Madness in The Shadows

Madness in the Shadows - Y/N version
Posted originally on the Archive of Our Own at http://archiveofourown.org/works/51926578.
Rating: Mature
Archive Warning: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Category: F/M
Fandom: 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero
Academia (Anime & Manga)
Relationships: Bakugou Katsuki/Reader, Background Midoriya Izuku/Original Female
Character, Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Characters: Bakugou Katsuki, Reader, Todoroki Shouto, Midoriya Izuku, Iida Tenya,
Original Female Character, Aizawa Shouta | Eraserhead, Class 1-A (My
Hero Academia), Jirou Kyouka, Tokoyami Fumikage, Kaminari Denki,
League of Villains (My Hero Academia), Ashido Mina, Kirishima
Eijirou, Class 1-B (My Hero Academia)
Additional Tags: Slow Burn, Blood and Injury, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Budding
Love, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Implied/Referenced Drug Use,
canon adjacent, Fluff and Angst, Found Family, Fix-It of Sorts,
Traumatic Backstory, Canon-Typical Violence, Almost everybody lives,
Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Sparring, Quirk Training (My Hero
Academia)
Language: English
Series: Part 4 of Immersive Fics
Stats: Published: 2023-12-17 Updated: 2024-02-11 Words: 50,095 Chapters:
11/?
Madness in the Shadows - Y/N version
by RhoswenRhorar
Summary
This is a Y/N version of my MHA fic Madness in the Shadows. In this version Y/N is taking
the place of my original female character, Natsuye Warren, who is an American exchange
student that is fleeing back to Japan with her mother to escape her father's abuse of her and
her quirk.
Our story begins with the events of the Hosu Incident. During which, Y/N stumbles into an
opportunity that could possibly allow her to transfer from General Studies to the Hero
Course.
The Hosu Incident
Chapter Summary
This is a Y/N version of my MHA fic Madness in the Shadows. In this version Y/N is
taking the place of my original female character, Natsuye Warren, who is an American
exchange student that is fleeing back to Japan with her mother to escape her father's
abuse of her and her quirk.
Our story begins with the events of the Hosu Incident. During which, Y/N stumbles into
an opportunity that could possibly allow her to transfer from General Studies to the Hero
Course.
Chapter Notes
Madness in the Shadows is a sister piece to Lazarus the Regeneration Hero by

Mando_Cyare. Both of which are part of our series What Makes a Hero, which follows
both of our original female characters on their journey through the events of the MHA
universe. Each story can be read completely separately, but if you like my story I
encourage you to read Mando_Cyare's as well, as each event is covered from multiple
points of view.
The setting sun cast the sky in hues of magenta and violet as you made your way to the Hosu
train station. Tall buildings lined the road you followed. Many of which had brightly lit,
multi-colored windows. It was a busy night and crowds of pedestrians bustled around you.
Though you barely noticed. You were lost in thought; reflecting on the conversation you had
with your mother not an hour before.
"How's school going, dear?"
You took a drawn-out sip of water to avoid the question for as long as possible. "Fine," you
mumbled.
Emiko dabbed at her ruby red lips with a napkin, "I did watch the sports festival, you know.
You did better than I thought you would. I don't know why you've been so down about it."
You looked down at your half empty plate, disappointment almost overwhelming you. "I
blew it, mom. I told you that."
"Please." Emiko said, following it up with your childhood nickname, causing you to grimace
inwardly.
"You know I wish you'd focus more on your academics. Your quirk has potential, just not for
'hero-ing'." Emiko sighed dramatically and made a dismissive motion with a well manicured
hand. "I shouldn't have let you enroll in UA. A normal school would have been better for
you. We moved across the globe to keep you safe. Why are you so determined to put yourself
in a position to be used again?"
Tears brimmed in your eyes and your voice caught in your throat. That was low, and your
mom knew it. There wasn't anything you could say in response that wouldn't cause an
argument. So there you sat - wrapping your arms around yourself and damning whichever
god decided that the quirk you developed should be able to comfort everyone except you.
A passerby bumped into your shoulder, briefly jostling you out of your daze. They muttered a
brief apology as they kept walking. You nodded absently and kicked a loose pebble down the
sidewalk.
Maybe your mom was right. You knew you were going to have to put in extra work if you
were going to achieve your goal of becoming a Hero. You knew that going into the
application process, which is why you also applied for General Studies at UA. You knew that,
yet you couldn't have prepared yourself for the intensity of the entry exam. Your quirk only
works on organic living beings, and your combat skills are sorely lacking. You hadn't stood a
chance against those giant robots. Yet, you had managed to score a few measly rescue points
by getting an applicant or two out of the way of those zero pointers. That was probably your
saving grace for being accepted into General Studies.
After the harsh reality check of the entry exam, you spent most of your free time trying to get
into shape and sparring alone. All things considered, you thought you had made some decent
progress and had gone into the sports festival with confidence and the hope of winning a
chance to transfer into the Hero course. To your delight, you made it through the obstacle
course with a high enough placing to participate in the cavalry battle. It gave you enough
confidence to try to team up with that cute boy who had gone on to eventually win the whole
tournament, thinking he would give you the best chance of making it to the next round.
Your cheeks burned as you thought back on when you asked Katsuki Bakugo to team up with
you, though whether they were burning with indignation or something else you weren't quite
sure.
Yeah, he had been cute. But he ended up being a royal jerk-off.
Bakugo asked what your quirk was and then laughed at you, asking why you thought he
would team up with someone who had such a pathetic quirk. Normally quiet and reserved,
your mouth got the better of you and you told him to get over himself. That apparently
triggered his temper, because he moved to shove you as if to prove how weak you were.
You flinched and instinctively caught his wrist, sending a little spike of 'chill the fuck out' his
way. For a few seconds he stood completely still as wave of calm went through him. Then his
face darkened. He yanked his arm away and shouted "Don't use your stupid quirk on me
again, got it?!" and then stomped off to find other people to team up with. You eventually
found a team, but did not win enough points to progress. You had been devastated and had
cried yourself out in your mom's arms that night.
Emiko couldn't wrap her head around why you wanted so desperately to be a Hero. And a
small part of you hated her for that. How could she not understand? How could she not
understand after everything that had happened with your fa-
An inhuman roar split the air, fully derailing your train of thought.
What the hell was that?
A second and third roar followed. Panicked screams filled the air and chaos erupted around
you. You didn't see what made the noise, but the pedestrians around you were now trampling
each other in an attempt to escape whatever it was. They were yelling, pushing and shoving
each other, while they all tried to run in opposite directions. Like cockroaches when the lights
were suddenly flicked on.
Well that wasn't a very hero-like thought of me... You chided yourself as you ducked into a
dark alley to escape the crowd. You pressed your back against the cold stone wall and sank to
the ground, pulling your knees up against your chest.
I should be helping, dammit...
But should you really? You were just a student. Not even in the Hero Course at that. You
certainly didn't have the authority to use your quirk in situations like this. To do so would
surely result in a reprimand or, at worst, expulsion from UA. Surely Hosu had several Pro
Heroes who would be rushing to put an end to the threat. They could handle this no problem,
right?
Guilt worked its way into the pit of your stomach as you tried to rationalize not helping. No
matter how you spun it the fact of the matter was that people were going to get hurt. The
Pro's couldn't be everywhere at once, and if there was even one person you could help... And
if you chose not to...
Your head snapped up in response to the wail of a child slicing through your thoughts. Before
the sound finished registering, you were on your feet running to where it was coming from.
Your heart hammered in your chest and its beating thundered in your ears. You slid to a stop
in the middle the of the road and scanned the area, searching for the child. Most of the crowd
had dispersed, but you noticed a few others who had opted to take cover and wait it out rather
than run. There was a pang in your heart at the realization you were the only one who had
gone to help the child. Sometimes people really did suck... but you guessed you couldn't
blame them for putting their own safety first. Not everyone had the mettle to be a Hero, but
that didn't make them less worthy of being saved.
Pushing away the spark of embarrassment that thought stirred inside you, you jogged over to
where you saw a little boy crouched next to a lamp post. He was clinging to the base of it
with tears streaming down his chubby little cheeks.
"Hey, buddy." You said softly as you approached and knelt beside him. "Are you okay?"
"Mm-mom-ma." He said between sobs. "Can't find mom-ma."
Your heart clenched. This poor boy couldn't be much more than three years old. You knew
you shouldn't use your quirk, but you couldn't stand to see children in pain. It struck far too
close to home. Resolving to help this child, consequences be damned, you reached out and
placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. You grounded yourself and let a wellspring of calm and
comfort build up from inside you. You then let a wave of invisible energy flow down your
arm to wash over the boy. His tense little body relaxed and he looked up at you with a pair of
glossy brown eyes, a small smile spreading across his face. He let you pull him close and
cradle him against your chest.
"It's gonna be okay." You soothingly stroked his hair. "What's your name?"
"Tomi".
"Okay, Tomi. Do you know where your momma might have gone?"
He sniffled and wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. He thought for a moment, then said
"To see the train...?"
That was as good a place to start as any. Plus, all the commotion - the screams and sounds of
fighting - were now coming from the opposite direction of the train station. It should be
reasonably safe there. In theory anyway. You set your face in resolve and stood upright,
lifting the boy with you. You looked around at the handful of people hiding nearby.
"Hurry! Follow me to the train station. We're all sitting ducks out here." You urged them.
An older woman peeked out from around a parked car and whispered, "What makes you
think it's any safer there?"
"Yeah," a nearby man added. "It could be swarming with those... those things. At least we
know there aren't any here."
You took a deep breath and said with a patience that you didn't feel, "I know you guys are
scared, but think about it. All the noise is coming from that way." You indicated towards the
fighting with a nod of your head. "But there's no guarantee they won't come back this way.
Who knows what could happen while we wait for a Pro to get here... but there has to be at
least one Pro already overseeing evacuations at the train station. Please, come with me."
The man and woman cast a worried glance at each other, then nodded. A small group of
people followed their lead and left their hiding spots. You exhaled in relief and turned to run
towards the train station. You held Tomi securely in your arms as you ran, breathing heavy.
Strands of your hair whipped against your face, causing your eyes to water. It wasn't long
before the strain on your arms caused them to ache and burn. Little Tomi was apparently a
sack of bricks disguised as a toddler, you thought to yourself.
It was fully dark by the time your group reached the train station, though only ten or fifteen
minutes had passed. You slowed to a walk. As you approached a brief spike of panic
skewered your brain upon realizing there was a large gaping hole in the side of the building.
Shit. Oh god, please, no.
Your legs froze as doubt consumed you. Did you make the wrong call? Had you just led all
these people to their deaths?
You could hear them gasping in shock behind you. Your eyes frantically scanned your
surroundings, searching for any sign of danger. Seeing there was no immediate threat, you
relaxed ever so slightly. You took a few hesitant steps forward and strained your ears for any
warning signs of an impending attack. At first there was nothing, but then you faintly heard a
woman yelling from inside the train station. You took a few more tentative steps to get a
closer look, giving Tomi a comforting squeeze, and caught a glimpse of a group of people
inside. You sighed and relaxed.
"Come on, it's safe." You said, looking over your shoulder. "Whatever caused this is gone. I
can see people in there."
Together, your group made their way inside. A pair of metal sliding doors granted them entry
to a minimally furnished lobby. The check in counter was vacant. Beyond the counter was a
doorway that led to a waiting area where multiple groups of people huddled together.
"Please!"
Your attention was drawn to a woman not far from the breach that was surround by pieces of
twisted metal, chunks of plaster, and other debris. Disheveled and clearly distraught, she was
begging a man that appeared to be a Hero for help. Half of her face was darkened by purple
bruising and her lips were busted.
"Please, you have to help me find my son!" She wailed. "We were separated when this mob
trampled me." She turned briefly to level an icy glare at the people behind her. They avoided
eye contact, keeping their heads down and staring sheepishly at the floor. "Please!"
"Ma'am, I promise we will find him." He said in a reassuring tone.
"Then go find him! Don't just stand there!"
As you approached you heard the Hero say, "Ma'am, please, I want to help you but I need
you need to calm yourself and tell me what he looks like first. Where was the last place you
saw him?"
"Excuse me," you interjected. "Is Tomi your son?"
The woman spun around and let out a sob, "Tomi!"
Tomi squirmed in your arms. You set him down gently and he ran to his mom, who scooped
him up and showered him with kisses while sobbing incoherent sentences. After she
composed herself, she turned to you and wrapped you in a hug while repeating 'thank you'
over and over. An odd feeling settled over you. It was a mixture of warmth and discomfort.
The genuine thanks this woman was expressing touched your heart, but the hug made your
stomach churn. Ironically, you weren't a big fan of physical touch. Most days you barely
tolerated affection from your own mother. Seeking your mother out for comfort after the
sports festival had been an exception, not the rule.
Swallowing your discomfort, as you were so used to doing, you allowed the woman to hug
you and patted her back reassuringly. When the woman let go you gave her a warm smile and
said, "You're welcome. No way I could've left this cute little guy behind."
Tomi beamed at you in response to you reaching out and ruffling his hair.
"That was mighty brave of you, young lady." You looked at the Hero who was turning to
smile at you. He placed a hand on your shoulder and said, "You have the heart of Hero."
He shifted his attention to the group of people behind you. "This way," He said in an
authoritative tone, "We have a train coming to evacuate civilians to the next town over." He
walked away, clearly expecting everyone to follow him. You fell back and brought up the rear
of the crowd.
A thought suddenly occurred to you. You stopped short, spun on your heel, and ran back
outside towards the chaos. You were sure you could find more people to lead back here for
the evacuation.
You have the heart of a Hero.
The Pro's words echoed in your mind as you ran. You weren't sure you believed him, but you
were damn sure going to try to prove him right.
***
Smoke stung your eyes and obscured your vision as you made your way towards the heart of
Hosu, doing your best to avoid the sounds of fighting while looking for people to evacuate.
Shadows danced along the streets from the fires that dotted the city, and the harsh blare of
sirens filled the air.
Finally, you came upon a group of civilians receiving medical care from a few Pro Heroes
across from a burning apartment complex. Perfect. You ran towards them, fully intending to
offer assistance with evacuating the wounded. You might even be able to have a Pro escort
you.
Suddenly you felt a hand closing around your wrist, jerking you abruptly to halt mid stride. A
startled squeak escaped you as you spun around to see a familiar face.
"Sorry! I think you can help." You looked up at a tall girl whose cropped black hair was
pulled up into a half ponytail. Panic filled her deep magenta eyes as she pointed to a teen who
was pressed against the outer wall of the burning apartment building, two stories up. "She
won't move. I think we can get you up there somehow?"
Recognition sparked in your eyes: Arashi Mokino. Your classmate was in a blue UA jumpsuit
that was covered in dark splotches. She also had what appeared to be blood smeared on her
face. Had...had she been fighting? How? Why? Did she have a work study? How would that
even be possible? General Study students couldn't have work studies, and you hadn't heard
about anyone in your class transferring to the Hero Course. Hope sparked inside you. Maybe
you still had a chance after all.
No sooner than you nodded in agreement Arashi was pulling you towards the heroes who
were trying to talk the teen on the ledge back into the building. Arashi grabbed the arm of a
hero in a blue and white costume that you didn't recognize and shouted, "This is my friend!
Her quirk can help! She can convince the kid to come down if she can touch her! Please!"
You winced as an intense wave of heat washed over you. The blaze was getting worse.
Tendrils of flame crackled and snapped higher and higher. Sirens continued to fill the air
around you, but no one else appeared to be coming. The Hero looked between you and
Arashi, a hesitant frown on his face.
"I can't heal her if she falls and breaks her neck! Please." Arashi implored the Hero.
"What can you do exactly?" He asked you.
"When I touch someone I can influence their emotions." You glanced up to the girl on the
ledge. "I can calm her down and give her courage to come back into the building."
Arashi nodded enthusiastically. "I've seen her. We're in class together. Could probably calm a
charging rhino if she had to." Your mind immediately jumped to a particular angry blonde
from the sports festival, and you were certain Arashi was thinking the same. Arashi let go of
your wrist and faced you, "I'm sorry, I didn't even ask, are you okay with this?"
You nodded determinedly.
"Alright, c'mon kid," the hero said, clapping you on the shoulder.
You gave Arashi one last glance over your shoulder, who was giving you an encouraging
grin, and followed the Hero into the burning building.
"What's your name, kid?" He asked over his shoulder as he led you up a flight of stairs.
"Y/N."
"Good to meet you Y/N. I'm Manual."
Water from the active sprinkler system beaded in your hair as you followed Manual up a
smoke filled stair well. The stairs underfoot were slick, and you stifled a cough from the
smoke filling your lungs. You could push through this. You had to. A life was on the line.
Two flights of stairs later Manual came to stop in front of a door that was marked by brass
numbering: 214. He placed his hand on the door and pulled it away with a curse. "Stand
back!"
Manual jogged to the other side of the hall and then ran back at the door, planting his foot
underneath the door knob full force. The door jarred forcefully, but held firm. He repeated the
motion twice before the door burst open. Manual fell back coughing as thick black smoke
billowed out the door, spilling into the hall. Still hacking into his elbow, he held out his other
arm and the sprinkler head above shot off. Manual directed a jet of water into the apartment,
dousing the flames until the smoke cleared out.
He cautiously entered and crossed the room with you on his heels. You took in the ruined
apartment around the two of you as you made your way to the window overlooking the street
below. He stuck his head out the window and after saying something to the girl on the ledge
he came back in, waved you closer, speaking softly, "You're up. Be careful though. She's
scared stiff and I'm sure it wouldn't take much to make her fall."
Just then the building shook violently and there was a loud crash from above you, followed
by the girl outside the widow shrieking in terror. You ran to the window and practically flung
yourself half way out of it.
Oh thank god, she didn't fall. You glanced down to the street to see if you could spot what
caused the commotion. Is... Is that a fucking Nomu?! No, you couldn't think about that right
now. You turned your attention back to the girl who was pressing herself against the wall,
trying to make herself as flat as possible. Her eyes were scrunched shut.
"Hey there! My name is Y/N." You called out softly. "What's yours?"
The girl on the ledge whimpered in response.
"It's going to be okay. I promise. Here," You leaned farther out the window, extending your
right arm. "Take my hand. I promise I won't let you fall."
The girl opened her eyes and glanced towards you. She then caught sight of something below,
screams drawing her attention towards the ground. Whatever she saw there caused her to cry
out and jam her eyes shut again.
"Hey, hey, hey." You said softly but firmly. "Look at me. Look only at me."
The girl slowly opened her eyes again, looking into your steady gaze.
"That's it. Keep looking at me." You scooched to the farthest edge of the window, straddling
the sill with one leg in and one leg out. Your left arm wrapped around the other side of wall
for support. You felt Manual gripping your ankle tightly. "Stay still, I'm going to take your
hand."
The girl nodded almost imperceptibly as you reached for her hand. You drew in a deep
breath, calling on that inner wellspring of calm to come forth once more and pour into this
girl, followed by gentle waves of courage and inner strength. You smiled when you felt the
girl's hand close tightly around yours.
"Ayumi," the girl whispered. "My name is Ayumi".
"I've got you Ayumi," You gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "Okay, Ayumi, I need you to start
inching your way back over here. I've got you, I promise. Keep looking at me."
Ayumi did as you asked, slowly shuffling her feet along the narrow ledge back towards the
window. When she was close enough you released the wall and wrapped your left arm around
Ayumi's waist, supporting her as she ducked through the window. You breathed a sigh of
relief and looked down in time catch sight of Arashi looking up at the window. Your face
paled as you locked eyes with your friend. For some reason Arashi was now covered in blood
from the waist down and had huge hole in middle of her jump suit. What the fuck happened?
Arashi seemed to notice your concern and shot you a thumbs up. You nodded and ducked
back into the window. Later. There would time for questions later.
The next several minutes went by almost in a blur. You and Manual got Ayumi out of the
building and guided her to the first aid area to be checked out. Fortunately, she had no
physical injuries. You scanned the area for Arashi but she was gone, along with most of the
civilians who had been down here earlier. Damn. You hoped she really was okay and not just
putting on a brave face. You recalled the havoc the Nomu attack on the USJ had wrought.
The only reason that hadn't been worse was because All Might himself had put a stop to it,
and even he had to work for it. Or so you had heard. You hadn't actually been there yourself.
You pushed away your worry as Manual led you from one group of civilians to another on
your way back to the train station; having you calm those who were too hysterical to accept
medical care, and comfort those who were in pain.
You were exhausted by the time you got there, but it was a satisfying, well-earned kind of
exhaustion. You were proud of everything you accomplished today, even if it wasn't all that
much. You caught a glimpse of yourself in the reflective window on the metal sliding door
that led to the train station's main lobby. You hair was disheveled and grimy. Soot was
smeared all over your face and clothes; obscuring your flushed cheeks and discoloring your
white tank top. Despite looking a mess, you grinned at your reflection before passing through
the door.
The waiting area was infinitely more crowded than it had been earlier that night. It sparked a
sense of claustrophobia in your chest, but it quickly passed as sheer relief washed over you at
the sight of your tall friend waving at you over the crowd. You waved back excitedly. After
several long minutes of shuffling through the crowd the two of you finally rejoined each
other on the train and made your way to one of the rear train cars where you saw a few more
familiar faces. On the far end of the train car sat Tenya Iida, Izuku Midoriya, and Shoto
Todoroki. You recognized them immediately from the sports festival. They had all clearly had
a rough night too, each of them injured to various degrees. An uneasy air hung over them,
their faces holding haunted expressions.
“Midoriya?” You heard Arashi say, “Holy shit, and I thought I had it rough.”
Midoriya looked up at the two of you, blinking slowly a few times to focus his vision.
Despite what ever ordeal he had faced that night, he seemed to recognize you both instantly:
Arashi Mokino and F/N L/N from General Studies. He took in Arashi's ripped and
suspiciously stained jumpsuit, and the soot that covered you from head to toe as well as the
acrid, smokey scent wafting from you.
“L/N! Mokino!” He stood abruptly, instinctively reaching out to you. “Did you get caught up
in the fighting? Are you okay?”
He stumbled before reaching you. You tensed ready to catch him, but Arashi was there before
you could even blink, catching him in her arms. She apparently took his injuries from him
because seconds later she yelped and yelled, “Ow, what the fuck!”
Blinking, Izuku pulled away from her and stared at his hands. He flexed his fingers
tentatively as he said, “Oh, that's right! You have a healing quirk!”, while beaming at Arashi.
His smile faltered as he looked at her more closely. “Wait, were you fighting?”
“Sorta,” She glanced over to Iida and Todoroki, assessing their bandages. “You guys need
some help? Won't take but a second and you'll be good as new. Just need to touch you, if
that's okay.”
Todoroki held out his injured arm, a curious expression on his face. As Arashi reached out to
him your attention drifted to Iida. He hadn't so much as glanced at you and Arashi since you
got here. The tension in the air was heaviest over him. You couldn't tell exactly what he was
feeling, but it screamed out to your quirk. Your own chest ached in sympathy and you felt
yourself being pulled towards him. You sat in the empty seat to his left and whispered to him.
“Iida...?”
His only response was a slow blink and a shuddering exhale.
You subtly leaned your shoulder against his and whispered again. “Please don't be mad, I just
want to help.”
You closed your eyes and focused, intending to tap into your inner wellspring and search for
an emotion that would quell the storm inside him, but before you could you felt something
unfamiliar from your quirk. There was a spark where your shoulders touched, like when you
get zapped by static electricity. Suddenly you were drowning in rage, resentment, and an
overwhelming amount of shame. All of these feelings you were well acquainted with, but
their intensity stole your breath away. You had no doubt these were Iida's emotions, and
somehow your quirk was allowing you to feel them with him.
Well this is new... You thought to yourself as you dove down through the emotions that were
invading you, down to that soft white light inside yourself where you could draw on an entire
spectrum of emotions. You drew forth the feeling of acceptance, that warm fuzzy feeling you
get when someone takes you as you are - flaws and all - and followed with serenity, the kind
you feel on a cold winter day as you're nestled inside under a blanket with a cup of tea and a
good book. You let it wash over both of you in rhythmic waves, chasing away the anger,
resentment, and shame until you felt Iida's shoulder relax and he drew a deep breath. You
weren't sure, but you thought you heard him whisper “Thank you.”
“So you don't necessarily heal people, you take their injuries and heal yourself.” Todoroki's
words brought her back to the present.
“Wait, really?” Izuku's voice went up an octave with concern. “Wait, does it hurt?”
Arashi shrugged nonchalantly as she turned towards Iida, who was now looking more alert
and present. “Of course, it hurts. But it stops really quickly and I've had my quirk since I was
five.” She took Iida's hand in hers, “I'm used to it by – shit, what the fuck!” She yanked back
from him, clutching her shoulder. “Why were you both stabbed?”
All three of them suddenly went rigid. Iida and Midoriya's expressions turned cool and
neutral, which seemed to be Todoroki's natural state of being. You quirked an eyebrow and
Arashi frowned at them. They were all acting positively suspicious.
“Was it another Nomu?” Arashi probed. “I went up against one, too, so you don't have to
worry if it's supposed to be a secret.”
She seemed suddenly very tired, body sagging as she stepped back and dropped into a seat.
Your eyes sparked with understanding – So that's what happened... Your friend had gone toe
to toe with a Nomu and had somehow survived.
“You fought a Nomu?!” You didn't think it was possible for Midoriya's voice to get any
higher, but you were wrong. It looked like he was about to pop a blood vessel too.
Arashi shrugged and placed a hand over her stomach. Her jacket was covering the hole in her
shirt that you knew was there. “I wouldn't say fought so much as 'partially impaled by' ...but I
guess?” She nervously scratched the back of her neck. “I mostly just got in it's way long
enough for Endeavor to grab it and get it away from the civilians.” She held your gaze for a
moment, appearing to plead for something, but for what you weren't sure.
“That was really brave!” Midoriya declared, happily rolling with the changed subjected.
“Or really stupid,” Todoroki offered instead.
Arashi laughed at that, “I've been told I'm both for as long as I can remember, so I'm just
gonna assume you're both right and call it a day.” Before her eyes drifted shut you saw her
give one last glance at Midoriya. You didn't need to touch Arashi to see the fondness in her
gaze.
“What about you L/N, are you okay?” Iida asked.
You smiled and nodded. “Yeah, I didn't do anything quite that insane. I just helped rescue a
couple of kids and helped out at the first aid stations.”
Todoroki gave you a skeptical look, “So why do you look like you fell in an ash tray?”
You flushed in embarrassment and said with a timid chuckle, “Well, one of those kids may
have been in a burning building.”
“Whoa, no way!” Izuku gaped at you. “That's incredible L/N!”

“Ah, not really.” You scratched the back of your neck, mimicking Arashi's earlier gesture.
“Manual did most of the work. I just helped get her back in the window.”
Iida slumped a little at the mention of Manual, but seemed to brush it off. “You really should
give yourself more credit, L/N. There's nothing more heroic than saving a life.” He smiled
warmly at you, and you smiled back remembering the words of the Hero you encountered
earlier in the night.
Maybe, just maybe, he was right.

The Aftermath of the Hosu Incident
Chapter Summary
Y/N and Arashi are granted entry into the Hero Course and are introduced to Class 1-A.
Chapter Notes
REMINDER: This is a Y/N version of my MHA fic Madness in the Shadows. In this
version Y/N is taking the place of my original female character, Natsuye Warren, who is
an American exchange student that is fleeing back to Japan with her mother to escape
her father's abuse of her and her quirk.

points of view.
You stood shoulder to shoulder with Arashi in the empty Class 1A homeroom. Before you
Shota Aizawa sat at his desk, glancing between the contents of two manila envelopes. You
assumed it was the personal records for you and Arashi. His brow creased as he skimmed
over the documents. His aura of exhaustion was palpable, and was accented by the dark bags
under his eyes. He cleared his throat and looked up from the files. You quickly turned your
gaze to the floor and nervously picked at your fingers. You felt deep in your stomach that you
blew it again. You knew it. But you also knew that if you had the chance to do it over, you
would do the same. The smile that Tomi had given you when you reunited him with his
mother was one hundred percent worth it.
Suddenly, you felt Arashi drop into a deep bow beside you.
"Before you say anything, Mr. Aizawa, I want to apologize," Arashi said while still bowing
deeply. "I should have properly disclosed my quirk at the beginning, and I accept any and all
consequences of not doing so." Slowly, she straightened.
Aizawa looked between the two young girls, considering them. He had already known about
the other half of Arashi's quirk, as her mother had written the school in an attempt to prevent
her admittance. She believed the violent nature of it made her daughter unsuitable to be a
hero, but considering that one of his other student's quirk was literally blowing things up he
didn't see how Arashi Mokino's quirk was that different. Her file indicated that she was
diligent, though she struggled with history and math. She's temperamental, having gotten into
more than one fight on behalf of another student. Both incidents were in defense of students
who were being singled out because of their quirk. She seemed especially protective of the
quiet kids, the ones less likely to stick up for themselves, or those with quirks that drastically
altered their appearance.
At the sports festival, Aizawa was pretty sure Mokino had been about to deck Bakugo for
snapping at the transfer student, L/N. Though L/N had shown her own impressive de-
escalation skills by somehow evading what was sure to have otherwise been an explosive
confrontation. It was likely a skill she had acquired from her remarkably troubled past. The
school had been informed when she transferred that she and her mother had fled back to
Japan to escape L/N's father, and his abuse of her quirk, in case he tried to make contact;
though they hadn't been informed what the abuse entailed. Despite, or maybe because of, the
trauma she must have gone through she's shown to have extreme empathy for others. She has
also shown great determination and grit, notably during the entry exam when she still gave
her all even after it became clear there was no way she was going to pass.
His gaze slid from the files to F/N L/N. Her eyes were downcast, staring stubbornly at the
floor while her fingers fidgeted nervously. She was probably concerned about her future. At
least Mokino had been with a Pro Hero and been authorized to help, but she'd dragged her
friend L/N into it off the street. And from what he heard, L/N had already been using her
quirk to help when Mokino found her. From Manual's report, she had been completely calm
and clear-headed during the rescue, reassuring the victim every step of the way. And
honestly, given everything in her file he wasn't surprised by it.
She had been an exceptionally quiet student since she enrolled, though her teachers had said
she'd been opening up slowly, with some help from the overly enthusiastic Arashi. Aizawa
kept a rueful smile to himself. He knew from personal experience exactly how it felt to have
an exceptionally loud-mouthed, and well-meaning friend. Arashi wasn't quite as loud as
Hizashi, but he could see echoes of his own friendship between the two. Though Arashi was
far more likely to resort to physical violence, like Aizawa himself, and Y/N would probably
try to talk her way out of things, as had been Hizashi's usual strategy way back when.
"You two are going to be trouble," he said with a sigh. "L/N."
You gave a small startled jump in response, and quickly lifted your head. "Yes, Mr. Aizawa?"
You asked in a soft voice, your jaw tight.
"Manual said some really good things about you," he said, noting how your eyes brightened.
He then looked at Arashi. "You too, Mokino. Roentgen said that you were instantly asking
where you'd be the most use. But you did run off and drag a student into a fight she had no
business being involved in." He saw the fear flash across Arashi's face, but it quickly turned
into tightly restrained anger.
"Mr. Aizawa," Arashi began, folding her hands behind her back to hide how tightly she
clenched her fists, "I was only thinking about the well-being of the girl stuck out on that
ledge. People look down on Y/N because her quirk isn't big or flashy. But she's amazing."
Your heartbeat picked up as you listened to your friend's words. Your cheeks reddened in
embarrassment and you felt a wave of adrenaline wash over you. You knew deep down you
weren't anything that special, but you were glad to know that someone thought so.
Arashi continued, "She would never use her quirk on someone that didn't want it unless it
was absolutely necessary. She cares, too. She cares about people so much. She wants to help,
to be useful." She squared her shoulders and firmly held Aizawa's gaze. "I grabbed Y/N
because she was that kid's best chance of living. And just like I'd put myself in front of that
Nomu again, I know she'd do what she did again without hesitation." Arashi paused before
turning to you, an you noticed the unshed tears pricking at the corners of Arashi's eyes. She
said quietly, "I'm sorry if I made you feel like you had to, Y/N."
Aizawa was silent for a moment. Just as he was opening his mouth to say something, you
spoke up.
"No! No, you didn't! Not at all!" You blurted. Then, with a bit more composure, you
continued. "I was a little confused when you grabbed me, but when I saw what was
happening..." You straightened up, some of the nervousness leaving your posture as you
looked Aizawa in the eye. "When I realized what was happening, there wasn't anything else I
could have done. I wanted to help."
Heroes in the making, both of them. Something Aizawa had learned late in life was that force
of will was the strongest thing a Hero could possess. The determination to dive in - to help -
without question, without any thought for their own well-being, just for the safety of others.
He nodded, seemingly in approval, and Arashi and you exchanged a covert hopeful glance.
You quirked your head, partly in confusion and partly in intrigue when Mr. Aizawa said, "I
want to show you something, Mokino, and I want you to give me your answer again." He
held up a tablet, the glow from the screen reflecting in his eyes. "It's you using the other half
your quirk; if you want L/N to leave the room, say so."
Arashi paused, looking over at you, who was giving her a questioning look. You watched
Arashi shake her head and say, "It's fine, sir. I don't mind if she sees. I was going to tell her
after this anyways."
Aizawa nodded, cleared a spot on his desk, and propped up the tablet; turning it to face them.
You looked at it curiously. A frozen image of Arashi, mid-stride, running towards the Nomu
was on the screen. You watched Arashi take a deep breath and press play. As the clip
unfolded you felt your jaw go slack.
Holy shit, you thought to yourself, now fully understanding the moment of panic the girl on
the ledge had as you were trying to get her back into the building. You watched in thinly
veiled horror as you saw your friend get skewered by the Nomu, but amazingly her wounds
seemed to transfer to the creature. Mere seconds after that the Nomu shattered her pelvis, and
the same weird wound transfer occurred again. You looked between Arashi and Mr. Aizawa
as the clip came to end. You struggled to read their faces.
"I was definitely and idiot for that," Arashi said. "But I'd do it again in a heart beat. Yeah, I
can't fight something like that the way you or Endeavor could, Mr. Aizawa, but if it's me
between a Nomu and civilians, I'm not fucking moving."
"Good answer," Aizawa replied, amused by her response. "Swearing was unnecessary,
though."
You stifled a giggle. Red-faced, Arashi looked down. "Sorry, sir."
He then looked to you. "Is this what you want?" he asked, pointing to the tablet. "This is what
being a Hero is. Is this something you can do?"
You glanced at Arashi before responding, noticing your friend was visibly tight lipped,
almost like she was trying very hard not to say something. You looked back at Aizawa,
several smart-ass remarks running through your mind at what you felt was a loaded question.
You finally settled on, "Yes and no, sir. I can't pull a stunt like that and survive. Like Arashi
said before, I don't have a big power quirk. I don't have regenerative capabilities. But my
quirk has its own strengths, and there is more to being a Hero than just duking it out on the
front lines. But, yes, if it came down to it, I would absolutely put myself in the way of a
Nomu, or whatever else, if it meant saving a life."
Aizawa nodded again, "Then I expect both of you to be in my class bright and early
tomorrow. Your homework for the evening is to decide on your Hero names and to get your
costume designs ready for submission. The rest of the class already has theirs," he said,
standing. "You've both been accepted into the Hero Course."
***
You walked down the halls of the UA main campus building with your friend Arashi Mokino.
Both of you were quiet, Arashi unusually so. Both of you were nervous in anticipation of
your first day in the Hero Course. How would the other students feel about your late
acceptance, you wondered? You hoped it would be mostly positive, though you had a feeling
there would be at least one student who would be less than thrilled. Yes, you did have a
particular angry blonde in mind.
Arashi was lost in thought, mulling over the unpleasant conversation that occurred when she
told her mom about making it into the Hero Course. You found your thoughts drifting a
similar direction. Your mother, Emiko Okimoto, had seemed wholly indifferent to your
achievement. Rather, she was furious over your participation in the Hosu Incident.
“You were on the news! Do you have any idea the danger you've put yourself in? The danger
you've put us in? And after everything I've done to keep us safe?” Your mother hissed, dark
brown eyes seeming to snap with fire.
Your mother's words filled you with a rage that still lingered. Of course you knew how
dangerous it was to be on the national news. If the clip aired in America there was a chance
your father would see it. And if he saw the news clip, he might be able to find the two of you.
Specifically you. The very thought twisted your stomach into knots. But living in fear was no
way live, especially not if it meant ignoring those who needed help.
You were sure there would come a day when you would have to face your father again, and
you had no intention of being the same helpless little girl you had been back then when that
day came. Your mother seemed to think sheltering you would stop the past from repeating
itself, but your gut told you it would all but guarantee its repetition.
“What should I have done then, mom?!” You snapped, shocking yourself by actually raising
your voice, “Should I have just left the kid to die?”
Your mom was taken aback as well, but recovered quickly. “You are not a Hero, Y/N/N (your
nick name)." She spat through gritted teeth, “You didn't do anything special. Any number of
those other Heroes could have dangled out that window to save her. It didn't have to be you.”
You and Arashi paused outside the doorway of Class 1A. The other students could be heard
on the other side, talking among themselves. Arashi, after seeming to give herself a silent pep
talk, threw the door open. A hush fell over the classroom as she confidently strode in. You
took a deep breath to steel yourself, and followed behind Arashi with your head high. The
class was mostly full, with only two desks empty conveniently enough. Mr. Aizawa had not
yet arrived.
You were initially disappointed the available seats weren't next to each other, but your
disappointment was quickly replaced by a tingling heat that worked its way up the back of
your neck when you realized the only spots available were one behind Midoriya and one in
front of Bakugo – and Arashi was b-lining for the one next to Midoriya.
Thanks, bestie. You thought to yourself, mildly disgruntled. You knew you shouldn't rely on
Arashi to fight your battles for you, but you still sulked at the idea of being stuck next to that
arrogant jerk.
“Mokino! L/N!” Midoriya jumped up from his seat, seemingly oblivious to the sneer Bakugo
sent his way. “What are you guys doing here?” He asked in a friendly, if somewhat high
pitched, voice.
“Oh, well, we...” Arashi started to say with a crooked smile.
“Enough chatter. Everyone take your seats.” Mr. Aizawa said as he entered the classroom.
Midoriya quickly sat back in his seat and Arashi slipped into the one behind him. Cursing
your luck, you took the one remaining. You swore you could feel Bakugo's eyes boring a hole
in the back of your head, though that may have just been your imagination. Maybe.
“As you can all see, we have two new students with us today: Arashi Mokino and F/N L/N.
They're coming to us from General Studies.” He continued as he took at seat at this desk.
“Mr. Aizawa!” Ashido blurted out with her hand in the air. “Where are Hagakure and Koda?”
“Are these two taking their places in the Hero Course?” Kaminari chimed in from his seat
next to Ashido, making both you and Arashi wince internally. You really hoped that wasn't
the case. Causing your new classmates to lose two of their friends wasn't the first impression
you were hoping to make.
“Settle down,” Aizawa said sternly. “No one has lost their place in the Hero Course. There
were a few transfers out of Class B, so we held a lottery to see how the classes would get
shuffled around. Hagakure and Koda were drafted to move to Class B.”
“Oh,” Ashido settled back into her seat. “That makes sense I guess. At least we'll still get to
see them around!”
“Shoulda put these two extra's with the rest of the Class B rejects, if you ask me.” Bakugo
grumbled loudly from his chair. You felt your stomach drop at his words. You were used to
people not thinking much of your quirk, but there was something about hearing it on your
first day in the Hero Course that just struck a nerve. You squelched your hurt feelings with
the rage that was still simmering from your conversation with your mom and shot him an
angry glare, that he either didn't see or chose to ignore, while wondering who put the stick up
his ass.
“Bakugo!” Iida scolded from across the room. “That is no way to talk to our new classmates.
Show some respect!”
Despite your anger, you found yourself smiling at Iida's words. It was comforting to know
that Bakugo's ire towards you and Arashi was an outlier.
“Shut up, four eyes!” He shouted back. “Respect is earned. It doesn't just drop into your lap,
and these two weaklings haven't earned it.”
Arashi's chair scraped loudly across the floor as she stood up and peered around Midoriya to
look at Bakugo. She held his gaze firmly and said with honeyed smile, “You are more than
welcome to test my quirk next time we get a chance to spar, if you'd like.”
“Your funeral,” he leaned back in his chair and scoffed.
You cringed at his words. Knowing Arashi, that had to make her blood boil. Maybe it's for
the best she decided to sit by Midoriya... you thought to yourself, recalling the fights Arashi
had gotten into earlier in the year. Getting kicked out of the Hero Course with in an hour of
your first day would be quite an accomplishment, but it was something you both preferred to
avoid.
“I dunno, man.” Kirishima said with a grin, while fishing his phone out of his pocket. “Didn't
you see that crazy video of her jumping in front of a Nomu? She's more manly than you
think.”
Aoyama chuckled and said, “Mon ami, there seems to be something wrong with your eyes.
Mokino is a girl.”
“Girls can be manly, too! Look!” Kirishima sputtered back, while trying to pull the video up
on his phone.
“Put it away, Kirishima.” Aizawa interjected before he could show it to the the entire class.
“Yessir,” Kirishima grumbled and put away his phone.

“Now listen,” Aizawa addressed the class. “It's almost time for summer vacation, and during
summer vacation we'll be having a training camp in the woods.”
Excited murmurs broke out among the class. You looked over your shoulder, deliberately
ignoring Bakugo's sneer, to smile at Arashi. You hadn't been camping since an elementary
school field trip back in America. You remembered walking through the woods learning to
identify plants and animal tracks, then making s'mores around the campfire with your
classmates in the evening.
Granted, this would likely be completely different but the prospect of just getting away from
everything, spending time with your friend, and making new ones sparked your excitement.
Not having to deal with how overbearing your mother could be for a week was an added
bonus. On the heels of that thought was a small spike of dread that caused your smile to
falter. What if your mom didn't let you go? Surely she wasn't that paranoid, was she?
“However.” The class fell silent. “Those who do not pass the final exam before that will be in
summer school hell. That includes you two as well; Mokino. L/N. You will still be required
to pass your General Studies final exams.”
You could hear Arashi grumbling under her breath and smiled. Looks like the two of you had
some studying to do.
Training Camp Preparations
Chapter Summary
Y/N and Arashi join Class 1-A on their trip to the Kiyashi Ward Shopping Mall to
prepare for the training camp. The girls of class 1-A get some bonding time, and make
plans for a girls night. Y/N is presented with an opportunity to make peace with Bakugo.
Chapter Notes

points of view.
You sat at your desk in Class 1-A's homeroom, looking over your graded General Studies
exam. Excitement bubbled up inside you. It wasn't a perfect score, but you had passed with a
B+. More than that, you had managed to convince your mom to let you attend the training
camp. Emiko had initially resisted the idea, but you explained that it was a requirement for
the Hero Course. Plus, your class would literally be off grid with a handful of Pro Heroes. If
your dad was somehow able to find the camp and was actually stupid enough to try to get to
you there he would be in for a rude awakening.
Arashi had passed as well, but the math and history sections had done a number on her grade.
Still though, she had passed with a C+. You were happy you would get to go to the camp with
your friend. Most of the class was chattering excitedly amongst themselves, but you noticed
the small handful of students who sat in a pensive silence. They must not have been confident
in how they did on their exams. You wondered what the Hero Course final exams had
entailed, apart from the written exam. You guessed you would find out yourself next
semester.
The class settled down as Mr. Aizawa entered the room. He took a seat at his desk and looked
over the students, who seemed to be waiting on his words with bated breath.
Breaking the silence, he said, “Unfortunately, there are a few of you who did not pass your
final exams. So, when it comes to the training camp in the woods...” He paused for dramatic
effect. “Everyone is going!”
The classroom erupted with shouting, particularly from the five students who felt as if they
had just shit a brick.
“A last minute twist! You can't keep doing this to us, Mr. Aizawa!” Kaminari cried from his
seat.
“We really get to go to camp?” Kirishima asked.
“Seriously?!” Ashido echoed.
With a stern glare from Aizawa, the class settled again. “Yeah. The good news is that no one
bombed the written exam. Five failed the practical. Badly. Two teams, of course, and then
Sero failed as well.” He stood and paced to the front of the classroom.
Sero groaned, lamenting his lack of participation during the exam under his breath. The other
four shifted uncomfortably in their seats.
You glanced back at Arashi to gauge her reaction as Mr. Aizawa continued to explain that the
threat of not being able to go to the training camp was a logical deception intended to make
them give the exams their all; the point of the camp being to increase their strength. Those
who failed needed to go the most. Arashi was intently staring at Mr. Aizawa, and didn't
notice you looking at her.
“Eyes forward, touchy-feely.” You inhaled sharply at Bakugo's brusque whisper. Heat rushed
up the back of your neck and settled on your cheeks. Caught off guard by the nickname he
bestowed upon you, you complied without comment.
Touchy-feely...?
“Failure is failure.” In an attempt to distract yourself from the weird feeling in you chest, you
focused on Mr. Aizawa again. “We've prepared extra lessons for the five of you.” He pinned
Ashido, Kaminari, Kirishima, Sero, and Sato with a stare. “Frankly, they'll be far tougher
than what you'd face at summer school.” With that, Aizawa left them to discuss amongst
themselves for the last few minutes of class. There was a pot of coffee in the teachers lounge
calling to him as a sirens song calls to a sailor.
Once alone, everyone began reviewing the pamphlets for the training camp, noting the things
they would need to bring and the things they still needed to buy. Ashido perked up with a
grin, “Guys, since we're off tomorrow and we finally finished our exams, I have the best idea!
Why doesn't Class 1-A go shopping together?!”
“Oh, good idea!” Uraraka said while gathering up her books.
“We've never hung out as a class before!” Kaminari noted excitedly.
“Bakugo, see you there! Right?” Kirishima gave him an excited thumbs up.
Bakugo scoffed as he made his way toward the door without so much as a glance back, “I
can't think of anything more annoying.”
“Will you come too, Todoroki?” Yaoyorozu asked, hope glinting in her eyes.
Oblivious, he shook his head, “I go visit my mom on our days off.”
“Party poopers...” Ashido mumbled under her breath.
You chuckled to yourself. The attitude of the class as whole was infectious, in a good way.
You were looking forward to getting know everyone better. Well, almost everyone. Bakugo
stuck out like a sore thumb with his crappy attitude. Kirishima seemed like a pretty cool guy,
so you were struggling to understand why he would go out of his way to invite him. Was he
just being nice? Hoping that the sheer force of his positive attitude would somehow make
Bakugo not a douche? Maybe you would get some answers tomorrow.
***
The next morning came quickly and you awoke to the blaring of your alarm clock. You
switched it off and grumbled groggily while pulling yourself out of bed. After prepping a pot
of coffee you set about the studio apartment your mom had rented for you when you were
accepted into UA, going through your morning routine: Shower, clothes, coffee – coffee
being the most import part.
By 9:30am you were out the door and on your way to the bus stop. While waiting, you
thought back on your phone call with your mom the night before. You were really getting
tired of having to fight tooth and nail to get your mom to let you to do anything. First you had
to fight to go to the training camp, that was a requirement for school for fucks sake, and now
you had to fight to go to the mall to get supplies for said training camp. It was absolutely
ludicrous.
Initially, Emiko tried to play if off like she was concerned you were trying to blow off your
weekly visit with her. But when you assured her you would still be visiting later in the
afternoon she was forced to admit she was actually concerned for her daughter's safety. You
tried to placate your mom by saying you wouldn't be alone, in fact almost everyone in your
class would be going with you, but to no avail. Frustration built up inside you as the two of
you went back and forth on why you should be able to go or not, and finally you felt
something inside you snap.
“I refuse to live under a rock because you can't get over your damn paranoia, mom! I'm
going. You're just going to have to get over it!” You shouted into the phone, then hung up
before your mom could argue further. You felt like a petulant child for doing so, but you
really didn't know what else to do.
Thinking on it more, you realized that your mom's behavior had actually worsened since the
Sports Festival. You wondered if something happened that your mom wasn't telling you
about. It wouldn't be the first time Emiko had kept you in the dark. You made a mental note
to ask about it that afternoon after taking the verbal lashing you were sure to get.
Finally, your bus arrived and you made your way up the stairs.
“Y/N! Back here!” Arashi waved at you from the back of the bus.
You smiled and waved back while shuffling along the narrow aisle, careful not to bump into
anyone. As you drew nearer you saw that Midoriya, Uraraka, Asui, Kirishima, Ashido, and
Kaminari were in the seats around Arashi.
“Saved you a spot!” Arashi grinned as you plopped down next to her.
“Thanks.” You smiled, then asked, “Where is everyone else?”
“They're going to meet us there.” Uraraka answered, “Are you guys as pumped as I am for
this trip?!” She asked while pumping her fist in the air. She was practically bouncing in her
seat next to Midoriya.
Kaminari folded his arms and slouched, “I was until I failed my exam. Can you believe
they're going to make us take extra classes on top of working super hard to improve our
quirks? It's total crap, man.”
“I know, right?” Ashido pouted with him.
Arashi shifted in her seat to look at them across the aisle and said awkwardly, “Well... I don't
think they could have let you get away with not passing... what did Mr. Aizawa call it? The
practical exam? And from what I've heard about him I would have been worried about
expulsion.”
Kaminari grumbled in his seat next to Ashido and slouched even lower. Ashido flushed a
slightly brighter shade of pink and said, “Yeah, well, I mean that's true.”
Curious, you asked, “What was the practical exam like?”
Kirishima, who was sitting in front of you and Arashi with his arm braced on the back of the
seat, answered, “They paired us up and we had to face off against the teachers.”
“They were posing as villains and we either had to capture them or escape,” Asui added.
Kirishima chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck. “Sato and I tried to punch our way out,
but well... You see how that went. Cementoss really kicked our butts.”
“Nezu was brutal, man.” Kaminari straightened up and put his hands behind his head, leaning
back. “Ashido and I didn't stand a chance.”
She nodded in agreement, “Yeah, it's like we lost before even started.”
Midoriya chimed in, “Kacchan and I were put against All Might!” His eye seemed to sparkle
and his face glowed with admiration as he talked about his idol. “We passed, but just barely.”
Arashi raised an eyebrow at the unfamiliar name, “Kacchan...?”

“Oh, right,” Midoriya flushed, suddenly sheepish. “That's what I call Bakugo. We grew up
together.”
Arashi did her best to keep her face neutral, but you saw the corner of her mouth twitch.
“Shame he skipped out on today.” Kirishima said, “It would've been cool to have the full
squad together.”
Kaminari voiced his agreement.
Seeing the opening and taking it, you cleared your throat and said, “Okay, I hope this doesn't
come across the wrong way, but I've gotta ask. How... Why do you guys put up with him?
He's such an ass.”
Midoriya chuckled and looked at his lap, “Yeah, Kacchan can be a little intense. Half the time
I'm pretty sure he hates me, but he really is a good person.”
“Intense is definitely one way to put it, Ribbit...” Asui said, lifting a finger to the side of her
mouth, a wistful look on her face.
“Uh-huh...” You looked at Midoriya skeptically. “That... that hasn't really been my
experience with him, so I guess I'll just have to take your word for it.”
The bus came to a stop about a block away from their destination, cutting the conversation
short. Your group exited the bus and walked the rest of the way to mall while making friendly
conversation, but you were only half listening. This was the first time you had been out this
way, and you were trying to take it all in. Being from New Orleans, you were no stranger to
big cities but the size of the Kiyashi Ward Shopping Mall was giving you a bit of culture
shock. It was practically it's own town.
On the ground floor at the heart of the shopping mall was a large fountain surrounded by a
food court. It didn't take long for your group to find the rest of the class – minus Todoroki
and Bakugo – waiting for you there. As you all approached, Yaoyorozu waved you over.
While greetings were exchanged you looked around; an almost overwhelming amount of
people and shops surrounded you.
Other mall goers soon took notice of your class and their murmurs filled the air: “Whoa!
Aren't those UA students?” “1-A!” “I saw e'm on TV!” “The sports festival was so good!”
“Wow, it's like you guys are celebrities or something.” You said. You were getting second
hand embarrassment from all the attention, even though you hadn't been part of Class 1-A
during the Sports Festival.
Uraraka blushed, “I can't believe they still remember that.”
When the attention from the other mall goers subsided you moved together as group, trying
to decide where to go first.
“I need to track down a duffel bag for the camp.” Jiro mentioned, mostly to herself.
“Oh yeah, maybe we can browse together.” Yaoyorozu turned to smile at her. “I need to get
new shoes anyway.”
Ignoring Iida, who was going on about how the brochure recommended bringing shoes that
were already broken in, you looped arms with Arashi and asked, “Mind if we tag along?”
“Ooh! Us to!” Ashido chimed in, practically dragging Uraraka and Asui with her.
“Of course!” Yaoyorozu's smile brightened.
As the girls grouped together, Mineta passed behind them, mumbling about needing to find a
lock picking kit and a small drill. You and Arashi shared a look and subtle nod; a silent
agreement passing between the two of you. If the little perv set one foot out of line you were
going to traumatize the shit out of him.
“Hey, since we're all looking for different things why don't we split up and meet back here
around noon for lunch?” Kirishima suggested.
Everyone agreed it was a good idea. You split into groups and quickly set off to find what
everyone needed, none of you realizing you had all left Midoriya behind...
After a few minutes of searching, the girls of Class 1-A found a sizable department store for
shoes and ventured in.
“These would look super cute on you Momo!” Ashido held up a pair of slinky black heels,
and grinned devilishly at her. “I bet Todoroki would think so too.”
Yaoyorozu blushed furiously, “You really think...” She started but caught herself and instead
said, “Cute as they are I don't think I'd get much use out of them at camp.” She then picked
up a pair of sneakers and examined them a little too closely.
Ashido giggled. “It's a real bummer Todoroki didn't come with us today. Some eye candy
would definitely spice things up.”
“Mina!” Uraraka chided her.
“Whaaat?” Ashido asked playfully.
“I mean, you're not wrong.” Yaoyorozu said, her cheeks still slightly red. “He is cute, but
talking about him like that feels disrespectful.”
“Oh, come on.” Ashido nudged her with an elbow. “You know, Bakugo would have made
some nice eye candy today too, provided he kept his mouth shut.” She turned to look at
Arashi and you, eyes twinkling mischievously, “What do you guys think?”
You felt a blush creeping up your cheeks and turned to look at Arashi. Her eyebrows were
furrowed and her frown was tinged with a tiny a bit of disgust. After a moment, she
grudgingly said, “If he kept his mouth shut, maybe.”
“You know, that was actually my first impression of him when we met at the Sports Festival.”
You said, still half debating if you should actually be saying it, “He was really cute, but then
he opened his mouth. I honestly can't believe Midoriya took up for him on the bus, especially
if Bakugo treated him that way while they were growing up. Is he Stockholm-ed or
something?”
“I think Deku knows Bakugo better than any of us.” Uraraka said, her words passionate. “If
he says Bakugo is a good person at heart, I believe him.” She paused for a second before
continuing, “That's not to say he can't be an ass. Because he definitely can be, and is, most of
the time actually. But during our match at the Sports Festival, he took me seriously. He didn't
just dismiss me like the crowd automatically did. If he truly is an arrogant jerk, I don't think
he would've done that.”
“Wow, Ochaco. I didn't know you had taken such a shine to Bakugo.” Asui said.
“What? No!” Uraraka flushed and started waiving her arms defensively. “I mean I don't
dislike him but I don't like, like-like him or anything weird like that.”
As you all shared a good natured laugh you thought on what Uraraka said. Maybe you had
been too quick to judge him. He definitely needed to work on first, and even second and
third, impressions. But you knew from experience that people tend to put up a front to protect
themselves when they're hurting inside. There's a good possibility that's exactly what Bakugo
was doing with that hard-ass attitude of his. In that moment you resolved to do your best to
extend an olive branch and to try to get to know him better.
“...spa day and mani-pedi.” You zoned back in just in time to catch the end of Yaoyorozu's
sentence.
“Oooh that sounds amazing!” Uraraka said. “The last time I got to do something like that was
when my mom treated me for my 10th birthday.”
“I've actually never had a mani-pedi. Or done a spa day.” Arashi rubbed the back of her head,
looking slightly uncomfortable.
“Are you serious!?” Ashido spun to face her.
“Well, yeah,” Arashi shuffled. “I grew up on a farm, so I never really had a chance to be a
girly-girl. I never got to get into make up either.”
Ashido and Yaoyorozu looked positively mortified.
“Oh we've got to fix that!” Ashido exclaimed.
“I agree!” Yaoyorozu gave an indignant nod. “How would you all like to join me? We can
make a girl's day out of it. Oh! We can even do a sleep over at my house!” She was getting
visibly more excited by the second.
“You know, I would actually be down for that.” Jiro said.
“Me too, Ribbit.” Asui said.

“I'm in!” Uraraka added.
Arashi gave you a hopeful glance, prompting you to say, “I'd love to go!” You didn't mention
that you were sure you'd have to convince your mom first. They didn't need to know all of
that.
“Sounds like a plan then!” Arashi smiled.
As Yaoyorozu brought her shoes to the checkout counter Arashi waved at you, catching your
attention, and said, “Hey, I found something Midoriya might wanna see. I'm gonna go find
him real quick!”
You looked at her curiously, then raised your eyebrows, giving her questioning smile. Arashi
mumbled something about catching up them in a little bit, clearly flustered, and darted out
the store with a brief wave good-bye.
“Don't have too much fun...” You grinned and mumbled after her.
Once Yaoyorozu was done checking out, the rest of the group moved to another store a little
ways down the strip so Jiro could look for duffel bag. After browsing there for about a half
hour you noticed Arashi wasn't back yet. You tried to shrug off the worry that was nagging at
you, but you still felt something wasn't right.
“Hey, I'm gonna go find where Arashi wandered off to. Meet back up with you guys in a little
bit?” You asked, and were met with murmurs of agreement.
***
You left the department store in search of Arashi, but were struggling to remember which
way you needed to take to make it back to the food court. Left, maybe? Sure, why not. Worst
case you would probably find one of those maps showing the layout of the mall and discover
you went the wrong way.
After about 5 minutes of walking you spotted a familiar figure through the crowd. Is that...
Bakugo? You wondered if he ended up changing his mind about hanging out with the class,
though that didn't seem like something he would do. You looked around, but didn't see any of
your other class mates. Well, that was one heck of a coincidence. No time like the present...
You took a deep breath and followed him into a sporting goods store.
"H-hey, Bakugo!" You called out after him.
Bakugo turned to see you waving in his direction. A look of mild irritation quickly hid the
glimmer of curiosity in his eyes. He'd been less than friendly to you, so you approaching him
outside of school came as a bit of a shock. He stared at you silently, making you shuffle
awkwardly.
"I, uh, saw you from over there," you pointed over your shoulder with your thumb, "and
thought I'd come say hi." He blinked at you, and you wished you could tell what was going
on in his head. His gaze was so intense... "Did you change your mind about hanging out with
-"
"No." He interrupted you sharply, hoping you would just get to the point. He hated pointless
small talk.
"Oh, then why -"
"I needed to buy some new gym clothes for the training camp." You cringed inwardly at his
annoyed tone, though you tried to keep it off your face. "Are we done here?"
Frustration nagged at you, and you did your best to push it down. "I'm sorry," you said with a
little more sass than you intended, "What exactly did I do to piss you off?"
A dark expression flickered in his sanguine eyes before he resumed his resting bitch face. It
reminded you of the way he looked at you during the Sports Festival, when you used your
quirk to stop him from pushing you. If all his bluster was just a front to prevent people from
knowing what he was really feeling, you could see how someone messing with his emotions
would rub him the wrong way.
Going out on a limb, you asked, "Is it because I used my quirk on you?"
He angrily clicked his tongue and turned his head. That was all the confirmation you needed.
With an exasperated sigh you put your hands on your hips and said, "Need I remind you I
only did that because you tried to shove me?"
"This is stupid." He huffed and turned to walk away. You struck too close to home for his
liking. To his surprise you actually followed, keeping pace with him
"Look, we clearly got off on the wrong foot. I'm sorry I upset you." You moved to stand in
front of him, and pointedly ignored his scowl. "I was just defending myself. We both know
you would've done the same if someone came at you.” You held his gaze, and thought you
saw the look in his eyes soften. “I won't use my quirk on you again. I promise." You extended
your hand. "Friends?"
When he didn't take your hand you rolled your eyes and pursed your lips, "Fine. Amicable
acquaintances?"
He rolled his eyes in turn. The way the corner of his mouth twitched made you think he was
hiding a smile. "Fine. If it'll get you to stop being so annoying." He finally took your hand,
hesitantly at first - recalling that your quirk required touch to work, but he tightened his grip
when he realized you had no intention of using it.
You smiled at him as he released your hand. "Do you mind if I hang with you for a bit? I was
looking for Arashi, but if I'm being honest I'm a little lost. This place is huge."
He shook his head, feigning annoyance, but this time he did let the slightest bit of a smile
show. “Sure.”
Girl's Night Shenanigans
Chapter Summary
Y/N and Arashi get together with the girls of Class 1-A for a girl's night, which is
promptly crashed by Kirishima and Bakugo.
Chapter Notes

points of view.
You sat around a large ornate dining table in Yaoyorozu's main dining hall next to Arashi.
When you and your mother had been living in America your father's line of work had
allowed your family a comfortable lifestyle. Materially anyway. The last few years of your
childhood had been many things, but comfortable was not one of them. That aside, your
parents had been able to afford a nice house in Algiers Point and had been able to afford most
luxuries. Nothing this extravagant, though. The sheer opulence of the Yaoyorozu Estate made
your head spin, and you could tell that Arashi felt a little awkward too.
Jiro and Asui sat across the table from the two of you, chatting about what they thought the
training camp would be like. Uraraka was listening intently from her seat next to you and
Ashido, who was on the other side of Arashi, was reading something on her phone.
Yaoyorozu bustled into the room with a basket full of a variety of fancy teas in one arm and
an equally fancy electric tea kettle in the other. Her rant about all of you trying her favorite
brands was interrupted by a heavy knocking at the front door. Her expression turned to one of
confusion when Ashido squealed, jumped up from her seat, and dashed to the foyer.
Jiro cocked her head and asked, “Were we expecting anyone else?”
“I don't think so...” Yaoyorozu said, trailing off as Ashido reentered the room with Kirishima
following behind her.
“Hope you guys don't mind! I invited Kiri over so we can touch up his roots before the
training camp.” She ruffled his spiky red hair as he held up a bag full of hair supplies with a
bashful grin. Movement over his should drew your gaze, and your heart skittered at the sight
of Bakugo skulking through the doorway behind him. Not willing to consider why his
presence elicited that reaction from you, you turned your attention to the other girls around
the table who were exchanging surprised glances.
“Of course not!” Yaoyorozu said, excited to have the additional guests. “My parents probably
won't let you guys stay for the sleep over though.”
“I can't believe I let you talk me into this, shitty hair.” Bakugo grumbled under his breath. He
shuffled onto one foot and tapped the toe of his other against the floor.
Kirishima turned to face Bakugo; his grin morphing from bashful to teasing, “Honestly, I
can't either, man. I have to give you props though, it's pretty manly for you to come through
for a bro.”
Bakugo scoffed and rolled his eyes, “Whatever.”
“Arashi!” Ashido bounced over and excitedly grabbed her arm. “You and Jiro should totally
come help me with Kirishima's hair!” She turned to look at Jiro and gave her conspiratorial
wink.
“Oh! Okay, sure.” She replied, glancing at you, and you nodded encouragingly.
Ashido practically dragged Arashi away from the table towards one of the bathrooms on the
ground floor, Kirishima and Jiro not far behind them.
“Hey! What do you guys think about trying out the hot tubs while they're doing that?”
Yaoyorozu suggested. “We have extra bathing suits and trunks for guests.”
“Some time in a hot tub sounds amazing.” Asui said, her tone slightly dreamy.
“It really does!” Uraraka agreed.
Bakugo leaned against the door frame, continuing to grumble under his breath. You rose from
the table to follow Yaoyorozu, Uraraka, and Asui. You paused next to Bakugo and nudged his
shoulder with yours.
“C'mon. If you're gonna crash a spa day you may as well enjoy it.” You gave him a warm
smile and continued after Yaoyorozu and the others. He shoved his hands in pockets and
looked after you wistfully before following silently.
Yaoyorozu lead them to down to a sub basement area that reminded you of a very posh
YMCA – if everything in the YMCA had been crammed into one area. In the middle of the
room was a huge swimming pool and you were able to make out a couple of tennis courts on
the far side. Five large in-ground hot tubs were dotted long the pool. There were rows of
beach chairs and the walls on that side of the room were lined with several flat screen TVs.
“The changing rooms are over here!” They followed Yaoyorozu into a large lobby-esque
room that housed smaller individual changing rooms. The lobby area was filled with racks of
clothes and towels, as well as rows of shower stalls.
“Wow, Momo!” Uraraka said. “You guys really went all out with your bathing suit
selection!”
“For real.” You nodded in agreement. “We may as well be in a department store.”
Yaoyorozu blushed and rubbed the back of her neck, slightly embarrassed. “My parents want
to ensure we can accommodate our guests, whatever they may need.”
“Fair enough, I guess.” You said and moved to browse through the swim wear. You settled
two piece that was your favorite color, thinking it would compliment your eyes.
Bakugo grabbed a pair of black and orange swim trunks and disappeared into one of the
changing rooms. You and the other girls followed suit with your selections.
After shimmying into your swim suit you pulled your hair back and gave yourself a once
over in the changing room mirror. The front of the swim top had a modest scoop-neck with
strips of fabric that tied around your neck and covered most of your midriff. The other side
had several straps that crisscrossed over your back. You appreciated that the bottoms were
more like boy shorts than bikini bottoms.
You did a little spin to get a good look before exiting the changing room and heading towards
the hot tub the others were already in. Half the way there they all glanced in your direction,
and you noticed Bakugo look away quickly. You couldn't help but wonder if that was because
of your appearance. Did he see something he liked, and was trying to hide his expression? Or
was it the opposite? Did he not like what he saw and looked away in disgust? Why the hell
did you even care? Damn intrusive thoughts.
With a quick glance you saw that Uraraka had selected a cute pink and white one-piece with
a halter top and that Asui had gone with a more modest black one-piece. Yaoyorozu chose a
maroon two piece that was similar to the style you had chosen, however it had a more
plunging neckline. You dropped into the hot tub between Uraraka and Bakugo with a small
splash, sighing contentedly as the steamy water enveloped you.
“So Y/N,” Yaoyorozu asked, “You're an exchange student from America right?”
“Yeah, that's right.” You said while trying to ignore the pit that was forming in your stomach.
So much for hoping to avoid exchanging backstories.
“That's so cool!” Uraraka said, “We were wondering about it and were hoping you'd tell us
what it's like over there. Where did you grow up?”
“Well, I grew up in Algiers, Louisiana.” Bakugo felt you shift uncomfortably next to him as
you spoke and noted how you had answered vaguely, but didn't comment on it. The cooking
show on the TV across from them held most of his attention, but he kept an ear on the
conversation around him.
“Algiers?” Asui titled her head questioningly.
“It's pretty close to New Orleans. You know how Louisiana is shaped like a boot? It's right on
the toe.” You explained, trying to keep your tone neutral.
“Isn't New Orleans where they have Mardi Gras?” Yaoyorozu asked.
You nodded, and Uraraka asked, “What's that like? I've heard some pretty interesting things
about it.”
“Yeah, me too,” Asui said. “Is it true the women flash people for crayfish?”
You stared at her blankly for a heartbeat and then burst out laughing, some of the tension
leaving you body as you gasped for air. You recovered shortly, and said, “That is the funniest
and most wrong thing I have ever heard.” You paused for a second, then added, “Well, I
mean, you're not entirely wrong. It's not uncommon for women to flash the bead throwers on
the Mardi Gras floats so they throw them extra beads.”
“That's crazy.” Uraraka said, her cheeks burning with second hand embarrassment.
“What was your favorite part of living there?” Yaoyorozu asked.
“Oh, definitely the food! There's nothing quite like a homemade southern meal.” You relaxed
a little more, relieved that so far the conversation had remained mostly superficial. You
weren't really ready to delve into your past with everyone, and weren't sure if you would ever
be.
Bakugo, who had only been half listening, finally interjected, “How great can it be?
American food is bland as shit.”
“Excuse me?” You turned a glare of indignation on him, discomfort momentarily forgotten.
You glanced between him and the TV and said, “So what, you watched a couple of cooking
shows and think it somehow makes you an authority on American food?”
He shrugged your glare off and doubled down, “First off, I actually know a thing or two
about cooking. And, it's not just me who thinks so. American food is notoriously bland.”
Now it was your turn to scoff. “Spoken like someone who's never had Cajun cooking. What
American food have you guys even tried?”
“I've actually never tried it.” Uraraka said.
“Me either.” Asui said, then added, “But I do like trying new foods, Ribbit.
“What about you Bakugo? What did you have that was so bland?” You asked him pointedly,
your voice brimming with sarcasm.
“There was a festival a few years ago and they had a food truck there selling American food.”
He replied with a nonchalant shrug, “My dad grabbed us some weird gritty mush with bits of
shrimp in it. It was gross.”
“Uh, you okay, Y/N?” Asui asked, a note of concern in her voice.
You rubbed your eye in an effort to stop the twitching and said, “Well now I just want to
know who the hell butchered shrimp and grits...” You shook your head with a sigh and said,
“Look, that's like the equivalent of buying grocery store sushi in America and expecting it to
be as good as when it's made fresh and local.”
“Do... do you think you could make something for us?” Uraraka asked hesitantly.
“Absolutely no worries if not! I just-”
You set a hand on her should and smiled. “I'd be happy to actually! It's been a while since I've
had a taste of home.”
“Oh, this I've got to see.” Bakugo said flippantly.
You looked back over to him with a flat expression. “I happen to know a thing or two about
cooking too. I spent a lot of time in the kitchen with my Grandma when I was younger.”
Before...
Yaoyorozu jumped up excitedly, “That settles it then! I'll show you two to the kitchen.”
“You two...?” Bakugo cocked an eyebrow.
Yaoyorozu gave him a mischievous smirk. “You said you just have to see this. I'm sure she
could use a sous chef.”
You stood up and grinned, “That's actually a great idea, Momo!” As you climbed out of the
hot tub you added, “C'mon, Sweaty Palms.”
“The hell did you just call me?” You turned back around to see him gawking at you, mouth
agape. Uraraka and Asui were trying, and failing, to stifle their giggling.
“You're not the only who can come up with a nickname.” You said with a wink.
Several minutes passed as you changed back into your clothes and followed Yaoyorozu to the
kitchen. She chattered happily, telling you and Bakugo random factoids about each part of the
house you passed through. “Here's the kitchen! We have a fully stocked pantry and
refrigerator over there. And you can see the counters and stove over there.” She pointed
across the room. “Utensils are in the drawers.”
“Thanks, Momo.” You said, looking around the kitchen with wide eyes. You were surprised
that Bakugo didn't seem phased in the slightest.
“Of course! I'm going to go tell the other's dinner will be ready in about...?”
“An hour and a half.” You said.
Yaoyorozu smiled and bounced out the kitchen, leaving you and Bakugo alone.
Bakugo followed you into the pantry and watched you pile several vegetables into your arms.
You made your way over and handed them to him. “Here. Kindly put those skills of yours to
use. Dice these and mince the garlic while I de-vain the shrimp.”
“Sure...” He made his way to counter and set the vegetables down, then dug through the
cabinets and drawers until he found a cutting board, knife, and a couple of bowls.
You carried a package of shrimp to the sink and arranged three bowls in the sink; one for the
unpeeled shrimp, one for the shells, and one full of ice and water for the peeled shrimp.
While going through the messy task of cleaning the shrimp you watched Bakugo chop the
vegetables. You grudgingly admitted to yourself he was good with a knife. He's like a mini
Gordon Ramsay. He definitely had the temperament for it. You bit back the laugh that
thought caused to bubble in your chest.
A few minutes of working in silence had passed when Bakugo spoke without looking up
from the cutting board, “Why Sweaty Palms?”
You cast him a sideways glance and asked, “Why touchy-feely?”
He grunted and fell quiet again.
After finishing up the prep work you tossed the vegetables into a pan with some butter to
saute. Bakugo leaned on the counter next to you, watching you work intently. Once the
onions were clear and a slightly sweet smell wafted up from the pan you added the crushed
tomatoes, puree, and seasonings.
“Do you have an actual nickname?” Bakugo asked, not meeting your eyes when you looked
over at him.
You hesitated. You did have a nickname, but the only one who still used it was your mom.
The memories it stirred you preferred to leave in a dust covered box in the darkest corners of
your mind. Quite frankly it irked the shit out of you that your mom still used it knowing that.
When you didn't respond Bakugo lifted his head and locked eyes with you, noting your
guarded expression. You weren't sure what you saw in his gaze, but whatever is was made
you say, “Y/N/N (your nick name).”
“Y/N/N.” He repeated, his gravelly voice low and deliberate. For some reason, when he said
it your chest didn't clench with dread. On the contrary, it sent a tingle down your spine and
caused heat to creep up your cheeks. Bakugo thought for a moment before saying, “You don't
seem to like it.”
You smiled, “I like it more than touchy-feely.” You didn't add that it was because he was the
one using it.
“Enough to stop calling me Sweaty Palms?” You saw Bakugo's cheeks flush and his eyes
shift back towards the pan.
You giggled and said, “Yeah. I suppose...” A teasing grin spread slowly across your face.
“Besides. I think TNT suits you better anyway.”
Training Camp - Day 1
Chapter Summary
The day has arrived! Class 1A and 1B are on their way to the training camp. This
chapter focuses on the first day, during which Class 1A make their way through The
Beasts Forest and shenanigans unfold at the Hot Springs.
Chapter Notes

points of view.
Day 1
The morning of the training camp finally arrived. You quickly ran through your morning
routine, grabbed your already packed bags, and headed out the door. By the time you got to
UA, Class 1-A and 1-B were separated into groups and were waiting for their buses to arrive.
You spotted Arashi next to Jiro and Kaminari and made your way over, directing a shy wave
at Bakugo as you passed by. Your stomach dropped a little when he responded dismissively.
Here you thought you two had taken a step closer to actually being friends, but apparently
not. Pushing away your disappointment, you turned your attention to the conversation you
were walking into.
“Oh thank god, the voice of reason has arrived!” Kaminari flailed his arms in your direction.
“L/N! Look at this picture of Mokino just laying on a cow and tell her that she's insane.”
You glanced over to Arashi, who was pulling her phone back out, “What, now?”
“I was just telling lightning bug here that cows are usually just big silly grass puppies. See?
Look how freakin' cute!” Arashi shoved her phone in your face, revealing a photo of a very
large bull laying comfortably in a grassy field with Arashi on it's back, attempting to give it
bear hug. The bull made your friend look positively tiny.
“Yeah,” Kaminari said, pointing to the picture. “See how freaking crazy she is?!”
You smiled and rolled your eyes. “Dude, are you forgetting she literally grew up on a farm? If
anyone knows how to safely handle a cow, it's her. Plus, I would one hundred percent sell a
minor organ to be able to hug a grass puppy like that.” When his only response was to give
you a horror stricken look, you asked, “What's got you so afraid of cows anyway?”
It was Jiro who answered, “ Apparently, our resident goofball here got bit by one at a petting
zoo when he was little.”
The three of you turned to look at Arashi as she started laughing uncontrollably. When she
finally caught her breath she said, “I'm- I'm sorry. It's just,” she burst into another small fit of
laughter. “It's just, a cow couldn't have bitten you.”
“But it did!” Kaminari cried out indignantly.
“It's just... Cows don't have any top front teeth.” She said, trying very hard not giggle. “So it
didn't bite you, it gummed you.”
You and Jiro were quite for a moment, registering this new information, then joined Arashi in
another fit of laughter.
Kaminari's ears turned bright red in embarrassment. “Not cool, guys! Don't laugh at me!”
Jiro wrapped an arm around his shoulders and playfully punched his bicep. “Aw c'mon. You
can't deny that crap is hilarious. Besides, it's kinda cute too.”
His face quickly took on a shade that matched his ears. “Ex- excuse me for a moment, will
ya?” He then bolted for Kirishima so fast he practically left behind a cartoon outline of
himself, and dragged Kirishima to the back of the crowd. Jiro looked after Kaminari,
smirking to herself.
Oh yeah, she did that on purpose. You thought as you and Arashi shared a look, grinning at
each other.
The chatter around you died down as Mr. Aizawa addressed both groups. “Now that you've
finished up your first semester at UA High, it's time for summer vacation to officially begin.
However,” his voice took on a more serious edge. “Don't think these will be months of rest
for you heroes-in-the-making. At this camp, we'll push you beyond your limits. You're
aiming to become Plus Ultra!”
You listened intently as he spoke, wondering what Plus Ultra would even look like for you.
You had spent so much time and focus trying to find a way into the Hero Course you hadn't
thought about what you would do if you actually made it in. You knew with your quirk you
would be better suited for rescue work, so you would definitely need to work on your
physical endurance. Maybe you could try using your quirk on more than one person at once?
If you were able to master that, you might even be able to help with crowd control!
Excitement filled your chest the more you thought about it. You were finally getting closer to
accomplishing your goal!
“Time to get on the bus!” You looked up to see a pretty girl with copper hair from Class B
ushering her classmates onto their bus.
“Attention, Class A!” Iida called out from the front of the crowd, arms waving dramatically,
“our bus is here. Everyone line up in seating order!”
Once Class A boarded and everyone had taken their respective seats Mr. Aizawa addressed
them again. “We'll be on this bus about an hour before our first stop. Make sure you stay
focused...” His words trailed off, drowned out by the student's chatter.
“Why aren't we blastin' some music?” Kaminari called out, his earlier embarrassment
seemingly forgotten.
“No one should be standing!” Iida shouted above the clamor. “That is a safety hazard! Please
stay seated!”
Aizawa gave an exasperated sigh and turned back around, sinking into his seat. “Why do I
even bother?” He mumbled to himself. “Well, I guess this is the only time they'll have to fool
around.”
You chuckled to yourself when Iida yelled, “Do not open that window!” at Aoyama from
across the isle, who ignored him and proceeded to open it anyway.
You settled into your seat and stared out your own window, admiring the beautiful forest
scenery that the winding mountain road you were on took you through. It kinda reminded you
of the rural roads leading out of Louisiana into Mississippi. Of course, there weren't any
actual mountains out that way, but there were some decent sized forested hills. As the trees
blurred by, your thoughts drifted to your mom.
You actually hadn't spoken to her since the day you had gone to the Kiyashi Ward Shopping
Mall. When you and your classmates finally parted ways you took a train back up to Hosu to
visit her, like you promised you would, and it had gone about as well as you had expected.
Emiko had been livid.
“I don't know what the hell has gotten into you, young lady, but you do not speak to me like
that. So help me, F/N M/N L/N (first, middle, and last name), if you ever disrespect me like
that again I will not hesitate to pull your ass out of UA and put you in a normal school like I
should have done in the first place!”
You swallowed your rage and forced yourself to put on a repentant face. You apologized
profusely, assuring your mom it would never happen again and that you weren't sure what
came over you. Once Emiko calmed down, you gently brought up that you noticed she had
been more... “protective” since the sports festival and asked if something had happened. Your
mom grew quiet, seeming to ponder if she should deny it, but sighed and told you yes,
something had indeed happened.
It turns out your father knew you and your mother were in Japan. Emiko knew her husband –
Bryan Warren – was intelligent, so she hadn't told anyone where they were going, not even
her parents. She picked a city several hours away and had kept them in the dark for that
reason. But she didn't know him half as well as she thought, and hadn't accounted for his
ruthlessness. When he contacted them for Emiko's and your location they insisted they knew
nothing of it. Of course, he thought they were just trying to cover for their daughter, and sent
some of his thugs to intimidate an answer out of them. Your grandpa found himself with
multiple broken fingers and a crushed kneecap before your father believed they really didn't
know where you were.
Emiko had been in a combination of shock and high alert since receiving that warning call
from her mother. What kind of monster had she married? How could she not have seen it?
She already felt blind from when you told her what had been going on right under her nose.
This just made it feel all the more real. Now she was constantly looking over her shoulder,
half expecting Bryan to materialize out of nowhere. And if he found out where you were, he
really could. He had a teleportation quirk after all. You felt the color drain from your face just
thinking about it.
“You okay, L/N?” Ashido asked from her seat next to you. “You don't look so good.”
“Oh, no, it's nothing!” You quickly put on a cheerful face and rubbed the back of your neck.
“Just feeling a little car sick, I guess. Looking out the window usually helps with that.”
“Just stick your head out the window if you feel like your gonna hurl.” Kaminari said with a
thumbs up from across the aisle.
That made you genuinely laugh. You smiled and said, “Ha, yeah I'll keep that in mind...”
Trying to change the subject you added, “So what were you guys talking about? I thought I
heard you say something about teaming up?”
“Oh yeah!” Kirishima exclaimed from his spot next to Kaminari, “Once we're Pro's! Can't
you just picture it? Red Riot, Pinky, and Charge Bolt! Villains wouldn't stand a chance!”
“Have you picked your Hero name yet?” Ashido asked, “You and Arashi joined after we
picked ours, I think.”
“Oh, yeah, I did!” You gave her shy smile. “Mr. Aizawa had us pick our names and submit
our costume designs the night before our first day. We're still waiting on the costumes
though... Anyway, yeah, 'Repose' is my hero name.”
Kirishima grinned at you and pumped a fist in the air, “Aw yeah! Repose is going to be an
awesome hero!”
You grinned back him, actually starting to be believe he was right.
***
The next hour went quickly, and before you knew it the bus was pulling to a stop in a dirt-
packed clearing that overlooked a fenced off ledge which promised sharp drop into the forest
below should one get too bold. You followed Kaminari, Kirishima, and Ashido off the bus,
taking the opportunity to stretch your cramped back and legs. You stumbled to catch your
balance as Mineta rushed by you, desperately searching for a restroom.
Kirishima looked around and said, “Huh. This isn't much of a rest area.”
Jiro came up behind him and added, “No. And where's Class B?”
Everyone turned to look at Mr. Aizawa with wide eyes as he said, “You don't really think we
stopped her just so you could stretch your legs, do you?”
Gasps and murmurs filled the air as everyone looked around, taking in their surroundings a
little more carefully – finally noticing the dark blue sedan that had been sitting there waiting
for them.
“Heya, Eraser!”
“Long time no see.” He responded to the voice that came from inside the car.
“Your feline fantasies are here!” You watched on in stunned confusion as two women in red
and blue cat-like costumes leapt from the car and did a weird little introduction routine,
ending with, “You can call us the Wild, Wild Pussycats!”
They were waaay to peppy for your liking. Like, being upbeat was one thing, but this was on
a whole other level. Mr. Aizawa was talking again, pulling your attention away from the
Wild, Wild, Pussycats. “These are the Pro Heroes you'll be working with at the summer
training camp.”
Midoriya, no longer able to contain his inner fanboy, shouted enthusiastically, “They're a
four-person hero team who specialize in mountain rescues! The Pussycats were founded
when we were kids like forever ago!” Both of the present members of the Wild, Wild
Pussycats gasped as he spoke. “This marks their 12th year working as a –“
His words were abruptly cut off by a paw to the face. “I'm pretty sure your math must be off.”
The hero in blue hissed, then in a slightly lighter tone added, “I'm 18 at heart.”
“Understood!” Midoriya yelped, sounding thoroughly chastised.
You heard Kirishima and Kaminari whisper, “That's so sad...” under their breath, and you had
to admit you agreed. Some people didn't know what it meant to age gracefully.
After the introductions were out of the way Mandalay, the one wearing red, said, “We own
this whole stretch of land out here. Everything you can see.” She gestured with an
outstretched arm. “The summer camp you're staying at is there at the base of the mountain.”
Pensive murmuring spread across the group of students. Uraraka was the one to finally ask,
“Uh, then why did we stop all the way up here instead?”
Asui, who was standing next to a very nervous looking Sero, gulped and said, “I'm afraid we
both know the answer to that.”
Sato chuckled nervously, “That... that can't be right...”
Sero, who was also laughing nervously, said, “Um, back on the bus,” and made to turn back,
“Quick. Let's go.”
Kaminari placed a hand on Kirishima's shoulder and said in a shaky voice, “Good idea. Load
up.”
Mandalay grinned wickedly, almost like she was enjoying the anxiety coursing through the
students, “The current time is 9:30 in the morning. If you're fast about it, you might make it
there by noon.”
Kirishima's jaw dropped, “No way. Guys!”
“Holy crap!” Mina squeaked.
“Save yourselves!” Kirishima shouted, and took off running, prompting everyone to follow
him in a mad sprint back to bus.
Mandalay shouted after them as they scrambled, “Kitties who don't make it there by 12:30
won't get any lunch.”
Mr. Aizawa, who had been watching the chaos unfold in silent amusement, added in his most
serious sounding voice, “You should have guessed, students. The training camp has already
begun.”
You all gasped collectively as Pixie-Bob blocked the path to the bus. You skid to a halt,
barely managing to avoid crashing into Arashi's back. The blue-clad hero touched the ground,
and the next thing you knew, you were somehow being swallowed by the earth and thrown
into air at the same time. Your classmate's screams filled the air around you, and you thought
you heard Midoriya say something about Pixie-Box controlling the ground. The forest floor
below greeted you with a harsh thud. You rolled onto your side, gasping for breath.
“Good news!” Mandalay yelled to your class from the top of the cliff as they lay groaning in
the dirt, “Since this is private land, you can use your Quirks as much as you want to. You've
got three full hours. You should be able to make it to the facility in that time.” She paused for
dramatic effect before adding, “That is, if you can get through The Beast's Forest.”
Class A collectively turned to cast a dread filled look at the woods behind them. Ever the
optimist, Kirishima dusted himself off and said, “I guess there's no use complaining. Might as
well get going.”
“Well, this should be fun...” You grumbled. You went to take a step forward, but stopped
short as Mineta sprinted by you again in a cold sweat, B-lining to the edge of the forest,
crying about how badly he had to pee. You crinkled your nose in disgust. Yeah, you could
wait until he was done. Suddenly, a low feral growl rumbled through the air and sent a shiver
down your spine.
“We're all gonna die!” Sero and Kaminari shrieked together as huge monster stalked out of
the tree line and roared.
You heard Midoriya gasp and shout, “It's Pixie-Bob's Quirk.”
You turned to look at him, your eyes widening as you took in the crackling energy that
covered his body. This was the first time since the sports festival that you had seen him use
his quirk, and it hadn't been anything like this before. It's amazing what just being in the Hero
Course could do for your quirk development, and you couldn't help but feel excited as you
thought about what it would do for yours.
Midoriya, Todoroki, Bakugo, and Iida leapt into action first, landing a series of devastating
blows against the dirt monster, causing it to crumble away. Sato gave Todoroki a celebratory
fist bump, “You guys took that beast down in seconds!”
Kirishima directed a thumbs up and wide grin at Bakugo, “You showed that thing who's
boss!”
Bakugo, gaze fixed deeper in the trees, growled in response, “We're not done.” Several more
beasts stalked closer, the eerie sound of their not quite animalistic roars rumbling through
trees around them.
Rallied by a short speech from their class rep, Class A charged deeper into the The Beast's
Forest. At first you weren't sure what you could do against the constructs since your quirk
wouldn't work on them. Determined to not be useless, you resolved to find another way to
help... But how could you help if you couldn't rely on your quirk or physical attacks? The
answer was obvious. As bait.
You spent the next several hours throwing yourself in the way of monsters that were easily
ten times your size and leading them towards classmates that were better suited to take them
down. It was definitely easier said than done. At one point you had been cornered by one of
the beasts, caught between it and a thicket of trees and briers. You briefly considered jumping
to the brier patch as a means of escape but decided it would be better accept your death
honorably, if not somewhat dramatically. But before the construct could land the finishing
blow a series of explosions filled the air and it came crashing to the ground in front of you.
Bakugo stood atop the corpse of his vanquished foe and glared down at you. “Stay out of the
way, touchy-feely! We can't afford for someone to have to save you every time we turn
around!” He leapt away towards his next target before you had a chance to respond.
That specific encounter was still playing in your head on loop as Class A finally dragged
themselves into a clearing at the base of the mountain, the sun fading into the horizon behind
them. You slumped where you stood next to Arashi, who was also gasping for breath and
covered in dirt with leaves stuck in her hair. You were vaguely aware of your classmate's
complaining about how long the trek actually took versus how long they were told it would
take, and the Pussycat's complimenting them on how well they handled the dirt monsters.
Blood was pounding in you ears and you were lightheaded from exertion.
Your ears perked up when Mr. Aizawa said, “Enough playing around. Get your stuff off the
bus. Once your bags are in your rooms we'll have dinner in the cafeteria. After that, you can
bathe and sleep. Tomorrow your training starts in earnest. You better get a move on.”
***
You sighed contentedly as you sank down in to the steamy water of the hot springs. Dinner
had been blissful after the long day of fighting your way through the forest. I'm going to have
to ask Mandalay for that curry recipe... You thought to yourself as you glanced up at the wall
separating the two sides of the hot springs, where Arashi had volunteered to help Kota,
Mandalay's nephew, keep watch in case any of the boys, namely Mineta, got squirrelly and
tried to steal a peek at the their side of the baths.
The girls around you were gossiping, but you weren't paying attention. You were still stuck
on what Bakugo said to you earlier in the day. You had felt pretty good about they way you
helped lure the beasts of the forest to their doom, that was until Bakugo had to save you and
you were reminded of just how weak you were. You were just as helpless as you had been
before you and your mom fled to Japan.
That thought stoked the rage that had been slowly growing in you for the last few months.
You were determined to never, ever be that weak and powerless again. No, you would make
the most of your time here at UA, at this training camp. You would improve your quirk. You
would improve your physical capabilities. You had no choice. Not if you wanted to stop your
history from repeating itself. Not if you wanted to become a hero with the ability to save
others from similar horror stories. And you did want it. More than anything.
“What about you, L/N?” Ashido's teasing voice brought you out of your thoughts.
“I'm sorry, what? I was zoned out.” You said apologetically.
“We were just discussing how things are heating up with our crushes!” Ashido replied, to
which Jiro clarified, “Mina is being a gossip and trying to play match maker. She was just
heckling Momo about showing off for Todoroki earlier today.”
“I wasn't showing off!” Yaoyorozu protested, “I was just doing my best, which is what was
expected of all of us.”
“Oh, poo.” Mina said, “You say that Jiro, but I saw you with Kaminari this morning. He
totally likes you!”
Jiro's face flushed, “I don't know what you're talking about.”
“Whatever you say,” Mina gave her teasing wink, “Now back to you, L/N! Spill the deets on
you and Bakugo. You two were getting awfully cozy at Momo's house!”
“N-no we weren't!” You stuttered, “We- we cooked together, that's all!” You sank a little
farther into the water and with a bit more composure added, “Besides, he clearly doesn't like
me. I did think that we took a step towards actually being friends when we were cooking, but
that was obviously just me imagining things.”
Your attention was suddenly drawn to the commotion unfolding on top of the divider wall.
“Ten bucks says that's Mineta being a perv.” Jiro said, annoyance creasing her brow.
“I'm not going to take that bet, because there's no way you're not right.” Uraraka said with a
sigh.
“Called it.” Jiro said as Mineta's scream filled the air, followed shortly by what sounded like
Iida shouting.
“Kota!!”
You jolted up at the sound of Arashi's panic filled voice calling the kid's name. “Ochaco, float
me, and Tsu, give me a boost!” You yelled, wrapping a towel around yourself.
Not questioning it, Uraraka tapped you on the shoulder and Asui used her quirk to fling you
up towards the top of the wall and you sent up a silent prayer that the towel would stay in
place.
You grabbed the top of the wall and vaulted over to see Arashi dangling over the edge by the
waist. She was clinging tightly to the edge with a one-handed, white-knuckled grip. When
you got closer you could see that Arashi had a hold of Kota by shirt. You rushed over and
extended arm. “Kota! Grab my hand!” Just as he started to reach for you, you heard his shirt
rip.
“Midoriya, please catch him!” Arashi instinctively called out as Kota plummeted towards the
ground, but Midoriya was already there.
You let out a breath you didn't know you were holding as Midoriya skid safely to a stop
below. “Is he okay?!” You yelled down to him.
“I- I think so!” Midoriya yelled back, “But I think he fainted. I'm going to take him to
Mandalay!”
Arashi let out a shuddering exhale and said quietly, “I'm going after him.”
You nodded and glanced out over the wall. Iida and Kirishima were thoroughly scolding
Mineta, and most everyone else was watching Midoriya carry Kota away. Everyone except
Bakugo, who briefly locked eyes with you. His face was stoic, but something you couldn't
place flickered through his gaze before he looked away.
About a half hour later, when everyone had finished up in the baths and retired to the sleeping
area, you realized you forgot your shoes in the changing room. Kicking off your blanket you
dragged yourself back down the hall, but stopped short when you caught a glimpse of Arashi
getting dressed. You hesitated, because even though Arashi hadn't said it, it was obvious she
wasn't comfortable changing around other people. And now you could see why. Before she
pulled a shirt over her head you saw an intricate lattice of scarring that covered your friends
torso. There was no way all those scars were just from when she got attacked by that Nomu.
No, with that much scarring you were certain Arashi had a dark past of her own to contend
with.
Chapter Summary
This chapter focuses on day two of the training camp, during which Mr. Aizawa has
Bakugo and Kirishima spar with Y/N and Arashi. During the sparring session Bakugo
accidentally triggers a memory from Y/N's traumatic past, and comforts her in a follow-
up scene.
Chapter Notes

points of view.
Day 2
“Bakugo, Kirishima, Mokino, L/N!” Mr. Aizawa yelled from where he leaned with his back
against a tree, observing his students push their quirks to their limits.
“Yes, Mr. Aizawa?” You asked as the four of you gathered around.
“Mokino, L/N. Vlad and I talked it over, and have come to the conclusion that given the type
of quirks you two have it would be best to work on improving your combat abilities today.”
He stated matter-of-factly. “Mokino, pushing your body to it's limits is one thing, but
repeatedly breaking yourself in hopes of strengthening your quirk isn't practical. And L/N,
while you need to work using your quirk to effect multiple people at once and how long it
remains in effect once your target is no longer in sight, it is imperative that you can defend
yourself if necessary.”
“What does that have to do with us?” Bakugo asked flatly.

Mr. Aizawa gave Bakugo a tired, but pointed look, “Glad you asked. Kirishima is going to be
sparring with Mokino and you're going to be sparring with L/N today.”
“The hell I--” Bakugo's words were abruptly cut short by Aizawa silencing him with his
capture scarf. Bakugo struggled against it at first, but quickly gave up. He folded his arms
and grumbled into the scarf.
“You were paired up based on your abilities.” Mr. Aizawa explained. “Mokino's quirk will
allow Kirishima to go all out without fear of injuring a classmate. L/N has basically no
experience with hand to hand combat, and would benefit greatly from being paired with
someone of your skill level. Understood?” Mr. Aizawa released Bakugo, who nodded in
agreement but was still obviously seething.
You and Arashi followed Kirishima and Bakugo to the gym. Kirishima chatted with Arashi,
reiterating how awesome her purple streaks came out from the girl's night when they dyed
her hair, while Bakugo muttered angrily under his breath. It was around the time you thought
you heard him say something like 'wasting my time training these extras' that you reached
your wits end with his attitude. You caught up with him and grabbed his arm, trying to pull
him to a stop.
“Let go of me, touchy-feely.” He barked, still walking ahead.
“What the hell is up with you?” You asked. “I thought we had gotten past,” you gestured an
arm at him wildly, “whatever this is. What did I do to piss you off now?”
Bakugo shook out of your grip and crossed his arms over his chest again. He gritted his teeth
and sighed before finally saying, “Look, L/N, you're a nice person. But it takes more than
being nice to be a hero. You're a liability; you just get in the way. And now I have to help you
catch up when I should be leveling up myself.” His blood pressure started to rise at the
thought of Deku getting ahead of him.
Arashi stopped in her tracks, breaking off the conversation with Kirishima mid-sentence as
she turned, forcing the other two to a stop. “Could you get off your high fucking horse for
five god-damned minutes?” she hissed, lip curling. “You're always talking shit but get pissy
when someone calls you out. Just like a little yappy dog.” She took another step, right up into
Bakugo's space to make their slight height difference more apparent as she grinned down at
him, the expression showing all her teeth. “Bet you'd fold like a wet paper crane if you felt
one of your own explosions. My offer from that first day in class still stands.”
You glanced over to Kirishima, who returned your wide eyed, 'oh shit' expression.
“Okay, guys, lets cool -” Kirishima started to say, but was abruptly interrupted by Bakugo.
“Can it, shitty hair.” He growled through clenched teeth, not breaking eye contact with
Arashi. They stared each other down for a few intense, silence filled moments, before
Bakugo finally gave her a cocky smirk, turned sideways and gestured towards the gym.
“After you.”
Arashi's grin widened as she shouldered past him towards the gym. Once her back was to him
you saw his cocky demeanor slip and caught a glimpse of the raw anger underneath, but it
was quickly hidden beneath a stoic mask.
You fell back and kept pace with Kirishima the rest of the way.
"Hey, man," he said to you in a low voice so the others wouldn't hear, "don't take what
Bakugo said to heart. Something I've learned since coming to UA, it's not about how flashy
your quirk is. It's what you do with it."
You gave him a grateful smile and a small nod, blinking away the tears you refused to shed.
Once the four of you reached the gym you made your way over to the section reserved for
sparring. Arashi and Bakugo ran through a quick series of warm up stretches before squaring
up.
"Alright, wannabe, I'm feeling merciful so I'll let you take the first shot." He taunted her.
From your spot on the sidelines you were able to see the tick in Arashi's jaw as she fought not
to lash out. Keeping a level head would be key here.
Arashi started their fight with a feint. She made a big show of going for a left hook that she
turned into a sweep with her right leg at the last second. Bakugo nimbly dodged it without
using his quirk and countered with a right hook of his own.
Arashi ducked under it and weaved to the left. "What's the matter, Sweaty Palms? Afraid to
use your quirk on me?"
In an immediate response, Bakugo roared as he jump back and let loose a calculated blast.
Even though Arashi had been expecting it, he moved so quickly she wasn't able to fully
dodge the attack. You saw the shift in her strategy then. Arashi began charging directly at
Bakugo, seemingly with the intent to grapple him. He would try to keep her at bay with an
explosion, that she would somehow manage to power through. Which would then cause him
to have to use a follow-up blast to propel himself out of the way. You heard Arashi grunt as
she slid headlong into the second blast.
Bakugo landed on his feet a short distance away and immediately loosed another explosion at
her. Arashi turned right into it, stumbled back, and landed on her butt with a yelp.
"Stay down, wannabe." Bakugo jeered as she rose back to her feet, heedless of his words, and
charged him again.
Bakugo hit her with another explosion, but instead of waiting for her to run through it he
immediately followed it up with a secondary blast that landed him behind her, where he
lashed out with a kick that caught her square in the lower back. Arashi stumbled forward with
a curse, but caught herself before she fell. She turned to face him, breathing hard. Bakugo
lifted his arm to fire again, but held back when she didn't immediately charge him.
"You're good." She spat and wiped a trickle of blood from her split lip with her thumb. "But
you're still just a damn bully that takes your insecurities out on those you think are weaker
than you. I've seen how you treat Midoriya, even when he’s done nothing but try to be nice to
you! It must terrify you that he's stronger than he used to be. You probably couldn't take him
in an earnest fight now. He'd--"
"DIE!" Bakugo shouted as he launched himself directly at her with a dual blast. He slammed
into her, sending them both sprawling to the ground. They both regained their feet quickly,
but Bakugo was slightly faster and landed a punch square on Arashi's jaw.
Rather than reeling back, she latched onto the opportunity and threw herself into it. She
propelled herself forward with a jump and managed to grapple Bakugo around the waist; he
struggled to break out of her grasp. While he was faster than her, she just about matched him
in muscle and in his exerted state she was able to take him to the ground and maneuver him
into a headlock.
Red faced and royally pissed, Bakugo spat several strangled curses through gritted teeth and
in a last ditch effort to break free angled a blast directly at Arashi's face - momentarily
forgetting that her quirk worked via touch. A fact he was quickly reminded of when the
injuries from his explosion were turned back on him as they were blasted apart.
You and Kirishima glanced at each other, and in an unspoken agreement decided to intervene.
You made for Arashi, and caught a glimpse of Kirishima slipping his phone back into his
pocket while he jogged over to Bakugo.
"You good, man?" You heard Kirishima ask as you knelt next to Arashi. You fought back an
amused smile when Bakugo groaned in response.
"You got him good, Arashi ." You said, helping your friend up into a sitting position. "Damn.
And you don't look any worse for wear either." You added, noting Arashi's quirk had already
healed the vast majority of her injuries.
"Heh, yeah." Arashi laughed, taking your extended hand and allowing herself to be pulled to
her feet. "I think I got my point across."
You turned in time to see Bakugo swat away Kirishima's hand and push himself to his feet.
You felt your amusement fade as you got a good look at his condition. The explosion Arashi
reflected did a number on him. He had a deep gash across his forehead that was dripping
blood down his face, both of his eyes were blackened with bruising, and his left cheek was
raw. There were also patches of his hair that were crispier than they had been a few moments
ago. Arashi grumbled something under her breath before walking over to Bakugo and
Kirishima. You followed close behind her.
"We should probably fix your face." Arashi held out her hand to Bakugo.
He stared at her hand for a moment, before grudgingly taking it. "Yeah, probably."
The gash on his forehead knitted itself shut and the bruising on his face faded.
Simultaneously, identical injuries appeared on Arashi's face before also disappearing. Bakugo
watched the wound transfer, a curious expression in his eyes.
Arashi pursed her lips and grumbled, "I, erm, I may have underestimated how strong you are.
...Sorry."
"Yeah, well," Bakugo said as he released her hand. "Back at ya." He looked down and rubbed
his wrist thoughtfully.
"Aww!" Kirishima loudly interjected, a goofy grin showing off his pointed teeth. "Now kiss
and make up --OW! Okay, okay! Stop! It was a joke!" He held up his arms around his head
defensively, laughing all the while.
More alike than they cared to admit, Arashi smacked Kirishima in the back of the head at the
same time Bakugo punched him in the arm.
"You're such a dumb ass." Bakugo muttered at him while lifting up the hem of his black
sports tank to wipe the blood from his face. "We should get into our actual sparring groups
before teach sends someone to check on us. C'mon, touchy-feely."
You glared at the back of his head as you followed him across sparring area. He said it with a
little less disdain than he had earlier, so you let it slide this time.
“Teach said you are a complete newb at this. How accurate is that?” Bakugo asked as he
turned to face you, taking up a defensive position.
“Pretty accurate.” You looked down, embarrassment flushing your cheeks. “I've been
sparring with a dummy, but I know that's not as good as practicing with a person.”
“Fair enough.” He said with an exasperated sigh, “Show me what you've got.”
“Um, okay...” You awkwardly took up an offensive fighting stance and cautiously
approached Bakugo. He waited, standing still while assessing your movements. You lurched
forward with a left jab, that he easily swayed out the path of, and followed it with a right jab
that he evaded in the same manner. You moved back, fists still up defensively. Humiliation
was plain on your face, but you fought through the uncomfortable feeling and went to make
another right jab.
This time, however, Bakugo countered by catching your wrist and bicep, and flinging you
around in a full circle. You gasped, your momentum causing you to stumble forward when he
let go. You caught yourself before you fell and turned back to face him, cheeks burning.
“You need to have a more grounded stance,” he said as he approached you, trying to keep his
voice neutral. He could tell that you were embarrassed, and for some unfathomable reason he
didn't want to make you feel worse. Maybe it was because of how pathetic you looked
standing there with your eyes wide and cheeks flushed. Yeah, that was probably it.
Bakugo slipped behind you and used his foot to spread your feet a little farther apart to widen
your stance, causing your heartbeat to accelerate drastically, while also lightly grabbing your
arms and bringing them up to a defensive position in front of your chest. While still holding
your arms he used his foot to nudge your left foot forward and angled your torso.
“There,” You could feel the heat from his body against your back and swore you could feel
his breath on your neck. You bit your lip as a shiver ran down your spine, hoping he didn't
notice. Bakugo released your arms and moved back in front of you. He then placed a hand on
your shoulder and lightly shoved. “See the difference? It's much more difficult to knock you
off balance when you have a good stance. You also need to pay attention to your opponents
body language and learn to anticipate their moves based on their subtle cues.”
And just like that, the hope you had that he hadn't notice your shiver evaporated into thin air.
You gulped and silently cursed him for being so perceptive. At least he had the decency to
pretend he didn't notice.
Bakugo moved back across from you. “Now come at me again. This time keep your stance
grounded, and keep some spring in your strikes. Also, don't stop the weight behind your
punch when you make contact. The target isn't on the front of your opponent. It's on the other
side, and the only way to it is through. Got it?”
You nodded and took a deep breath. You began a series of jabs again, all of which he dodged,
but this time he gave you small words of encouragement – noting how your strikes were
more confident and steady, and how easily you fell back into the stance he showed you.
“Better.” He said as the two of you came to a stop. “Okay, now that you've got a decent grasp
on that lets switch it up. I'm going to come at you, and you're going to try to evade and
counter.”
“Okay...” You said nervously, shifting into a more defensive stance.
Bakugo came at you slowly at first, trying to give you a feel for dodging and blocking. When
he felt the two of you were falling into a decent rhythm he said, “I'm going to pick up the
pace, okay?”
You nodded, feeling more confident than you had earlier. However, as he quickened his
strikes you struggled to keep up. More of his hits started to land than not and you felt
yourself getting flustered, but you were determined to push through.
Bakugo noticed you were losing composure, your blocks becoming more like aimless
flailing, and his patience started to slip. “Damn it, L/N!” He shouted as he lunged at you, his
fist connecting with your ribs a little harder than he intended. “Get your shit together!”
The next thing you knew, you were no longer in the middle of nowhere sparring with Katsuki
Bakugo. Suddenly, you were12 years old again and your father was lifting your body off the
floor by a fistful of your hair as you gasped for breath like a fish out of water – desperately
trying to take in air, but your lungs would not respond. After what seemed like the longest 30
seconds of your life your lungs finally complied, which was when your father's fist connected
with your ribs a second time effectively knocking what little breath you had managed to draw
back out of your lungs.
He roughly dropped you on the floor, where you laid in agony while waiting to be able to
breathe again. A few more minutes passed, and you were finally able to drag yourself up to
your knees, breaths coming in ragged gasps. You looked up at your father, who was standing
with his back to you while lighting a cigarette. He took a deep drag, turned back to you, and
crouched down to your level. You looked into is eyes and saw only a cold emptiness. You
guessed that was better than rage from a few moments prior. He exhaled a cloud of smoke
into your face. You coughed and your eyes watered in response.
“Well, now, darlin'. I do hope that's the end of this little rebellious streak of yours. Believe
me, this hurt me a lot more than it hurt you.” He said with a deep southern drawl, and took
another drag. “Now, Mr. Landry will be here in 15 minutes. And I expect you to give the
good gentleman what he paid for.”
When you snapped back to the present you were on the floor clinging to Bakugo's shirt while
he cradled you in his arms – a look of alarm plastered on his face. A trace of relief bled into
his eyes as he met yours and realized you were back from whatever dark hole you had fallen
down.
“Are... are you...?” He started to ask, but trailed of when you buried your face in his chest and
cried, your whole body wracked with silent sobs. “Shh, it's okay.” He said as he stroked your
hair in a way that he hoped was comforting. “Arashi is getting Mr. Aizawa. He'll be here
soon, and he'll know what to do.” Bakugo wasn't sure if that last part was meant to comfort
you, or himself. He felt so useless, and he hated it.
By the time Arashi and Kirishima returned with Mr. Aizawa, you had fallen asleep against
Bakugo's chest. He looked up at Mr. Aizawa and stammered quietly, “I- I don't what
happened. We were sparring... I hit her... But I didn't think it was that hard... I...”
Mr. Aizawa placed a hand on his head and lightly ruffled his hair, a sad understanding in his
eyes. “It's okay, Bakugo. This wasn't your fault. I should've taken her file into consideration
before I sent her to spar.”
“...her file?” Bakugo and Arashi asked at the same time, eyes questioning.
Mr. Aizawa shook his head and lifted you from Bakugo's arms. “I'm sure she'll explain when
she's ready.”
***
Bakugo sat at Y/N's bedside, studying her face with his brow furrowed. She was still
sleeping, if somewhat restlessly – her mouth occasionally twitching and the corner of her eye
spasming sporadically. He couldn't help but wonder what she was seeing on the other side of
her eye lids. For some reason he couldn't understand, he actually cared.
She was weak. A liability – like he said before. Her quirk was useless, and she couldn't even
fight well enough to defend herself from a wet newspaper. Worse, she was dragging him
down. Time that could be better spent honing his quirk was now being wasted helping her
catch up to their peers. That infuriated part of him. But the other part remembered the way
her face lit up when she smiled at him. The way she chased him down at the mall in an effort
to befriend him when he'd been nothing but a jerk to her since the day the met. He recalled
how they had gotten roped into cooking together at Yaoyorozu's home. He'd never admit it
aloud but he had actually enjoyed that.
He would also never admit aloud that he actually wanted to see her succeed, especially after
today. When they first met he didn't understand why she wanted to be hero. Why she thought
she even could; let alone how she managed to actually worm her way into the hero course.
Now, he suspected that her motivation for wanting to be hero stemmed from whatever caused
her to breakdown earlier, from whatever was causing her to whimper in her sleep. It was the
only thing that made sense to him.
His stomach knotted as he recalled the way she just dropped to the floor like a sack of
potatoes when he punched her. He knew he didn't hit her hard enough to knock the breath out
of her, but there she was on the floor - gasping like she couldn't breathe. And then she had
curled up into a ball and started hyperventilating. Arashi told him to try to help her remember
where she was before running to get Mr. Aizawa, but it didn't seem like she was able to hear
him. Nothing helped. Not until he got down on the floor with her and took her into his arms.
She clung to him desperately, and he had been so relieved when she had come back to
herself. He tried not to think about how it felt to have her pressed against his chest, dozing off
as exhaustion overcame her. How it made his heart thunder in his chest.
***
Bakugo was snapped out of this thoughts as you suddenly, and violently, began to thrash
around in your infirmary bed. “L/N!” With his heart in his throat he leapt up and grabbed
hold of your shoulders, hoping to prevent you from accidentally hurting yourself. “L/N, wake
up! L/N!”
You went still and your eye's snapped open. You stared up into Bakugo's worried eyes,
confusion creasing your brow. “Wha-?” Then it all came back to you. You and Bakugo were
sparring. You started to panic. He landed a hit on your ribs. And then...
Bakugo released your shoulders and sat back in his chair as you pushed yourself up into a
sitting position. An awkward silence hung between you.
Finally, you spoke. “You stayed with me... Thank you.”
“Don't mention it.” He rubbed the back of his neck and sighed before hesitantly adding, “So,
do you wanna talk about what happened back there, or...?”
You cringed at his question. The only person you told about what happened was your mother,
and you hadn't spoken about it since. You had read articles online about how talking about
trauma was supposed to help the healing process. Something about how keeping it all bottled
inside allows it to fester, and talking about it is like lancing an infected wound. Maybe telling
him would be good for you? Your mind raced, debating on how much to tell him – on how
much would be too much.
Right when Bakugo was certain you weren't going to respond you whispered, “You know
how I'm a transfer student from America?”
His breath caught at the hesitancy in your voice, “Yeah.”
You inhaled deeply; staring intently at your clasped hands sitting in your lap, “Well, the
reason I ended up transferring is because we – my mom and I – are running away from my
dad.”
“Your dad...?” He didn't know what he had been expecting, but that wasn't it.
“Please,” You held up hand while avoiding his eyes. “Just let me get it all out. If I lose
momentum I might not be able to do it.”
He nodded in silent encouragement. As you spoke his eyes widened in horrified disbelief.
You gave a brief explanation of how your father was part of an influential gang in the drug
trade based out of New Orleans, Louisiana. Not the quirk enhancing type, the old school
kind; and how when your quirk manifested he came up with a plan to use it to revolutionize
said drug trade. Bakugo could tell you were being intentionally vague and, by the way you
shook as you spoke, he had a sinking feeling that you were barely scratching the surface of
the horrors your father's plan had entailed.
“Shortly after my...shortly...” Your voice cracked and froze in your throat. Your eyes snapped
up, wide with surprise when you felt Bakugo's hand close around yours, and your stomach
fluttered at the fury you saw in his gaze on your behalf.
He gave your hand a sympathetic squeeze, calling on every last ounce of self restraint he
possessed to keep his voice calm and reassuring as he said, “It's okay. You can stop if you
need to.”
“I'm okay,” You said, “Thank you.” You squeezed his hand back, digging deep for the
strength to continue, and took a steadying breath. “Shortly after my 11th birthday I was
officially market ready.” You paused, feeling the unspoken question on Bakugo's lips, but
chose not to elaborate. “About a year and a half later I reached my breaking point. I just
couldn't do it anymore. I tried to run away, but he found me.”
You continued to explain that the day your father had his goons drag you home you decided
that he might be able to stop you from running away, but he couldn't force you to use your
quirk. Your defiance nearly cost him the patronage of a long time – and well connected –
client; which in turn resulted in the memory Bakugo accidentally triggered.
Bakugo clenched his teeth so hard he thought they might shatter as you went into the details
of the punishment you involuntarily re-lived. He was going to kill him. God help him - if he
ever found your father he was straight up going to murder him. You watched Bakugo's facial
expressions oscillate between disgust and rage as you spoke. It was strange, how his outrage
at what had been done to you gave you comfort.
“I... I don't mean to push,” He said, “But what was your mom doing during all this? I'm
having a hard time wrapping my head around how this went on for so long.” Natsuye visibly
winced, and he immediately regretted asking.
“My mom...” You hesitated, trying to find the right words. “My mom enjoyed the
comfortable life my dad's line of work provided us. I don't think she knew exactly what he
did, and I don't think she cared to ask. Of course she noticed the effect everything was having
on me, but she almost eagerly ate up the bullshit dad fed her so she could turn a blind eye.
She was all too happy to believe he was taking me to a doctor to find out what was wrong,
and then to a therapist after being “diagnosed” with depression.”
You went on to explain that a few months before your 14th birthday your mom walked in on
you self harming. Initially she was pissed, going on a tirade – complaining that they were
wasting so much money on a therapist for you to turn around and do this. Something in you
broke then, and the truth of what had been happening just spilled out. Horrified at what she
had been allowing to happen right under her nose, your mom could no longer look the other
way. She made the arrangements in secret, and the two of you were on the next flight to
Japan.
You ended your story with a rhetorical question, tears pricking at your eyes, “Late is better
than never, right? For her to step up and actually act like a mother.”
Chapter Summary
This chapter focuses on day 3 of the training camp (the day after Y/N's sparring session
with Bakugo) and shows her working on her quirk with Tokoyami. Later in the evening
Y/N is paired up with Jiro for the test of courage, and has a mini quirk awakening when
the villains attack. Bakugo starts acting more protective of Y/N and they have a sweet
moment before the illusion of safety shatters.
Day 3
Darkness surrounded you. You blinked, trying to bring your eyes into focus, and could just
barely make out the silhouette of Tokoyami sitting cross legged in front of you. The air
around the two of you was cool and damp, quite the change from the torrid heat just beyond
the mouth of the cave Pixie-Bob had made for you.
You held out your hands to him, “You ready for this?”
He nodded, taking your hands in his, “Revelry in the dark.”
Okay then... You swallowed down your building anxiety, feeling the weight of the emergency
lamp in your lap. Mr. Aizawa had given it to you in case Dark Shadow got out of control. But
as far as you could tell, Tokoyami was good at controlling his emotions. Really good. When
you helped Iida during the Hosu Incident you gained the ability feel the emotions of the
person you were touching, in addition to already being able to project an emotion into them.
But sitting here with Tokoyami's hands in yours you felt nothing. That helped steady your
nerves some. If his self control was as iron clad as it seemed then maybe he would be able to
withstand the onslaught to come.
Mr. Aizawa wanted you to use your quirk to rapidly alter Tokoyami's emotional state. He said
it would benefit you by helping to improve the versatility of your quirk, as well as the
duration of its effect. It would also be the first step towards being able to affect multiple
people at once. For Tokoyami, it would improve his ability to control Dark Shadow in high
stress situations.
You already had some experience drawing on more than one emotion at a time. However,
when you normally did it you pulled on complimentary emotions – like a level headed
calmness and bravery, or serenity and comfort. It felt more natural to follow up an emotion
with one that complimented or bolstered it. Switching between opposing emotions such as
anger and joy required you to completely shift gears. Earlier in the week Vlad King said that
using your quirk was similar to exercising a muscle. The more you use it the more the muscle
fibers tear, and the stronger it heals. This was definitely a muscle of yours that needed some
work.
You felt Tokoyami's grip tighten at the first surge of anger you sent through him. You held it
for ten seconds before switching to fear, then to disgust. His fingers began to painfully dig
into your hands, so you gave him a bit of a reprieve with the next surge being one of joy.
However, a mere ten seconds later he was bombarded by grief, then shock, and back to anger.
The two of you lost track of how long you sat there with this cycle of emotions swirling
between you. You gritted your teeth, the emotions starting to take their toll on you as well.
One of the draw backs of your quirk is that it's like a double edged sword. You had to feel the
emotion you were evoking as deeply as you made the other person feel it, so you would have
to weather this whirlwind of emotions alongside Tokoyami.
Suddenly, after another surge of anger, you felt Tokoyami's self control splinter. It was as if
you were walking on a frozen pond and had taken one step too far; that initial sharp cracking
sound that makes the heart shudder, and the spider-webbing of ice that followed. You felt his
panic leaking through as his grip on Dark Shadow faltered. Your eyes widened and your heart
skittered in your chest as he started to quake violently, fighting desperately to hold back the
demon his quirk had become. Underneath his panic you felt a separate source of emotion
rising up from within him. This one was all rage and aggression. Violent, animalistic instinct.
The will and drive to survive no matter the cost. It was slamming against the icy surface that
was his self control – causing the spider-webbing to fracture farther.
You felt in your gut if Dark Shadow managed to break free you wouldn't have a chance to use
the emergency lamp, not with how tightly Tokoyami was gripping your hands, and you could
tell you only had a few more seconds at most to act. Falling back on instinct, you dipped
down to the inner wellspring where you drew your quirk from and pulled forth the strongest
feeling of calm you could muster and threw it into Tokoyami. You could feel Dark Shadow
fighting against it, like a wild animal railing against the bars of a cage.
Tokoyami stilled as Dark Shadow receded, his grip on your hands loosening.
“That actually worked!” You grinned at him, “I wasn't sure if would since Dark Shadow is
his own person.”
“I'm... I'm sorry L/N. Dark Shadow was responding to my distress, and I wasn't strong
enough to calm him on my own.” Tokoyami said, his eyes down cast. “I have much to
improve upon.”
You gave his hands a comforting squeeze before letting go, “Don't worry about it. That's what
this camp is for. Hey, lets take a breather before we get back to it. C'mon.”
Tokoyami rose to his feet and extended a hand to you, and helped pull you to your feet when
you accepted it. You squinted, eyes readjusting to the sunlight as you both exited the cave.
Below you your classmates were still going at it, pushing themselves and their quirks to the
limit. Tiger was leading a group through an intense work out regimen while Mr. Aizawa was
chastising the remedial group – Ashido, Kaminari, Kirishima, Sato, and Sero – for lagging
behind the the rest of students. At the end of his lecture Pixie-Bob perked up, uttering a series
of meows.
“More importantly,” she added, tossing her arms in the air, “Tonight's gonna be fun! We're
pitting classes against each other in a test of courage. I know you've been training hard today.
And later, you'll get to play hard!”
“Huh, that should be a nice change of pace.” You said to Tokoyami, keeping your voice low -
hoping to avoid the attention of Mr. Aizawa.
He gave a solemn nod, turning back to the cave. “Revelry in the dark.”
***
“Whoa, Bakugo, you're really good with that knife!” Uraraka said, pausing by him on her
way to the stoves with an armful of kindling. “...It's weird.”
“What you mean, 'it's weird'?!” He shouted at her, drawing your attention from your prep
station behind him. “How can you people be so damn bad at everything?!”
You looked at Bakugo over your shoulder, leveling a mock glare at the back of his head. “I
take offense to that, Gordon Ramsay Junior.”
Clearly not expecting that, he turned to look at you, his mouth agape. You could almost hear
the 'the hell did you call me?' that was stuck in his throat. Realizing you had actually
flustered him, you let your glare melt into a playful grin. The look in his eyes softened ever
so slightly before he shook his head and turned his attention back to chopping potatoes in an
uncharacteristic silence. You turned back to your own prep work, still smiling to yourself.
That was, until Tokoyami cleared his throat from his prep station across from yours. You
glanced up at him and felt your cheeks flush under the amused scrutiny of the eyebrow he
cocked in your direction. Avian of few words that he was, he just chuckled to himself and let
you turn your focus back to chopping carrots a little too intently.
Dinner came and went uneventfully for the most part. Most everyone was so worn from the
hard day of training that they were too busy shoveling food into their faces for much else.
You fell into the category of 'most everyone'. Arashi, Kirishima, Ashido, Kaminari, and Jiro
sat around the table with you as you scarfed down your stew like you hadn't eaten in months.
“...what about you L/N?” Kirishima asked.
“Huh?” You looked up at him, spoon half way to your mouth, “Sorry! I was checked out.”
“We were brainstorming ideas for special moves!” Ashido said with a grin.
“Yeah!” Kaminari said. “You know how all the Pro's have that one big move they're known
for? We were thinking it would be cool for us to come up with something like that!”
“And since we're already pushing our quirks to the limit this is the perfect time!” Kirishima
added. “All the sparring I've been doing with Ojiro has me thinking about a move where I
push my hardening to the point of complete invulnerability.”
“That would be amazing!” Arashi said enthusiastically.
Kirishima grinned at her, his excitement palpable, “I know right?! I'm still working on a
name for it though. What about you? What would be your special move?”
You scarfed down a few more bites of stew as Arashi paused to ponder his question. “I never
really thought about it, actually. I honestly didn't think I'd be using my whole quirk until...
Well until Hosu. But I used to launch my little cousins in the air when we went swimming.”
She shrugged and added, “I guess I could probably launch another hero into the air for their
move?”
“That's...” Kaminari started to say, but Jiro spoke over him. “Creative. That's creative.” She
leveled a silencing glare at him, sensing that he was about to say something stupid.
“Maybe you could team up with L/N!” Ashido smiled at Arashi, her voice holding that edge
of perpetual enthusiasm. “When you were trying to save Kota from falling off the wall she
had Ochaco and Tsu team up to launch her up there to help you. You guys could create a
combo move or something!”
“That's a good idea!” You concurred and nudged Arashi with your elbow. “We'll have to
come up with something when we get a moment or two.”
Before you all knew it the sun had dipped behind the horizon and the sky was coated in an
inky blackness, setting the perfect ambiance for the test of courage. Once everyone was done
eating Mr. Aizawa and the Pussycats ushered the students into a small clearing not too far
from the main lodging area.
“We've filled our bellies and cleaned the dishes!” Pixie-Bob proclaimed excitedly. “It's time
for...”
“A totally awesome test of courage!” Ashido squealed, jumping up and down with her arms
in the air. Kirishima, Kaminari, Sero, and Sato joined her in her excitement, chanting “We're
gonna win!”
“Not so fast.” Mr. Aizawa said, voice stern. “It pains me to say it, but the remedial class will
be having lessons with me tonight instead.”
“You've gotta be kidding me!” Ashido wailed, visibly deflating as her excitement evaporated.
“Sorry.” Mr. Aizawa said without a trace of sympathy as he snared the five of them with his
capture scarf. “Your training during the day didn't impress me, so I'll be using this time, too.”
Ignoring their grumbling, Pixie-Bob continued, “Okay. So. Class B is going to act as our
'scarers'. When they're in place, Class A will leave in pairs every three minutes. There are
tags with your names on them at the far end of the route. Your goal is to collect those.”
Natsuye listened intently as Pixie-Bob continued to explain the rules. “Now those who are
scarers aren't allowed to make physical contact. Use your quirks to terrify the others. Got it?”
Tiger chimed in, a little too enthusiastically, “The winners are the creative students who make
the most people piss their pants!”
You stifled a chuckle as Iida went on one of his little tangents, praising how genius it was to
use this as a method to increase their creativity and the versatility of their quirks.
“All right!” Pixie-Bob held out a hand full of paper strips. “Everyone draw to see who your
partner will be.”
You took a random slip of paper from Pixie-Bob, fingers crossed that you would be lucky
enough to get Arashi, and read the number scribbled on it: 3. You glanced around, trying to
see if you could spot anyone who had drawn the same number.
“Anyone got three?” Jiro called out.
Not a bad draw! It wasn't your best friend, but not too shabby. You were just grateful you
didn't get stuck with Mineta. Speaking of the little perv... You grimaced to yourself as you
watched him beg Aoyama to switch partners with him so he could be paired with Yaoyorozu,
who was also observing him grovel with a mild look of disgust plastered on her face. You felt
an inkling of satisfaction when Aoyama stood his ground and told the little creeper no.
“Looks like we're partners.” You said with a grin as you walked up to Jiro.
“Dope.” Jiro replied with a slight nod.
An anxious excitement started to build in your stomach as you and Jiro waited for your turn,
the three minute intervals seeming to drag on and on at a snails pace. “This reminds me of
going to a haunted house!” You said, a faint trace of childlike wonder in your voice.
“Oh! They do that in America too?” Jiro asked.
“Yeah, it's really popular in the fall. Especially around Halloween. It's great!” You started to
elaborate on what spooky season in America entailed, but were interrupted by Pixie-Bob
shouting, “Next team!”
“That's us.” Jiro said and started for the break in the trees that marked the beginning of the
path.
You and Jiro paused, bracing yourselves before entering the forest. It was quiet. Unsettlingly
quiet. You thought it was weird that there wasn't even the humming and chirping of bugs to
fill the air, but just chalked it up to the scattered presence of Class B throughout the trail.
A little over a minute into it, you encountered your first scarer: Sen Kaibara from Class 1-B.
Quirk: Gyrate. His attempt to scare you by using his quirk against a tree, creating a sound
similar to a woodpecker on cocaine, fell flat. Jiro cringed at the sudden noise, but was
otherwise unphased. You spotted him hiding in the treeline first and raised a questioning
eyebrow at him. He held his hands up in defeat and slinked back into the bushes to await the
next team.
Continuing on, the two of you ventured into the area being manned by Itsuka Kendo, Yui
Kodai, and Juzo Honenuki. The path appeared clear at first but, in actuality, Honenuki was
using his quirk, Softening, to conceal Kodai in the ground. As you and Jiro approached
Kodai's head popped up out of the ground, giving the appearance of a severed head laying in
the pathway. You both immediately shrieked, nearly jumping out of your skins, and clung to
each other for a few seconds before Kendo and Honenuki fell out of the treeline laughing.
“Oh man, we got you two good.” Honenuki said, wiping a tear from his eye. “That was
almost as good as Bakugo and Todoroki's reaction. They somehow managed to sound more
girly than the actual girls!”
You and Jiro glanced at each other as you stepped back into your owner bubbles of personal
space, a grin starting to break out on each of your faces as you pondered that mental image.
“Yeah, you really got us!” You laughed along with them, waving over your shoulder as you
and Jiro continued forward.
After a few more minutes of venturing farther down the forest trail you stopped in your
tracks, noticing an odd smell in the air. Grabbing Jiro's shoulder you said, “Wait, wait. Do
you smell that?”
Jiro sniffed the air and cringed. “Yeah. Man that stinks. Do you think they're doing a bon fire
or something?”
“I don't think so.” You said, shaking your head. “I don't think the smell of the smoke would
make it all the way back here if it was just a bon fire back at camp. Plus, there's something
else... it, it doesn't smell like smoke... it smells like...”
Both of you came to the same realization, eyes going wide at the same time, hands shooting
up to cover your nose and mouths. This wasn't just smoke, it was gas too. For all you knew it
was probably toxic.
“C'mon! We've gotta get back to camp. Something's not right!” Jiro's shout came out muffled
through the hand covering her mouth. When you nodded in agreement she turn to head back
the way you came.
You had gotten maybe fifteen feet before you felt it. A jolt of something that felt like being
zapped by static electricity ran through you from head to toe and froze you in place. It was
similar to what you felt in Hosu when your quirk gained the ability to feel emotions in
addition to projecting them, only this was so much more intense. Your breath caught in your
chest as you were hit by a wavy of fury so strong it almost took you to your knees.
“Hey... You okay?” Jiro paused when she noticed you weren't following her.
The emotions tearing through you were so intense you barely heard Jiro's question. This
fury... It was somehow familiar. You gasped when it clicked: Dark Shadow. This had the
same animalistic edge that Dark Shadow did when Tokoyami was being overwhelmed during
their training earlier in the day. But... this wasn't quite right. This wasn't just the animalistic
rage and sense of fight or flight you had felt from him before. This was vindictive. This was
murderous intent.
“I can't explain how, but Tokoyami is in trouble! I can feel it.” You said, struggling to pull up
a barrier to keep the emotions out. “I think Dark Shadow is out of control. I helped calm him
earlier today. I can do it again.”
Jiro nodded at you, her wide eyed expression hardening into one of resolve. “Okay, I'll come
with you!”
“No, the gas looks thicker back the way we came. Ochaco and Tsu were behind us, as well as
those guys from 1B. They might need help too! We can help more people if we split up.” You
had a nagging feeling that might not be the smartest course of action, but you shoved it down.
The more people you helped, the better. Plus, it's likely you would catch up to Todoroki and
Bakugo on your way to Tokoyami and Shoji. You wouldn't be alone for too long.
Jiro nodded again, hesitantly this time. She saw where you were coming from, but was still
reluctant to split up. Finally, she said, “Yeah, okay. You be careful!”
You nodded back, “You too!”
***
Bakugo and Todoroki wandered down a bend in the path, doing their best to avoid the
patches of gas that were filling the area. The gas appeared shortly after they had collected
their name tags from Ragdoll in the clearing on the far end of the trail. Todoroki was hauling
Kosei Tsuburaba from Class 1B on his back, who they found unconscious – slumped against
a tree.
Not long after picking up Tsuburaba a tingling sensation went up their necks, causing their
hair to stand on end, and Mandalay's voice echoed in their heads, “EVERYONE! TWO
VILLAINS ATTACKED US. IT'S POSSIBLE THERE ARE MORE COMING.
EVERYONE RETURN TO CAMP IMMEDIATELY. WE'RE REGROUPING. DO NOT
ENGAGE ANY ENEMIES.”
“Damn it.” Bakugo grunted, his words coming out muffled from under his fingers.
Todoroki glanced at Bakugo and said, “There must be some sort of gas villain out here. I'm
worried about the others who're still in the forest. But I don't see that there's much we can do
now. Hopefully, Ragdoll can take care of everyone else.”
“Don't tell me me what to do icy--” Bakugo's words were cut off by an involuntary gasp.
There was a strange dark clad figure in the path ahead, kneeling over what appeared to be a
severed hand that was sitting in a puddle of blood. “Crap... Who's that?” Bakugo asked,
mostly to himself, then directed a follow up question at Todoroki, “Hey. Which group was in
front of us again?”
“Tokoyami, I think, and Shoji.” Todoroki responded, concern bleeding into his words.
An unsettling raspy voice emanated from the creepy figure, “So pretty... No, I have to work...
Can't. But it's so delicious, beautiful flesh... Don't temp me. I have a job to do...”
Bakugo's pupils constricted, his hand trembling slightly as he pulled it away from his face,
“No fighting, is that the rule...?”
The figure seemed oblivious to their presence as it hunched over the hand. They stood there,
feet frozen in place as they pondered the best course of action. They spun around as they
heard footsteps coming up fast behind them, wide eyed and half expecting another villain.
Some of the tension bled out from their bodies when you came into view. They quietly
shuffled towards you, trying to not draw the attention of the freak down the way.
Bakugo brought a finger up to his lips, indicating for you to be quiet and pointed over his
shoulder at the villain behind them with his thumb. You stopped in your tracks, eyes going
wide.
When they were finally close enough Todoroki whispered, “Where's your partner? Weren't
you with Jiro?”
“Yeah, we split up when the gas appeared.” You said.
“What do you mean you split up?” Bakugo asked in a harsh whisper before you could get the
next part out. He couldn't have heard that right.
You gave him a look, which only irked him more, and continued, “She went back the way we
came to make sure Ochaco and Tsu are okay, and those guys from Class B too.”
“That doesn't explain why you're here.” Bakugo interrupted again, the edge in his voice
sharper than before.
You were quiet for a moment. If you didn't know better you'd think this was his way of
expressing concern for your safety. Regardless, you didn't appreciate his tone. You pursed
your lips together, then said, “I was getting to that. I think Tokoyami and Shoji are in trouble.
Dark Shadow is out of control. I don't know how, but I can feel it. I'm looking for them so I
can help.”
Bakugo's eyes narrowed in an angry glare. What the hell were you thinking? Wandering off
without any backup... For some reason he didn't care to put a lot of thought into, the very idea
of that sent a jolt of ice through his veins. Falling back on the familiar comfort of anger, he
whispered harshly, “You're such an idiot! If they really are in trouble how exactly did you
think you were going to help by yourself? You're lucky you found us before a villain found
you.”
“Bakugo, enough-” Todoroki started to say but stopped short when Mandalay's voice echoed
in their minds again.
“EVERYONE IN CLASS A AND CLASS B! IN THE NAME OF THE PRO HERO,

ERASERHEAD, YOU ARE GRANTED PERMISSION TO ENGAGE IN COMBAT. I
REPEAT. USE YOUR TRAINING. YOU MAY FIGHT THESE VILLAINS.”
At that moment you took a step back, hand shooting up to your mouth to stifle a gasp.
Todoroki and Bakugo turned back around to see what caused your reaction, and immediately
felt their blood run cold. The dark figure was now on it's feet, turning to face you, eerily
swaying as it took a step forward. Bakugo instinctively put himself in front of you and
Todoroki, taking a defensive stance.
“Here, take this guy.” Todoroki shrugged off Tsuburaba and helped brace him on your
shoulders, then moved to take up a defensive position alongside Bakugo.
“L/N, no matter what happens stay back.” Bakugo said, not looking over his shoulder. “If it
looks like it's getting bad I want to take that guy and run. Understand?”
“But--”
“Understand?!”
“Fine. Yes.” You huffed. “If it gets bad I'll get Tsuburaba to safety.”
Bakugo grunted in acceptance. That wasn't exactly what he had meant, but if that's what got
you to listen it worked for him.
“LISTEN, WE'VE DISCOVERED ONE OF THE VILLAINS' TARGETS. IT'S A

STUDENT NAMED KACCHAN. KACCHAN, YOU SHOULD TRY TO AVOID
COMBAT. AND STICK TO A GROUP. I HOPE YOU CAN HEAR ME!” Mandalay's voice
echoed in your heads again.
Your stomach dropped as you realized Mandalay's words the opposite of the desired effect on
Bakugo as he took off running at dead sprint, heading towards the villain with a frenzied grin
plastered on his face. “I could focus if you got out of my damn head!” He yelled into the
night. “I can take care of myself!”
Out of seemingly no where several jagged blades projected from the villain, aiming to skewer
Bakugo. Todoroki just barely threw up a protective wall of ice in time, stopping Bakugo in
his tracks and preventing him from getting shishkabobbed. You hunkered down in the tree
line with Tsuburaba, trying to keep him out of harms way. Pieces of wood exploded around
you as the blades decimated a few of the surrounding tree limbs.
“Don't rush into this fight carelessly!” Todoroki shouted. “Weren't you listening to
Mandalay? They're here because they're after you.”
You realized that the blades were... coming from his mouth?! as the villain catapulted himself
into the air, using his blades like orthodontic pole vaulting sticks. “Have to keep going...
Have to work... Do my job...” He growled.
Ignoring what Todoroki said, Bakugo responded with, “Telling us not to engage and then
changing their minds. I don't know how, but I get the feeling this is Deku's fault.” A feral yell
tore from his throat as he launched himself towards the villain again. “Well, I don't care what
anyone says!”
Todoroki brought up another wall of ice with the intent of freezing the villain in place as well
as creating a protective barrier, but Moonfish nimbly vaulted out of the way. He was, at least,
still successful in stopping Bakugo's advance and preventing the blades form reaching them.
Shards of ice showered down over them as the blades impacted the ice wall.
“Damn it.” Todoroki said between gritted teeth. “He's good at moving through this terrain
with his quirk.”
Looking at Todoroki over his shoulder, Bakugo shouted, “This freak looks like a scrawny
little sidekick to me!” Turning back to the villain he braced himself for an attack and yelled,
“C'mon ya bastard!”
“This clearly isn't his first battle.” Todoroki observed aloud, hoping to sway Bakugo from
recklessly attacking.
Moonfish was contorted upside-down in the air, holding himself up by the blades extending
from his teeth. Still, he somehow managed to talk. “Show me... Show me your exquisite
flesh!”
From the treeline you listened to Todoroki and Bakugo argue back and forth about the best
way to move forward. Bakugo, of course, was urging for a full frontal assault. To go in guns
blazing, so to speak. Todoroki was urging caution. He was concerned their particular quirks
would start a forest fire and put everyone's lives in danger. And honestly he had a point.
Despite all his bluster and insistence on attacking, Bakugo didn't try more than lunging
forward once or twice, trying to get close enough for his quirk to not cause collateral damage.
Each time Todoroki would intervene with a wall of ice, countering the blades Moonfish threw
at them. Bakugo gritted his teeth and growled in frustration.
“There. I see ice! They're fighting!” Midoriya's voice echoed towards them from deep within
the treeline. Arashi, and Shoji – who was carrying Midoriya on his back – were hauling ass
towards them, a giant cloud of dust and gravel on their heels. “Bakugo! Todoroki!” Shoji
yelled. “One of you. Give use some light!”
“More flesh!” Moonfish rasped, only to be immediately slammed into by a roaring and
snarling Dark Shadow.
Arashi and Shoji leapt forward, trying to doge the fall out. When the dust settled they could
see Dark Shadow pinning Moonfish to the ground. Tokoyami, who was cloaked by Dark
Shadow, screamed out in agony.
“Kacchan!” Midoriya yelled as he finally laid eyes on Bakugo, sheer relief washing over him
– finally having confirmation that his friend was okay.
“.... is that Tokoyami?” Todoroki gasped at the sight of Dark Shadow's towering form. None
of them had ever seen him this huge. This out of control. Dark Shadow roared and blindly
lashed out at the surrounding trees, releasing Moonfish in the process.
Moonfish pushed himself up with his teeth-blades, “Flesh... Slabs of meat... No good. Can't
allow it... I'm the one who gets to slice them open... Don't steal from me!” The first trace of
actual emotion bled into his raspy voice at the the thought of someone else cutting into and
devouring them. He lashed out at Dark Shadow, piercing him with his blades, but when
Moonfish tried to retract them they remained stuck in his incorporeal form.
“You don't matter. Insignificant bug!” Dark Shadow roared, actually seeming to see him for
the first time. Dark Shadow's form consumed Moonfish, snapping all of his extended blades
in half and launching him into a tree. He impacted it with a sickening crunch.
Oh yeah... He definitely broke something... You thought, staring wide eyed at Dark Shadow.
At that moment, you saw an opening.
“Arashi!” You yelled, sprinting out from your cover in the tree line. Arashi, who had a
concussed appearance about her, seemed to come to at the note of urgency in your voice.
“Throw me!”
Shoji and Todoroki looked between the two of you and Tokoyami, a look of growing horror
on their face as they realized what you intended.
Bakugo's eyes widened and his breath caught, gaze never leaving you. He yelled and held an
arm out in your direction, “L/N! Wait!” What the hell were you doing? You couldn't possibly
help. What could you even do again this embodiment of raw anger and hatred?
Arashi took up a wide stance, grounding her feet and bending her knees. She held her arms
out with her fingers laced. Never slowing down, You planted a foot in Arashi's hands and
Arashi launched you into the air, using your momentum to sending you hurtling towards
Dark Shadow.
You collided mid-air with Tokoyami, Dark Shadow holding you both afloat. You clung to
him tightly, arms around his neck and legs around his waist, praying that Dark Shadow
wouldn't be able to send you flying like he did Moonfish before you did what you had to do.
Digging deep, you tried to replicate the intense feeling of calm that helped Tokoyami regain
control earlier in the day. You felt Tokoyami respond, his body becoming less tense and his
breathing evening out, but still Dark Shadow raged, roaring, “Not enough! It's not enough!”
He was so far gone, so deep in his rage, that not even a completely calm and level headed
Tokoyami could call him back.
“We need some light, now!” You heard Shoji yell.
“NO!” Arashi shouted, understanding even in her dazed state how important this was for you.
“Let her do this!”
“Dammit, return-to-sender!” Bakugo barked, “He's gonna freaking kill her!”
“She's got this!” Arashi yelled back at him.
You focused, tuning out your friends below. You used your quirk to reach into Tokoyami,
down into the deep swirling abyss within him where Dark Shadow was housed. The rage
emanating from there, the intense burning hatred for those who had hurt his friends, made
you cringe. You fought the urge to shy away, instead diving deeper into the void, filling it
with tranquility. You let thoughts of a clear blue sky flood your mind, of warm sunlight
dancing over your skin. The sounds of cicadas on a lazy Louisiana evening, the sky tinged
with orange and silver as the sun dips lower and lower. You let yourself fall into a place of
absolute peace and shared it with Dark Shadow, pouring it into him until it filled every corner
of his being.
Dark Shadow slowly shrank back into Tokoyami, setting the two of you gently on the forest
floor before disappearing entirely. You scrambled off Tokoyami and he collapsed to his
knees, breathing hard. Everyone gathered around him. He looked up at you before bowing his
head, “L/N... Thank you. You saved me.”
“No problem,” You said, rubbing the back of your neck and shuffling awkwardly. “Sorry I
had to get all up in your personal space like that.”
Todoroki spoke up, a hint of awe in his voice, “We could barely defend against that guy, but
you beat him instantly.”
Shoji reached out, placing a hand on Tokoyami's shoulder, “My friend. Are you okay?”
Tokoyami just continued to stare at the ground. “You did what we needed you to.”
“Shoji. I apologize.” Tokoyami said, finally looking up with tears welling in his eyes. “You,
too, Midoriya and Mokino. I'm still far too immature. Anger consumed me.” He looked at his
hands, horrified by the monster he allowed himself to become, “And I let my quirk take over.
The influence of the darkness, combined with my fury, spurred Dark Shadow into a frenzy...
it got so strong, I couldn't contain it.” He grit his teeth and weakly slammed his fits on the
ground. “And I ended up hurting Shoji.”
“We'll deal with that later.” Shoji said. “That's what you'd say if our roles were reversed.”
Tokoyami looked up at him, then between the rest of his classmates, and pushed himself to
his feet, a new sense of determination filling him. He wasn't alone in this. Midoriya, who was
still wrapped in Shoji's dupla arms, said, “I don't know if you heard Mandalay, but Mokino
found out the villains are after Kacchan.”
Tokoyami gasped, the look in his eyes sharpening, “Bakugo? Are they trying to kill him?”
Breaking away from the conversation, you made your way back to the forest edge. “Hey,
Todoroki!” You called back over your shoulder, “Help me get Tsuburaba back up.”
He jogged over them and knelt down. “Here, I'll carry him on my back again.”
You nodded and helped position Tsuburaba onto Todoroki's back. Together you walked back
to the group. Bakugo was standing frozen in place, looking back and forth between everyone
with wide eyes as Midoriya came up with a plan to get them back to camp safely. Finally
snapping out of it, he shouted, “I'd be fine by myself!”
Ignoring him, Todoroki said, “We'll surround you as we walk.

“I don't need any of your protection, dammit!” Bakugo growled between clenched teeth.
“Don't ignore me!”
“Just make sure you keep up.” Todoroki called back over his shoulder.
“Don't tell me what to do.” Bakugo grumbled, grudgingly accepting his fate as he trudged
along behind them.
The eight of you moved through the forest in a pensive silence. Listening intently for any
sign of more villains. Midoriya's plan took your group off the path, intending to cut through
in a straight line to take the most direct route back to camp. Every snapping twig set you all
further on edge. Bakugo gradually fell back towards the rear of the group, with you on his
left and Arashi on his right.
You took a moment to really look at your friend, worry making your chest tight. She seemed
scuffed up a bit, but she always looked like that even after her quirk completely healed her.
But under the scuffs and the dirt you could make out some actual scrapes and cuts. She also
had bruising on her arms and the side of her face. When she wasn't being directly addressed
she had a thousand yard stare on her face, looking straight ahead like she had tunnel vision.
You realized that, for some reason, she wasn't healing the way she was supposed to and
wondered what had happened.
Bakugo drifted closer you, pulling your attention away from Arashi. The two of you walked
together in silence, though you could tell something was on his mind. He was looking down
at his feet, and his pace slowed. You slowed your pace to match his, the rest of the group
getting farther and farther ahead of you and Bakugo, though you didn't really notice.
“Hey... Um...” Bakugo finally said, shuffling awkwardly as you continued to walk alongside
each other. “I, uh, I'm sorry.”
“For what?” You asked. You tried to look at him, but he was avoiding eye contact.
“For... for thinking your quirk was useless, and that you were just a liability that needed to be
protected.” He paused, sighing heavily, then finally looking at you. “You were brave back
there. Reckless. But brave. Normally I would say that bravery without the power to back it up
is just stupidity, but you came through and saved bird-boy from himself. So, I'm sorry for
misjudging you.”
That... was the most he had ever said to you in one go. Not only that, you could tell it was
actually heartfelt and was coming from a place of great vulnerability. He had actually
admitted to being wrong. A feeling of warmth worked it's way up from your stomach and
spread through your chest. You placed a hand on his shoulder, gently pulling him to a stop,
and held his gaze. “Thank you, Bakugo. Really. I don't think you know how much --”
As you were speaking Bakugo caught a flash of yellow out the corner of his eye, and realized
it was heading right for you. “Y/N/N!” He called out, using the nickname you told him about
without thinking as he lunged for you, shoving you out of the way.
It all happened so fast you barely had time to gasp as Bakugo shoved you into the tree line,
the sound of your nickname on his lips somehow foreign yet right at the same time. As you
fell backwards in what felt like slow motion you saw the look of panic in his eyes. Saw how
he seemed to hover in mid air before disappearing. In his place was a masked figure in a
yellow and orange trench coat with a matching top hat.
Then your head made contact with the ground and everything went black.
The Incident at Camino Ward
Chapter Summary
Y/N wakes to find herself in the hospital, and is devastated to learn two of her friend
were taken by the League of Villains. When Yaoyorozu tells her of a plan to rescue
Arashi and Bakugo, she can't pass up the opportunity. However, once her mother picks
her up from the hospital she is faced with possibility of never seeing any of her friends
again...
Chapter Notes

points of view.
You lay in your hospital bed staring at the ceiling. The divider curtain was drawn, separating
your side of the room from Yaoyorozu's. You had both suffered head injuries during the
training camp, though Yaoyorozu seemed to have taken a harder hit. You had woken up the
same night all of you arrived in the hospital, but Yaoyorozu had just woken up – a day and a
half later – though it was possible that was because she'd had more exposure to the gas than
you did.
They did a CAT scan and an MRI on you just to cover all their bases, and had just gotten the
results of your blood work back that morning. Everything came back clear, so you were just
waiting on your discharge papers. You should be happy for that, but all you could feel was
the guilt twisting in your stomach. All you could think about was the look on Bakugo's face
right before he disappeared into thin air.
That man in the yellow coat... He had meant to take you. He had meant to take you and
Bakugo saved you. Again. He pushed you out of the way, which caused him to get caught
himself. There was no doubt in your mind that he would have been able to fend off his
kidnapper if he hadn't had to worry about you. God damn it, he had been right all along. You
really were just a liability. You scrunched your eyes shut, trying to stop the stream of silent
tears flowing down your face. Not only had Bakugo been taken, but Arashi had as well. You
wondered if they still would have taken Arashi if they had managed to grab you instead.
There was a knock at the door before it slowly opened. You wiped your eyes and sat up,
expecting it to be a nurse with your paper work.
Instead, you heard Yaoyorozu's voice. “...Kirishima? Todoroki?”
“Hey, Yaoyorozu.” Kirishima's voice filled the room, “How are you feeling?”
“Better now. My head is still a bit sore, but the last bit of the gas has worked it's way out of
my system.”
“I'm glad to hear it,” came Todoroki's voice.
“Yeah, we're really glad you're okay.” Kirishima added. “How's L/N? Has she checked out
yet?” You heard his foot steps nearing the divider curtain.
“I think she's asleep, actually.” Yaoyorozu said. “She's been really quiet since the nurse left to
ready her discharge paperwork.”
“Oh.” Kirishima stopped his approach and lowered his voice. You were about to speak up
and announce that you were actually awake when he continued. “So... Yaoyorozu... We
overheard your conversation with the police and All Might this morning.”
When Yaoyorozu didn't say anything Todoroki added, “Do you think you would be able to
make a second receiver for that tracking device?”
After taking a moment to process his request, Yaoyorozu spoke. Her voice was low and
uncertain, “You want me to make a new receiver?”
“Yes. Please!” Kirishima urged in a low whisper.
“You must know what we're planning.” Todoroki said, as if it were the most obvious thing in
the world.
You heard the rustle of Yaoyorozu blankets as she shifted in her bed. Finally, she said, “I do.
Let me think about it.”
Kirishima nodded. “Okay. That's fair. I know it's a big ask.”
“If you decide to help we'll be waiting in front of the hospital tomorrow night, right after
dark.” You heard their footsteps receding back towards the door when Todoroki paused and
added, “We're going to ask Midoriya to come with us. If you decide to go through with it,
should you invite L/N when she wakes up. I imagine she'll want to come too.”
The door clicked as it closed behind them and Yaoyorozu let out a shuddering breath. “Damn
it...” She whispered to herself, “What am I going to do?”
***
“Alright, dear! You're all set. Your personal belongings are in the bag over there. Be sure not
to forget them.” A nurse with a bright eyes and a warm smile said as she took the clipboard
back from you.
“Thank you.” You smiled back at her, and watched as she bounced out the room.
A heavy silence hung in the air as you gathered up your belongings. You wondered what
Yaoyorozu had decided, and if she was going to say anything about it before you left.
Yaoyorozu hadn't said anything yet, and it had you wondering if you should mention that you
over heard her conversation with Todoroki and Kirishima.
Just as you was sure Yaoyorozu wasn't going to bring it up she said “...Hey, Y/N?”
Still debating on if you should just play dumb, you responded, “What's up, Momo?”
“I'm sure you've heard about Mokino... and Bakugo...”
“Yeah... I have.”
The heavy silence returned while Yaoyorozu chose her next words. She took a deep breath
and said in a low voice, “Kirishima and Todoroki stopped by while you were sleeping earlier.
They are wanting to stage a rescue, and wanted to extend an invite to you.”
You let your eyes widen, “Can we actually do that? How did they find out where they are?”
“During the attack on at the camp I was able to attach a tracking device to the Nomu that was
there. I already provided the receiver I created for it to the police, but Kirishima and Todoroki
asked me to make another one.”
“Does this mean you've decided to?”
“Yes.” Yaoyorozu nodded. “Against my better judgment, I'm going to help. I plan on going
with the three of you, and Midoriya if he's well enough to go, to make sure they boys stay out
of trouble. If you want to go, meet us out in front of hospital after dark tomorrow night.”
Before you could respond your phone started to ring. Glancing at the screen you saw it was
your mom. “Hello? …. Oh, okay. …. Yeah, I'll be right down.” You hung up and slipped the
phone back in your pocket. Sighing, you turned your attention back to Yaoyorozu. “That was
my mom. She's waiting for me out front. I've gotta head out now.” You paused before adding,
“I'll be there.”
***
The car ride back to your apartment was filled with a tense silence. You could tell her mom
had something on her mind, but weren't sure what. Deciding to test out your new ability, you
reached out with your quirk and tried to feel for your moms emotions. You were almost
surprised when you felt genuine concern. It did occur to you that the concern may be more
about you father finding the two of you than for what you went through at camp, but you
supposed it could just as easily be a mix of both.
You were having a hard time telling exactly what the emotion was stemming from. Just when
you felt like you were about to grasp it, it would slip through your fingers. Since joining class
1-A your quirk had strengthened enough so that, when used via touch, you could usually tell
what was causing someone's emotions. You couldn't necessarily read minds or anything, you
were just able to pick up on the underlying cause for the emotion. Like when you had been
training with Tokoyami and you could sense his panic. You could tell that the panic was from
the sense of a loss of control and the fear that people he cared about would be hurt. You were
going to have to put in some work to get your quirk back up to that point when you used it
without touch.
After what felt like an eternity, your mom finally parked in the lot in front of your apartment.
Once you and her were inside, Emiko said, “Pack a bag. You're coming with me back to
Hosu.”
“What? Why?” You asked, ice running down your spine. You couldn't just leave! Not yet...
Not before you helped your friends.
Your mom shifted uncomfortably and you picked up on a sense of uneasy anticipation
emanating from her. You couldn't tell for sure, but it made you think she wasn't looking
forward to whatever she was about to say next.
After an exaggerated sigh, Emiko took a seat on your sofa – her posture rigid – and said,
“You're not safe here, so I'm withdrawing you from UA.”
Your breath caught in your throat and you felt dizzy, like the floor was falling out from under
you. She couldn't have meant that. “Mom, no! That's not true!”
“Oh, it's not?! Your class was completely off grid and a group of villains still managed to find
you. Not only did they cause injury to you and several of your classmates, they actually
managed to kidnap two of them! Tell me, Y/N, how is that keeping their students safe?” You
tried to protest, but Emiko spoke over you. “And if they can't even protect you from that little
group of nobodies, how on earth are they going to protect you if your father comes knocking?
Well, they've just proven they can't. We're going to lay low in Hosu for a few days, then we're
moving to another city, and you're going to enroll in a normal school.”
“Mom, please...!”
“Enough, Y/N.” Emiko said, voice clipped. “This conversation is over.”
You fell quiet, the gravity of what your mother said slowly sinking in. You felt tears building
behind your eyes, but refused to let them fall.
“Well, go on. Get packing.”
“...Okay. But can we please stay here tonight? My friend Momo was hurt at camp, and I
promised I would visit her in the hospital tomorrow. I'll be back in the evening, after saying
my goodbyes, and we can go. Please.” You let the tremor in your voice come through.
Emiko sighed again, and then conceded to one night at your apartment. You scurried off to
pack your bags, as not to give your mom any indication of what you were actually planning.
***
You weren't surprised when your mom tried to go back on letting you return to the hospital.
Apparently she decided over night that she didn't want you to give anyone a heads up that
you two were leaving. At lunch you mentioned you were going to head up to the hospital
around 3pm. That was when your mom sprung it on you.
You had bought a good two hours just arguing with Emiko, insisting that you wanted to say
goodbye to your friends before you never got to see them again. But your mother was as
unmovable as she had been the night before. She ended the conversation by instructing you to
finish packing while she ran to the bank, storming out the apartment with the door slamming
shut behind her.
Instead of doing what your mother insisted, you waited five minutes then left the apartment.
You could deal with whatever consequences there would be once you made sure your friends
were safe. You were sure the hospital was the first place your mother would go looking for
you, and would probably case it out for most of the day after realizing you weren't there. No,
you would have to go wait it out somewhere else. And then, once night fell, you would meet
up with your classmates at the hospital.
You made your way to a nearby park and found a secluded area where you could hide out and
people watch. It wasn't long before your phone rang. Of course, it was your mother. You let it
ring until it went to voicemail. Apparently your mom wasn't in the mood to leave a message,
as she called back immediately. The third time she called you sent it to voicemail after the
second ring. A few moments later your phone buzzed with the notification for an incoming
text message:
If you don't call me in the next sixty second I'm going to assume you've been kidnapped, and
will report it as such to the police.
You sighed and messaged back:
Mom, you're being ridiculous. I'm not kidnapped. I told you, I have to say my goodbyes. I will
be back later tonight. I'm turning my phone off now.
Hours passed as you waited for the sun to set, giving you plenty of time to stew in your
anxiety and heartbreak over the fact that this was the last day you were going to see any of
the friends you had grown so close to. The first actual friends you ever had. There had to be a
way to talk sense into your mom. So your dad knew you were in Japan, but he still didn't
know where. And, despite what had happened at camp, being enrolled in a school for heroes
would keep you infinitely safer from your father than being enrolled in a normal school
would. At UA not only would the teachers be there to protect you, you could learn to protect
yourself and wouldn't need to constantly rely on others to save you. You would make your
mom see that. You had to. You couldn't just spend your whole life running.
As the sun dipped behind the horizon, you turned your phone back on to send Yaoyorozu a
message. You were about ten minutes away from the hospital by foot, and didn't want them to
leave without you. Rolling your eyes at the 47 missed call and 23 unread texts from your
mom, you sent Yaoyorozu a quick “OMW”. After making sure it went through you powered
down your phone again so it couldn't be tracked and slipped it back into your pocket.
You kept to the shadows, and were constantly looking over your shoulder on the way to the
hospital – keeping an eye out for your mom or her car. As you approached the front of the
hospital you could hear raised voices, and just as you rounded the corner you saw Midoriya
take a step towards someone who had his back to you. The figure lashed out and punched
Midoriya on his left cheek. You gasped and sprinted towards them as Midoriya staggered but
managed to keep his feet.
As you got closer you realized his attacker was actually Iida. “I'm the class rep, dammit! I'm
worried about all my classmates. Not just Bakugo and Mokino.”
What was Iida doing here? Yaoyorozu didn't say anything about him coming with them...
Was he trying to stop you guys? As you drew nearer you reached out with your quirk for his
emotions. You felt his fear, his anxiety. But strangely you also felt guilt, and under it a strong
sense of determination. He did mean to stop you, you realized. You slowed to a walk as you
came into sight. Yaoyorozu and Kirishima saw you first and greeted you with a wave and a
nod.
“Iida...” Todoroki said, “You've got it wrong. We don't expect to face them head-on and win.
We'll get Bakugo and Mokino back without fighting.”
“Yeah,” Kirishima added, “we'll be stealthy. I'm talkin' covert ops here. We can rescue them
without breaking the rules.”
Yaoyorozu raised a clenched fist to her chest. “I trust Todoroki's judgment, but.. Still. Things
could always go wrong. So I'll join you as backup. I'll stand behind my classmates.”
“You can't be serious!” Iida said at the same time Kirishima said, “You're the best!”
You saw Midoriya's shoulders shake, and walked over to rest a comforting hand on his
shoulder as he spoke, “I know I'm hurt. But if I can move at all, then I can't just sit still. I
have to reach out and do something. 'Cause all I can think about is saving them.” You
squeezed his shoulder and he raised a hand to squeeze yours back.
Iida bowed his head, eyes closed, and then spoke, “We'll never agree. So I'm going to come
with you.”
After getting past the initial shock of Iida's decision to tag along, you all set off for the train
station as a group. Kirishima filled you in on the plan on the way there. The two hour train
ride to Camino Ward was filled with the chatter of ironing out the details of the plan, that
eventually gave way to a pensive silence. Each of you lost in your own thoughts. Your mind
drifted to Arashi and Bakugo. You didn't want to think about how this was probably the last
time you were going to see either of them again, but the ugly thought kept worming its way
to the forefront of your mind.
Arashi was the first true friend you ever made. You recalled when the two of you first met at
the seminar Present Mic was giving before the entry exams. Arashi plopped down next to you
and held a mostly one sided conversation with you while Present Mic explained what to
expect, at the end of which she enthusiastically shook your hand and said “See ya 'round!”.
The whole encounter honestly left you feeling bewildered, and then you had been sorted into
the same General Studies class. The rest, as they say, was history. Arashi took it upon herself
to become your defender against those who would bully you for what they considered to be a
less than impressive quirk. In turn, you helped ground Arashi and kept her from taking her
confrontations too far. You complimented each other, and you couldn't have asked for a better
best friend.
And Bakugo... You found that Bakugo was starting to earn himself a special place in your
heart. You felt your cheeks flush at the very thought, but couldn't deny it. He was gruff, and
rough around the edges. He could be rude and a jerk. But over the last few weeks you had
caught glimpses of a softer side of him. When you broke down at camp he'd held you in his
arms, giving you what comfort he could. Then he'd stayed by your side until you pulled
yourself back together, and he allowed you to confide in him something that practically no
one else knew about you. More than that, he didn't shy away from you afterwards. Rather, he
was empathetic towards you. Outraged, even, by the things you had been through.
You didn't want to say goodbye to either of them, but you didn't see what you could do to
convince your mom to let you stay. Especially after the stunt you pulled today. You'd be
lucky to see the light of day for the next year. You had to do this though. You couldn't leave
without knowing they were safe... without saying goodbye. You just couldn't.
The next few hours passed in a blur for you. When your group left the train Yaoyorozu
pitched the idea to get disguises. Something that you all unanimously agreed was a good
idea. After a quick shopping spree you were all adorned in gaudy outfits, making your way
down the streets, following the blinking green light on the new receiver Yaoyorozu made. On
your way, your attention was captured by a bystander drawing attention to the press
conference airing on the public big screen TV.
Mr. Aizawa, Vlad King, and Principal Nezu were addressing the press regarding the attack on
the training camp and the abduction. A reporter in a taupe suit was grilling them for their lack
of diligence in keeping the students safe and for the kidnapping of two of their students. Your
quirk pulled at the emotions of the crowd around the six of you. You could feel their
apprehension and burgeoning disdain. You didn't need to be touching them to tell it was
because they agreed with what the reporter was saying. Their distrust and contempt for
heroes was growing. Your group made to leave, to continue on your way to the destination
marked by that blinking green dot when the reporters next words froze you all in place.
The reporter, whose smug expression indicated just how pleased he was with himself, was
trying to bait Mr. Aizawa by speculating on why the League of Villains specifically targeted
Bakugo and Mokino; Implying that because they both had a public record for being ill-
tempered and prone to violent outbursts (citing Bakugo's behavior at the sports festival and
how Mokino had been expelled from three different schools for fighting and hurting other
students) the League viewed them as prime candidates to be converted to their ranks.
You wanted to scream. To shout 'keep their names out of your ignorant, filthy mouth!', but bit
your tongue. Drawing attention would be the last thing you needed. You breathed a sigh of
relief, casting one last glance over your shoulder at the screen as you forced yourselves to
turn away from the broadcast. Mr. Aizawa was addressing the reporter now, and though his
words were calm and measured, you could practically taste the fury snapping just below the
surface. It was radiating from him. He would put this asshole in his place. As you all walked
on Midoriya fell back and walked in step with you.
“...Hey,” He asked, “Did you know about Mokino being expelled?”
You glanced at him from the corner of your eye. He was fidgeting as he walked, eyes looking
at his feet. “Yeah,” You said, “It's come up in conversation.”
He looked up then, meeting you gaze. “It's just... I have a hard time picturing Mokino being
that violent... I mean, he said she hurt them bad enough to be expelled...” Midoriya paused,
focusing on a thought that seemed to go off in his head light a light bulb. “Mokino's quirk
transfers wounds...” He mumbled under his breath, then gasped, coming to the realization
that the students she was expelled for injuring had injured her first, and she just used her
quirk to send it back to them.
“Yeah...” You said, nodding to confirm his realization. “You know Arashi has a low tolerance
for bullies, and she tends to use herself as a human shield.”
Midoriya fell quiet after that, but you could feel the emotions swirling inside him. He was a
jumble of anxiety and impatience, but under that you could feel a sense of sadness working
its way up along with... admiration? You weren't one hundred percent sure, but if you had to
hazard a guess you would think your conversation about Arashi had struck chord in him.
After several minutes of winding your way down multiple roads and back alleys your group
came upon what appeared to an abandoned warehouse.
“Okay, this is the spot the tracker is broadcasting from.” Yaoyorozu said, putting away the
receiver.
“So that's their hideout? Not a bad one, I guess.” Kirishima said, giving the building a once
over.
“Maybe it is and maybe it isn't.” Yaoyorozu replied. “According to the tracking history, the
villain hasn't left this location for the past day. But that's all we know. One villain is hiding
here, but that could be it. They might have Bakugo and Mokino somewhere else. We're going
into this completely blind for the most part. Please try to proceed logically.”
You peered at the abandoned warehouse while Iida and Midoriya went back and forth on the
best way to proceed. Ultimately they decided to try to case it out a little bit more before
making a move. After another half hour or so of observation they came to conclusion it
would be best to take a look around back to hopefully avoid drawing attention to yourselves.
There was a narrow gap between the concrete fencing that separated the warehouse and the
neighboring property. You fought down the wave of claustrophobia threatening to overtake
you as you inched your down the tight alley.
Just went it felt like the rising panic in your chest was about to spill over and drown you,
Midoriya's voice grounded you. “There! We should be able to get a look through that
window.”
Finally. You were making some progress. At least, that what's you thought until Todoroki
pointed out they wouldn't be able to see anything with how dark it was outside and in the
building. Yaoyorozu offered to make a night vision scope, but Kirishima spoke up while
pulling one he had already purchased from his jacket. “Wait. No need. I actually brought one
along with me for this.”
“Whoa, really?” Midoriya asked. He sounded impressed.
“When I thought about what we'd have to do, I figured we might need it.” Kirishima said,
sounding nonchalant about the fact he had just dropped the equivalent of roughly 343 US
Dollars on a night scope.
After some back and forth over the cost of the scope, Todoroki and Iida boosted Kirishima
and Midoriya on their shoulders so they could get a good look over the wall and into the
building. You held your breath as the seconds ticking by turned to minutes. You were so close
to finding out if this is where the villains were holding Arashi and Bakugo.
Your stomach dropped when Kirishima made a yelp of distress.
“Hey, you okay?” Midoriya asked as Kirishima jolted backwards, nearly falling off Iida's
shoulders.
“What's wrong? You weren't spotted, were you?” Todoroki asked, trying to suppress the
rising panic in his voice.
Kirishima ignored Todoroki's question and handed the night vision scope to Midoriya without
looking at him. Through clenched teeth he said, “The back left. The corner, Midoriya. Look!”
You felt like you couldn't breathe while you waited for him to relay whatever was in there.
You heard his breath catch too, and knew it couldn't be anything good.
Pure dread washed over you at the words that left his mouth in barely a whisper, “No way.
Are those all... Nomu?”
Midoriya and Kirishima hurriedly scampered back down off of Todoroki's and Iida's
shoulders. An anxiously silence hung over the group as you looked at each other. What the
hell had you just stumbled on?
Before you had a chance to think on it further, there was ground shaking tremor and a
crashing sound that shook all of you to your bones.
“What? Did the building just come down?” Iida asked, rubbing his head in an effort to stop
the rattling in his skull.
Kirishima and Yaoyorozu climbed up on Iida's and Midoriya's shoulders to see what they
could see. They gasped in unison, but it was Kirishima who said, “Gang Orca and Mount
Lady? Whoa, even Best Jeanist is here.”
“And Mr. Tiger, too.” Yaoyorozu added, unable to mute the excitement bubbling up in her
voice.
Iida breathed a sigh of relief. “The heroes were on top of this way before we were.”
“This is great!” Kirishima added, his own excitement shining through.
“Now then,” Iida said, “let's get back home. At least we won't have to explain ourselves.”
Just as you were getting ready to depart, clapping echoed through the area, followed by an
unfamiliar voice addressing the Pro Heroes. The aura this new presence projected was a
sinister one. It froze your group in their tracks, the primal part of your brains deciding the
best way to say alive was stay so still that you would hopefully melt into your surroundings.
There was another ground shaking blast, and the screams of the Pro Heroes filled the air.
You could feel the rising panic of your classmates. They were just as terrified as you were.
Who was this villain that could take out three Pro Heroes in half a heartbeat? Suddenly, there
was wet sloshing sound followed by a sound that was unmistakably Bakugo coughing up a
lung. A cold stab of dread sliced through the fear you were feeling for yourself and caused
your heart to stutter. You could hear Midoriya's breath catch next to you. He must have
recognized Bakugo's voice too.
“Damn it. The hell?” You heard Bakugo ask to no one in particular between coughing fits.
“My apologies, Bakugo.” The mysterious voice from before answered.
“Huh?” Came Bakugo's voice again. He sounded confused and disoriented.
The air was filled once again by that nauseating sloshing noise and the sounds of gagging as
what you assumed to be the rest of the League of Villains dropped to the ground. Another
stab of ice went through your chest at Arashi's voice sputtering out a string of profanities
between chest wrenching coughs. They were both here.
You heard a raspy voice address the man who seemed to be the embodiment of fear incarnate
as “Master”, and heard Bakugo growling in frustration as the two of them conversed as if he
and Arashi weren't even there. You could feel the tension radiating off of Midoriya and the
others, and you could feel Bakugo's underlying fear and Arashi's mix of manic anxiety.
Suddenly, Midoriya's emotions spiked and overwhelmed you. All you could feel was his
frustration, concern, fear, and helplessness. He moved to take a step, but Iida lurched
forward, grabbing his and Todoroki's arm, holding them in place. Iida's intense gaze
screamed silent words at them. Midoriya seemed to get a hold of his emotions, and you were
able to feel Iida's swelling determination, his desire to keep them from doing something
stupid. To keep them safe.
“Ah. There you are.” The unknown voice sliced through the tension building around you,
leaving only fear and dread. Had your group been discovered? How?
“I'll have you return my students, All For One.” All Might's voice washed over you, chasing
back the sense of impending doom, ever the beacon of hope.
All Might and All For One clashed together, going blow for blow. The weight of their strikes
creating gale force winds that swept over the concrete barrier separating you and your fellow
rescuers from the battle. You all grunted and struggled to keep yourselves pressed against the
wall. You registered that All Might and All For One were having the classic Hero and Villain
back and forth dialog, but were unable to focus on any of it. There were so many feelings
assailing you that you could barely make sense of it all.
You were struggling to pull up a barrier when All For One landed a devastating blow against
All Might that sent him flying – crashing through buildings several miles away. “All Might!”
You heard Bakugo shout, and you felt a spike of panic from Arashi.
“Don't you worry.” All For One spoke in a voice that was an odd mix of condescension and
that of a patient parent. “It'll take more than that to kill him. Get off the battlefield, Tomura.
And take those children with you. Kurogiri. Warp them away.”
You locked eyes with Midoriya, sharing in his blind panic at All For One's words. If you
were going to act, it had to be now.
“Huh. This is going to be fun.” The bravado of Bakugo's words didn't hide the fear and
anxiety you felt from him as he spoke. You felt similar emotions from Arashi, but hers were
much more chaotic.
“Young Bakugo, don't!” All Might shouted as he leapt for him, but was intercepted by All
For One.
Midoriya peeked through a gap in the wall, and you saw him tense up at the sound of Bakugo
using his explosions. He suddenly gasped, and turned to Iida with a wide eyed expression.
“Yes... Iida. Listen!”
“You can't fight!” Iida said through gritted teeth, still holding onto Midoriya and Todoroki in
a death grip. “I won't let you.”
“No, I think there's another way! A way that won't involve any combat that'll let us escape
with them. Come on, we can still get Kacchan and Mokino back!” Midoriya insisted, his eyes
pleading with Iida to listen to him.
Todoroki spoke up. “Tell us your plan.”
“The thing is, it's all going to depend on Kacchan.” Midoriya looked at his feet as he spoke.
“If I did the plan myself, I don't think it would work. So, Kirishima, you're the key to this
being a success!”
Kirishima gasped as Todoroki said, “We need more details Midoriya, C'mon.”
“Right. Here's what I'm thinking.” Midoriya nodded and went into the details of what his plan
entailed. “This is what we do. First, we'll propel ourselves using my quirk combined with
Iida's Recipro. Then, using Kirishima's hardening we'll break through the wall. The second
we've cleared it, Todoroki will make a huge slab of ice for us. As high as he possibly can.
The villains haven't noticed us yet. Up until know, they've been able to outmaneuver us. But
we're finally in the position to get the jump on them. And we'll cross the battlefield at a
height that they'll never hope to reach. Right now, the guy in charge of the villains is holding
All might back. But that means the reverse is true, too. The last part is up you, Kirishima. It's
no good if I do it. Or Todoroki, or Iida, or Yaoyorozu, or L/N. Ever since school started
you've built a solid relationship with Kacchan as equals! If his friend call to him he'll listen.”
Todoroki looked at Midoriya, mouth agape as Iida asked, “Are you out of your mind?”
Midoriya doubled down, saying, “Kacchan will have realized the situation that All Might is
in.”
“I agree.” said Todoroki.
“He's staying on the defensive with his enemies, keeping his distance and trying to protect
Mokino. That's good fur us. We have to move when they've got some space between them
and the villains. Iida...” Midoriya looked to him for approval.
“It's a gamble. But all things considered, there's not much risk to us.” Iida said, thinking
aloud. “And more importantly, it could change the tide of this fight. I'm in.”
As Iida, Midoriya, Kirishima, and Todoroki went through the motions of the plan Midoriya
laid out for them, you could feel Bakugo's and Arashi's emotions spiraling as the League of
Villains closed in on them, again and again as they just narrowly evaded their advances. The
emotions pouring out of Arashi were frenzied and Bakugo was radiating helplessness and
frustration.
You peeked through the hole in the wall Midoriya had been using earlier as they finally set
the plan into action. Bakugo and Arashi had been dodging the villains as best they could, and
finally ended up landing in a position on the far end of the group right next to each other as
Iida, Kirishima, and Midoriya launched themselves into the air and soared above the
battlefield.
“Come on!” Kirishima shouted, extending his arm.
In that moment Bakugo's emotions flooded you, drowning out all of the others that you had
been picking up on. You felt the emotions coursing through him so clearly that you could
practically hear the thoughts screaming in his head. That were keeping him frozen in place.
Fear. Self doubt. What about Mokino? Can he get her out too? Would his blasts hurt her?
What if he dropped her? She already wasn't healing right, a fall from that height would
probably kill her...
You felt a burst of emotion from Arashi that drew your attention to her like a magnet. The
manic anxiety consuming her flared, but was washed away under a soothing wave of trust
that was quickly followed by bubbling panic. You saw Arashi say something to Bakugo then.
You couldn't quite make out what she said, but you was sure Arashi realized the same thing
you had. He was freezing. God damn it all. You would give anything to be able to help him
get out of there. At that moment you had a light bulb moment. Maybe you could. You had
gained the ability to feel emotions without touch. Maybe that extended to you projecting
emotions as well.
You fixed your gaze on Bakugo and blocked out everything else. You dug deep and threw
your emotions at him, praying you were right, fear creeping up on you as the milliseconds
ticked by. It wasn't working. Damn it, it wasn't working! Your soul screamed out in agony –
despair mingling with fear. No, if you caved under the weight of the those feelings you
definitely wouldn't succeed. You forced your mind clear, digging deep, and tried again –
diving deep into that soft white light inside yourself. Then, with everything you had in you,
you projected a burst of calmness towards him.
Before you had the opportunity to even consider the possibility that it still wasn't working,
you felt that static electric zap that was becoming all too familiar square in the center of your
chest. The feeling radiated throughout your body, from your chest to the tips of your fingers
and toes and the top of your head. When you saw some of the tension bleed out of Bakugo's
posture you immediately added in a mix of comfort and encouragement, all the while
imagining you were standing next to him, with your hand in his, whispering 'you've got this'.
The Incident at Camino Ward - As Told by Katsuki Bakugo
Chapter Summary
After being kidnapped by the League of Villains, Bakugo finds himself being warped to
Camino Ward along with Arashi and his captors. Their friendship grows through their
bonds of shared trauma, and their friends stage a daring rescue.
Bakugo felt like he was drowning as everything around him went black. He couldn't breathe
as what appeared to be some kind of black sludge poured out of his nose and mouth,
engulfing him and pulling him to a void. The next thing he knew, he was hitting the ground
with a gurgling grunt. His vision began to clear, and he coughed violently to expel the goo
from his lungs.
“Damn it. The hell?” Bakugo found his feet and blinked an ominous, lumbering figure into
view.
“My apologies, Bakugo.” An unsettling voice came through what looked like some kind of
hi-tech respirator. His face was covered by an eyeless mask that attached to it. Whoever this
was... they immediately triggered his sense of fight or flight. He felt like dog with its hackles
raised.
“Huh?” Bakugo wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, wondering how the hell this guy
could see.
His attention was briefly drawn away from the man in front of him by a multiple gross
sounding splashes as the rest of his captors fell from wet, inky voids that appeared out of thin
air. A spike of dread went through him when Mokino also fell from one of the voids. She
tumbled to the ground, landing on her hands and knees, cursing furiously between hacking
her lungs out.
Shit. This complicated things. If it was just him he might have been able to blast himself out
of here and escape. But he couldn't leave Return-to-Sender behind.
His focus was pulled back to the mystery man, who he was beginning to suspect was the one
who warped them here – where ever here was – when Crusty called him “Master.”
“So. You've failed again, Tomura. But you must not be discouraged. You'll try again. That's
why I brought your associates back with you. Even these children, because you judged that
they were important pieces on your game board. Start over...”
Ugh this guy must love the sound of his own voice or something. Jeezus. A growl rumbled
from Bakugo's throat. Being talked about like he wasn't even there was infuriating.
He glanced around, noting the distance between himself and Mokino in case he needed to get
to her in hurry. Her gaze met his, and he could see how wide her eye were, her chest rapidly
rising and falling. There was something almost feral about the way she was holding herself.
He didn't think he had ever seen her this shaken before.
Suddenly, a tempest kicked up around them causing gales of wind to slam into them with
what felt like the force of a Mack truck. Bakugo went sprawling to the ground, bringing his
arms up to keep the clouds of dust and debris out of his eyes. He heard Mokino cry out as she
was also knocked to the ground.
When the winds started to die down, Bakugo ground his teeth together and pushed himself up
onto his forearms – his eyes going wide at the sight of the mysterious villain holding All
Might back with his bare hands. This guy must be the boss villain! He thought to himself.
“I will take Young Bakugo and Miss Mokino back.” All Might's voice was filled with his
conviction as he spoke. “And I will make certain you're locked up for the rest of your sad life.
Right along with your despicable League of Villains.”
The boss villain raised his arm and, in an amused voice, said, “Sounds like you've got your
work cut out for you. This will be hard for us both.” His arm began to swell grotesquely, and
a cracking noise sounded as he turned the very air into a missile that impacted All Might at
mach Jesus – sending him careening into buildings several miles away.
“All Might!” Bakugo gasped at the same time as Arashi yelled through gritted teeth,
“Fucking bastard!”
“Don't you worry,” The masked villain said as Bakugo, Mokino, and the League of Villains
pushed themselves to their feet. “It'll take more than that to kill him. Get off the battlefield,
Tomura. And take these children with you. Kurogiri. Warp them away.” Black tendrils
streaked with red shot from his fingertips and stabbed into an unconscious Kurogiri.
One of those League of Villains guys – the sidekick with shaggy brown hair and patchy beard
– was talking now, but Bakugo wasn't hearing it. He whipped his head around to look at
Mokino, who met his gaze with panicked eyes. He vaguely realized she was yelling
something along the lines of, “You ain't fuckin' touchin' me again!” at the faceless villain,
who didn't deem her worthy of a response.
They couldn't let themselves get taken to another location. If they did they would be
completely screwed. He had to get them both out of here some how. But how? He couldn't
just grab her and blast them out of here with his explosions. He would need both hands to get
the altitude they needed to escape, which meant she would have to hold onto him from
behind. What if his explosions hurt her to the point where she couldn't hold on? She would
fall. Probably to her death. Bakugo didn't think Crusty actually cared about either of them
enough to try to save them if they fell during an escape attempt.
A smokey purple portal opened up and the League of Villains turned to face him and Mokino,
drawing Bakugo's attention back to them.
“Let's go, Shigaraki.” The magician who'd kidnapped them said, “While our masked lead is
keeping All Might entertained. Claim your prize.”
Bakugo heard Arashi suck in a sharp breath. His eyes narrowed and he took half a step back
as his heart rate spiked. He fell into a defensive position and said in voice that sounded much
more confident than he actually felt, “Huh. This is gonna be fun.”
“Young Bakugo, don't!” All Might called out, and tried to make a break towards him and
Mokino, but was intercepted by that insanely strong boss villain.
Before Bakugo had time to think, the League started closing in on him. He loosed an
explosion that served two purposes: to throw himself out the way and to force the villains to
keep their distance. He knew he couldn't attack them outright, even in self defense. He
growled in frustration under his breath as he continued to dodge. Whoever came up with
these rules was fucking stupid.
Out of the corner of his eye he saw the villain in the black and white body suit closing in on
Mokino. “Return-to-Sender!” He called out, firing off another explosion to launch himself
towards her, but had to change course at the last second when the lizard man lunged at him.
He landed several feet away and snarled at them.
He saw Mokino jump back. She was still concussed, so she stumbled slightly, but managed to
dodge and roll to the side as the villain dove for her. It must've been sheer adrenaline that
pushed her back to her feet. Bakugo almost chuckled when he heard her spit a “Fuck OFF!”
at the attacking villain. It could never be said that she didn't have spunk.
He scanned the villains that were moving around him and Mokino in an intricate dance of
keep away. They were screwed, and the villains knew it. It was two against six, and one of
the two had a damn concussion. They couldn't keep this up forever. Their only hope was for
All Might to get them out, and he couldn't do that as long as he had to contend with the boss
villain. And he couldn't go all out against the boss villain with him and Mokino there. Like he
said. Screwed.
Crusty made to lunge at Bakugo, and he blasted himself into the air – higher than he had
before. He saw Mokino below. She had finally managed to make her way out of the center of
the group and was on the far edge. He used another explosion while still in the air to propel
himself in her direction. He landed on his feet and skid to a stop next to Mokino, moving to
position himself in front of her protectively.
Bakugo opened his mouth to tell Mokino to stay behind him, but his words died in his throat
as a giant spire of ice exploded into view. ...Icy-hot? Icy-hot is here!? His train of thought
came to abrupt halt as a blur of green, red, and blue streaked across the sky.
Mokino gasped and Bakugo's eyes went wide as Midoriya, Kirishima, and Iida came into
focus. Kirishima extended an arm towards them and yelled, “Come on!”
Time seemed to slow for Bakugo. That was their way out, soaring above them right there. All
he had to do was grab Return-to-Sender and blast them the hell out of here. But... But what if
he hurt her with his blasts? What if he dropped her? He recalled the way her quirk wasn't
healing her the way it was supposed to. If she fell from way up there she was dead for sure.
Was he strong enough to save them both? At this moment he wasn't so sure... His self doubt
and fear for friend's safety – because how could they not be friends after this? – was keeping
him frozen in place.
“H-hey...” Mokino whispered when he didn't immediately move to blast them into the air.
“You don't have to worry about hurting me... I'll be fine...”
No sooner than the words left her mouth Bakugo felt an inexplicable sense of calm surge
through him. He couldn't remember a time when he had ever felt so grounded, so serene. He
felt his body relax slightly, his shoulders sagging as the tension bled out of him. Warmth
began to spread out over him from his chest. It felt comforting and encouraging, like
someone was holding his hand and cheering him on, and it felt... oddly familiar. He couldn't
quiet place it, but it gave him the strangest sense of deja vu.
Then he felt Mokino's hands on his shoulders. Her voice came as another low whisper from
behind him as she spoke, “You got this, TNT. I... I trust you.” She then proceeded to jump on
his back, her legs encircling his waist and her arms wrapping tightly around his neck while
her hands gripped the fabric of his shirt.
“Don't let go.” He whispered back, right before everything around them went white as he let
loose a huge explosion from each hand, rocketing them into the air after their classmates. He
heard Mokino yelp and felt her hide her face against the back of his shoulder. The wind
whipped against them as he gave them an extra boost with another set of of explosions,
giving them the extra push they needed to catch up with Midoriya, Kirishima, and Iida.
Bakugo clasped hands with Kirishima mid-air and gave him a wild grin, “You idiots!”
Kirishima chuckled and Iida said, “Bakugo, on my mark, you give us a giant-!”
Bakugo interrupted him, falling back into his familiar bravado, “Don't tell me what to do,
damn you!”
“It's not the time to fight, you guys!” Kirishima chastised them in a shaky voice.
Bakugo kept the mirthful laugh building up in his chest to himself. They did it! They actually
made it out. These losers actually came through for them. (And he meant that in the most
affectionate way possible.) Now All Might could wipe the floor with those villains. The tide
was finally turning.
***
Bakugo's skin prickled in mild irritation at the noise around them. Sirens were blaring, and
the sounds of the crowd they were stuck in ranged from random sobbing to children wailing
(seriously, who had their kids out this late?) to the panicked screaming of adults.
Shitty Hair and Four Eyes were huddled around Deku, who was on the phone with Icy Hot,
giving him an update on their well being while Bakugo and Return-to-Sender hung back. Her
eyes were glued to the jumbotron that was broadcasting the fight between All Might and that
villain, and he couldn't help but glance at it every few seconds as well.
“Good. We're stopped in front f the train station. Luckily we missed that last shock wave. Our
rescue totally worked.”
Deku's voice drew his attention, and his ire. Sure... deep, deep down he could admit that they
had saved his and Mokino's skin, but he couldn't have that damn nerd thinking he could hold
that over him. “A rescue?! That's not what happened back there. You idiots just happened to
be our best escape route.”
“You're welcome!” Kirishima grinned at him while flashing a thumbs up. It seriously
annoyed Bakugo to no end how Shitty Hair was always able to stay so cheery in the face of
his wrath.
“We had to get out of there so All Might could destroy that guy.” Bakugo folded his arms and
grumbled, mostly to himself.
He heard a small gasp escape Mokino's throat in response to something that happened on the
jumbotron. When he turned to look a reporter in a helicopter was speaking.
The scene below is something straight out of a nightmare. Half of Camino Ward was
demolished in a single, horrifying instant. All Might is currently fighting the villain who
appears to have caused the blast. I can't believe it. How is one person so powerful? He's
destroyed the city and is more than holding his own against the Symbol of Peace.
The footage on the big screen cut back to All Might and his adversary. They seemed to be
having a conversation between exchanging blows, but the camera was too far away to pick up
anything they were saying. All Might was looking more than a little run down, and that had
the crowd shaken. No one was used to seeing the Symbol of Peace struggle, let alone get his
ass kicked.
The crowd collectively held their breath as a the villain launched a impossibly powerful
attack at a helpless woman who was trapped in the rubble of a fallen building. All Might did
not hesitate to swoop in and take the full brunt of the attack to save her, but his heroism came
at a cost. Bakugo and his classmates gasped in unison with the crowd when the smoke
cleared and a shrunken, almost skeletal figure stood where All Might had been just a moment
before. Despite his new frail and sickly appearance, All Might still had his usual air of
determination about him and his conviction shone brightly in his sunken eyes. That was, until
the villain appeared to say something to All Might. The very life seemed to drain out of him
then, and the villain taunted him as he stood frozen in place.
“Beat this guy...” Bakugo whispered to himself as murmurs began to spread throughout the
crowd.
He clenched his jaw and felt himself shaking. A swell of desperation washed over the crowd,
spectators were talking aloud and trying to rationalize how All Might still had a chance to
win despite this turn of events. One unidentifiable voice rose above the others, “Come on, All
Might, you can do it!” This spurred on a roar of cheering as the crowd cheered All Might on
with words of encouragement that would never reach his ears.
“Win this!” Midoriya called out at the same time as Bakugo shouted, “Beat him!” Their
voices continued to ring out together as they yelled in tandem, “Come on, All Might!”
Bakugo felt sick as he watched the villain on screen grotesquely disfigure his own body with
what could only be a result of multiple quirks. How that was even possible, he didn't know. It
was something that seemed trivial in the face of All Might meeting the blow head on with
one of his own, and then being impacted by what appeared to be some kind of recoil which
left him looking an absolute bloody mess.
He looked over his shoulder when he heard a sharp intake of breath behind him. Return-to-
Sender was staring at the screen with wide, horror stricken eyes. The color had drained from
her face and she was muttering to herself in away that seemed like she was trying to talk
herself out of something. “Shit, FUCK, shitshitshitshit...”
An odd look flashed over her face before she spun around and darted through the crowd, back
the way they had come. What the fuck is she doing? The thought barely had time to fully
cross Bakugo's mind before he was running after her. It wasn't long before he caught up to
her and grabbed her wrist, pulling her to a hard stop.
“The hell, Return-to-Sender?!”
She turned on him with an expression that was just shy of a snarl, before it dissolved into
heavy breathing and something that was unsettlingly close to the far away expression on
Y/N/N's (your nickname) face when she was having her flash back at camp.
“LET ME GO!” She wailed, startling him with her sudden increase of volume. She continued
to screech as he pulled her into a side alley to get them away from the questioning eyes of the
people around them. “LET ME GO! I CAN HELP HIM! ALL MIGHT IS HURT, LET GO!
LET GO, LET GO, let go... let...”
Bakugo looked at her with concerned eyes as she fizzled out. She had been fighting against
him with all her strength, but having sparred with her before he could feel just how weak she
was in that moment. Her wounds had taken a heavy, heavy toll on her and she was still
messed up.
Her voice cracked as she spoke again in a whisper, just barely loud enough for Bakugo to
hear, and he only heard because he was standing so close her. “I'm so sorry. It's my fault.”
Realization struck him then. She was blaming herself for this turn of events. For them getting
taken. For All Might having to save them and putting him the position to fight the
embodiment of evil and destruction, and being badly injured in the process. For how this was
surely going to affect his ability to continue being a hero. For something that was clearly his
fault. Dammit, she's such an idiot.
Exhaustion seemed to overcome her at that moment and she slid down to brace her elbows on
her knees with her head in her hands. He stood there somewhat awkwardly, unsure of what to
do. It was the sound her sniffling that caused him to crouch down in front of her. Bakugo
pulled Mokino forward so her forehead was resting on his shoulder and he brought his hand
up to rest on the back of her head.
He said the only thing he could think to say, “All Might IS gonna win, no matter WHAT.”
Then added in a softer voice, “He's gonna need patching up after he destroys that guy, and
your dumb-ass can't help like this.”
He continued to awkwardly rub her back with his free hand until she got a handle on herself.
They parted after she gave a shuddering exhale and stood, both of them shuffling around self-
consciously. Mokino wiped her nose with her sleeve, and while avoiding eye contact
muttered a quiet “Thanks.”
Bakugo, also looking anywhere other than at her, mumbled, “Sure thing.”
The awkward tension faded as they made their way back towards their classmates. A sudden
thought occurred to Bakugo, and he decided to seize the opportunity to ask about it while
they were still alone.
“Hey. Ret-- Mokino.” He gave her a sideways glance that she returned, “...Yeah?”
“Back at the warehouse... You called me TNT. Why?” He shoved his hands in pockets and
fought the urge to look away from her.
Her slow pace slowed to a complete stop. She looked him, quirking her head to the side and
unconsciously rubbed the back of her neck. “Well...” She paused, then said, “This is gonna
sound SO weird but... I could... I felt Y/N. I know what her quirk feels like, she's helped me a
lot. But this time it... Wasn't for me, if that makes sense? Was kinda just... Overflow?
Everything was so fuzzy for me but I knew it was her...” She suddenly looked up and met his
eyes, then quickly stopped talking when she realized that she was rambling.
“I... I see.” Was all Bakugo said in response, but his mind was racing as they continued on to
find their friends.
Y/N/N wasn't there? Was she? He had only seen Deku, Four Eyes, and Shitty Hair, but he re-
called how they had managed to get so high up in the air when they came to his and Mokino's
aid. Icy Hot had been there too. And maybe... maybe it wasn't just him. How many of their
classmates came to help them? He had a brief spark of excitement at the thought of seeing
Y/N/N again, but it was quickly replaced by concern. Where would she be now? Was she still
with Icy Hot? Was she safe? He had to fight down the urge to shake down Deku and make
him call Icy Hot back just to be sure, but the weird look on the nerd's face as he glanced
between him and Mokino made Bakugo reconsider.
They made it back in time to see All Might land a final devastating blow that KO'd the
villain. Silence fell over the crowd as they collectively held their breaths, waiting for the
smoke to clear. The image on the screen cut to another angle to reveal All Might standing
upright in a massive crater, holding his iconic victory pose. The crowd went absolutely nuts
at the sight of their Symbol of Peace standing Victorious, drowning out the voice of the
reporter who was yelling:
All Might wins! The villain's not moving! He's knocked out! All Might stands victorious! He's
saved us yet again!
Dawn broke as the five of them waited for the evacuation to be completed. On screen the
news was broadcasting bits and pieces of the rescue efforts, and well as parts of All Might
being debriefed by the police.
“We can't go anywhere! I wish we could find Todoroki, L/N, and Yaoyorozu.” Iida grumbled,
a little more loudly than he intended.
“Lets just head that way. We should let the heroes know we got Bakugo and Mokino, in case
they're lookin' for 'em.” Kirishima suggested, standing up from the curb to stretch his legs
and back.
“Mokino needs a doctor. We should take care of her first.” Bakugo managed to keep a flush
off his cheeks and fought the urge to squirm under his friends' unspoken scrutiny. Why were
Four Eyes, Shitty Hair, and Deku looking at him like that?
Iida finally nodded in agreement, “Good idea.”
Bakugo and Mokino stood to follow their peers without additional protest, but stopped short
when All Might's voice echoed from the jumbotron's speakers.
“Now.” He said to seemingly no one in particular as he faced away from the camera while
pointing into its lens. “Now it's your turn.”
The crowd erupted into cheers again, along with Mokino, Four Eyes, and Shitty Hair. Bakugo
was silent though, as his gaze locked on Deku, who had broken down into tears. That nerd
had always been a crybaby, but this seemed like something that should have him cheering
like the rest of these extras.
Bakugo's eyes narrowed in suspicion.

After Camino (5 Short Scenes in a Trench Coat)
Chapter Summary
After the events at Camino Ward, Yaoyorozu and Todoroki get Y/N to open up to them
about what she's going through. Mr. Aizawa gets involved, and the conflict with her
mother comes to a head. Class 1A moves into the dorms, and shenanigans ensue when
Kirishima takes the class out for dinner.
As dawn broke you fiddled with your cell phone, dreading the moment you would have to
turn it back on. This whole escapade ended up taking a whole lot longer than you thought it
would, and it didn't look like you would be making it out of the Camino Ward Prefecture any
time soon. You were going to be grounded for life. That was, if your mother didn't kill you
first – which you honestly felt was preferable to never seeing any of your friends again.
“Are you alright, L/N?” You startled at Todoroki's voice and the sudden feel of his touch on
your shoulder. He quickly dropped his hand, a concerned look creasing his brow, and
mumbled, “Sorry.”
Yaoyorozu's mouth curled down in a pensive frown, having noticed your interaction, and
spoke up. “Is everything okay?” You seemed even more anxious than you had during their
escape, if that was even possible, and Yaoyorozu was worried for her friend.
The genuine concern on their faces was too much for you. The dam that had been holding
back your flood of tears broke in that moment, and a sob was wrenched from your throat as
you sank down to the curb. Yaoyorozu and Todoroki shared a look, and then took a seat on
either side of you. Yaoyorozu comfortingly wrapped her arm around your shoulders and
Todoroki hesitantly rubbed small circles over your back.
Yaoyorozu waited for your crying to come to a stop before giving you a gentle squeeze and
asking, “What's going on?” The 'besides the obvious' was left unspoken. There was clearly
something else going on with you.
You struggled to find your voice, but managed to fill them in on what had transpired between
you and your mom earlier in the day – well, yesterday now – recounting your conversation
while awkwardly maneuvering around the topic of your dad.
“She- she was just going to withdraw me and not even let me say goodbye. I couldn't just
leave! Especially not before I knew if Arashi and Bakugo were safe.” Your voice hitched as
you spoke. You groaned, and without thinking added, “Ugh, she's probably reported me
kidnapped by now.”
“...kidnapped?” You could practically see the question mark above Yaoyorozu's head at your
choice of words. You'd specifically said 'kidnapped', not 'missing', and it was something
Todoroki noticed as well.
You stiffened under their touch, realizing your slip up, and it did not go unnoticed. Shit.
“You can trust us, L/N.” Todoroki said, his soft words laced with an urgent undertone. “We
won't let anything happen to you.”
Yaoyorozu made a noise of agreement and gave you another encouraging squeeze.
You hesitated, weighing your words before speaking. “It's... it's because of my dad.”
Todoroki's eyes sharpened at your words, but he remained silent for the time being. “He's...
he's not a good man. He's actually the reason mom moved us back to Japan. We're... running
from him. He found out we're in Japan, just not exactly where. ...not yet, anyway. Everything
that happened at the camp has mom convinced we aren't safe here and that we need to
disappear again to keep him off our trail.”
When you looked up from where your gaze was burning a hole in the pavement, you saw that
Yaoyorozu's eyes were wide with alarm and that Todoroki had an unreadable expression on
his face. Despite his stoic demeanor, you could feel his emotions tugging at your quirk. He
was pissed. With his hand on your back, you could tell his anger was directed at your mom
for wanting to run, when it would clearly be safer to alert UA so the heroes could actually
make an effort at protecting both of you. It was also directed at your father, even though you
hadn't gone into the details of what made him a bad man. The anger towards him almost felt
personal. Just beneath the heat of his anger was a sense of mingling compassion and
comradery, and a strong resolve to keep you from harm.
“Once we get out of here, we're taking you to Mr. Aizawa.” Todoroki said, voice determined.
“We'll explain to him what's going on and-”
“My mom has lost all faith in the school, I don't think he-” You trailed off at the intense look
in his eyes.
“Mr. Aizawa will find a way to talk sense into your mom. I know it.” Yaoyorozu said,
backing up Todoroki.
“Yeah, okay.” You nodded to yourself. “At the very least it's worth a shot.”
***
Shota Aizawa silently watched F/N L/N fidget nervously on the sofa of the teachers lounge
while they waited for her mother to arrive. It had been an... interesting phone call to say the
least.
It had been about a half hour since Yaoyorozu and Todoroki brought L/N to see him. L/N
hung back nervously while Yaoyorozu explained the basics of the situation to him. How she
ran off to help with their unauthorized rescue attempt. Not only had she run off against her
mother's wishes, she had done so under the false pretenses of going to see her friends in the
hospital. Then the events of the night took an unforeseen twist and delayed her return. Before
Aizawa could ask why she didn't just call her mom to let her know she was okay, Todoroki
told him what L/N had said about how her mom was going to withdraw her from UA and go
on the run because her father was hunting them.
It was at that point Aizawa sent Yaoyorozu and Todoroki on their way home with the
assurance that he would handle things from here. He would reprimand them for their antics
later. There were currently more pressing matters at hand.
Once alone with L/N, he was able to gently coax a full explanation of the situation from her.
He felt a combination of shock, horror, and fury as she spoke. Of course, he had read her less
than forthcoming file but, holy shit, he hadn't thought it would be this bad. During his time as
a Pro Hero he had seen some seriously fucked up shit. But his was by far one of the most
heinous things he had ever encountered. How evil does a bastard have to be in order to force
their own child to take practically every drug under the sun so her quirk could replicate their
effects for profit? Just how many people were willing to abuse a child to get their fix – free of
any negative impacts on their health? From the way L/N was avoiding eye contact as she
spoke, he had a sinking feeling the answer to that was “too many”.
Aizawa could see how all of that, coupled with the fact that they were actively being hunted
by that sociopath, would give L/N's mother the urge to flee. And any parent faced with the
potential abduction of their child was bound to be distraught. That was a scenario he was
fully prepared to deescalate. Surely, under all of Emiko Okimoto's distress there was bound to
be at least an inkling of relief that her daughter was safe. What he had not been prepared for
was for her to completely brush off his words and demand that he “Put F/N on the phone.
Now.” He definitely hadn't been prepared to be able to hear her shrieking through the
receiver.
L/N winced here and there throughout the verbal lashing, but was otherwise unresponsive to
it. Aizawa could feel his blood pressuring rising with every second that harpy's voice assailed
his student. After about three minutes of Emiko barely pausing to take a breath, he'd reached
his limit and took the phone back. He silenced her with a stern voice, informing her he was
exercising his authority as a Pro Hero and starting an official investigation. Aizawa went on
to say that given what he just witnessed and the fact that she was flight risk, he would not be
releasing L/N back into her custody unless she came down to the school and cooperated.
***
You sat in silence with Mr. Aizawa while waiting for your mother to arrive. You were in a
state of semi shock at what had transpired just a few minutes prior. You couldn't believe he
stood up for you against your mother like that, not to mention how he's actually starting an
investigation into the situation with your father. You squashed the fluttery feeling of hope that
was starting to unfurl in your stomach. It was too soon to be getting excited at the possibility
of him being locked away for good. He was as sly as he was cold hearted, malicious, and
ruthless. What if the Hero's weren't able to catch him? What if he got to you first...?
No. You shut down that train of thought quickly, remembering the absolute faith Todoroki
and Yaoyorozu had in Mr. Aizawa despite everything their class had gone through. You
realized that faith resided in yourself as well, but that still didn't stop you from cringing when
your mother burst through the door of the teachers lounge. Dramatic entrance aside, she
seemed eerily calm. You glanced at Mr. Aizawa from the corner of your eye and saw he as
put off by your mother's demeanor as you were.
Emiko approached the two of you, an alluring smile on her face. As she passed by one of the
many windows in the teacher's lounge, the early morning light streaming through fell across
her face. The briefest shimmering of silvery scales along Emiko's jaw drew your attention.
Your eyes went wide with realization just as your mom was opening her mouth to speak.
No... Sing.
“Mr. Aizawa--!” You called out, wanting to warn him of your mother's quirk. Mr. Aizawa had
essentially backed her into a corner, and she was reacting like a feral animal.
You realized that Emiko intended to use her quirk, Siren, to immobilize your teacher while
she grabbed you and fled. Mr. Aizawa, with instincts that had been sharply honed from years
a Pro Hero, seemed to realize this too and activated his quirk, Erasure, before she could get a
word out. A look of befuddlement crossed your mother's face when she couldn't speak. The
facial expression quickly contorted to anger, a wordless snarl forming on her lips.
“I'm going to chalk what you just tried to do up to a mother desperately trying to save her
child in the only way she can fathom, regardless of how misguided your actions may be.” Mr.
Aizawa's voice was stern as spoke, his eyes glowing red as an unseen energy emanating from
him caused his hair to sway about ominously. “If you try it again, I will not hesitate to detain
you and have you arrested for obstruction of justice and attempted kidnapping.”
Your stomach twisted at your teachers words. You felt conflicted at the idea of your mother
being arrested. Sure, she wasn't the best mom. She was neglectful and verbally abusive at
worst, and part of you would be relieved to be free of that. But you still loved your mom and
didn't want her to get locked up. And your mom must love you, too. She could have just
accused you of lying about what your father had been doing to you and continued to turn a
blind eye. But she didn't. She had done her best to get herself and her daughter away from
that nightmare. You felt yourself agreeing with Mr. Aizawa. Your mother was misguided, no
matter how good her intentions were. 'The road to Hell' and all of that.
Emiko's jaw clenched as her shoulders sagged and she gave a dejected nod. The scales on her
face faded away as she dropped the intent to use her quirk. Mr. Aizawa released Erasure,
looking at your mother with an expression that implied he was daring her to make another
move. When Emiko remained silent, he spoke, his voice softer this time. “I understand the
position you are in, and I understand the logic behind wanting to run for it. But believe me,
by doing so you are only putting yourself and your daughter in more danger. Here at UA we
can keep the both of you safe -”
“The way you kept your students safe at that camp?” Emiko snapped. “How do you plan on
accomplishing that when you can't even keep villains from infiltrating your campus?”
Aizawa remained calm in the face of her fear and anger. This was the reaction he had been
expecting to begin with. “I assure you, the breach on our campus was an isolated incident.
We have taken measure to increase our security to ensure it does not happen again.”
Before he could give an explanation for the events at the training camp, Emiko said, “That
may work for a group of raggedy ass villains, but you don't know Bryan. It doesn't matter
how amped up your security is. If he can see his destination, even if it's just from a picture or
on a screen, he can teleport there. He can teleport right past all of your fancy, high tech
security measures. It means less than nothing to him!” Her voice cracked as her composure
began to unravel, fear and hopelessness threatening to overtake her.
While this new information was concerning, Aizawa held firm in his calm confidence. “I
understand your concerns. But we have more at our disposal than just a security system to
keep our students safe. If you'll allow us, we can protect you. We are putting a dorm system
in place as a protective measure for our students. We also have an existing, lesser known
facility, for students and their families that need a little extra protection under our VPP,
Victim Protection Program. We will move L/N into the dorms with her fellow classmates, as
not to disrupt her education. And we will relocate you from Hosu to our VPP facility. You
will be closer to your daughter, and under our protection, while we investigate your
husband.”
Emiko calmed slightly as she took in his words, mulling them over intently. You looked
between your mom and your teacher, truly allowing yourself to feel hope for the first time.
When Mr. Aizawa spoke it all sounded so simple, and you trusted that they would be able to
do as he said. You also felt a warm giddiness building in your chest. You weren't going to
have to leave your friends behind after all! Hell, you were even going to get to move into a
dorm with them! You turned a hopeful eye to your mom, who met your gaze with teary eyes.
“Okay...” Your mom said with a shaky voice and a slight sniffle. “I'll cooperate. Just... Just
please keep my daughter safe.”
***
You kept a quick pace as you made the walk from your apartment to UA for the last time.
The strange thought provoked a feeling of warmth and excitement in you. Today you would
be moving into Heights Alliance – UA's new student dorms. The building had been
constructed over the course of just three days, and was a short five-minute walk from the
main campus. Much to your relief, it was a good thirty minutes away from the VPP facility
your mom was going to be moving into soon. As much as you enjoyed seeing you mom, you
didn't want to be the only one with a helicopter parent hovering over your shoulder every
time you turned around.
As you rounded the tall hedge that surrounded Heights Alliance, you realized you were the
last to arrive. Other than Mr. Aizawa. It didn't look like he was there yet. Coming closer, you
saw that everyone was grouped together with Arashi and Bakugo standing next to each other
on the edge of the crowd. Your breath caught at the sight of them. You hadn't gotten a chance
to see or talk to them since the whole incident at Camino Ward went down. Before the
thought fully processed in your brain, you were running towards them.
“Arashi! Bakugo!” You called out, drawing the attention of your classmates in time for them
to see you launch yourself into their arms. You landed between them, with an arm around
each of their necks. “Oh my god! I'm so glad you guys are okay! I was so fucking worried!
Neither of you are allow to ever scare me like that again!”
Arashi was giggling aloud while Bakugo stood there, frozen in place partially from shock and
partially from embarrassment. If anyone had bothered to look closely, they would have seen
the flush on his cheeks that spread to the tips of his ears. However, before anyone had the
chance to look quite that close, Arashi wrapped you in giant bear hug. Unfortunately for
Bakugo, due to his proximity he was swept up in the hug as well. Upon realizing Arashi
would not be ending the hug anytime soon, he began to thrash violently in both of your arms,
eliciting scattered laughs from their peers.
He managed to wiggle an arm loose, and planted his palm against the side of Arashi's head as
he tried to pry himself from the hold the two of you had on him, sputtering flustered curses
all the while. “Let...Me...The...Fuck...Go, Return-to-Sender!!”
You smiled up at him with a hint of playfulness twinkling in your eyes and a slight pout on
your lips as you said in a voice low enough for only him and Arashi to hear, “But I can keep
hugging you, right?”
The flush on Bakugo's face deepened to a full on blush as he thrashed around more
vigorously, albeit unsuccessfully. Kirishima approached with an amused grin on his face.
With a hearty chuckle he clapped him on the shoulder and said, “That's the strength of
friendship, Baku-bro. Accept it.” The glare Bakugo shot at Kirishima only served to make the
red-head laugh even harder.
“If you really don't like being sandwiched between two babes, I'll gladly trade places with
you!” Mineta's skeevy voice came from the crowd behind them, causing an icky feeling to
spread across your skin as you went rigid against Arashi and Bakugo.
Bakugo's flailing abruptly came to halt, and you felt a brief spike of emotion from him before
Arashi let both of you go. It receded so fast you couldn't tell exactly what it was, but it was
clear he did not like the words that came from Mineta's disgusting mouth. The three of you
turned to scowl at the little pervert, who was lost in his own little fantasy world – practically
drooling over what he had suggested. Bakugo curled his lip and took a menacing step
forward, but stopped short as Mr. Aizawa called everyone to attention.
Mr. Aizawa stood in front of his students with his back to the Heights Alliance dormitory as
he addressed them. “Given everything that has happened, I'm glad we were able to bring
Class A back together.”
Some of your classmates expressed excitement that they were all getting to move in together,
and some lamented that they were scared their parents weren't going to let them. Jiro was one
of the latter, and you felt a burst of guilt bloom in your chest when Ojiro mentioned that was
unsurprising since she got the worst of the gas attack. Something that could have been
prevented if you made a different call... No, none of that. Tormenting yourself with the
'would've, could've, should've's was unhelpful at best, and self destructive at worst. There
were more productive ways to use your energy. Like throwing yourself into your studies and
training going forward, and to make sure you didn't repeat your mistake should a similar
situation arise.
“We're glad the teachers got to come back, too. I was afraid you wouldn't be allowed. The
people at the press conference seemed pretty upset with you guys.” Asui said, and Uraraka
voiced her agreement.
“I was surprised, as well. But circumstances have changed. I suspect it was easier for
administration to let the teachers return instead of revamping the entire faculty.” Mr. Aizawa
said, his tone as blunt as ever. “Now, then. I'll explain how your dorm assignments will work
shortly. First, however... We haven't forgotten about the provisional hero licenses you were
supposed to get during the training camp.”
“Oh, yeah! That's what we were there for.” Sato spoke up, and Ashido added in an
incredulous voice, “So much has happened, it totally slipped my mind.”
Mr. Aizawa's stern voice pulled everyone's focus back in, and an uneasy calm settled over
each of you. “This is important. Listen well. Kirishima. Yaoyorozu. Todoroki. Midoriya. Iida.
L/N. You six are the ones who broke the rules and went to rescue Bakugo and Mokino that
night.” He paused, taking in the way his students shifted uncomfortably, some of them staring
at their feet, and a 'Ribbit' coming from Asui.
He continued to speak as an unseasonably chill wind picked up, causing his hair and capture
scarf to sway about him. “Based on your reactions, I assume the rest of you were at least
aware of their plan. I'm going to set aside a number of issues and just say this. If it weren't for
All Might's retirement from the Hero scene, I would expel everyone here except Bakugo,
Mokino, and Jiro. The six of you who went, of course. But also the remaining eleven who
didn't stop them. You betrayed our trust. Even if it was to keep your friends from getting in
trouble. In order to regain our confidence, you'll need to obey every rule to the letter, and live
as model students. That's all. Now. Look alive. Enjoy your new home.”
A dejected air hung over Class 1-A as their teacher retreated into the dorm without so much
as a glance back over his shoulder. There were murmurs among them, wondering how they
were supposed to be excited after the doom and gloom speech he gave.
You caught Bakugo looking wistfully at his classmates, noting the upset and ashamed aura
radiating from everyone.
“Tch.” Bakugo grumbled as he walked up to Kaminari and grabbed him by the back of the
shirt, dragging him along towards the other side of the hedges. “Come here.”
Kaminari flailed about as he shouted, “Uh... huh? Wait. For what?!”
Their disappearance on the the other side was quickly followed by Kaminari yelling and
sparks of electricity shooting out from behind the tall bushes. When Kaminari finally
reemerged he had a glazed over expression on his face. A stream of drool was trickling down
from the corner of his mouth and he was hysterically giggling to himself, causing everyone –
but Jiro especially – to join him in laughter.
“Kirishima!” Bakugo gruffly called out to his friend, stomping over while holding out a wad
of money to him.
“Whoa, did you shake him down for cash?!” Kirishima's face blanched, and he sounded
positively mortified by the prospect.
“No! This is my money, you idiot.” Bakugo replied, sounding as if he had been deeply
insulted. “To replace what you spent.”
“Uh. How'd you know I bought night vision goggles?” Kirishima quirked his head in
question, but rather than answering Bakugo thrust the money against his chest and dropped it,
leaving Kirishima to scramble to catch it as he walked away.
“Don't say I never gave you anything. Now, I'm not in your debt.” Bakugo called back over
his shoulder as he made his way into the dorm. “Kaminari. Show 'em your dumb side.”
Arashi silently elbowed you, giving you a curious look, to which you nodded and lead the
way forward. As you both passed Kirishima he yelled “Sorry everyone! This won't make up
for it, but let's all go eat yakiniku tonight on me!”
After a brief rundown of the layout off the building and a steely warning from Mr. Aizawa to
behave themselves, Class 1-A spent next hour or so unpacking and arranging their new
rooms to perfection. Your room on the third floor wasn't anything too fancy. You had your
cozy twin sized bed tucked into the far right corner. It was adorned with a plush comforter
that was your favorite color and soft white cotton sheets. There may also have been an
excessive amount of squishy stuffed animals acting as throw pillows. You had a simple
dresser vanity combo set up next to your bookshelf that was packed full of fantasy and
romance novels. Aside from a bean bag chair for reading that sat next to your window, and a
desk at the foot of your bed, there wasn't much else of note.
You made your way down to the common area and quickly found Arashi, who was chatting
with Todoroki, Midoriya, and Iida.
“...got a chance to say 'thank you' for what you guys did, so thank you.” Arashi looked up as
you approached, her grin widening. “Speaking of people I need to thank.” Arashi rushed
forward and gave you another tight, though much shorter, hug.
“You really don't need to thank me.” You said earnestly as Arashi set you down. “What else
are friends for?”
Arashi opened her mouth to argue, but was interrupted by Ashido flouncing into the common
area with Uraraka, Jiro, and Yaoyorozu following close behind her. “Hiya, guys! All done
with your rooms?”
Kaminari perked up from where he had been conversing with Sero, “Yup, we're just
unwinding now.”
“Well, some of the girls and I were talking, and...” Ashido started, and Uraraka finished her
sentence, “We have a great idea!” Together they said, “Let's go 'round and see who has the
coolest room!”
You and Arashi shared an amused look as all of the boys, the ones who were in the common
area anyway, started sputtering in embarrassment. The awkward tension was broken when
Arashi's stomach growled loud enough for everyone to hear. She chuckled and rubbed the
back of her neck, “Well... That does sound like a good time, but...” She turned to face their
resident red-headed, spiky-haired goofball with a grin, “I distinctly recall being promised
grilled meat on Kirishima's dime.”
“Maybe we could do the room contest thing after dinner?” you suggested.
Eager to put off their impending mortification as long as possible, the boys – namely
Midoriya, Kaminari, Kirishima, Sero, and Sato – were quick to agree. Todoroki and Iida
seemed surprisingly chill about the whole situation in comparison.
You felt Bakugo's presence before you heard his gravelly voice from over your shoulder,
“What're these idiots babbling about?”
With all of the commotion, you were pretty sure you were the only one who heard him. At
this point Arashi was the only one close enough who might have, but she was talking to
Midoriya – who was acting kind of off now that it was just the two of them talking. Bakugo
stopped walking when he came shoulder to shoulder with you, and gave you a sideways
glance while cocking his eyebrow expectantly.
“Well...” You said, in a somewhat hushed tone, “The rest of the girls proposed a 'coolest
room contest' and the guys lost their minds.”
“Tch. Lame.” Bakugo scoffed.
“Aw, come on. It doesn't sound that awful. Plus, it won't even be until later tonight. Arashi is
holding Kirishima to his word on treating us all to dinner.”
“Hmph. You let me know how that goes.”
“What, you're not coming?”
“So I can be trapped in a booth with Deku and his nerd friends, where I can't escape their
idiotic banter? Yeah, no thanks. I'd rather nail my dick to a -”
“Bakugo!” You whispered harshly and sharply jabbed him with your elbow.
“Hey!” He glared down at you, but there was no real malice in his eyes.
“Please? I... I'd really like it if you came with us.” You felt a blush creeping up your cheeks
and did your best to fight it down.
Bakugo shifted to get a better look you, as if he were scrutinizing every detail of your face.
Finally, he grumbled and said, “Fine. Whatever.”
You beamed up at him, your eyes seeming to brighten at his response. He looked away
quickly, to hide the heat rising to his cheeks, but you still noticed the rosy shade that tinted
the tips of his ears. Deciding to not to tease him for it, you leaned over and bumped his
shoulder with yours.
“Thank you.” You could only hope that he knew you meant for everything, not just going out
to eat with them.
***
You basked in the smell of delectable grilled meats as you listened to the conversations your
classmates were having around you. You were currently packed into a booth that was tucked
away in the restaurant Kirishima had taken you all too. It was a cozy little place that you
didn't even know existed. The booth everyone was occupying was in a U-shaped cove
towards the back of the room, running from wall to wall. There were three tables in front of
them, and you sat behind the middle table between Arashi and Asui. Typically, each table had
only two chairs on the opposite side of the booth, however in order to sit together as a class
they had to commandeer an additional chair for each table, as well as a fourth and fifth chair
to go in the spaces in-between.
Directly across the table from Arashi, you, and Asui were Kaminari, Kirishima, and Bakugo.
On the booth side of the left table sat Iida, Uraraka, and Midoriya. Directly across from them
was Todoroki, Yaoyorozu, and Jiro. Ashido occupied the space between the left and middle
table, and Tokoyami sat between the one in the middle and on the right. On the right side of
the booth was Shoji, Sato, and Ojiro, who were sitting across from Sero, Mineta, and
Aoyama.
In the center of each table was a grill where they could cook their choice of meat to their
liking, and pair it with their choice of fixings that were scattered around the tables.
Arashi gaped at Kaminari from behind her plate that was absolutely stacked full of meat.
“Wait, you thought I'd be a vegetarian?” The tone of her voice hinted at how aghast she was
at the mere thought.
You chuckled to yourself as Kirishima shook his head while chomping down on a piece of
beef that had been grilled to perfection and dunked in a sweet and spicy sauce. “I told you she
wasn't, dude. You don't get that tall on plant protein.”
“But... But you raise cows!” Kaminari said, arms gesturing wildly above his head.
“Well, I'm not gonna eat my cows.” Arashi replied, sounding the most indignant that you had
ever heard her. “They're dairy cows, not beef cattle!”
Kaminari gave her a slow blink before asking, “...There's different kinds?”
You giggled into your water glass as your quirk picked up on Arashi internally face palming.
This... this was perfect. It was hard to believe that such a short while ago you were facing the
possibility of never seeing any of these people again. The thought still made your heart ache,
but being in their presence like this was helping it fade rapidly. You couldn't remember a time
when you had ever felt this happy. Felt this at home. You felt the warmth of Arashi's presence
next to you, and cast a glance at Bakugo sitting across the table. How had these two become
so important to you without you even realizing?
“What're you giggling at, touchy-feely?”
You flushed slightly, pretty sure that you had been caught staring. Your response was a little
cheekier than you intended. “None of your business, Sweaty Palms.”
Bakugo paused, chopsticks halfway to his mouth before setting them down without taking his
bite. “Sounds like it's about to become my business.” His voice was as gruff as ever, and his
eye's held the intensity that you were becoming familiar with, but there was also something
there you hadn't seen from him before. Was that... playfulness?
Deciding to test out your theory, you gave him a crooked grin. “Oh yeah? That's really too
bad, then. Guess I'll have to take it with me to the grave now.”
He rose to the bait, a sharp grin of his own slowly spreading across his face. “You don't think
I could get it out of you?”
As you took a long sip of water in an effort to hide the blush that was burning on your
cheeks, you overheard Midoriya say something to Arashi.
“...happy for you and Kacchan.”
Your quirk could feel the confusion radiating from Arashi as she asked, “What do you
mean?”
Interest peaked, but not wanting to be too obvious with your eavesdropping, you kept your
gaze down cast while taking another drawn out sip of water. You couldn't see his face, but
you could hear Midoriya becoming more flustered as he spoke.
“I... At...” He cleared his throat and in a sheepish voice said, “I...I saw you run off... At
Camino. I... I was worried and wanted to make sure you were okay so I followed you... and
I... accidentally... SawYouAndKacchan... together.”
Arashi proceeded to choke on air and flail her arms around, desperately trying to convey that
was absolutely not the case, at the same time you decided to inhale your water and start
sputtering. Bakugo, who had also overheard the last part of their conversation, was looking
between the three of you, too stunned for words.
Once Arashi was finally able to breathe again she exclaimed, perhaps a little louder than she
intended, “Oh FUCK no, oh my GOD! He is the second to LAST guy I'd ever date!”
Finally finding his voice, Bakugo said, “Deku, what the absolute fuck – WAIT, ARE YOU
SAYING I'M JUST ONE LEVEL ABOVE THAT LITTLE PURPLE BASTARD?”
From his spot between Sero and Aoyama, Mineta cried out in indignation, “WHAT THE
HELL? Why'd you assume she meant ME?!”
Completely deadpan, Arashi leaned forward to glare at him, “Oh. No, yeah. I absolutely did.
One hundred percent. Now if you fuckers will excuse me, I'm gonna run to the restroom.”
Heartfelt Moments
Chapter Summary
In which many heartfelt moments are shared between the students of Class 1 A and
friendships grow stronger.
You gently closed the bathroom door behind you, and turned to see Arashi washing her hands
a little too vigorously, her cheeks still holding some of the rosiness that they had when she
left the table. It had been about 15 minutes since she excused herself, and you had grown
worried about her. Initially you thought Arashi had just been embarrassed by the awkward
situation Midoriya inadvertently caused with his misunderstanding.
Admittedly, you felt a little flustered over that yourself. You were just coming to terms with
having a crush on Bakugo, and it felt like Midoriya yanked the rug out from under you when
he implied Arashi and Bakugo formed a romantic relationship right under your nose. You
knew you could be a little dense, but you didn't think you were that oblivious. Fortunately, it
turns out that he just misread something he saw during their rescue at Camino Ward. You
almost felt bad for Midoriya. Almost. He was clearly mortified by the misunderstanding. But
that's what he gets for almost making you choke to death on your water.
Looking at Arashi now, you could tell there was something more than a little embarrassment
bothering your friend. "Hey... you good?"
You noted how Arashi avoided your gaze while snagging a paper towel to dry her hands.
Finally breaking the silence that had grown between you, Arashi said, “Todoroki visited
before I left the hospital. He... ugh,” Some of the color returned to her face as she scrubbed
her hand over it before fixating her gaze on the slick tile of the restroom floor. "He said the
three of us all apparently have parents that have made some very bad decisions in regards to
how they treated us. Like... I know this isn't the best time to talk but I can't get it out of my
head.”
You were slightly taken aback by Arashi's straight to the point answer. You honestly kind of
expected to have to pry a little to get her to open up, but you were glad your friend felt
comfortable enough with you to take that first step on her own. Then what Arashi had said
about Todoroki sank in and you felt as if you ran face first into a brick wall, recalling the way
he reacted when you told him and Momo about your father. The anger emanating from him
had felt personal, and you were beginning to realize why.
Now, it was your turn to rip off the band-aid and open up. With a steadying breath you joined
Arashi by the sink and leaned back against it, bracing your elbows on the counter. You
couldn't help the harsh laugh that slipped out when you said, "You could say that. My father...
he made a whole series of terrible decisions. And he's apparently not done making them."
You anxiously tapped the tile of the bathroom floor with the toe of your shoe. "Sorry, that
was a little ominous. I was actually going to talk to you about this at Camino, but things just
didn't work out that way."
You spent a few minutes explaining how your father knew you and your mom were in Japan
and was searching for you, though you still decided to omit the reason for running away. You
went on to explain how your mother was going to withdraw you from UA and make a run for
it. How you had intended to say goodbye to her and Bakugo that night, but fortunately you
had your little breakdown in front of Yaoyorozu and Todoroki which started a mini domino
effect – them taking you to Mr. Aizawa, and Mr. Aizawa convincing your mom to trust your
safety to UA.
All of this just spilled out of you in the messiest trauma dump you had ever done, and you
took a deep breath as your words came to a halt.
Arashi noticeably struggled with her emotions before saying, "If he ever shows up... you
know I'm gonna hit him right? He won't be able to touch you." She bumped her shoulder
against yours and added, "Thanks for telling me. Um, so this, right?" She lifted a hand and
tapped the new scar on her cheek. "Not the first time I've... had a scar. Or scars."
You did your best to keep your face neutral at this information, recalling the scars you had
seen on Arashi's back at the training camp. Arashi let out a heavy sigh and continued, "My
mom didn't mean to, but she hurt me pretty badly when I was younger, right after dad died.
Her quirk can hurt people too, and she was taught not to use it but... when my dad died we
had a fight. She pushed me and... her quirk hurt me on accident."
The swell of relief that washed over your friend tugged briefly at your quirk but you pushed
it away, not wanting to pry further than you had been invited in. You actually giggled at the
mental image of Arashi knocking your dickbag of a father out cold. But you sobered quickly.
"I... I'm sorry your mom hurt you. I'm glad you're working past it though!” You thought for a
moment, and felt a sudden and strong urge to make sure Arashi and your father never crossed
paths. “...And as much as I would love to see you lay the bastard out, it's probably best to
leave him to the Pro's. He's... he's really dangerous. And he likely wont be alone. He's, uh,
not necessarily like a 'leader' because he has higher ups that he has to answer to... but he's a
pretty high ranking gang member. He's... he's after me because..." You felt your throat tighten
up, but forced yourself to say the next part. "Because he uses... used to use my quirk as
merchandise."
"Well I'll just have to become a Pro then," Arashi crossed her arms with a huff, anger
crackling in her voice. "Then I can be there to kick his fucking ass." She paused before
asking, "Todoroki... has he told you how he got his scar? He acted like you guys talked a little
but I don't know what all he said."
Arashi never failed to make you smile. A grin broke out across your face at the indignant huff
Arashi let out as she crossed her arms and grumbled. You shook your head and said, "No...
We actually didn't get to talk that much. I... had a bit of an emotional moment in front of him
and Momo. I told them a little bit about my dad, but not the details or anything. He must have
put the pieces together."
You watched Arashi scratch the back of her head while she chose her words. “Um, we both
have a lot in common with him... His scar is his dad's fault , but his dad isn't who gave it to
him," She paused again, almost as if she was sifting through the conversation she had with
Todoroki and was trying to decide which parts were okay to divulge. "He'd probably tell you
if you asked."
Arashi let out a breath. "Okay, I was already in here for a while, so they probably think you
fell in trying to save me." She turned to face you, meeting your eyes. "Thank you. For... for
everything. I... I felt you there. Or, I felt your quirk. In Camino. It was like... it overflowed
from Bakugo and I knew you were there. So... thank you." You found yourself being pulled
into a quick, tight hug before Arashi said, "I guess we should get back."
"Any time... But yeah, we should get back before they send a search party or something."
You followed Arashi back to the table, lost in thought. Back at Camino you knew that you
were pouring your all into Bakugo, desperate to help him save himself and your best friend.
What you didn't know was that your quirk could spill over like that. You pondered what you
might have done to cause your quirk to overflow, and what it would mean for you going
forward. Maybe you were closer to being able to use your quirk on multiple people at once
than you thought.
***
“All right, everybody. Has everyone got their votes in? Remember, you can't pick yourself,
guys.” Ashido said from her seat on the couch as she lifted a small box that held the scraps of
paper they used to cast their votes above her head, “And now, without further ado, here are
the results of the first Best Room competition, minus Bakugo and Tsu. Drum-roll, please!”
She paused dramatically as Kirishima, Kaminari, and Sero provided her with a drum-roll.
“With a total of five votes, the overwhelming winner of this totally awesome contest is...
Rikido Sato!”
Sato's eyes nearly bulged out of head in shock. “Wuh--?”
He didn't have time to finish processing that thought, however, as he was quickly ganged up
on by Kaminari and Mineta. They playfully punched his bicep and woefully cried about how
he bribed the judges with his baking. You stifled a laugh at the sight. While you wouldn't
necessarily call it a bribe, you could see their point. Nearly all of the girls ended up voting for
Sato, and most of them were still reminiscing over how delicious the cake he made had been.
You yourself had actually intended to vote for Tokoyami's room, but damn that cake was
good.
As the commotion of the voting died down Uraraka called out, “Hey! Todoroki, wait a
minute. Deku and Iida, you, too. Yaoyorozu, Kirishima, L/N, you guys have a sec? It's really
important.”
The group she called out cast questioning glances at each other before following her outside
together.
“So, uh, where are we going?” Kirishima asked.

Uraraka answered as they moved further onto the lawn and moved to stand next to Asui, who
came into view from where she stood ominously just within the illuminating glow of a lamp
post. “Tsu said she had something she wanted to tell everyone.”
“You guys know I'm pretty straightforward, and always speak what's on my mind. But
sometimes... I don't know. I'm at a loss.” Her gaze shifted to the ground in front of where they
were all standing. “Remember what I said back in the hospital? When you were talking about
the rescue?”
Midoriya nodded, a pained look crossing his face, “Yeah. Every word.”
You had no idea what they were talking about, but you assumed they were referencing a
conversation that took place after you were discharged.
She continued, “My heart was hurting. And the things I said must've upset you.”
Uraraka placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. “It's okay, Tsu.”
Asui went on to explain in a shaky voice that despite her warning, everyone still went to save
Bakugo and Arashi. She thought she had successfully talked them out it, so she was
completely blindsided when she found out this morning that they went anyway. She felt like a
completely worthless failure. And as such, she didn't feel like she deserved to joke around
and have fun with everyone like she usually would. Which explained why she hid away in
her room during the contest instead of participating.
Asui looked up with tears in her eyes, “But... It made me... so sad to be without you. That's
why I wanted to talk to you. Even if I'm still not sure how I'm supposed to be feeling. I
wanted you to know so we can hang out and talk and have a good time again.”
Tsu covered her eyes with a hand as Uraraka said, “It's not just you who thinks that.
Everyone... felt pretty bad and... wanted things back the way they used to be before.”
You glanced around and saw the downcast looks on your classmate's faces mingling with
expressions of shame as Uraraka explained that's why they came up with the idea for the
room contest. They wanted to bring everyone back together and make them feel like a class
again. You feel similar feelings brewing in your gut. None of them really had time to process
the trauma form the training camp. You were one of the four who tried to use the rescue as a
means of healing the wounds left behind by the attack and kidnapping. You all had been so
wrapped up in your pursuit that you didn't even consider that ramifications of dragging along
two of your classmates, how much additional trauma it would cause them.
You were snapped out of your remorseful reverie when Uraraka's tone turned more optimistic
and cheerful as she pumped a fist in the air. “Look, what I'm saying is, let's all work hard at
our training and be good friends again, okay?”
“Tsu!” Kirishima rushed forward, barely holding back tears of his own. “I'm sorry! Thanks
for telling us how you feel!”
His emotional outburst caused a chain reaction of everyone gathering around Asui and
offering apologies and words of assurance. You could feel spikes of emotion from everyone,
and struggled to separate their feelings from your own. As you wiped your wet eyes with the
back of your hand you realized that your quirk was getting stronger. It was now picking up on
emotions when you weren't even trying. On the heels of that thought was the realization of
how problematic that could end up being. Your friends were entitled to their privacy, and they
surely wouldn't want you knowing their every emotion twenty-four seven. You were going to
have to figure out a way to get your quirk under control.
After everyone said their piece, they decided to call it a night an headed back inside. As you
were heading for the elevator Arashi grabbed your attention. “Hey, can... can we talk for a
second?”
“Yeah, whats up?” You asked as the two of you moved to take your conversation to the
kitchen. Arashi leaned against the counter with her arms crossed, chewing the inside of her
cheek as she thought about how to say what was on her mind. Rather than immediately trying
to pry, you dug in the freezer and pulled out a tub of chocolate chip ice cream and made each
of you a bowl.
Arashi silently ate a spoonful before finally asking, “So, uh, you... you like Bakugo, don't
you.”
You flushed bright red, not having expected to be called out like that. You considered
denying it as you bit the tip of your spoon. You came to the conclusion that Arashi is your
best friend, and if you were going to tell anyone about having a crush it would be her.
You took another bite of ice cream before shifting your weight from foot to foot, “Is... is it
that obvious?”
Arashi laughed at that. “It's not like you've got a neon sign over your head or anything, but...
You get this... different sort of smile when he's around. At least sometimes.” She shuffled
awkwardly before adding, “And... And you know that I don't like him, right? Deku was
waaaay off. I wasn't trying to... You know..”
You smiled and pulled her into a brief hug. “I know what you mean, and I appreciate you
saying so.” After releasing Arashi from the hug you added with a teasing grin, “You really
don't need to worry about it thought. I know green is more your color, anyway.”
Arashi blanched and you could practically hear her heart going haywire in her chest as a
delayed rush of heat settled on her cheeks. "Umm..." She looked away, scratching the back of
her head and said, "Y-yeah. Green is probably my favorite color."
Your quirk picked up on Arashi's embarrassment, so you just gave her a warm smile and nod
in response. You could understand how Arashi was feeling. Your acceptance of your crush
was still pretty fresh for you as well, and if anyone other than Arashi had called you out on it
you probably would have died. Graciously deciding to change the topic you asked, "So what
do you think they'll have us doing in class now that we're all back together? Our costumes
must be in by now!"
Clearly relieved at the change of subject, Arashi perked up and said. "I just hope its actually
as absorbent as they say. I really don't wanna scare some kid because I'm dripping blood."
Her face scrunched up as if she had bitten into a lemon and laughed softly. "And according to
Izuku, I can look pretty scary already when I fight, but I can just deploy a helmet when I
fight."
You playfully quirked and eyebrow at Arashi, “Izuku, huh?” You didn't miss the way your
friend pointedly avoided your gaze as her cheeks took on a pinkish hue.
“It just seemed weird to call him by his surname after we fought a villain together!” Her
words came tumbling out a little too fast.
You chuckled and took another bite of ice cream, letting it melt on your tongue before saying,
"He does have a point though. You're a beast when you fight." You smiled fondly to yourself
and added, "I bet Bakugo would say something like 'Screw the mask. You should only wear
one if you want to. Who cares how those extras feel?'"
"He is sort of... violently encouraging," Arashi chuckled. "But the helmet is mostly because
I'm pretty sure the brain is my only weak spot. I worked with the design team to make one
with a retractable visor." She took another bite, thinking. "I guess I never asked, but do you
have a strategy that you're gonna go for in a fight? Like you don't have to..." She paused,
seeming to come to some sort of realization. "Well... neither of us has to use touch now."
You thought for a moment before answering her question. "Well, up until recently I saw
myself as more of a rescue hero. With the way my quirk is developing I could probably even
do crowd control, but... with everything that's happened I've realized that I need to diversify
the way I use my quirk. There has to be a way for my to use my quirk against villains... I just
have to figure out how." You trailed off, the last part of what Arashi said finally registering in
your brain. "Your quirk leveled up? That's awesome!"
Arashi grinned, standing to put her bowl in the sink. Grabbing the electric kettle, she filled it
for tea. "Yeah, apparently the key is being tossed off a cliff with a couple broken ribs and a
punctured lung." Despite her grim description, she was smiling. "But that Muscular bastard is
gonna be in the hospital for a long time." Her voice had taken on a harder edge, grin sharper,
but as she plugged in and turned on the kettle, the expression softened. "You'd probably be
good a crowd control. People get panicked in groups; mob mentality is no joke and you could
help them get to safety easily!"
Your smile faltered at Arashi's description of what she had to go through to power up her
quirk. It didn't seem fair. You didn't have to go through anything like that either time your
quirk got a little boost. There was probably some scientific reason for it, but still, your heart
ached for your friend. Your smile returned at Arashi's assured tone when she agreed that you
would be good at crowd controls.
You opened your mouth to thank her, but fell silent at the sound of approaching footsteps and
Todoroki's voice, "Mokino... L/N..."
"Hey, Todoroki," Arashi said brightly, moving to lean against the counter. "You didn't strike
me as the late night snack type."
Todoroki shrugged, looking between the two of you. "Ice cream is always good."
Arashi's grin matched your own as you smiled warmly at Todoroki. You quickly made to grab
another bowl from the cabinet. After dishing out three hearty scoops you stuck a spoon in the
bowl and handed it to him.
"Your ice cream, good sir." You said with a silly grin, and thought you saw the corners of his
mouth twitch before he said, "Thanks."
A comfortable silence hung between the three of you as he took a few bites. A warm
sensation began to blossom in your chest, and you recognized as the comforting feeling of
comradery. All of this was still so new to you, and your heart clenched as you thought once
more about how close you had come to having this snatched away from you. Momo and
Todoroki were a big part of the reason you were here eating ice cream with your friends right
now, and for that you were immensely grateful.
"Hey, Todoroki...?" You hesitantly broke the silence.
"Hm?" His steady gaze shifted to you.
"I never got to say 'thank you' for what you and Momo did the other day." You rubbed the
back of your neck as you shifted in front of him. "I wouldn't be here right now if you hadn't
convinced me to go to Mr. Aizawa, so... thanks."
“Yeah,” Arashi chimed in with a wide grin, “this way I don't have to run away from school to
find my friend.” Her tone was nonchalant, but both you and Todoroki could see the earnest
gratitude in her eyes.
“If by 'find' you mean rampage,” Todoroki said, to which Arashi cackled. He turned to look
at you and said, “Our class would be poorer without you.” He paused, as if considering
something. “You could be an early warning system for Bakugo's temper.”
Your smile widened at his heartfelt words. You glanced between your classmates, your
friends, as a snort-laugh escaped you at Todoroki's suggestion. “Happy to be of service, I
guess.”
As soon as the words left your mouth the timer on the kettle decided to ding, and you caught
the slightest shift in Todoroki's demeanor. Arashi froze, clearly mortified for some reason that
eluded you, though not for long.
Without turning, Arashi reached behind her an yanked the plug out of the wall. "I am so
sorry! That was really--"
Todoroki interrupted her with a shake of his head, “It's not your fault. Besides, my mom hit
me with the kind that you heat up on the stove.” At the startled look and strangled noise of
alarm from you, he blinked. "Oh. She didn't tell you, did she?"
After a few seconds of nonsensical stuttering you finally managed to squeak out, "Erm, no.
I... She mentioned we, um, have some things in common but... I think she didn't want to say
anything you were uncomfortable with me knowing..."
He patted your shoulder reassuringly. "I mean, I don't go out of my way to broadcast it, but
it's not a secret or anything." He paused before adding. "It wasn't really my mom's fault. My
dad drove her to a mental break down, and that was the moment she snapped." He paused
again, his lips curling up a little more morbidly than before. There was an edge of dark
humor to his voice when he spoke again. "Looks like we're all members of the shitty parents
club."
Arashi blinked for several moments before she snorted, causing both you and Todoroki to
look at her. "Oh my god we are," she said, trying her best to hold back another full on cackle.
"We can start an after school club," she giggled, the tension melting out of her shoulders.
"Also, I'm punching your dad if i ever get the chance," she said to Todoroki, nearly making
him choke on his ice cream. "What? I can say I slipped and can heal any 'evidence' left
behind."
That succeeded in making you cackle, causing Todoroki to shift his shocked expression from
Arashi to you. "Hey, she's determined to punch my dad too."
He seemed to ponder that for a moment, before breaking into the first grin either of you had
ever seen on him. "I'll get the popcorn."
Arashi blinked, then smiled, and by the expression on her face you could tell she was feeling
the same sense of comradery that you were. "Look, some adults just need punching," Arashi
said, as if it were the most obvious fact in the world. "I'll just try not to get caught on
camera."
You chuckled to yourself, taking another bite of ice cream. You weren't sure what you had
done to deserve friends like these, but you would be eternally grateful for it.
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Madness in the Shadows - Y/N version

Posted originally on the Archive of Our Own at http://archiveofourown.org/works/51926578.

Madness in the Shadows is a sister piece to Lazarus the Regeneration Hero by

"How's school going, dear?"

Yeah, he had been cute. But he ended up being a royal jerk-off.

What the hell was that?

I should be helping, dammit...

"Mm-mom-ma." He said between sobs. "Can't find mom-ma."

Shit. Oh god, please, no.

"Ma'am, I promise we will find him." He said in a reassuring tone.

"Then go find him! Don't just stand there!"

"Excuse me," you interjected. "Is Tomi your son?"

The woman spun around and let out a sob, "Tomi!"

You have the heart of a Hero.

"What can you do exactly?" He asked you.

You have the heart of a Hero.

You nodded determinedly.

"Good to meet you Y/N. I'm Manual."

The girl on the ledge whimpered in response.

His only response was a slow blink and a shuddering exhale.

“Or really stupid,” Todoroki offered instead.

“What about you L/N, are you okay?” Iida asked.

“Whoa, no way!” Izuku gaped at you. “That's incredible L/N!”

You have the heart of a Hero.

Maybe, just maybe, he was right.

Madness in the Shadows is a sister piece to Lazarus the Regeneration Hero by

"You two are going to be trouble," he said with a sigh. "L/N."

You stifled a giggle. Red-faced, Arashi looked down. "Sorry, sir."

“Oh, well, we...” Arashi started to say with a crooked smile.

“Your funeral,” he leaned back in his chair and scoffed.

“Yessir,” Kirishima grumbled and put away his phone.

Madness in the Shadows is a sister piece to Lazarus the Regeneration Hero by

“We really get to go to camp?” Kirishima asked.

“Seriously?!” Ashido echoed.

“Oh, good idea!” Uraraka said while gathering up her books.

“We've never hung out as a class before!” Kaminari noted excitedly.

Oblivious, he shook his head, “I go visit my mom on our days off.”

“Party poopers...” Ashido mumbled under her breath.

“Thanks.” You smiled, then asked, “Where is everyone else?”

“I know, right?” Ashido pouted with him.

Curious, you asked, “What was the practical exam like?”

Arashi raised an eyebrow at the unfamiliar name, “Kacchan...?”

Kaminari voiced his agreement.

Uraraka blushed, “I can't believe they still remember that.”

“Of course!” Yaoyorozu's smile brightened.

“Mina!” Uraraka chided her.

“Whaaat?” Ashido asked playfully.

“Are you serious!?” Ashido spun to face her.

Ashido and Yaoyorozu looked positively mortified.

“Oh we've got to fix that!” Ashido exclaimed.

“You know, I would actually be down for that.” Jiro said.

“Me too, Ribbit.” Asui said.

“Sounds like a plan then!” Arashi smiled.

"H-hey, Bakugo!" You called out after him.

"Oh, then why -"

Madness in the Shadows is a sister piece to Lazarus the Regeneration Hero by

Bakugo scoffed and rolled his eyes, “Whatever.”

“It really does!” Uraraka agreed.

“Algiers?” Asui titled her head questioningly.

“What was your favorite part of living there?” Yaoyorozu asked.

“I've actually never tried it.” Uraraka said.

“Oh, this I've got to see.” Bakugo said flippantly.

“You two...?” Bakugo cocked an eyebrow.