old now. Actually, a bit older than that, but not quite old enough to proudly call yourself two-and-a-half. Since your birthday and Katsuki’s birthday are so close together, and your families are on such good terms, you’ve celebrated both instances by his side. This time, he deliberately smushed a handful of cake on your face. He really is a little bastard. But since you already know he’s capable of so much worse, it doesn’t faze you all that much.  

More importantly, your body finally listens to you now. You can roam around freely, no longer held back by the frustration of baby-ism. Not that your toddler body is much to write home about, but all in all, it’s definitely an improvement.  

“Katsuki, my turn with the stick,” one of the neighbor kids whines. Now that you’re a bit older, your parents let you go to the playground and hang with the other children who are around the same age as you. Your parents are here to supervise, of course. Just look. Your mom is sitting on a lawn chair and drinking beer with Mitsuki. They sure seem like they’re having a great time. Although they could probably afford to slow down a little.  

“It’s my stick,” Katsuki says, and he makes sure to hold onto the stick firmly, with no intention of letting it go. He even flashes the boy a smug grin. “Find your own stick. This one’s mine!”  

“But Katsuki, my mom said you need to share!”  

“Nuh-uh.”  

“Yeah, she did!”  

“Nuh-uh!”  

Well. He makes a compelling argument, that’s for sure. Toddlers are notoriously stubborn to begin with, and adding Katsuki’s personality into the mix… there’s really no chance he’ll back down.  

“Katsuki, it’s just a stick,” you say, shaking your head disappointedly. “I’m not even sure what’s so amazing about it, but you should give other people a turn too. Sharing is caring. It’s the nice thing to do.”  

He stares at you for a little while. Up until now, he wasn’t willing to give anyone the time of day, but you’ve since learned that you’re the exception to that rule. You’ve been stuck to each other’s side like glue, ever since you both came into this world. He instinctively feels comforted by your presence, because you’re the closest person to him, apart from his own parents.  

At the end of the day, though, he’s definitely still a little brat.  

“My stick,” Katsuki repeats, and he grins all the way up to his ears. “It’s okay. I’ll let you play with it later. Just don’t tell anyone else.”  

“Katsuki, we can hear you!” another kid fumes.  

A full-on brawl ensues. Okay, fine, you’re exaggerating. They’re mostly just yelling at each other, and are now in the process of playing tug-of-war with the stick (you still don’t get what’s so great about it), but you suppose it’s nice that Katsuki was willing to lend it to you. It’s the thought that counts. You just wish he could extend that same generosity to everyone else around him, too.  

Actually, now that you stop to think about it… should you be worried? This version of My Hero Academia has clearly been altered to include you in it. It seems far more than coincidental that you ended up being neighbors with the second most important character in the whole series. Already, you’ve ingrained yourself in Katsuki’s life. You’ve forged a connection with him from a young age. However, something’s missing. Or rather, someone.  

The protagonist of this world has yet to make his appearance.  

A nauseating feeling starts building in the pit of your stomach. You’re really getting nervous now. What if you completely threw off the plot by being reborn here? Naturally, you have no complaints, because you absolutely adore this new life of yours, but you’re worried that a lot won’t go according to plan anymore. Certain things are supposed to unfold a certain way. By becoming so close to Katsuki, what if you’ve accidentally taken the main character’s place?  

“...u-um. Sorry. Can I please… play too?”  

It seems that your worries were completely unfounded. To think that he’d appear now, right when you were starting to spiral, too. You can’t even begin to describe your relief as you lock eyes with a trembling, curly-haired boy, whose cheeks are dusted with freckles, and who is timidly holding onto his mother’s hand.  

Midoriya Izuku. Katsuki’s childhood friend, soon-to-be rival, and of course… 

The reason My Hero Academia exists in the first place.  

“Go ahead, Izuku,” his mother, Inko, says with a gentle smile. “I’m sure they won’t mind. You were saying you wanted to make some friends, right?”  

Izuku nods furiously, and the wobbly smile on his lips is enough to make your heart melt. He comes running over in a hurry, looking as happy as can possibly be— 

—and promptly ends up tripping over his own feet and falling flat to the ground.  

Oh no.  

He’s kneeling in the grass now, tears welling up in his big green eyes. Izuku is well-known for being a crybaby, even as a teenager. You’re afraid that the waterworks are imminent, but also, you’d really hate for him to cry when he was so excited about meeting all of you, just a few moments ago.   

That’s why, before his tears spill over, you reach out your hand to him.  

“You can play with us,” you say, grasping his fingers in the same breath. He stares at you in bewilderment, but within a few seconds, you’ve already helped pull him to his feet. “I’m [Name]. Your mom said your name is… Izuku, right?”  

“R-Right.”  

He sniffles a few times, but luckily, it doesn’t seem like he’s about to start crying. Inko didn’t even have to step in, because you took the initiative and rushed to him first. A smile is quick to return to his face, even brighter than before. Kids move on easily, after all. Give them a few minutes and they probably won’t even remember what they were upset about.  

So now, here they are. Katsuki and Izuku. Ill-fated childhood friends, who were destined to suffer at each other’s expense, before eventually reconciling later on. Their characters were deliberately set up that way, and you understand why, but the thing is, they’re not just characters anymore.  

This is your new life. A real, proper life, and both of them are part of it. Maybe the fact that you’re here actually means something. Maybe you can change a few things along the way, while allowing fate to run its course with others. Wouldn’t it be better if Katsuki and Izuku didn’t hate each other so viscerally? Maybe you can make a difference. Maybe you can help them support each other, at least so they don’t carry so much resentment throughout the years.  

It’s probably wishful thinking, and you know that, but it’d be nice. You can’t help but envision a world in which it becomes reality. For all you know, this could be that world. You should at least try. There’s no point in not giving it an honest shot. It either works out for the better, or it stays the same. 

How could you possibly make it any worse?

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