Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“I thought she seemed like a pretty timid girl.”

“Appearances can be deceiving. She’s a real delinquent.”

Katsumi could hear every single word those teachers were saying in the other room. The door was wide open. It was like they didn’t even care if she heard.

“Gosh, she’s only nine, right? When kids are like this, it’s normally because they learnt it from someone.” There was a brief pause. Katsumi stared at her lap. 

“You think…” one of the teachers started,” her parents..?”

“It’s probably too many hero movies,” the other teacher scoffed. “A kid was being a little rude, and she decided to take things into her own hands.”

“That makes sense, she said that boy was lying so…”

“Yeah, his dad’s All Might,” the teacher laughed, “still, no excuse for giving him a minor concussion. I didn’t think kids that age had that strength.”

She had been sitting sniffling in the school office for what felt like forever. Her hands hurt, though the red cuts and sores on her knuckles had disappeared quickly. Still, her eyes remained red from angry tears that refused to dry up. You would have thought she’d be less of a crybaby by this point.

Staring out the window, the low sun was barely peaking over the buildings. The sun would be setting soon, but her mum still hadn’t come to pick her up. That might be a good thing really. 

The teachers kept talking about her; she knew it was about her. Even if her English wasn’t all that great, she could understand most of it. She knew they were calling her names, that they were grossed out by her. They thought she was bad.

Tears threatened to spill again, but she wiped them away before they could fall. How had she messed up so quickly? Mummy would be so mad. What if she told Daddy? Then he would never come to see her again. After everything, she still couldn’t see him. It wasn’t fair.

And that boy, that boy said that… No. He was a liar, and he was making fun of how she spoke. He deserved it; if her friend had been here, he would have done worse. That boy was lucky she only hit him. All the adults were acting like he was going to die. He was barely even bleeding. She could have done worse. They had no idea what pain looked like. She should have-

No, it wasn’t nice to hurt people. She knew that. But…

“You see her face when she was hitting him? Real scary!”

“No? Well, maybe she’ll be more a villain rather than a hero then.”

Katsumi hated this. The laughter was grating on her ears. She hated it. She clutched her little hands, pulling at the stupid white dress her mum had forced her to wear, now soiled by dirt and sand from when she had pushed that stupid boy to the ground.

She missed her friend. 

At least she could see the sun.

She missed her dad.

“Where is she!?”

Katsumi flinched as a familiar shout rang out through the corridor. Hurried footsteps came closer, and closer.

The door swung open, banging against the wall. Katsumi stiffened.

“Oh, for god sake, Katsumi, what have you done?”

Katsumi stared down.

Mummy was almost as scary as him.

The teachers went quiet. Katsumi didn’t move her head, gaze stuck on her hands. She was lucky that the principal came out of her office quickly, bringing her mother inside. Her glare lingered on Katsumi as she strutted past her. Katsumi could feel it; she didn’t have to look up.

“Well…  we should get on with our work.”

“Yes.”

One of the women got up and closed the door that connected the two rooms. The sound of it shutting made Katsumi shiver.

Katsumi was left alone again.

“You’re not in the room…” Katsumi mumbled, the sound barely leaving her lips. As long as she heard it. Just breathe. Just breathe, Sumi.

She just wished that the walls of the offices were a little thicker so that she wouldn’t have to hear the muffled voices of her mother and the teacher. 

Mummy was so, so mad. 

It wasn’t long before she heard her name being shouted from inside the room. Tentatively, she slid off the chair and shamefully walked to the office door.

“Katsumi!” Her mother turned to her, eyes wide, “ You attacked another child?! ”

Katsumi’s small frame stiffened. She couldn’t bring herself to look up at her. 

“ He… was being mean… ”

“What the hell. What the hell is wrong with you?” Her mother almost laughed, shaking her head, completely bewildered. “I do not know what is wrong with you lately! Why are you acting so, so- Insane!?” Her mother's eyes were so wide. “Do you think this will make him-”

“Sorry,” the principal interrupted, “could we please use English? And I find children respond better when you keep a calm voice .”

Katsumi knew there was something wrong with her. But. She couldn’t- She felt so- Oh. Why couldn’t her daddy be here? Why was he still not here?

That boy… It wasn’t funny.

Her mother scowled and turned to Katsumi again, but before she got a chance to speak, Katsumi mumbled-

“He said that daddy was his daddy.”

Her mother's posture stiffened.

“Is something wrong?” The principal asked. “We’ve found Katsumi understands English quite well, it's just her speaking that gets a bit muddled. I’d recommend you encourage her to speak it more.” The old principal smiled down at Katsumi, “Practice makes perfect.”

The warm smile of the lady was overshadowed by her mother's towering figure.

There was a moment of silence. Katsumi’s mother stared down at her, her green eyes wide.

“Katsumi claims the other student was lying,” her mother said, her voice suddenly missing any emotion as she turned to the principal.

“Yes, from what I have heard, he was,” the principal said dismissively. She looked at Katsumi’s mother seriously, “We’ve had a lot of problems with that child lying, but I must admit I haven’t seen such violent actions from a little girl in my career before. I understand that moving to a new country where you don’t fully grasp the language is challenging, and Katsumi is clearly struggling with her emotions. However, her reaction was far more extreme than you would expect from a normal child-”

“Let's go, Katsumi.” Her mother’s voice was cold, already turning away.

“Miss Endo-” The principal stood up as the woman roughly took her daughter's hand. Katsumi fliched as she was yanked along.

“I'll handle it,” she said curtly. “It won’t happen again.”

“We still need you to talk to the boy’s parents, and I really must recommend that Katsumi see a therapist or-“

“I’ll parent my daughter as I see fit,” Miss Endo snapped, spinning around, sharply pulling Katsumi's arm as she did so. “Maybe you should teach your students not to lie.”

With a tight grip on Katsumi's wrist, her mother dragged the girl out of the school and into the harsh Californian sun. The brightness stung Katsumi's eyes as they made their way to the car. Her eyes were blurry, the threat of a fresh wave of tears gathering in her eyes, and she had to squeeze them shut, wiping the spilt tears away. Her mother threw open the passenger door without a word. Katsumi climbed and fumbled with the seatbelt.

Inside the car, her mother sat still, hands clenched on the steering wheel, staring blankly ahead. The silence hung heavy between them.

“ Katsumi ,” her mother finally said, her voice cold and distant. “ Forget about it. You have no father. ”

Katsumi’s heart raced as tears welled up in her eyes. “ Yes, I do! I do, I do! ”  she cried, her voice breaking. “ I want to see him! ” 

After everything. She had to see him. She’d left her friend. Maybe if she could see her daddy, she could tell him. 

No. She couldn’t. He’d kill her.

Her mother’s grip tightened on the wheel, knuckles white. “ Isn’t seeing him on the damn television enough for you, you brat? " she slammed her hands against the dashboard. Katsumi flinched back into her seat. Still, she didn’t turn to look at her daughter. “ It's more than enough for me! Damn it! I have important meetings, Katsumi! If this ever happens again, I swear to god I am not picking you up! You can stay in the school till the police drive you to jail for all I care! ”

Katsumi choked on her sobs, trembling as she stared up at her mother, pleading for some sign of warmth. But there was none. This was worse than when her friend would get angry with her. Why, she thought it would be better when she came back. Why was Mummy so mean now?

“ You listen to me, Katsumi, ” her mother said, her voice sharp yet cracked as she glared down at her. “ I’m giving you a good life here. You can do whatever you want- any club, any activity, any toy or game, I’ll give it to you. But you have to forget about that man. ”

The little girl shook, nodding ever so slightly. All she wanted was to see him.

Her mother exhaled heavily, rubbing her temples, “ The sooner you forget, the sooner those nightmares will stop. And then you won’t need those pills anymore. ”

Katsumi swallowed hard, her voice barely a whisper. " But that’s not… ” she swallowed, “ Okay, Mummy. ”

“ Well done ,” her mother muttered, finally strapping herself in and turning on the engine. " And from now on, we’ll speak in English. Your principle is right. You’re pronunciation is terrible. "

“In Engirisu,” Katsumi mumbled, her voice small and broken.

Her mother shook her head, eyes fixed on the road ahead.

Chapter Text

“Ah, are you travelling alone, dear?”

“Yeah, I’m moving in with my dad.”

The flight from California to Japan was over eleven hours long- eleven hours stuck in a metal tube miles above the earth. It was scary if you really thought about it, but Katsumi wasn’t too bothered, though. She’d just pop in her AirPods, listen to music, maybe sleep, or read a book. Ignore the miles of free air beneath her. That was the plan, at least.

“Wow, and you're flying first class? Lucky girl” The flight attendant traded a bag of chips for a couple of coins.

First-class… she’d only ever flown that way. She’d never travelled alone before, though. Katsumi's mom had given Katsumi her credit card to book the flight, too busy to take even ten minutes to help her fifteen-year-old daughter with it. Katsumi really didn’t care about it all that much; she booked an economy aisle seat and forgot about it.

“My dad offered to upgrade my ticket,” Katsumi smiled, accepting the food.

Once her father had offered to pay for a better seat, her mum became much more interested in the ticket. After a heated phone call, her mom angrily reminded her ex that she could afford to pay for their daughter's flight herself. In the end, they split the cost of one first-class ticket. Seems that having parents who didn’t like each other could be beneficial sometimes.

Now, Katsumi was comfortably settled in a private cubicle equipped with a lounge chair and a TV. It was clearly far better than being crammed next to an old man or a crying baby. Though it did mean that if the plane went down, she’d die alone, she’d rather die with some snotty kid or flabby man than by herself.

“How sweet of him!” The attendant cooed, “I bet he's excited to see you!”

Katsumi wondered if she actually cared or just wanted a conversation. She must be better than the sour-faced old men and women who sat in the other seats, she would have hoped at least.

“I'll be back shortly with the dinner menu. Enjoy your flight!”

Katsumi smiled as the attendant left. Great, now she really was alone. She leaned back and pulled out her old 3DS, something to distract herself. She loaded up an old Pokémon game, not her oldest; she hadn’t touched that one in years.

She switched the language to Japanese. Might as well get a little practice in before landing. She was fluent (speaking-wise at least), having lived in Japan until she was nine, but it had been a while since she’d read much in Japanese. No worries- she had nearly six months before the entrance exam, and that was plenty of time to brush up on her kanji.

By hour five, she began to get restless. She wasn’t thinking about the idea of crashing and ending up in a ‘La sociedad de la nieve’ situation anymore, but she was itching to get back to solid ground. The meal break had helped break up the long flight, but she hated sitting still for too long, especially in cramped spaces. The worst thing was how it had gotten dark.

Dark, cramped and hundreds of miles above the ground. Just great.

She ended up just half-watching movies till they landed. At least it was something to distract herself with.

By the time they touched solid ground, it was nine at night. Katsumi yawned as she stepped off the plane, offering a quick ‘thank you’ to the flight attendants. She slung her carry-on over her shoulder and headed to baggage claim.

After being so cramped up for eleven hours and getting little sleep, she felt sluggish. The bags would take a while to arrive, so she pulled out her phone. As soon as she connected to the airport Wi-Fi, notifications flooded in- all from the same contact.

3rd of August 20XX (today)

12:23 Dad

I’ll be in the lobby waiting for you when you land.

Tell me when you lamded

*Landejd

*Landed!!!

12:32 Dad

Have you left yet?

12:35 Dad

Hello?

!!!!

12:46 Dad

It’s fine I called your mother, see you soon

20:59 Dad

Have you landed?

21:08 Katsumi

yh, got my bag

where r u?

21:09 Dad

Waiting in the lobby!

Read my messages!!

Katsumi slipped her phone back into her duffle bag. When her suitcase finally came around the carousel, she grabbed it and dragged it through customs. Thanks to her Japanese passport, she got through quickly.

Reaching the arrivals lobby, she yawned and glanced around. Standing off to the side, away from the crowd, was a tall, skinny blonde man with sunken eyes and an annoyed look on his face. When their eyes met, his scowl softened into an awkward smile. Katsumi approached him, eyes stuck on the floor.

“Hey, kiddo. Nice to see you,” her dad greeted her, clasping his hands together. “Want me to take your bag?” It sounded rehearsed. His awkward hand movements were an obvious cover-up for an attempt to go in for a hug, which he abandoned halfway through.

“Yeah, here,” Katsumi replied, carelessly handing him the suitcase as she pulled out her phone. “I gotta tell Mum I landed.”

“Uh, sure. Of course.”

Toshinori Yagi took the suitcase, watching his daughter tentatively. She had changed a lot since the last time he saw her, which made sense- it had been two years. She was no longer the skinny pre-teen he remembered. She seemed to have some muscle, especially in her legs, that would be helpful, he thought. She wasn’t starting her training from nothing, unlike the boy; she was starting with a decent amount of strength.

But it wasn’t just the normal growth that stood out. Her once-dark hair was now bleached blonde, making her tan skin look even darker. She had multiple piercings lining her ears and long, painted nails. She looked quite gaudy, but he was an old man now; how was he supposed to know what was cool for kids her age? Especially over in the States. Toshinori made a quick mental note that he’d need to remind her that piercings and nails like that wouldn’t be allowed in a Japanese school.

As he looked at her, his heart sank a bit. He’d missed quite a bit, hadn’t he?

Katsumi put away her phone, her expression shifting to one of thinly veiled annoyance. God, she really looked like her mother.

“Okay,” she said abruptly. “Should we go?”

“Yeah,” Toshinori coughed, following her as she began to walk toward the exit. “I’ve moved since you last stayed over,” he said to her as she walked ahead of him, “but all your old stuff-”

“Did the stuff Mum sent over come yet?”

She hadn’t been over to Japan since she was about eleven, the old stuff he was talking about would be no use to her.

“Ah, no, not yet. Do you have enough clothes for a couple more days?”

Katsumi sighed, just great. “I’ll be fine. I mainly packed workout stuff, though.”

“Well,” Toshinori chuckled, “people here don’t wear that much outside the gym.”

“Fantastic,” she muttered.

They stepped out of the busy building into the cool night air. Katsumi shivered slightly in her shorts and tank top as she stopped under a light. The city lights glowed above, bright against the dark sky. It was quite beautiful, but completely ignored by the suited-up workers who walked in droves out.

“Ah, right,” Toshinori said, joining Katsumi’s side, “the cars just over here- I normally drive my truck, but I thought you’d prefer something more comfortable.”

They walked toward the car in silence.

“So,” Toshinori said, opening the trunk and placing her suitcase inside, “how about I take you shopping tomorrow? You can get some clothes, maybe a few other things... we could grab lunch too. Real Japanese food, not the American stuff.” He smiled as he shut the boot and turned to his daughter.

For a moment, he thought he saw a flicker of interest in her eyes. But it vanished as quickly as it appeared. Katsumi scoffed, turning her head away.

“What?” Toshinori asked. She’d been acting so weird. Of course, she was a teenager now but…

“Yeah, let’s go out,” she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “You can find some petty thief to beat up while we’re at it.”

Toshinori blinked, stunned. Then, he felt his eye twitch.

Last time he had gone to see them in America, they went out for dinner somewhere. On the way there, a villain began to attack a fire station. What was he supposed to do? He told them to go to the restaurant and he’d meet them later. It was Asami who made a big deal about it and wouldn’t talk to him afterwards, ruining the entire evening.

It had been two years since they had seen each other after that, and this was how she spoke to him? Had she missed him at all?

“You!” he scoffed, throwing his hands up. “You know, you’re just like your mother!”

Katsumi rolled her eyes, unfazed.

“Two years since I’ve last seen you, kid. Can you not be a little less cold? You remember why you’re here, right?” He asked, and Katsumi’s brow furrowed. I’m not against you. I’m trying to help you.”

“It’s been two years because last time you fucking dissapeared to go help every random asshole on the street instead of hanging out with me and mum,” Katsumi shot back. “You said you’d be ten minutes- we were waiting for an hour! You left me to listen to mum’s bullshit alone, I had no idea when you were coming back!”

It had been a long day. Toshinori had been training the kid for most of it, then there was a villain attack, then driving out here, almost being late because he forgot where he put his keys.

“Well, why do you listen to her? You two are always upset about me doing my job,” he continued, his voice rising. “I’m a hero, Katsumi. Don’t you want to be one? Well that involves sacrifice. You need to accept that.”

“Oh, I accept it,” Katsumi replied. “After all, you’re the number one hero. Congratulations. Look where it’s gotten you.” She glared at him, her voice cutting deep. “A divorced, absentee father with half his insides missing who can’t even spend one uninterupted day with his daughter.”

With how busy he had been recently, even compared to his usual busy schedule, he really hadn’t prepared for this at all. He was at a complete loss for words.

“If there’s an emergency, fine, go fix it,” she said, stepping back and rubbing her temple. “I know you care about saving people. But you’re not the only hero around, you can’t run off to help every person who stubs their toe!” She glared, crossing her arms, “Look at you. How long can you even keep being-” She glanced around the parking lot before whispering sharply, “All Might?”

Toshinori tried to respond, but no words came out, his mouth hanging open. He watched as his daughter’s sharp gaze bore into him. He couldn’t be mad. He shouldn’t have gotten mad. Seeing the way she pursed her lips, how her face twitched, and her eyes pricked reminded him.

She may look different, but this was still the little girl who would cry every time he had to leave her.

“Well?” Katsumi shifted uncomfortably, face cracking. She quickly looked away, rubbing her eyes quickly.

“Look,” she muttered, “I just don’t want my dad to get worse than he already is. It shouldn’t all be on you to fix every little problem. Other people need to step up and help each other.”

Toshinori blinked, coming back to his senses.

“I’m sorry, kid. I guess I, uh, misunderstood why you were upset.”

They stood by the car in silence for a few moments, both staring at the concrete floor as the awkward tension hung in the air. Finally, Katsumi broke the silence as she sighed and looked up.

“Sorry,” she mumbled, her voice softer now. “I’m just tired, so I’m a bit on edge”

“No, I’m sorry, kid,” he sighed, patting her on the shoulder. “Let’s start over. I know things have been difficult lately, and I understand how I’ve been… How I’ve failed in a lot of the Dad departments.”

Katsumi was silent; she looked like she’d rather be anywhere else right now.

“Right!” Toshinori huffed, patting the car boot. “Let’s get you home!”

Katsumi offered a half-smile in return as her dad opened the car door for her, taking her duffle bag and tossing it in the back seat. He walked around to the driver's side and sat down, starting the engine. Katsumi quietly pulled out her phone, scrolling through messages.

“So, uh,” Toshinori said, once they got onto the road, “texting your friends?”

“Yeah, the group chat. They wanted me to tell them when I landed.”

“That’s nice. You gonna miss them?” He kept his tone light, though from what little her mother had told him, it was probably best that she never saw those friends again. Then again, it was her mother.

“I guess,” Katsumi replied, her voice indifferent. “I feel like I won’t have much time to think about it, though.”

Toshinori chuckled. “Yeah, probably not. You’ll be too busy training. Though I’m sure once people find out who your old man is, I’m sure your phone will be blowing up.”

Katsumi snorted, rolling her eyes. “Oh, I can’t wait for that- people who hated me suddenly acting all friendly.”

Toshinori paused, choosing his next words carefully. “You’re... okay with it, right? You’ll be in the public eye a lot more already if you decide to become a hero, but being linked with me-”

“It’ll come out eventually,” she said, cutting him off with a shrug. “I can deal with it, I’m sure other people at UA will be family of famous pro-heroes. As for my old friends, I had fun with them before I left, but…” She paused, “That part of my life is over.”

He nodded, “Well, we’ll keep it under wraps as long as we can.”

The car went quiet again. Katsumi watched the city lights flicker across the dark windows. It felt strange being back in Japan after so long. The buildings seemed smaller than she remembered. Yet the advertisements for products littered the buildings tenfold, so many with the smirking faces of B-rate heroes. Katsumi grimaced.

“So,” Toshinori began, his discomfort with the silence evident, “what did you do before leaving?”

“Uh, my gymnastics team threw me a surprise party yesterday,” Katsumi said with a yawn, pulling her gaze away from the window.

“That’s sweet,” he said, relieved she had some productive connections. “You’ve stuck with gymnastics, huh? I remember your mom sending me a picture of your first day.”

“Hell yeah!” Katsumi grinned, flexing her arm proudly. “I’m into boxing now, too. That’s what Mirko does for her training, y’know?”

Toshinori raised his eyebrows, surprised by her sudden burst of energy. “Mirko?”

“Of course! You’ve met her, right?” Katsumi leaned forward, her eyes lighting up with excitement.

Her enthusiasm threw Toshinori off; she had never shown such an interest in heroes before. “I haven’t had the pleasure of meeting her, no,” he admitted, and Katsumi immediately looked less interested.

“Oh, well, she’s getting pretty popular right now- a buncha defeating villains. She not one of those heroes who need a team, but she’ll take help when she needs it. Y’know, she’s confident but not cocky. She’s no coward like a lot of the other heroes these days. I bet she’ll be in the top ten soon.”

Toshinori chuckled, “Heroes these days, huh? You sound like an old man.”

Katsumi rolled her eyes, though her lip twitched up.

“Well, y’know there’s a bunch of reasons to be a hero. When it was illegal, those who did it were people who truly just wanted to keep evil at bay and help others. Now there’s heros who’s whole careers mount up to magazine covers,” Katsumi frowned.

“Fame, money and power,” Toshinori nodded, the faces of certain heroes who fit that description popping up in his head. “You're a smart kid. I bet you’ll be a great hero then”

“Oh yeah,” Katsumi laughed, “definitely.”

Most kids her age had this blind admiration for heroes. He could guess why his daughter, in particular, wasn’t as enthusiastic as others, why she would be sceptical of heroes. It didn’t matter now, though; this was his chance to remedy that, to be there. The only problem (well, besides the fact he hadn’t really parented her since she was nine, and nine was quite different from fifteen) was that he had no idea how she would react to the boy.

“Speaking of heroes,” Toshinori said after a moment of silence, “there was this kid a couple of months ago, attacked by a sludge villain.”

“Right.”

“And because of the villain’s powers, no hero could get close enough to help.”

“Sure.”

“Well, and the kid was fighting it off with some sort of explosion quirk,” Toshinori added, sensing the disdain in Katsumi’s tone, “which made it even harder to intervene.”

“So they just left him to fend for himself?” Katsumi scoffed.

Toshinori sighed. “It was a tough situation. I’ll admit... I stood by, too. I was exhausted and ready to let someone else handle it. But then, this quirkless kid ran in to save him.”

Katsumi blinked, “Really?”

“Yeah,” he nodded. “He couldn’t do much, but seeing it pushed me to step in. Both kids ended up fine.”

“Shame that kid doesn’t have a quirk,” Katsumi said, not missing a beat. “Sounds like he’d be a good hero.”

Toshinori felt a weight lift from his shoulders. Maybe, just maybe, Katsumi would be more understanding of his plans than he initially feared.

Toshinori decided it was best to tell her about One for All and Midoriya another time- when she wasn’t so exhausted. He was grateful when they finally turned the corner and saw the gate to his- their home.

“Alright,” he said, pulling into the driveway. “We’re here.”

Katsumi wasn’t surprised by how normal the house was. All Might was known for donating most of his money to charity, so she hadn’t expected a mansion. In fact, it was smaller than her house back in LA, but… okay, so maybe it was a massive house. Yeah, to the average person, this house would be huge.

She didn’t care much about the size, though. What caught her attention was the pool in the backyard; as long as she still had a pool, she would be fine. Her dad had also mentioned a gym in the basement with plenty of weights- perfect since she hated public gyms.

She had planned to throw herself onto the nearest soft surface and go straight to sleep, but when her dad offered to make curry, she figured she could stay awake for another hour. After all, it wasn’t even that late. After dumping her luggage in her new room, she unpacked a little while he cooked. She tossed her clothes into the wardrobe and took out a couple of rolled-up posters. She was just sorting out her laptop charger when her dad called her for dinner at nine-thirty.

As much as she didn’t want to admit it, it felt nice talking to him after so long. Well, sorta.

The last time she’d seen him was when he’d visited LA, two years ago, when that dinner thing happened. It had ended in a ridiculous fight with her mom over a gift. Her mom had barely let him visit as it was, and after that incident, his Christmas visits had stopped altogether. She was lucky to get a FaceTime every now and then, and honestly, talking to your dad, who had no idea what was going on in your life or how to talk to you, wasn’t all that fun.

Since her mom had moved them to America when she was nine, Katsumi received birthday and Christmas presents from her dad every year, whether he delivered them in person or sent them over, the latter being more common. They were usually things she’d been into when she was younger or generic gifts you’d find by searching ‘best gifts for teenage girls’ on Google.

Whether it was because he didn’t care enough to put thought into it or just had no clue what to get her, she didn’t know. Most of those gifts ended up shoved in the back of her closet. But for her thirteenth birthday, he had sent her a perfume. She’d worn it every day until it ran out and begged her mom to buy her another bottle.

The only time she regularly talked to him was on Father’s Day when her mom let her call him from her phone. Her mom always insisted she shouldn’t bother him often—he was a busy man, after all. She didn’t even let Katsumi have his number until recently. Katsumi doubted it was about not bothering him, though. More likely, it was just another way to keep her away from him.

Her mother and All Might barely spoke. He wasn’t on her birth certificate; they had never actually married, just got engaged, and her mom refused any financial support. Being successful in her own right, her mom didn’t see the point in maintaining contact.

To the rest of the world, there was no connection between them, so to her mother, there was no need to acknowledge him. Katsumi sometimes wondered if her parents had ever really been in love. Maybe it was the remnants of that love that had turned her mother so cold toward him.

It wasn’t until Katsumi got arrested for fighting another student that her parents were forced back into communication. ‘Unlawful use of a Quirk in a public space’ and ‘grievous bodily harm’ or something, she didn’t remember what the police threatened to charge her with. Katsumi thought it was ridiculous. They had both agreed to the fight, so why should she be arrested because she won? Her dad’s agency handled it (likely by paying the police off, how heroic), but both of her parents agreed it couldn’t happen again. Grounding, restricting her tech, and community service were all considered, but All Might had a different idea.

“It’s obvious the kid has a lot of energy,” he had said. “If she wants to use her Quirk to fight, let her- but in a productive way, of course.”

He was already planning to teach at UA, so it was decided that Katsumi would attend the school so he could keep an eye on her. Her mom had argued that there were plenty of good hero schools in America if that was the route they were going to go. That and Japan's villain problem were worse than in the US. She didn’t want her daughter in a dangerous place like that. But after handing Katsumi a Japanese newspaper article on their crime rates, she realised her daughter could barely read it. Kanji was hard. Reluctantly, she agreed to send her to Japan.

So much for caring about her safety. Katsumi suspected her mom had grown tired of her anyway- her dislike for Katsumi seemed to outweigh her hatred for All Might nowadays.

Annoyingly, Katsumi’s birthday was on March 15th, a couple of weeks past the cut-off date for UA’s next class. Technically, it made her unable to apply as she would be joining high school at sixteen, while her classmates would be fifteen. Luckily, her dad had spoken with the principal, and it was decided that Katsumi would be recommended to take the next entrance exam in February, despite not meeting the age criteria. If she passed, she’d join the first-year class in April.

In the meantime, she was technically being ‘homeschooled’ for eight months. To Katsumi, the idea of no school for that long almost made getting arrested worth it- though she hadn’t dared say that to either of her parents.

After dinner, Katsumi said goodnight to her Dad, pleasantly surprised by his cooking abilities. Mum never cooked. She brushed her teeth, changed quickly, and was in bed by ten past ten.

She hoped the big meal and the long flight would knock her out, but instead, she tossed and turned, her heart racing as her mind refused to settle. It was worse than before; she always had a harder time sleeping when she was visiting Japan, though that hadn’t happened in a while. Maybe she should just give up and take her sleeping pills.

She was back in Japan.

Something bumped against the door. Deep in the back of her head, it bumped against the door.

Katsumi got up and rummaged through her duffle bag, pulling out the pill bottle. She gave up and swallowed a pill. She told herself she’d be okay.

She would be happy here. She wouldn’t let old memories ruin this second chance at having a real father. That’s what she had always wanted, right? To see her daddy again? Someone else…

Climbing back into bed, she squeezed her eyes shut.

At midnight, her dad walked upstairs to go to bed. Passing by Katsumi’s room, he noticed the door slightly ajar. He stepped closer, peeking inside. A soft smile tugged at his lips as he saw her silhouette beneath the covers, her breathing steady. His eyes drifted across the room, and his face fell when they landed on the open bottle of pills on her desk.

Tiptoeing in, he picked up the lid and the bottle, sealing it quietly. Her insomnia and nightmares were one of the few things her mother had bothered to tell him about, though he had never actually seen it. Asami blamed him, of course, declaring his fights with villains were worrying the child into severe stress.

He hoped that wasn’t true.

Placing the pill bottle back where it belonged, he left the room as silently as he had entered, gently closing the door behind him.

As he got into bed, he made a promise: by the time Katsumi graduated from UA and became a hero, she wouldn’t need those pills to sleep anymore. That was the least he could do for her.

Chapter Text

"You getting up any time soon?"

Katsumi groaned, shoving her head back into her pillow. Toshinori opened the door, looking into the room. Before she arrived he spent the day making sure all the rooms were as clean as possible. He hadn’t noticed it with how dark it was last night, but within a couple of hours, Katsumi had managed to turn it into a pigstye, throwing clothes all over the floor and littering the desk with rolled-up posters and wires. He chuckled as he looked at his daughter, sprawled on the bed, the duvet seeming too hot to sleep under and thrown on the floor.

"C’mon, there's miso soup for breakfast, then we can go shopping."

She reluctantly sat up, rubbing her face with her hands. 

"Ugh, let me wash my face and I’ll come down," she groaned into her hands, head still groggy from sleep.

He chuckled at her, "Okay, I’ll heat it up."

Her dad left and she slowly forced herself up. Throwing the duvet back on the bed she kicked the clothes to the wall in a half-assed attempt to clear some space. She twisted her upper body, the satisfying crack of her back making her smile. She continued stretching her legs and arms, feeling a bit stiff from the flight. 

Once she was done she went to the bathroom, splashing her face with water and cleaning her crusty eyes. Last night she had chucked her cosmetics bag behind the mirror. Taking it out she quickly moisturised and put on some mascara. She was just putting on some chapstick when her dad called her from downstairs.

Katsumi felt much lighter as she sat down at the table than when she had last night. Dad had put out a small bowl of rice and a bowl of miso soup in front of her. She thanked him and started to dig in.

"So," she asked between bites, "where we going today?"

"There’s a mall near here, there's plenty of clothing shops there."

"Okay cool," Katsumi stopped eating and looked up at him, "Uh, won’t it cause trouble if people see us together? Like after people find out who I am?’

Toshinori shook his head, ‘It should be fine, everyone sees hundreds of people every day it’s impossible to remember everyone you see.  Besides, it will be months before that." He paused, "But security footage may be an issue… it would be a disaster if this form is revealed to the world."

"I could just say you’re my uncle," Katsumi offered.

"Smart, that will have to be the worst-case scenario, seeing as we’re going somewhere with a lot of cameras could you change your appearance a bit?" he gestured to her face, "Maybe your hair or eyes."

"Hm, you're thinking my quirk works like Mum's. I can’t change my hair cuz the cells are dead but I can do the face," Katsumi raised her eyebrows, "but isn’t that unlawful use of a quirk in a-"

"No," Toshinori shook his head, "it's only unlawful if you are inconveniencing someone."

Katsumi huffed, "Okay, that’s fine. It’s not like it’ll drain me that much. You better buy some lunch though."

The Symbol of Peace needed to remain a strong, unbeatable force in the minds of the people. If anyone found out he was a skinny, ill-looking man for most of the day, villains might get a bit more… brave. Katsumi’s quirk was ridiculously useful, disguising herself wasn’t even the main aspect of her quirk, he counted himself lucky that it would be so easy to hide his weakened form when eventually the public was introduced to her as his daughter. 

After eating Katsumi went back upstairs to change. She put on a plain white top and some running shorts. The only shoes she had were running trainers too, plain white ones luckily but she still looked like she was about to work out. Oh well. 

She went to the mirror and looked at her reflection. Taking deep breaths she focused herself, she had to be delicate with this. Staring at her eyes she brought her finger to the sides and pulled downwards gently, her skin followed her, her eyes becoming rounder. Taking her hand she pressed it down on her nose, the structure flattening. She then focused on the colour, and the blue quickly faded into a very dark brown. When she opened her eyes a doe-eyed girl that looked a whole lot younger and sweeter stared back.

"That should be okay."

Transforming her face was a little harder than her body, it required much more focus and precision than turning her knuckles into iron. But when it was done it was easy to keep up, she didn’t have to think about a change in her body if it was static and the small changes she had made to her appearance didn’t take much energy at all. It was the part of her quirk that resembled her mothers, she had instructed her how to use it efficiently years ago. She was quite good at it, though it would have little use in battle.

She brushed her teeth while Dad got changed. He was waiting at the door as she walked down the stairs. All his clothes were huge on him seeing as he needed them to fit when he transformed. Katsumi’s chest tightened at the sight of him, the clothes made him seem even skinnier than he was. 

He blinked as he saw her walk down the stairs. 

"You look more like how I remember you now," he smiled, "minus the hair."

"I only bleached my hair recently."

Her dad nodded, "I was surprised. I barely recognised you at the airport."

"Well," Katsumi hummed, "it makes us look more alike don’t you think?"

Toshinori laughed, "I don’t think you’d wanna look like me, it’s a good thing you got your mum's looks."

She frowned. As her Dad opened the door and walked to the car she stared after him. He was so frail, it wasn’t fair. He was far from perfect but he was the most courageous man she had ever known. For his selflessness, the universe had rewarded him with only struggle. 

"Dad," sat in the car she stared down at he floor, "I’ve missed you," she mumbled just loudly enough for Toshinori to hear as they stopped at a red light.

Toshinori looked over at her, "I missed you too kiddo."

Katsumi bit her cheek, "Uh, I wanted to say thanks, for giving me another chance." She continued to stare down as she spoke, her hands clutched tightly. 

"Hahaha!"

He thought that was funny? It wasn't easy for her to say that! Her head whipped around to look at her Dad, laughing. The expression of annoyance on Katsumis's face soon turned to shock when his laughter turned to coughing up blood.

"Holy shit Dad," she jumped at the sight of the blood, "are you good?"

He kept coughing as he grabbed a tissue and wiped his mouth clean. As he did a loud honk came from behind them. 

"Dad- the light," Katsumi glanced behind them.

"Yeah," he coughed again, "I got it."

He continued driving, his coughing dying down. 

"Anyways," he rubbed his throat, "what were we saying!" he laughed.

Katsumi frowned. His injury was only making him sicker it seemed.

"Dad…" 

"Oh right," he ignored her worried expression. "Katsumi, I won’t lie" he chuckled, "I was quite shocked when you’re Mum called me screaming about how you had been arrested, but honestly," he glanced at her, "I’m almost glad."

"Really?" She raised an eyebrow, that was a sentence she hadn’t expected. 

‘Well yeah, not that you got arrested but... At least now you're here, and if it’s fighting you want to do, I can actually help you with that. And," Toshinori grimaced, "I admit I haven't been the best dad, I wasn’t good with being there for you even before your mother and I split. But now I swear I’ll do better. And with you wanting to become a hero?" He grinned, "That’s something I’m actually able to help with!"

Katsumi watched him, taking a moment before speaking.

"Yeah, I'm glad too."

Being a hero... Had she actually said that’s what she wanted? Katsumi hadn’t planned on ever becoming a hero, but she did like fighting. Other people may have wanted to be a hero just for that, to be able to fight strong opponents legally. But that went against Katsumi's beliefs. To her a hero should be someone who only cared about saving others, any other reason muddied the title. 

Yet there she was, in Japan with the intention of joining one of the most sought-after hero schools in the world. She was aware of how hypocritical it was to preach about how heroes don’t care about saving people when if she went though with this, she'd be the same.

Sat in the car, her Dad happily chatting about how great UA would be with him helping her to become a hero, she made a promise to herself. Even if it didn’t come naturally, even if she hated what heroes had done to the public, she would try to save as many people as she could. If she just pushed herself as far as she could go to defeat villains, that was helping people right? Even if people got caught in the crossfire or ignored because all the heroes were busy fighting. Even if the villains were people who had been isolated from society and treated like freaks, forcing them into a path of crime?

"Gosh, are we there yet!" Katsumi’s leg bounced as she tried to somehow justify herself taking part in a system she hated.

"Yeah, yeah just here. This place is pretty big so you shouldn’t have trouble finding stuff you like."

Toshinori was not surprised by his daughter's interest in fashion, that was normal for girls her age right? But he didn’t expect her to be so picky. Not only that but as a father he wasn’t particularly thrilled with the sorts of clothes his teenage daughter seemed to gravitate to. She seemed to favour the smallest tops and bottoms possible, tight tank tops with bright animal patterns and short denim shorts with rips. He felt quite out of place in the bright shops, luckily it was a workday so they were mostly empty.

Despite the shopping trip being for clothes, they seemed to end up in the jewellery section quite a bit, Katsumi was more than happy to look for more earrings for the many holes in her ear. She absolutely took advantage of his wallet, constantly drifting over to the most expensive stores. That was what she was used to though, and it wasn’t like he was tight on money. He did think it was funny though how she somehow only ended up in the expensive stores even with no prior knowledge of different Japanese stores. 

In each store, she would take her time feeling the clothes and deciding what materials she liked best. Once she had picked out a pile of clothes she would go to the changing room and spend forever in there. 

"I have to undo my transformation each time! I’m not taking that long, why don’t you just wander around while I’m in there?"

Wander? There was nothing around he wanted to look at, besides, he stuck out like a sore thumb.

"Why do you have to transform?" Toshinori asked her as she put about a third of the clothes she had tried back on the shelf. 

"To make sure it actually looks good on me with my actual face!" She replied, acting as if it was obvious.

He sighed as she passed him the single bag she was holding. Both his hands were full of colourful bags of varied sizes at that point.

Per Katsumi's request, they had a hot pot as a late lunch. The restaurant was fancy with separate rooms for each group. Toshinori watched as his daughter happily ordered more than enough for the two of them. Once the food came she took her phone out to take pictures of it. She ended up morphing back into her natural face so she could get a photo of them together before digging in. He let her get through a good amount of her share before he began the conversation. He had been practising it in his head ever since it had been decided she would be moving in with him. Hoping that the new clothes, jewellery and food had put her into a forgiving mood he took a deep breath in and began. 

"While we’re alone here," he said, clearing his throat, "there’s something we need to discuss." 

Katsumi didn’t look up from the pork she was roasting as he spoke, "Hm? What is it?"

"Hey," Toshinori said seriously, "look at me, this is important."

"Yeah okay, I’m listening," she nodded, looking at him. 

Toshinori scratched the back of his neck, "Right, you remember how I told you about that quirkless kid."

"Uhhhh yes," Katsumi picked up a bit of pork and popped it into her mouth.

"I actually met him before that happened, him trying to save that boy from that villain that is. He was being attacked by the same villain and I saved him. I was running out of time at that point and so I jumped away, the thing is he had more questions for me, he's a big All Might fan you see."

Katsumi’s face scrunched as she chewed, of course, he was an All Might fan, pretty much everyone was an All Might fan. It was weird for her, everyone she knew idolised him as above human, but to her, he was just her Dad.

"Well, he grabbed onto my leg so I had to drop him off onto a roof. I ended up transforming in front of him-"

"Woah woah, wait what? Seriously?" Katsumi blurted, her mouth still full. She quickly shut her mouth and swallowed what was left inside, "What happened then?"

Toshinori wiped a bit of chewed-up pork from his face, "He was shocked but he agreed to keep it to himself. I explained what had happened, well the basics- the same amount that you know."

"Uh yeah," Katsumi nodded. All her parents had told her was that it was a villain who hated All Might who had injured him. She had also been told that the villain was dead, but whether they just said that to ease her worries or they actually thought that she wasn’t sure. Probably the latter. 

"Well he wanted to know if he could still be a hero without a quirk, and I told him no. But still after that, later on, he almost killed himself trying to save that boy…"

Toshinori sighed, he had to get this over with, "I haven’t told you this but the reason I decided to start teaching at UA is because I was searching for a successor."

"Successor? To what?" Katsumi looked away as she poked at some noodles with her chopsticks.

"My quirk."

Katsumi stared at her father's eyes, his deep, sunken eyes. "Right…"

"My quirk has been the topic of many speculations. I always avoid the topic, I never even told your mother. It’s one of the reasons I’m not on your birth certificate."

Katsumi took a deep breath in, her brow rising as she back looked down at the table.

"You see it was given to me," Toshinori spoke with a passion she only heard when he spoke about hero work, "It is a quirk that is passed on, each new person cultivating it and making it stronger. One for all."

Katsumi’s expression did not change, still avoiding his eyes. 

"Uh, thats the name, One for all," He continued, a little less confident.

"Okay... So you giving this power to someone at UA..?" Katsumi asked, poking at some of the food on the table. She still didn’t meet her father's gaze.

Toshinori all of a sudden felt a wave of guilt.

"Well," he spoke hesitantly, "I was. But when I saw that kid practically running to his death to save that kid, despite being told by his hero he could never-"

Katsumi stopped him, her cold tone silencing him, "You gave it to a random kid..." over your own daughter?

He looked up to see her piercing blue eyes, eyes she had gotten from him. Despite her monotone voice, she was glaring at him, her mouth tightly shut and fists clenched around her chopsticks.

"It’s not like that Sumi-"

At the sound of that nickname, Katsumi felt hot venom rise in her body. Was he seriously trying to pacify her with a childhood nickname?

"Sumi? Seriously," she gritted her teeth as she felt her heart freeze up, "don’t you ever think this," she flicked her hand, gesturing to them both, "will ever be like it was, like it will ever be normal. You picking some random kid over me just proves-"

"Woah wait a sec," Toshinori interrupted sternly, "you never ever told me you wanted to be a hero, and I haven’t seen you in years! Why would I-"

"Exactly! You didn’t even think to ask me, or tell me or whatever! Y’know why?"

"Katsumi I know I haven’t-"

"Haven’t been there- yeah you haven’t. But you’re here now! Wow, thanks Dad! Now it’s convenient for you."

"You know I have a busy life I have responsi-"

"Eight months!" Katsumi jumped up, slamming her hands onto the table. "Dad you didn’t bother to talk to us for eight months when you and Mum broke-"

Toshinori shook his head, "Why is that the time you always focus on?"

"Because you left me alone!" Katsumi shouted, "I was eight! Every night I would wonder when you were coming back- when you would realise-" she clenched her fists together, "when you would call or ugh goddamnit!" She spun around as she pulled at her hair.

"Katsumi! Listen-"

Katsumi grabbed her bags, "Whatever. Let's go."

"You-"

"Shut up," she spat as she walked to the door. "I’m so done with this conversation."

Toshinori was left alone as Katsumi walked out of the room. He held his face in his hands, taking a deep breath in. He expected this, he really did. It still made him feel awful seeing her so hurt. He reassured himself that she would be okay after a little while. He was sure. She didn’t want that responsibility, he knew she didn’t. She was just hurt and needed time to process. It would be okay. Thats what he told himself at least.

The car ride back was silent. 

When they got home Katsumi took all the bags, ignoring her Dad when he offered to help her, to her room. She spent the next hour or so organising her room, putting away her clothes, putting up her posters and photos. 

She didn’t want one for all, she didn’t even want to be a hero. But the fact he never even asked her made her blood boil. He trusted a random boy with it over her. The worst part was that it was the right decision, but how would he know that? Another reminder of the years she spent missing one of the most important people in her life.

But she already knew that her Dad hadn’t been there, it was not new. She couldn’t change it, she had to accept it. But now seeing him, having him be the one looking after her somehow made the years of abandonment worse. It proved that he could do it.

Once she had packed everything away she sat on her bed. She took a deep breath in, counting as she breathed in and out slowly, taking time to organise her thoughts.

Not everything, no, most things in life don’t go how you want. It was a stupid fact of life that people threw around to excuse themselves for not trying to better the world. But in this case, a child could not change the fact her father wasn’t there, nor something he had already done. 

Katsumi thought that (compared to some of the stuff she had locked deep away in the basement of her mind) her Dad’s disregard for her existence wasn't that bad. It’s not like he tried to actively hurt her. It was passive, it truly did hurt her a lot growing up but it wasn’t completely his fault, distance, his work and her mother were pretty big roadblocks for him. As for the eight months… he didn’t know. 

It wasn’t him she hated. Toshinori Yagi is a good man, one of the best men who risks his life on a regular base to save people, he deserves another chance to be a good Dad. That didn’t mean Katsumi had to get over everything immediately, but she couldn’t stay angry forever, she made her point, and it was time to move on. 

"I want to meet him."

Toshinori jumped when he heard Katsumi’s voice from behind him. 

"Huh?"

She crossed her arms, avoiding eye contact.

"You’re training him, right? You didn’t give him a quirk and fuck off, did you?"

"Well actually I haven’t given him the quirk yet, he is too weak, it would tear him apart. I gave him a training regime to do and-"

"I’ll join him."

"Huh?" Toshinori’s eyebrow flew up. 

"I’ll join his training," Katsumi reiterated. "I want to get to know this kid, and I want to prove to you even without your special quirk I can be just as strong as you," she grinned at the idea, she didn’t care about that at all but it was a good motivation she thought. 

"Kids are supposed to outclass their parents because the parents are supposed to teach them to become better. If I’m gonna be a hero I want to be the best I can be, so I’ll put aside our problems if you train me the same as you’re training this kid."

Toshinori looked at his daughter, she stared him down, her eyes hard, full of determination. He smiled and exploded into his hero form.

"Of course my child!" He laughed as he grabbed her into a hug. She squealed as she was lifted up into his arms.

"Ugh- hey! Put me down."

"I promise I shall guide you into becoming the best hero you can be!" Declaring he smiled wide at her. She glared up at him

"Yeah yeah, whatever," she rolled her eyes, but she couldn’t help a little smile tugging at her mouth.

Chapter Text

Izuku Midoriya had been training under All Might for a couple of months now. All Might had instructed Midoriya on all the workouts to do and foods to eat to strengthen his body in time for the UA entrance exam. On top of that, they would usually meet at a beach in the evening or early morning and Midoriya would spend a couple hours moving the trash off the sand. The last two days however All Might had been busy, leaving Midoriya to train by himself.

Every time they would meet on the beach and start immediately, so Midoriya was confused when All Might called him in advance asking him to meet him on the path just above the beach. He waited and sat on a bench, looking out at the sea behind the piles of trash that littered the sand.

‘Wow, the sky is really pretty today.’

‘Young Midoriya!’

The boy jumped in surprise as All Might appeared besides him.

‘All Might!’ He turned around to see the huge figure of the world's number-one hero..

The older man quickly deflated, ‘Keep your voice down.’

‘But you- you shouted first-’ he protested.

‘Shhh, c’mon let's start walking.’

They walked along the street as the sun began to rise, the dark blue night sky slowly giving way to the orange glow of daybreak. The air was slightly chilly despite it being summer, the cold wind coming in from the ocean. Midoriya could help shivering slightly in his t-shirt.

‘So’ Midoriya looked up at Toshinori curiously, ‘why did we have to meet here?’

Toshinori sighed, ‘Well, I need to talk to you about something before we get started.’

‘Oh? What’s wrong All Might?’ He wondered is it was something to do with why he hadn’t seen him the last few days.

‘You see,’ He scratched his neck as he spoke, ‘the reason I wasn’t able to see you the last couple days is because I have a uh, visitor I had to pick up from the airport.’

‘A visitor?’ Midoriya cocked his head to the side.

‘Yes well, a bit more than that. You see, my daughter-’

‘Daughter!’ Midoriya jumped up as he shouted, ‘You have a-’

Toshinori covered the boy's mouth, ‘Yes, calm down.’ He let go of Midoriya.

‘I’m sorry All Might it's just shocking! You never mentioned that before!’

‘Yeah well, she just moved back here from America. She’s about the same age as you and she’s wanting to go to UA so I thought-’

‘She’s going to UA!’ Both Midoriya's jaw and eyes were wide open as he looked at Toshinori. ‘Wait who’s her mother? There’s never been any records of All Might being in a relationship, no way you could have kept that secret!’

Toshinori quickly interrupted him, ‘We’re not together anymore.’

Midoriya cringed at the old man's face, he was staring ahead blankly.

‘Sorry…’ he tried to change the subject, ‘Oh, does she have a quirk like you? One for all? Does it even work like that?’

‘No not really,’ He shook his head, ‘well actually, I don’t know, I doubt it. Maybe she may have some natural strength that comes from one for all or her quirk is stronger than it would have been if I didn’t have one for all… but her quirk is from her mother. Honestly, it’s pretty cool, you should ask her to show you.’

‘Show me? Wait is she here?’ He looked around, half expecting this mystery child to pop up behind him.

‘Yeah, she’s gonna be training with you. Thats why I wanted to talk to you beforehand. You see she can be a bit… uh, I mean she’s very, um,’ Toshinori stumbled over his words, ‘She has a big personality kid, so be prepared.’

‘Right… I’m not sure what that means.’

He ignored that, instead turning to face him very seriously. ‘And also, not like I think you would but no funny business!’

‘What do you mean?’ Midoriya looked at him confused at the sudden change of emotion.

‘You know what I mean young man! You’ll be the first person her age she’ll meet here! So be her friend okay? Don’t get any other ideas.’

Midoriya's face went blank before his mouth flew open, ‘What of course not All Might who do you think I am!’ his eyes were wide as he waved his hands frantically in front of him, ‘I’ve barely even talked to a girl let I would never-’

‘Okay okay,’ he laughed, ‘I was mostly joking with you,’ he smiled at Midoriya but the boy could tell he was being serious.

‘I’m more worried about her teasing you, to be honest- don’t let her make fun of you! If she does tell me!’

‘Uh okay!’ He paused for a second, something was bothering him, more serious than All Might being a protective Dad.

‘Does she know about one for all?’

‘Yeah, I already told her all about that,’ All Might looked at him very seriously then, ‘Understand that she’s aware that I chose you to inherit my quirk over her, so she might be a little cold to you because of that.’

‘Oh,’ Midoriya looked down. That was weird, if she already had a strong quirk that probably meant she would be a good candidate to be his successor. Why did he want to search for a successor in UA if he had a daughter who wanted to be a hero?

Katsumi wasn’t too pleased to be on a beach at six-something in the morning. She barely ever woke up that early. She liked to sleep in, back at home her Mum would always bang on her door in the mornings to make sure she was up. The threat of her Mother screaming at her was enough to force her out of the comfort of her bed.

Her Dad had so far been gentle with getting her up, then again he was yet to deal with her for more than a couple of days.

She had brought a steamed bun for breakfast, having to leave so early had lost her the time to eat a proper meal. She was munching on it as she sat on some abandoned washing machine left on the beach. The beach was littered with trash, but one area was seemingly being cleaned. Apparently, that was due to the efforts of her father's quirkless successor. He had gone to fetch the boy, leaving Katsumi to wait for the training to start.

She was quite curious about what sort of person this quirkless kid was. It was becoming less and less common for people to be quirkless. Statistics show that twenty per cent of the population had no quirk, but most were elderly people from the second generation. Back at her old school, there was one quirkless kid out of five hundred students, she was bullied relentlessly. Despite holding some animosity towards the boy her father had chosen to gift his quirk, she hoped his situation was different from that girls.

Her attention was diverted from her thoughts when she heard her dads voice coming from behind her, she hopped down from her perch onto the sand. God, why a beach? She hated getting sand in her shoes.

‘Ah! Katsumi there you are.’

Katsumi turned around to see her dad, skinny as ever standing next to a short, wobbly boy with crazy green hair. He froze stiff when she made eye contact with her. She looked at him silently, staring intently at him. All Might paused, waiting for the boy to introduce himself. After a long moment of silence, Katsumi spoke up.

‘Hey.’

Midoriya had felt as if his mind had floated out of his body as they approached her. He had been listening to All Might talk about his dislike for cardio when all of a sudden his heart stopped.

Sat on the pile of trash was a girl with beautiful long golden hair. It blew like a satin ribbon in the wind, the bright morning glow illuminating the smooth strands. The girl turned her head toward them revealing the most radiant blue eyes.

To him she looked straight out of a movie, the light of the sunrise glistened over the delicately carved features on her face. Her hair and clothes blowing in the wind. The girl leapt down from her seat, the movement so graceful. Her eyes met his and he felt his heart ascend, he could only stare as he absorbed the image in front of him.

‘Goodness boy!’ The loud voice snapped him out of his stupor, ‘Don’t just stand there- introduce yourself!’ All Might shoved him forward.

‘I’m Izuku Midoriya!’ he threw his head down in a bow, ‘it’s nice to meet you!’

Katsumi awkwardly nodded her head in return as she gave a look to her Dad. She wasn’t about to bow and she felt a little bit of second-hand embarrassment from the awkwardness of the boy.

‘Katsumi, nice to meet you too,’ she put her hand out, Midoriya looked up at it for a moment before tentatively shaking it. Katsumi used all her self-control not to laugh at the boy's face, the mix of a fearful expression and the fact his face was as red as a tomato was picture-worthy.

In order to not laugh in the boy's face Katsumi turned to her Dad, still holding Midoriyas hand.

‘This kid is the one who tried to fight a sludge monster?’ She asked half in disbelief and half for the sake of saying something.

Midoriya jumped back, his hand flying away from hers, ‘Huh! You know about that?’

‘Yeah,’ All Might nodded, ‘I know he seems a bit timid but the boys got real courage.’

‘I’m sure,’ Katsumi turned to Midoriya, was timid the right word? He seemed just awkward. He looked younger than her, and not just because he was shorter. Didn’t age matter a lot in Japan? Mum was always talking about respecting elders. A smirk crept onto Katsumi’s lips.

‘Hey kid, when’s your birthday?’

‘Kid?’ Midoriya stood up straight, ‘July the fifteenth.’

‘Right’ Katsumi grinned, ‘that makes me older than you,’ she pointed a finger at him, ‘here in Japan you’re all about respect right? So make sure to call me Senpai right kid?’

‘Katsumi-’ All Might massaged his forehead.

‘Huh?’ Midoriya blinked in surprise, ‘Uh okay, um, Senpai.’

‘That’s only used for work or school Katsumi!’ All Might threw his hands in front of him and turned to Midoriya, ‘Midoriya, call her Yagi!’

Katsumi shrugged, ‘Yagi Senpai works too.’

‘Stop trying to assert dominance!’ All Might poked her forehead hard enough to make her yelp, ‘You two are going to be working together so you might as well try to get along!’

She pouted innocently, rubbing her forehead self-pityingly, ‘Me? I’m the nicest person in the world.’

‘Then would you be so nice as to help Midoriya get that fridge off the beach.’

‘This sucks,’ she frowned as she looked at the fridge, ‘Such as stupid training method.’

Midoriya piped up, ‘All Might chose it so I’d be helping the community whilst training! Don’t worry I’ve figured out how to move the stuff quite efficiently but I’m actually really grateful to have another pair of hands to help Senpai!’

Katsumi’s face scrunched up as soon as he actually called her Senpai, ‘That feels really weird,’ she shook her head. ‘Call me Katsumi.’

Midoriyas face went pink, ‘Uh! Are you sure?’

‘Yeah,’ She looked at him plainly, ‘sorry I know that’s not normal here but that’s what I’ve grown up being called, I’d rather be called my name rather than Yagi,’ she grinned and cocked her head to the side, ‘especially since we’re gonna be friends.’

‘Ah okay!’ Midoriya looked quickly from her to All Might who shrugged, ‘In that case,’ he paused and before he smiled apprehensively, ‘you can call me Izuku.’

‘Right Izuku,’ he stood up straight at the sound of her saying his first name, ‘I have no investment or care about what we're doing to this beach so just order me around.’

She could see her Dad shaking her head.

‘Oh uh okay, well as you know we’re going to be clearing the beach, today I was planning on tackling the area over there so I think we…’

Katsumi nodded along as she listened to Midoriya’s plan, with what Toshinori thought was an uncharacteristic patience for the boys rambling. Soon they were both stretching, getting ready to clear up the beach.

As Toshinori watched the two kids struggle to move the massive metal blocks, he decided Katsumi's reaction wasn’t too bad. They seemed to be getting on pretty well, even if young Midoriya had been a bit awkward.

She kept asking Midoriya what he wanted her to do to help, the responsibility flustered him a little but he got used to it. Katsumi was definitely stronger physically than him at the moment, with her help they were managing to clear more from the beach than Midoriya usually did alone. Still, the objects they were moving were heavy. Toshinori laughed when Katsumi started screaming at a fridge that refused to budge.

He noticed Midoriya was working a bit harder than he normally would.

The sun had risen pretty high up into the sky by the time they called it quits. Katsumi was glistening as she leaned against an old washing machine. She pulled at her sweat-soaked top and gulped down a large water bottle, her throat felt on fire. It had been a while since she had physically strained herself that much. God, her muscles were killing her.

‘Ugh I wanna sit down, can we get off the sand-’ she whined. Her complaints abruptly stopped as her eyes landed on Midoriya. The boy was laid on his back, legs and arms flailed around in the sand.

She started laughing. Midoriya turned his head groggily to the impish sound, his head throbbing as he looked up at Katsumi. She had crouched down not too far from him, she held out the bottle of water.

‘Thanks.’ He groaned as he sat up and took the bottle.

Katsumi watched as he began to chug the rest of the water. When he was done he wiped his mouth and passed it back to Katsumi.

‘You normally this tired after clearing up?’ Katsumi grinned.

He smiled sheepishly, his face red from what Katsumi assumed was the exercise, ‘I didn’t want to put in less of an effort because I had someone helping me.’

‘Heh,’ Katsumi narrowed her gaze as she smirked and leaned closer to Midoriya, ‘you weren’t showing off then?’

His already pink face flushed a bright red, ‘Uh- well-’ he stammered.

‘Katsumi! I told you not to bother young Midoriya!’ Toshinori walked over toward them holding a plastic bag.

‘Oh no, All Might don’t worry she wasn’t bothering me at all!’ Midoriya sputtered. Katsumi just rolled her eyes.

‘I’m starving,’ Katsumi huffed as she stood up, ‘what food did you get?’

‘I just got you two a bento from the convenience store, Midoriya you still got to follow that meal plan, think of this as a snack.’

‘Yes sir!’

They all went over to a bench to eat. Katsumi dug in immediately while Midoriya thanked All Might for the meal. She finished quickly and put the leftover rubbish in the bag.

‘Ah, sorry kids,’ Toshinori stood up as his phone began to ring, ‘I gotta take this.’

Katsumi watched as he walked away out of earshot, probably something about his new job. She grinned then, sensing the awkwardness of the boy who sat next to her. Even after hours of working out together, he was still nervous, how cute.

‘So how long have you been training with my Dad then?’ Katsumi brought her feet up onto the bench as she turned to look at Midoriya.

He jolted a bit as her knee poked his leg as she adjusted herself. He quickly recovered but didn’t look at her.

‘Since April, that's when uh, I got attacked by a villain and All Might saved me, I’m afraid I caused him a lot of trouble then.’ His nervous expression turned bitter, but he still smiled.

Katsumi frowned, her Dad had chosen him to receive his quirk, why regret how it happened?

‘Yeah, but you went to go save that boy right?’

‘Oh Kacchan?’ His expression turned even more self-pitying, ‘Yeah he wasn’t happy about that.’

‘Who? The guy you tried to save?’ She asked incredulously, ‘That's stupid, I’d be incredibly thankful to anyone who tried to help me when I am in trouble.’ Her voice became harsher as she thought about how ungrateful that was.

Midoriya looked at her, eyes wide as he heard her voice rise and saw her furrowed brows. He smiled and laughed, making Katsumi blink in surprise and pull back.

‘That's just Kacchan, he doesn’t like me much so he wasn’t happy that I tried to help him.’ Midoriya looked down at his food, resting on his lap, ‘He can be a bit of a bully’

Katsumi stared at his smiling face. Biting her cheeks, she crossed her arms.

‘You get bullied for being quirkless?’ There wasn’t much point in asking him that, of course, he did.

‘Yeah, Kacchan used to bully me a lot. But since that incident, he just ignores me.’

Katsumi looked down at the floor, staring intently at the grey pavement. Midoriya shifted awkwardly, he internally slapped himself for ruining the mood, why’d he have to go and make it all about him?

Before he could properly wallow about ruining the conversation with the pretty daughter of his idol she whipped her head around.

‘People are stupid!’ She yelled, ‘You risked your life to help someone who isn’t even grateful,’ she lept up, standing on the bench. Midoriya gasped and almost spilt his food as he looked up at her. Katsumi pointed at him, ‘You know what that makes you?’ She shouted, grinning.

‘An idiot?’ He said nervously.

‘A real hero!’ She crouched back down, getting right up in his face, ‘You so inspired my dad that he chose you to inherit his power!’ She poked his chest, ‘He believes in you, so ignore everyone else!’ She went quiet and looked to the side momentarily, ‘Actually scratch that,’ she got back in his face making him pull back in surprise, ‘listen to me too!’

He nodded vigorously, ‘Alright!’

‘Whew,’ she lent back properly on the bench, arms crossed, ‘Damn, I didn’t mean to get so worked up, but seriously, why get mad at you trying to save someone? How silly.’

Midoriya watched as Katsumi looked out at the water, the clear midday sun lighting up her annoyed face. Her face looked nothing like All Might, except her big blue eyes that squinted as she looked at the sea. Midoriya found his eyes repeatedly drifting to her lips as she spoke, the-

‘Um, Izuku you good?’

He snapped back to the present, realising he had been staring, ‘Oh, sorry I was thinking about something,’ he laughed awkwardly as he looked away trying to hide his guilty expression.

Katsumi smiled cheekily, ‘Really about what?’ She put a finger to her lips as she leaned forward.

‘Ah, um,’ Midoriya’s mind raced trying to think of something to conceal that he had just been shamelessly checking her out. ‘Oh,’ his eyes lit up as he found his salvation, ‘you’re quirk! I asked All Might earlier what it was but he said you would show it to me if I asked!’ He smiled as the words shot quickly from his mouth.

Katsumi pouted for a second, ‘Is that it?’ she sighed and held out her arm.

Midoriya looked at her arm confused for a moment before he gasped. Her arm stretched out before her, growing in length about a meter before she whipped her arm over her head, the extra length snapping back.

‘Woah!’ Midoriyas eyes lit up, ‘Is that hyper-elasticity? No, your arm didn’t change shape so that can’t be it, so is it-’

Katsumi held her hand up, ‘I’m gonna stop you there, I got more to show you.’ She clenched her hand in front of his face. Midoriya looked at it intently. He kept looking at it. He continued to look at it.

‘What am I supposed to be-’ Midoriya’s creased brows shot up as he looked at Katsumis face. Her forehead now had a huge horn sticking out of it.

‘A rhino?’ he gasped.

‘Never been called that before.’ Katsumi smirked as she stroked the piece of bone sticking out of her head. ‘This will help fight right? I can smash people's skulls in,’ she frowned, ‘It’s heavy though, I’ll have to enforce my neck somehow so I don’t snap it while throwing my head around.’

Midoriya brought a hand up to his chin, ‘Thats completely different to stretching your arm, and when you say enforce your neck do you mean with support items or your quirk? If you do mean your quirk that would mean you can change your body in some way, which you have shown with your growing of a horn. That with the stretching of your arms, no not stretching… growing? Yeah, it seems you were increasing the length of your arms instead of your present tissue stretching. But with the horn is it a growth of your bone or are you able to change the tissues of your body?’ he muttered.

‘Damn, you’re smart.’ Katsumi’s horn was smaller when Midoriya looked up at her. He blushed a little as he realised he had been rambling.

Katsumi tutted as she tapped the tip of the horn, ‘This is gonna be a pain to retract,’ she winced as it got smaller. ‘Should I just cut it off?’ she mumbled under her breath.

‘Ah-’ Midoriya’s eyes lit up, not hearing the last thing she had said, ‘so does that mean it's from your skull?’

‘Yeah,’ Katsumi pressed down on the horn as it shrunk away, ‘but I can change the tissues in my body,’ she turned to him as she pushed on the steadily shrinking horn. ‘It’s more effort though, and takes practice to get the material right. I’ve focused mostly on steel, I’ve pretty much perfected it, but now I’m working on making it high-carbon.’

Midoriyas gaze narrowed as the cog in his head began to turn, ‘How does that work? Do you have to understand the chemical makeup for each material?’

‘Yeah, but I’m kinda dumb when it comes to that stuff and it bores me,’ Katsumi giggled and leaned back, resting her arms on the back of the bench. Her horn was now completely gone.

‘I focused on steel so I can turn my arms into swords or make my punches harder and stuff.’ She clenched her fist in front of her, the skin turning shiny and grey as she coated it with metal.

‘I’m glad I’m gonna be doing all this lifting with you,’ smiling she turned to Midoriya, ‘I’m pretty strong from gymnastics, but fighting with steel sticking from your arms requires way more strength than I have! I’m gonna have to work out so much it sucks!’ She whined.

‘That’s an incredible quirk!’ Midoriya encouraged her, as she sighed from the idea of spending every day picking up hunks of metal. ‘The possibilities are endless! You could grow your body multiple times your size like Mt Lady or grow tendrils like Kamui Woods! You could resist attacks by coating your body with a hard material-’

Katsumi snapped out of her self-pity quickly as he began to ramble, ‘Those are good ideas, why don’t you write them down for me.’

‘Huh really?’ He blinked in surprise.

‘Yeah, I wanna see what you think I should focus on. You seem like you know your stuff.’

‘Well yeah, I want to be a hero so badly, so I know a lot about different heroes and strategies and stuff…’

‘That’s impressive,’ Katsumi said honestly, she turned away to look at the sea. ‘But I can’t relate. I don’t like heroes that much.’

‘Huh? Really why?’

‘Well, I guess to me a hero is supposed to be someone who fights for the common man, who helps everyone they can, who is selfless.’ The image of her father lit up in both their minds, the unstoppable symbol of peace.

‘Most of the heroes today just want money and fame,’ that image of her father shining brightly seemed much smaller as she thought of the endless waves of wannabe heroes that roamed the streets.

‘It’s watered down the whole concept.’

Midoriya looked at the floor, ‘That may be true…’ he suddenly threw his head up and declared, ‘But I want to be a hero! I want people to see me and know they’ll be okay!’ He looked right into Katsumi's eyes as he spoke, ‘A true hero that’ll help everyone!’

Katsumi stared at him, seeing the light in his eyes she couldn’t stop her lips from curling into a smile, ‘You’ve got more ambition than me…’ she admitted, ‘I’m sure you’ll be a great hero,’ scratching at her neck as she turned away from his bright gaze, ‘you’ve got my Dad’s backing after all.’

Toshinori smiled as he stood behind the corner near the bench where the two teens were sitting. He had been worried for nothing, despite Katsumi’s prior anger towards the situation, Midoriya and her were getting along well.

Midoriya’s voice came from around the corner, ‘Where is All Might anyway? How long is that call?’

‘Oh Izuku, your food. You better eat it before he comes back.’

‘Oh yeah!’

Toshinori decided to give them a couple more minutes.

Chapter Text

5th September 20XX (today)

6:30 Asami Endo

Yagi, how is my daughter?

6:32 Toshinori Yagi

She’s doing great, training hard.

6:40 Toshinori Yagi

I’m doing well too, how are you?

7:02 Asami Endo

Is she practising her Japanese reading and writing?

7:04 Toshinori Yagi

I’m sorry that slipped my mind

Very busy lately 

I’ll ask her

7:08 Toshinori Yagi

She says she’s playing videogames in Japanese

7:09 Asami Endo

Get her to study. 

7:10 Toshinori Yagi

On it. 

It had been a month since Katsumi had landed in Japan. She had been constantly training with Midoriya and practising her quirk. She wasn’t even enrolled in UA and yet it felt like she was working harder than she ever had in her life.

Her Dad was very involved, he contacted some specialists who had given her sessions on understanding different materials. He couldn’t help her strengthen her quirk himself so that was the next best thing. She had been pretty receptive to it. 

He had also been planning on hiring a tutor to teach her the Japanese curriculum. That plan fell through when she staunchly refused it. It was necessary though, and they had compromised by Toshinori deciding to start looking for a tutor in September. 

With all the hero work Toshinori was doing he had forgotten about it entirely, and Katsumi had neglected to remind him. 

‘Oh come on! It’s September,’ Katsumi whined, ‘there's still ages until the entrance exam!’ 

‘Five months isn’t that long, you not only have to practise Japanese but all the other subjects in the exam.’

‘Ugh, I thought I was going to a hero school… Normal work sucks.’

‘Technically you’re supposed to be being homeschooled right now…’ Toshinori scratched his chin, ignoring his daughter’s whining.

‘I don’t really have the time to teach you myself… but hiring a tutor may be a bit troublesome, we need to wait until you get into UA before you being my kid gets out.’

Katsumi sighed, ‘Can’t I just teach myself? It’s not like I need much help with maths and science, I can just practise a couple of hours a week myself till the exam. English, I’m fluent so that's all sorted out.’

‘I’m pretty sure they test for social studies as well, and don’t forget about Japanese.’

Katsumi scowled, ‘Ugh! Get me some textbooks and I’ll be fine,’ suddenly her face lit up.

‘Actually- why don’t I ask Izuku to help me with Japanese?’

Her Dad immediately shook his head, ‘He’s got a lot on his plate right now you shouldn’t bother him.’

‘Cmon lemme ask at least, he’s gonna have to study for the exams too right? So I’m sure he’ll be fine helping me a bit.’

Katsumi had grown quite fond of Izuku over the month, she would much rather he help her study than some random adult. 

She had found they didn’t like her much. Somehow, despite living in a world where people with kitchen supplies as heads existed she stuck out. Walking in public she had found that she got a lot of dirty looks from adults, even some nasty comments. While shopping for groceries she overheard two mothers practically imply she was a whore. It seemed it wasn’t just them who got that idea either. One night she was out running and a fully adult man (who looked like his diet consisted solely of lard) asked her if she wanted to go to a hotel with him. 

Katsumi was extremely proud of her self-control at that moment, managing to resist her instinct to slice his sweaty throat open.

She wasn’t totally a stranger to people assuming those things about her, but it was at another level in Japan. 

It seemed being tanned was not a respectable trait in Japan, which paired with the fact Katsumi had bleached hair, piercings and a bold not-very-modest sense of style made her stick out. Izuku had said that she looked and acted a bit like a gyaru and when she searched it up she sort of understood. The main similarity was the tanned skin and light hair. The more she looked at the style though the more she began to like it. Sadly it seemed that some associated it with being dumb and easy which explained the treatment Katsumi faced by some (boring and old) people.

All that to say she had accepted the fact that although she was born in Japan, she did not really fit in. Honestly, she had no interest in changing that, she was happy to just avoid anyone who was not Izuku or her Dad. Besides, she had decided to commit to the whole hero thing and all the popular heroes stuck out. She felt a little bad for Izuku, the poor guy didn’t have much going for him in that department. More from his habit of minimising himself and his awful fashion sense over his appearance being bad. 

‘You can ask him if he wants to help you,’ her Dad put on his shoes as he spoke, ‘but make sure he doesn’t slack off training to help you study.’ 

‘Of course, I’ll see if he can do tonight.’ She waved him goodbye as he left.

4th September 20XX

20:03 Izuku

www.watchvods.com/kamuiwoodsclearsdebrisoffcivillians

This might be useful for you to copy

Extending your fingers might not be enough to lift heavy weights you might want to copy him completely and grow tendrils out of your arm too for more support

I’m not sure how much movement and control you’ll be able to get out of them though

20:10 Katsumi

hell yeah thats awesome

i could totally grab people and shit with that

bring em close and take them out

20:13 Izuku

I was thinking more for rescue but that works too!

5th September 20XX (today)

7:19 Katsumi

heyy 

my dads sayin I need to start studying 

would you mind helping me go over stuff so ik what i should study

Idk what you’re supposed to know for exams here

7:21 Izuku

Sure! When are you free?

7:21 Katsumi

Idk today, tomorrow, forever

if youre free tonight can we do it when you get back from school?

7:22 Izuku

Today!?

Okay

Sure

Where do you want to meet up?

We can go to a library

Izuku is typing

‘Library? You’re supposed to be quiet in a library.’ Kasumi mumbled as she got up to go to the kitchen.

7:23 Katsumi

no 

I cant be quiet

7:23 Izuku

Oh

7:24 Katsumi

I would say come round mine but idk if my dad would be okay with that cuz secret identity and shit

Do you mind if I come round urs?

Midoriyas face went bright red as he read that message. He had just started eating breakfast when he got a notification from Katsumi. He was going to wait until he finished eating to look at his phone but it kept buzzing. 

He was glad he did check, she wanted to come round his house!

‘Izuku are you okay?’ his mum asked with that slightly concerned expression she wore most of the time.

‘Ah yeah! I’m just talking with someone…’ he trailed off, he hadn’t told his mum about Katsumi just like he hadn’t told her about All Might. He had assumed he wasn’t supposed to… but if she asked to come around his house surely that meant it would be okay? 

‘Really who?’ She leaned forward, Izuku didn’t have many friends so it wasn’t typical for him to be texting someone.

‘A girl I’ve been training with,’ Izuku looked away, scratching his cheek a bit embarrassed, ‘she’s asked if she can come round tonight to study if that's okay for you- ah Mum!’ 

Izuku looked up to see his mum in tears, clutching her chest.

‘Oh, my baby has a friend! And a girl no least!’ she smiled as she sobbed, ‘Of course she can come round! Tell her to join us for dinner too!’

‘It’s not a big deal mum!’

7:26 Izuku

Yeah my mum says you can stay for dinner too if you want

Is 5pm okay?

7:26 Katsumi

hell yeah! 

tell ur mum i say thank you

Katsumi smiled as she took a spoonful from the bowl of yoghurt she had made herself. She put her phone down on the table as she added fruit and nuts. 

She had decided today was a rest day. Mum had finally sent over her PlayStation and she planned on finally finishing a video game she had started back at home. She finished eating her breakfast and put the bowl into the dishwasher, grabbing a glass and filling it with OJ she found her way back to the sofa.

She wasn’t a big gamer, but she loved JRPGs. For her seventh birthday, her Dad had given her a Nintendo 3DS. She ended up taking it everywhere, her favourite games had always been Pokemon-related. Once she was old enough to ask for bigger tech like a pc and consoles she would constantly try to find games like Pokémon. Once she found the terminology for the type of games she liked it became much easier.

The persona series was a favourite of hers, she had spent hours after gymnastic practices sitting on the sofa making her way through the long games. 

Now she was in Japan she decided to replay them in her native language, it would help her remember different kanji and pronunciations or whatever excuse she had to give to slack off. Her Dad didn’t care that much but it was good to have an excuse lined up just in case.

Katsumi played non-stop until her Dad got home. Her eyes hurt a little from staring at the TV all day. She was just saving her progress when he arrived home. 

‘By the way,’ Toshinori plopped down next to her, ‘did Midoriya agree to help you study?’

‘Oh yeah, he said tonight okay,’ she started logging off the console, ‘his mum even offered to have me for dinner.’

‘That's great,’ he sunk into the sofa, seemingly tired, ‘when are you supposed to be there, you need a lift?’

‘Oh yeah that would be great,’ Katsumi grabbed her phone, ‘I’m supposed to be there for five- fuck!’ she jumped off the sofa shouting, making her Dad jolt up, ‘it's four already! How far does he live?’ 

Toshinori lept up too, ‘Goddamnit Katsumi! If you weren’t playing these damn video games all the time-’

‘Silence.’ Katsumi put her hand to her Dad's face. ‘I’m gonna get ready- I need you to run to the convenience store and get some flowers or something.’

‘What? Why?’

‘Because I’m meeting Izuku’s mum!’ She threw her hands out in exasperation, ‘I need to get her a gift to make a good impression!’

‘Yeah, but I wouldn’t think to do flowers,’ he mumbled before his eyes lit up, ‘how about fruit or something?’

‘Whatever! I don’t have time to care! Please just be quick!’ Katsumi started running upstairs as she shouted to her dad. He sighed and put his shoes back on.

Upstairs Katsumi rummaged through her wardrobe. When she decided she didn’t care what people thought about her earlier she neglected to think of Izukus mum. He had told her he lived with his mother forever ago and that she was a big worrier, especially over him. Katsumi, now very aware of how the average Japanese adult viewed her, found herself very concerned about what type of impression Ms Midoriya would have of her.

‘Agh! Why are all my clothes so trashy!’ Shouting she threw back the seemingly never-ending supply of low-cut cropped tops. 

‘Ah ha!’ She grinned in relief when she pulled out a full-length top. It was one she had brought from home, one of those oversized ones everyone was obsessed with a couple of years back. It was pink with a blue graphic of wispy flowers. She had cut the top off to make it off-the-shoulder but more importantly it wasn’t skin tight, didn’t expose her breasts or leave her stomach open. She threw off her tank top, put on a bra and threw the top on. She slid on the denim shorts she always wore, they were short but she didn’t feel like rummaging for jeans that matched the top when her shorts were right there. 

Quickly she looked in the mirror, gasped and grabbed her brush. She quickly tore it through her long hair, smoothing it out. She had showered that morning and let it air dry, leaving it not in the neatest condition. 

Jumping over her pile of discarded clothes she grabbed a mascara and brushed it on. She shoved a lip gloss into her back pocket and quickly looked at herself in the mirror. She frowned at her reflection, the pink looked weird on her skin colour and the top fit weirdly.

‘ARGH!’

When Toshinori pulled into the driveway Katsumi was outside the front tying her shoelaces, a couple of books piled next to her. Noticing him she sprung up, grabbed the books and jumped into the passenger seat. 

‘Is that the jumper you got when we went shopping last month?’

Katsumi buckled herself in, ‘Yeah,’ she plugged her phone into the nav and put in Midoriya’s address, ‘c’mon go go go!’

She tried to add a belt and tuck in the top but it was no use. She had torn off the pink top in aggravation and pulled on a simple blue tank top. Refusing to have made a mess of her room in vain, Katsumi pulled out a creme off-the-shoulder jumper (that the weather was still too warm to wear) to cover herself. 

It took twenty minutes to get to Midoiyas apartment. At exactly five o’clock Katsumi thanked her dad for dropping her off, grabbed the books and a fancy melon Dad had got, and rushed up the stairs. She sped-walked along the side searching for the right apartment number. When she reached it she took a deep breath in, smoothed her hair and knocked.

She waited a couple of seconds before she heard some muffled voices from the other side. The door opened to a small woman with green hair and round eyes. She opened the door with a smile that quickly turned into a look of shock. Katsumi could see Izuku in the background looking as awkward as ever.

Izuku’s mum stared up at her, mouth open.

‘Ah, hello Mrs Midoriya, I’m Izuku’s friend, it’s nice to meet you,’ Katsumi bowed as best she could without dropping the melon balanced on her books. She could feel her face heat up from the embarrassment, why was she staring at her like that?

‘No way!’ She jumped back and gasped. Katsumi smiled awkwardly.

‘Haha…’ she tried not to throw herself off the side of the building.

‘Mum!’ Izuku's face was aflame as he came forward.

‘Oh gosh, how rude of me!’ Izukus's mother’s hands rose to her face as she realised what she had said, ‘Sorry darling you’re just not what I pictured a girl whose friends with my Izuku would be like.’ 

‘Mum!’ Izuku’s face turned even redder as he put his hand on his mum's shoulder.

‘Gosh you’re so tall!’ she seemed to not notice her son, ‘How tall are you?’

‘Oh, like five seven, nearly five eight.’

‘Wow, that's amazing! You could be a model! You’ve got the looks too!’

‘Thank you,’ she smiled through the embarrassment as she watched Izuku try to stop his mother.

‘Mum! Can you please-’

‘Oh I’m so sorry I’m in the way!’ she moved out of the entrance, gesturing for her to come in, ‘Please dear come in!’

‘Ah thank you.’ Katsumi began to attempt to slip off her shoes.

‘Do you need any help?’ Izuku came up to Katsumi, regaining some of his composure.

‘Yes please,’ she passed him the books and the melon and he quickly scurried out the way, ‘Uh, the melon is a gift for you Mrs Midoriya.’

Mrs Midoriya smiled warmly, ‘Why thank you dear, that’s very thoughtful of you,’ she took it, holding it up to admire it.

‘I hope it’s okay, my Dad picked it out.’ She put her shoes neatly to the side.

‘Well, you’re Dad has great taste dear! Oh sorry, I forgot to ask your name!’

‘Katsumi Yagi, since I’m from America I’m used to being called Katsumi so feel free to call me that if you would like.’

‘Katsumi!’ she spoke slightly flustered, ‘What a lovely name! Come on in! Sorry to hold you up like this.’

Katsumi followed Ms Midoriya into the flat, it was quite modest, the kitchen, dining room and living room all being in one area. Izuku had put down the books on the kitchen table and was standing next to them. He glanced at her and smiled nervously as his mum placed the melon down on the kitchen counter. 

‘So Katsumi, you’re from America? Izuku tells me you’re wanting to go to UA, is that why you moved here?’

‘Yeah, my Dad lives here so I moved in with him so I can apply later.’

‘Oh, how exciting! My Izuku’s eager to try out too, he’s been working really hard he even asked me-’

‘Mum! Katsumi is here to study.’

‘Oh right, dear!’ Ms Midoriya clapped her hands together, ‘I’m going to pop to the supermarket to get some bits for dinner so feel free to use the kitchen! Oh, Izuku offer her a drink won't you?’

Katsumi smiled as Izuku and her waved Ms Midoriya goodbye. As soon as the door shut she turned around.

‘So you gonna offer me a drink Izuku?’ She cooed, pouting as she put a finger to her chin.

‘Shut up.’ He coughed, rubbing his red face, ‘Do you actually want anything though?’

‘Nah I’m okay,’ she sat down on one of the cushions around the table, ‘Let’s get this over with.’

‘Uh give me a second I should go get some of my stuff, you didn’t bring any pens did you?’

‘I’m not going to lie, I didn't start getting ready until after four so I only had like thirty minutes to get ready.’

‘That seems like an okay amount of time though.’

‘You’re not a girl,’ she rolled her eyes, ‘go on get the stuff.’

‘So rude,’ he mumbled as he walked away.

‘Heard that!’ she shouted after him.

She quickly answered the message her Dad had sent her asking if she found the apartment okay and sighed. Studying was so boring, though meeting Izuku’s mum made it much more interesting. Thank god it didn’t go too bad, his Mum reminded her a lot of him. When she opened that door she was sure she was about to shut it on her, she was glad it was just shock. 

Katsmui giggled, Izuku was such a nerd his mum couldn’t believe she was his friend. Admittedly she hadn’t talked to many people like Izuku before, all her friends at home were the other girls at gymnastics. At school the people she hung out with lowkey hated her, it was one of those popular groups where all the girls dated the same few guys and always had some reason for hating each other. 

Izuku wasn’t like those annoying dudes she had to deal with in America, so full of themselves and childish. He was nice and so funny to mess with. The drive he had every time they trained forced Katsumi to actually put the effort in to keep up with him. He was so determined to become a hero… Katsumi couldn’t wait to see it.

Tapping her fingers on the table she looked over to where Izuku had gone off to. He was taking a while. 

Her eyes widened. He had definitely just gone to his room! Why would she let him go alone? Her mind was suddenly filled with all the different possibilities of what his room looked like. One thing was for sure, it was so sure she could picture it in her mind. He so definitely had an All Might poster over his bed. 

She leapt up and silently crept over to the corridor he had disappeared to. His room was clearly marked with an All Might sign with his name written on it. Katsumi covered her mouth to stop from laughing. So cute. She wished she could have been there when he met her Dad for the first time.

Standing right in front of the door she could hear mumbling from the other side, she decided she would be kind and knock first before she barged in.

‘What’s taking you so long?’ she grinned as opened the door, her mouth dropped open as the door revealed his room.

‘Woah! It’s like a shrine!’

‘Ah! Katsumi!’ Midoriya leapt up from his desk, Katsumi stared at the posters as he hid something behind his back.

‘Jesus! You really are a fan.’

He watched her with wide eyes as she walked towards his shelf. It was full of his All Might Figure collection. Over the years he had built a pretty good collection, before his birthdays his Mum would save up and surprise him with a new figure. Every time he would act surprised, his mum worked so hard to make him smile. They were some of his most prized possessions that brought him so much joy, but as Katsumi looked at them, her face grin began to falter.

'Uh, is something wrong?'

‘Y’know… there’s so much All Might merch,’ she said, a strangely sour tone in her voice, ‘In the States too.’ She picked up one of the figures, the Golden Age model his Mum had got him for his tenth birthday. Izuku flinched slightly but relaxed seeing how gently she was holding it.

‘Makes sense,’ he laughed nervously, ‘he is the number one hero.’

Katsumi pursed her lips as she stared at the little figure of her Father, ‘Kind sucked for me.’

Izuku froze. What? Why had the mood changed so suddenly

Slowly he put down the notebook he was hiding behind his back and walked towards her. As he stood next to her he could see her face more clearly, she didn’t look up at him. Her eyes were completely consumed by the toy in her hand. Her chin wobbled as she took a deep breath in.

‘Cuz, well, I saw my Dad every day. Whether I wanted to or not, his face was everywhere. Drove Mum mad,’ her mouth twisted and she let out a small laugh as she tightened her grip on the figure. ‘But the amount of times he was actually there for me after they broke it off…’ 

‘Oh… Of course, your parents aren’t…’ Izuku wasn't even sure if he should say anything. This was really awkward.

‘It's weird because most kids have their parents to themselves. But I had to share with every child, every person in the world. Everyone seemed to love him, everyone would talk about him. All that attention of course he wouldn’t need me.’

Izuku’s mouth opened to assure her but she didn’t give him a chance to speak. 

‘At school, all the kids would play hero, they’d all argue about who was going to be All Might. I never could join in, what was I supposed to say?’ Her eyes stayed fixated on the figure, its painted eyes staring up at her.

‘Every time I saw his face or heard his name it was like, a reminder of what I was missing out on. When I saw headlines of him saving people, when I saw him in interviews and TV shows…’ her face went hard, her eyes staring down with an expression Izuku hadn’t yet seen from her.

‘Dad’s had his two forms for ages now, though it’s gotten worse since I last saw him. I barely ever saw him in his hero form when he was with me, so seeing his face everywhere was so strange, I knew it was my Dad but, it wasn’t really. It was All Might. The huge, untouchable monster of a man. Hero for the people, always there to save the day with a big smile on his face, except he wasn’t there for his own daughter. He never saved me.’ She gritted her teeth as her eyebrows scrunched.

Katsumi shook her head, putting the figure back on the shelf, ‘It’s like, I guess at some point I stopped seeing my Dad as All Might. I would see that stupid smile and all I saw was something stopping my Dad from being with me.’

Her bright eyes lowered, ‘All that power and he wouldn’t protect me. What was the point?’ she pulled at her jumper, ‘I remember on my birthday I used to wish All Might would disappear, that he would only be Dad. Then, well he would be with me.’

She stared at the floor, the silence was awful. Seemed she wasn't over it yet. God, what was she saying, why would she tell him that? Why did she start trauma dumping over an All Might figurine? Not only that but wishing the most powerful hero gone just so she would be happier? How fucking selfish. Izuku was probably rolling his eyes.

It was fine, just play it off as a past feeling. It was just a past feeling. He was there with her now, and he was doing a good job. The past month had been fun. Now he could only be All Might for a couple of hours at a time he was able to be with her most of the time. It didn’t even matter that much anymore anyway, she was older now and she didn’t want him to be with her all the time.

She took a deep breath in before turning around, a wide grin on her face, ‘How silly I-’

Izuku's arms wrapped around her.

“Ah,” Katsumi gasped, her eyes widening as she was pulled into a tight hug. The shorter boy held her firmly, his messy hair brushing against her cheek. Her smile faded, her lips pressing together as he embraced her. She didn’t expect that. His warmth made her heart beat faster. Slowly, she lifted her arms and wrapped them around Izuku. She leaned her head down, her eyes brimming with tears, the mask she had tried to cover herself with broken.

She sobbed quietly into Izuku's t-shirt for a while. How strange, she thought she was over it. Yet there she was crying, holding onto a boy she had only met recently. It felt nice. 

Sniffing she pulled away, she felt lighter than before. She wiped her eyes with her fingers.

‘Damnit,’ she sighed as her fingers came back black. She had forgotten about her mascara. 

‘Uh!’ Izuku looked at the black that she had accidentally smeared over her eyes, ‘Should I get a tissue?’

‘Yes please.’

Katsumi sat on his bed as she wiped her eyes, Izuku stood nervously a couple of steps away from the bed, lips held tightly together.

‘You uh, okay now?’ He asked, fidgeting with his fingers.

‘Yeah,’ Kasumi folded the tissue, ‘Sorry about that, I'm not sure why I said all that. It’s not a big deal, sorry for putting it on you.’

‘No, no! Don’t worry about that!’ Katsumi looked up to see Izuku shaking his head, hands held up before him. ‘It’s totally fine! I’m happy that you felt comfortable enough to tell me!’ 

Katsumi chuckled, a real smile reaching her face, ‘You're so cute.’

‘Huh!?’ Izuku's face turned beet red as he jumped back. ‘Cu-cu-cute?’ he stammered.

‘Yeah you’re sweet,’ Katsumi stood up and bowed, ‘thank you.’

‘It’s not like I did anything…’

‘The hug was enough!’ Katsumi beamed, she took his hand in her own, surprising him once again. 

‘Please don’t mention this to my Dad.’

Izuku nodded, ‘If that’s what you want.’ 

‘Thank you,’ Katsumi let go of his hand, ‘Great,’ her expression turned grim, ‘now we can study.’

‘Oh yeah! Let me just get my textbooks!’ Izuku decided to leave it alone. He hadn’t even thought about what it must have been like for her growing up. What was even worse was that he was probably the first person she could even open up about it to. After all, who else knew about her Dad?

‘Why were you taking so long to get them anyways?’ Katsumi followed Izuku over to his desk.

‘Oh, I was just finishing something…’ He mumbled.

‘Huh?’ Katsumi tried to look at his books but he gathered them up into his arms and turned away from her.

‘Hey!’ Shouting, she followed him as he ran out the room, ‘Show me!’

Izuku turned back as he reached the table, ‘Only if you pay attention studying!’

‘Of course, I’ll pay attention! I’m the most serious student in the world!’

‘Liar.’

She scratched the back of her head grinning, ‘Hehe…’

Chapter Text

Katsumi sat with Izuku studying for hours, Izuku explaining the information to her as they went through his school books. She copied down everything needed to know for each subject and how different questions were expected to be answered. It was boring work.

Halfway through Katsumi decided to switch her seat, sitting right next to Izuku so she could see his work better. He felt a bit anxious being that close to her. They hadn’t known each other for that long, and her casual closeness with him was strange. Calling each other by their first names, training together and now being so physically close? His heart was beating out of his chest! Though he was the one to close that physical gap with that hug, he hadn’t expected her to adapt to it so quickly.

Either way with how lax she was with learning Izuku was forced to ignore his racing heart. He had to be the serious one. He wasn’t the brightest student but he always paid attention in class, Katsumi on the other hand seemed like she would spend more time being told off than listening to the teacher.

She constantly tried to change the subject, look at her phone or would just start teasing him in order to not have to work. It made their progress much slower. But when Izuku’s Mum came back home, all her focus issues magically disappeared. She sat up straight and started writing intensely as if she had been working hard the whole time.

‘Would you like any help cooking Ms Midoriya?’ Katasumi asked as Izuku’s Mum set down the shopping bags on the kitchen counter. Seemed like she was still looking for an out.

‘Oh thank you dear but please, focus on your studies!’

‘Yeah Katsumi,’ Izuku muttered. She jabbed him under the table.

By the time Ms Midoriya had finished dinner, they had gone through about half of the subjects. Katsumi was happy to take a break, finally escaping the dullness of academia.

‘Here we are! Enjoy!’

‘Thank you for the meal.’

Katsumi was starving seeing she had neglected to eat all day (she could hardly count that yoghurt bowl). Gleefully she dug into the meal Ms Midoriya had set out. As she slurped up some noodles her face lit up. God, it was good. Furiously she made her way through the ramen.

‘Delicious!’ Katsumi grinned as she placed down her chopsticks.

‘I’m glad you like it dear.’ Ms Midoriya smiled.

‘You’re not done already are you?’ Izuku gave her a judgmental look as he watched her clean her mouth.

‘Y’know you can be real rude sometimes Izuku.’ Katsumi continued to eat.

Ms Midoriya sighed, ‘He really can be! He’s always getting annoyed when I try to help him.’

‘Mum!’

Katsumi did end up finishing before either of the Midoriyas. Ms Midoriya took the opportunity to ask her about America and her family, giving her something to talk about as they ate.

‘Oh well, y’know… Americas like… pretty big.’

‘Certainly! Where about’s were you living?’

‘I moved to California when I was eight, my Mum was a model here and now she owns a magazine company there or something.’

Izuku’s eyes widened, ‘Really? So your Mum’s famous? Who is she?’

Katsumi had to restrain herself, only shooting a dirty look towards Izuku for a second to avoid his mother noticing. Of course, the All Might fanboy would want to know what sort of woman the hero was into.

‘Her model name was Noa. She used to be big here in Japan for modelling before she started going down the business route.’

Ms Midoriya put a finger to her chin, ‘Noa… That name sounds familiar. Ah! Wasn’t she the model who could change her appearance?’

Katsumi blinked in surprise, ‘Yeah actually. She was always in high demand cuz she could literally look anyway a company wanted.’

‘What an incredible quirk! She could have been a spy hero with such a quirk.’

‘Oh Izuku, always thinking about heroes.’

‘Yeah,’ Katsumi couldn’t imagine her mother ever being a hero. ‘if you think about it, my quirk's just my mother's on steroids.’

Izuku nodded, remembering how All Might had explained how his quirk worked. Although Katsumi didn’t possess One For All it was anyone's guess about whether it had in some way affected Katsumi’s body or quirk.

Once they had finished eating Katsumi insisted on helping Ms Midoriya clear up, Izuku remained at the table, scribbling into a notebook.

‘It’s quite late honey, how are you getting home?’

‘Oh yeah, I should message my Dad.’ Katsumi took out her phone to message him.

‘Feel free to stay in the living room while you wait for him, dear,’ Ms Midoriya smiled as she dried a plate, ‘It’s quite late though so you’ll have to excuse me, my bed is calling!’

Katsumi grinned, ‘Yeah sorry I’ve kept you all up late,’ Katsumi turned to look at Izuku sitting at the table, ‘It’s probably way past your bedtime Izuku, I hope you won't be cranky tomorrow!’

‘You’re four months older than me.’

Once they had finished cleaning up Ms Midoriya bid her goodbyes to Katsumi, ensuring she knew she was welcome to come round whenever she wanted.

‘Looks like I charmed your Mum,’ Katsumi plopped down next to Izuku. He had a notebook in front of him faced down, the one he had been writing in.

‘Yeah I’m glad,’ Izuku sighed, ‘I can’t believe you were making fun of me in front of my own Mother though!’

Giggling Katsumi leaned her arm on the table, resting her head against her hand as she looked at the boy next to her. Izuku looked away from her gaze, feeling his face heat up.

‘Anyways, here!’ he pushed the notebook towards her, his cheeks feeling even hotter.

‘Oh, is this what you’ve been keeping secret?’ Katsumi picked up the notebook, ‘Quirk Analysis for Katsumi?’

‘Remember how you asked me to write down my ideas for how you can use your quirk?’ Izuku watched as Katsumi opened the book, ‘Well I wrote down as much I could think of to help you, well at least I hope it’ll help you.’

Katsumi looked at the notebook, she flipped through the pages full of writing and diagrams. Ideas on workouts to strengthen her body, move ideas, different applications of her quirk she could use. There were different analyses of heroes and how she could borrow from their fighting styles and how to adapt them for her quirk. She recognised some ideas he had already shown her, like Kamui Woods, but there was so much information. It must have taken forever.

‘How long did this take you?’ She whispered, still looking through.

‘Oh uh,’ Izuku realised how intently he had been staring at her and looked away, ‘I started working on it when you asked me to, but I don’t have much free time so I could only work on it for a little while every day so that’s why it took so long…’

Katsumi slowly placed the book on the table, Izuku pursed his lip. Oh god, she didn’t like it. It was weird. She definitely just meant it as an offhand comment, why’d he have to go make it such a big deal?

‘Sorry, I know-’

Katsumi turned around and threw her arms around him. He yelped as they fell to the floor.

‘Ugh! You’re so cool!’ Katsumi cried as she squeezed him, ‘I’m gonna treasure this book forever!’

Izuku felt like he was about to melt into the floor as he felt Katsumis's body push up against him for the second time that day. Only this time she wasn’t crying and in a vulnerable position. Without the heavy atmosphere from earlier, he was feeling quite a bit different about this hug.

‘I can’t believe you did that for me!’ Katsumi beamed at him as she released him, he dropped down, frozen in shock.

‘Oh, whoops looks like I broke you,’ she poked his burning cheek as she got off him. She picked up the book again, holding it up in the air, ‘I can’t believe how detailed this is! Do you have one of these for yourself?’

Izuku stared at the ceiling, still dazed, ‘Huh?’

Katsumi leaned over him, shoving the book in his face, ‘You have one of these for yourself?’

‘Huh, uh I have a bunch.’

‘Damn!’ Katsumi pulled back.

Izuku slowly sat up, his heart finally beginning to slow. He watched as she continued to look through the book. A smile crept up on him as he saw the grin she wore as she read through the pages. All that effort had been worth it.

‘Is your Dad going to be here soon?’

‘Huh, what’s this?’ Katsumi cocked her head before she started laughing, ‘Costume ideas?’

‘Ack!’ Izuku sprung up, ‘You don’t have to use them! I just-’

Katsumi held up the book, pointing the the drawing of a female body labelled, ‘hero suit’.

‘Hahaha! Is this a costume idea?’ She snickered, ‘This the sort of stuff you wanna see me in?’

Izuku slapped the sides of his head, ‘No! No! That’s not-’

‘Shhh!’ Katsumi put a finger to her mouth, ‘Your Mum’s tryna sleep!’

Izuku found himself wishing that All Might would just come and pick her up. He had too much excitement that evening.

‘Ohh I see, it’s like a female version of All Mights suit,’ Katsumi took a better look at the drawing before she turned back to Izuku, ‘Bet you wish you had an excuse to wear somethin’ like this…’ Izuku just sighed in defeat, she was just going to keep teasing him. He brought his knees up to his chin.

‘It’s a pretty good design, I might just use it.’

‘Are you messing with me?’ he mumbled into his knees.

Katsumi smiled, ‘No not really, I’ll probably change it, it’s not very fashionable I won’t lie but I like the idea of using Dad's colours.’

Izuku looked up at her, ‘Is your Dad here yet?’

‘Agh!’ Katsumi dropped the book in surprise, she pouted and looked away in feigned hurt, ‘Wow, you really want me to leave that badly?’

‘It’s past my bedtime.’

When her Dad did come, Izuku walked out to his car with Katsumi. He reassured All Might she had been no trouble (even though she had) and said his goodbyes. As they drove off he yawned. It was late and he still had homework to complete for tomorrow, it was going to be a long night.

The next day at school Izuku was even more exhausted than usual. It wasn’t uncommon for him to go to school tired with how intense the training regime All Might had given him, but the excitement of Katsumi coming around his house had tired him more than any run or lifting he had done.

He yawned as he flicked through his notes, filled with calculations of how to maximise the amount of exercise he could do before the exam. He had to get stronger to inherit All Might's quirk, there was no room for failure, so he had to go above and beyond what All Might had set for him.

As he looked at the scribbles on the paper his vision became blurry. Rubbing his eyes he picked up a pencil, he might as well spend his break doing something, even if he was tired.

‘Hey Midoriya.’

Izuku looked up, a group of girls hovered around his desk giggling at each other.

‘Hi?’ He managed to squeak out. He wasn’t used to his classmates talking to him. The girl who had spoken before hushed the girls behind her.

‘Sorry about them, but can I ask you something quick?’

‘Sure.’ He said apprehensively, where was this going?

‘Last Friday were you at a park?’

‘Uh… yeah.’

‘See!’ The girl turned back to her friends, a wide grin plastered on her face, ‘I told you guys!’

‘Yeah, but he didn’t say anything ‘bout a girl.’

Izuku felt his face flare up. He had been at the park, with Katsumi. He wouldn’t have thought anyone from school would be there- thank god All Might wasn’t there that day.

‘Look at his face, it’s bright red! You were with a blonde girl weren’t you- tell them, they don’t believe me!’

‘Uh, yeah…’ He looked away, trying to think of a reason to end the conversation. He had a feeling they were making fun of him.

‘Damn really?’ One of the other girls came forward, ‘Akane-chan said she was like- model pretty. What were you doing with her?’

‘Well-’

‘Yeah, she had all these cool piercings and her clothes were from that fancy sports store at the mall.’

‘Woah is she rich?’

‘She doesn’t go to our school how do you even know her?’

‘Uh-’ Izuku tried to get a word in as the girls chattered too loudly.

‘Yeah, you two seemed really close.’

‘Haha… I wouldn’t say that.’

‘Omg was it a date?’

Izuku eyes widened and his mouth flew open. A couple of students had been obviously eavesdropping. He could feel all their eyes on him. The thought of jumping out the window seemed really appealing at that moment, though he didn’t think All Might would be very pleased about that.

‘God can you extras shut up!’

For the first time in his life, he was actually relieved to hear Bakugo shouting.

‘Come on Bakugo we’re just-‘

‘I don’t care!’ From the front of the class, Bakugo had turned round, obviously annoyed by the commotion. ‘

‘You guys are so damn loud I can’t hear myself think!’

‘You’re the one who’s shouting Katsuki.’

‘Shut up!’

Izuku shoulders relaxed as the girls walked away, muttering in annoyance. He picked up his pencil and pressed it to the paper.

‘Omg was it a date?’

Feeing his cheeks flush he pursed his lips, staring down blankly at the paper. No, it wasn’t a date. He didn’t even like her like that. He did like being around her though, All Might’s training sessions had actually become a little fun with her. His heart also had a bad habit of beating too fast when she was around, but that was normal, anyone would feel nervous being around her, she was so pretty after all. But he didn’t like her like that. No, no way. Sure he had spent hours and hours making that book for her but that was a symbol of friendship, he would do that for anyone.

They were simply training buddies.

He shook his head, Katsumi was his friend, his only real friend at the moment. There was no point in risking that at the moment. They had only really just met, and with all the training he didn’t have time to think about feelings.

Stroking his hair back as he leaned over his desk Izuku sighed, there was still so much time till the exam, yet there were seeming not enough hours in the day to prepare. He sighed.

And All Might would be annoyed if I tried anything.

Izuku slapped his forehead, why was he still thinking about Katsumi? Did he somewhere in his head think he would have a chance with her? Why, because she was nice to him?

He frowned. He had to get into UA first, then he could think more about it.

Katsumi thanked the nail tech again as she left the salon. She grinned as she looked at her freshly done set. They were shorter than her last set, those had been long even for her. She had only been able to get them because she had been forced to leave the gymnastics team due to being arrested. Now she was starting it up again, along with all the other strenuous activities she was partaking in to prepare for the UA exams she needed to shorten her nails. At least she didn’t have to remove them completely, not yet at least.

The nail tech had done a fantastic job, she couldn’t help but keep glancing at the shimmering emerald green. Grinning, she walked along the street. It was almost lunch, maybe she should get some food.

She came across a convenience store, the Japanese food they sold there was still pretty new and exciting to her. The food sold was much nicer than any food sold back in America. Leaving with an onigiri in one hand and a lemon soda in the other she almost skipped along the road. She couldn’t wait till the afternoon, they were set to clean the beach once Izuku left school. Smiling she thought about the book he had given her, it was safe in her bedside drawer at home. Katsumi had tried to read through it a little last night but was too tired. That night she didn’t need to take any sleeping pills to sleep, it was the first time since she came back to Japan that she had slept naturally.

Everything was so good and she was in such a good mood she almost ignored the weird feeling that shot through her body.

But she didn’t ignore it, and she stopped walking. Out of the corner of her eye, she swore she saw something. She was stood next to an alleyway, a little gap between two buildings. But staring into the darkness, it was seemingly empty.

Katsumi swore she had seen something in there, a flash of yellow?

‘Ha,’ breathing out, she shook her head and continued to walk along the street. There weren’t many people around, but she couldn’t help but feel eyes on her.

She walked back to the train station quickly.

Chapter Text

‘Right, you ready?’

Katsumi looked around, the sun had risen pretty high seeing as the trek into the wet and snowy countryside had taken a good couple of hours. Finally, they had arrived at the spot her father had decided would be the perfect place to train.

Dad stood in the middle of the clearing, his massive hands on his hips.

‘One minute.’

He grinned as she took her shoes off and threw them to the side. They hit one of the many surrounding trees and dropped down next to her coat and jumper. It was cold and Katsumi couldn’t help but shiver slightly, stood only in a t-shirt and sweatpants. There was no point in keeping wrapped up though, she was sure in a few minutes her clothes would be soiled in mud and sweat. This was a stupid idea.

‘Don’t worry little Katsumi! I promise to go easy on you!’

‘Tch,’ she glared at him as she readied herself. She doubted the entrance exam would be anywhere as hard as fighting the number one hero, but for the past months her Dad had been teaching her to fight and it made sense for this to be the final challenge. It wasn’t expected for her to win, but it was an opportunity to test her skills.

‘I could beat you with my hands tied old man!’

She shot forward, all she had to do was rip a band-aid off the back of his neck. All Might didn’t bother moving until she got a foot away from him. As she sidestepped, attempting to get around him he flung his arm to the side.

Katsumi gritted her teeth, quickly dropping down, barely dodging the attack. All Might turned around as she skidded along the floor, having covered the soles of her feet with plastic it allowed her to smoothly glide over the snowy mud. She immediately flung her body around to face him. Her knees and hands were already covered in the mud.

‘What a basic attack!’ All Might’s voice boomed as he laughed, ‘Did I not teach you better?’

‘Hey Dad,’ Katsumi let the plastic on her feet dissolve as she stood up, ‘Have you noticed you only act all confident and shit when you’re all buff?’

‘Huh?’ Her Dad furrowed his brows, without wasting a moment Katsumi jumped towards him again. This time she activated her quirk and stretched her arms out far, gripping his neck from a few feet away. Reeling her arms back she launched herself upwards over his head. The attack was quick, but the number one hero reacted without blinking and grabbed her by the wrist, tossing her to the side.

‘Ack!’ Katsumi shouted as her body hit a tree trunk with an audible crack. The force of the impact shot a dull pain from her back through her body. Just like her shoes only moments ago she dropped down and slumped onto the floor.

‘Uh oh,’ All Might rushed towards her and kneeled down, ‘Are you alright?’

‘Ugh…’ Katsumi groaned.

All Might started to sweat, he thought he had been holding back, ‘I’m so so sorry! I didn’t mean to fling you so hard! Is your back okay? I can carry you back-’

‘Haha.’

All Might pulled back slightly as Katsumi looked up, her mouth stretched into a wide toothy grin. She brought her hand up in front of her, a pink hello-kitty band-air was pinched in between her index and pointer finger.

‘I win!’

‘Huh!’ All Might jumped back, trying to feel the back of his neck but his muscles made it so he couldn’t reach.

‘Ha!’ Katsumi jumped up, as she watched her Dad flail awkwardly. She waved the band-aid in her dad's face, ‘Never let your guard down pro!’

‘I thought you were injured Sumi!’

‘Katsumi.’ She tossed the band-aid into her pocket.

All Might laughed, it was worth a try. ‘Well, how’d’ya do it?’

‘Just stretched two fingers to grab it, nothing impressive.’

‘I wouldn’t say that!’ He grinned, ‘You had your eyes shut, it's not easy to control your quirk without seeing what you're doing.’

Katsumi smiled, honestly it was pretty easy but she wasn’t about to pass up on her father's praise.

‘No offence Dad but I think fighting you is a pretty shitty way to learn.’

‘Hey, I’ve taught you quite a bit. You can throw a mean punch and kick now!’ He demonstrated as he spoke, punching the air in front of him.

Katsumi smirked and shook her head, ‘Yeah but you’re too strong, if I can’t even get a hit in it’s kinda pointless. I’ll probably never reach your strength.’

‘Katsumi,’ All Might’s voice was serious, Katsumi's eyebrows shot up slightly at the sudden change in tone.

‘Yeah?’ She cocked her head.

‘You are serious about becoming a hero?’

She paused and leaned back against the tree, ‘Yeah I guess.’

‘Being a pro-hero is hard, it takes a lot of work and determination. To keep going, to be able to push yourself as far as you need to go you need to be motivated. You need to have a motivation Katsumi.’

Katsumi pursed her lips, ‘I don’t have one really.’

All Might sighed, ‘I was worried about that, look, I know why you’re here, it was your best option’

His daughter huffed and rubbed her tongue against her back teeth. She couldn’t be bothered to have this conversation, she had already resigned herself to the idea of becoming a hero. It wasn’t the worst fate she could have been subjected to by a long shot.

‘Why did you beat up that kid?’

‘Ugh,’ What did that have to do with this motivation shit, ‘I didn’t beat him up, we fought. I just was better than him. It was for fun.’

‘You clearly have worked on making your quirk stronger, most people don’t bother doing that unless they want to use it,’ He argued. ‘Could it be that-’

‘I don’t really have a choice, Dad.’ The scowl had been slowly creeping up onto Katsumi's face, ‘I have to be able to protect myself, seeing who my Father is.’

‘I’m not so weak I can’t protect you Katsumi.’

Katsumi bit down a laugh, ‘I’m your weak spot, Dad, if a villain really had it out for you they’d come after me.’ She stared at his shrouded eyes, ‘I don’t want to ever be the reason you find yourself in a trap or a battle you can’t win, so I will get stronger. If it’s through becoming a hero, fighting, or whatever. I don’t really care. That is my motivation’

He sighed and looked to the side, scratching his neck, ‘But will you be happy about it, that’s what I’m worried about.’

‘Sure,’ Katsumi pulled her lips into a smile, ‘I mean if I’m in the same class as Izuku I’m sure it’ll be fun!’

‘Okay,’ he walked towards her, putting one of his large hands on her shoulder, ‘but please talk to me, if you are unhappy or having a hard time-’

‘C’mon,’ Katsumi interrupted, ‘I’m not even accepted yet!’

‘If you fail to pass the exam I’ll be shocked.’

‘Ah, thinking of that, I’m going to study with Izuku tomorrow.’ Katsumi pulled out her phone to show her Dad a photo, ‘We’re going to this cafe, look at how cute the cakes are!’

All Might took a look at the cake and at his daughter's beaming face.

‘Say Katsumi,’ her Dad’s voice went back to his cheery tone, a bit too cheery, ‘you and Midoriya huh…’

‘Huh?’

They stared at each other in silence for a few moments, distant squarks of birds in the background.

‘Me and Midoriya what.’ Katsumi’s eyes narrowed as she put her phone away.

‘He’s a very nice boy and you’re very fond of him aren’t you?’ All Might’s grin widened, ‘You two have been spending a lot of time together, even hung out on Christmas Eve and I just wondered-’

‘Dad! I know what you're getting at!’ Katsumi whined as her face grew red, she buried her head in her hands as her Dad's laughter filled the air.

‘There’s nothing wrong if there is something going on Katsumi,’ He said smugly, waving his hand.

She shook her head quickly, ‘No! N.O. Stop! Ugh why are we talking? I didn’t spend hours walking up here to chat!’

All Might shook his head, getting his last little chuckles out, ‘Okay okay, another round then, but don’t expect me to let you win again.’

Chapter Text

The chatter of young women filled the sweet-smelling air of the cafe, Izuku felt very out of place in such a trendy spot, with his plain clothes and nervous demeanour made him stick out like a sore thumb. On the other hand, Katsumi fit right in with her curled hair and ‘cute & cosy’ outfit (as she called it).

He sat with a simple lemonade across from her. They had come to the cafe under the pretence of studying, but it was obvious Katsumi had other plans, having pushed all the textbooks to his side to make room for her order, two slices of cake, a plate of pancakes, a sundae and one huge milkshake. Safe to say she wasn’t planning on eating dinner when she went home. 

Katsumi’s face lit up as she stuffed a giant spoonful of white fluffy cake into her mouth. 

‘Mhm! Sho goohd!’

‘Hey,’ Izuku shook his head tapping the textbook in front of him, ‘Don’t get distracted.’ 

Izuku had gotten used to Katsumi’s personality at this point, it had been a while since they had become friends after all. But sitting in a cute cafe with her, he couldn’t help but feel a little nervous, and not just because he looked like a rock in a jeweller's shop.

Katsumi dug the spoon into the cake and shoved it across the table into Izuku’s face, ‘Try some!’ 

Seemed he had been right to be nervous. Somehow, someway she always found a way to make him flustered. He would have hoped after being around her so long he would be resistant to her teasing, but the way he felt his face and neck flush hot destroyed all hope of that.

‘No it’s your food-’

‘I have plenty! It’s good try it!’

‘I’m oka-’

‘Please!’

‘But-’

‘C’mon!’

‘No way!’ He was leaning as far back as he could away from the spoon, getting ever closer to his lips. ‘You just put that in your mouth-’

Katsumi laughed, literally stood up leaning over the table, ‘You’re not gonna get cooties just try it!’ 

‘I-’

‘Eat it.’ 

One look at Katsumi’s dark expression and Izuku opened his mouth. 

‘See,’ Katsumi sat back, placated, ‘it’s good right?’

He chewed, it was good, but he was more occupied with how his heart was pounding a million miles an hour than the flavour of the cake. ‘Mm…’ He nodded as he looked away, he knew his face was bright red right now. The words indirect kiss lit up the inside of his head.

Izuku looked up to watch as she made her way through the cake with a satisfied grin. Infectious, he felt his lips curve up into a shy smile. Why was she so happy? Because she had successfully made him flustered, or was it just because she was enjoying the cake? He really didn't understand her. 

‘This place is the best, we gotta come again.’ Swooning, she switched the now empty plate with the chocolate-drizzled sundae.

‘Well, are you actually gonna study or just eat sweets?’ Izuku scratched his chin, ‘You know I’m surprised about how much you eat, you eat a lot, and quickly. I don’t think I’ve seem someone who can eat that quickly in real life. You really shouldn’t eat so many sweet-’

‘Excuse me?’ Izuku’s back straightened from the cold tone.

Izuku’s hands flew to cover his mouth, ‘Sorry! That was rude! I wasn’t trying to call you greedy!’

‘You should know my quirk uses food to power it.’ Katsumi glared. 

‘It’s just because I’ve been so focused on my meal plan that-’

‘Oh I see,’ Katsumi leaned forward, staring hard at him with a thunderous glare.

‘You’re jealous of my food!’ Her face snapped back to her sunny demeanour. 

Izuku often wondered if she actually switched emotions so quickly or if it was all just to toy with him. Either way, he let out a sigh of relief when Katsumi pulled back, her face shining happily again. In fact, her smile seemed even brighter to him after scaring him like that. She went on and on, lamenting how unlucky he was for having to stick to a sugar-limited diet and how once the exams were over they’d have to celebrate with cake and mochi and dango and any other sweet treat that came to her mind at that moment.

‘I just hope I do okay.’ Izuku muttered.

‘What’cha mean?’

Izuku shuffled in his seat. Katsumi put down her spoon, somehow she had managed to get through the whole sundae and half of the milkshake whilst talking. She looked at him quizzically, absentmindedly fixing a curl.

‘I mean, even if I inherit Al- uh,’ he looked around hesitantly.

‘Yeah I know what you’re talking about,’ Katsumi scratched her jaw, ‘So you worried about the entrance exam orrrrr..?’

‘A little,’ he admitted, ‘I mean I have no idea what it’ll be and-’

‘You’ll get in.’

‘That’s not guaranteed-’

‘No you have to,’ Katsumi leaned forward, crossing her arms on the table, ‘Cuz I won’t go without you.’

Izuku stared at Katsumi. She was looking down at the table, her face hidden shadow but he thought he could just about see her cheeks dusted pink. 

‘Huh?’ Was all he managed to say as her words swirled around his head.

What did that mean? She wouldn’t go without him? She wouldn’t go to the most prestigious hero school in the world if he wasn’t there? What does that mean? 

His face was getting hotter and hotter as his mind raced, her uncharacteristic shyness wasn’t helping to curb his darting thoughts. Why was she blushing? Was she even blushing? Maybe it was the lightning? Or was he imagining it? Why hadn’t she said something yet? Should he say something? Yeah, he had to say something. 

‘I-’

‘That is, uh,’ Katsumi quickly interrupted, smiling as she lifted her head to exclaim, ‘I don’t really wanna be a hero! So I’d only be able to bear it if I had you with me!’

Izuku’s was taken aback. The words shocked him so much that he didn’t even process the fact she was indeed, blushing very heavily. 

‘Don’t want to be a hero? What do you mean? How come you’re training to go to UA?’

‘Uh,’ Katsumi chuckled awkwardly, looking around to see if anyone was listening, ‘I have to.’

Izuku furrowed his brows, ‘Why?’

‘I uh,’ she clenched her hands together as she readied herself, ‘I got arrested.’

Katsumi watched as Izuku’s face contorted, his eyebrows creasing deeply as he stared at her, trying to find a hint of humour or deceit in her face. She squeezed her lips together into a flat line, nodding her head as his eyes widened, the realisation that she was not joking settling in.

‘Arrested?’ He stared at her wide-eyed, ‘Like, handcuff arrested?’

‘I spent a night in jail,’ Katsumi sheepishly brought her milkshake towards her and took a long sip. The shocked boy in front of her continued to stare at her, speechless. 

‘Hahaha,’ she managed to let out a nervous laugh, ‘your face is so funny.’ 

Shaking his head to snap him out of his stupor Izuku leaned forward as he whisper-shouted across the table, ‘What did you do? How does getting arrested turn into being a hero?’

‘Uh,’ she laughed guiltily, ‘So basically, I box right…’

By the time Katsumi was done telling the story of how she was shipped to Japan Izuku had got over his shock. His face now held an expression with a mix of awe and fear.

‘You beat up the guy so bad you got arrested?’

‘He had a broken jaw, cracked rib, knocked out… and I was relatively untouched so, uh yeah.’

‘And he boxed too?’

‘Yup…’

‘Remind me to never fight you’ He mumbled.

‘Yeah…’ Katsumi looked down at the table. Deep breaths, one, two. 

‘Uh, Izuku.’

‘Yeah?’ Noticing her faltering tone he looked at her, giving her his full attention. 

‘I’m not like, well.’ She stumbled over her words, the drumming of her heartbeat in her ears made it hard for her to focus. Tugging at her collar she grimaced, it was just like when she went round his house the first time, she had told him too much now they were in an awkward situation. She really had to stop indulging herself so much around him, if it kept going like this she might accidentally spill too much. 

‘I, I’m not a violent person, well I guess I am. I like fighting and working out and pushing myself but I don’t, it’s not like I do it to hurt people. The guy agreed to it and-’

‘I know!’ Izuku interrupted her quickly, ‘Don’t worry I wasn’t thinking anything like that! Actually, I’m impressed, I know you’re strong but I didn’t realise you were so good at hand-to-hand combat!’

The blonde just blinked as Izuku continued, his emerald eyes sparkling as he talked. As she drank in his expression she felt something very strange. It was like all that heavy fear and guilt had been washed away as she watched him speak. He smiled as he did, though she could no longer hear what he was rambling about she could feel the kindness of his words. He was so effortlessly nice, was he so nice to everyone or just her?

‘If I ever need someone to save me, I’d want it to be you.’

It came out before the thought even fully formed in her head. It almost caught her off guard as much as it did Izuku. His seemingly endless stream of words froze along with his face, completely stunned. 

‘Okay!’ He nodded fiercely, eyes gleaming.

‘Ah sorry,’ Katsumi drew back, ‘haha, I don’t know where that came from.’

‘Thank you,’ Izuku’s face softened, a sweet smile gracing his lip. ‘Though I don’t think you’ll ever need saving from someone like me.’

Fidgeting, Katsumi reassured him, ‘Anything’s possible, I mean if we are going to be heroes together I’m sure that there will be plenty of time we’ll have to help each other out.’

‘Heros… together?’

‘Yeah. I don’t have much heroism in me but, I’d enjoy it if I was doing it with you.’ She smiled softly as she stared at her hands, slowly she lifted her head to look at him, ‘I really- ah!’

A gasp left her mouth as a river of tears streamed from Izukus's face. 

‘Oh wow! Are you okay?’ Katsumi jumped out of her seat, looking around frantically for a napkin or tissue.

‘Yeah!’ He sniffed as he wiped his eyes. Izuku waved the hand that was not wiping away his tears at her. ‘I’m, fine!’

‘But you’re crying!’

‘No! It’s okay, it’s just-’ he took a deep breath in through his nose, ‘that was just so nice that I-’

‘Ugh stop crying,’ Katsumi’s face burned as she noticed the heads that had turned to watch the boy's waterworks. 

‘Haha! There’s your usual personality!’

‘What! What does that mean?’

‘What was the point of me bringing these textbooks.’ Izuku adjusted the straps of his backpack against his coat as they walked along the road. 

It had gotten dark, the cold streets illuminated by the lights of the streetlamps. Katsumi watched the area carefully, though the streets were empty. They were on the way to the train station, the cafe being quite a bit away from both their homes.

‘What do you mean? We couldn’t study without them.’

Izuku stopped walking, letting Katsumi pass him as he stood with an unimpressed look on his face. Katsumi turned around, an impish grin on her lips. 

‘We did nothing!’ He cried indignantly. ‘All we did was talk while you ate.’ Shaking his head he began to walk again, he was worried about getting into UA, but maybe he should be worried for her.

‘Yeah well, the food was amazing!’ Katsumi followed Izuku as they continued down the street. ‘You liked that bit of cake right?’

‘Uh, yeah,’ pausing he thought for a moment before asking something he still had on his mind. ‘You did that to tease me didn’t you.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘Making me eat that spoonful!’

Katsumi gave him a confused look, cocking her head to the side, ‘No? I just wanted to share it with you. Stuff tastes better when you share it.’

‘Oh.’ Izuku squinted at her for a moment before accepting she was being serious.

‘Why would I be teasing you? Giving you delicious food isn’t teasing y’know.’

‘Well… it's just that well…’ Izuku closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath as he stopped walking before he exclaimed, ‘It was the same spoon you put in your mouth!’

Katsumi turned back slowly. Izuku watched with bated breath, maybe it was a mistake to bring it up. She might not have even thought about it like that and now he had made it weird.

‘Is that it?’ Her tone was flat as she faced him. 

‘Uh,’ he slouched down, ‘yeah…’

‘Mmfh.’ Katsumi's eyes sparkled as her hand flew to her mouth to smother her laugh.

‘It’s not funny!’ Izuku retorted.

‘Sorry,’ she let her hand drop from her mouth, ‘I just-’ she couldn’t help but grin at the boy in front of her. Izuku looked away, jaw clenched in embarrassment. 

‘I just thought you wouldn’t mind,’ she admitted, shoving her hands into her coat pockets. ‘Sorry it bothered you, I really don’t have any sicknesses if you're worried about that.’

Izuku’s eye twitched, ‘That’s not the problem, do you actually not…?’

‘No, tell me.’ 

The smile on Katsumi’s face only grew larger as she looked at the exhausted boy in front of her. Even if she hadn’t been teasing him before, she definitely was now.

Izuku groaned, understanding she was going to make him say it.

‘Nevermind! It doesn’t matter!’ He huffed as he walked past her.

‘Hey, don’t run off!’

Izuku squeezed his eyes shut as he walked, hiding his pink face in shame. 

‘Hey, c’mon.’ The soft tone made him open his eyes and turn, Katsumi smiled at him as she took his hand in hers. ‘I suppose I can admit I was teasing you.’

His body jolted as her fingers wrapped around his. Immediately he felt his heart speed up.

She smiled at him so genuinely, cheeks red from the frosty air, looking back over her shoulder, fingers still interlinked with his. It felt so natural. 

Katsumi tugged his arm, ‘C’mon we gotta get to the station before six.’

‘Oh,’ he said, dumbfounded, ‘yeah, uh let’s go.’

His face brightened, a shy smile on his lips as they walked hand in hand to the station. 

Sorry All Might but I don’t think I can stop this feeling.

16th of January 20XX (today)

8:34 Izuku

By the way, we’re you actually upset with what I said about you eating and stuff?

8:36 Katsumi

fuck yeah

that was hella rude

8:36 Izuku

Im sosososo sorry!

Please really, I wasnt thinking!

Theres notging wrong with liking food!
Im just rlly wrapprd upi n health recently!

8:39 Katsumi

bhahaahaahahahah

ITS OKAY

Chapter Text

‘Oh, well done you actually got rid of your nails.’

Katsumi rolled her eyes.

The entrance exams had crept up on them insanely fast. It didn’t feel like it had been that long since she landed in Japan but perhaps that was due to the insane amount of work she had been doing. Cleaning that stupid beach alongside boxing, gymnastics, aerobic training, quirk training and… studying. She was overwhelmed, not like she hadn’t taken plenty of breaks and slacked off a bunch… still, she felt she had done enough to be prepared. 

Today UA was holding the open exams, which was what Izuku was attending, and the recommendation exams. That was being held right after the open exam and what Katsumii was taking. On top of the usual written and practical exams, Katsumi would have to do an interview the next day. 

Students were expected to wear their school uniforms for the written exam as well as take a change of sports clothes for the physical exam. Katsumi, not having a school uniform, borrowed a white button-up from Izuku. She wore it with a plain black skirt she had in her closet. Seeing as it was cold she pulled on tights and a large black cardigan to keep her warm.

Her Dad planned to drag her out of the house before the sun even rose, they had to meet Izuku soon so he could pass on his quirk to him. Katsumi felt awful, she had noticed a slight sore throat last night. It had not gone away as she had hoped. Her throat felt raw and slimy and she kept coughing. Her head felt foggy too, her entire body ached. Why did she get ill on the exact damn day of the entrance exam?

Either way, she had to go, so she wrapped herself up in a scarf and a long coat before she left. Her Dad had also forced a wool hat on her head, put a pack of tissues and cough sweets in her pocket as well as made her take ibuprofen to stop any headaches. 

‘We’ll go get a good breakfast after this so you have plenty of energy for the exam.’

Coughing and sniffling Katsumi followed her Dad to the beach. The sun had started rising but its light didn’t make the air any less cold. Katsumi wished she had brought gloves, having to settle with shoving her hands as deep into her pockets as possible.

Golden light shone through the clouds as the sun rose from behind the ocean, Katsumi couldn’t help but gasp when she saw the beach. It did not look like that the last time she had seen it. Beautiful white sand filled her vision, giving a clear view of the glistening water of the sea. The entire beach had been cleaned.

Suddenly a shout came from the beach, Katsumi’s awe quickly evaporated as she spotted the source of the noise.

On top of a pile of trash was Izuku, shirtless and shouting.

‘What on earth…’ Katsumi croaked- quickly shutting up when she felt her throat throb with pain. 

‘You made it just in time,’ Toshinori marvelled at the empty beach, ‘and exceeded my expectations!’

Katsumi swallowed trying to relieve her throat as her father transformed to catch a falling Izuku. She dug around in her pocket to get a cough sweet as her Dad loudly talked at the boy.

‘Katsumi, get over here!’

‘Ugh…’

She begrudgingly dragged herself over to the two. Izuku looked incredibly tired, breathing heavily and covered in sweat. She smirked at his funny face, but as her eyes automatically drifted down from his face her expression faltered.

‘Dude,’ she coughed out, turning to the side, ‘put on a shirt.’

Izuku blinked, a second passed before his face lit up and he jumped back.

‘Sorry! Sorry!’

‘Katsumi! Do not make the boy self-conscious! He had worked hard for this!’ All Might patted the red-faced boy on the back, pulling out his phone.’

‘Look! This is you, ten months ago,’ he presented a photo of a crying, skinnier Izuku, ‘Now look at you, excellent work. Truly!’ All Might turned to Katsumi, ‘Right?’

Katsumi glared at her Dad before taking another look at him, she bit down on her cheeks and turned her head away. 

‘Mhm…’ she mumbled, giving a thumbs up. 

‘Well,’ All Might patted Izuku on the shoulder, ‘you’re a true-blue vessel now!’

The boy smiled softly, ‘‘Feels like… I cheated. Getting all this help from you All Might, and you Katsumi…’ he sniffled, tears falling down his cheeks, ‘I’ve been blessed.’ 

Katsumi shook her head, ‘I didn’t cough- do anything.’

‘Of course yo-’ Izuku stopped at took a better look at her, ‘wait are you ill?’

‘Great timing right?’ She said with as much sarcasm as she could muster, keeping her eye on the ocean.

‘No need to worry bout that at the moment,’ her Dad pushed Katsumi’s woolly hat further down her forehead and over her eyes, ‘anyways stop crying it’s time for the award ceremony!’

‘Okay!’ All Might ruffled Izuku's hair while Katsumi groaned as she sorted out her hat.

All Might puffed his chest out, ‘There’s a big difference between being born with that silver spoon and working your butt off to earn it!’

Katsumi watched as Izuku stared up at her father, eyes full of admiration, ‘Take this to heart kid, you’ve earned this power fair and square.’

She couldn’t help but smile a little seeing Izuku’s face of awe, how cute. All Might plucked a blond strand from his head and presented it to Izuku.

‘Eat this!’

‘...What?’

‘Hurry up,’ He waved the hair in front of Izuku’s blank face, ‘you gotta get my DNA there’s only three hours till the entrance exams.’

‘Oh wow…’ was all Katsumi could say.

‘Hey,’ Katsumi stopped Izuku before he headed home to get changed, ‘my exam’s being held in a different place to yours so I won't see you there.’

‘Oh yeah,’ Izuku gave her a wiry smile, ‘in that case, good luck Katsumi! I know you’ll do amazing even while ill!’

‘Mhm, I’ll try my best.’ She mumbled, looking away, ‘Good luck to you too, remember what you promised.’

‘Promise? Oh yeah, I swear we’ll both get in!’ 

Izuku smiled brightly, though his nervousness was still obvious. Katsumi pursed her lip as she waved him goodbye, watching his figure disappear down the road. Her heart had been beating much faster than normal, she must be really ill. 

‘C’mon Katsumi,’ Toshinori shouted from the driver's seat of his truck, ‘let’s go get breakfast.’ 

Katsumi sighed as she sat in the waiting room for the entrance exam. The students who arrived early had been asked to sit in their alphabetically assigned seats. 

There was still a while until the written exam started, the recommended exam being held after the open exam. Izuku was in the practical exam right at that moment as she sat bored out of her mind in the almost empty room. 

She couldn’t help but think about what Izuku was up to at that moment. Shaking her head she let out another lofty sigh, she didn’t have time for that, she should be getting ready for the exam. 

She skimmed over her memories of all that studying she had done with Izuku. History, she tried to recite some dates in her head but as she did so the memory of Izuku’s face as they made a timeline… Whatever she knew the dates.

Japanese, she was pretty confident with that. She had taken a practice test the other day and got a score of ninety per cent. Izuku was really impressed, he was smiling so wide-

Okay, weird. She needed to focus. She tried to recall the equations she had gone over last Saturday, that was when Izuku had gotten a notification that a new All Might scale figure was in production. He was so excited, Katsumi could perfectly remember how cute his face-

What.

Why the hell did she keep thinking about him? 

Katsumi glanced around the room, the other students waited seriously and silently in their fancy uniforms. They looked so calm, completely the opposite of what Katsumi was feeling at that moment. As a matter of fact, she was feeling the opposite of calm. Heart beating loudly in her ears she slowly brought a hand up to her face, her cheeks were red hot. She thought back to that morning when he had his shirt off- 

‘ Jesus Christ.’ She murmured under her breath as she covered her face with her hand. What an annoying time to have this realisation, wait what realisation? That she liked liked Izuku? No no no! She did not. Sure he was cute, yeah but anyone would think that! Like a puppy or something. She had always thought that he was cute, but she didn’t think about him in that way. 

Well if he asked her on a date she would probably say yes, but, but-

Katsumi groaned, dragging her hands down her face, this wasn’t the time to be thinking about that. The action somehow spurred on a coughing fit. Next to her, she heard a tut, she whipped her head up. A couple of seats away from her sat a cold-looking boy with white-red hair. He gave her an icy look out of the corner of his grey eye. Katsumi shot back with a disgusted look to which he furrowed his brows before he turned back to the book he was reading. 

‘That was unnecessary,’ she muttered turning back. How rude and what a waste of a pretty face. From that one interaction, she had already assumed what sort of person he was. People who had all the power and money they could want so they turn into little dictators who get pissy at anyone who dares even slightly go against them. She was used to it, after all, she had lived with one for the last fifteen years.

She really hated boring stuck-up people like that. People who had strong convictions that they’re not afraid to show were much better. Someone hard-working, someone whose emotions showed on their face, someone who cared a lot. ‘Like Izuku’ she thought.

Oh damn, she really did like him.

Feeling her head start to ache, she sighed and brought her fingers to her temple, massaging the sides of her head. As she did she heard the seat next to her creak. Looking up she saw a pale girl with a black ponytail next to her. She gave her a smile before taking out a notebook from her bag. 

‘Hey.’

The girl looked slightly surprised as Katsumi looked up at her from her slouched-over position. She hadn’t expected her to talk to her. 

‘Ah, hello,’ she replied a little uncomfortably as she looked at the vaguely delinquent-looking girl next to her. Well- she thought- she had arrived early for the exam, so maybe she shouldn’t jump to such conclusions.

Katsumi thought about continuing a conversation but the way her throat felt like a cat had crawled inside and scratched it up dissuaded her. Sighing for the umpteenth time she turned away, resting her chin on her hand as she slouched. 

The girl sat next to her blinked, her brow creasing slightly. 

Katsumi closed her eyes, trying to ignore the ache of her head. It didn’t take long for her to realise she couldn’t. Picking her bag off the floor she took out her water bottle, taking a large gulp. The way it slid down her throat made her grimace, god she hated colds. 

Now that the time of the exam was drawing closer the room started steadily filling in with students. Soon a man with yellow gravity-defying hair came in and welcomed the students. Assistance handed out a number to each student that they would wear during the practical exam while the man loudly instructed them to leave their bags and coats on their assigned seats and move row by row into the exam room. Katsumi reluctantly took off her coat, shoving it with her hat and scarf into her bag. When her row was called she stood up and walked into the exam room, followed by the girl with the black hair.

The actual exam was… fine. The headache, random spouts of coughing and her recent realisation made it hard to concentrate but it wasn’t like she couldn’t power through it. The English section was easy, the only thing tripping her up being that some of the English was plain wrong, but she supposed the Spanish she was taught back in America had the same problems. The maths, which had been her biggest worry was… fine. She probably passed it, she was better from the amount of hours with and without Izuku she had spent studying it. 

She reasoned that even if she didn’t do particularly well on the exam it would be okay. With the amount of dirty looks and sharp inhales she was getting from the loud coughing in the silent room she reckoned she had distracted her competition enough that her score would be perfectly acceptable.

By the time the examiners announced the end of the exam she had convinced herself she had passed. Once the papers were collected they were ordered to collect their bags and head to the changing rooms. Once they were changed they were told to return to the waiting room to be sorted into groups for the practical exam. 

Katsumi changed out of her fake uniform switching Izuku’s shirt- oh god she was wearing Izuku’s shirt- for a tank top and a zip-up sweater that she stuck the number on the front of. As she sat down to put on her sweatpants she noticed the black ponytail girl again. Damn, she probably should have surveyed the competition a bit more, after all, they were all competing for only a couple of spaces in the hero program. 

Before going back to the waiting room Katsumi took another painkiller to ease her symptoms. She would be fine. Practical stuff was her strong point, and even if everyone around her was the best of the best she was sure she could keep up with them. But if she didn’t have a stupid cold she would have destroyed them. She was lucky her airways weren’t that blocked, that would have made it awful to do any exercise. Still, the fatigue was annoying. No, still she would destroy them, surely Izuku had put his absolute all into the exam so she should do the same. 

She had been grouped with five other people, including that icy boy from earlier, though now she could see his entire face she felt her disdain for him ease a little. On the red-haired side of his face was a very large red burn mark. 

Whatever, she didn’t have the privilege of feeling sympathy for her rivals. If anything the burn might help her work out his abilities, fire maybe? If she had to go against fire she could use stone to protect herself or steel, in fact by heating up the steel it could make for an even stronger attack she could use against him. 

‘Yo yo yo!’ The same teacher from before spoke to the group once they had arrived at the exam site. Huge grey walls stretched far on each side of a large doorway that the six students stood in front of. 

‘I know yall are promising young heroes so I know every one of you will ace this but still! Listen carefully to what you gotta do.’

Katsumi noticed the tall buzz-cut dude next to her nodding fervently, a stark contrast the the cool air emerging from the scarred guy on her other side. He looked strong, she should watch out for him.

‘Righty I’m glad someone is excited, well let me explain how this exam is going to go!’

She was still too ill to put up with such a loud guy, seriously they were standing two meters away from him and he was shouting. 

‘This exam will be a three-kilometre race through an obstacle course, your times will be recorded by me, Present Mic!’

‘I’m guessing we can use our quirks?’ the maybe-fire-quirk boy asked. His voice was just as cold as his expression, quite unfitting if he did have a fire quirk. 

‘Of course! That’s the main point of the exam, number twenty-three!’ President Mic pointed finger guns at the boy.

Katsumi cleared her throat before asking her own question, ‘Can we sabotage the other contestants?’

All the other students looked at her, the tall guy to her left laughing heartily. 

‘Ah,’ President Mic scratched his head, ‘well, yes there’s no rules against that but this is an exam to get into a hero school Miss Yagi!’ 

‘Right,’ she decided to ignore the fact he had just called her by her name, her Dad must have mentioned her to him. 

‘Anyways, if there aren’t any more questions then everyone line up at the door and get ready!’

Katsumi walked with the other contestants up to the line in front of the door. An obstacle course, easy. People would be too focused on getting through themselves to obstruct her, the main thing to watch out for would be quirks destabilising the obstacles, potentially blocking her path. That was fine, she thought as she stretched, she just had to be in the front. 

‘Hey, good luck sick girl!’ The buzz-cut guy turned to her and grinned, ‘Don’t think you can sabotage me easy!’

Katsumi furrowed her brow, ‘Sick girl?’

‘Yeah, I heard you coughing during the paper!’ He laughed brightly, ‘I’m Yoarashi- You’re Yagi right? That teacher remembered your name, you must be pretty damn strong.’

‘It’s an easy enough name to remember,’ she shrugged, letting the nickname go.

‘Alright! Everyone get ready-’

Katsumi dropped into the sprint start position, not intent on starting behind. The rest of the students seemed not to be disrupted by the sudden start either. After all, they were all supposed to be the best candidates in the country. 

‘Annnnndddd, GO!’

Chapter Text

‘Alright! Everyone get ready… annnnd GO!’

Katsumi shot forward, but so did the other contestants. As soon as she started running she realised she should have taken her shoes off to use her quirk to its full potential. How annoying. 

Passing through the door Katsumi, to her surprise, had the lead. All those early morning runs she had dragged herself out of her bed for had paid off. She reminded herself not to let her guard down. 

The first obstacle was only about ten meters away, a (about fifteen-meter-high) web of metal pipes blocked the path forward. She reasoned it would be quicker to get to the top and run across the pipes there. She prepared to use her quirk as she quickened her pace. She had to build up momentum for her rubber band trick, since using it on her Dad she had practised and practised it till she had it perfect. 

Raising her hands into the air she threw herself forward into a handspring, as she came up she stretched her arms, her hands flying far as her arms stretched up quickly to grasp a pipe. She flung herself upwards as the stretched limbs snapped back. Flipping over she landed on top of the pipes. 

Katsumi wobbed on the pipe, she took a second to steady herself. It wasn’t good to waste time but if she slipped down the pipes she would lose a hell of a lot of time. She started to move but stopped and cringed as she felt her throat tickle, causing her to cough. Still, she began to leap across the top of the pipes.

‘Haha! Impressive!’ Yoarashi’s voice ran out from behind her. Katsumi automatically turned her head around to hear the voice. She could at least find out what his quirk was. Surprisingly though, it wasn’t him who was the closest to her, it was the scar-boy, propelled by ice he skated along the top, quickly overtaking her.

‘The hell!’ Katsumi shouted, speeding up as she chased after him. Gritting her teeth she tried to swallow the thick slimy feeling in her throat as she jumped across the pipes. A gust of wind almost swept her away as Yoarashi flew from behind her.

‘C’mon don’t fall back now!’ He laughed as he propelled himself over the pipes. 

Shouting in frustration Katsumi quickened her pace. Already she was falling behind. No, she wasn’t about to let that happen. Stretching her arms up and out, she threw them forward a good couple of meters to fling herself forward. Soaring past Yoarashi she landed awkwardly against a pipe, the few seconds she spent scampering back up to continue trekking forwards allowing him to catch up to her. He overtook her again, though the gap between them was closer. The end of the pipes was nearing now, and she could see icy boy skating down- she could use his ice to slide down. A grin reached her lips, this was kinda fun.

By the end of it, Katsumi felt violently ill. Her limbs were heavy, her pulse quick, her feet aching and stomach churning. Once she had passed the finish line she had immediately gone off to the side. Hunched over, sweaty, out of breath and cacking up flem. She was thankful for the tissues her dad had given her, sneakily spitting the gross flem into the tissue. 

She got third. That was enough right? She was too tired to care. That damn ice boy was ahead the entire time, well until the end. She had been on Yoarashi’s heel for most of the course but had actually overtaken him when they had to go through a net, seemed she was much more flexible than the other contestants. In fact she had almost caught up to Icy during that lovely, lovely net until she was hit by the feeling of choking and started to cough. She managed to stay in second till the last stretch, when Yoarashi, with a powerful gust of wind, flew past her and stole first place.

Speaking of the wind dude, as Katsumi stood up and collected herself as she could see him approach her. 

‘Well,’ he grinned, ‘looks like you failed to sabotage anyone, Yagi.’

Katsumi would have rolled her eyes at the comment, she honestly forgot she said that. Normally she would have disliked someone she barely knew poking fun at her like that but something about the guy's unabashed banter was quite charming. It was the sort of personality that suited a hero. 

‘I was too busy trying to keep up,’ Katsumi admitted. She turned to face him properly, putting a finger on her chin in feigned thought before she grinned evilly at him. ‘I’m sure I’ll have plenty of opportunities to sabotage you in UA.’

 ‘Haha!’ he laughed heartily, ‘I look forward to it!’

Once they got back to the main building Katsumi didn’t waste time waiting around, not even bothering to change back into her faux uniform. She left the school grounds and went straight to where her Dad had parked the car, messaging him to meet her there. As she turned on her phone she noticed she had a message from Izuku. The sight of the notification made her chest tighten and quickly put her phone away, not even opening the message. She could reply later when she didn’t feel so embarrassingly vulnerable. 

What to do about that… Crush? It was a crush. Oh wow, Katsumi had a crush. When was the last time she had a crush? She winced as her mind flashed with preferably forgotten memories. 

Okay, working with the fact it was a crush, crushes don’t typically last long. They’re shallow and fleeting. It might go away in a couple of days, weeks, months. If she confessed to him it would be awkward if they broke up because she stopped liking him or if something else happened. 

Wait, she was just assuming he would say yes. She was used to guys liking her so she just assumed… Well if she asked him out he would probably say yes right? Or would he? She didn’t even know if he liked her! She didn’t want him to date her just because she was the only girl he knew. He had to like her. So, what should she do?

Audibly groaning Katsumi leaned against the car, her forehead pressing against the glass. For years she had gone without a real, substantial crush, she had dated, sure, but that was normally just because she found a guy attractive and she was bored. That and to piss her mum off. Those guys were nothing like Izuku, she would never have described him as her type, so why did she like him so much? 

‘Ughhhhhh.’

‘Katsumi?’

Toshinori stood behind her, one eyebrow raised at the sight of his daughter. 

‘You took your time,’ Katsumi stood up and turned to him as if nothing happened, ‘You watch my exam?’

‘Yeah, you were incredible!’ He smiled, ‘I’m so proud!’

Katsumi felt her cheeks redden, ‘Tch well, I would have done better-’

‘If you weren’t ill, yes yes I know,’ He took his keys out of his coat pocket and opened the car, ‘Those two boys in front of you were quite something right?’

‘Yeah,’ Katsumi agreed as they got into the car, ‘I don’t like the ice guy, gave me a dirty look while we were waiting for the introduction.’

‘Oh yeah? He’s Endevour’s son y’know? Shoto Todoroki I think.’ 

‘Wow, so he really is a nepo baby.’ Katsumi snorted, remembering her first impression of him. It was nice to be proven right. 

‘And you are?’ He laughed as he turned on the engine.

‘Well- I don’t pretend to be better than everyone else!’

‘I thought he just gave you a dirty look?’

‘Yeah- well,’ Katsumi bit the inside of her cheek, ‘He had a cold gaze, kinda like Mum.’

‘Ah,’ Toshinori pursed his lips, before he laughed, ‘Gosh she’s really changed over the years.’

‘I don’t really remember.’

‘She used to be so…  passionate,’ he mused, Katsumi looked at him unconvinced. 

‘I suppose it’s mostly because of me she’s changed,’ he sighed, ‘I don’t think we talked about what it would be like to be in a relationship with a hero enough. So, uh sorry kid.’

Katsumi coughed, she didn’t care for continuing that conversation, the fact it seemed everything that sucked in her life stemmed from her Dad wasn’t something that would be productive to dwell on. 

‘Anyways, did you see how Izuku did?’ The question had been on the tip of her tongue since they had got into the car.

‘I don’t think I can tell you, why don’t you just ask him?’

‘Oh!’ Katsumi went pink, ‘Ah, I was going to but uh…’

Toshinori glanced away from the road to Katsumi, ‘Oh? What’s that face for?’

‘Nothing! I just feel a little hot, I might be getting a fever!’

He raised his eyebrow, unconvinced, ‘Alright, best to go straight to bed when we get back then, no screens.’

‘What!?’

A week had passed since the exam and Izuku had been completely out of it. He’d failed to get a single point and it was eating him up inside. Not just that, but since the exam All Might hadn’t contacted him.

Another thing playing on his mind was he felt like Katsumi was being weird. He had managed to work up the courage after that horrific practical exam to message her. He just asked how her exam had gone but her reply was vague and short. Not just that but it had taken her till the next evening to reply, since then she hadn’t messaged him much at all.

He told himself it was just because she was probably still ill, maybe it had gotten worse and she was just resting. He hoped she was okay, but the idea of All Might telling her how awful he did and that being the reason she wasn’t speaking to him was poking its way into his head.

‘Oh yeah Izuku, are the results for the UA exam due back today or tomorrow?’

Izuku barely heard his Mum as he stared vacantly at the wall, ‘Uh-huh.’

‘Honey, even if you didn’t make it I think what you accomplished was amazing!’

‘Uh-huh.’

Sorry All Might, he thought, you really wasted your time on me. It would have been better to give One For All to Katsumi.

‘Izuku! Izuku!’ His mother shouted, running quickly from the door she fell to her knees in front of him.

‘It came! It’s here!’

‘All Might!’ A loud wailing voice cried.

‘Who’s that!’ Toshinori coughed, blood spurting out as a crying Izuku rushed towards them. It was the night after the letters had been sent out and Toshinori had asked Midoriya to meet the at the beach.

‘Did someone say All Might’s here?’ Someone’s voice from the pier called out.

‘Nah! Don’t worry ‘bout it!’ Katsumi shouted over.

‘Ah!’ Izuku covered his mouth, ‘Sorry!’ 

Toshinori raised his hand to high-five Izuku, ‘Good job on passing kid. Just to let you know I didn’t tell the school about us, you got in completely on your own. I know you’re the kinda person to worry about being accepted through connections.’

Katsumi frowned, ‘What about me?’ 

‘Yeah well your situation is different, plus your birthday’s too early for that class so I had to pull some strings.’ He shrugged. 

‘Oh really?’ Izuku turned to Katsumi, ‘When’s your birthday?’

Katsumi physically felt her heart leap up as his eyes met hers. His big, emerald eyes…  Pursing her lips she felt her face heat up, she had to look away from him before she replied.

‘Match tenth,’ she managed to say nonchalantly, internally she was screaming at her stupid red face. She could only hope her Dad didn’t notice. 

‘Wait, isn’t that tomorrow?’ Izuku eyes widened as he realised 

‘Oh yeah, I hope you don’t think I’ve forgotten about that.’ 

‘It’s fine just give me some money.’ Katsumi shrugged. There was nothing she really wanted at the moment. 

‘Haha!’ Toshinori shook his head, grinning, ‘Just you wait.’

Katsumi eyed her father with suspicion, ‘Right… I don’t know if I like that.’

‘Anyways,’ he chuckled before getting quite serious, ‘both of you listen, I’ve told the academy about my predicament, but other than the staff only you two know.’ Toshinori looked out at the dark night sky, ‘I had UA notify me if they found me a suitable successor, though obviously I don’t need that anymore.’

‘One For All…’ Izuku looked down at his hands, ‘Just one kick or punch and it wrecks my body. I can’t handle it at all.’

‘Really?’ Katsumi’s eyebrows shot up, ‘It was that bad?’

Toshinori sighed, ‘It can’t be helped for now, if you tried to get a guy who suddenly grew a tail to do tricks he wouldn’t be able to. Same story here.’

‘You knew he was going to get hurt!’ Katsumi gasped.

‘Well! There hasn’t been much time… but everything worked out all right!’ He chuckled, ‘Or should I say All Might!’

‘Gross.’ Katsumi cringed. 

‘Right now kid,’ Toshinori picked up a can from the floor, Izuku looked at All Might intently, Katsumi watched his face carefully, ‘You’re stuck at all or nothing, but if you can learn to adjust the amount of power you use to save your body the strain of using One For All’s full strength. The more you build up a vessel the more you can control in it!’

‘Like this!’ He exclaimed as his body puffed itself up into All Might. Izuku nodded fervently. 

‘Izuku’s pretty well built already,’ Katsumi grimaced as a disturbing image popped into her head, ‘he’s not gonna have to look like you to use it properly?’

‘No,’ All Might stroked his chin, ‘but why are you saying it like it’s a bad thing?’

Katsumi took a good look at her Dad before turning to Izuku. He looked back at her nervously.

‘It wouldn’t suit him.’

‘I-’

‘Oh wow is that All Might?’

A woman's voice came from the pier, and the three of them jumped at the voice.

‘When did he get here!’

‘Whoops!’ All Might turned on his heel, ‘Time to run kids!’

Chapter Text

It was the morning of her birthday Katsumi couldn’t help but feel a little excited. After all, it seemed her Dad had planned something. With all the training and stress of the exam, she honestly hadn’t even thought about it much. It was her first birthday with her Dad in years and as much as she wanted to play it cool, she was thrilled he had seemingly planned something. Normally she would just have a sleepover with her friend group and her Mum would give her a couple hundred dollars, she was hoping that he would put a little more thought into it. 

Speaking about her friends from back in America, she had yet to receive any happy birthdays, though she supposed it was because of the time difference. It wasn’t even her birthday there yet so of course she hadn’t got any messages. 

As she changed out of her pyjamas her phone buzzed, and her heart leaped, it was probably Izuku. Grinning, she jumped onto her bed, picking up her phone. 

1 new notification from ‘Mum’

Oh.

10th of March 20XX (today)

8:04 Mum

Congratulations on getting into UA.

 I understand you were ranked third overall for recommended students. Slightly disappointing but still a good start. I hope your father is doing his duty and keeping you in check, don’t start misbehaving just because you have gotten into UA. Study, you have a bad habit of slacking off. Enjoy your birthday. 

‘Wow.’ Katsumi dropped her phone back on the bed. She went back to getting ready but as she did she couldn't help but start getting annoyed. God, she just had to go out of her way to be a bitch to her, didn’t she? Even wrote it in Japanese- she never did that.  Mum probably did that as a reminder of the fact Katsumi’s Japanese wasn’t that great. 

‘Whatever’ she mumbled, turning away from her bed.

She finished changing, it was her birthday and she wanted to dress up a little more than usual. She settled on a black tank top with a rhinestone outline of a heart in the middle and brown ripped leopard print flares. It looked a little cold outside so she put on a cropped black hoodie just in case she had to go out. Adding a black choker and her usual assortment of bracelets she was happy with her outfit. Looking at herself in the mirror she wondered, why had she been upset again?

Oh wait, she remembered. 

Whatever, she wasn’t going to let that ruin her day. Once she had done her makeup she went straight downstairs. Skipping into the large living room she looked around.

‘Dad? You here?’

She wandered around downstairs, calling out for him. When she couldn’t find him she went back upstairs but he wasn’t there either. 

A bit dejected she went back to the living room, sitting on the sofa. She was sort of hoping she would come down to see he had made her breakfast. After all, he basically implied he had a surprise for her while they were at the beach. That and he had asked her what her favourite breakfast was last night.

‘Oh well,’ mumbling she grabbed the remote, ‘maybe he’s out getting something! It’s early after all.’

The television turned on, automatically playing the news. Uninterested Katsumi went to turn the channel when the words of the reporter registered in her head.

‘Another villain defeated early this morning when All Might came to rescue the situation-’

‘...Huh.’ Katsumi stared at the screen as the News reporter showed the footage of All Might capturing some bank robber. 

She changed the channel, putting on some game show. Chewing her nails she barely paid attention to the tv. Suddenly she grabbed her phone, going to the messaging app.

8:14 Katsumi

Hey Dad where are you?

She turned her phone off, staring at the blank screen. The laughter of the contestants on the TV in the background. It took a while until her phone screen lit up again, Katsumi didn’t stop staring at the screen until it did.

1 new notification ‘Dad’: Sorry, went out to buy some stuff, be back soon

Katsumi turned her phone off, not opening the message. She felt a little sick. Shaking her head she went to the kitchen and got herself a glass of water. 

Whatever, he probably did go out for that and just walked past the robbery. Besides, it was pretty early for her to be getting up, she couldn’t blame him for thinking she would still be asleep. She chuckled under her breath, he was probably out getting something for today and saw the robbery happening and couldn’t help himself. He probably would tell her about it when he got home, easier to explain in person than in text. He wasn’t trying to lie to her. 

It was about half an hour later when the front door opened and her Dad walked through holding a shopping bag. Katsumi put her phone away, turning off the candy-crush-like game she had been playing. 

‘Happy birthday Sumi!’

Katsumi let him approach her, as he opened his skinny arms for a hug she drove two fingers into his stomach.

‘Ack!’ He coughed, blood seeping out as he folded over.

‘Katsumi.’ She reminded.

Toshinori sprung back up, ‘Haha!’ Grinning, he wiped his mouth. ‘Well, wanna see your present or no?’

Katsumi pursed her lips, feeling a little bad for her attack. She did really want to see what he got her though. Looking away she mumbled a yes. 

‘Too bad! You gotta wait!’ He patted her on the shoulder, ‘You seeing Midoriya today?’

‘Uh, we haven’t arranged anything,’ she admitted, she had barely talked to him the past week, mainly because she was recovering from that stupid cold. That and after her little realisation anytime she wanted to message him she started to get all giddy and would end up second-guessing herself. 

‘Well tell him to come round! Around four should be good, tell him to save space for dinner.’ He wandered over to the kitchen, Katsumi following behind him, ‘You had breakfast yet?’

‘No.’

‘Good! Because guess what I just went and bought?’ He grinned, placing the bag on the kitchen island. It sounded really heavy, the bottom of the bag taught, sharp edges gutting out. Katsumi eyed it with suspicion from the other side of the island. 

‘Waffles?’ That’s what she had asked for last night, though she doubted that was what was in that heavy-looking bag.

He laughed, leaning his elbow on the kitchen island, ‘Have a look,’ he said with a little too much self-satisfaction she thought. 

Katsumi begrudgingly pulled the bag open, seeing its contents she chuckled and gave her Dad an amused look. ‘Waffle maker 2000?’

Toshinori grinned and hastily took the box out, ‘Isn’t it amazing? Instead of just buying the store ones we can just make the batter, put it in here for five mins and bam! Waffle! The batters are easy enough to make, you could have waffles whenever you want with this!’

‘Wow, you really latched onto this waffle idea,’ she smiled, it was funny how seriously he had taken her request for waffles. Waffles were good, whenever she travelled to the midwest she would beg her mum to take her to waffle house, now, living with her Dad, she would be able to get some whenever she wanted. She would spare him the detail that she actually preferred french toast though. 

‘Well,’ her Dad turned round, taking the waffle maker with him to place it on the counter next to the outlet, ‘You go and invite Izuku round, you can come to help with the batter once you’re done.’

‘Huh? It’s my birthday though!’ 

‘Oh, so you don’t want to spend time with your old man?’ Toshinori sighed, clutching at his heart.

‘Ugh! Okay gimme a minute,’ Katsumi walked away as her Dad laughed. She took her phone out to message Izuku. 

As she opened her phone to the messenger app she saw the unread message from her Dad, she clicked on it to get rid of the notification. Well, he didn’t tell her about the robbery, but in fairness, he hadn’t missed anything, just a bit late. It wasn’t like before. There was no point in telling her, it would just worry her, thats what he probably thought. Whatever, it didn’t matter. 

She should probably reply to her Mum too, she sat down on the sofa, sighing as she started to type. Re-reading and re-typing it took a bit for her to be happy with her message.

8:30 Katsumi

Thank you for your concern with my studies Mum however I have been working very hard. Seeing as I have the disadvantage of being schooled in another country I think my placing was quite impressive, especially since I was against some of the top students in Japan not to mention the fact I was indisposed. As for Dad, he was been wonderful, he really has worked hard to make me feel at home. Thanks to his training I was able to do well in the practical exam, I am immensely grateful to him for taking me in despite my prior troubles which understandably would call my character into question. I am spending my birthday with him and a friend who will also be attending UA, I will miss your presence, Mum, though I will try my very hardest to enjoy my birthday without you. Enjoy your day.

She checked it over, she wrote it in Japanese so she had to make sure the grammar was a hundred percent correct. Smirking she sent the overly formal text, she could just imagine her mum's face, tight lips snarling as she read the obviously defiant words. She knew the formal way of writing would piss her off too, she would assume it was a dig at her. Katsumi felt much better after that. 

Now she just needed to text Izuku. Her good mood suddenly dissipated, replaced with a quick heartbeat that made her feel off-balanced. She pursed her lips as she clicked on Izuku’s contact, their last messages popping up. The time difference between replies was enough to make her want to never touch her phone again.

30th Feburary 20XX

15:12 Izuku

Hey, I hope your exam went well! 

1st March 20XX

16:23 Katsumi

it was good thanks

16:25 Izuku

The recommended exam was different from the open right? We had to fight robots

16:36 Izuku

How was the written exam?

18:23 Katsumi

good, we did a obstacle course

18:25 Izuku

An obstacle course? Wow, how did you do?

Also I’m glad the written exam went well, all your hard work paid off! 

18:56 Katsumi

I got 3rd in my race

Thanks for tutoring me

19:00 Izuku

No problem! And wow third is really good, especially since you are ill

Do you feel better anyways?

20:00 Katsumi

im ok

20:22 Izuku

Good, rest up

Katsumi had to turn her phone screen away out of sheer shame. She had to make up for being so dry. If you showed the texts to a stranger they would assume it was the last few texts before a couple broke up. 

Swallowing her shame she clicked on the text box and started writing. She was planning to act cool and make it seem like she was only inviting him because her Dad told her to, but she couldn’t do that. She owed him confirmation that she liked him, as a friend of course. 

heyyy Izuku you wanna come round my house today? my dads planning something and he said i could invite u round, we have barely seen eachother and i really miss u. can you come round for four? |     

Katsumi was about to send but as she re-read her message she decided the ‘really miss u’ was too much. 

8:34 Katsumi

hey Izuku you wanna come round my house today? my dads planning something and he said i could invite u round, we have barely seen eachother recently! can you come round about fourish? or whenevers best for u

That was better, much better. 

‘Katsumi! How long does it take to send a text!’

‘Coming!’ Katsumi stood up, deciding to leave her phone on the sofa. She didn’t need to be constantly waiting for a buzz while baking. She began to walk back to the kitchen when she heard a familiar buzz that made her practically pounce back to her phone.

1 new notification ‘Mum’: You’re a very clever girl, always had a talent for writing. Wish you would have become a writer instead of a brute.

‘...Huh.’ 

She wasn’t sure how to feel about that, but the first emotion to arise was annoyance, so she went with that. 

Izuku Midoriya was not having a good morning. After discovering the night before how soon Katsumi’s birthday was, he was sent into a little panic. They were already on weird terms for some reason he couldn’t understand, and now it was the morning of her birthday and he had no gift! He wasn’t even sure if he was going to see her that day but just in case he woke up early and took the earliest train to the shopping centre.

A gift, he needs to get a gift. Katsumi was practically his best friend and he didn’t have a gift! As he hurried out of the station and to the mall he couldn’t help but wonder if Katsumi hadn’t told him about her birthday on purpose, maybe she didn’t want to see him. Maybe he had misinterpreted their relationship, she had just been hanging out with him because she had no other friends and now they were going to UA she was planning on ditching him for other people. 

He shook his head, what an awful thing to assume. Katsumi wasn’t that sort of person. It was more likely that she never mentioned how soon her birthday was because she didn’t want to sound like she wanted him to get her something. 

But she had been acting weird, she could barely look at him last night. 

Izuku decided to move on, he had to focus on finding something for Katsumi, then maybe he could ask to meet her at the park to give it to her. If he had more time to prepare he would have saved up to be able to take her to that cafe she loved so much but a gift would have to do. 

Buzz!

He absentmindedly grabbed his phone out of his back pocket, expecting a message from his Mum or a notification from an app. 

1 new message ‘Katsumi’: hey Izuku you wanna come round my house today?...

He’d better hurry up and find a good gift. 

Toshinori and Katsumi had cooked two waffles each and loaded them up with chocolate sauce, ice cream, M&M's, berries and whipped cream. It looked delicious, and it was, but Katsumi wasn’t sure that it had been worth it by the time she forced the last bites into her mouth. Her Dad had called it quits halfway through, and shamefully tossed his food remains into the bin. After they both sat on the couch, letting their food go down and feeling slightly sick from the sweet meal.

After spending a decent amount of time on the sofa her Dad decided to put up some decorations. He had planned to do it before Katsumi woke up, expecting her to sleep in till about eleven. That didn’t happen obviously so instead he forced her to blow up balloons with him. He started bringing in a couple of wrapped gifts from upstairs into the living room, firmly reminding Katsumi not to open them.

‘In not five!’

‘You’re extremely impatient sometimes!’ Toshinori shouted up at her as she went back upstairs. Katsumi rolled her eyes, trying not to smile. 

Four pm came around quickly, Izuku had messaged back not too long after she had sent her message to say he was coming. Laying on her bed looking at fashion catalogs Katsumi randomly took an actual look at her room and realised it was a pigsty. Her room was a pigsty and Izuku was coming round. She suddenly remembered the first time she had come around his house, barged into his room and started trauma dumping. Ugh, embarrassing.

She didn’t think he would go into her room, but just in case she started to tidy it. Her being a slob wouldn’t surprise him but it was best to have her room clean, just in case he did come in…

Katsumi’s mouth widened as she realised where her mind was going, Jesus Christ! Realistically Izuku would faint from a kiss on the cheek. Covering her face she started to giggle as she imagined that, having a crush was fun. 

‘Midoriya is here!’

Izuku stood stiffly at the door, holding a wrapped box against his chest, ‘Ah, hi All Might.’

‘Come in! Put your shoes on the rack there will you?’

Running down the stairs Katsumi grinned as her eyes found Izuku.

‘Hey!’ Izuku hurried to finish taking off his shoes as Katsumi threw herself onto him, pulling him into a tight hug.

‘Katsumi!’ 

‘Happy birthday- yeah yeah you can save your breath,’ she smiled.

All Might was not just an incredibly strong and efficient hero, he also was a pretty good cook. As it was his only daughter's birthday he was prepared to go all out (especially as it was the first time in a while he was with her for it).

‘Wow, All Might that smells amazing!’

Katsumi rolled her eyes as she watched her father’s wide grin. Izuku watched in awe as he puffed up into his muscle form, showing off his skills as he chopped a vegetable mid-air.

‘Izuku got me a gift-’ she grinned, pulling the boy closer to her, ‘imma open it now.’

All Might raised his finger to point at her, ‘Absolutely not young lady! Midoriya!’ he pointed to the doorway, ‘Put it in front of the TV with the rest of them!’

Izuku turned to look at the living room, ‘Wow, you have a lot of presents.’

‘You're right, she’s spoiled.’

‘Woah, don’t forget whose birthday it is!’ Katsumi let go of Izuku to shout across the kitchen island, ‘You gotta be nice to me! Izuku,’ she turned quickly to look at him, ‘y’know he made me help him with putting up MY decorations?’

‘You weren’t doing anything.’ Her Dad argued. Katsumi whipped back around to face him.

‘Still!’ 

As they bickered Izuku silently went to the living room and placed his wrapped box down. He hoped the gift was okay, with such short notice he struggled to think of anything. When he came across it displayed in the window, he was pretty certain that it was the right choice. 

He could breathe easy now, Katsumi was back to normal. In fact, she might be a bit more friendly than before. There was no point even trying to understand what had happened the past week, he was starting to think maybe it was all in his head and she hadn’t felt weird at all. It didn’t matter now, they were back to normal. Turning back to the kitchen he saw Katsumi leaning against the kitchen island as her Dad attempted to entertain her with his over-the-top cooking skills. She didn’t seem too impressed, instead glancing over to where Izuku was. As they made eye contact she smiled, before quickly looking away. 

All Might enlisted the help of Izuku and Katsumi, one more willing than the other, to finish cooking the birthday meal. It was a lot of work, he had been working on it for a couple of hours before Izuku arrived. The finished product was such a meal that you could probably describe it as a feast. 

Dad had made a range of different foods (mostly from scratch). Not just Japanese foods as well. It ended up being a bit too much for three people, but Katsumi could eat for two if she was hungry, and she hadn’t eaten since breakfast. It was a seemingly random collection of steaming rice bowls, juicy pork tacos, American fries, halloumi fries, meat and vegetable kebabs, noodles with Beijing soybean paste, meaty hot dogs with mustard, Caprese and Caesar salads. The one thing that linked them all together was that they were all Katsumi's favourite foods. 

Safe to say, despite being salty about being dragged into the preparations for her own birthday meal, Katsumi was grinning from ear to ear. She started leaning across the table, loading up her plate with anything and everything, eager to get started.

‘Hey! Wait a second I want to say something!’ 

‘Tch,’ Katsumi sat back down, putting her plate back on the table, ‘you’re not going to do a speech are you?’

‘Uh, maybe. Yes! Yes, I am!’ he puffed up into his hero self again, almost knocking the table as he bellowed loud laughter. 

‘Oh my god.’ Katsumi whined, ‘It’s my sixteenth, not my wedding.’

‘No point in saving it for then! The likelihood of that occurring doesn’t look good!’

‘Excuse me! You mean you don’t think I can get married?’

‘Not with that attitude!’ He laughed. 

‘Oh, you’re on form today Dad! Izuku do you see how he treats me?’

Izuku smiled awkwardly, ‘I don’t think he means it.’

‘So?’ Katsumi crossed her arms and turned away with overstated hurt, ‘this is harming my mental health! You’re destroying my confidence by saying no one would want to marry me! Bad parenting!’

‘I do apologise, dear daughter,’ All Might said with mock regret, ‘I’m sure you could get married if you wanted to.’

‘Exactly.’

‘Midoriya,’ All Might said, getting the boy's attention, ‘you’re Katasumi’s age, do you think-’

‘Woah woah woah,’ Katsumi felt her face flush as she swiftly jumped up, waving her hands at her Dad in a panic, ‘Let's not!’

‘Why? It’s a perfectly reasonable-’ All Might stopped to take a moment to look at his daughter's panicked, red face.  

‘Ah,’ he coughed, deflating, ‘well anyways! What was I saying…’ 

‘Speech!’ Katsumi sat down keeping her eyes on her dad, not daring to look at the boy across from her. If she did, she would have seen his open mouth, pink-cheeked.

‘Yes! Katsumi, sixteen years ago you were born, I remember it well, I-’

‘I’d hope so.’

‘Zip it! Anyway, I was in the middle of fighting a particularly strong villain when my phone just kept buzzing!’ He rested a large hand on top of his head as he stared off into nothing, anything for the pose.

‘Obviously, knowing how close your mother was to labour I quickly wrapped up the fight. I answered the phone in a panic! Only to be met with her shouting about how I’d forgotten to buy bread. I was pretty annoyed seeing how I thought she was about to give birth, but all the shouting ended with her starting her contractions anyway sooo…’

‘Oh my god.’ 

‘I ended up going home in the end to take her to the hospital. After ten long hours- probably longer for your mother than me-’

‘Oh my god.’

‘I finally I got to hold my little girl in my arms. Thats is to say, it was probably the best day of my life.’ He sighed wistfully, ‘I really have missed you these last few years, I hope you’re enjoying your birthday-‘

‘I would be if you let me eat.’

‘I’m almost done! I just want to say I’m really proud of who you’ve grown up to be. Training you two and watching you become close has really been wonderful. Midoriya, thank you for being such a great friend to Katsumi.’

‘Oh uh, no problem All Might.’

‘Oh my god!’ Katsumi covered her face as she laughed. ‘Can we eat please?’

Katsumi let the unnecessary speech go, it was kind of sweet, if not embarrassing. She wouldn’t admit it but if he had said that to her without a third party present she would have hugged him. But he didn’t, Izuku was there. She could see him out of the corner of her eye watching her reaction, it made her stomach churn with embarrassment. It didn't disturb her stomach enough to not stuff herself with as much grub as possible. Izuku, having learnt his lesson not to comment on her eating habits, talked to All Might about what Katsumi had been like as a child as they ate.

‘She was a pretty shy child, her Mum was adamant about homeschooling her so she didn’t have many friends here in Japan.’

‘She was happy to send me to school in America,’ Katsumi managed to say as she devoured a beef kebab.

‘Yeah, well I think it was more that she didn’t want you doing all the cram school when you got to high school here.’

‘That’s only during exam season though,’ Izuku said as he took the last kebab stick. 

‘Well Asami had some strong feelings about academic pressure so I suppose she wanted Katsumi to avoid that as much as possible.’

‘Really?’ Katsumi’s face scrunched, ‘She always got on me bout my grades.’

All Might shrugged, ‘Thats how she felt back then, don't know about now.’

Buzz Buzz Buzz

‘Katsumi is that your phone?’

‘Oh-‘ she took her ringing phone out of her pocket. 

Incoming Facetime, Gymnastics gyallzzzz

‘Oh! Wait can I take this?’ Katsumi stood up.

‘Woah,’ her Dad raised an eyebrow, ‘who is it?’

‘My gymnastics team!’

‘Oh,’ he shrugged, ‘well try to be quick, you don't want the food getting-’ he looked at the table in front of him, his eyes widening, ‘Where’d all the kebabs go!’

Katsumi giggled as she slipped out of the room.

‘Hey! Katsumi!’ he shouted after her, ‘You didn’t leave any for me!’

‘I only had one…’ Izuku quickly pointed at the single kebab stick on his plate, not about to have any blame shifted on him.

‘Omgeee Katsumi!!!!’ Immediately after she had accepted the call she was met with loud squeals. 

‘Katsumi happy birthday!’

‘Thank you!’ It was slightly strange for her to be talking in English after using Japanese for so long. She was surprised to see most of the girls on the team on the call. She hadn’t spoken to any of them in a while, she rarely went on her phone and wasn’t much of a texter. It was nice to see their faces again. 

They were told she was moving overseas to live with her Dad, but not what school she was trying out for. She decided to tell them about what school she had gotten into. The shock on their faces was hilarious. There wasn’t much time to talk though, she apologised about how she couldn’t talk about it for long because she was having dinner with her Dad and a friend.

‘Oh, a friend? Where’d you meet her?’

‘Ah- no he’s a guy,’ Katsumi said a little shyly.

‘Woah, why do you look so embarrassed?’

‘Oh is it that sort of guy-friend?’

‘Omg let’s see him! Is he hot?’

‘Well-‘ Katsumi began to speak but she wasn't sure what to say. She was glad she had moved away from her Dad and Izuku to take the call. 

‘He’s going to UA too,’ she said. 

‘Oh wow really?’

‘Omg, we gotta get together to watch the UA sports festival!’

‘Oh my god yes!’

Katsumi grinned, though she probably would slowly lose contact with them, it was nice to know they would be watching her. The really interesting thing would be how they’d react when the public found out All Might had a daughter. Back in America, Katsumi lived in a wealthy neighbourhood, all her friends being pretty well off, they lived near LA, so most people had some connection to someone in the entertainment industry. Katsumi was known as the model turned Magazine CEO's daughter already, still, the knowledge of who her Dad is would be big news. Katsumi was a little nervous about that. 

They only talked for five or so minutes before Katsumi went back to the table, smiling even more than normal. She also had a couple of happy birthday messages from people who went to her school along with a couple of Instagram tags. She could look at the stories later.

There wasn’t much left once they were full, they were all feeling a little tired but Katsumi didn’t have time for that. 

‘C’mon let me open my gifts already!’

‘You should do the dishes first.’ 

‘Oh piss off.’

Ding Dong

‘Ah, I’ll get that- you two just go to the living room’

Toshinori got up and jogged out of the room, leaving Katsumi and Izuku alone. 

‘Uh, I’m so full,’ Izuku sighed.

‘C’mon,’ Katsumi jumped up, ‘I wanna see what you got me!’

‘Oh! Uh,’ He got up quick, following Katsumi out of the room, ‘It’s not that amazing, I’m not sure you’d like it…’

She just rolled her eyes and laughed, ‘Relax, you had like, half a day to get something. I’m surprised you got anything at all, so thanks.’

Izuku smiled. Plopping herself on the long couch, Katsumi patted the seat next to her, ‘Come sit next to me.’

‘Okay!’ He nodded, sucking in a deep breath as he sat down stiffly. Katsumi, arms open wide on the back of the sofa, raised an eyebrow.

‘Why you being so awkward?’

‘Sorry- it’s just uh…’ he trailed off, not sure what to say.

Katsumi sat up, leaning out to look at his face, she watched as he squirmed under her gaze, looking away as his cheeks grew red. She couldn’t help but smile, and before she could second guess herself asked, ‘Would you wanna-’

‘A gift for you Katsumi!’ All Might appeared behind them, making them both yelp, Katsumi sitting back. He plopped a box onto her lap, her name written on the delivery address.

‘Huh? Who’s that from?’ Izuku asked. Katsumi didn’t even react to the box, too busy with the realisation of what she had come so close to asking Izuku. 

‘I believe it is from Mum, Katsumi.’

Katsumi snapped back to reality, pouting her lips, she picked the box up, the cogs in her head turning. What would her Mum get her?

‘Hmmm, I’ll open it later,’ she said finally, placing it to the side, ‘Gimme the boring presents first.’

The pile was a bit of a scam, most of the wrapped gifts being school supplies. Nice school supplies, but still school supplies. Katsumi wasn’t surprised, she already had every item she could have wanted, and she hadn’t asked for anything either. She was definitely hard to shop for. 

‘Oh wait this is actually cool.’ Katsumi held up a pack of animal print pens, specifically looking at the leopard print one. Her Dad smiled.

‘Hey, that one matches your pants!’ Izuku commented as he picked up the torn paper from the floor.

‘Oh don’t worry about that kid, I’ll tidy up later.’ 

Katsumi gasped as she tore away the paper from a soft and round plush, ‘Oh my god, Jigglypuff!’ 

‘I remember that was your favourite Pokeymon when you were little.’

Katsumi sat the plush on her lap, a toothy grin on her lips, ‘it’s Pokemon. But yeah it was! And- I uh,’ Katsumi tripped over her tongue. ‘Um imma open Izukus now!’ She decided, leaning down to grab it.

‘Oh uh! I have the receipt if you want to return it and excha-’

All Might sighed, ‘Goodness boy!’

Katsumi ignored them both, instead taking a moment to feel the box's weight. It wasn’t heavy or light. She shook it gently, but it didn’t make any noise.

‘Yeah I got no clue what's in here,’ she relented, finally just opening it. Her Dad leaned a bit closer to see what was inside.

‘I just saw it in the shop window and thought it was cool-’ Izuku said quickly.

‘A Polaroid camera?’ 

‘Oh wow,’ All Might said as Katsumi took it out of the box. It was a thin, purple camera with an inbuilt printer, perfect for putting in your pocket.

Izuku watched with anxious anticipation as Katsumi examined it. She shook her head and sighed, putting the gift down. She looked down for a long moment, both her Dad and Izuku waiting in confusion for her to say something. Katsumi took a deep breath in.

‘Why the hell were you acting so nervous for? This awesome!’ Katsumi whipped around as she grinned at Izuku. ‘You’re so awesome!’ she didn’t even let him respond as she pulled him closer to her, planting a strong kiss on his cheek. ‘Thank you!’ She pulled back, her grin even wider, ‘We totally need to get a picture together with this!’

‘Uhhhh yeah…’ Izuku squeeked out. His face was redder than a tomato and mind felt as blank as a procrastinating student with an exam due in the morning’s notebook. With one action Katsumi had managed to completely throw him for a loop. His cheek felt like it was burning. She didn’t take any notice of his condition, or at least pretended not to, continuing to open her gifts. All Might looked at the boy with something in between amusement and pity. He gave him a look so much to say ‘Good Luck’. 

‘Right, gimme the mystery box now.’ 

‘Here.’

Katsumi had no clue what was in that box. It was pretty big, about the size of an A4 book. She could feel Izuku peering over her shoulder, she pursed her lips, remembering the feeling of his cheek pressed against them. That was an act of pure impulsiveness. She really had to start thinking before she acted, she’d already almost confessed now she was kissing him. 

‘Ugh!’ she ripped the box open, the sudden burst in aggression surprising her Dad and making Izuku sit back a little. 

Inside the box was a book of poems alongside a fancy notebook and old-fashioned pen. A note was folded onto one of the books, printed letters of ‘NOAFASHION’ clearly labelling it.

Katsumi picked the paper up and unfolded it, in an exasperated voice she read the contents, ‘Dear Katsumi, as it is your first birthday away from me I decided to get you something special. With how much aggressive and brutish activity you will be engaging with I hope you can take time to rediscover- oh my god why does she talk like a fucking Victorian.’

‘Poetry?’ Izuku questioned as he looked at the box.

‘Oh yeah, you used to be a little writer didn’t you?’

Katsumi raised her eyebrows and pursed her lips, putting back the note into the box, ‘Well, I probably won't use that but it’s the passive-aggressive thought that counts.’

‘Make sure to message her a thank you,’ her Dad reminded.

‘Yup.’ 

It was getting dark and Izuku had to go home. The three of them went to the front door and Izuku and All Might (who offered to walk him to the station) started to put on their shoes. All Might had packed up some of the leftovers for Izuku to bring home for his Mum. 

‘I’ll come too,’ Katsumi said promptly.

‘It’s okay Katsumi.’

‘Stay here and start the dishes.’

‘What!’ she gasped in horror. ‘Wait, are you being serious?’ She said, genuine terror in her eyes as her mind flashed to the mountain of plates left on the dining room table. Not to mention all the dishes used to make the damn food!

‘Nah I’m kidding, just bring the dishes to the kitchen won't you?’

‘Yeah okay.’ She agreed quickly before he could change his mind. 

Before they could leave Katsumi gave Izuku one more hug, thanking him again for the awesome gift, he blushed profusely, swearing that it was nothing. 

‘Can you two get off each other already?’ All Might shook his head, tutting. His words quickly set the teens apart. 

Finally, All Might and Izuku were walking along the dark, lamp lit streets in the crisp spring air. 

‘Thank you for walking me All Might, you really didn’t have to,’ Izuku said cheerfully, it had been a good evening. 

‘Yeah well, to be honest it was more because I need to talk to you without Katsumi around.’

‘Huh?’ Izuku felt his good mood halt as All Might’s serious tone met his ears. 

‘How much was that camera?’

Izuku looked up at the old man confused, ‘What? Ohhh, no All Might it’s okay it wasn’t too much-’

‘Kid,’ All Might smiled, but spoke firmly, ‘trust me, it’s nothing to me. Just let me pay you back.’ 

‘Ah okay then.’

Izuku slipped the money into his rucksack as they continued walking.

‘Also, remember what I told you back before you met Katsumi?’

‘Uh,’ Izuku furrowed his brow in thought.

‘About not getting any ideas?’ All Might said plainly, looking down at the boy, eyebrow raised. Izuku looked up at him blankly. 

‘Wait!’ He jumped as he connected the dots, ‘I’m not- we’re not- she doesn’t- I know she uh, well- but that was just a thank you-’

‘Kid,’ All Might chuckled, ‘Just don’t get distracted from what you want to do. You want to be hero right? That’s what you need to be focusing on.’

‘Yeah of course! It’s what I want the most in the whole world.’

‘I know boy, but you’re still a kid, and personal relationships can be stressful. So remember the big picture if you get what I mean.’

‘Yeah, of course.’

Katsumi didn’t even wait for her Dad to get home to start getting ready for bed. She rushed the dishes to the kitchen, eager to get it over with as quickly as possible. After she went straight upstairs, carrying her gifts with her, washed off her makeup, brushed her teeth, got into her pyjamas and dived into bed. She practically sunk into the soft mattress, sighing in relief. Reaching for her bedside table she picked up the little photo she had taken earlier, the smiling faces of her Father, Izuku and her. It looked much cooler on a Polaroid than it would have on her phone. She smiled softly. 

Pulling the cover over her she was glad to fall asleep. She hadn’t even taken those sleeping pills in forever, she was just so happy. She should tell Dad not to bother getting her anymore. She could sleep perfectly well all by herself because she was just so happy.

The next morning Katsumi went out by herself. There wasn’t a particular reason, she just wanted to get out, maybe go window shopping. She was just in a good mood. Maybe she might even get a little gift for Izuku, she could play it off as being a congratulations for getting into UA. 

As she walked, one Airpod in playing Doechii, she felt it again. Just like she had when she got her nails done months ago, when she went to Kamino Ward with Izuku for Christmas Eve, randomly, anytime she went out. God, she had been in such a good mood, why did they have to go and ruin it? 

There weren’t many people around where she was, and yet someone was watching her. Again. It had gone on for too long, pretty much since she had come back to Japan. Katsumi wasn’t sure why, but she decided to do something about it.

She took a sharp turn into an empty alley. Walking in a good way through she suddenly came to a stop.

‘I know you’re there,’ her voice came out more confident than she was feeling. The dingy air of the alley made her heartbeat quicken in a sickly manner, her chest tightening.

They were behind her, she knew that. She just had to turn around and face them. That’s all she had to do, she would tell them off, scare them off. The quick, upbeat rap still played in her ear as she stood there. Taking the Earbud out she put it into her pocket. The music stopped and she was suddenly left in silence. The only sound she would hear was her own breath.

 She turned around.

Chapter Text

Finally, after months on months of training, it was time for Izuku’s first day at UA. As he left to catch his train his mother wished him a teary goodbye. Words couldn’t describe how proud she was of her son.

Excitement coursed up and down his veins as he walked along the huge corridors, searching anxiously for his class. 

‘This place is too big…’

Every year less than one in three hundred examinees are accepted into the UA Hero program. This year thirty-six passed through the open exam and five were accepted through recommendations. Forty students split into two classes with twenty-one and twenty students respectively. Lucky for him he was in the same class as Katsumi. He just hoped Kacchan and the guy from the entrance exam were in the other class. He could do without their presence. 

He sucked in a breath as he approached a humongous door labelled in giant letters- ‘1A’. He slowly opened the door. The sound of shouting from two familiar voices hit him immediately.

‘Don’t put your legs on the desk! Don’t you think that’s disrespectful towards your classmates?’ 

‘No, as a matter of fact, I don’t think so!’ 

Well, luck wasn’t on his side today. As soon as he had opened the door he was greeted by the sight of Kacchan, sat one leg up on his desk as he smirked at the glasses guy. 

‘Which middle school are you from anyway, you two-bit extra?!’

‘A privat- ahem, I’m from Soumei Junior High School.’ He said, seeming to regain some composure, ‘The name’s Tenya Iida.’

‘Soumei? Well, aren’t you an elite!’ Kacchan laughed, ‘Seems I’ve got reason to fucking end you after all!’

‘What nerve! You, want to be a hero?’

The guy Izuku now knew was called ‘Iida’ suddenly noticed him, and before Izuku could get away he ran over to him.

‘Hello, my name is Tenya Iida from sou-’

‘Oh yeah haha,’ he managed to squeak out, ‘I overheard, I’m Midoriya, nice to meet you, Iida.’

‘Midoriya, I must hand it to you. You divined the actual nature of the practical exam, didn’t you? I…’ he clenched his fist, ‘...was blind to it!’ He was talking about the rescue points, but Izuku didn’t even realise they existed either.

‘And I completely misread you!’ Iida continued, gritting his teeth in shame, ‘I hate to admit it, but you were the better man!’

Kacchan glared at him from his desk. Izuku tried to ignore him, instead searching the classroom for Katsumi- she wasn’t there.

‘Ah, it’s you! Curly-hair kid! Glad I found you!’

Izuku turned back to the door to see the girl from the entrance exam- her name was Uraraka if he remembered correctly. She smiled at him as she greeted him. Wow, she looked great in her uniform!

He immediately felt bad for thinking that, he had a feeling Katsumi wouldn’t have liked him thinking that. 

Uraraka went on about the entrance exam, getting way too close for comfort. Izuku avoided eye contact as she wondered out loud about what they would be doing today.

‘Oh and the teacher, what’ll they be like? I’m so anxious like wow!’

‘If you’re here to make friends you might as well pack up and leave.’

Their attention was directed to the voice that came from behind Uraraka. There lay a dishevelled man with long black hair… in a yellow sleeping bag.

‘This is the hero course,’ he deadpanned as he sucked a drink from a bag.

Who the hell was that guy? Uraraka and Izuku stepped back as he emerged from his sleeping bag, dressed in all black and a strange scarf, the exhausted-looking man looked at the class with disinterest. 

‘Hm, it took you all eight seconds to quiet down. Life is short kids, you lack common sense.’

Was this the teacher? He must be a hero then, Izuku thought, but he didn’t recognise him at all. He looked pretty washed up. 

‘I’m your homeroom teacher, Shouta Aizawa. Pleasure to meet you.’ he said, though he didn’t sound too thrilled. Out of his cocoon, he pulled a P.E. uniform out, ‘Put these on immediately then head out to the P.E. grounds.’

Izuku looked over to Iida, who looked horrified at the state of their teacher. He certainly didn’t fit with his idea of what a teacher at a prestigious school like UA should be. Izuku took a uniform and started following the rest of the confused students to the changing rooms. Katsumi still hadn’t arrived, had she overslept? No, no way she would be late on her first day. Well... probably not. She would probably show up soon.

By the time they had got to the P.E. grounds, Katsumi was still nowhere to be seen. Izuku accepted the fact that she was not showing up today. If the teacher hadn’t said anything about it it was probably fine. 

Aizawa was getting them to do a Quirk apprehension test, the same trials they did back at middle school but this time instead of testing their physical abilities they were testing their quirks. 

‘Awesome! This looks sooo fun!’

After the teacher had Kacchan demonstrate the ball toss the class was excitedly buzzing. Izuku did not share the excitement. He was already worried, and now this? How was he supposed to do eight trials when he broke his body with one punch?

‘It looks fun you say?’ Aizawa sensei slowly turned to face them, his face dark, ‘So are you all planning to spend your three years here having a good ol’ time? I thought you wanted to be heroes. We over-enrolled this year, so I think this new rule will be beneficial: The student who ranks last in total points will be judged as ‘hopeless’ and instantly expelled.'

Izuku’s eyes widened as the teacher grinned at the panicked students. His mouth felt dry and he began to sweat, he couldn’t adjust his power just yet…

‘UA gives us teachers the freedom to teach in the way we see best. In this case, it means we dispense students as we please!’ Aizawa pushed his hair back as he looked over them callously, ‘Welcome to the UA hero course.’ 

Izuku swallowed, trying to dampen his mouth. He couldn’t be expelled, all that work… it couldn’t be for nothing. He imagined it, Katsumi coming to school the next day, wondering where he was. No, he couldn’t let it happen, he couldn’t let his dreams be crushed like that. 

‘Sensei!’ Izuku was suddenly pulled back as a girl with a black ponytail raised her hand, ‘Is it really necessary to expel the lowest performing student? You said that the class is oversubscribed yet I only see twenty people. Is that not the correct amount of students?’

Aizawa shook his head, ‘It should be obvious one of your classmates isn’t here today.’

‘I see,’ she coughed, a little flushed, ‘But is it not unfair to run an exam like this without everyone present though?’

‘Only if your absent classmate had a chance of being in last place.’ he shrugged.

‘Sir!’ Uraraka protested, ‘It’s our first day here! And even if it wasn’t, isn’t this unreasonable?’

‘Natural disasters, massive accidents, ego-mad villains. All kinds of calamities can happen when we least expect them. The world’s positively drenched drenched in the unreasonable. It’s our job, as heroes to reverse it all and restore reason. If you were planning to go for a friendly chat over fast food after school, thats too bad. For now on, for the next three years, all you can expect for your life at UA is one hardship after another.’ He smiled slightly, ‘That’s what Plus Ultra is. I expect you to overcome these trials and climb to the top. 

Izuku pursed his lips, his chest felt tight. What was he going to do?

Aizawa scratched his neck, ‘Well that was the demonstration, time for the real test to begin.’

Izuku left Recovery Girls office for what he felt would be the first time of many. He had come last, dead last. Thank god the teacher had lied to them or Izuku would have been handing in his student ID and walking home in shame. 

‘Is your finger healed?’

Izuku turned and jumped as he felt a hand on his shoulder, ‘Ah! Oh hey, Iida, yeah recovery girl saw to that…’

He had hurt his finger pretty badly during the ball toss, but the fact he could still move meant he was improving. That’s all he could do for now. He couldn’t go on getting rescued all the time though, he had to learn to adjust his power, quickly.

‘I have to say, Aizawa Sensei really got to me! I’d actually thought ‘So this is what high academia is like!’’ Iida stroked his chin as they walked out of the gate, ‘Now I see how a teacher can encourage through deception.’

Before he had thought Iida was scary, but it was clear now he was simply an honest, diligent guy. 

‘Hey there guys!’ A familiar cheery voice came from behind, ‘You guys headed for the station? Wait for me!’

‘You’re that infinity girl.’ Iida noted, referencing her impressive score during the ball toss. 

‘Hiii! I’m Ochako Uraraka!’ she grinned as she introduced herself, ‘You’re uh, Tenya Iida and if I’m not mistaken Deku Midoriya?’

‘Deku!?’ His eyes bulged as he heard that name come out of her mouth so casually. 

‘Eh?’ she cocked her head in thought, ‘Wasn’t that what Bakugou called you?’

Oh yeah, after he used his quirk Kacchan had shouted that at him, demanding for him to tell him about his magically appearing quirk. 

‘Uh, well actually my name is Izuku, Deku is just what Kacchan uses to make fun of me.’

‘Oh,’ Iida frowned, ‘so it’s an insult.’ 

‘Ehhh, for real? Sorry! But you know I kinda like the name Deku for you!’ Uraraka smiled, pumping her fist. She was so upbeat, ‘It gives me a sorta never-give-up vibe you know!’ 

‘Deku it is!’

‘Midoriya!’ Iida gasped, ‘Don’t be so weak-willed! It’s an insult remember?’

As they walked beneath the blooming cherry blossoms, their soft petals swirling in the gentle spring breeze, Izuku couldn't help but feel a surge of happiness. He had already made some friends, some really awesome friends. The thought warmed his heart. He couldn’t wait for Katsumi to join them. Even with all the gruelling work they would be doing, he could tell UA would be a hell of a lot of fun too. 

It was the second day of UA, and sitting in homeroom Aizawa Sensei gave out their timetable. Still, no Katsumi. He had messaged her last night asking where she was, and she actually replied within the hour, instead of leaving him on delivered for half a day. But all she said was that she’d be there tomorrow, maybe. Now it was almost fifteen minutes from the expected arrival time for students and there was still a very clear empty desk at the back of the classroom.

‘In the afternoon you will have your first daily heroics class.’

‘Sir, is it really true that All Might is teaching here?’ A boy with spiky red hair called out.

‘I heard that people saw him here yesterday!’

‘Don’t call out, now-’ Aizawa began, only to pause at the sound of hurried footsteps echoing from the hallway. They skidded to a halt, followed by the door flying open with a bang.

‘Sorry!’

It was Katsumi. She stood in the doorway, uniform untucked, collar unbuttoned and tie loose she panted heavily with her hands braced on her knees. Her cheeks were flushed a deep red, and her usually pin-straight or perfectly curled hair looked windswept. It was clear she’d been running–shouldn't All Might have brought her to school? 

After a moment, she straightened up, swallowing hard as she approached Aizawa, the class was stunned silent, only the sound of her footsteps breaking the silence. Without a word, she handed him a crumpled note. He raised an eyebrow, taking the paper with a sigh. His eyes scanned it briefly, and then he let out a scoff, clearly unimpressed.

‘Go take your seat. Don’t be late again.’

‘Not my fault,’ she mumbled as she made her way to the back of the class, looking straight ahead pretending to not notice everyone staring at her. 

‘Excuse me?’

‘Huh?’ she turned around innocently, ‘Nothing!’

Aizawa shook his head, ‘Don’t be late again.’

Katsumi nodded as she took her seat, ‘Yes Sir!’ she said with a smile he did not return.

It wasn’t her fault she was late, well maybe a little. Ninety-nine per cent was her dad's fault. He said he would wake her up when it was time to get ready and he hadn’t. As a teacher he didn’t have to come in till the afternoon so he slept in, completely forgetting that Katsumi also was going to school. 

Katsumi had woken up with a sinking feeling, something was off. One glance at the clock confirmed it- it was a quarter past eight. She bolted out of bed and rushed to her dad’s room, yelling at him for oversleeping.

They both ended up frantically scrambling to get ready. Katsumi dashed through her morning routine, trying to squeeze in her skincare, teeth, makeup, hair, clothes, and a few bites of breakfast, into the shortest amount of time possible. 

Her dad scribbled a note for her teacher and they rushed out of the house. Dad didn’t even bother taking the car, instead, he took Katsumi in his arms- much to her dismay- and flew them both to UA.

As she sat listening to the teacher go over the timetable again she stroked her hair, trying to undo the damage from the journey. Ugh, how embarrassing, first day and she had shown up late. A great impression to make on her classmates. Oh well, she would have been known as the unorganized one eventually. Izuku probably felt more second-hand embarrassment from it though, his face while she was talking to the teacher was too funny, pale and shocked. He sat a few seats in front of her, but the boy between them was so short she could see him easily. Great, she could stare at his tussled green hair for as long as she wanted. 

Katsumi giggled at the thought, but guilt quickly made her smile fade, her lips pressing into a thin line. Things had become far more complicated—she couldn’t afford to waste time giggling over a crush.

The girl next to her seemed to have heard her, glancing over at her, but as soon as Katsumi turned to look at her she quickly turned back to face the front. Katsumi stared at her- she looked kinda familiar- oh yes! That was the girl from the entrance exam, the one who sat next to her. She wondered if she recognised her too, she should try talking to her later. After all, they would be sat next to each other for at least the term, maybe even the year- Katsumi wasn’t sure how Japanese schools worked honestly.

 The girl looked kinda uptight but who knows, they might have something in common. If she got into UA it probably meant she did well in her race, it would be good to get to know the other top students. 

Annoyingly Katsumi was behind already, according to her dad they had done a quirk apprehension test yesterday, so everyone knew each other's quirks. She should try to find out her classmate's quirks before the afternoon lesson with Dad. Yeah, she should focus on that for now, if not for catching up to everyone else to keep her from agonising over her little problem.

Soon Aizawa Sensei left and the loud man with the gravity-defying hair came in to teach them their first lesson of the day, English. Katsumi elected to not listen, instead spending the time staring at the back of Izuku’s head or guessing what quirks people had based on their looks. There was a guy at the front with a tail, that’s pretty clear. One of the girls had earphone cables coming from her earlobes, maybe she could stick them into people and hear their thoughts? A girl right at the front was just invisible so that was easy, the guy behind her had spiky blond hair, maybe he could shoot them out like a porcupine.

‘Miss Yagi, you’ve lived in America, can you have a go?’

‘Huh?’ Katsumi blinked as she heard her name.

‘Aww man don’t tell me you weren’t paying attention!’ The teacher laughed and pointed at the board, ‘C’mon is number one, two, three or four correct?’

‘Uhh…’ Goddamit, she hadn’t really thought of the consequences of all the teachers knowing who she was. She did not want to be picked on for every English-related question for the next three years. How was she going to make sure that didn’t happen? First, she actually had to look at the question though. There were four sentences written on the board.

‘Jessica was not, according to Jack's planning, to be having a dinner.’ That’s an awkward way of saying it.

‘Planning to not have a dinner with Jessica was Jack.’ That was completely wrong.

‘Dinner not was planned with Jessica and Jack.’ Definitely not.

‘Jack is not planning to dinner with Jessica.’ What. 

Katsumi looked over them again, she must have misread them. No, they didn’t make any sense. Maybe the first? Ugh, she was still tired, she couldn’t be bothered for this. 

‘Is this a trick question?’ She asked, brow furrowed in confusion.

‘No! There is a correct answer! Anyone else- ah yes Yaoyorozu?’

The girl sitting next to her stood up, ‘The correct answer is one!’

‘Correct!’

‘No?’ Katsumi furrowed her brow further in confusion as she re-read the questions again, making the girl- Yaoyorozu- pause, as well as multiple students turn their heads, ‘Literally none of them are right.’

‘Number one is grammatically correct.’ Yaoyorozu replied, her brows also tightening together.

Katsumi clicked her tongue as she thought about it, she shrugged, ‘I guess but if you said it people would think you were a massive moron.’

Yaoyorozu's eyebrows shot up, she looked like she was about to say something but stopped. Katsumi heard a snort from someone sitting a few seats ahead—it was the dude with spiky hair.

‘Uh, well,’ Present Mic began.

‘It’s awkwardly phrased,’ Katsumi butted in, trying to explain, ‘you’d just say Jack didn’t plan on having dinner with Jessica. If you overcomplicate it you look like a weirdo.’ She doubled down, staring at the teacher blankly. In front of her, she could see Izuku burying his face in his hands, she had to focus really hard not to start laughing. 

‘Ah! Well, you learn something new every day!’ President Mic chuckled, awkwardly. ‘Let me just change this…’

The teacher didn’t pick on Katsumi for the rest of the lesson, she was very happy with that.

Lunch couldn’t come quickly enough. Katsumi could barely stand normal school back in America, so doing normal work when the promise of something thrilling was just behind the corner was excruciating. She was just packing up her stuff as students filed out of the room when she heard someone clear their throat in front of her. Katsumi looked up from her bag and raised an eyebrow. 

A stocky boy with tidy blue hair and glasses stood in front of her, a serious look on his face, ‘Yagi, correct?’

‘Uh yeah and you are..?’ 

‘My name is Tenya Iida and I would just like to say that your behaviour just this morning has been abhorrent! Arriving late! Speaking back to the teacher! No paying attention during class! Not standing when called on! Insulting a fellow classmate and teacher! On top of that wearing the incorrect uniform!’

Katsumi stared at him with raised eyebrows as he spoke, only half-listening. She nodded her head, more paying attention to Izuku coming over, sweating as usual. 

‘This is the uniform dude.’ She didn’t have many arguments against the rest of her transgressions, she absolutely did do all of that. Was it not that great to do on the first day? Yeah, but why did this dude care?

‘But you’re wearing it incorrectly! Tuck your shirt in and fix your tie!’

Katsumi laughed, ‘Why do you care?’ 

‘This is UA! We are all extremely lucky to be here, you should respect-’

‘Uh Iida-’ Izuku interpreted nervously.

‘Ah, Midoriya, you go ahead without me I’ll meet you at the cafeteria.’

‘Bahahaha! Don’t tell me you’re friends with this guy Izuku?’

‘Ah, well yes-’

‘Izuku?’ Iida was taken aback by her use of Midoriya's first name, ‘Do you two know each other?’

Izuku watched as Katsumi raised an eyebrow at him, he quickly replied ‘Uh, yes, Iida this is Katsumi Yagi, she’s from America so she doesn’t really know how school works here…’

‘I see-‘ Iida pushed his glasses back, ‘Still! Please be more considerate, I’m sure tardiness is looked down on in America too!’

‘Yeah well, it wasn’t my fault.’

‘Oh right,’ Izuku felt a little more at ease now Iida wasn’t actively reprimanding Katsumi, ‘why were you late?’ 

‘Oh my Dad said he would get me up and surprise surprise he did not.’ she rolled her eyes, ‘Ugh he ended up-‘ Katsumi stopped, she couldn’t say he flew her to school, that would raise too many questions and she didn’t want to talk to Iida for longer than necessary- ‘I’ll tell you later actually.’

‘Seriously?’ Damnit, looks like she hadn’t escaped his disapproval, ‘That’s a horrible excuse, you should be getting up yourself at this age! Even children can get up themselves!’

‘Dude you don’t know me,’ Katsumi glared, ‘I’ve literally been so ill I was bedridden so my Dad said he’d wake me up instead of a loud blaring alarm.’ That comment pissed her off for more reasons than that, but he didn’t have to know about her complex relationship to sleep.

‘Woah!’ A girl's voice came from behind the two boys, Izuku jumped, moving out of the way, ‘Bedridden? That’s awful, I hope you’re feeling better.’

A girl with round pink cheeks and short brown hair appeared she smiled at Katsumi, ‘Hey! My name’s Ochako Uraraka, you’re friends with Deku too?’

What.

‘Who’s Deku?’ She asked.

‘Ah!’ Izuku scratched the back of his neck, his face growing pink, ‘She means me.’

What the hell? 

Who the hell was this girl? Why the hell did she have a nickname for Izuku? Why the hell was he blushing?

Katsumi clenched her teeth and forced a smile.

‘Hey.’ She turned to Izuku, ‘So where did Deku come from?’

‘Oh, well she heard Kacchan calling me that and well…’

‘Kacchan?’

‘The guy from middle school-‘

Katsumi’s eyes widened, ‘That dude’s here?’

‘Oh didn’t I tell you?’

‘No!’ She almost laughed.

‘Well,’ he looked at her a little weirdly, ‘we haven’t talked much since the entrance exam so…’

‘You literally came round my house,’ Katsumi said with a light-hearted scoff. Izuku seemingly took it more seriously though.

‘Well that was for your birthday,’ he said, a little defensively, ‘and you never reply to messages so-‘

‘Yes, I do!’ Katsumi’s brows scrunched together, ‘I’ve just been ill so-’

‘Again?’ Izuku shook his head, ‘You need to cover up more.’ 

‘Excuse me?’ She said coldly.

Izuku’s eyes widened as soon as he said that, Katsumi cocked her head. Uraraka and Iida, who had progressively felt more and more awkward, cringed. Uraraka shuffled back slightly. 

‘Ah!’ Izuku winced at his own words, they had slipped out before he could think, ‘I mean because it's still pretty chilly and-’

‘Oh really?’ 

‘C’mon, you know what I wasn’t trying to say-’ 

Katsumi stood up, ‘Yeah whatever.’

‘Katsumi I didn’t-‘

‘Mhm,’ she refused to look at him as she picked up her bag. It was best to just leave it, she was feeling pretty damn sensitive at the moment and it was best for both of them that she didn’t respond.

‘Sorry, I just-‘ he began to apologise, Katsumi just patted him on the shoulder as she pushed past him.

‘Wait,’ he followed her, ‘don’t you wanna get lunch with us?’

‘I’m going to the bathroom.’

‘Ah, I can show you where it is!’ Uraraka called after her. 

Katsumi snapped her head around, her best fake smile on her face, ‘It’s fine!’

Her scowl returned as soon as she turned back around, opening the door and slipping out. Pretty much everyone had already left for the cafeteria at that point. She sighed, walking along the corridors. She had already passed the bathroom on her sprint to the classroom, it wasn’t far.

‘Ugh.’ She covered her face with her hands, the anger that had risen in her melting down into a puddle of shame. What was she doing? It would have been better if she had just stayed home today. Opening the door to the bathroom she went straight to the sinks, glad it was empty. Glancing at herself in the mirror she took her brush on of her bag and started to brush her hair down. A little lip gloss and blush made her feel better too. She smiled at herself in the mirror.

‘Katsumi. Everything will be fine, absolutely nothing bad is happening.’ She laughed a little bitterly as she placed her stuff back into her bag. 

Suddenly one of the cubicles opened up- dammit! She thought it was empty. Katsumi watched in the mirror as the girl with the black ponytail walked up to the sinks and started to wash her hands. Immediately her mind went back to that guy telling her off for being rude, he was kinda right- goddammit! 

Katsumi let out a lofty sigh before she took a deep breath in and turned to her girl, ‘Hey, Yaoyorozu right?’

‘Ah, yes, Momo Yaoyorozu,’ she looked a bit surprised, looking at her with apprehension, not like she could blame her, ‘your name is Yagi-san correct?’

‘Ah yeah, uh, I’ve lived in America most of my life so call me Katsumi if you want.’ 

‘Oh!’ Her cheeks flushed slightly, ‘Ah, okay Katsumi-san.’

‘Yeah, um, anyways-’ Katsumi ran her fingers through her long blonde hair, she might as well rip the bandaid off, ‘sorry about earlier.’

‘You mean during English class?’

‘Yeah, that glasses guy told me off about a bunch of things a second ago and one of the reasons was cuz I was rude to you.’ Katsumi couldn't help but giggle, ‘Sorry, I really didn’t mean it as an insult to you but if you took it that way- I guess I can be pretty harsh sometimes.’

Yaoyorozu laughed, ‘Don’t worry, you were right, yes a little crass, but right. I didn’t take it to heart- honestly, I think Sensei was more hurt about being wrong.’ She raised her fingers to her lips as she smiled. ‘The glasses guy- I’m guessing you mean Iida- he’s very uptight, he was telling off another student on the first day for having his feet up on the table.’

‘I don’t get why he cares what other people are doing,’ rolling her eyes Katsumi leaned back onto the sink, ‘is he class president or something.’

‘No, we don't have one of those, yet at least.’ Yaoyorozu had a glint in her eye as she said that, Katsumi could guess she wanted that role for herself. ‘I must admit, the boy with his feet up is a piece of work. Yesterday he tried to attack that green-haired boy, oh what’s his name…’

‘Izuku?’ Katsumi said incredulously. 

‘Oh, you know each other? Did you go to their middle school?’

‘Ah no, we met last summer,’ she waved the question away, ‘Wait I'm sorry you said he tried to attack him? Who are we talking about?’ In her head, she ran through the students in the class, it must have been Kacchan, who was this dude?

‘The delinquent-looking boy with the spiky blonde hair, his name’s Katsuki Bakugou if I remember correctly.’

‘So that’s Kacchan,’ Katsumi huffed, ‘why’d he try to-’ she stopped, why bother to ask that? She was annoyed with Izuku at the moment. She could ask him later. Plus, it had been way too long since she’d talked to another girl. A big smile came onto her face, ‘Actually, I don’t care, I’m hungry, wanna go get lunch together?’

‘Ah,’ Yaoyorozu blinked, a little taken aback at the change in topic. ‘Sure, I’d love to,’ she smiled.

Chapter Text

For lunch, they were serving rice with beef soup as well as a side of corn salad, it looked and smelt amazing. Yaoyorozu had asked for extra everything, piling the food onto her plate. Katsumi didn’t even know they could do that and couldn’t be bothered to go back and ask for more. She made a mental note to ask to get double next time.

‘‘Damn,’ she looked at the girl’s tray a little jealous, ‘You have way more than me, I should have asked for extra too!’’

Yaoyorozu smiled at the pouting girl sitting before her, “I’m just glad the food here is alright. I have to eat a lot as my quirk’s power comes from the molecular structure of my fat cells.”

“Really?!” Katsumi quickly swallowed the mouthful of rice she had just put into her mouth, “Me too! Well, somethin’ similar.”

Yaoyorozu’s eyes lit up, “What a coincidence!”

“I know right? I should have gotten more food seeing as we’re doing battles next.”

“Are we? Aizawa Sensei only mentioned heroics training.”

“Yeah, we’re doing two v two battles with All Might.”

“All Might?” Yaoyorozu raised a finger to her chin, “So the number one hero really is teaching at UA… how do you know?”

Katsumi licked her bottom lip, should she just come out and say it? No, instead she grinned grinned, bright blue eyes narrowing, “I’ll tell you but on one condition.”

“What?”

“I wasn’t here yesterday, I have no clue about the types of people I’m dealing with in this class, that puts me at a big disadvantage,” she hummed. “Tell me everyone’s quirks, you seem like the typa person to take notice of things like that.”

Yaoyorozu exhaled, amused, “Obviously I would take notice, we’re competing as individuals as well as as a class. But don’t you also have the advantage of others not knowing your quirk? How about I tell you what I know about our classmates as long as you tell me about your quirk too."

Cheeky, that let her get an advantage over the rest of her classmates while nullifying the advantage Katsumi had on her. She was really taking this seriously, Katsumi had almost forgotten her classmates were there because they had a strong drive to be heroes.

“Okay deal."

Izuku moped at the other side of the lunch hall absentmindedly poking at his food, only half-listening to Uraraka and Iida.

“Mmm, the food is so good!’ Uraraka hummed in delight, ‘The fact it’s free makes it all the more better!”

“I agree, lunch rushes cooking it truly divine! Right Midoriya?”

“Uh, yeah.”

They looked at him worriedly, then at each other. They hadn’t known each other for long but it was plain to see that he was feeling pretty down.

“Uh, Deku?” Uraraka spoke up, “Are you still upset about what you said to Yagi?”

Iida cleared his throat, feeling a little guilty about instigating the conversation that led to his new friend's mood, “I apologise, I am the one who started the conversation and put her on edge-”

“No no!” Izuku waved his hands frantically, “ It’s not your fault! I’m okay, honestly.”

“In that case, I must admit, it probably wasn’t the most tactful thing to say to a woman, you may want to think your words over before speaking in future.”

Izuku flushed in embarrassment, “I- well, she’s never actually got mad at me before,’’ he sighed, things had been so weird since her birthday.

“It seemed more that she was annoyed than mad,” Uraraka chimed in sweetly, “I’m sure she’ll forgive you. You two seem to know each other well after all!”

“Ah yes, how do you two know each other? I don’t remember seeing her with you at the entrance exams.” Iida mused, it had been on his mind since their conversation.

“That’s because she was recommended, she didn’t go to my middle school so she wouldn’t have sat with me anyway.” Izuku chose to reply to the latter question, not sure on what to say about how they met.

“She was recommended? Wow, she must be really strong!”

“Huh, to be recommended you have to have strong physical capabilities, high grades and outstanding references. Perhaps I misjudged her…” It would be the second time in recent memory Iida had done that.

“She’s smarter than she seems," Izuku admitted, “she didn’t know the Japanese school system well, so I tutored her for the exam. Honestly, she’s smarter than me, she understood everything so quickly, it's just she’s lazy about it.”

“Where’d she get the references from?” Uraraka wanted to know. “Are her parents American heroes or something?”

“Uh! Well ah,” Izuku fumbled, “um…”

“You don’t have to say anything, it wouldn’t be right to spread information like that without the subject's consent.”

Their bubbly friend's round face went pink, “Oh yeah! Sorry, I didn’t think about that.”

“No it’s fine, she’d probably be fine with it, just well, I don’t want to give her another reason to be mad at me right now.”

Iida frowned at the freckled boy’s downcast expression, he seemed quite touched by an easily fixable situation.

“Midoriya, if you don’t mind me asking, you two seem to be quite close, is your relationship strictly platonic or-”

“Oh!” Izukus's face flared up, snapping up to interrupt him, “We’re just friends!”

Iida raised an eyebrow, “I see.”

“Right, from what you’ve said it seems like the ones to look out for are Bakugou, Todoroki and… well you Yaoyorozu.”

The raven-haired girl dabbed her mouth with a napkin, trying to hide a smile, “I suppose I am quite strong, though I have much room for improvement.

Katsumi stifled a chuckle at the girl's attempt at modesty while clearly being very pleased with the compliment.

“Anyway, now you know about our classmate’s abilities, it's your turn to keep your side of the deal.”

“Yeah yeah,’ Katsumi nodded, “I’ll be fair. My quirk’s a transformation type, I can manipulate the form of my body’s living cells, both growing new ones and transforming their material. I mostly use it for turning my limbs into weapons or stretching my arms or whatever. The annoying thing is that I gotta know the chemical makeup of-”

Yaoyorozu gasped, “Me too!” Katsumi jerked a little at the outburst of energy, the girl opposite noticed, coughing into her hand and settling back before she continued. “As in I have to know the chemical makeup to create the objects I make.”

“Oh my god!’’ Katsumi leaned in forwards, hands clapping together in front of her, “That’s freaking amazing! I thought it was cool that we both have food as fuel now this too?! It’s totally fate that we got sat next to together!’’

“More the alphabet,’’ Yaoyorozu giggled, relieved her classmate shared her excitement. Katsumi grinned as she leaned back.

“But seriously, that’s crazy,’’ she ran her thumb across her bottom lip as she scooted her chair closer, “We so need to get together and study materials- well I have a feeling you know more than me so more you teaching me.”

“Teaching is one of the best ways to learn! I would be delighted to.”

“Hey I’ll pay you back for it as well,” Katsumi added, “I don’t know how good you are at hand-to-hand combat but it’s my speciality, I’d be happy to spar with you anytime!”

“Ah, that is an area I am lacking slightly, I may take you up on that offer,” Yaoyorozu said thoughtfully.

“Yeah well just watch me later when we’re fighting, I didn’t get recommended for nothing.”

“Of course,” Yaoyorozu clicked her tongue as she remembered the original point of their deal, “Oh I almost forgot-” Katsumi went back to the little amount of food left on her plate as Yaoyorozu leaned in, lowering her voice, “When did you find out about All Might teaching us?”

“Oh,’ Katsumi shrugged, taking a bite of food, “he told me.”

“Who?” Yaoyorozu furrowed her brow as she whispered.

Katsumi covered her mouth with her hand as she chewed, “All Might.”

Yaoyorozu looked at her with a confused expression, “When?”

“Last night.”

Yaoyorozu prided herself on being insightful and observant, still, she had to stare at her classmate in front of her for a long moment before it clicked. The blonde hair, tan skin, bright blue eyes, the note she had given Aizawa Sensei that seemingly cleared her for being late, the fact the Present Mic knew her name and that she was from America.

“Are you…” she furrowed her brow, slightly hesitant, “related to him?”

“Ding ding!” Katsumi swallowed her food and waved her chopsticks in the air, “He’s my Pops.”

Lips parted and dark eyes wide Yaoyorozu shook her head, “I can’t believe I hadn’t worked that out as soon as you mentioned you knew he was here, actually the fact he is teaching here should have been a hint! He must be here to support you, right?”

“Uh,” Katsumi dropped her chopsticks onto her bowl, “the other way round, he convinced me to go for the hero program last summer which is why I moved here from the States. I’ve been training with him since.”

“I see,” the pale girl mused, stroking her chin, “Wow, All Might huh… For some reason I’ve never thought of him as someone who’d have a family, he’s more myth than man.”

“Yeah well I doubt he did either,” the mystery of how her parents got together was a question she had wondered about for a long time. “It’s not like he was involved much, he wasn’t even married to my Mum and she moved us to America when I was eight. I didn’t see him much till last year when I actually moved over here.”

Yaoyorozu parted her lips slightly, sensing that it was a slightly sensitive topic, “Parents with important jobs are difficult,” she could relate to that at least, “you understand why they can’t see you much but it’s still hurtful.”

“Yeah then add seeing his face plastered everywhere,” Katsumi laughed. Funny that a couple of months ago the same conversation ended with tears. She didn’t have the luxury of being so weak anymore.

“So, you got in from recommendations too, what’s your family like?”

“Ah, my father is in the automobile business,” Yaoyorozu spoke carefully, “the company makes engines and such. My mother is a mathematician and overviews the accounting side while my father is more interested in business meetings.”

“So they own the company?”

“Yes, I’ll admit I am well-off, I am incredibly grateful for it as it allowed them to send me to a very good middle school which is where I got my references.”

Katsumi smirked and shook her head, “It’s okay, you don’t have to be humble about your family with me. My Dad’s the number one hero and my Mum’s from old money. Plus she owns a magazine.”

“Oh, yes of course,” Yaoyorozu laughed, a little embarrassed, “I’ve been reminding myself to be humble as not everyone here comes from such a privileged upbringing.”

Something about that irked Katsumi, a little unfoundedly maybe. She definitely did have a privileged upbringing yes, in many ways. She was given every opportunity and more, her parents' money and influence even provided her with a clean slate after that one especially bad screw-up. Most people would have been marked from an arrest like that for the rest of their lives.

She understood that sure, still, she was miserable for most of her upbringing, and because of that she didn’t feel very privileged. That and the people that bestowed her such privilege, her parents, were people Katsumi had hated for a long time. Her mother especially, who was the one that actually ‘raised’ her, afforded her all her nice clothes and enrolled her in a good school. Katsumi had been adamantly rejecting her for a long time.

At a certain point, around the time she entered her teenage years, she had put her hatred for her dad on the back burner. While her mum was constantly annoying and upsetting her, his absence was more forgivable, something she’d forget about for months at a time.

His absence had become the norm, and his presence was a novelty, when your local supermarket stops selling your favourite snack so the only time you can get them is when you’re out of town. Something once common becomes more special. At least thinking like that was soothing, in reality, it was nothing like that, and such comparison only emphasised the pain of her situation. The bond between a parent and a child is so innate and fundamental that a person's relationship or lack thereof with their parents will shape every part of them, very different from not being able to find a type of food in the supermarket.

Still, it was impossible to dwell on things forever. The hurt and anger were still ever present but simply shoved to the back of her mind with all the other shameful, rotted parts of herself.

“Yeah, we’re lucky,” Katsumi replied, chewing at her thumbnail, her normally long colourful nails unpainted and short.

“So your mother owns a magazine?” Yaoyorozu continued, smiling elegantly, “How interesting, an American one I suppose?”

Katsumi nodded, “Mhm, Noa Fashion or something.”

Yaoyorozu gasped, a hand rising to her chest, “You’re not joking are you?”

“Dude, is it really that known here?” shaking her head Katsumi laughed, “Izuku’s mum knew her too and she just modelled over here.”

She had mentioned that without thinking, and she didn’t let herself think any more about what she said. There was no reason to think about anything to do with Izuku at the moment.

“You’re mother is Noa!? No wonder All Might-”

“Don’t shout.” It was rare for Katsumi to be the one telling someone to be quiet, though it was more the possible content of her new friend's words than the volume that bothered her,

“Haha, sorry,” Yaoyorozu smoothed her dark hair at her temple, “well yes, it’s published here in Japan. I must admit, I use the Noa catalogue quite often for choosing my personal wardrobe… My mother introduced it to me, she was a fan of Noa when she was younger.”

“I would offer to introduce you guys to her next time she comes here,” Katsumi leaned against her hand as she poked at her food, “but I would rather talk to her as little as possible.”

“Too strict? My mother can be like that sometimes, it does come from a place of love though.” Smiling gently Yaoyorozu tried to lighten Katsumi’s mood, she had a feeling the turn to the topic of family was agitating her.

“Nah, well yes but it’s more- ugh I dunno,” Katsumi stopped before she tripped over her tongue anymore. They sat in silence for a couple of moments.

Yaoyorozu pursed her lips, it would be best to switch the conversation topic, “The food here is good isn’t it…”

The girl in front of her looked up, her previously sombre expression flat. Not responding she simply stared at her blankly, Yaoyorozu felt her face heat up, eyes involuntarily looking away from her gaze. Katsumi’s lips curled upwards, a faint smile gracing her face. Her eyes sparkled as she pressed her lips together tightly, biting the inside of her lip as the smile grew. Suddenly her head went back down, face hidden from her frowning classmate. The blonde girl's shoulders began to tremble, confusing Yaoyorozu further. All at once Katsumi burst out in laughter, throwing back her head as she laughed. It startled Yaoyorozu, she didn’t think she had said anything that funny.

Katsumi wiped away a tear that had formed at the corner of her eye, still giggling between breaths, “Oh wow.”

“I’m sorry did I-”

“Nah, nah, it’s just your face,” she continued giggling, “You looked so awkward!”

If it wasn’t before Yaoyorozu’s face was burning now, “Well, I was at a bit of a loss about what to say.”

“No kidding!” Katsumi breathed out, “Oh, I haven’t talked to a girl in so long. Are we allowed our phones out here- oh whatever let me write down my number for you!”

“Oh, okay!” Yaoyorozu’s eyes widened as Katsumi picked up her bag, rummaging for a pen and paper, “I’ll message you later so you have mine.”

Chapter Text

“I am here- coming through the door like a hero!”

The huge figure of All Might burst through the door, gasps and cheers filled the room as the students bubbled with excitement.

“I can’t believe it! All Might’s actually going to be teaching us!”

“This year is going to be totally awesome!”

“It’s his silver age costume! How vintage!”

“Welcome to Foundational Hero Studies! Think of it as heroing 101! You’ll be learning the basics of being a pro and what it means to fight for the name of good. Let’s jump right into it! Today’s lesson- Battle Trials!”

Yaoyorozu turned to Katsumi, finding her already looking at her, a smug ‘I told you so’ smirk on her face.

“And one of the keys to being a hero is… looking good! These were designed for you based on your quirk registration forms and the request you sent in before school started! Get yourself suited up and then meet me at ground beta!”

“And don’t forget from now on, you all are official heroes!”

Once they collected their cases Katsumi followed the rest of the girls to the changing rooms, Yaoyorozu by her side, wondering aloud about the exact type of battles they would be doing. 

Uraraka opened a locker in the far corner, placing her case inside before unlocking it. The room buzzed with the girls chatting, all excited about their costumes. The two most energetic of the classmates seemed to be a girl with pink skin and another who was completely invisible. They giggled as they took off their shoes.

Uraraka’s attention drifted to Yagi, who was talking with the girl who had scored the highest yesterday- her name was Yayorozu if she remembered correctly. At lunch, she had noticed the pair standing in line and she had pointed it out to Deku, hoping to ease his worries about Yagi. Uraraka was trying to reassure him that Yagi wasn’t alone, but in hindsight, she realized it probably wasn’t as comforting as she had hoped. Maybe she should talk to Yagi for him. It was just a misunderstanding, Yagi didn’t even seem that upset with him and her casual, even happy face as she spoke to her black-haired classmate seemed to suggest she was over it already.

“Hey, new girl!”

Uraraka was jerked out of her thoughts as the two outgoing girls walked up to Katsumi. The blonde turned towards them and in turn Uraraka, she turned back to her locker before she realised she had been staring at her. 

“Am I really any newer than the rest of you?” Katsumi raised an eyebrow at the duo.

The invisible girl giggled, “I suppose now. Seems you’ve already met Yaoyorozu so it’s our turn to introduce ourselves! I'm Toru Hagakure-”

“Mina Ashio!” The bubbly pink girl butted in, she pointed to the purple-haired girl sitting on the bench, “The girl the earphone jacks is Kyoka Jiro-”

“Ah, uh hey,” She said, looking a little surprised to hear her name.

“This ones Tsuyu Asui!”

“Ribbit, you can call me Tsu.” A slightly strange-looking girl said. Katsumi remembered Yaoyorozu saying she seemed to have a quirk related to frogs, which explained her appearance. 

“And this is,” Ashido paused for a moment as she gestured to the last girl in the room, “uh,  Ochaco Uraraka right?”

“Oh,” Uraraka looked up from the large shoes in her hand, “yeah I’m Uraraka.”

“Oh good I got it right!” Ashido cheered, “It’s just we all sit together for lunch so we know each other's names, but you eat with those boys right?”

“Yeah Iida and Deku.” Uraraka looked at Katsumi tentatively, she stared back at her with an uncaring expression, the coolness in her gaze immediately dissipating as she turned back to Ashido.

“Nice to meet you all!” She smiled, “My name is Katsumi Yagi, I’m from America so if you wouldn’t mind call me Katsumi instead of Yagi.”

“America?” Ashido marvelled,” Wow! I knew you looked foreign, I just assumed you were a gyaru!”

“I’m fully Japanese.” 

“Oh!”

“Katsumi how long were you living in America for?” Hagakure asked.

“Since I was eight,” She replied, sitting on the bench and beginning to take off her shoes. “My parents split and after a while, my mum moved us to America.”

“Sorry to hear that!” 

“So are you living with your Dad now?” Jiro asked.

“Yup.”

A small giggle came from beside her. 

“What's funny?” Katsumi raised her brow as she turned to Yaoyorozu, a slight grin on her lips. 

“Nothing,” she smiled before she cleared her throat and looked at the girls seriously, “C’mon stop chatting and get your costumes on, we don’t want to be late.”

“Okay okay! Ah, this is all so exciting!” Ashido grinned as she went back to her locker.

Katsumi looked at her briefcase, the requested costume folded neatly inside. This was it, the first real heroics lesson of her high school career. This was it, she was actually doing it. 

“They say clothes make the pros and behold, you are the proof! Take this to heart, from now on you all are heroes in training! You all look so cool! Now, shall we get started you bunch of noobies?”

Katsumi walked out alongside Yaoyorozu, she had thought her costume was a little risque, but standing next to her friend, it looked modest. Though she could probably guess it was for her quirks functionality, she couldn’t help but wonder how on earth it was comfortable? Especially seeing as she wasn’t wearing a bra, Katsumi was almost the same size as Yaoyorozu in that department, she knew how uncomfortable being unsupported could be. That’s why she made sure to request an outfit with an in-built sports bra. 

She had taken some inspiration from the two heroes she liked, sporting a Mirko-like sleeveless gymnastics leotard with the colours of All Might’s golden age costume. She even had the diamond pattern across her chest, though she had opted for the actual diamond to be a cutout, unlike Yaoyorozu there was no reason for the exposure, she just wanted it. 

“Katsumi are you a fan of All Might?”

“Huh?” she turned around to where the voice had come from, it was the frog girl, “oh hey, Tsu right?”

“Ribbit,” she nodded, seemingly happy that she had used the nickname, “your costume is like one of All Mights.”

Opening her mouth she wasn’t sure what to say. Should she just say it now? “Yeah I’m a fan I guess.”

It was best not to cause a scene at the beginning of a lesson. 

Despite the many different people around her, she couldn’t help but look around for Izuku, but she had little luck. Still talking to Tsu about each other's costumes she saw something in the corner of her eye. A boy dressed in a green jumpsuit with that Uraraka girl. She turned her head to get a better look at the pair, the boy was very obviously flustered as the short girl talked to him. Her costume was just as tight as Katsumi’s and it was clearly making him nervous. 

It was definitely Izuku, for god sake. Katsumi just bit her cheek and turned away. She was too distracted by her feelings of jealousy to notice the scowl of the scarred boy from the entrance exam.

“I like everyone's styles!” All Might smiled, the smile faulted for a moment as he came across Katsumi. She hadn’t let him have any input into the design. On one hand, he was quite chuffed that she had used the design on his golden age costume, on the other hand, he wished his teenage daughter was covered a little more. She didn’t even notice him, she was too busy staring at the ground with an angry look on her face. That was strange.

He almost started laughing when he found Midoriya, the rabbit-like ears on his hood almost identical to his signature hairstyle. Way to make it obvious. He was standing quite far from Katsumi, surprisingly, All Might thought they would be together. Instead, he was talking to a brown-haired girl- oh. He looked back to his daughter, talking half-heartedly to a very pink girl. 

His thought process was interrupted as a student dressed head to toe in armour asked about where they would be conducting the lesson. He quickly went back into teacher mode, explaining their indoor battle training. The students bombarded him with questions.

“My quirk isn’t superhearing! Not all at once! You first!” He said pointing at the armoured boy.

“Sir, there’s an uneven amount of students! How will the teams work,” he asked.

“I’m afraid one team will simply have an extra person.”

“Wait that’s not fair!” A student protested. 

“Sorry!” Whoops, that was his fault. Principle Nezu had guaranteed Katsumi a spot in UA whether she did well on the written exam or not, but in order to make it fair for the other students he decided to add another seat to one of the classes. He hadn’t told Katsumi that obviously, she ended up passing anyway. “That’s the way it is sometimes!” he shrugged.

Finally, after pulling out the notes he had made just in case, he finished explaining the rules sufficiently. Now, it was time to draw teams.

He felt a little guilty when he saw Katsumi's face when Midoriya ended up with the brown-haired girl from before. The girl had bad luck. As a consolation luck partnered her up with a black-haired girl she seemed to have already befriended. Good, she had made some friends already.

“What luck it is that we’ve been put together!” Yaoyorozu smiled.

“Hope you're not sick of me yet.” Katsumi half laughed.

“Of course not!”

Subconsciously Katsumi had positioned herself so though she was looking at her partner she could see Izuku behind her as well. His partner looked happy paired with him, he looked just as flustered as before, Izuku didn’t act that flustered with her. Great. He looked over to her, she quickly looked away. She couldn’t see his expression which annoyed her even more.

“And the first two pairs to do combat will be the following-” All Might rummaged around in two boxes- “Pair A as the heroes and pair D playing the villains!”

Katsumi looked around to see who was up first, it was the boy dressed head to toe in armour (she guessed it was that blue-haired ass from earlier seeing as she couldn’t see him anywhere else) and ‘Kacchan’. She looked at Katsuki Bakugou properly for the first time, Yaoyorozu’s description of him was pretty accurate, blonde spiky hair and vaguely delinquent looking. He looked like the type to bully people with his slouched posture and sharp red eyes, poor Izuku. Katsumi felt a little guilty (despite her current annoyance towards Izuku) as she admitted to herself that with his demeanour and red eyes, he was much closer to her type than him. 

His costume consisted of a black and orange tank top with baggy pants. The most interesting thing was the two huge gauntlets on his hands. There must be a practical reason for them, did they actually work? He glared over at her, Katsumi furrowed her brows, what did she do? But after a moment she realised he wasn’t looking at her. Turning behind her she saw he was looking at Izuku, who was staring right back.

All Might took the four of them to the building where they would be battling and sent them to their positions before he led the rest of them to another building to watch over the fight through CCTV.

Katsumi watched Izuku and Bakugou as they followed All Might alone with their teammates. Her friend hadn’t talked about ‘Kacchan’ much but from what she did know, he hated him. 

She wondered just how far the bullying had gone, she knew she was his first friend in a long time, had this boy's bullying shunned him so much into isolation? Had it been just verbal or had he gotten physical with him? She already knew he had tried to attack him once, if he had done it so easily in front of other people what had he done in private? 

Now they would be fighting each other, Izuku still was getting hurt from his own quirk, and going up against someone who would want to hurt him… Fists clenched together, Katsumi followed the class into the surveillance room. 

“Now as we watch Team A and B I want you all to come up with strategies of your own.” All Might said as the class settled down. Katsumi had gone to the back, leaning against the wall with her arms crossed. Yaoyorozu had followed her, very obviously in thought about their own strategies. 

“If we are put as the villains I think-“

“Shh.”

“Pardon?”

“Sorry, can we just watch this one?” Whispering she stared at the cameras. Yaoyorozu looked at her with a frown before she realised, she was worried about her friend. 

“Sure, we can strategise afterwards.”

The aim of the fight was for the heroes to secure a fake bomb the villains were protecting. The villains had to stop them, either capturing them with tape or holding them back until the time ran out. 

The hero team began their infiltration by Uraraka using her quirk to float them up to a window. It was a cool quirk, at least Katsumi would have thought that if she didn’t have a grudge against the round-faced girl. As the pair sneaked through the corridors of the building one half of the villain team left the bomb room, and he looked angry. 

Katsumi could barely hear the chatter of her classmates as she watched the two teams slowly get closer, at least she thought they were, she couldn’t quite work out how the cameras connected. Her throat was slowly tightening and her heart felt heavy, why was she so nervous? 

“A sneak attack!” 

Bakugou jumped from behind a corner, swung his arm and shot out an explosion towards the pair. They fell back immediately, Katsumi stepped forward from the wall, the camera’s view was disturbed with smoke, but she could still see Izuku, half of his mask blown off. She felt her chest tie together like a knot.

“Thats low Bakugou!” A boy with spiky red hair exclaimed. “Sneak attacks are so unmanly!”

“Yet they are a viable strategy.” All Might reminded them.

“That Midoriya sure can dodge!” Ashido grinned, obviously pumped.

Bakugou swung his arm towards Izuku, who grabbed his arm, throwing him to the floor. Katsumi wetted her lips.

There was no audio alongside the cameras, but it was clear the two were arguing, shouting at each other. On the other camera Iida was talking to Bakugou over their receivers, Katsumi was too focused on the cameras following Izuku to care. 

Bakugou lunged forward, propelled by a bright explosion, Uraraka began to run as Izuku faced his old friend. Katsumi gritted her teeth as he just about dodged his violent attack.

“Run away,” she said under her breath. There was no way he could go against him right now. Izuku seemed to be able to read his attack well but that just wasn’t enough. She felt the knot in her chest loosen a little when she saw the flash of green disappear around the corner. But the crackles of explosions the seething blonde boy let off as he shouted after him had her anxiety flooding right back. 

Katsumi ignored the voices of her classmates around her and watched closely at the cameras, eyes darting from the screens displaying the figures of Izuku and the ones of Bakugou, trying to work out how close they were. The latter boy's gritted teeth and blazing eyes were clear for everyone to see as he prowled the corridors. Her attention was only diverted for a moment to take notice of the fact that Uraraka had managed to get into the bomb room- only to blow her cover through laughing. Stupid. 

“Uh oh, Bakugou found him!”

Her sharp gaze snapped back to the last screen she had seen Izuku at, crouched down he turned to look behind him, a menacing shadow stretching across the floor towards him.

“Just run!” Katsumi said softly. 

Bakugou was saying something to him, an unnerving grin on his face. He held out his right arm, pointing it directly at Izuku. Something was wrong, he looked crazed as he slowly pulled the pin out of the gauntlet. 

“Bakugou,” All Might spoke into the mic with what Katsumi thought was nowhere near enough urgency, “Stop it now kid. Are you trying to kill-”

Boom.

The explosion was so loud they could hear the sound. Katsumi’s mouth went dry- the cameras flashing bright with yellow light.

“Midoriya!” All MIght gasped alongside the students. Katsumi’s face went dark as she saw the small figure of Izuku on the floor, dirty, bruised and eyes wide.

“That’s too far!” Pushing past her classmates Katsumi shouted, “D- you gotta stop it!”

Her Dad’s back straightened a little but he didn’t turn to face the angry girl, “No…” he took the microphone and spoke into it, “Bakugou if you use that move again I’ll have to forcibly remove you from the match You will lose. Using massive attacks like that indoors is just asking to have your own stronghold destroyed! It’s a bad move, a good way to lose points.” Katsumi was right, he knew that. As a teacher he really should stop the match, but for young Midoriya…

“They hell sort of teacher are you?” Katsumi yelled, getting close to her Dad, “This isn’t for the sake of the lesson he’s trying to hurt him!”

“It’s fine, he’ll be okay,” He said, eyes glued to the screen. 

“Seriously? What’s wrong with you?” Katsumi gritted her teeth, “Are you stupid or what Da- All Might!?” 

“Don’t insult All Might!” An annoying boy's voice called out from below, “Have some respect!”

Katsumi almost growled, “Oh shut up-” she stopped when she processed where the voice had come from. Looking down her fiery expression rearranged into one of pure annoyance. The boy the voice had come from was an extremely short boy with purple balls on his head and a metal diaper-like costume. “What the fuck are you supposed to be!?” She snapped.

“Katsumi please don’t swear during class! Especially not at your classmates.” 

“Whatever!” Katsumi barked, attention diverted once again to the screens as Bakugou slammed an explosion into Izuku’s back. “Dammint!” 

Growling in exasperation she turned her head, feeling a hand on her shoulder, “It’s okay,” Yaoyorozu said seriously, “Calm down.” Katsumi knocked her hand off. 

“He changed his trajectory while in midair using a blast that doubled as a smoke screen… very cleverly.” A cool voice commented.

Katsumi spun around to glare at Todoroki.

“He doesn’t seem like a thinker, but that strategy was fairly intricate,” Yaoyorozu noted.

“Damn, this guy’s good.” Purple Balls agreed.

What the hell? We’re they really complimenting him when he was so obviously using the lesson as an excuse to beat the shit out of Izuku? Katsumi had the sudden urge to rip all their throats out. 

“Are we just going to ignore that All Might just called Katsumi by her first name?” Tsu asked out of nowhere.

Katsumi blinked as she looked at the froggy girl, glancing over to her Dad who had frozen in place. The entire class turned to Tsu, then All Might, then Katsumi. 

“Whoops! Let’s focus on the battle for now!” All Might laughed awkwardly, sweatdrops clearly displayed on his neck as he turned to the screens only to be met with the sight of the two boys running towards each other.

“Wait she’s right you di-”

“Dad this is bad!” Kasumi gave up on the secret, ignoring the wide eyes of her classmates. She felt her eyes actually start prickling with tears as she pleaded with him, “Dad!”

“Both of you!” He gritted his teeth as he gripped the microphone tightly in his hand, “Stop-” 

He was interrupted by another ground-shaking sound as Izuku threw his arm upward, letting out a powerful burst of energy. On the other screen, the bomb room blew apart, the force of Izuku's attack destroying the floor. Using her quirk Uraraka picked up a large pillar, using it to hit pieces of debris toward the off-balanced Iida. She jumped forward to the bomb.

“The Hero team… wins!”

Chapter Text

“Sooo, All Might’s your Dad?” 

To describe Katsumi as merely angry would be a complete understatement. She was furious, worried, frustrated- every negative emotion you could think of had been churning inside her as she’d been forced to watch Bakugou knock the living daylights out of Izuku.  

The second the battle ended, she tried to rush out of the room. She was barely thinking, her mind too crowded with the image of the bruised, passed-out Izuku with an arm so broken it was purple. Her muddled thoughts were interrupted, however, as her father was forced to physically bar her from the door after she had ignored his multiple calls to come back. 

Now, she stood seething in the corner of the room, fists clenched, arms crossed and teeth gritted together. Her classmates cast curious glances her way as her father finally left to gather the other students. A little crowd of the bolder and less restrained students had edged their way towards her.

“I don’t think it was that surprising. There is a resemblance, not to mention Katsumi’s costume is an All Might reference,” Yaoyorozu hummed, turning to her right slightly to look at Katsumi, “I am almost disappointed in myself for not realising before she told me.”

“Huh?!” Ashido gasped, black eyes opening wide, “You knew?”

“We were talking about it at lunch.” She shrugged. Despite her indifferent tone, Katsumi could just tell that she was enjoying the fact she was the first to know (not including that moron Izuku).

“Oh, who cares? He’s not even that interesting.” 

Thinking of Izuku- he was probably being carted off to the nurse's office right now, she would have to go see him after the lesson. Maybe she could even sneak away there once she had got her battle out of the way? Nah, her dad wasn’t that dumb.

“He’s the number one hero!” Argued the boy with the red spiky hair (Katsumi was pretty sure his name was Kirishina or something).

“Isn’t it awesome being his kid?” A guy with a naturally smug expression and strange elbows commented- Sero, “Have you gone to his agency?”

“No.”

"Katsumi, if you’re worried about Midoriya, you shouldn’t be," Tsu said, appearing out of nowhere. "Recovery Girl will fix him up in no time."

If her frustration was so obvious that even this random girl felt the need to reassure her, then why were the rest still bothering her? The comment didn’t ease Katsumi’s tension; it only made her angrier. It wasn’t about whether Izuku’s injuries would be healed- she knew Recovery Girl could handle that. It was about watching him suffer, being unable to do anything. If only she’d been paired with him instead of that useless Uraraka. 

“Great then I can beat his ass for not running away,” Katsumi muttered.

Tsu cocked her head, “You sound like you know him well.”

Katsumi clicked her tongue. Could she just be left alone already? “Yup, " she replied with as little curtness as she could muster. 

“Oh, so that’s why you were so upset!” laughed the yellow-haired boy—Kaminari, Katsumi vaguely recalled Yaoyorozu mentioning his name. “Bakugou must really hate him to go that hard! Man, I hope I never have to fight him!”

She inhaled slowly, as she stared blankly at the boys, “Okay.”

“Whoa, does Midoriya know about your dad?” Sero asked, stepping closer with a curious grin. “That’s a huge secret to keep!”

Katsumi's fists clenched tighter, her patience wearing thin- god could the next fight start already! Her classmate's enthusiasm only made her feel more cornered, this whole situation had turned into some sort of gossip session.

“Yeah.”

“He does know or that it’s a big secret?” Kirishima probed, face full with the same eager enthusiasm.

Yaoyorozu cleared her throat, drawing the group's attention away from Katsumi, “I understand this is quite an interesting topic, but I’m sure we will have plenty of time to discuss it later. It would be best for you all to focus on your battle strategies, you never know what you might be up next.”

“Ughh!” Kirishima groaned, clenching a fist, “You’re right!”

“Oh yeah, you two probably want to discuss that!” Ashido clapped her hands together, “We can catch up later Katsumi!” 

The corners of Katsumi’s lips twitched upwards, she looked up from the floor to Yaoyorozu, who turned to give her a small smile. What an angel. 

“Thanks” she mouthed at her. 

“Well despite the results, the MVP of this exercise is young Iida!” 

The three surviving students lined up against the wall, facing the rest of the class. Iida’s eyes went wide as All Might's words sunk in.

“Huh?!”

“Shouldn't it be one of the heroes instead since they’re the winners?” Tsu questioned, Katsumi was noticing a trend with this girl, she was very blunt. 

“Mm valid question!” All Might boomed, obviously happy someone had asked. “Why didn’t I choose one of the villains? Who has a guess?”

Immediately Yaoyorozu’s hand shot up, “Sir I can tell you why. Iida embraced this challenge, he was the only one who truly adapted to his assigned role- I’ll explain.”

Katsumi resisted the urge to groan. It was the least she could do after she saved her earlier. 

“Bakugous judgement was clouded by a personal grudge against Midoriya. As pointed out earlier, using a large-scale attack indoors was foolish, it could have been disastrous.” Bakugou was already glaring at the floor, still, the girl's frank words only served to make his fists clench tighter together. Good, he should feel like shit. 

“Similarly, Midoriya's plan was poorly thought out considering the amount of damage he received. He rendered himself helpless, not smart.”

“You could say that…” Katsumi mumbled. She hoped Izuku being reckless wouldn’t be something commonplace, but he did rush into a villain attack while quirkless, so…

“-As for Uraraka, she let her guard down mid-battle and her final attack was far too reckless considering the hypothetical stakes. If she treated the fake weapon as though it was real, she never would have risked using an imprecise move.” Uraraka looked down, cheeks flushing.

“Iida was fully prepared for his opponent's arrival, he never lost sight of his mission to protect the dummy weapon, even if he was foiled in the end. Technically the hero team won yes, but they took advantage of the fact this was training, they didn’t respect the spirit of the trial.” Iida’s pleasure with Yaoyorozu’s words was evident from his face, he was almost glowing in the praise.

“Damn.” Was all Katsumi could muster, muttering it under her breath as she looked at the serious girl beside her.

“Yes well you overlooked a few things,” All Might sounded almost bruised from the girl's precise words. “Young Iida could have relaxed a little during the exercise. But, otherwise, you nailed it!”

“She’s doing your job better than you,” Katsumi smirked at him.

All Might coughed into his hand, “Right, shall we move on to the next battle?”

It took everything in her not to say something to Bakugou, who stood off to the side, silently staring at the screens with an expression of something between disbelief and horror. She wanted to go over to him so badly, to say something- anything- but the weight of her father’s watchful gaze held her back. Whatever words she had for Bakugou could wait, the more time she had to brew them in her head the sharper and more cutting they would be anyway. But even without Katsumi's interference, judging by the look on his face, his defeat at the hands of ‘Deku’ was already tearing him apart.

“Hey, guys!” Kirishima barreled past Katsumi towards Uraraka and Iida, “You guys were awesome! That ending move was epic Uraraka!”

“I wasn’t sure you guys were gonna win,” Sero admitted, following behind the over-excited puppy that was Kirishima.

“We only won because of Deku,” Urakaka said, a little ashamedly, “and Yaoyorozu was right, it wouldn’t have worked if it was a real bomb.”

“Hey, it’s only the first heroic lesson!” Kirishima laughed, “You just gotta learn from your mistakes.” 

“I agree. In the future, I won’t let my teammates go out on their own,” Iida declared, glancing at Bakgou, his voice laced with that familiar air of superiority Katsumi despised. 

“Oh yeah, that was crazy, you should have seen Yagi, she was literally shouting at All Might to stop the match!” Kirishima looked round to Katsumi, who stood, hands on hips only a couple of feet away. Iida shook his head, audibly sighing in disappointment. 

“Yagi, you have to respect teachers! You made that rude comment to him during the after-battle brief, too! This seems to be becoming an issue!” Iida scolded, Katsumi just looked at him, unimpressed. Why did he think he had any authority over her? She had no clue.

Sero’s grin widened, a mischievous glint in his eyes. “Oh, you guys don’t know, do you?”

Uraraka tilted her head curiously. “Know what?”

Sero turned to Katsumi, practically bouncing with excitement. “Yagi, can I tell them?”

She sighed. “I don’t care.”

“Hell yeah!” He spun back to the group, beaming. “Yagi here is All Might’s kid!”

There was a collective gasp, jaws dropping in unison. Katsumi just rolled her eyes and turned back to Yaoyorozu. Out of the corner of her eye though, she did catch a glimpse of the sulking blonde stealing a quick glance at her.

Katsumi paid little attention to the next fight. It was scar-boy Todoroki and a tall boy with mutated arms versus tail-boy and Hagakure. She knew Todoroki's team would win, and they did- very quickly- as Todoroki frosted up the entire building and took the fake nuke. The only thing she took notice of was the fact he melted the ice, it seemed he did have some sort of firepower too, talk about OP. Bakugou seemed to sense the boy’s power too, his jaw clenching even tighter. 

When they came back Katsumi noticed Todoroki’s very obvious glare of disdain towards her. She just couldn’t take it seriously though, not with that horrific outfit that covered half his body in ice.

“Next we have team J playing the heroes and team C as the villains!”

Katsumi turned to her teammate. “We’re team C right?” Yaoyorozu nodded. 

The hero team was comprised of Kirishima and Sero, who both wished them good luck with wide smiles. Katsumi and Yaoyorozu politely returned the well-wishes before they were sent off to the bomb room.

All Might wished them all good luck too, Katsumi just scowled at him. One last display of her displeasure with him before she let it go to focus on the match. She was letting it go just for the match though. 

“The other team have long-range attacks with Sero’s tape, as well as defence with Kirishima's hardening ability,” Yaoyorozu thought aloud as Katsumi crouched down, one leg out as she reached over to touch her foot, stretching out her back.

“Perfect,” Katsumi said, standing up and flicking an arm out, with a sharp ring the forearm reconstructed itself into a long metal knife. The lessons her dad had got her were definitely worth it- the steel protruding from her skin was much stronger and sharper than anything she had produced before. “With these, I can cut away at any tape and break down Spiky’s hardening.”

“Right,” Yaoyorozu nodded. Looking at Katsumi’s arm brought back images of pirates in books and movies to her mind, how they’d replace lost limbs with knives and swords. The metal looked sharp, and Katsumi swung it around with precision. “I was going to say you should be on the offensive.”

Turning to face her Katsumi raised her eyebrows, “I’m going to guess you have a plan?”

Yayorozu smiled, “I do, though I hope you weren’t lying about your combat skills.”

The grey walls felt almost suffocating as the two boys snuck through the passageway. They tried to be as light on their feet as possible, so as not to disturb the still silence. 

“Yo,”  Sero’s hushed voice broke out as he leaned close to his teammate, glancing around apprehensively, “you sure we’re going the right way?”

“Yeah I'm sure,” Kirishma replied, his voice not as hushed, “I'm just surprised we haven’t seen either of them yet.”

“Thats what I mean! If we’re as close as we should shouldn’t we have ACK-“

The sound of Sero’s cry accompanied by the uncomfortable crack of his back broke out against the silence as he flew forward. Kirishima turned to see Katsumi flying past in a two-footed tackle as she bared down on his teammate. Sero laded on the floor with a thud- Kirshima crying out his name as Katsumi flipped off his back, landing crouched a couple of feet away. She whipped around to face the shocked Kirishima.

“Sero get up quick!” The redhead shouted, holding his arms out defensively as they hardened.

“Cool trick,” Katsumi’s heart beat quickly, hot blood pumping through her body as it prepared for battle. She grinned as she whipped her arm up, the bottom half turning sharp and shiny. 

“Sero!” 

Sero had sat up, crouched and wincing, to shoot out a piece of tape from his arms. It darted straight for Katsumi, who quickly sliced it away with her arm. She grinned widely, the feeling of fiery adrenaline flowing in her veins.

Sero shot out another of his tapes, forcing himself to stand up. But Katsumi dived forward, grabbed it with her untransformed hand and tugged it to her. Attached to the end Sero grunted as he was yanked forwards. At the same moment, Katsumi went to kick Kirishma, but he barreled towards her, forcing her to dodge. She dived into the side- Kirishima passing her- taking the tape with her. Spinning around she stuck the tape onto Sero, tying Kirishma to him.

“Ugh!”

Sero attempted to pull the tape away from his back, already unbalanced a swinging kick at his legs from Katsumi almost toppled him over. Kirishima supported him, half ripping out of the tape to whip around. He had managed to get an arm free and swing at the girl.

The sharp clang of a metal rod coming hard against his shins surprised them all. Both boys finally folded over, stuck awkwardly together still connected by Seros tape. Katsumi blinked in surprise at Yaoyorozu, who quickly dropped the long rod in her hands, pulling a long piece of the capture tape out and wrapping it around them.

“Villain team wins!”

“Damnit!” Sero groaned, face squished into the hard concrete floor.

“Wait seriously? Already?” Katsumi stood up straight, her expression falling as the hot excitement that had been boiling up in her suddenly dropped down into a sad puddle, “That was only like- half the plan.”

Yaoyorozu breathed out, “You gave me a perfect opening- was that not on purpose?”

“Uhh-”

“I can't believe we got defeated so easily!” Kirishima laughed, though disappointment peeked through his words.

“That kick really hurt!”

“Yeah sorry,” Katsumi chuckled, obviously not sorry, “I lined my soles with metal.” She explained, bending down to cut the tape off as she did so.

Yayorozu moved towards the trapped boys, helping Katsumi pull the tape off them, “I’m surprised you didn’t harden your legs Kirishima. If you had I wouldn't have been able to knock you over.”

“I was focused on Yagi!” He argued as he wiggled the tape off him. “Well, I gotta admit, you guys are good.”

“Well that was quick, almost as quick as the last one,” All Might coughed, “um the MVP of this match is…” he glanced around the line of students. “Hmm, though I think both members of the villain team performed well- the planning and quick thinking displayed by Yaoyorozu to capture the heroes as quickly as possible ultimately showed great initiative and ensured that the plan was completed in the most efficient way possible!”

This old man was really peeving Katsumi off. Not just for his shoddy attempt to replicate Yaoyorozu’s well-thought-out and precise analysis of the first battle but his obvious bias. Most parents would use any excuse to award their child an award but her father almost looked embarrassed too. 

Was she not the one who basically took down two people at once? Yes, Yaoyorozu helped but damn, and it wasn’t even like she planned that much. The plan consisted of Katsumi running them into Yaoyorozu who would capture them with a net. 

Whatever, it wasn’t like she cared about her grades, there were more pressing matters anyway. 

“All Might,” Katsumi waved her hand in the air impatiently, “Could I please go to the nurse's office?”

“Are you injured?” He said in that annoying drawn out deep mascot-like voice he only ever used in his hero form.

“Uh yeah, I’m really hurt.”

He raised an eyebrow, “You don’t look it.”

Ktsumi stared blankly, “My heart’s broken in two from my father snubbing me-” Before he could respond she lowered her hand, resting on her hip, “I’m joking-” Not really, “but can I still go?”

“No, you cannot leave lessons without a reason.” he sighed, he would have to have a talk with her about treating him as a teacher during lessons later. 

“And I did not snub you,” he added, a little defensively. 

Katsumi continued to argue but he was not having it. She relented reasonably easily, it wasn’t worth it, and went back to the back of the class, sitting on the floor as the rest of the battles continued. 

“I’m quite surprised I was given MVP,” having made her way to the back of the room, Yaoyorozu leaned against the wall, looking down at the sitting girl.

“Don’t-” Katsumi rolled her eyes, “You deserve it, and don’t act like you're not happy to get it.”

“Honestly, I cannot be too happy,” Yaoyorozu sighed, crossing her arms, “after all the teacher was biased. It would have been weird for him to give his own daughter MVP, even if she deserved it. Frankly, if I was in his position, your quick thinking and precision in combat would have compelled me to award you the MVP status.”

She looked up at the black-haired girl, lips parting into a smile, “You didn’t have to say that, I’m not upset, just annoyed he won't let me see Izuku.”

“Well,” Yaoyorozu shrugged slightly, a small smile on her lips, “as an aspiring hero, I have to do what I think is right.”

Katsumi had almost forgotten about that. They were all there to be heroes. It’s strange how even with having something so plainly in front of you, one can still manage to ignore it if it interferes with their peace of mind.

“Mhm, heroes.” Katsumi had a long road ahead of her till she would be comfortable calling herself that, and it seemed the world was leading off the path anyway. 

She was not able to see Izuku, All Might told her firmly that she should wait until the end of the day. They had finished the class early, still having a good twenty minutes or so till they could leave. 

Earlier Katsumi had thought the class was too chatty, annoyed by their probing about her relationship with her dad. Now after they had changed back into their uniforms and she had cheered up, she was actually quite enjoying their presence. Killing time till the end of the day All Might had left, allowing them to talk. She had formed a group of six, her, Sero, Kirishima, Kaminari, Hagakure, and Ashido, all gathered around the latter's desk at the front chatting about the class. Yaoyorozu had opted to stay at the back of the class, not interested in the group's conversation. That made Katsumi feel a little special- she was more than happy to talk to her.

“I feel bad about Midoriya but I gotta be honest your reaction was hella funny Katsumi!” Sero snickered, Kaminari joining in. She had given the boys the same first name talk as the girls, she was hoping it would catch on without her having to ask every member of the class.

“Yeah, you were all like- You gotta stop the match! Please Dad pleasee!” Kaminari whined in an exaggerated high-pitched voice, hands clasped together, swaying from side to side.

“You’re hilarious,” Katsumi deadpanned, “Have you considered a career entertaining kids birthday parties?”

“Huh?”

“She’s calling you a clown dude,” Sero said.

“Oh really!” He said in mock awe.

“I wanna know though-” Hagakure butted in, leaning over the desk, “are you friends from school or what? You and Midoriya that is.” 

Ashido shook her head, looking up at the visibly challenged girl, “Don't you remember she’s been living in America Hagakure, she couldn’t have gone to school with him!”

“Oh yeah! Whoopsie daisy.”

Kirishima turned to Katsumi who was standing next to him, “I woulda thought you gotta know him well to get that upset though. You gotta have known him for a while right?” 

“I’m surprised you ain’t said anything to Bakugou yet,” Kaminari chimed in.

Synchronised surprisingly well for how little time they had all known each other, they all turned to look at the scowling blonde. He turned to glare at them.

“What.” He barked.

“Nothing!” Kaminari held his hands up, a smile on his face before glancing over to Katsumi, “Unless Katsumi wasn't to say something?” He smirked.

She waved her hand, “Nah, I’m good.”

“Good,” Bakugou stood up, grabbing his bag, “I don’t wanna hear shit from that nerd's girlfriend.”

Katsumi blinked.

“Girlfriend?!” Ashido and Hagakure gasped and spun around to Katsumi, whose eyes widened as she shook her hands in front of her quickly, “That’s not- ugh!” She almost tripped past Kirishima as she rushed to follow Bakugou as he walked to the door.

“No wonder you got so worried!”

Katsumi turned back to glare at them before turning sharply to Bakugou. “The hell you say that for?” She demanded.

“It is you right?” He huffed, barely looking back, “Some extras were talking ‘bout Deku on a date with some blonde girl a while ago.”

“Huh?!” Katsumi’s jaw dropped, seriously? She tried to think when the hell that would have happened, only to realise there were so many times they had basically gone on dates that it would be hopeless to try. Bakugou kept walking, slamming the door behind him without a second thought to the position he had just put her in. She slowly turned to find not only the group of people she had been talking to staring at her but the entire class. She spotted Yaoyorozu at the back of the class raising an eyebrow. Kill her now.

“Lemme clear this up,” she looked to the group of classmates at the front of the class but spoke loud enough for the whole class to hear, “That is NOT true!”

“Omg you were on a date?” Hagakure giggled.

Kaminari smirked, leaning onto the desk behind him, “Now it makes sense why you were so worked up about him getting hurt.” 

Katsumi felt her face flare up, “Seriously c’mon! Someone just jumped to conclusions-”

“Ah, Yagi! Allow me to assist you!” Iida’s voice jump scared her, her body jolting as he stepped up next to her, “I will not allow such a rumour to be started- especially seeing as I know of its falsehood as I have already inquired about it to Midoriya.”

“What the hell?” Her voice almost came out as a shriek, “Why the hell were you talking about that?!” Katsumi’s face was burning hot at that point as she felt the eyes of her classmates bore into her. She felt very exposed at that moment.  

“Oh,” he coughed, realising he probably should not have mentioned that, “I was just curious seeing how you two were interacting earlier.”

“What does that mean?” Sero grinned.

“No! No! No! Stop!” Katsumi covered her face with her hands in a failing attempt to escape the situation. 

Iida turned to face the class, “I think that’s quite enough. Please, everyone, go back to their own conversations now.”

“It’s kinda hard now dude,” Jiro said, she was sitting with a boy with a bird head- Tokoyami- who nodded. 

“Our attention has been diverted.”

“Oh, who cares?” Katsumi whined. God she wished she could sink into the floor- or just spontaneously combust, taking her classmates down with her in the explosion.

“I must admit, the way you were acting during battle training kinda made it seem like you were harbouring strong feelings for Midoriya, Madamousie,” A sparkly boy with blonde hair commented.

“Okay, not like it's anyone's business,” Katsumi stood strongly at the front of the room, near the door, facing the class, “but let me be very clear- I don’t like and am not dating Izuku!” 

Luck really wasn’t on Katsumis's side that day- but then had it ever really? No, but especially at that moment because as soon as those words left her mouth the door creaked open to reveal a very confused Izuku. 

He stared at Katsumi, then at Iida beside her for a long moment. They both wore shocked expressions, thought after a second Katsumi just shoved her head in her hands. 

“...What’s going on?”

“Great timing Midoriya!” Kaminari called out, “How ya feel about that?” he asked as he walked towards the door.

“No, we are no longer discussing this,” Iida snapped back to hold his hand out to block him, “It is not any of our business!”

“Hey, Midoriya that was a wild battle right?” As Iida was distracted with Kaminari, Kirishima- alongside a decent chunk of the class- appeared beside Katsumi, all circling around Izuku. Katsumi found herself being pushed to the wall. 

“Nice dodging dude!”

“We were all super pumped after that crazy round! That and finding out ‘bout having All Might’s kid in our class- that was crazy.” Grinned Sato, a large boy with big lips and a round nose.

“Wait- what?” Izuku’s already wide eyes looked over to Katsumi, squished even further against the wall as the number of students increased.

“Yeah-” she strained as she squeezed forward. “He called me Katsumi in front of the class so…” Although she normally would be annoyed at being pushed, she was grateful enough for the change in conversation topic that she let it slide.

Uraraka came towards, seemingly able to get past the crowd easily, “Deku! Your arm!” Katsumi looked down to see his right arm was in a sling- how didn’t she see that? “Did you get healed?”

Oh, the nerve of this girl! She couldn’t stop her eyes from rolling as the short brunette came up to Izuku, arms crossed in worry. Maybe she should have said she was dating him- then she might back off. Too bad that was not going to happen, anytime in the near future anyway. There was no way she could confess in her current situation. 

She clenched her teeth together, she had almost forgotten about it. The anxiety she had been feeling earlier had subsided and now she just felt angry, she hated that man.

Midoriya looked around, “Ah not quite. Wait-“ he asked, snapping Katsumi out of her thought, “Where's Kacchan?” 

“The asshole left,” Katsumi scoffed, eager to focus on something else, “Are you feeling- wait a second!” She cried out as Midoriya immediately spun out of the room, running down the corridor.

“The hell! You’re so annoying!” Katsumi leaned out of the door as she yelled after him. Groaning she went to go follow him.

“Katsumi!” Yaoyorozu stood up, calling from the back of the class, she turned her head and stood up on her tiptoes to look at the girl over the crowd. Yaoyorozu pointed to Katsumi’s chair, “Don't forget your bag!”

“Ugh!”

“I got my quirk from someone else.”

She had to quickly duck behind a pillar to avoid Bakugou seeing her as he turned her head around. Having shoved through the crowd to get her bag and sprinted down the corridors as quickly as possible she had only gotten out the door a couple of moments before Izuku. Though seemed in just those couple moments he had been able to say something very stupid.

“I can’t say from who!” He added, a small apology in his voice, “But… gosh I know it sounds crazy, like something out of a comic book- only it is real! The thing is, I don't really have any control over this power yet. I haven’t figured out how to make it my own but I'm trying,” He spoke with what Katsumi could hear was a growing conviction.

“Thats why I didn't want to use it against you in the exercise. But in the end, it was the only way to have a chance of winning. I know I still have a lot to learn thats why I'm here!” He admitted, his voice rising as he became more and more confident in his words. “You'll see, I'll work until I have full control of this borrowed Quirk. And I'll finally beat you with my own power.” 

“Oh crap,” He gasped, “what am I saying?”

“Yeah, what the hell are you saying?” The eavesdropping girl muttered under her breath. Fingers clenched tighter at the pillar, the roughness of the cold stone rubbing at her skin- Why on earth was he telling him this?

“How dumb do you think I am?” Bakugou’s seething voice knocked her out of her thoughts, “Borrowed power? Don't talk to me like I’m an idiot!” His voice got louder, and Katsumi had to resist the urge to peek at them. “You already made a fool outta me in that damn training exercise. So?” He shouted, voice hoarse with indignation. 

“Did you come here to rub it in? I lost!” He yelled, “And to make matters worse, it was to you.” His voice was just dripping with disgust. At Izuku? Himself?

“I came in first in the exam, but that's not enough. When I was watching that ice guy- I realised I couldn't beat him in a head‐to‐head fight. Same with your stupid fucking girlfriend dammit! All Might’s kid? What a joke! And you know her? I’m sure thats great for you- getting to talk to All Might cuz you're buddy buddy with his kid!”

“We’re not-”

“Could I even beat her? Probably not know? Crap! I even agreed with what that girl said. My attack was so stupid! Damn it! Damn it, damn it, damn it!” His shouts only got louder, his words laced with anger-masked horror.

“Enjoy that win, Deku. You won't get another! I'm just getting started! Got that?! I'm gonna end up the number‐one hero,” He growled, “no matter what!”

From Katsumi’s hiding space, she couldn’t see the tears forming in Bakugou’s eyes. Still, something about the way he spoke, the desperate anger, hatred, affirmations, it was all familiar. He was in pain.

“You'll never beat me again, you bastard,” he growled, Katsumi could hear the sounds of his footsteps on the concrete as he walked away, “Don't even try.”

… Was it safe to come out? She peeked over the side of the pillar. Bakugou was still walking away, with Izuku standing haplessly behind him. Stepping out she began to walk towards him when a lighting quick object flew past her, forcing her to jump back. 

“Young Bakugou!” All might called out, placing a firm hand on the boy's shoulder.

“Just so you know, pride is important.” Despite being pretty far away Katsumi could tell from Bakugou's stiff shoulders that did not want to hear anything from All Might. “You definitely have the abilities needed to become a pro, though you still have a lot of-”

“Let go of me All Might. Right now. Save your speeches. I'll be more famous than you and I'll do it without your help.” His words were heavy with conviction, All Might stepped back.

“Uh- ah, right.”

Bakugou continued, walking out of the gate and away. Midoriya watched him, he had a feeling this would be a problem. 

“Well, that was dumb of you.”

“Ack!” He jolted as Katsumi appeared beside him, “Wait were you listening?”

“Did you not hear me chasing after you?” She huffed, placing a hand on her hip. She gave a sharp look to her Dad who smiled awkwardly before he walked away, leaving the two alone.

“Ah no, umm…” Izuku pursed his lips as he looked away. His skin glowed in the afternoon sun, the golden light reflecting in his emerald eyes. His green hair was slightly messier than usual- Katsumi had the urge to smooth it down. 

“Look I’m sorry-“

“It’s fine,” Katsumi swallowed, turning away as she collected herself from her dreamy thoughts. “I know you’re sorry.” She breathed out deeply, “I’ve discovered how dumb you are today, it’s not shocking you’d say something silly like that anymore.” The laugh she forced out sounded pretty natural, Izuku turning back to her, a helpless smile on his lips. 

She suddenly raised her eyebrows, looking at him seriously, “If you wanna apologise about something, apologise for getting beat up.”

Izuku winced, “I mean, I should be healed by tomorrow it’s just-”

“I hated that,” Katsumi’s words came out quiet, still she spoke seriously, stroking the shoulder of his injured arm with her fingers carefully, “seeing him so obviously trying to hurt you for the sake of it...” Looking at the sling her mind flashed back to the heavy hits he had endured. All for the sake of being a hero. “Dad should have stopped the match.”

“Yeah well, I’m glad he didn’t.” Izuku admitted, “Beating Kacchan, it’s something that I thought I would never do. But now, I have.” He looked at her directly. Her bright blue eyes stared into him as worry lightly washed her face, he placed his healthy hand gently on her arm, and she pursed her lips, her eyebrows creasing together. He couldn’t begin to imagine what she was feeling, every time he thought he had begun to understand her he was proven wrong. As she looked at him, he had the feeling she was feeling the same way about him.

“I have to get stronger, just like him.” He moved his hand to her shoulder, staring at her with all his resolve. “If I want to stand beside you and everyone else I have to improve, beating Kacchan is just one step towards that.”

Katsumi stared at him, lips parted slightly. 

Izuku dropped his hand down as he sighed, “I just feel bad that he thinks I’ve been tricking him about my quirk all these years!” 

“I don’t get you,” Katsumi's eyes fell, staring down at the floor. Her shadow stood dark, the outline of her body disrupting the beautiful yellow glow of the sun and casting Izuku's feet in darkness. “He bullied you right? Why feel bad?”

“I look up to him y’know?” Izuku laughed awkwardly, his expression made her heartache, the small nervous smile as he said something stupidly kind. “He kinda reminds me of you-”

Katsumi’s jaw dropped, “Seriously?” All the wistful aches disappeared as she felt offence rise up inside her. “I remind you of your childhood bully?”

“No no! Not like that.” Izuku laughed, “Your strength, you two have a certain drive that- I don’t know…” He scratched his head as he smiled, looking to the trees in the distance, “I wanna be like you guys, strong and victorious y’know? Driven, maybe that’s the word?”

How silly, she wetted her lips as she took in his words, “It’s funny, because I feel similarly about you.”

Izuku’s mouth hung open as he turned back to her, “Why?”

“Izuku, you’re pretty amazing.”

“I- well-” He stuttered.

“Seriously. I’d rather be like like you than like me any day.”

Chapter Text

After her talk with Izuku, Katsumi expected to go home. She waved him off and got her phone out to message her dad that she was ready to leave, all the excitement of the day had worn her out. All she wanted to do was lay on her bed and sleep. 

At that point, Katsumi just didn’t have it in her to argue, so when he replied that he was in fact not going to be taking her home quite yet as he had paperwork to do she just gritted her teeth and went to go wait for him.

The teacher's office was on a different floor from her classroom, and she had a little difficulty finding it with her father's shoddy directions. She ended up stopping an upperclassman to get some directions, a smiley girl with long periwinkle hair.

“The teacher's office?” the girl leaned towards her, her eyes wide, gleaming with curiosity. “Why are you heading there? You’re not in trouble, are you?”

“Nejire…” a gloomy voice came from the girl. It was a tall dark-haired boy, glancing at Katsumi nervously. She hadn’t even realised they were walking together.

“No I’m not in trouble-” she laughed as convincingly as she could. “I gotta wait for my Dad.”

“Dad?” The girl leaned closer to her. “Does your dad work here? Is he one of the teachers? How cool! Which one is it-”

“It’s down the hall to the left,” the boy mumbled, interrupting what would have been a never-ending stream of questions.

Katsumi smiled as wide as she could in her current irritated state, “Thank you!”

“Oh Katsumi, I’ll only be a couple of minutes or so-”

“Sure.” Katsumi slid into a chair at the edge of the room, pulling out her AirPods case. She popped one into her ear- she had lost the other one a while back in an alleyway and still hadn’t gotten around to replacing it. How annoying, she thought. If it had happened before her birthday, she could have asked for a new set of headphones. Then again, she was glad it didn’t. That was the last good day she’d had before her little ‘definitely not huge problem’ arose.

“Don’t make a habit of this, Yagi.” Katsumi’s attention snapped to the familiar, deep voice of her homeroom teacher, Aizawa-sensei. But he wasn’t talking to her; his sharp gaze was fixed on her father, god she really didn’t like the way the Japanese used last names. “She shouldn’t be in here.”

“Oh, loosen up, Aizawa!” A tall woman with jagged purple hair leaned back from her desk, grinning at the scowling man. “I’d love a chat with little All Might Junior over here.”

“Get on with your work, Kayama,” Aizawa grumbled, shaking his head. She laughed, giving Katsumi a little wave as she sat back at her desk.

Katsumi smiled at the woman, though her gaze drifted back to her homeroom teacher. She hadn’t really noticed him earlier that morning, too distracted with being late. But now, with a better look, she took in his dishevelled appearance: the way his long dark hair framed his face, the perpetually annoyed set of his brows, the sharpness of his jawline, and the hint of stubble he hadn’t bothered to shave off. In a strange way… maybe, no- yes- was he? …Yes, she decided yes as he reached over his desk to grab a folder with his rough, strong hands.

 She felt her lips curl up as she realised her homeroom teacher, the man she would have to spend the next few years staring at every morning, was super hot.

“Katsumi, what’s wrong?”

“Huh?” Katsumi jolted, snapping out of her thoughts. Her father was looking at her with a puzzled expression. She could feel the eyes of the other teachers on her, though Aizawa did not look up, entirely uninterested.

“You were giggling,” her father said, one eyebrow raised.

“Oh!” Katsumi’s cheeks burned. She hadn’t even noticed. “Yeah, sorry. It was, um... my podcast.” She laughed awkwardly as she pointed to her single AirPod. 

“Try to keep it down,” Aizawa said curtly before her dad could reply, not even glancing up.

“Yes, sir!” Katsumi squeaked, her face flaming even hotter. His eyes flicked up for a second, raising an eyebrow in mild curiosity, and she quickly ducked her head back to her phone.

With the same thud of a dead body being dropped into a ditch, Katsumi collapsed onto the sofa, a long drawn-out growl coming from her throat. She heard the cling of the car keys being placed into a bowl as her dad shut the front door.

“Was today really that bad?” Katsumi could feel the weight of his body sink to the end of the couch as he sat down.

“Yeah!” Her top half snapped around to look up at him, “Because of you.” She glared at her father. “Not only did you make me late but ‘cause you wouldn’t stop that stupid match Izuku ended up being knocked out!”

Toshinori went to respond, only for Katsumi to jump up onto her knees, hugging a pillow tightly.

“Worse of all,” she whined, shoving a bright red face into the pillow, “now the entire class thinks I like Izuku-”

He blinked, pressing his lips together tightly. Feeling a laugh tickle the back of his throat he coughed, “Really?”

“Yeah,” Katsumi moaned childishly as she rocked back and forth, “cause of the way I was acting while he was fighting and then stupid ‘Kacchan’ said we were dating and they all just ran with it!”

He managed to catch the laugh that threatened to escape as he watched his daughter flail around. “Well, are you dating?”

She stopped, instantly lifting her head up, mouth gaping open. “No!”

“Okay…” he scratched the back of his long skinny neck as he took in her cherry-red cheeks, “Do you like him?”

Katsumi’s eye twitched, “No. I do not.”

Toshinori shrugged, allowing a little chuckle to escape his lips. “Then don’t worry about it.”

“Ugh!” Katsumi threw herself back, bouncing against the cushion. “And I won’t forget how you snubbed me from MVP!” She sprung back up onto her knees, hitting him with the pillow. “Admit it I deserved that!”

“Well- yes-” he started.

“Ah-ha!” Grinning, she laid back down, stretching her arms back.

“But I couldn’t give it to you!” Toshinori argued. “Not right after your classmates found out about you being my daughter,” he palmed his temples, “That would just look rigged.”

“Mmmm sure.” She hummed.

Neither of them said anything for a moment. Katsumi stared up at the wooden ceiling as her father’s mind ticked.

“What did Midoriya say to young Bakugou?” 

“Oh,” Katsumi sat up onto her elbows to look at her father, “basically, Izuku told him he wasn’t tricking him about being quirkless ‘cause he borrowed his power from someone else.”

“What? Why-” Toshinori groaned, rubbing his brow. “I suppose it is fine seeing as he doesn't believe it… Why on earth would he-” He sighed, already knowing the answer. “They have history don't they?”

“Yup.” Katsumi hummed, crossing her legs. “Izuku started talking about making the quirk his own and stuff so he could beat him.” She looked into her father's sunken eyes, “Thats why you let the match go on isn't it?”

“Yeah,” He nodded, glad she understood. “I wanted to give Midoriya an opportunity.”

“...I guess.”

She could accept that, after all, that’s what Izuku wanted or whatever. But next time she just wanted to be there with him, to be able to fight beside him and protect him. 

He would be in danger very soon, she had managed to avoid putting that inevitable target on his back herself, but when certain people discovered just what quirk he had flowing through his veins? Her chest felt like it was collapsing in on itself, pressure building up inside her, blocking her airways and making it hard to breathe. In and out Katsumi.

He had no idea how much danger receiving All Might’s power would put him in. All Might was neglecting to prepare him for what One for All came with. That pissed her off.

Maybe that was unfair though. Her father probably didn’t even know.

‘A villain who hated your daddy injured him a long time ago so now he has two forms. But you don’t have to worry about that Sumi, he’s not here anymore, he won’t hurt me or you.’

She still didn’t know if he had told her that because he believed it or just to ease her worries. But if he did know, then he was the most incompetent and neglectful father and mentor to ever live. 

“Dad?” She sat up properly. No way, he had to just not know. She had to confirm it though.

“How does a quirk like One for All happen anyways?” Was that a good place to start?

His brow scrunched for a moment, the question was a bit random. “Stockpiling power over generations-”

“Yes but-” she interrupted, a little frustration slipping through, “how did that start?”

“Well,” he scratched his head, “There was one person who had a quirk ability to pass on quirks and they passed it on to another.”

“But how would they even know they could do that?” She had no clue how she should bring it up.

Her dad just shrugged. Screw it.

“It would be bad if a strong villain found out about it,” Katsumi turned, injecting her voice with as much casualness as she could, “All Might’s power is transferable? Anyone with half a lick of ambition would want that for themselves.” 

It’s not like that topic hadn’t come up before in their conversations, but she just needed to get the conversation there. 

Her dad paused before he looked at her very seriously. “You don’t have to worry about that, I still have plenty of strength in me. There was one man who was a big trouble but-”

“Who?” Katsumi interrupted quickly. There it was.

Her dad leaned over, resting his elbows on his thighs, “You know my stomach injury?”

“The reason you look like that most of the time?” She laughed, pointing at his skinny arms.

“Yes- Damn,” he looked at her, face painted surprised, “that felt mean.” 

Katsumi’s eyes promptly widened as she realised her impolitness. Isn’t that exactly what she got annoyed with Izuku for? “I didn’t mean it like-”

“Haha,” her dad grinned, “I know. Yes, that injury, well it came from a mighty foe, a man who for generations tried to steal One for All, many of my predecessors fell to him, but I avenged them.” His words were spoken with a lightness as if he was simply breezing over it. A light touch on a deep and vast subject. It was enough for Katsumi though. Besides she wouldn’t want to push it further, he was obviously trying to avoid talking about it too much. She understood not wanting to talk about dark things better left in the past. Well, she had to confirm it a little more.

Katsumi smiled, going along with his lighthearted tone, “Did you get him arrested or..?”

“I believe he is dead.”

“Oh, are you sure?”

Toshinori looked at her, “Don’t worry, he’s gone.”

So he did think he was dead. That was clear now. There was no reason to lie about it anymore, she wasn’t a little girl anymore. 

The little relief she felt quickly dispersed as her mind continued to spin. How crazy it was that she had been so worried about a comment about her clothes and that Izuku had another female friend earlier. She had bigger problems than that petty shit.

Katsumi nodded, feeling slightly sick. She shoved the feeling to the room in the back of her mind and shut the door tight. 

She could fix it herself.

Ding

“That Midoriya?” Toshinori asked.

Katsumi took out her phone, the picture she had taken on her birthday of her dad and Izuku peeping through the clear bits of her phone case. 

1 new message from ‘unknown number’: Hello, it’s Yaoyorozu

“Oh! Yaoyorozu!” A smile jumped onto Katsumi’s face.

“Ah, that’s the black-haired girl, right?” Toshinori leaned over to peek at her phone, “You were paired with her during the battle training?”

“Yeah we had lunch together- she’s cool, and our quirks work similarly as well.”

“From what I remember she’s the top recommended student.” Her dad remarked, a smile on his face. What a good student for Katsumi to make friends with. 

“Good influence then.” Katsumi chuckled, almost as if she had read his mind. She got up off the sofa, “Imma get changed outta this uniform now.”

“Um before you do-” Her dad sat up, “How’s Midoriya? I know you were talking after school but you weren’t together during the lesson. I would have thought you’d have been hanging out with him-”

“Oh uh, well he made some other friends and I didn't want to stop him from getting closer to them y’know?” Looking away she chuckled, “Plus I wanted to make some new ones so…”

“You can befriend his friends too, you know?”

“Good point!” Katsumi grinned, scratching the back of her head as she backed away. “Well, call me down for dinner!” She waved cheerfully as she walked to the stairs.

“Hey! This isn’t a restaurant! You need to help!” Her dad called after her.

“Gimme a break!”

Tuesday 2nd April 20XX

Unknown Number has added you to contact ‘Katsumi Yagi’

17:09 Unknown Number

Hello, it’s Yaoyorozu

17:11 Katsumi

Heyyy! Glad you remembered

Katsumi added unknown number to contact ‘Yaoyorozu ’

17:11 Yaoyorozu 

Katsumi, seeing as you are allowing me to call you by your first name I think it would be rude of me not to do the same.

Please call me Momo.

17:12 Katsumi

Aww okay Momo

Katsumi has changed ‘Yaoyorozu ’ to ‘Momo 🤍’

um, im almost a bit nervous to even ask but people don’t actually believe what Bakugou said right?

17:14 Momo 🤍

Well, I think people are just assuming that you like him.

Because of your reaction.

17:15 Katsumi

ughhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

okay whatever

just to be clear

we’re just friends

17:19 Momo 🤍

Of course Katsumi.

Well I have to study before I have dinner so I’ll leave you be, I look forward to seeing you tomorrow.

17:20 Katsumi

study?????? already???

how diligent

17:20 Momo 🤍

I have many resources on the matter that make different materials I look through every day.

You’re welcome to borrow any whenever you want.

17:21 Katsumi

awh thanks

dont forget what i said about me helping u with combat

17:21 Momo 🤍

I must admit you’re abilities are impressive.

By the time they actually finished chatting and she shut off her phone to stare at the ceiling, she was grinning ear-to-ear. When she had met Yaoyo- Momo at the entrance exam she hadn’t thought much of her. Now she had a feeling they were going to be good friends. When she had complimented Katsumi, telling her she should have gotten MVP she had felt a little annoyed at the pity, but also… seen. For some reason her specifically validating her like that was really comforting. Perhaps it was because a girl so clever and properly recognised her physical abilities as a positive thing? It was just such an encouraging feeling. 

She groaned, all those warm feelings washing away. It was properly not a good idea to get too attached right away, they were training to become heroes, and if something happened to them, Katsumi couldn’t afford to let it affect her.

“No,” Katsumi took a sharp breath in. Nothing was going to happen to her, or any of her classmates in fact. The teachers would protect them, her father would protect them and she would make sure that soon there would be no threat anymore. Not like they even knew there was one yet.

For her second day at school, she did not ask her dad to take her, she wasn’t about to risk another lateness. She had a feeling her teacher would not be so forgiving about a second lateness so early in the year and she didn’t want to inconvenience her homeroom teacher… Though if she was late it would mean he would have to scold her- that wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world.

No, she was not about to be late. As it was obvious she couldn’t rely on her dad to wake her up she set an extremely loud alarm on her phone and put it on the other side of her room, right next to her giant Mirko poster. The idea was for her to have to get up to turn it off, and it worked. For how badly her luck had been recently, waking up well-rested and on time was a win she was more than happy to take. She had taken a pill the night before to sleep so she had slept through the night well too. It was a necessity now as she could probably guess there would be more physical training on the horizon. 

Once she had finished putting on her uniform, she left her room to get some breakfast, closing the door behind her.

Since she wasn’t in a rush, she was able to put on the uniform the way she wanted. She still refused to tuck the shirt in, her top button undone, and her tie loose. She added safety shorts under her skirt and a pair of creme leg warmers over her white trainers and shoved her blazer in her bag. With her usual mix of bracelets, a couple of silver necklaces under her shirt and her UA uniform (Katsumi style) was fully realised. 

It was her last safe day. As she slabbed on a thick layer of chocolate spread over her toast she decided she should make sure to enjoy the day. No getting annoyed at little things. 

The train was packed that morning. Katsumi had never really taken the train that much and she was completely unprepared for the morning rush. She was glad to escape the uncomfortable crowd and get into the street as she made her way to the school.

Outside was fresh, spring still not completely warming up the air just yet. Debating on whether or not to put her blazer on she walked along the pavement. She was almost at the school now, there was no point. 

To her disappointment, she hadn’t actually escaped being squished between the bodies of strangers just yet as when she reached the school gate she was met with a strange sight. It was just as crowded as the train- with news reporters.

She groaned as she surveyed the area, did she really have to go through that? They seemed to be harassing the students, shoving microphones and cameras in their faces as they asked them questions. Was this normal? UA was a pretty famous school but this seemed a little excessive, was there no villain attacks to report on? 

Something felt off, other than the crowd that was. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up and she slowly turned around. Her eyes surveyed the trees behind her for a moment. Her brow furrowed, was someone there? 

Whatever. It didn’t matter. The door was shut. She was going to have a good day.

“Excuse me!” Katsumi shouted over the chattering of the crowd as she pushed through the reporters. They absentmindedly made a slight effort to shuffle out of the way.

“Miss!” A female reporter in a blue suit turned to her, holding out the microphone. “Are you aware All Might is teaching at this school?”

“Oh,” Katsumi deadpanned. “That’s why y'all are here.”

“So you know? Have you been taught by him? What is it like?”

“Oh piss off.” Katsumi rolled her eyes hard as she moved her out of the way. “You’ll make me late.”

Chapter Text

“Good work with yesterday’s battle training,” Aizawa spoke to the class as he flicked through a stack of papers as he stood at the podium. His face was disinterested as usual, though Katsumi didn’t care about that, too focused on getting a good look at his hands from the back of the class. “I’ve looked over your grades and evaluations.” He looked up, “Bakugou, grow up already. You’re wasting your talent.”

“...Got it.”

Katsumi’s eyes drifting to the blonde at the front of the class. He sat hunched over at the desk, the guy’s ego was really bruised after yesterday.

“And it seems Midoriya ended yet another day with a broken arm.” Izuku jumped a little at the mention of his name, Katsumi had to stifle a laugh. “Learn to control your quirk… just trying isn’t going to cut it. I hate repeating myself. But you do have potential, assuming you can overcome this. Work at it.”

“Yes sir!”

“Lastly Yagi,” It was her turn to be surprised, eyes snapping back to Aizawa as he looked at her. “He might be your father but treat All Might as a teacher while you're in school. And don’t throw tantrums.”

“Huh?” Katsumi’s mouth flew open, “Tantrums? Seriously?”

Izuku turned his head to shoot a confused look at her. Her face got warm. Of course, he had no idea just how upset she had gotten yesterday.

“Don’t answer back,” Aizawa shook his head. “Even Bakugou here respects his teachers.”

Katsumi wanted to strange that stupid, beautiful man. Instead, she took in a deep breath and smiled, “Yes sir.”

“Now, onto homeroom business, apologies for the sudden announcement but today…”

The mood of the class obviously shifted, the students straightening up in preparation for the next challenge they would face.

“You’ll pick a class president.”

How boring. Katsumi breathed out, leaning her chest onto her desk. Who would want to do that? Well to her surprise, everyone. Pretty much every student raised their hand, more than a few shouting out to be picked. Izuku had his hand raised as well as Bakugou, that was a surprise. She glanced to the side and to no surprise, Momo had her hand raised too.

“Quiet down everyone!” One boy’s voice rose out of the crowd, Katsumi almost groaned as she saw who it was. “Leading the many is a task of heavy responsibility and ambition does not equate to ability.” Iida asserted as he stood from his desk, “The sacred office demands the trust of its constituents. If this is to be a real democracy, then I put forward the motion that our true leader must be chosen by election.”

The way he talked reminded her of her mum, how gross.

“It's pretty obvious you want us to vote for you,” Kaminari said, clearly a little put-off. 

“Is this really the best idea?” Tsu questioned him in the flat tone she always seemed to use, “We've only known each other a few days, how do we know who we can trust?”

“Besides,” Kirishima butted in, “everyone will just vote for themselves.”

“Oh who cares who it is,” Katsumi groaned into the desk. “Why would you want more work?” 

Iida tutted, turning to her, “Have some ambition Yagi-”

“Katsumi.” She looked up to give him a dark look.

“Ah- Katsumi.” He coughed, “As for people voting for themselves, most people will. But that means whoever does receive multiple votes must truly be the most suitable person for the job. It's the best way, right, sir?” Iida looked to the front of the class for the teacher's approval.

“Do what you want,” he sighed as he began to step into a yellow sleeping bag, “just decide before my nap's over.”

“Thank you for your trust!”

Katsumi thought about it as Iida handed out slips of paper. She wasn’t going to vote for herself, that was for sure. Izuku seemed to want to do it, should she vote for him? Iida honestly seemed like a good pick, but she was still salty about him constantly getting on her ass and telling her off. She looked to her right, the choice was obvious. 

“I got three votes?” Izuku gasped.

“Okay, you idiots,” Bakugou raised up off his seat as he yelled, “Who voted for him?

“Why would anyone vote for you?” Katsumi snickered.

“What did you just say?!” He turned around, brow furrowed further down than Katsumi thought was possible. “Of course, you’d vote for him!”

“And what does that mean?” Katsumi cocked her head, scowling right back at him, “You still tryna spread lies about me?! How childish.” 

“Childish? Ain’t you the one throwing tantrums in class?”

“You’re the one pissing yourself ‘cuz no one voted for you.” Katsumi’s face relaxed slightly as she snickered, “No one wants a walking bang snap ordering them around.”

“Oh yeah,” He gripped onto the back of the seat as he shouted back, “so you’d prefer that whiny little nerd?”

“I didn’t even vote for him!” Katsumi grinned as she laughed at the absurd boy.

“Be quiet already,” Aizawa snapped, shaking his head. “The class reps will be Midoriya and Yayorozu, seeing as they drew they’ll do rock paper scissors for the role. The loser will be deputy.”

“It's always so crowded in here!”

“That's because students in the support, management, and hero courses all share the same cafeteria.”

“Wow, how interesting.”

After congratulating Momo on getting deputy (though she really should have been class president) Katsumi decided to go with Izuku for lunch. Dad’s words last night about befriending Izuku’s friends had stuck with her. She might as well, if not to expand her circle then to keep an eye on the cute short brunette he had befriended. It didn’t seem to be working out so well though.

“I was simply providing context. Must you be so antagonistic?” Iida responded, his frustration obvious as he held his hands out in front of him. 

This Iida guy was annoying the hell out of her, but at least he was funny to wind up. 

“This rice is delicious!” Uraraka’s bright voice cheered, Katsumi immediately put down the bowl of rice she was about to eat. There was nothing entertaining about her.

“Guys,” Izuku said in a wistful manner that made Katsumi want to giggle, “I'm kinda worried about the class rep thing, I don't think I'm qualified.”

“Yeah you’re not,” Katsumi said as she went to take a bite of fish.

“Ah!” Izuku turned to her, eyes wide. Iida snapped to look at her, mouth opening to respond.

“I’m kidding,” Katsumi laughed, quickly shooting Iida a glare before he could tell her off. “You should relax, it can’t be that hard. Seriously, what qualifications do you even need?” She really didn’t understand why they were taking it so seriously.

“Courage and quick thinking under stress!” Iida answered, despite Katsumi very obviously not asking him. “That is what makes him a worthy leader.” Iida turned his attention to Izuku, “Not to mention the strength you've demonstrated. Those are the reasons I voted for you, at least.”

Katsumi nodded her head at the blue-haired boy, a mock impressed expression on her face, “That’s so sweet of you four-eyes.”

“You voted for me?” Izuku blinked.

“Didn't you wanna be rep really badly,” Uraraka asked the boy besides her cheerfully, “I mean you do look the part. 'Cause of the glasses!”

This girl was so unfunny, Katsumi could almost feel the irritation rising up her torso.

“Wanting a job and being suited to it are quite different things. Observing the Iida family's hero agency has taught me that much.”

“Agency?” If Izuku was a dog his ears would have perked up at the word.

“Hold on, what does your family do?” Turning to look at him, rice bowl still in hand, Uraraka asked.

“Uh‐ Oh, it's nothing.”

“Oh it’s nothing,” Katsumi said mockingly, pretending to adjust a pair of glasses mysteriously. 

Iida just shook his head, “Must you mock everything I say?”

“Do you have to critique everything I do?” She shot back, leaning towards him.

“Y'know, I've been wondering something about you.” Uraraka interrupted quickly, “Admit it, Iida. You're filthy rich!”

“Well-” Iida coughed, “I was afraid people would treat me differently if they knew about my family.” He paused for a moment before looking across to Katsumi, “I’m sure you can relate to that Yag- I mean Katsumi.”

Katsumi shrugged as she shoved a large bite of fish into her mouth. 

“You see, the Iidas have been pro-heroes for generations. It runs in our blood.

Katsumi covered her mouth as she spoke, “Is that a metaphor?”

“Yes.” Iida indeed sharply, Katsumi snickered.

“That's awesome Iida!” 

Iida scratched his chin before committing, “Are the three of you familiar with the Turbo Hero, Ingenium?”

“I know all about him!” Izuku physically lifted off his seat as his face lit up, “He's a super-popular pro with 65 sidekicks working alongside him at his Tokyo agency!”

Katsumi smirked as she watched him, eyes gleaming with excitement. He was so cute. 

“He's my elder brother!” Iida said proudly.

Uraraka gasped, “Your family's famous!” Katsumi’s smile dropped, how was it that the mere sound of this girl's voice annoyed her? It must be a secondary quirk of hers.

“Ingenium is an unmatched commander who honours the hero code. As the second oldest Iida son, I strive to be just like him. However, I think it might be a bit soon for me to be in a real leadership role. You, for example.” He nodded to Izuku, “Midoriya, you figured out what the judges were looking for in the practical exam. A rep needs that sort of insight.”

“I dunno,” Katsumi began to respond, not bothering to look up from the dish she was eating. “You’re pretty bossy and nosey, you seem perfect for a leader.” Iida blinked, mouth opening slightly at Katsumi’s words, trying to decipher if they were positive or negative. 

“Though I admit Izuku’ll be easy to ignore so I’m quite happy with the results.”

“You’re so mean.” Izuku sighed, Katsumi bit down a laugh and patted him on the shoulder.

“Oh Katsumi,” At the sound of Uraraka’s voice her face immediately fell. “Who did you vote for?”

“Momo,” Katsumi replied, not even glancing at her.

“Ah, yeah that makes sense,” Uraraka nodded. She wanted to say more but she was beginning to get a feeling that Katsumi didn’t want to talk to her.

Izuku took in a deep breath before looking to Iida, “Hey, yeah, so about that practical exam-”

BEEEEEEEEP

“What is that?”

“Warning. Level Three security breach.” A robotic voice came over the speakers, “All students please evacuate the building in an orderly fashion.”

Students immediately rose from their seats, moving toward the exits while panicked voices echoed around the room. The student's voices drowned out into a background drone by the sound of the blaring alarm. Katsumi felt her chest tighten, anxiety pressing down on her like a weight.

“What's a Level Three security breach?” Iida shouted out to a nearby student.

“It means that someone's managed to get past the school's barriers!” he replied, his face stricken with fear. “This hasn't happened in my three years here!”

…

…

…

Shit. 

Did he lie to her? What the hell was going on? Someone had entered the school? Katsumi instinctively rose from her seat along with the others, pushing through the surge of students scrambling to get out of the room. Her heart pounded as they were swept up in the crowd.

The frantic shouts and cries of the students were a muffled backdrop to Katsumi's racing thoughts. Someone had breached the school. Didn’t they have security in place to stop this? She vaguely remembered her dad telling her about the school's security being incredibly tight. And that guy had said that nothing like this had ever happened here in their school years- well until now. Now that All Might was working here. Damn it, why had she ignored that strange feeling she had gotten outside the school gate? She’d known something felt off. But why lie to her? What was he planning? No- maybe it wasn’t him. Oh, be real. Of course, it was.

“Katsumi? Are you good?” The feeling of someone grabbing her arm broke her out of her deafening thoughts. Her head snapped towards Izuku, who looked at her with wide, worried eyes. She could feel how wide her own eyes were opened, having to blink to get rid of the dryness.

“Crap!” Izuku gasped, “I can't stop!” Izuku shouted as he was pushed further into the crowd, Katsumi was jerked forward with him, his hand still holding her arm.

“Deku!” Uraraka called out to them, “Katsumi!”

Despite her preoccupation, Katsumi managed to turn her head to shoot a glare at the girl, when did she say she could call her by her first name?

“Katsumi! Just hold on my hand!” Izuku shouted over the loud hectic noise of the crowd.

“Villians.” It slipped out of Katsumi’s mouth before she could think.

“What? No, we don’t know that!” Shaking his head he assured her, “Don’t worry, even if it is the teachers will-”

Izuku was cut off as the crowd surged and Katsumi was pushed hard forward, bashing straight into him.

“Crap sorry!”

“Ah- it’s fine, just- uh.”

As the crowd pushed and shoved, they were pressed tightly together, faces inches apart.

“Uh, I’m sorry I can’t-” Katsumi attempted to step back only to be met with an impenetrable wall of students and pushed right back into Izuku, her forehead smashing into his.

“Ouch!”

“Sorry!” Wincing Katsumi placed her hands on his shoulders, trying to separate them slightly.

“It’s okay.” Izuku didn’t know where to look, his face was burning hot. They were literally pushed up against each other. He found himself praying to any god or deity above that his body would not betray him. “We’ll get out soon.” He said, despite their faces being inches apart he still had to raise his voice slightly to be heard over the crowd. 

Katsumi pursed her lips, cheeks flaring red. The position was… something. But there were more pressing matters. She turned her head as best as she could as her eyes scanned the windows. She couldn’t see out over the mass of bodies struggling and shuffling slowly along. Three crowds in one day, and this was definitely the worst. What the hell was happening out there? A frustrated breath hitched in her throat. She bit down on her bottom lip as her vision began to splotch with growing tears.

“Katsumi,” Izuku’s voice made her jump. He leaned over to her ear so she could hear his words clearly. “It’s okay.” 

He moved one of her hands off his shoulder to interlock her fingers with his. 

She stared at him, mouth dry. He looked back at her, eyes firm as he held her hand tight. With great difficulty, Katsumi began rearranging her face into a smile- but they were both distracted as a large object flew over their heads. 

Katsumi and Izuku’s mouths flew open as they watched Iida smash against the wall, a perfect replica of the man on the exit sign. “Listen up, everyone! " he shouted seriously. "Everything is okay! It's just the media outside. There's absolutely nothing to worry about!”

The students froze as they stared in shock and awe at the first year, still stuck up against the wall.

‘Just the media.’

Katsumi felt her body relax, exhaustion washing over her, she let herself collapse against Izuku, wrapping her arms around his neck as she buried her face into his chest.
“Ah, Katsumi!” Izuku whisper-shouted, the pink that had already claimed his cheeks spreading across his face.

After that horrific ordeal of a lunchbreak, Izuku gave up his position as class leader or president or whatever it was called- Katsumi really didn't care. Now it was Iida which made more sense honestly. The only amusing thing about the afternoon was Momo’s face when Izuku gave it to Iida, completely ignoring the fact she had just as much of a claim to the role. Poor girl.

“Vice prez is pretty good Momo-chan,” Katsumi encouraged. It was the end of the day and the pair were walking down the corridors to leave the school.

Momo sighed, allowing her shoulders to slump for a moment before she straightened her posture once again. “I am incredibly grateful for the position,” she declared, “deputy or not, and I will give my all for it!”

“Thats the spirit!” Katsumi grinned and knocked the girl's arm. “Thats why I voted for ya’!”

“I thought it would be you,” Momo rubbed her chin with a finger, a little smile on her lip. “I wonder who the other vote was from.”

“Didn’t you check the board for who got zero votes?”

“No, it slipped my mind.” She admitted.

“Oh well,” Katsumi snickered, “just means you have a secret admirer who sees just how amazing you are!”

“Don’t phrase it like that,” Momo blushed. She collected herself, taking a deep breath in. “I’ll make sure I prove myself worthy.” She clenched her fists together in front of her, “Just being in this school is something I must constantly be grateful for! This position makes it so I have even more to prove.”

Katsumi frowned, if Momo didn’t think herself worthy of being at the school Katsumi might as well leave. “Well the school isn’t that great, the security must suck if they couldn't stop reporters getting in.”

“Don’t you know?” Momo turned to Katsumi, “They seal up the entrance with a metal door, impenetrable to the average person. It comes down if someone without a student ID comes too close.”

“Damn, I better never forget my ID.” Katsumi had a habit of forgetting little things, getting locked out of the school was the last thing she needed. Her brow creased as she thought about it more, “If that’s true, how’d the press get in then?”

“From what I’ve heard, the door was turned to dust. It must have been one of the reporter's quirks or…”

Momo continued to talk but Katsumi stopped listening, her voice droning in the background as her mind blurred. Dust. It was decayed.

“Shit.”

Katsumi spent the entirety of the next morning feeling like she had swallowed a massive bowling ball, now pressing down on her chest and blocking her throat, making her short of breath. She barely ate at lunch, telling Momo and the others she sat with she was feeling a little ill. By the time Aizawa announced the day's hero basics training would be rescue training in an off-campus facility, Katsumi could have puked.

“Deku? Why are you wearing your PE clothes? Where's your costume?” Katsumi wasn’t sure how she had ended up standing with Uraraka but she was almost thankful. The girl was probably used to Katsumi ignoring her, her silence hopefully didn’t seem too strange.

“You saw it after the combat training. It was kinda trashed.” Izuku smiled as he adjusted a new neckpiece, “I'm still waiting on the support company to fix it up. Talking about hero costumes, sorry Katsumi I never got to say but yours is really cool!” He grinned brightly at her. It only added more pressure on her, the feeling slicing up her chest.

“I changed your design a little,” Katsumi managed to wear a smile as she responded, mentioning his contribution for nothing if not to remind Uraraka of how close they were. She was absolutely being childish, but she needed a distraction. 

“Woah you designed her costume Deku? That’s awesome!” Katsumi felt an irritation rise in her as the short girl simply turned to her with a smile. “I remember seeing it the other day and I was like, ‘Wow what a cool costume!’” 

Izuku’s face flushed, “Well all I did was the idea for using All Mights colours…” 

Katsumi's eye twitched before she shrugged, “Still it was really helpful. I had no idea what to do for mine, and that book you made for me has been really helpful.” If she still wasn’t almost going crazy with anxiety Katsumi would have found it impossible to not smirk at the brunette's confused face.

“A book? Wha-” 

“Gather around, Class 1-A!” Iida waved, interrupting the conversations going on around the class. He presented them with a piece of paper with a seating plan displayed, saying, “Using your student numbers, form two neat lines so we can load the bus efficiently.”

“Iida's kicking it into high gear as our class rep, huh?” Izuku laughed a little shyly.

“Seems so.” Normally Katsumi would have fought against the unnecessary seating plan, but not today. As they boarded the bus and Iida realised his seating plan was unusable she just focused on her breathing. In and out. She just needed to actually see her father there with them, then she would feel safe. She had left without him again that morning and he wasn’t coming in until the afternoon to meet them at the facility. 

Katsumi took a slow, deep breath in. There was no way her father would lose, he would protect them. It was all going to be fine.

Chapter Text

As they all loaded themselves into the bus they quickly realised the layout didn’t match the one Iida had used for his seating plan at all. When he stepped in he tried to put everyone back into some type of order but as each student who passed him awkwardly ignored his orders and quietly moved to sit where they wanted he surrendered. Sighing, he took his own, un-assigned seat. 

The back few rows had already been filled by the time Katsumi stepped in, she slipped into the closest one, the last row before the bust opened up to seats facing in on each other. Once she shuffled to the end she silently turned to look out of the window, resigning herself to a quiet, solitary trip. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a flash of pink settle beside her. Well, she supposed someone would sit next to her, hopefully, they weren’t too chatty, but her hope for that was low with how outgoing most of the class was. Expecting Mina from the pink she had seen she turned her head to greet her. Instead of the black-eyed girl, she was met with Uraraka with her pink headpiece giving her a bright smile. Katsumi returned the smile curtly.

“Do you two mind if I sit here too?” Momo’s voice made both the girls turn to the aisle. 

“Of course! There’s plenty of room vice Prez!” 

Urakaka shuffled over, too close to Katsumi who moved herself as physically far away from the brunette as possible. 

Katsumi acted very interested in the view outside for most of the ride, only really looking from the window to chime into Momo and Uraraka’s conversations every now and then. She didn’t want to seem like she was acting too strange. Her attention was diverted, however, when her ears caught a certain blunt frog girl commenting about how she’d noticed Izuku’s quirk was a lot like All Mights.

“What? Really? You think so, huh?” He tried to laugh, eyes darting over to Katsumi. As soon as he did though he must have realised how suspicious that was because he quickly looked away. “I never really thought about that. I guess it's kinda similar…” Goodness, he was a horrific actor. Katsumi was sat up straight now, watching the conversation in front of her through narrowed eyes.

“Wait, hold on, Tsu,” Kirishima interrupted. “You're forgetting All Might doesn't hurt himself. That makes a huge difference.” Katsumi relaxed, sinking back into her seat. 

“Still, I bet it's cool to have a simple augmenting-type Quirk. You can do lots of flashy stuff with it. My Hardening's super strong and can destroy bad guys in a fight, but it doesn't look all that impressive.” Kirishima said, a little bitterly. 

Izuku leaned over to look at him. “Oh, no way, I think it's really awesome looking.” He said truthfully, “You're definitely pro-material with a Quirk like that.”

“You really think so? Seems like it'd be easier to be a popular hero if I had somethin' flashier.”

“What’s popularity got to do with being a hero?” Katsumi huffed, not able to help herself from commenting. She didn’t mean to say it loud enough for him to hear, but he did, sighing, a little embarrassed, “I know it’s not the most important, but it would be nice.”

“You’ve got it easy!” Kaminari accused, “With your Dad, you’ll be famous before you even debut!”

“My Navel Laser's got the perfect combination of panache and strength,” Aoyama interrupted before Katsumi had the chance to respond to Kaminari. She was grateful, she wasn’t quite sure what she would have said to that.

“Well, if any of our classmates have pro Quirks,” Sero looked over to the back, “it's gotta be Todoroki, Bakugo and Ms All Might Jr.” Katsumi ignored the joke, instead glancing back, she’d almost forgotten about Todoroki. He looked just as disinterested as normal, though his mismatched eyes flickered over to her, their eyes meeting for a moment. Katsumi raised her eyebrows before turning back.

“Sure, but Bakugo's always angry,” she heard Tsu say, “so he'll never be that popular.” Katsumi pursed her lips, eyes sparkling with amusement for a moment.

“What'd you say?” Bakugou’s yelling Katsumi and the girls next to her wince, he was only a foot away from them, “I'll kick your ass!”

“Ya see?”

“Y'know, we basically just met you,” Kaminari smirked, “so it's kinda telling that we all know your personality is flaming crap mixed with garbage.”

“You're gonna regret the day you applied to this school, you loser!”

After that Aizawa told them to shut up, they were arriving soon. She had been distracted for a while from the thudding in her chest by the antics of her classmates, but, as they left the bus, the beating began to pick up its pace.

“Hello, everyone, I've been waiting for you!”

The building in front of them was a white dome, it was massive, stretching out far either side of them. Big space, plenty of places to run. As the rest of the students stood in awe of the huge facility in front of them Katsumi’s brows furrowed. Her dad was not there.

The person who greeted them was a short woman wearing a large astronaut suit. Izuku was saying something about the space-themed hero but Katsumi wasn’t listening, not even caring to notice how Uraraka and Izuku were happily chatting about it. The beating of her heart was loud in her ears and her whole body felt weak.

Where was he? 

She took a deep breath in, trying to calm her thoughts. It was okay, her father was here, he said he would be. He was probably just inside the building.

“Holy crap! It looks like some kind of amusement park!”

They were inside now, and still no dad. The place was just as massive as it looked from the outside, there were plenty of places to go and hide. They walked onto a concrete area that overlooked the different disaster simulations, the facility dug into the ground to create more room. But Katsumi didn’t spend too much time thinking about that, because she was much more focused on the thought of; ‘Where the hell is he?’ Was he planning on jumping out of a corner and surprising them? That was just the type of unnecessary theatrics he would do. She looked around but there was nowhere for him to even hide around them. Katsumi gritted her teeth as Thirteen went on about the different disasters that the facility would help them prepare for, the students ‘oo’ing and ‘aww’ing along. As she finished Aizawa strolled towards her, hands in his pockets.

“Shouldn't All Might be here already? Lemme guess, he booked an interview instead.”

Katsumi watched the two teachers while the other students were chatting excitedly amongst themselves. Thirteen responded lowly, too quiet for her to hear no matter how Katsumi strained her ears. She did, however, see her holding up three fingers.

Three? Like three hours? Kasumi’s heart dropped as a horrible thought crossed her mind. Had he already used up his time? 

After talking quietly with Aizawa for a couple more moments, Thirteen turned to the class, “Before we begin, let me just say one thing. Well, maybe two things. Possibly three, four, or five.”

Katsumi stopped listening completely. Without her father, they were all screwed. She felt faint like she would collapse at any moment. Again, he wasn’t going to be there. A sense of imminent doom sunk into her chest.

But, if her dad wasn’t here, maybe they wouldn’t come. Yeah, they were probably waiting for All Might, and seeing as he wasn’t coming, nothing would happen. A half-smile twitched on her lips, a little snort escaping her nostrils as she realised how stupid that idea was. But what else did she have, she had no idea when it would happen, she couldn’t spend possibly the next two or more hours strung so tight even a little ping would make her snap. Swallowing down her anxiety, Katsumi took in a deep breath, relaxing her shoulders and back before she focused on the teacher.

“-likely experienced how dangerous your powers can be when used against other people. Carry those lessons over to this class. Today, you're going to learn how to use your Quirks to save people's lives. You won't be using your powers to attack enemies or each other, only to help. After all, that's what being a hero is all about. Ensuring the safety of others.”

“Thirteen is so cool!” Izuku grinned, Katsumi looked over at him, her face had settled into a downcast expression, but she managed to smile. For a moment at least, before the guilt creeped up.

“Well, that’s all I have to say. Thank you so much for listening.” Thirteen said with a graceful bow. The students clapped, Katsumi’s face wore a small smile as she turned around and gave a half-amused look to Ashido cheering especially loudly behind her.

“Right.” Aizawa nodded, drawing the class's attention to him.” Now that that's over-”

The crackle of electricity interrupted the scruffy man. They all paused to look up, the lights lining the walls of the dome flashed before they burnt out with a crack, dimming the building. 

There it was. 

She hadn’t even stopped thinking about it for a second, she had only had the mere thought of relaxing by believing that flimsy idea of safety that she knew was improbable. Her punishment for daring for even a second that everything would be fine appeared a growing, swirling purple smoke at the base of the fountain in the wide-open middle part of the facility. She could hear gasps as it grew larger, a quick flash of yellow appearing.

“Huh, what’s that?”

“Stay together and don't move! Thirteen- protect the students!”

Katsumi couldn’t move, deaf to the commands from her teacher. Her eyes were opened wide, lips parted in abject horror.

“Whoa, what is that thing?” Kirishima asked, a hint of fear in his voice. 

Smirking, leering people slunk out of the smoke, one after another, large scowling men and vicious-looking women. 

“Wait, has the training started already?” More bewildered now than scared Kirishima looked to Aizawa. Katsumi glanced around, Ashido behind her looked vaguely confused, and Tsu seemed pretty unbothered. The other students hadn’t realised it yet, of course, they wouldn’t. Her gaze flicked to Izuku, his eyes were wide and mouth open, but he didn’t look scared, just concerned. 

“I thought we were rescuing people?”

“Stay back!” Aizawa snapped, making the students flinch. Katsumi turned back to face him, he glared as he pulled up his goggles

“This is real. Those are villains.”

As the rest of the students gasped, Katsumi stayed silent, her eyes returning to the deep purple hole. Her body seized with a sharp breath as her eyes fell upon an image she had been anxious to find. In the middle, standing still at the base of the portal while the grunts filtered out, a man with light blue hair stood. Face and body grasped by severed human hands. It had been a long time, yet from such a distance, he looked almost the same.

Tomura.

.

.

.

Weeks earlier.

She had found herself standing in the middle of a vacant room, concrete and dirty. Dark except for a sickly neon purple light coming from behind her. She barely had a chance to process the change in environment before a familiar voice rang out in the silence. 

“Well, Yagi, it’s wonderful to see you again, it’s been too long.”

At the sound of that voice, a sound that made her skin crawl, the wall in the back of her head had been blown open. The influx of repressed memories smashed into her consciousness, cold and hard. Her hands began to tremble, her lips parting, her mouth growing dry as she slowly turned her head. There was a single table with an open laptop on it. The screen glowed bright, and a slightly distorted voice came from the speakers. 

Her legs felt frail as if she could collapse at any moment. Where she was, she had no hope of knowing. There were no windows, just a single solid door. She could probably break through it, but the thought seemed so far away in her mind at that moment, her head full of fear and regret. Why, why had she gone through that portal? Her mind went bitter, doom seeping into her racing thoughts. Why did she ever come back to Japan? She should have fought it, how stupid of her to accept it, even feel happy about it. Was she so pathetic, so missing her father that she would ignore the danger she was putting herself in? All those years, pushing those memories back, further and further, why? How stupid. She was too weak to confront it then, and now, faced with it, she couldn’t even move. Even if she could, what could she do? This was it. Soon, she was convinced her father would find his daughter's corpse, or worse, would have to kill a monster with his daughter's face. Or maybe, he wouldn’t be able to do it at all, and his body would be the one lying in blood.

“There’s no need for tears Katsumi.”

The man's voice rang out again. She flinched, his words slowly registering into her brain. She hadn’t even noticed the wetness in her eyes but it had been clouding her vision. She blinked the hot tears away and wiped them quickly. She sucked in a harsh breath through her nose which was threatening to run. Breathe. In and out. 

“Why,” her voice was meek, meeker than she had spoken in a long time. It was like the walls of her throat were closing itself as she forced words out, “I, I don’t-”

“I’m not going to hurt you Katsumi. I just want to talk.”

She could hear the smirk on the man's horrible face, through the distortion of the speakers she could hear how he was enjoying this. Her stomach turned, seizing up in a flash of anger that made her grit her teeth together.

“Don’t get upset now, I wish to congratulate you. You’ve done a very good job keeping our secret, haven’t you?”

She felt as if could actually puke, her stomach churning and twisting. And she did, keeling over and retching violently onto the floor. Her throat burned as she coughed and spluttered, hot tears spilling from her stinging eyes.

“Do you need some time to adjust? I suppose it has been quite a while, you probably haven’t even thought of us in a while.”

Us. 

“To-” Her voice was blocked, the sound sickly and gross. Katsumi spat onto the puddle of chunky vomit, coughing harshly to clear her throat.

“Tomura. Where is he.” Her meagre voice had managed to turn into a growl, brows creasing as she rose her head to glare up at the computer. 

“Tomura? Not here, but don’t worry, I have taken good care of him.”

“You,” She snarled, hatred blazing in her eyes as she slowly stood back up, ignoring the quivering of her stomach and the sharp, uncomfortable sting in her throat. “What have you done to him?” She demanded the answer.

The man went silent, the fan of the laptop whirling the only sound in the room other than Katsumi’s anxious heartbeat in her own ears. After a brief moment, the sounds of harsh laughter jutted out of the speakers.

“What have I done to him?” She could hear the grin on his face, “You're a funny girl Katsumi, I’m surprised you even care.”

“Of course I do!” She said incredulously, stepping forward, face folded into a clear expression of defiance. 

“Hm, but didn’t you leave him?” She stopped. “Left him here with me, a man you hate oh so much?” He was still smirking, his words even through the computer clearly laced with malice and amusement. “Never even telling another soul about him?”

“You said to-” Katsumi’s angry demeanour slipped for a moment, her brows flying up as she tried to defend herself. 

“But you moved away, I couldn’t reach you in America. Eight years, it’s been that long, and you never told anyone?”

“You bastard.” Her disgust returned as she was forced to listen to his slimy, manipulative words. She might have buried those months deep into the far corners of her mind but she sure as hell remembered what happened. “How could I tell anyone? No one would have even believed me, my Mum-”

“Did she never figure it out?” He interrupted, forcing Katsumi into silence. “Disappointedly I never got to experiment with that quirk we used on her properly, but surely at some point, the affected individual would realise the massive gap in their memory about a certain person no? Especially I would have thought a mother pays special attention to her child, she surely would have noticed.”

Katsumi seethed, white-hot rage boiling inside her skull. The anger came in waves, blowing away the remains of the once-strong wall in her mind that had protected her from all the frustration, anger and fear. The wall was now rubble.

“As for your father,” he continued, dismissing Katsumi's expression of unfocused rage, “well, I count myself lucky he distanced himself from you for so long. But you really would have thought he’d try to check up on his daughter once or twice in a span of six months-”

“Eight.” It was Katsumi’s turn to interrupt. “It was eight.”

“Ah yes, it was, wasn't it?”

She stared at the blinding light of the computer screen for a long moment as her body full of rage narrowed into a glare of pure hot anger.

“So now what? You gonna finish turning me into Nomu or whatever you call it?” Katsumi gritted her teeth, eyes blistering with the sting of the light from the harsh glow of the computer. “Set me off to kill my father?”

“No, I’ve moved on from that prospect.” His voice was conversational as if he was catching up with an old friend.” By the time you were born I already had attained Tomura, you have always been a backup. He’s the one who will succeed me.”

She snorted, “Like hell he will.”

“You seem doubtful.” 

“He knows what a piece of shit you are. He won’t-”

“Seems you’ve got your spark back.” He hummed. Katsumi grit her teeth, she wouldn’t let him mock her into submission. “But you don’t actually believe that do you? If you think he hates me you’re sorely mistaken. He only wishes to destroy, and I intend to cultivate that need of his.”

“He’s not like you,” she responded, forcing a smirk on her face that portrayed more confidence than she really had, “he went out of his way to get me out of your hell-hole and-”

“That is true.” He interrupted again. “I didn’t expect him to get so attached to you, and perhaps I was too hard on you. Unnecessarily, even.”

“You put me through hell!” The sleepless nights drifting from nightmare to nightmare flashed through her mind as her voice rang out defiantly. If she was to die, she wanted to at least go down fighting.

“Hm, it was worth it though right? You’re much stronger than you would have been without my help.” 

Katsumi wanted to jump through that screen and rip the man’s throat out, to silence his damned evil words for once and for all.

“Say, have you trained your regeneration recently?”

She could have screamed with fury, beat her fists down on the laptop, splitting it and the table in two with the force gathering inside her. Instead, she stood unmoving and stiff.

“I guess not. Though I see you’ve picked up fighting. Arrested at fifteen, grievous bodily harm, you have the wonderful promise of a villain in you.”

A scowl grew dark on Katsumi’s face.

“Of course, I’ve been keeping tabs on you, it seems you struggled to adjust to life after. A lot of fighting in school, conflict with teachers and whatnot, you’re angry aren't you?”

“I fucking wonder why.”

He laughed at that, the sound was like nails on a chalkboard to Katsumi’s ears.

“Now what?” She waved her arms out, frustration clear in her voice. “What do you want?”

“Well, you are, I can't quite have you running around in UA unsupervised. I’m sure you want as little interruptions from me in your life. After all, I see you have a new freckled friend who will be joining you in UA.”

Katsumi felt her whole body surge with a powerful force, “You do anything to him and I swear-”

“Let’s make sure I don’t. As long as you’re helpful, it won’t be in my interest to upset you. I already have my way of procuring information from UA, but I think Tomura would benefit from someone to work with him… if he wants that is. He does have Kurogiri- ah that’s who brought you here- though he is more of a babysitter than anything. No, he needs someone I can trust so he can get used to being in charge of others. And I can trust you, right?”

Mind ticked slowly as the words swirled in her disorganised mind, she didn’t really understand what he meant. Work with Tomura to do what? But she did know that would mean she could see him, an anxious sort of hope began to embed itself. She swallowed discreetly before she replied slowly.

 “I don’t get why I should agree to this.”

“You want your friend to remain safe?” That was as clear of a threat as you could get without outright saying it. “Do you want your parents to stay ignorant to those eight months? You want to see Tomura, make sure I don’t hurt him, right?”

“...Yes.” He had read her like a clock… dammnit! She would rather rip her own limbs off a hundred times than have her father find out about any of this, and this was a perfect opportunity to see Tomura again.

“I promise you all those things in return for you working for Tomura.” He paused before he continued. “I will say though, he’s a little… childish at the moment. If something he asks you to do is well… especially compromising to your safety, you think it will backfire or just inappropriate, talk to Kurogiri.”

“The one who’s been stalking me?” She hadn’t even seen the man, just that swirling purple hole. He must have some sort of warping quirk to have go her here, and that would explain how he managed to follow her anywhere.

“Yes.”

“So what you're saying is that I gotta what, work with Tomura to do… I don’t get it.” She sighed, this was tiring and she still didn’t know exactly what he was asking of her. What she did know was this was not a problem that was going away anytime soon. The prospect of lying and working behind the curtain for who knows how long began to weigh on her, she just wanted to go home.

“Tomura will be leading an attack against UA in the first week of term,” that knocked her out of her blues, “We know All Might will be teaching there, and they will attempt to kill him.”

“The hell!” Katsumi yelled, stepping towards the table, the offence rising in her from the way he spoke with such a casual demeanour about something that so obviously would upset her. “ “Why the hell would I agree to that? You want me to help kill my own father? You just said you wouldn’t hurt anyone if I agreed but that sounds like the damn opposite right? Not to even mention you know my friend is going to UA too! Will he be caught in the crossfire? The other innocent kids at the school?” She growled in frustration, banging a fist down on the table, “Y’know what? I don’t care if you kill me or tell my dad you fucking kidnapped and tortured me while he was off saving other assholes, do whatever you want! I’m not helping you hurt my father!”

He let her finish before speaking, leaving a moment of silence for Katsumi’s words to settle while her chest rose and fell as she breathed heavily. 

“I would have thought you’d hold more contempt for him.” He said finally. He didn’t seem fazed at all by the outburst. Katsumi swallowed. “Well, no worry. Your problem is your father being hurt, right? I hope that the fact the plan is unlikely to succeed will quell your worries. In fact I promise you it won’t, it’s designed to fail, after all, Tomura must taste defeat to grow. Your father will be fine. It’s mostly low-level grunts that he has gathered for this little invasion, I’m sure even the most pathetic of students will be able to defend themselves.”

“I don’t trust you.” It was stating the obvious, but Katsumi had to make sure he knew. She had to ensure he knew she wasn’t stupid.

“Well, let's put it this way. Your father's weak right?” Katsumi’s brown furrowed, “One day, the flame of One For All inside him will disappear, when that happens, wouldn’t you prefer for it to be only the flame of One For All, not the flame of his soul too? If you work with us, I’m sure you’ll be able to guarantee your father's survival.”

Katsumi hated the owner of that disembodied, distorted voice more than anything in existence. The day he would die would be the happiest day of her life. She could imagine doing it, seeing his dark blood spread over her hands as his flame slowly died off into nothingness. 

But that wouldn’t happen, not with how things were at the moment. Images of her father coughing, blood spurting from his mouth, the fact he could only be ‘All Might’ for a fraction of the day, he was getting weaker. Now he had passed One For All to Izuku, it was possible that the speed of his debilitation would increase more rapidly. Izuku, there was another problem, would be the next focus of this man's attacks? If she worked with the enemy, she would know what they were planning, and prepare him beforehand. She didn’t need any more surprises. Then there was Tomura, whatever that man said he was planning for him, what she was sure of it wouldn’t be in his favour. He was a lying, conniving, selfish man, no way he would want the best for the boy he had taken under his wing. If she could just show that to Tomura, then he would leave and be safe. She owed him to try. Maybe he would even help her get rid of the problem once and for all. 

“I don’t have a choice, do I?” She said, standing up straight as she stared down at the bright screen.

“Clever girl. Now, let’s talk more about specifics.”

“Come back to the alley we warped you from in four days' time. You will be given a burner phone with a single contact on, you send a single message of ‘here’ when you wish to be warped to base. There is a tracker on it so we can warp you from anywhere. Do not let anyone see it. When you come back I will also bestow upon you a second quirk.”

“Fuck no. You’re not messing with my body anymore.”

“You will be able to cope with it fine, it’s a simple quirk, and it will be useful for concealing your identity and getting to places you’re not supposed to be. You don’t want anyone finding out right? This is the best way… you may become ill from it for a while though.”

When she returned to the alley she was warped into another place unfamiliar to her. She stayed strong and stoic as a man made of purple mist gave her an old flip phone. When he entered, she didn’t fight him. After all these years, it was strange to be in his presence once again, it felt like her whole being was screaming danger, but she stayed silent. She kneeled before the man without complaint, not daring to look up from the floor. As his fingers wrapped around her skull, a torturous pain shot through her. But he was right, she managed to get back home fine, the pain fading.

The place the portal he had gotten Kurogiri to summon was not too far from her house. As she made her way back, her mind began to fuzz and ache more and more, by the time she had gotten through the front door she collapsed onto the floor. The pain was different now, it was like her veins were overflowing, her flesh burning and freezing at the same time. She gasped and huffed as she dragged herself onto the sofa. Through blurry eyes she watched as her hands faded away, god she felt sick. She shut her eyes, throwing her head back against the sofa. In and out.

She opened her eyes, looking at her hands again, it was like they weren’t there. The outline was, the shape could be seen, but from the absence of anything. To describe it as pitch black wasn’t exactly right, there was nothing there. Like the colour you see when you close your eyes. It spread up her arms, down her chest and up her neck. 

“Not now.” Katsumi winced. She stood up, the pain bearable, as she walked to the closet mirror. She wasn’t there. Not invisible, just not there. A gaping, colourless, lightless hole in her vision in the shape of her. You couldn't see where her hair ended and forehead began and when she moved her hand to her face the two meted into each other, as if she was a drawing that had been completely filled in with ink.

Quirks were innate to a person, so there was some natural understanding each person had about their power. This quirk was foreign to her. Unwanted and unnatural, forced onto her. She didn’t know how to control it. All she had was that man's words he had given her of how to use it.

“It will remove you from the physical world, when you want to use it float away and when you want to come back, ground yourself. That’s how the previous user described it anyway. You’re a clever girl, I’m sure you’ll be able to use it fine.”

Katsumi growled in frustration, she shut her eyes, sinking her vision into darkness. Ground yourself. What the hell did that even mean? Her body screamed out in pain, her thoughts drowned out by the fiery agony. She gave in, abandoning her thoughts for the pain, the ache of her limps and the tightness of her chest. 

As she did, something appeared in her mind, was that quote? ‘Pain is how we know we are still living’ Where did she hear that? Where it came from didn’t matter, it was enough because she felt something shift and she opened her eyes. There she was in the mirror, dishevelled and glossy-eyed.

She dragged herself up to her room, she slept for a long time.

For a week she was practically bedbound, blaming stress and some mysterious illness. After a couple of days, her dad started to get extremely worried, he started to talk about getting her to a hospital to see what was wrong with her. Obviously, he would, god had that man thought this through at all? If she was to go to the hospital and the doctors discovered she had another quirk the secret would be out. Neither of them wanted that but it seemed solely on her to keep their deal under wraps. She was lucky that at that point she had started to get better, she was eating and moving fine. She was almost completely adapted in time for the first day of UA, but not quite. 

Between receiving her quirk and her first few days of UA Katsumi hadn’t attempted to use the quirk. She didn’t have the time, and the prospect of becoming ill from the stress of it was a huge deterrent. Not only that, but it was a reminder of her situation, something she could do without thinking of.

The days between her reuniting with that man and receiving her quirk were some of the longest days of her life. She barely left her room, as she slowly rebuilt the wall in her mind, desperately attempting to seal what had happened back into the corner of her mind so she could return to some type of normalcy. Dad was busy out on patrol most days, and she ignored Izuku’s messages as she wallowed in her bed, re-running the conversation over and over again. Safe to say she was struggling to push the memories away.

The best way to deal with it was the way she always did, pretend the problem isn’t there until it’s rearing its ugly head against your face. So she did, she re-learned how to ignore it, well, as best as she could. She distracted herself with her games and worked out hard in her dad’s gym. But as she punched and kicked for hours on end, sweat dripping down her neck, her thoughts didn’t leave that dark corner of her mind.

She was in over her head, she knew that. But that man had made it so she had no escape. She couldn’t tell her father, physically she couldn’t. How she would explain it wouldn’t even form as thoughts, let alone words she could speak. And even if she managed it, if she somehow could tell him the truth, it would break him. All the pain she harboured alone would only be prolonged and shared, exasperated even.  It was like a bad joke told by an edge lord teenager. A stupid, ridiculous, dreadful thing that Katsumi could have lived the rest of her life without thinking about again. Hell, she had spent years now thinking about it, thats what made it all that much more infuriating. It all had been so perfect, she was having so much fun, and now her thoughts were bleaker than they had been in a long while.

The thought did flicker into her mind a couple of times, what if she did tell her father? Ignoring the aftermath of the conversation, would she even be able to say it? Revealing what happened would destroy so many ‘truths’ she wasn’t even sure she’d be believed. That was scarier than anything else, what if she had to prove it? She could tell him what happened sure, but the questions, the answers she’d have to give… It would be like digging her nails into a half-closed wound ripping it back open. God, her mother would get involved too, and she wouldn’t believe it. Katsumi could almost hear her voice, “What on earth are you talking about? Is this some type of bad joke? You were with me the whole time.” 

She wouldn’t believe her. That woman never believed her. Katsumi could hardly believe herself, she had almost managed to convince herself that it had all been a bad dream, an imaginary story that dominated her restless nights, and let her roam free in the daytime, haunting from the shadows.

For almost a decade Katsumi hadn’t spoken about it, and now it was just too late to bring it up. Too late to admit. She couldn’t ruin her father like that, couldn’t tell him a foe he thought to be dead had silently stolen his child he left vulnerable and broken her. 

What if that man did try to kill him? He had already injured him once, and now her father was even weaker physically. If they were to meet again, who knows who would stand victorious? She couldn’t destroy his mental state. Confronted with the knowledge that had been kept from him for so long, he would be inconsolable, and that man could swoop in and end him with little trouble.

No, she had to do this alone. She had to protect him, and Izuku and… Tomura. Every time her mind drifted to that foggy face in her memory her heart was filled with shame. He had been forgotten alongside those months as just another facet of the hell she so completely disavowed. Now, she had to make it right, without him she would be dead, and she owed him to ensure he did not suffer the very fate he had saved her from. She could convince him, she could show him how he was being trapped. If she played her cards right, she could get him to sell out that man to the police and the heroes could capture him. Without the figure of that horrible man looming over them, they would both be free. Maybe. 

All she needed was a little time and tack, and everything would be okay. Everything would be fine. 

Katsumi needed to believe that, everything would be fine. 

But it was becoming hard to believe anything of the sort, and her mind was descending once again into terror as she watched hundreds of villains emerge from that massive swirling purple mist. And in the centre, leading them out was someone she hadn’t seen in a long time. He’d really grown, she could see that now, but the grey hands that littered his body remained the same.

“Villains? No way! What villains would be dumb enough to attack UA?”

“Sensei,” Momo asked seriously, fear barely concealed, “aren’t there any intruder sensors?” 

“Yes! Of course there are!”

“Are they only here, or also at the main building?” Todoroki was calm, much calmer than anyone else. “Either way, if the sensors aren’t working, it’s got to be one of their quirks doing it. This place is far from the campus, they picked a time when there are few people here. These aren’t any dumb villains, they must have an objective. This is a well-coordinated sneak attack.” 

Katsumi didn’t know where to look as her classmates came to terms with that this was, in fact, a real invasion. She felt so exposed, her revealing costume suddenly making her feel very cold. She was sure the guilt was written on her face clear as day, that any moment someone would ask why she had been acting so strange that morning, and connect it to the events unfolding. As anxious thoughts overwhelmed her mind, she found herself unable to remove her eyes from the far-off figure, still standing unmoving at the portal. Despite the distance and his concealed face, she was strangely confident in the face he was too staring right at her.

“Katsumi!” Her eyes were ripped away as her shoulder was grabbed, spinning her around. Izuku stared at her, green eyes wide. “Are you okay?”

Katsumi could only stare at her friend, the realisation slowly dawning on her. Now, it was happening now, and she had to protect him. Her father wasn’t there, and that left the responsibility to her. 

“Yes.” Her gaze hardened, her mind clearing for the first time in weeks as she grasped his hand in hers. “Everything is going to be fine.”

Chapter Text

“Sensei! You can’t fight them alone!”  

Izuku had let go of Katsumi’s hand as he shouted after their teacher. Aizawa walked purposely to the edge of the platform, his bandage scarf flowing around his neck. Izuku tried to reason with him, the impossibility of his victory hung heavy on all of their heads as the kids watched with wide eyes the army of grunts that approached them. 

“Your fighting style isn’t suited to head-on battle!” Izuku pleaded with him, “A frontal battle is-”

“No good hero is a one-trick pony.”

Katsumi watched in awe as Aizawa jumped down the side, barreling down into the army of villains as he shouted out to Thirteen to protect the students. Lunging forward she tried to watch him as he began to fight back the encroaching hoard. 

“Wow! He can hold his own even when outnumbered!” Izuku’s voice came from beside her. As Katsumi turned to glance at her she felt a sudden hand on her shoulder.

“Hey, you two!” It was Ashido, her black eyes wide and shoulders tense as she glanced around skittishly, “C’mon! Let’s go!”

“But-” She began to protest, but the rest of the class was already approaching the door.

“This is no time for analaysis!” Iida called to them as he ushered the others away, “Hurry up and evacuate!”

The three of them quickly caught up to the group as they hurried to the exit. Katsumi glanced behind her, the army of villains still approaching, she could still see him, a large purple monster by his side. Something felt missing though. 

“I’m afraid you will not be leaving.”

Kurogiri. The group froze as the ‘man’ who had been tailing her all those months blocked their path with dark, swirling purple mist. His bright yellow eyes stared down at them, and despite their more flame-than-eye nature, Katsumi could feel his gaze momentarily land on her.

“Greetings.” His voice was deep and distorted, it reminded her of that man's voice through that stupid laptop, “Nice to meet you, we are the League of Villains. It may be presumptuous of us but we have invited ourselves into the home of the heroes, UA High School in order to have All Might, the Symbol of Peace, take his last breath.”

Well, here it was, she couldn’t say she was shocked. Izuku looked at her, eyes wide, fear clearly written on his face. Katsumi didn’t have to fake a reaction of fear, it had been bubbling up inside her all day, if not for the last few weeks, and now, it was happening. The problem was rearing its ugly face in front of her. 

“I believe he was supposed to be here today, and yet I see no sign of him. There must've been some sort of change in plans we could not have foreseen. Ah, well, in the end, I suppose it doesn't matter. I still have a role to play.”

Boom!

Kirishima and Bakugou had lept forwards, the latter releasing a loud explosion as they made contact with the mist.

“Did ya think we were just gonna stand around and let you tear this place to shreds?”

Morons! Katsumi gritted her teeth. They had no idea!

“You live up to your school's reputation.” Kurogiri was unfazed by the attack, of course. “But you should be more careful, children. Otherwise, someone might get hurt.”

Die, die, die! She wanted that stupid old purple fart to drop dead. Just another of that man's pawns, following his orders gleefully and for what? Her knuckles were white with how hard her fists were clenched.

“You two, get out of the way, right now!” Thirteen called to the two boys. 

“I'll scatter you across this facility to meet my comrades… and your deaths!”

It happened in a moment, Katsumi heard a yelp beside her, Ashido being engulfed in the mist. She didn’t even get the chance to second guess herself before she was yanking her away, in the same motion throwing herself into the dark mist.

The heat was the first thing to hit Katsumi. The smoke second. She had landed hard on concrete, disorientated and gasping. She pushed herself up, gasps turning to coughs from the smoke. As she rose from the rough concrete, she felt the blistering hot air singe the little hairs on her skin. 

“Yagi-san!”

A boy’s voice she didn’t really recognise called out to her, but before she could respond a firm kick collided with her skull, knocking her back down. 

“Haha! Well, what do we ha- ack!”

Katsumi managed to get up and turn her head in time to see the sneering villain be thrown to the side with a loud thud. She spun around, still sitting on the debris-ridden floor, to see his body slam against a wall of one of the tall buildings surrounding them.

“Yagi-san! Are you okay?”

Blinking, she turned back around to where the voice was coming from. A boy with slicked-back blonde hair, dressed in a karate gi with a wide, muscly tail offered her a hand, eyes filled with barely disguised panic. She didn’t get a chance to respond as her eye caught a flash of movement behind him.

She took the hand, pulling herself up and pushing past him to swing a wide kick at the figure that was about to hit a spiked punch at the boy's head. She made contact with his jaw, hard. Steel-shelled foot struck him with a crack as his jaw was knocked off its hinges. The man wailed as he doubled over in pain, clutching his hanging jaw. Wasting no moment she brought a fist down fiercely onto his head, knocking him out cold.

Taking in deep breaths she surveyed the area. This was bad, maybe? Yeah, she may not be dead but from what she could tell Kurogiri had used whatever warping quirk he had to split everyone up. She did not know what they were planning, but this divide-and-conquer strategy should have been obvious. Was it just her and this other boy in this area? Where was everyone- where was Izuku dammint? She was supposed to be watching out for Izuku! Had everyone been thrown somewhere random? Or based on their quirks? Where was Izuku then? She should have asked more questions about their plans, but honestly, she didn’t want to be around that man for any longer than needed. What she needed to do was obvious, get out.

There were more coming, the fire that surrounded them was slowing them down but the villains had seen them now. They were in some sort of dark, enclosed dome, clusters of raging fire peppered around the only source of light. She could vaguely remember a dome before, must be the fire simulation area. It was so hot, a stark contrast from the cold fear she was feeling only moments ago. Her skin was already growing sticky with sweat, hair sticking on the back of her neck. She took a hairband she had on her wrist and pulled her hair up into a high ponytail while her eyes surveyed the area. She had no clue where the exit was.

“Ojiro right?” She asked, turning around.

“Yeah, thank you-” His eyes were wide, obviously still in shock, “you saved me.”

“Save it.” She walked past him to the wall of the tall building he had been thrown next to, “We gotta get out of here first.”

“What are we going to do? They're coming closer,” Ojiro eye’s were glued to the approaching gaggle of grunts, “and we have no idea what their quirks are!”

“These are all third-rate losers,” Katsumi glared up at the building, the sides were flat, but most of the windows were broken and not that far apart. “All they have on us is numbers. We’re going to climb up one of these buildings and look for the exit.” She turned to Ojiro who was understandably still disorientated. Only a minute ago they had been in the bright, cool main area of the facility, now they had been thrown into what was practically an oven with how damn hot it was. 

Katsumi looked at him, eyes steady, her expression confident, hoping it would relax him. “We’ll make a run for it and meet up with whoever we find first.”

She had to get back to Izuku, she was too focused on getting Ashido out of the way she hadn’t even seen where he had ended up, she should have stayed focused.

“How are we going to get up there? All the buildings have fire inside, what if we’re blocked off? Surely it’s best to fend them off here, I’m sure a teacher will-”

“We don’t have time to wait around!” She snapped back, “Everyone is fending for themselves, even the teachers. No one is coming. If you want to stay here, do that, the only person who can save you is yourself after all. But if you come with me, we can work together and get out.”

He looked at her, then at the approaching hoard. Gritting his teeth he turned back to her, “How are we getting up?”

“Not easily.” She huffed, “Your quirk’s that tail right? I’m sure you can lift your body weight with it?”

“Yeah…” His tone did not inspire confidence, but there was no time for pep talks. 

“You’re going to use your tail to pull yourself up using the window ledges.”

“Huh?” Ojiro’s brows shot up as his gaze flickered to the windows, “But most of the windows have glass and even the broken ones have shards and that’ll-”

“That’s why I’m going first,” Katsumi stopped him, “I’ll clear off the glass so you won’t get cut.”

“But what about you?”

“We don’t have time for this-” Katsumi growled, the jeering of the grunts only getting louder and louder, “don’t argue and make sure to keep up.”

The building was about fifteen stories high and most of the floors were just as Ojiro said, completely engulfed in flames. It made climbing difficult, the heat singeing and burning Katsumi’s legs as she passed the openings. It was methodological, Katsumi stretched an arm up to break the glass and get a good grip on the ledge before she pulled herself up to the next window. Her hands and forearms were bloody, constantly getting sliced and caught by the sharp edges of the glass. It was nothing she couldn’t handle though, and the wounds would disappear soon enough.

Ojiro followed her, using his tail to push himself up and grab hold of the cleared ledges. A couple of the villains shot out what seemed to be some sort of arrows at them, their aim was abysmal, and the problem was solved after Ojiro threw a table from one of the floors into the crowd beneath them. Still, they had to work fast, who knew when one of the grunts would start to try to climb after them? 

“Fucking finally.” Katsumi huffed, her thighs still hot from the fire. Her arms were completely smeared with blood, her costume and thighs smudged with it from her arms brushing against them. She sighed, wiping her hands off onto her leotard before she began to pick off the shards of glass that had lodged themselves into her flesh. 

“Oh god!” Ojiro gasped, panting slightly. He stared with horror at her as she turned around, arms held out in front of her. 

“I’m fine, see?” She wiped the blood away, revealing undisturbed skin. His expression was more shocked than before. Grimacing, she thought of a way to move on from the conversation.

“Part of my quirk,” she explained, it wasn’t a complete lie. “Anyways,” she waved him off dismissively, “we gotta start looking for an exit.”

Ojiro found it before her, calling her over to the far side of the building and pointing to what looked like a door about half a kilometre away. 

“Okay,” Katsumi stood back from the edge, taking in a deep breath. “You think you can jump across the buildings or do you wanna go back down and run through the streets with all the villains?”

“Jump across the buildings?” He blinked, “Can you do that?” 

“Didn’t you see me before,” Katsumi snorted, holding a still-bloody arm out and stretching it forward. “Can’t you propel yourself with your tail?”

“Well I-” Lips pursed, he looked away, “I don’t know, I’ve never tried and-”

“Can you try?”

“If I fall I’m a goner Yagi!” He exclaimed, “I’m sorry but do you really expect me to be able to jump that far?”

Katsumi took in a deep breath, she could have been halfway to the exit right now if he wasn’t with her. She had to get to Izuku, but she didn’t really want to leave this kid alone. 

“You’re Dad,” he said suddenly, “they said they’re after him right?”

“Doesn’t matter,” Katsumi laughed bitterly, “he’s not here.”

“Don’t you think they might go after you though?” 

Katsumi looked up at him, fear striking through her for a second. He surely saw it, the widening of her eyes and twitch of her mouth, he didn’t know the true reason though. They had already gone after her, they’d got her, she wasn’t worried about that, there was no point. It was just him saying that which shocked her for a moment. 

With a deep breath, Katsumi stepped closer to Ojiro. “Look man,” she rubbed her brow, “I gotta get back, I can’t sit by when I don’t know if everyone else is safe. I don’t want to leave you alone either…”

Ojiro didn’t reply for a moment, staring at the floor. The crackle of the fire and shouting of the villains beneath them, surely trying to figure a way to get up to them filled the thick air.

“That’s what a hero does I guess,” he said finally, making Katsumi blink in surprise, “only stop when everyone’s safe, I mean.”

“Yeah,” Katsumi blinked, the idea of her being any sort of heroic not fully computing in her head. “I guess so.”

“Okay,” he nodded, clenching his fist in front of him, “let’s get out of here Yagi-san.”

“Call me Katsumi.”

“Oh, uh, maybe…”

“Normally I wouldn't want blood and viscera flooding the insides of my warp gates, but I'll make an exception for a hero as great as you.”

Unlikely to succeed he had said, designed to fail. So why, why was she seeing her father stuck holding the large body of one of the villains, the bird-like creature's claws clenched into the exact spot where his wound that had weakened him all those years ago was? 

She had just about seen it go down, Ojirio and she had burst through the door of the dome, managing to lose the hoard of villains that had attempted to follow them. As their bodies, sweaty and panting, hit the cool air of the main area they were met with the sounds of heavy fighting. 

She didn’t know when her father had arrived but now she wished he hadn’t. He had slammed the bird-like man, somehow even more massive in stature than her father, to the ground only for one of Kurogiri’s portals to open up for the purple man, the villain's upper body appearing below her dad and grabbing onto his sides. 

Just like before with Ashido, she didn’t have a moment to properly think before she sprinted forward. Ojiro's calls for her to slow down fell on deaf ears as she pumped her legs faster than she had ever before. 

If he died right now, if that thing killed him, it was her fault. 

He was going to cut him in two. She wouldn’t let that happen. Her mind briefly flashed to what punishment might await her for intervening, but her father's life was worth a million of her own. He was the symbol of peace, millions, billions of people looked up to him if he died, there would be no hope. That man would be able to get his fingers in every corner of the country and turn it into chaos. Katsumi hated how the world worked, how it threw away the ‘undesirable’ and platformed the selfish, but the world that man promised was not anything better. Her dad was actually someone who did good, who represented good, and not just that, but he was her dad. 

Tears were spilling from her eyes as she ran, her eyebrows flying up as her eyes spotted a head of messy green hair, also running.

“All Might!”

“Izuku! Don’t-” she shouted.

“Get the hell out of my way Deku!”

Katsumi skidded to a halt only five feet or so from the fight, as Bakugou flew forward, propelled by the force of an explosion, grabbing straight for the metal collar around Kurogiri's neck he detonated a large blast against it, slamming it into the ground.

“One of your poorly trained thugs told me you're here because you think you can kill All Might.” 

Katsumi’s mind felt fuzzy as she watched ice encase one side of the purple creature, stopping right before it reached her father. She flinched as a flash of red hair past her, swiping and missing at a person in front of her she hadn’t noticed. 

“Dammnit I almost had him!” Kirishima grunted as he joined the other boys as All Might got up, freeing himself from the claws of the creature. 

“Yagi-san!” Ojiro’s breathless call came from behind her, finally catching up. Katsumi could only hold her arm out to stop him. 

She had found herself on the wrong side, for as the group of her classmates and her father stood opposite her, in between them was the young man dressed head-to-toe in black. 

“Katsumi Yagi…” He muttered it, but it was loud enough for everyone to hear, Katsumi didn’t see the terrified look on Izuku’s face or her father's call to get back, too focused on the glimpse of red behind the grey hand that gripped his face. His eyes looked her over, piercing deep into her, she felt as if he was reading every little line of DNA in her body, her whole existence exposed. 

What was he going to say? Was he about to ignore that man's plan and out her involvement in front of everyone? What was she saying, of course he wouldn’t… right? But the way he looked at her, that cold, piercing stare, half-hidden by the grey hand that grasped onto his face, he seemed just as cold as any other of the villains there. That thought made her stomach drop.

“Ka- Yagi!” Her father shouted, “Both of you, get back!”

“Katsumi!” Izuku called out.

Tomura turned away from her, not saying another word. As he turned Katsumi felt her heart sink, it had been such a long time, of course, he would have changed, she was stupid to think this would be easy. 

“Kurogiri.” His voice was strange, was it like that back then? Raspy, the annoyance in his voice palpable, “How could you let this brat get the best of you? You've gotten us into a real jam here.”

“Heh,” Bakugou grinned, still pinning the man down. “You got careless, you dumb villain. It wasn't hard to figure you out. Only certain parts of you turn into that smoking warp gate. You used that mist to hide your actual body, as a kind of distraction. Thinking that made you safe!”

The annoying idea that maybe her friend's childhood bully wasn’t as stupid as she would have liked to believe crept into her mind only to be swiftly swatted away due to the absolute unimportance of it, seeing the current situation.

“Yagi-san!” Ojiro whispered from beside her, “We should move!” Katsumi didn’t respond, watching as Bakugou threatened Kurogiri, keeping him pinned to the floor.

“They escaped uninjured and captured my two strongest men,” Tomura muttered to himself. “Kids these days really are amazing. They make the League of Villains look like amateurs… Can't have that. Nomu.”

The loud screech of the creature as it exited the portal felt like an audible manifestation of the feeling that hit Katsumi at the sound of that name. Her eyes snapped to the purple ‘man’ if it could be called that anymore. Brain exposed, eyes bulging, a bird-like head on a large, overly muscular purple body. It ripped itself free, its leg, arm and part of its chest crumbling off as shards of ice. Her gaze flicked back to Tomura, she was sure she saw a flash of red behind the hand, as if he had been looking at her. 

“Stay back, everybody!” Her father commanded, holding an arm out. He looked to Katsumi, eyes begging her to snap out of whatever fear-fuelled paralysis had captured her and run away, but she stayed frozen, eyes wide as she watched Nomu’s limps regrow themselves. 

“I thought you said his power was shock absorption.” All Might glared at the villain the warp-quirk user had called Shigaraki. He was too close to his daughter, why he hadn’t attempted to catch her for a hostage was beyond him, he had certainly seen her, the moment when he had turned to her, and said her name, striking a fear through him he had not felt for a long time. But he had simply turned back around.

Whatever the reason, it couldn’t matter now, the issue of the large monstrous man in front of him, the injuries he had sustained disappearing as if they had never happened as he roared, ready for another round. All Might, however, was at his limit and he clutched at his bleeding wound. 

“I didn't say that was his only Quirk.” Shigaraki smirked,  “He also has super‐regeneration. Nomu has been modified to take you on even at one hundred percent of your power. He's basically a highly efficient punching bag that hits back.”

“Yagi-san.” Ojiro had his hand on Katsumi’s shoulder now, trying to pull her back. 

“First, we need to free our method of escape.” 

Katsumi heard Ojiro gasp behind her as Nomu shot forward with an unnatural speed, heading right for Bakugou. In one instance Katsumi saw her father spring into action, Bakugou thrown to the side as he took the force of the attack, a huge whirling dirt cloud flying back, the dust settling to reveal All Might, blood spurting from his clenched teeth.

“Dad!” Her hoarse cry rang out.

“All Might!”

Kurogiri appeared beside Tomura who hummed thoughtfully. “So, he protected the child, huh? Surprising-”  he huffed, glancing behind him again to where the horrified girl still stood, the moment he did his shoulders stiffened, eyes landing on where Ojiro held onto her shoulder.

“These are kids,” his head snapped back around when All Might’s angry shout rang out, “and you didn't hold back?”

“I didn't have much choice. He was threatening my companion. Besides, these kids are no angels. The plain‐looking one? He tried to kill me with a maxed‐out punch. What kind of ‘hero’ does something like that? You think you can get away with being as violent as you want if you say it's for the sake of others.” 

“Well, you know what, All Might? That pisses me off. Why do people get to decide that some violent acts are heroic and others are villainous? Casting judgment as to what's ‘good’ and what's ‘evil’. You think you're the Symbol of Peace? Ha. You're just another government‐sponsored instrument of violence. And violence always breeds more violence. I'll make sure the world understands that once you're dead.”

Is that what he thought..? Katsumi grimaced as she listened to the conversation, eyes constantly darting to the Nomu, unmoving. That man, and that doctor… they had actually done it… Of course, he neglected to tell her about it. ‘Designed to fail’… She’d been tricked.

“You're nothing but a lunatic.” Her father shot back, unimpressed by the young man's ramblings, “Criminals like you always try and make your actions sound noble. But admit it; you're only doing this because you like it. Isn't that right?”

“He’s got me figured out…” He mumbled looking down to the ground before he laughed, “Well, maybe your daughter would agree more with me, seems she’s only here because you didn’t want her beating people half-to-death without a permit. A violent delinquent gets to go to the most prestigious hero school instead of a cell, all because her daddy’s a famous pro… That’s righteous isn’t it?” 

He knew about that? She felt her heart drop, she couldn’t respond to that, only looking to her father who shook his head, teeth grit tightly together. 

“Katsumi! Ojiro!” Izuku called out to her, his eyes wide. The other boys looked at her, confusion about the villain's words clear in their faces. Why did Tomura have to say that? 

“We've got them outnumbered and surrounded. And Kacchan found the mist guy's weakness!”

“These dudes may act really tough,” Kirishima nodded, brows furrowed as he focused back on the task at hand, “but we can take 'em down now with All Might's help.”

“Don't attack.” All Might appeared, getting in front of them, “Get out of here. You two also!” He said, looking past the Villains to Katsumi and Ojiro.

“You would've been in trouble earlier if it weren't for me, remember? You need our help.” Todoroki reminded him, cooly, already preparing to attack again. 

“Yagi, what are we doing?” Ojiro whispered, Katsumi took in a deep breath, she had been standing frozen too long, but if she moved at all, she might risk Tomura saying something. The way he had spoken about her arrest… something in her shifted. Right now that was not Tomura, this was a villain she needed to deal with. Any empathy needed to be pushed to the side, she could try to reason with him later, now she knew what she was dealing with, right now, she had to make sure her classmates were safe. 

“Uh,” she muttered, looking hopelessly at the floor before sucking in a deep breath. “Wait for an opening then try to join up with the others. We’re vulnerable here.”

“Okay,” he nodded, swallowing hard. 

“It's gonna be all right kids.” Her father clenched his fist as he faced the Nomu and Tomura, “Just sit back and watch a pro at work.”

Izuku was saying something to him, most likely that he was absolutely running out of time, for fuck sake! It took every ounce of Katsumi’s self-control not to cry out, instead slowly stepping back, signalling to Ojiro to get ready to run.

“Nomu. Kurogiri. Kill him. I'll deal with the children. Let's clear this level and go home.” As Tomura spoke he began to lunge towards the group of boys. Katsumi lurched forward instinctively. The Nomu too began to barrel towards her father, making Katsumi freeze as her eyes were torn from Izuku.

“Now?” Ojiro asked quickly, eyes darting to the boys as they readied themselves. Despite her best efforts Katsumi began to shake, this was all her fault. Was she actually going to have to fight him? It was either that or watching her friends be disintegrated before her eyes.

 In the end, there wasn’t a need for Katsumi to do anything, because her dad was there. 

“I am the world's Symbol of Peace and Justice!”

Shockwaves exploded out, sending everyone flying back as All Might's fist met the overgrown one of the Nomu. The creature screeched loudly, her father's battle cry droned out by the high-pitched wail. Katsumi was thrown a good couple of meters back, as she slowly got up, her eyes returning to the monstrous form of the Nomu, one thought crossed her mind-

‘That could have been me.’

“Weren't you listening?” Tomura shouted angrily as he regained his composure after being thrown back, “One of his powers is shock absorption.”

“Yeah?” her father laughed, his signature grin before he swung another powerful punch at the Nomu, “What about it?”

They traded blow after blow, so fast Katsumi struggled to keep up. Ojiro rushed towards her, helping her stand as the gusts of wind hit them again and again. 

“No! I can't get near them!” Katsumi’s head spun to where Kurogiri’s voice came from, the wind keeping him from interfering. 

“Haha,” Katsumi laughed, staring wildly at the two villains.

“Yagi-san!” Ojiro strained to be heard over the wind, “I think your dad’s gonna win!”

“Obviously!” She laughed, slightly unhinged as she forced herself to believe it.

“He said your Quirk was only shock absorption, not nullification. That means there's a limit to what you can take, right?” All Might grunted as he put all the force he could muster into each punch. 

“So, you were made to fight me, big guy. If you can really withstand me firing at one hundred percent of my power…” The image of his daughter's terrified face flashed into his mind, “...then I'll have to go beyond that and force you to surrender!” He yelled. The wound on his stomach ached, his body felt cold and yet his blood raced and sweat dripped down his chin as he forced himself to punch again and again, each punch fueled with all his strength.

“Dad!” He heard Sumi’s voice call out over the sound of punches and his own head throbbing, “Beat his ass!”

With that All Might shouted, and an uppercut collided with the chin of the Nomu, sending it flying back, the force of the punch so great the concrete floor broke as the creature crashed across it. 

“A real hero…” he declared as he jumped into the air, chasing the villain, fending it off as it pounced onto him, “will always find a way for justice to be served!”

Katsumi watched in awe as her father fought the Nomu in the air, grabbing his arm he swung him around and sent him shooting down to the concrete with a roar. The concrete shattered like glass, large chunks of debris flying up, Katsumi covered her head with an arm, the other held to protect Ojiro.

“Now for a lesson.” Her father's words echoed as he landed, standing strong against the towering beast, “You may have heard these words before, but I'll teach you what they really mean. Go beyond!” He pulled back his fist, holding out his other hand in front as he wound up his attack, “Plus Ultra!”

The force of the punch almost looked like it was making the Nomu implode, its torso bloating as bright orange light shone through its leathery purple skin. It was thrown up, shooting above their heads and smashing through the dome, the lights exploding as their circuits were overwhelmed by pure force. The whole dome and everything shook as if there was an earthquake.

“He- he did it.” Ojiro’s said breathlessly. Katsumi’s eyes were glued to the dust cloud left on the ground, her father's silhouette slowly becoming clearer.

“I really have gotten weaker. Back in my heyday, five hits woulda been enough to knock that guy out.” He beat his fist to his chest. Katsumi exhaled, relief rushing through her as she saw her father's wide grin. “But today, it took more than three hundred mighty blows.”

The relief didn’t stay for long, as the longer she looked at him, she slowly saw the full picture. Blood dripped from his mouth, his legs shook slightly and it was hard to see through the dust, but steam was definitely coming from him. He was out of time.

“You've been bested, villains.” His voice still was full of confidence, as if he could keep fighting all day, but Katsumi knew that wasn’t the case. “Surrender. We all want to get this over with quickly.”

“No... He beat me. He's not any weaker at all.” Tomura’s words were akin to those of a young child, “And look what he did to my Nomu. He cheated!”  

Katsumi had been inactive too long, her dad was at his limit and there were still two threats left. She couldn’t afford to do nothing, no matter how scared she was. 

“Oh, come on.” Katsumi’s train of thought was broken as she heard Tomura’s voice, he scratched at his neck impulsively. “What's going on here? He's just as strong as he's always been. Dammit. Don't tell me I was lied to.”

“What's wrong?” Her father asked, making him flinch, “Not attacking me? Didn't you say you were going to clear this level earlier? Well, come and get me, if you dare.”

Tomura stepped back, obviously intimidated by the massive man standing before him. 

She shouldn’t intervene, if she did it would tell them that something was wrong. They needed to retreat, if Tomura had half a brain in his head, he would get Kurogiri to warp themselves out of there. 

Her eyes drifted to Izuku, he surely had also figured out he was on the brink too. She shook her head at him to tell him to stand back, but he wasn’t looking at her, his eyes fixated on All Might. 

“What?” Her father grunted, “Are you scared?"

A raspy growl distracted Katsumi, her face contorted into an expression of disgust as she was met with the sight of Tomura scratching wildly at his neck.

“If only Nomu was here…” he seethed, “...he'd rush you right now. Pound you into the ground without giving it a second thought.” His words were as uncontrolled as his scratching, Kurogiri leaned towards him.

“Tomura Shigaraki! Please, do not fret. Look at him. He has definitely weakened. Nomu's attacks were successful. He's on his own. The children appear to be frozen in fear. 

And, look, our underlings are recovering.”

He was right, the grunts were groaning, slowly regaining their composure.

“We likely still have a few minutes before their reinforcements arrive. If you and I work together, we can do this. We haven't missed our chance to kill All Might.”

“Yeah.” Tomura’s hands stopped scratching. “Yeah, you're right. This is it. We have no choice. We have to do it now. I mean, the big end boss is right here.”

“Ojiro,” Katsumi spoke clearly and assured, “go join the others.”

“What-?”

She darted forward, running straight past the two villains and to her father, she skidded around in front of him, glaring ahead. 

“Katsumi! Get back!” She ignored her father's pleas. 

“Give it up!” She shouted at him, Tomura had stopped in his tracks, just staring at her. Her blood ran cold but she didn’t yield. 

“Katsumi Yagi,” Kurogiri warned, “you may want to rethink this.”

“Maybe you should rethink this!” She hoped they would think she was just bad at coming with comebacks and not what she actually was, scared shitless. “There’s re-enforcements coming y’know?” She yelled out, she wasn’t even sure there was, if anyone had managed to contact anyone, well they must of if her dad was here after all.

“Ugh…” Tomura groaned, staring at the floor, “Why do you care… How annoying… Whatever, you’ll be fine, still, get out of my way.” 

Katsumi flinched as he suddenly lunged towards them, she sucked in a deep breath and stood her ground, ignoring the mental disconnect she was feeling from the situation. Was this really Tomura? Whatever, it didn’t matter. She just needed to grab his wrists and throw him, he was skinny, she could easily overpower him. If she could get him in custody, he may hate her, even expose her, but he would be away from that man. 

“Consider this revenge for what you did to Nomu All Might!”

Teeth grinding together, she readied for his attack like she was preparing to tackle a wild beast. Her eyes widened, posture cracking as she saw Kurogiri’s purple mist follow behind him- how the hell was she going to deal with that? Fuck, why was no one else helping!? 

As if it was an answer to her thought a sudden yell broke through the air, “Don't you touch All Might- You stupid villain!”

In an instant, Izuku flew in front of Katsumi, one punch aimed at Kurogiri’s metal neck brace. 

“I won't fall for that again.”

A swirling portal opened up by his neck and a dull, dry hand with long, thin fingers reached out towards Izuku’s head. Katsumi’s heart stopped as the image of Izuku crumbling to dust filled her mind. No, not Izuku. In a flash memories of the last months flooded her consciousness, their beach training sessions, him tutoring her, her birthday… She couldn’t let it all be destroyed.

There wasn’t a moment to think, no more time for hesitating, she moved forwards, hands hitting Tomura's chest as she pushed him back with all the force she had, his hand retreating from the portal as he stumbled back.

Bang!

Gunshots. 

All Might grunted, “They're here!”

Kurogiri fell back, following Tomura as he clutched his bleeding hand. He’d been shot. 

Loud explosions rang out from behind them, Katsumi gasped, there really were people coming! The sounds of shouting and yelling no doubt the teachers dealing with all the recovered grunts. 

“Aw, man.” Tomura hissed, “The pros are here. It's game over. For real.” He began to turn around, “Let's go home and try this when we can-”

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Another three shots pierced Tomura knocking him to the ground. Kurogiri quickly moved over them both as bullets continued to reign down. 

“Let’s go.” Kurogiri began to sink Tomura into a portal when his mist suddenly began to be sucked away.

“This is-” he struggled, “Black Hole!”

Kurogiri groaned as he tried to pull away, Tomura glared up from the portal he was slowly sinking into. His eyes met Katsumi’s first, the stare was foreign to her, full of hatred. He turned to her father.

“I may have failed to kill you this time,” his words were dark and dripping with hatred, “but your days are numbered. All Might. Symbol of Peace. I am going to kill you.”

Katsumi glowered at him, “Not when I’m still breathing.” 

Tomura snorted, glaring at her as the purple mist finally engulfed him.

“Katsumi.” Her dad’s soft voice startled her as she turned to look at him, he was in an awful state, half in his weakened form, half All Might. Katsumi felt her eyes well with tears as she looked at him.

“I couldn't do it.” Izuku mumbled weakly from the floor, “I wasn't able to help you.”

“Izuku!” Katsumi gasped, his broken legs lying crooked behind him.

“That's absolutely not true.” All Might replied, a smile on his face. “You two bought me a few vital seconds. If not for that, I'd be dead now. Both of you, you've saved me.

Izuku stared up at him, eyes glistening as he too began to cry, “Thank you... All Might. I’m just, so glad that you're okay!”

“...Dad…” Katsumi whispered, turning back to her father.

He practically collapsed on her as he evaporated into his weakened form, as soon as he did she wrapped her arms around him. She clutched onto him tightly, burying her head into the crook of his neck to hide her face from him.

Guilt was eating her alive.

“Midoriya!” A loud boy’s voice shouted out, “Katsumi!” 

“Yagi-san!” 

Katsumi flinched as she heard the sounds of Kirishima and Ojiro approaching, it was good they were okay, but they couldn’t see her dad like this! Izuku realised it too gasping halfway through his reply.

“Kirishma wait!”

Suddenly the concrete rose up into a tall wall, obstructing the two boys from them and hiding All Might from view.

“For your safety, please stay back.” A man seemingly made of cement spoke, asking the two to join the others at the gate.

“Thanks for that.” Her father sighed, pulling away from Katsumi to look to the approaching hero, “You saved my butt, Cementoss.”

“My pleasure, I'm actually a big fan of yours.” He smiled, holding his hands together in front of him. “We should sneak you out of here and get you three to the nurse's office. Seriously, All Might. That could've been really bad.”

“I had to act recklessly,” he admitted, wiping away some blood on his cheek, “or else I'd be dead now. Just goes to show how strong those villains were.”

Katsumi grimaced, yeah, they were a problem that was going to be harder to deal with than she had thought.

Chapter Text

While the teachers and police rounded up the criminals, the three of them were taken to see Recovery Girl. Despite her reassurance that she was not injured, Katsumi’s dad insisted that she come with them, obviously shaken by seeing his daughter's arms practically soaked in blood. It wasn’t like Katsumi didn’t want to stay with them either, so she awkwardly trailed behind them as they were taken off on stretchers. 

During the entire ride in the ambulance, Katsumi was bombarded with questions from Izuku: where she had been, what had happened, whether she had to fight anyone. Katsumi didn’t feel like talking, which her dad thankfully noticed, reminding Izuku that everyone was worn out and that they should discuss it later. 

Well now this ‘League of Villians’ crap was out there, no doubt it would be on the news. That man hadn’t been present, though she supposed she expected that, he couldn’t let her father know he was alive just yet. It seemed he was building Tomura up from the shadows, and revealing himself would let them know just how dangerous of a threat the League really is. A gun masquerading itself as a child toy, all it needed was a couple of good bullets and it would be deadly… They’d taken a shot with the Nomu but one bullet wasn’t enough, not yet at least. 

Speaking of that thing, Katsumi’s blood ran cold just thinking about it. He had been successful, she had assumed that once she had escaped they’d given up on engineering a creature to kill her father. She had assumed wrong. Even though the Nomu didn’t succeed, it showed that they were close, and who knows what other monsters they had floating in tanks in a warehouse somewhere? At the very least Katsumi could be grateful today it wasn’t a Nomu with her face ordered to mindlessly kill her father, she had escaped that fate.

And then there was Tomura… fuck. She had almost tried to not think about him too much before this, keeping him as a guiltless victim in her mind. But as she sat quietly listening to Izuku as he recalled what he had gone through during the attack, as she heard about how her old friend had tried to kill Tsu… How he had injured Aizawa-Sensei… and he really was trying to kill her dad…

When she had seen him, the way he spoke, so consumed with an untargeted hatred and loathing… Convincing him to give himself up seemed impossible, but she owed him to try.

“The situation being what it was, I suppose I can’t scold you both this time.”

Recovery Girl was a short elderly woman who wore a neat grey bun atop her head. She had ordered Toshinori and Izuku into the bed before she gave them both a comical smooch, how her quirk worked Katsumi was told. 

“You, young lady, don’t seem hurt at all, just very bloody.” She had noted as she examined the blonde teen's arms, blood now crusted to her skin. 

“Yeah,” Katsumi smiled awkwardly as the short woman turned over her arms, her grip uncharacteristically strong, “I used my quirk to heal myself.”

“Very good, that’s a very useful skill. Suppose I won’t be seeing you in here quite as much as your freckled friend over there!” She smiled, “Go in the other room and take a shower dear, all that blood must feel quite gross. I’ll bring you a PE outfit to wear. There's towels in there don’t you worry.”

She did feel disgusting, and even after she scrubbed the dried dark blood off her skin she was still feeling dirty. The feeling had seeped deep into her skin, corrupting her bones and entering her very DNA, or maybe that’s where it was all truly stemming from. Standing under the warm water, head pressed on the cold white wall, she tried to relax. It wasn’t working.

She should probably rinse out her costume, she thought as she stood up straight. As she did, holding it up to the water and scrubbing it with her fingernails, she frowned down at it. She really hadn’t liked being in that around villains, so exposed. The hole in the middle of the chest had made her feel almost whorish now she thought about it. Memories of the looks and comments she had gotten throughout her life because of her clothing and her natural body made her wince, it did affect her after all, even if she didn’t want to admit it. 

She kinda needed her arms and legs as free as possible, but the cut-out really was unnecessary. Could she get that covered? There was a costume department at the school that could probably cover it easily, yeah she’d do that when she got the chance. Maybe have the back cover more too. As soon as possible.

“I can't be sure yet. But I think I shortened my time limit again with that fight. I’m hoping I can at least still hold the form for an hour.”

Katsumi had her head down, staring at the bed she had perched on after getting changed. An hour. Just an hour. Her hair was still damp, and it was making her feel a little cold, she pulled on the towel around her neck. 

“I'm so sorry,” Izuku looked down guiltily. Katsumi felt her stomach twist.

“Well, it's no use worrying. These things happen,” her dad sighed before turning to Katsumi. “By the way, your mother called me. It seems news about the attacks has already broken out. Give her a call later, will you?”

Katsumi groaned, “Fine. Later.”

Just then the door began to open revealing a tall clean-shaven man with dark short hair wearing a long coat. He smiled absent-mindedly.

“Excuse me,” he bowed slightly as he entered, shutting the door behind him. “Hi, All Might. Been a while.”

“What the hell?” Her dad laughed, “I didn't know that you were investigating.”

“Whoa, All Might!” Izuku sat up, looking between the two men, “It's okay he's seeing you like this?”

“Oh, yeah, it's fine. This guy's all right. Naomasa Tsukauchi, my best friend on the police force. He's legit, I trust him.”

“That's quite an introduction,” Tsukauchi chuckled. “Sorry to cut to the chase, but we could really use any information you might have.”

She hadn’t even thought about a police investigation, how? Why on earth didn’t she think of that? Obviously, obviously, there would be one! Her mind raced as she tried to think of what crimes she’d committed, she hadn’t given over information, only known about an incoming attack… what law was that breaking?

“Hold on,” Toshinori interrupted, sitting up. “Before all that. Tell me all the students are okay. And Aizawa- er, Eraser Head, And Thirteen.”

“Not counting this boy, the only student injuries were scrapes. And both of the teachers are in stable condition right now. You can relax.”

Whatever crime she committed didn’t matter as long as she didn’t get caught, she looked over this nice detective, he seemed too young to be in charge of an investigation, but maybe that was just his shaven face and rounded eyes giving him an air of youthfulness that made him seem less experienced than he was. A worrying thought came to Katsumi. She had quite an expressive face, sure her classmates and even those close to her could misinterpret her expressions but a trained professional? He might just see her for what she truly is simply from her face, reading the guilt from her expression as if it were a letter of confession.

“That's good to hear,” A small smile graced her father's face as he let out a breath.

“If you heroes hadn't risked your lives, the students would never have made it. You three saved that entire class of kids today.

“You're not seein' the whole picture, Tsukauchi,” Toshinori shook his head. “Those students also risked their lives. They fought as hard as us. I don't think there's ever been a group of first‐years who experienced a real fight like this.”

“That’s not a good thing…” Katsumi mumbled, bringing her legs up to her chest, staying quiet was unlike her, and she needed to seem normal.

The detective turned to her though she didn’t look up at him, “True, it’s concerning that this attack even occurred, I’m sure UA will be increasing its security drastically in the coming days.”

“Oh.” Toshinori blinked, “Tsukauchi, I haven’t introduced you, this is my daughter, Katsumi.”

“Haha, I could have guessed,” he smiled, “you have the same eyes.”

Her dad smiled at that before his face became sombre, “Actually Tsukauchi, you know the villain's goal was to kill me right, well they knew about Katsumi too. That wouldn’t be too surprising except for the fact there are no public records of our relation.”

The detective nodded, “I’ll keep it in mind, is it possible they tailed you when you were out and saw you two together?”

“Doubt it, I’m always in this form when out,” her father paused for a moment, “unless they know about my weakened form.”

Katsumi wasn’t actually sure if they did- actually, he must at least if they were following her all this time… 

“Yagi,” Tsukauchi turned to Katsumi who looked up, trying to keep her face as inconspicuous as possible. “Have you noticed anyone following you lately, or even had the feeling of being stalked?”

“No, I haven’t.” She replied, consciously making sure she didn’t answer too quickly, taking a moment to pretend she was thinking about it. 

“Hm, okay,” he hummed, seemingly believing her. “Keep an eye out whenever you go out, try to only go out with other people and make sure your dad knows where you are.”

“...Great.”

“Was it the other villains who knew who you were?” Izuku asked.

Katsumi frowned, “What do you mean?”

“Well, that hand-guy, uh Shigaraki? He knew your name and about how you got…” he glanced to All Might.

“Oh yeah, he knew about Katsumi getting arrested too.”

Tsukauchi furrowed his brows, “Really? I thought they scrubbed that from the records.”

“Wait,” Katsumi blinked, “why does Tsukauchi-san know about that?”

“Ah,” her dad glanced at her, “I’m not an expert on arrests so I thought I’d-”

“Yeah okay, that doesn’t really matter I guess,” Katsumi sighed, seemed like everyone was going to find out about that eventually. “Izuku you were saying?”

Izuku smiled sheepishly, he was worried for a moment the conversation was steering too off course for him to finish talking. “Well, uh, I know the portal guy Kacchan captured knew you’re name but did the weaker ones they put across the different USJ places say your name or seem like they knew who you were?”

Katsumi felt the eyes of the detective on her, she paused for a moment, “Uh, no.” She decided to tell the truth, she didn’t have enough time to think it over so she just hoped it wouldn't come back to bite her. “Ojiro and I avoided them mostly but the ones we did fight didn’t seem to know who I was.” 

“That’s strange,” the tall man rubbed his chin and Katsumi felt her chest tighten slightly, had she made a mistake? “If their goal was to kill All Might, surely capturing his daughter would be something they’d tell their men to do, for bait or to throw him off his game.”

“I was worried about that,” Toshinori admitted, “I really thought Shigaraki would try to kill Katsumi,” he turned to her, “You were only a couple feet behind him after all.”

“He probably didn’t want to risk you attacking him.” Katsumi answered quicker than she would have liked to, “I guess, I don’t know.” She mumbled as she looked away. 

“It was weird how he turned to you and then just turned back around,” Izuku added.

“He had his back to you?” The detective raised an eyebrow, “Was he not worried you’d attack him?”

“I-”

“Katsumi looked terrified, to be honest,” her dad chuckled half-heartedly, “not that I blame you, kid. You probably worked out I was already past my time limit didn‘t you?”

“Yeah… I didn’t know what to do, to be honest…” the best lies were truths, she didn’t know what to do, but for different reasons than everyone thought. “Besides I didn’t want to get close to him in case he decayed me.”

“Scary quirk,” the detective nodded, “really did a number to Aizawa’s arm.”

Aizawa’s arm? Oh yeah, she vaguely remembered seeing Aizawa-sensei passed out being hauled away by Tsu and Mineta, though she had been much too focused on the fight to care too much. Poor man. She didn’t realise Tomura had done that…

Fuck.

Katsumi felt her heart drop. 

Had she actually seen Tomura use his quirk today?

…No. She hadn’t. 

…

So why would she be scared of him decaying her?

Her head snapped up, and quickly her eyes found the faces of the detective and her father. The detective continued talking with her father as normally as they could seeing the subject matter. Had that really gone over their heads?

“So it was only Shigaraki who was really talking about Miss Yagi?” Tsukauchi asked Izuku.

“Uh yeah.”

“Miss Yagi,” she sucked in a sharp breath as the detective turned to speak to her, “I’d be lying if I said the knowledge they have on you is not worrying. We need more time to investigate but like I said before, stay vigilant, I may come to speak with you and your father sometime again soon.”

“Okay.” Katsumi breathed out, how on earth had she survived that? “Thank you, sir,” she nodded gratefully. 

With Recovery Girls blessing Izuku got ready to go home, Katsumi offered to walk him to the exit while her dad finished his conversation with Detective Tsukauchi. She should try to listen in to their conversation as much as possible, but she felt so sick with anxiety and she needed some fresh air.

“I’m so glad you’re okay Izuku, well at least you are now,” Katsumi mumbled, laughing a little bitterly as she remembered the sight of his broken legs.

Izuku winced, “Yeah, thanks for saving me.”

“Hm?” Katsumi glanced at him, “Oh, pushing him away?”

“Yeah… God, I saw his hand coming at me but I didn’t even get to process it before you pushed him away,” he sighed, the memory sending a little shiver down his spine, “and the teachers came thank goodness. I’m pretty sure that the bullets were from the hero Snipe!” He grinned.

Katsumi snorted, “Did you see him getting shot?” The image replayed in her head, “I feel bad for him but it was kinda funny how he fell to the floor like that.”

Izuku frowned for a second, “I wouldn’t feel bad, he was trying to kill your dad.”

“Oh yeah,” Katsumi stared plainly at him for a moment before she grimaced. Why would she say that? She needed to think before she spoke! “I mean I feel bad just for thinking someone getting shot is funny.”

Izuku paused for a moment before he let out a laugh.

“What?” She asked.

“I just thought that that’s kinda unlike you to feel bad for laughing at someone getting hurt, but then I realised how if I said that you’d get offended.”

Katsumi’s mouth dropped open, she went to speak but stopped herself, sucking a sharp breath in. 

“I’m too tired to be offended.” She exclaimed finally, slouching forward, arms swinging below as they walked through the empty halls.

“Me too, I still have to take the train home and I don’t think I’ll get a seat,” Izuku sighed before he winced slightly. “And when I get home my mum's gonna be so worried and bombard me with so many questions, she’s already blown up my phone but she’ll ask me it all again when I get home.”

“Taste of your own medicine.” Katsumi shrugged, a little smirk on her face. Izuku turned to her, face flushing in embarrassment at the memory of All Might telling him to stop bothering her with his own questions. 

“Sorry, I was just worried,” He chuckled nervously as he rubbed the side of his neck. “You ended up with Ojiro right?”

Katsumi nodded, “Yeah in the fire dome thing,” she continued, recounting their escape to Izuku.

“Gosh… must have been scary.”

“You had to do the same,” she shrugged, the tightening in her chest she got every time she began to feel guilty was getting increasingly bearable. 

They had gotten to the main doors of the building now, Izuku stopped in front of them, turning to face Katsumi.

“I was… really worried about you,” he said, his green eyes adverted.

“Oh,” her chest tightened again, this time for a different reason. “Yeah, so was I,” she mumbled slightly, her cheeks growing warm.

The silence was thick, both of them standing avoiding each other's gaze in front of the overly large school doors.

“Well, I better get going-”

Izuku yelped in surprise as Katsumi wrapped him into a tight hug. At this point, the hug wasn’t uncommon, but the almost desperate way his friend pulled him towards her made it feel just as electrifying as the first. Her head buried itself in the crook of his neck, her breath warm as it tickled the small hairs on his skin. Her hands clutched onto his clothes firmly, as if he was about to float away from her. 

“Sorry,” she spoke quietly, Izuku flinched as he felt her breath on his neck, “I wanted to stay with you, but I got distracted by Ashido. I should have put you first.”

“No way!” He exclaimed and Katsumi pulled away, hands landing on his arms as she stared at him bewildered. 

“I mean-” he backtracked, embarrassment from the outburst creeping onto his cheeks. “Don’t be sorry! You saved Ashido from being warped, you put yourself in danger to save someone else! That’s exactly what a hero should do.”

Katsumi blinked, her hands moving from him. Izuku’s face had settled into a firm look of resolve as he stared at her, one fist clenched in front of him, Katsumi cracked a smile.

“Hero, I’ve been very heroic recently, haven’t I?” She laughed, it was a bitter, self-loathing laugh really, but it came out sounding like any other friendly giggle.

Izuku smiled, “Of course, y’know, it’s in your blood.”

Katsumi returned the smile. She was an absolute failure of a daughter.

“But also, Katsumi,” Izuku said, rubbing the side of his neck where her lips had been only centimetres away moments ago, “you don’t have to keep looking out for me y’know? Like with the battle training too… I gotta get stronger myself.”

Face growing hot as he brought up the other day when she had gotten riled up over his fight with Bakugou, Katsumi coughed.

“Uh, well, c’mon this was different, right? A villain attack during the first week of school is something you should be working together for.”

“Yeah, you’re right.” He nodded, “I’m glad you weren’t alone.”

“I would have rather been with you.” Katsumi snorted, she didn’t care that much about these people she had known for merely days compared to him.

“Don’t you want to expand your circle though?” He asked, she had been getting on well with Yaoyorozu and some of the others in the class, though she didn’t seem to like the friends he had made so far all that much.

“Well, yes, I guess,” she shrugged, her head down and hands held close in front of her she confessed. “But you’re number one on my list.”

Izuku stiffened, face beet red, “O-oh, yeah, you too.” He swallowed, regaining some composure.

“Well!” Katsumi clapped her hands together before she grabbed Izuku by the shoulders and spun him around, “I’ll see you tomorrow! Or the day after if there’s no school!”

“Ah! Yeah okay!” He managed to say as Katsumi swung the door open and rushed him through. He looked back, quite baffled, as Katsumi waved him off, shutting the door behind him.

As soon as the door slammed shut Katsumi slapped her hands onto her cheeks, her cold hands immediately warming up from the pure heat radiating off them. This crush wasn’t going away anytime soon.  

“Good golly it's a chilly evening.”

Katsumi snorted as her dad got into the driver's seat, passing her a brown paper bag as he got seated. The contents of the bag were warm, the feeling was nice on her thighs.

“Okay,” he huffed, clicking his seat belt into place, “time to go home… I would say we can stay up late watching a movie seeing as there’s no school for you tomorrow but I think we’re both too tired for that.”

“No school?” She had guessed they would cancel classes, it was good, if she had the day free, she might be able to go see Tomura.

“For you yeah, us teachers are gonna be in a meeting all day probably.” He glanced over to her, “Don’t go out, will you? Just stay inside, you can have the TV to yourself and play some games.”

“Oh yeah yeah,” Katsumi nodded, “don’t worry, I’ll stay indoors.”

“Today’s top story is of an attack on the UA Hero Academy that occurred this afternoon. A group calling themselves the ‘League of Villians’ infiltrated an off-campus training facility where the first-year class 1-A was training. Their stated goal was to kill the number one hero All Might who had been reported to be teaching at UA. Despite finding All Might absent from the scene, the attack continued, the villains targeting both UA teachers and students indiscriminately. The signal in the facility known as the ‘Unseen Simulation Joint’ or ‘USJ’ had been blocked by what police are saying was most likely the quirk of a member of the League.”

“Without backup, the two present teachers had to protect the students alone against the large swaths of villains. The day was saved, however, when All Might arrived at the facility and defeated the main muscle of the attack ‘Nomu’. A student who the teachers had sent to go get help returned soon after with the rest of the UA facility. Most League members, including the aforementioned Nomu, were apprehended. The leader, however, a man named Tomura Shigaraki and the man by the name of Kurogiri whose quirk was used to warp the villains into the facility escaped.”

“This unprecedented attack against a well-respected hero school has shocked the nation, and questions on how UA will be responding to this attack are being asked, after all, it is likely the League will attempt another attack on the school to take the life of the number one hero. It has also been reported that one of the students in the class present at the USJ facility is in fact All Might’s child and despite this information being unknown to the public this ‘League of Villains’ were aware of this.”

Katsumi put her chopsticks down into the bowl.

“What.”

“Oh dear.” Her dad scratched his neck as he looked at the TV, maybe putting on the news as background noise as they ate wasn’t a good idea. 

Katsumi turned around to look at her dad, her eyes wide and lips almost quivering, “How on earth did they find that out?!” 

“Hey Katsumi, calm down.” He placed a hand on her shoulder, “We both knew this would happen eventually.”

Yeah sure, but it happening now? When she already had so much on her mind? She couldn’t catch a break, could she?

Putting her half-eaten bowl on the coffee table she sighed, “I’m tired.”

“God me too,” Toshinori chuckled, rubbing an eye, “once you’re done go to bed, I’ll clear up.”

“No Dad,” she shook her head. “You deserve a break. I’ll clear up, I’m done eating so just put your bowl in the dishwasher when you’re done.”

He turned to look at her, a taught frown on his face, “Unlike you to not be hungry, especially after such an exciting day.”

Katsumi shrugged, “Yeah well… I dunno.”

Toshinori looked at her for a long moment. Her eyes were downcast, tired. She had eyebags he was surprised one day could create, though she was still probably affected by that bad illness she had gotten last week. Poor girl had only just recovered, and now this? 

“Today must have been scary for you.” 

Her lips parted to respond, but she stopped herself. Scary, right. It was fucking terrifying, just not for the reasons he thought. 

“I’ll be fine,” she said finally, evading his gaze as she smiled. “I’m strong,” looking back up at him she stretched her lips into a wide grin. “You should have seen how many of those losers I beat up.”

Her dad smiled for a moment, a small, pitying smile, it made Katsumi’s eyebrow twitch. He sighed, his frown returning. 

“I’m not talking about that. I mean that man, how those villains know about you.”

“Oh.” Katsumi blinked, her chest tightening. “Yeah well, they probably researched all the students...”

“They know your connection to me, that’s going to put a target on you, exactly what I didn’t want.”

“Yeah but like,” she said, a little irate, “that’s not something you didn’t know could happen.”

“Yes but… I don’t know, I thought,” he sighed, staring off into nothing, “I didn’t think they’d be quite that strong. And that Shigaraki… so full of hatred… I just wonder how a young man like him managed to organise so many people, or even get inside information on UA.”

The TV continued flashing in the background. The house was dark, with only a side lamp and the light from the kitchen illuminating the room. Katsumi was glad for the darkness, she hoped her father couldn’t see the exact intricacies of her expressions. 

“Like I’ve said, I’m strong,” her dad glanced over at her. “You don’t have to worry about me, I can protect myself.” 

Toshinori smiled at her, the worry still clear in his dark eyes, Katsumi felt her chest ache. 

“Alright, but you’re still a kid, as your father, don’t think I’m going to stop looking out for you.” He replied, placing a hand on her shoulder.

“I know Dad.”

“Go get some sleep then! You don’t want to mess up your sleep pattern.”

If Katsumi wanted to sleep, she would have to take her pills, but the day wasn’t over for her yet, no matter how physically and emotionally exhausted she was. A half an hour or so after her father had gone to bed she crept quietly to peek through a crack in his door. She had to make sure he was asleep. Peering though, she watched him lying still in his bed, straining her ears for the quiet sound of his steady breathing. 

The house was dark. Pictures of Katsumi as a child, her mother and her father smiling at her fourth birthday party, the few photos taken with her grandparents were shadowed by the inky darkness. Katsumi used the cold blue light of her phone flashlight to illuminate her way back to her room. She found a dark hoodie to put over her pyjama top before she knelt down next to her bed, put the phone down on the floor and began digging out the old flip phone she had hidden inside a hole she had cut into her mattress. She huffed as she got up and sat on her bed for a moment, turning off her smartphone's light and putting it into her drawer. 

“Okay,” she mumbled to herself, rubbing at one eye as she stood back up. 

Sneaking out wasn’t something she had never done before. Plenty of times, she had slipped out into the warm Californian night to meet up with friends, go get fast food or just enjoy the night alone for a while. In her old home, there were cameras positioned at each entrance and exit, but she still found her way around them. It made sneaking out of her father's house childs play, seeing as there was a severe lack of cameras around. She could only hope that after today he wouldn’t think to have any installed, though she was sure even if he did she would be able to get around them.

Shutting her bedroom door with a small click Katsumi tip-toed past her father's bedroom once more. As she passed she stopped for a moment, taking a look back. She pursed her lips before turning back around and continuing down the hall.

She walked down the stairs as slowly and quietly as she could, slipped on her trainers and opened the front door gently. The night was cold, still too early in spring for the air to stay warm past the sun setting. Pulling her hood down as far over her head as she could she walked alone on the empty street. A few streets away was a sharp corner that led to a dead end, dark and hidden. Katsumi took the flip phone out of her pocket, opened it and went to the one contact on the phone.

She had interfered with their plan… Kurogiri had literally said to her she should rethink stepping in. But what was she supposed to do? She’d been told her father wouldn’t die!

Her shaking fist clenched around the phone and she had to grab her wrist with her other hand to steady herself. 

That was exactly why she had to go that night, to assure them she was not betraying them, just that she was overwhelmed with emotion at the time! She hadn’t actually broken any agreements, just done something a little annoying. 

After a deep couple of breaths, she clicked on the contact, sending a single message.

Here

Barely five seconds passed when a familiar, swirling portal of purple mist appeared beside her. With another long, controlled deep breath, she stepped in.

Chapter Text

4th of April 20XX (today) 12:23 am

'Izuku' Has added you to group '1-A students'

Add members to contacts? (Yes) No

Added: Mina Ashido, Toru Hagakure, Ochaco Uraraka, Denki Kaminari, Ejiro Kirishima to contacts.

Ashido: KATSUMIII

'Izuku' Added 'Tenya Iida'

Kaminari: Katsumi can u add Yayorozu and Jiro pleeasee

Katsumi: i only have momos

Kaminari : Ohh ok

Katsumi: she might have jiros tho

'Katsumi' Added 'Momo Yayorozu'

'Kirishima' added 'Katsuki Bakugou'

Momo: Hello

Kaminari: Yoo Yayorozu do you have Jiros number??

Momo: Yes I do, why?

Kaminari: Can you add her?

Hagakure: Can everyone just add everyone in the class whos numbers you have please!

Ashido: We're still missing most of the guys 😡

'Yayorozu' added 'Kyoka Jiro'

Jiro: ?

'Katsuki Bakugou' left

Kirishima: BAKUGOU

'Kirishima' added 'Katsuki Bakugou'

'Katsuki Bakugou' left

'Kirishima' added 'Katsuki Bakugou'

Katsumi: Bro leave it who even wants him in here anyways

Bakugou: Go to hell

Katsumi: wait i dont want to 🥺

Iida: What is this?
Is this for school work?
Bakugou please do not insult your classmates!

Hagakure: Its a class group chat prez!

Bakugou: No one asked you four eyes

Kirishima: @Ashido dw I'll go around tmw getting the guys numbers

Ashido: Thank uuuu

Kirishima: Np!

Uraraka: Yay we'll be able to organise stuff easy now!

Ashido: Omg guys you seen this??? https://www.japannews.com/uahighusjattack

Izuku: Yeah you all were on the news!

Kirishima: So awesome

Kaminari: Yeah but the camera was so far you could barely see us

Uraraka: My parents were so worried 😭

Kaminari: @Katsumi did u see they were talking about all might having a kid

Hagakure: Oooooo is that okay for them to know??

Katsumi: Cant do much about it now

Kaminari: You're famous already
Ughhh im jealous

Ashido: People online are going crazy trying to find out who your mum is lolol

Iida: Don't forget school is only cancelled today! Please arrive at the normal time tomorrow.

Kaminari: Thanks Iida

Iida: You are welcome!

Bakugou: Can you all shut up now
My fucking phone wont stop buzzing

Izuku: Kacchan you can mute the group chat!
I'll tell you how if you dont know!

Bakugou: Go to hell

Izuku: Right...

Katsumi: Wow

Iida: Bakugou! Do not say that to your classmates!

Kirishima: I cant believe those two villains got away though!

Kaminari: Oh yeah hand dude and the smoky dude?? Idk i don't remember much

Jiro: Thats because you fried your brain

Kaminari: Without me you two would have been dead meat!

Momo: That is true, Kaminari was very integral to our success

Kaminari: Seeee jiro

Iida: From the information I have found the two who escaped were the leader Tomura Shigaraki and Kurogiri who was the one responsible for the portals. Annoyingly, there is no information online about them outside the attack.
Thankfully they apprehended the one who was fighting All Might

Kirishima: Ugh that guy was stupidly op

Hagakure: Katsumi hows your dad?

Katsumi: Hes fine
Hes having to go to a meeting w the teachers about what happened today
theyre taking it really seriously

Iida: I would hope so.

Uraraka: Im so lucky i wasnt warped away

Ashido: Me too! Thanks to Katsumi though

Kirishima: The hand dude gave me the heebie-jeebies

Kaminari: Hella creepy right!?

Kirishima: It's creepy he knew about Katsumi

Uraraka: He did?

Kirishima: Yeah he was saying something about her to all might

Katsumi: Oh yeah i was meaning to talk to u about what he said about me when he was talking to my dad

Ashido: oooo

Kirishima: Oh yeah what was that about?

Katsumi: Honestly nothing really dw

Kaminari: Wait I feel like I missed something important

Katsumi: the shigaraki dude was just messing with my dad using smth i did last year
its not that big of a deal but id rather not talk about it
idk how they found out about it
seems they know a hell of a lot about me

Iida: Their goal was to kill All Might, it makes sense they would find out information about you.

Momo: But it's only now become public knowledge that All Might even had a child and still no one knows who it is.
The fact they could find that out is worrisome.

Izuku: You should be careful
Like when you go out hide your face

Ashido: Yeah Katsumi

Momo: From my understanding, they want to kill All Might, you are an obvious target to get to him. They're villains, who knows where their limits lie.
I wasn't there to see your interaction, and I hope I'm not overstepping, but you do really need to be careful.
Especially as a girl.

Katsumi: yeah

Kaminari: Damn thats deep

Jiro: Did the leader really give off those vibes?

Kaminari: wdym

Kirishima: I mean he did give off a gross aura

Hagakure: Ojiro was saying he kept looking back at them but it was like, specifically Katsumi

Kaminari: Okay so?

Uraraka: Uh idk if im reading into this right but if i am i dont think thats an idea to just throw around

Momo: Hold on.
I think this has been taken in the wrong way.
I didn't mean to imply that, that's a bit of a stretch to come to that conclusion.

Kaminari: What conclusion???

Momo: All I was saying was that if they want to hurt All Might or draw him out into a trap his daughter is an easy target.
I'm sorry this has become awkward.

Katsumi: no you're good momo
as for the turning round he was definitely just checking if i was going to attack him lmao

Momo: Yes that's what I think too.
Just that to provoke your father they may try to hurt you

Jiro: shoot that's my fault
Sorry i misunderstood what yaoyorozu was tryna say

Katsumi: its fine

Momo: I understand why you thought of that
It's not uncommon to hear those stories of that sort so it's not that peculiar for that to be where your mind went

Iida: Katsumi, if you ever feel uneasy please do not stay quiet about it, that goes for everyone too. Their target may have been All Might but they are obviously prepared to use students as bait.
As a class, we need to stand together.

Ashido: Absolutely!

Hagakure: Yeah!!!!

Bakugou: Just beat them to a pulp
If you're strong you don't got a reason to be scared
Especially not of that skinny hand freak

Kirishima: Thats actually kinda nice of you Bakugou

Bakugou: Screw off

Hagakure: Bakugous right though, Katsumi's hella strong so i think she'll be okay

Izuku: For real, her quirk is awesome, im disappointed i missed seeing it in action during battle training

Bakugou: Suck up

Katsumi: bahahaha
I mean kys

Bakugou: Oh fuck off already

Katsumi: whatever
anyways yeah guys dw about me ill beat the shit out of anyone who tries to mess w me

Jiro: I don't think the League will be coming back anytime soon, luckily. They were pretty defeated by the end
The main dude was shot a bunch too right? And the guy that fought All Might was apprehended so they don't have their muscle.

Kaminari: All Might obliterated that villain!

Ashido: None of us really need to worry! After all the teachers won't let it happen again!

Katsumi: we can hope

 The next few days were going to be difficult for her to act naturally, she could tell that already. She hadn’t expected that conclusion to be drawn from Tomura’s behaviour to be that he was stalking her for reasons other than her relation to All Might. It was funny because now she was very aware that her old friend quite clearly wanted nothing to do with her. 

Despite her exhaustion, she had pushed herself to go through the portal last night. She needed to make sure he knew she was sticking to the deal. She had expected to step into another dark grimy room like the one she had been taken into when he first talked to her or when that quirk had been forced onto her, but she hadn’t. It seemed the hideout of the League of Villain’s was some semi-rundown bar, Kurogiri serving as the bartender. It was a little strange, to say the least.

Kurogiri had invited her to sit down and offered her a non-alcoholic drink which she politely declined. He finally introduced himself properly as Tomura’s guard, though from how he described it, it sounded more like he was his babysitter. Fitting, if how he acted in the USJ facility was how he always behaved. Even though he was a couple of years older than her, he acted much younger, like a bratty kid. She had half-hoped that would make things easier, maybe he would be easier to manipula- convince. But with her luck, it was more likely to be detrimental to her goal of rehabilitating him.

By the time Kurogiri had finished introducing himself, Katsumi had built up the courage to ask where Tomura was. She felt a little stupid when the misty bartender told her he was recovering from his multiple bullet wounds.

“Do you think I should, uh…” she fiddled with her fingers on her lap, “go see him or..?”

“I’d advise against it,” he responded in his automatically calm and controlled tone, “though the master has given you the role to assist Shigaraki, at the moment I don’t see him responding well to your presence.”

“Oh,” Katsumi licked her bottom lip, her mouth felt awfully dry, “because he’s injured or… because I got in the way?”

Kurogiri was silent for a moment as he stared down at the teenage girl sat at his bar. 

“I have spoken to the master about that-”

“Hey I didn’t really pose a threat!” Katsumi’s eyes widened as she looked up at the man, “C’mon, if I didn’t do anything I would have seemed suspicious right? Besides he told me my dad wouldn’t die! And he would have beat you anyway-”

“Relax, Katsumi Yagi.” He stopped her, voice as monotone as ever, “We were aware that it would be unlikely that we’d manage to kill the symbol of peace today, even if you had not interfered we would have failed due to the arrival of the UA pro-heroes. Master also acknowledges that he did assure you your father would not die, he understands your reaction. There is no plan to punish you for this transgression.”

Katsumi would have liked to relax, but she knew better than that. At best this was a tactic to make her more at ease with them, to let her guard down.

“Tomura Shigaraki however, he thinks more emotionally than logically. I believe he feels perhaps betrayed by your actions.”

“Oh, well I-” Katsumi blinked, pausing for a moment before her face scrunched into an expression of offended confusion. “What did he expect? Why would I be okay with you guys trying to kill my father?”

Kurogiri did not respond.

Sliding off the stool and pulling her hood over her head Katsumi sighed, she  ould tell talking to this guy wasn’t going to be productive,“Could you tell him I came and that I hope he heals up soon.”

“I will, would you like to be warped back to the same location?”

“Yes, thank you, Kurogiri. I might come back tomorrow…” Katsumi turned to the hallway leading off out the other side of the room. He was probably just down there… “if he’s well enough to talk.”

“Possibly, I have tended to his wounds.”

“Alright,” she nodded, turning back to Kurogiri, “I’ll come back tomorrow.”

That brought her to the next day. Her father had left for an emergency meeting about the previous day, and he said it would last till the evening. He promised to pick up some good food on the way back. All she needed to do was stay home and play some video games. She waved him goodbye with a wide smile as he left her sitting on the sofa loading up the TV. 

She waited fifteen minutes till she got up, turned the TV off, left her phone in her room, and got her keys and the flip phone. She thought about just requesting the warp gate right there in her room, but that felt wrong. The two worlds shouldn’t mix, her father's house should stay unmarred by the touch of the League, though with that train of thought… Was she herself corrupting the space by simply being there?

No, she was keeping it separate, she needed to, just to make it even slightly easier on her. She didn’t need to think about it more than that, she had more than enough on her mind. Leaving through the front Katsumi locked the door, going to the same hidden corner down the street as last night. This time she glanced around a little longer before sending the message, doing this in broad daylight was slightly stupid, to be frank. But it was midday on a weekday, everyone was either at work or school and the area was quite hidden. She probably would not be doing it in the day anytime soon though.

When the portal did appear she already felt calmer about it than she had last time. Without all the ominous darkness the portal really was just someone's quirk, that someone was a lackey for that man but still, it was normal. She would step through and see Kurogiri, he would tell her Tomura was still recovering and she would go back home. It would be over and done within fifteen minutes. 

Closing the phone she shoved it into her back pocket and walked through.

The bar was just as dingy as in the daytime, with no windows to let in the sunlight, only lit by the orange light on the ceiling and behind the countless bottles of alcohol on the wall. Last night Katsumi had wondered if they were actually used or just for show. Kurogiri stood behind the bar just as last time as he polished some glasses, she felt compelled to smile at him if only to build some sort of rapport with the mysterious man. That smile faded, however, when her eyes drifted down to the one thing that had changed since the last time she had secretly left the comfort of her father's house. 

After a short, silent moment, she took a deep breath, swallowed in an attempt to remedy her dry mouth, and stepped towards the bar.

“Ah, hi, Tomura. " She was already stumbling over her words. Her heart had started thumping uncomfortably, and her hands were shaking. Clasping them together in front of her, she slid into a seat. Tomura didn’t make any move to even spare a glance at her, he faced forward, a glass of something alcoholic in one hand. Even now, when he was so near, it didn’t feel real. All these years blocking out his existence, it felt more like a realistic dream to be so close to him than something she was actually experiencing. Her head actually felt light, and she had to lean one arm against the bar as she turned to him, smiling awkwardly. 

Her mouth opened and closed many times as her mind tried to conjure something to say. Nothing could live up to this moment, the length of time they had been separated, the situation they were in, what could she say? It didn’t even feel real anyway. 

“So, how are your wounds?” she asked finally. “I’m surprised you’re up already. I didn’t know bullets healed so quickly.” Her words were too giggly for her liking; her nerves were getting to her.

“They don’t, Miss Yagi,” Kurogiri spoke up before Tomura said anything, though it wasn’t like he looked like he was going to say anything. “It was against my advice that Tomura Shigaraki decided to come and meet-”

“Shut up.”

His voice made Katsumi flinch slightly, his raspy words harsh as he finally spoke. Katsumi’s brows furrowed.

“Apologies,” Kurogiri responded with a small bow.

“You speak to your friend like that?” She said it before she had a chance to think. It was something she would have said to Bakugou or any other annoying egotistical asshole, but not something she should say to Tomura, the person she was trying to get to like her.

Tomura turned his head, his burning red eyes peeking through the fingers of the grey disembodied hand that clutched at him. The rest of his face was covered by unkempt light blue hair, eight years and he still hadn’t learned to brush it. It didn’t look bad though, she wondered if it was Kurogiri that cut it or if he did it himself. In a way, the unkemptness sort of reminded her of Izuku’s adorably messy moss garden of a head. A little smile grew on her lips as she thought of him.

“Fuck off.”

Katsumi blinked. After a second her face began to burn as she came crashing back to reality, Tomura’s disdainful glare boring into her as she shuffled back on the stool. Tomura shook his head, huffing as she picked up his drink. Katsumi pursed her lips together as she looked away, she’d already pissed him off, damn he was sensitive, even worse than her. 

Okay, so he was mad at her for getting in his way yesterday. The logical thing to do would be to apologise and explain her thought process. But when dealing with an emotional person who takes everything personally, which she could probably quite accurately assume Tomura still was, in fact, he seemed worse than back then, that was unlikely to cool them off. They may take it as an insult, like you are telling them they are wrong for feeling upset by your actions when you are simply explaining them, not excusing them. 

Well in this situation, Tomura was in the wrong, he had tried to murder her father and best friend and she had tried to stop him. Surely deep down he knew that, which would only serve to make him more sensitive about it. It was probably not a good idea to argue with him, especially not during their first proper meeting in so long. So she just decided to try and move on from it.

Katsumi looked back up to Tomura, who had placed his drink back on the bar. He didn’t drink from it, she realised, he had literally just picked it up and put it down. Eyebrows furrowed she looked at him, and he stayed still, staring ahead blankly, well she assumed blankly, she couldn’t see his expression after all because of that gross hand. 

That’s why he didn’t drink. Katsumi’s eyes widened and lips twitched upwards. Turning around to face forward she bit down the smile. After trying to act all aloof and superior he had just failed to take a sip of his drink because of that stupid hand on his face. The idea of him bringing the glass up to where his mouth was before he realised the obstruction in the way and having to put it back down was fucking hilarious, how badly she wanted to say something out it. 

Right, at least she had her first goal. Get him to be comfortable enough to take the severed hand off his face. 

“So,” she turned back around, brushing her fingers with long gold hair as she cleared her throat. “What should I do? I’m supposed to be doing your bidding or whatever, right?”

The silence was just as uncomfortable as she should have expected. Tomura really didn’t want to talk to her, just staring at his full glass. The words ‘you gonna drink that?’ were just begging to leave her mouth. 

Kurogiri didn’t say a word to break the silence, he glanced at Tomura for a second before returning to his glass-polishing. Katsumi waited patiently for exactly five seconds before she began to tap her fingernails against the bar. 

Tap tap tap.

Tomura stayed silent.

Tap tap tap.

Katsumi puffed her cheeks out before letting out a long breath. She looked around the room and continued to tap her nails on the bar.

“So, Kurogiri, you guys got a TV or…”

“Just leave.”

“Huh?”

Tomura clenched his fist around the glass. It cracked and shattered, the liquid pooling out as its container turned to dust.

“There’s nothing for you to do.” He hissed, “So leave.”

Katsumi stared at him, lips parted as he refused to turn to her. She glanced over to Kurogiri.

“I will warp you back, same place as last time.”

“Oh, uh yeah. Will you uh, contact me if…” Sliding off the stool Katsumi’s sentence trailed off as she stared at the unmoving statue that was her old friend.

“Yes, we will contact you through the phone master gave you if anything comes up. Until then Katsumi, keep quiet.”

“Yeah…”

She went home feeling strangely down. She should feel at least somewhat pleased, she had escaped being assigned any sort of task that might put her father or friends in danger. But, god she really had her work cut out for her with Tomura. The idea of him hating her felt awful. She owed him so much, he had done so much for her, and she literally wouldn’t be here without him. And he hated her.

There was no way she was convincing him to abandon All For- him. There was no way she was convincing him to abandon that man at this rate. As she shoved the burner phone back into her mattress she collapsed onto her bed, completely exhausted. What was she supposed to do? How on earth was she going to make him not hate her, let alone listen to her if he didn’t even want her around? 

Just as she began to try to rack her brain she heard her phone buzz from where she had left it before she left… all of fifteen minutes ago. All this anxiety for a quarter of an hour. 

Picking up the phone she raised her eyebrows as she saw Izuku had added her to a group chat. It mainly had the most outgoing people from the class, though Kirishma kindly offered Ashido his help in getting the rest of the boys at least.

She wondered who added Izuku…

By the time she was done with the conversation, she was just tired. She threw her phone away, it landing somewhere down the side of her bed, and just groaned into her pillow. She lay face down, trying to sink into the bed for a long while, eventually falling asleep for a few hours.

When she woke up she had a headache… and her arm was missing. She jumped up immediately and her head reeled in pain. Fuck, the second quirk. She breathed slowly and heavily, trying to ground herself. Grateful for the headache, the pain easy to focus on as she grounded herself back, the dark shadow seeping away from her skin. 

Another problem she had to deal with it seemed. Apparently that quirk was supposed to help her with helping out Tomura, but he didn’t even want her help so what was the point? She needed to get a hold of it, that was the first time she had used it since getting it and Jesus, she was in pain. What even triggered it? She needed to get a hold of it, sooner rather than later.

Buzz

She had forgotten about her phone, with a big sigh she reached down the side of her bed and checked the time. It was past five o’clock, she had been sleeping for a while after all. There was also too many notifications from the message app.

Multiple notifications from messages

78 unread messages from ‘1-A students’: Kaminari- Guys do you think the press will come again and…

1 unread message from ‘Jiro’: Hey I’m so sorry about what I started in the gc that was so awkward I had no right I just assumed thats what Yayorozu was talking about and…

1 unread message from ‘Momo’: I should have brought that up privately, sorry Katsumi.

1 unread message from ‘Dad’: Everything good?

18 unread messages from ‘Gymnastic Gyalzzzz’: Tilly- Holy shit katsumi was that your class that got…

1 unread message from ‘Izuku’: Hey sorry I didn’t message you earlier I was…

4th of April 20XX (today) 5:23 pm

3:21 Izuku 

Hey sorry I didn’t message you earlier I was helping my mum with something but do you wanna talk?

5:24 Katsumi

hey yes yes

sorry i was away from my phone

whats up?

5:24 Izuku

Oh hey yeah its just about what they were talking about in the gc

About the league’s leader 

5:25 Katsumi

Dude I’ve already got Jiro and Momo in my pms apologising for that

5:25 Izuku

Oh sorry!

You really do not think its like that then?

5:25 Katsumi

oh my goddd

no

literally why would it

Izuku is typing…

Katsumi

Dont.

The whole convo was unneeded

honestly just makes ME feel awkward

You guys need to leave the theorising up to the police cuz whatever you say is nothing more than gossip.

Izuku

Yeah i just was worried that it worried you

 Just remember I’m always here!

Katsumi

I know Izuku

I appreciate that 

More than you know

Izuku

Oh haha

Thats nice of you

Katsumi

hush

But seriously

if anyone brings it up around you could you tell them to drop it

If it gets spread around it’s only going to be a pain for me

Izuku

Oh of course!

Don’t worry about it

She switched off her phone a little more forcefully than she meant to, throwing it onto her bed as she got up. Her head still hurt like hell and now she was even more annoyed than before. She could reply to Izuku if he said anything more and the other messages later. Ugh damnit, she did need to reply to her dad though.

Well, Tomura could actually go fuck himself, not only was he being a little bitch and not talking to her but he’d inadvertently caused awkward tension between her and her classmates. She could only hope they would all forget about it by tomorrow.

Despite how mad she was at him, she still had to find a way to get him to talk to her so she could earn his trust and convince him to abandon this stupid League. To talk to him, however, she needed to be around him, and he had made it pretty damn clear he didn’t want that. So what she needed was an excuse, a good reason she had to be around him, to talk to him…

“Katsumi!”

She jumped at the sound of her name being called from downstairs.

“I got takeout! …Two days in a row…” Her dad’s voice accompanied the sound of the door shutting. Katsumi scoffed, a smile creeping up on her lips. She should just take some medicine for the headache and call it a day. 

“Coming down!” She called out.

Chapter Text

Cold hard on your back. Blunt against                 your squirming limbs. 

Poor little girl, you look pathetic. Stop crying.

                Just stay still.

                It                 burns.

                                        It         aches.

Make it easy for him.

He doesn’t want to hurt you. He just needs the money.

Stop crying.

It will stop hurting soon. You heal better and better every time.

The training will be worth it.

Your daddy isn’t coming.

Katsumi woke up in tears.

“Did you not sleep well last night?”

Yawning, Katsumi turned in her seat to Momo, “Uh, yeah,” she sighed, rubbing the side of her eye. “I’ve got a bit of insomnia and I woke up at like- four and couldn’t fall back asleep.”

“Oh dear,” she said, touching her chest with one hand, “do you take any sleeping pills or some other sort of supplements to make it easier to sleep?”

“I got some pills that relax your body but I try to take them as little as possible,” Katsumi replied, still rubbing her temple. 

“There’s no shame in it you know?” Momo smiled supportively at Katsumi. Her face fell after a moment, “I wouldn’t blame you for feeling stressed… in lieu of recent events.”

“Uh-huh,” she nodded absentmindedly. 

Still, she had absolutely no idea what to do about Tomura. Another thing she had realised she had to worry about was getting specifically alone time with him. She couldn’t really start planting the idea of running away from the League with Kurogiri watching over him like a hawk. 

The thing that had started playing back over in her mind, again and again, was actually something Kurogiri said. 

‘It was against my advice that Tomura Shigaraki decided to come and meet-’

Come and meet her right? Clearly that’s what he was about to say, so he did want to see her! But he was still acting like a real bastard, trying to punish her with the silent treatment? How petty. Childish.

That was fine..! Sure, she could work with that. All she needed to get started was a reason for her to be around him so she could slowly rebuild a connection. Seeing as he didn’t want to give her one, she just had to get a little creative.

“Everyone!” Katsumi looked up, one eyebrow raised, to see Iida walking to the front with a small box in his hands. “Please write your numbers and put them in this box!” 

“Uh, Iida, didn’t I say I’d do that?” Kirishima asked, sounding a little disappointed.

“As class President, it is my responsibility to ensure we all can communicate with one another!” He pounded his fist against his heart. “Thank you for your effort though, Kirishima.”

The red-haired boy’s shoulders slumped, “Yeah…”

“Wait what’s this for?” Sero asked, ripping a piece of paper out of his notebook.

“This isn’t for that stupid group chat, is it? I want out already.” Bakugou huffed as he leaned back in his seat.

 Katsumi rolled her eyes, “If only I was so lucky.”

Bakugou swung around, towering over Izuku’s green head to yell, “I heard that you bleach hair bitch!”

“Excuse me?” She fired back, cocking her head, “You outa watch your mouth if you don’t want an ass-kicking!”

Izuku turned his head to give her a clearly uncomfortable wide-eyed look as his childhood friend leaned over him to snarl at her. Katsumi’s lips stretched into a grin.

“You-” 

“Goodness, will you two stop it!” Iida shouted, interrupting the explosive boy, “Bakugou stop insulting Katsumi-san and Katsumi-san stop riling him up.”

“Ha ha.” Katsumi leaned back in her chair, still grinning, “He shouldn’t make it so easy.”

She should be thankful for Bakugou really. Messing with him was a great distraction for everything going on right now. He turned around shouting some insult back at her, Katsumi just smiled and waved back at him. 

Iida’s number collection was going smoothly until he reached a certain cold boy who flat-out told him he had no interest in a group chat. Iida, taken aback at the bluntness tried to explain the concept of teambuilding but was pretty obviously talking to a pure wall of ice.

“Ahem, alright everyone! Please take your seats now and stop talking!” Iida said as he dropped the box of numbers to Ashido, “Homeroom is about to start!”

“Iida,” Tsu replied, “you’re the only one not in your seat.”

“Shoot!” 

Katsumi snorted as Iida quickly took his seat. She was starting to get used to him, he seemed less annoying now. In fact, he was quite entertaining to watch with his strange over-the-top robotic movements. In a way, it was almost endearing. 

“I wonder who will be teaching the class,” Momo pondered aloud.

The foggy image of their homeroom teacher being carted off by Tsu and the purple ball kid that sat in front of her blighted her mind. She wished she had taken more notice of his injuries, the poor man. But she was much too distracted to notice much other than the figure of her old friend.

Just then the door opened.

“Morning.” A muffled voice from a mummified Aizawa Sensei greeted them as he walked through the door. Katsumi’s mouth dropped as she took in the sight of a completely wrapped-in-bandages Aizawa, both arms held in a cast in front of him to boot.

“What a pro!”

“Aizawa Sensei!” Iida called out, one arm held up straight in the air, “I’m glad you’re okay!”

Who calls that okay? Surely Tomura didn’t do all that to him? 

“My well-being is irrelevant. What’s more important is that your fight is not yet over.”

Katsumi’s brow furrowed. What did the school have planned? She wasn’t sure how much more she could deal with at the moment.

“Our fight?”

“Don't tell me…” Izuku leaned in, fists clenching.

“Not more bad guys!?” The purple ball kid cried, clutching his head.

“Dude…”

Aizawa spoke plainly, “The UA sports festival is drawing near.”

Katsumi’s expression didn’t change.

“Hell yeah!” Kirishima cheered.

“Why scare us like that?!”

Kirishima grinned, shouting loudly, “Let’s go kick some ass!” 

“Wait a minute.” Kaminairi interrupted, shoving his hand onto Kirishma’s face to shut him up. “Is it okay to have a sports festival so soon after the villains snuck inside?”

Katsumi pursed her lips. Would he try that? Would she have to help him? No, he was still injured, and all their underlings were gone, surely it would be fine.

“Is that really a good idea? What if they attack us again?” Jiro asked.

“Especially seeing as we’re all in one place,” Ojiro added. Oh yeah, Ojiro, that was the guy who got thrown into the fire dome with her. She should thank him for his help the other day, it was the least she could do seeing as she was technically in some way responsible for the attack.

“Apparently the administration thinks this is a good way to show that the threat has been handled and the school is safer than ever. Plus their beefing up security compared to past years. Security will also be strengthened to five times that of previous years. Above all, our sports festival is a massive opportunity for all students attending UA. It's not an event to be cancelled because of a few villains.”

“Erm I’m sorry but why not?” The short boy in front of Katsumi asked, “It’s just a sports festival.”

“Mineta,” Izuku asked, turning around in his seat, “you've never seen the UA sports festival?”

“Of course, I have! I know it’s important, I just don’t wanna get murdered!”

“You don’t have to worry about that,” Katsumi smiled, leaning over her desk as he turned around to look at her, “the villains would probably mistake you for a kindergartener and spare you.”

“What?! You’re horrible!” he cried. “How are you All Might’s daughter?”

Katsumi smirked, “I know right?”

“Our sports festival is one of the most watched events in the entire world,” Aizawa Sensei said, going on to talk about the replacement of pre-quirk sports events such as the Olympics with Hero School events. As he spoke Katsumi mourned the fact she wouldn’t be able to see her teacher's handsome face for at least the next few weeks. Another reason to be pissed at Tomura. 

“Of course, all the top heroes around the country will be watching.” Katsumi turned to see Momo with an intense expression on her face. “This is where you get scouted!”

“Unless you’re dead!” Mineta huffed. He was so annoying; Katsumi had caught him ogling the girls' costumes multiple times before they got to USJ, and that was when she was distracted. She had very little sympathy for him.

“She’s right. After graduating, a lot of people join pro agencies as a sidekick!” Kaminari went on. Katsumi stopped listening at that point, everything everyone was saying was pretty common knowledge. Her dad had already talked to her about getting scouted, but she wasn’t too bothered. To care about getting scouted she’d have to care about being a hero. For a while, yeah, she did, even if she had been forced into it in the first place. But now? There was just so much going on that she didn’t have the energy for that. 

“That means you better not slack off on your training.” Aizawa reminded the class, Katsumi looked up for a moment before returning to picking at the clear nail polish on her fingernails.

Training, did she have time for that? She supposed she needed to keep up appearances that everything was normal, besides she could only work on her secret mission once her dad was in bed. There was plenty of time before that.

When she wasn’t going to school she could train whenever she wanted, now she had much less time. Not just that but she hadn’t done much in a while seeing as she had been sick from that quirk the last week. Now she needed a new schedule, some routine would be good for her at the moment.

If she got back home at four thirty, rest till five she could train in her dad’s gym till eight, have dinner, relax, do homework or whatever till her dad went to bed. That would be around ten, so leaving the half an hour to make sure he was asleep she could leave about ten thirty to go to the bar. 

She couldn’t know how long she would stay at the bar, it could vary each day. Training would already wear her out, and with this Sports Festival, she couldn’t take it easy. By the time it rolled around, everyone would know she was All Might’s child, and she wasn’t about to embarrass her dad by performing badly. She’d already failed him enough. It was time to get stronger.

Thinking about all the training she would do was a good distraction from both her troubles and the boring normal classes they were subjected to. Cementoss, the hero who had saved her father from having his other form exposed, taught their modern literature class. Katsumi had never had a problem with any sort of literature subject in her life, it was easily her best subject. All that to say she didn’t feel like ignoring the teacher's bland drabbles to write out a training program for the next few weeks would hit her grades too badly. 

As she wrote she kept yawning. Maybe she should just give up and start taking the pills again. The only problem was they made her dreams worse. Last night her dream was foul, she had awoken gasping with hot tears rolling down her face and a cold sweat having soaked through her clothes. It was an old memory jumbled up with all the past and current fears and anxieties that tormented her mind. It was just foul, she didn’t want to think of that time ever again.

She rubbed her hand along her arm, skin smooth and unmarred, with no trace of the countless injuries it had attained. At least it had made her stronger right?

Katsumi’s eyes widened.

“That villain stuff sucked sure, but I’m hella pumped for these games!” A group rallied around Kirishima as they chatted enthusiastically about the Festival. Seems they weren’t too traumatised by the events of the other day, good for them.

“We put on a good show and we’re basically on the road to bein’ pros!” Sero smirked.

“It’s why I’m even here in the first place!” 

“We will only receive a few chances. We cannot afford to miss this.”

Katsumi walked past the boys towards the front of the class.

“Oh man!” Hagakure, exclaimed, “Ojiro I'm getting kind of nervous now. I need to stand out at the sports festival!

“Uh, maybe you should be looking for a shinier costume or something?” He offered a little awkwardly to the excitable girl standing in front of him.

“Stick a piece of paper with your name on your back.” Katsumi butted in, perching on the desk next to Ojiro’s.

“Katsumi!” Hagakure whined, “Be serious! Not everyone has a flashy quirk like you!”

“Oh, Yagi,” Ojiro greeted, not having noticed her approach.

“I told you you can call me Katsumi,” she said, raising an eyebrow. “Anyways,” she scratched the back of her neck. “I just wanted to say thanks for your help the other day.”

“Well, really it was you that-”

“Oh yeah,” Hagakure jumped towards her, “Ojiro said you were badass! Breaking away glass so you guys could climb away from the villains! How awesome!”

“Where’d you end up Hagakure?” Katsumi cocked her head as she looked at where she assumed the transparent girl's head was, “Were you okay?”

“Yeah, I was fine! I ended up with Todoroki- thats the ice guy at the back- and he froze all the villains immediately. It was insane! You should watch out for him, he’s too strong.”

“Thank you for the advice,” Katsumi chuckled, eyes glancing to the back where Todoroki sat in solitude. She really didn’t like him, despite never exchanging so much as a word with him. He had beaten her at the entrance exam, she couldn’t wait to even the score. Thinking about the exam- where was that guy she had spoken to back then- Oh it didn’t really matter did it? 

“Everyone,” everyone turned to the back of the room as a girl's voice shouted out, “I'm gonna do my best!”

Katsumi’s face darkened into an irritated scowl as she saw the brunette Uraraka pumping her fist with an intense look on her face. The students around cheered for her as she repeated herself. She was awfully pumped for this.

For a moment the possibility of Uraraka being a rival in the realm of strength crossed Katsumi’s mind. Nah, if her performance in the battle training the other day was anything to go off, she was nothing to worry about. 

“Hey Uraraka?”

“Mhm?”

Katsumi had decided to tag along with Izuku during lunch, though now she was almost regretting it. Walking next to Izuku, just dragging behind she had been dutifully listening to Iida discuss the scouting process at the Festival after Katsumi made an offhand comment that she didn’t listen. Thankfully Izuku had interrupted him, but to ask the short brunette also in the group a question. They all stopped walking along the corridor as Uraraka turned round.

Even with everything she had on her mind, she was able to get annoyed by this new girl who had befriended her Izuku. Maybe that was something she should work to get over? Nah. 

“What made you decide to come to UA?” Izuku asked. “What made you wanna be a pro hero?”

Ugh, why did Izuku care? No, the two were friends now, there was no point in wallowing about it.

Uraraka looked away, cheeks flushing pinker than usual at the question. That better be because of the content of the question, not the person asking it. Katsumi took in a deep breath, resetting her face as she had felt tighten into a scowl.

“Money huh?” Katsumi scoffed.

“You want to become a hero so you can get rich?” Izuku asked disbelievingly. 

“If we’re cutting to the chase, yeah…” she admitted, scratching the back of her head. “I’m sorry if it sounds greedy!” Sweating, she waved her hand in front of her before she turned away, hands cupping her face. Katsumi rolled her eyes.

“You all have such admirable motivations, I hope you don’t think less of me now.”

‘Uraraka, I couldn’t possibly think less of you.’ That’s what Katsumi wanted to say. Instead, she kept her lips sealed.

“Not at all!” Iida chimed in seriously, “Your goal is to support your well-being. A perfectly admirable ambition to have!”

“As long as you don’t end up like one of those sell-out heroes that only appear in magazines who cares?” Katsumi shrugged, not sure why she was even saying anything.

“That’s surprisingly nice Katsumi,” Izuku said as he smiled at her, making her heart skip a beat. She was still embarrassed from the other day. She turned away, “Uh whatever,” she mumbled. She was lucky he didn’t notice her strange reaction, or if he did he didn’t say anything, just turned to Uraraka and commented on how her reason was surprising. 

“You see, my family owns a construction company, but we haven't gotten any work at all, so we're flat broke.” She said, a little sad smile on her face, “Sorry, this isn't really something I normally tell other people…”

“Construction, eh?” Iida said thoughtfully.

Gasping, Izuku turned to the taller boy, “With her Quirk, if she gets licensed, then it'd bring costs way down, right?”

Izuku really loved talking about quirks in any capacity it seemed.

“She could make any raw material float,” Iida added, sharing in the nerdy boy’s enthusiasm. “They could sell their heavy equipment.”

“Right?” Bouncing, Urakaka exclaimed, “That's what I’ve been telling Dad since I was little! But…” she paused for a long moment. Suddenly she clutched a fist and declared, “I'm definitely going become a hero and make money so my parents can take it easy!”

Iida cheered, “Bravo! Uraraka, Bravo!” 

Huh, Katsumi pursed her lips as she looked from Iida to Uraraka and finally to Izuku. He smiled as Iida cheered for the girl. 

She had a better reason than Katsumi, that was for sure. They were complete opposites, in both aspiration and upbringing. Katsumi would never have chosen the path in her life to help her parents, well, at least her mum. Neither of her parents would ever need financial help anyway. It was clear Uraraka had led an extremely different life than her. 

Before she could think about it much more they were interrupted by a booming voice, “Young Midoriya is here!”

“All Might?”

“Dad!?” Katsumi’s eyebrow furrowed as the sight of her father peeking from behind the wall appeared. He became so weird as soon as he turned into his All Might form.

“That’s so weird,” Uraraka laughed brightly, turning around to Katsumi, “he really is your dad!”

“Uh, yeah.” 

“What's the matter All Might?” Izuku asked, glancing around awkwardly. Katsumi could tell he was wondering if it was safe for him to be talking to him like this.

“Lunch!” he smiled, pulling out a bento, “Wanna eat together?”

“That’s adorable!” 

“How about it?”

“Uh-” Izuku glanced to Iida who nodded, “Sure”

Katsumi cleared her throat as Izuku began to walk away, “You’re gonna invite this rando but you're not your own daughter!?”

“Oh sorry!” He laughed, “You can come too.”

“Only fifty minutes?”

“Yeah… That's about how long I can use my power now. I overdid it too many times. That Nomu was a real tough customer. Took a lot out of me. At this point, I can just barely look like All Might for an hour and a half.”

Sat on the sofa next to Izuku, Katsumi stared at the floor of the lounge. She didn’t say anything.

“I’m so sorry,” Izuku earnestly apologised, “I should have just-”

“Ah ha!” Katsumi jumped as her dad’s explosive laugh made Izuku yelp beside her. Blood spurted from her father's mouth as he laughed. Katsumi winced at the sight.

“You don't have to apologise for anything! And Katsumi stop looking so guilty! Man, we three really are alike, even though I know you don’t think so Katsumi.” He smiled before passing to cups towards them, “Have some tea.”

“Thanks.”

Sipping at the tea Katsumi stayed quiet, the horrible feeling in her chest and stomach had returned to full force. A heavy weight placed inside her that burdened her every breath. Fifty minutes. Her fault, again.

“I brought you here to talk about the sports festival. You still can't fully control One For All, can you? So then, what’s your plan?”

Katsumi watched as Izuku looked down, dejected. Suddenly he gasped, “Wait, I did once! When I aimed a smash at that brain villain, there was no backlash.”

“Oh yeah, you mentioned that!” Her dad nodded, “What was different about that smash?”

“Different…” Izuku thought, “We were falling real villains and I didn’t have much time to think, but maybe that’s part of it- since I knew this wasn’t just more training…” He looked down at a fist, his words serious, almost dark, “This was the very first time, ever, that I used my power against a person.”

That thing he punched was no person, at least anymore. Katsumi wondered how long it would take for the police to realise that. 

“Hmm… Sounds like you succeeded subconsciously putting on the brakes so you wouldn’t have to kill anyone. Hey, that’s some kind of progress at least,” he shrugged. “Tea’s getting cold.”

“Oh, right, thank you.” Picking up the cup, Izuku still seemed slightly sombre. Katsumi took another sip of her drink as her dad stood up and walked towards the window.

“To be frank, I don't have much time left as the Symbol of Peace. Soon I’ll have to put that title to bed.”

“No way…”

“Dad…” The weight was only getting heavier. She wanted to say something to him but didn’t know what. Wasn’t this what she kinda had wanted all her life, for her father to be just that, her father? But she could just about hear the concealed sadness in him, the tension of his shoulders and the melancholy in his words.

“And some villains out there are starting to notice that.” Katsumi looked away from his back, “Someone has to step up and keep people safe.” 

She turned her head at that, her eyes drifting to Izuku. He didn’t look at her, instead standing up as her father turned.

“I gave you my power for one reason, " All Might said to Izuku, eyes grave and serious. A different ache began to pain the girl, but she remained seated as she watched the interaction quietly. Maybe she shouldn’t have come along to this, she wasn’t invited after all.

“I gave it to you because you will be the hero who takes my place,” All Might spoke with words full of faith, “Do you still feel the same as you did when we met, young Midoriya? Do you still want to be a hero?”

The ache grew as Izuku stepped closer to All Might.

“Yes.” 

“Then,” he nodded, “the time has come for you to prove it. This sports festival is something pro heroes… no, the whole country is watching closely.” All Might’s eyes were filled with more conviction than she had ever seen, the bright blue glowing in the darkness of his sunken eyes as he looked at the boy before him. “I want you to think about this Sports Festival as your debut. You are the fledgling Symbol of Peace… The next All Might! Izuku Midoriya. I want you to tell the world, I am here!”

He really believed in Izuku. 

Good.

“Tomura.”

She was back, standing exactly behind the young man with pale blue hair sat at the bar. Kurogiri stood silently, dutifully working on his seemingly unending task of polishing glasses. Katsumi didn’t wait for the man to respond, to even turn his head or turn towards her.

“I need to talk to you about something.”

“I don’t need you.” She hadn’t expected a response. His dry, raspy voice dripped with irritation and he spoke without so much of the tiniest movement. She was not unsettled by the declaration of his apathy towards her. Her face stayed stoic. After all, he was sitting at the bar and not resting, he expected her to come. He was there because of it.

“But I need you,” she stepped forward. “Well, I’d like you to help me,” walking up to the bar she leaned against it, right beside him. 

“The UA Sports Festival is coming up. I wanna get stronger…” she held her hand out in front of her, staring at it, “In that specific way.” 

He snorted at that. It was a mean, uncomfortable sound that should have sent her turning around and walking the other way. She didn’t move. Instead, she held out her hand to him.

“You know what I mean, like old times,” she almost laughed. “It was always cleaner when you did it.”

Tomura stayed still for a moment, staring at her. A painfully long moment passed. Katsumi kept her gaze steady. 

“Ha…” his shoulders twitched as he slowly began to laugh. “Why not?” She could hear the grin on his face as he reached out and wrapped his hand around her wrist, each fingertip connecting with her skin.

Chapter Text

“Katsumi, I apologise it’s a bit late notice but would you like to come to my house after school? We have a home gym and I wanted to take you up on your offer to train with you.”

“Totally! Well actually-” Katsumi paused to put a bite of her lunch into her mouth and swallow it down. She supposed she did have plenty of time in between going home and heading to the bar for going round Momo’s but…

“My driver can pick us up and drop us back home when we’re done.”

“You have a driver?!” Kirishima gasped, leaning across the table, almost knocking Katsumi’s bowl, “Awesome!”

“Ah well-” Momo blushed.

“Watch it!” Katsumi playfully hit Kirishima’s arm, she grinned and sat back. Turning back to the dark-haired girl in front of her she asked, “Would it be okay if we did it tomorrow?”

“Oh of course, that is no problem!”

At least then she could tell Tomura she wasn’t coming. Every day he without fail would be there at the bar despite his injury as if waiting for her. That was the sole fact that even though she was barely getting more than a two-word answer from any of the questions she asked him she hadn’t lost hope. If he really didn’t want to see her, he wouldn’t be there even while injured.

“You two are gonna be training together? Makes sense your quirks are pretty similar.” Jiro, the serious girl with dark purple hair commented. Katsumi liked her, she was nice but didn’t take any stupid activity from the guys, especially Kaminari who seemed to follow her around.

“Woah, that’s dumb, you should be trying to sabotage the competition not help them!” Kaminari shook his head in mock disappointment.

“Maybe you need to do that, but I think Miss All Might will be okay.”

“Nah it’s not even that, Momo wants to learn how to throw a punch and I want her to teach my chemistry.”

“Oh, so it’s a trade! It makes sense you’re teaching the fighting,” Kirishima laughed, “You’re scary in a fight!”

“Eh, I think against me she’d have some trouble,” Kaminari smirked, shrugging. Jiro gave him a look.

“Say’s the one trick pony.”

Kaminari turned around quickly, saying some sort of retort to try and defend himself only to be kicked down again by Jiro. Katsumi laughed along with Kirishima and Momo (though the latter girl was doing her best to seem unamused by her classmates's antics). Katsumi’s gaze drifted, however, over to a nearby table where a certain green-haired boy sat. He was talking animatedly to Iida and Uraraka, he really got on with those two. Good.

“Did you hear?” A voice from the other side of the table asked loud enough for probably everyone in the near vicinity to hear clearly. “One of the 1-A students is All Might’s kid!”

“Yeah I saw that in the news! I wonder who!”

“We should totally stake out their classroom later.”

Katsumi felt very plainly the eyes of every 1-A student sitting at the nearby tables fall on her. Katsumi stared blankly, continuing her meal unbothered. No, she wasn’t going to say anything, she wasn’t sure why people expected her to. It really wasn’t that interesting to be a kid of a hero, there was enough of them. Actually…

“Hey!” Katsumi called to the student on the other side of the table, “Did you know Endervours son’s in 1-A too?”

“Really?” The guy’s eyes widened, “Both the number one and two hero?” He turned to his friend, “That’s gotta be some crazy tension.”

“Why’d you do that for?” Kaminari whispered, leaning into the table, creating a wall with his body from the others on their table.

Katsumi just smirked.

“Do we really have Endevours son in our class?” The blonde boy continued.

“You didn’t know?” Jiro shook her head, Todoroki, you really are dumb.”

“In fairness, I didn’t know either,” Kirishima admitted, a little sheepishly.

“Wow, he kept that quiet- though it makes sense why he’s so strong!”

“That was a smart way to draw attention away,” Momo noted, “a bit dirty,” she added, raising her brow at Katsumi, “but smart.”

“Thing is Endeavour and All Might aren’t really the same, no villains attacked UA to try kill Endeavour did they?” Kaminari said, sitting back properly.

Jiro sighed, “Well no he doesn’t work here.”

“No- Well yeah! But you get what I mean, Katsumi’s dad’s is the symbol of peace.” He clarified, "There’s a gap between that and any other high-ranking hero.”

“Those villains,” Momo hummed, the mention of the attack obviously making the cogs in her head turn, “I wonder what they’re up to now.”

“You think they’re planning something?” Jiro asked quickly.

“Well if they are the teachers will just crush them again like they did last time!” Kirishima grinned, clenching a fist.

Momo thought for a moment before sighing, “Poor Aizawa sensei…”

“I’m glad he’s recovering well,” Jiro said, the memory of his battered body making her wince “though he really should still be in hospital.”

“Crazy,” Kaminari said, eyes wide, “he could have had his arm turned to dust just from that guy’s touch! What an OP quirk!”

Katsumi nodded, “Yeah.”

“Kurogiri. Get rid of this shit already.”

Katsumi winced as she stared down at her arm- or what was left of it. A pile of grey dust gathered on the bar table where her forearm was just a few moments ago. She moved her arm back from the bar as Kurogiri took a dustpan and brush and began to sweep it up.

By now she thought she would have gotten used to it, but even after the good few days she had been visiting the bar and having Tomura destroy her arms she still hadn’t gotten accustomed to the feeling. Even back then when she was almost always missing one limb or another she never adapted properly. The fact it was always growing back, never giving her a moment to get used to it, probably had something to do with that.

Staring down at where she had rolled up her hoodie to, right where the decay had halted, she watched as the cracks slowly retreated. The bone began to stretch forward, veins following it, reclaiming its destroyed shape. Her stomach lurched at the sight. She looked away. At least there was no blood, the veins closing up seemed like the first thing her body did before it began to regrow itself.

Kurogiri gently knocked the dustpan against the bin, the ashes of what was once her arm falling in. His movements and speech were so robotic that it made Katsumi wonder if he was really human. It was easily possible he was some sort of Nomu or human-robot that man had created for the sole purpose of babysitting Tomura. Disgusting, surely he used to be a person, with his own hopes and dreams, now resigned to a life of servitude. Is that what he planned for her too? To be a servant to do Tomura’s dirty work? Too bad for him, Tomura didn’t seem all that bothered with that idea. He still hadn't given her any orders, much to her relief. That did mean however that the only reason she appeared through the warp gate each night was to ‘exercise her quirk for the festival’. He was best at helping with that specific exercise after all. It hurt the least when it was him.

But it did still hurt, it really hurt. The first time she had asked Tomura, when he had wrapped his hand around her wrist she screamed. It was out of surprise from just how painful it was. She pulled away from his grasp after only a few brief seconds, her wrist only half disintegrated. It earned an annoyed huff from Tomura- at least she thought that’s what the noise was. She was a little busy crying in pain on the floor to care.

With memory of the amount of pain she would be experiencing fresh in her mind she was able to prepare herself properly. She found despite the initial searing of pain as her flesh and bone cracked and decayed it wasn’t all that painful. Once the destroyed part fell off and as her body regenerated itself it only became increasingly bearable, for her at least, anyone else… they might struggle a little more.

It had taken thirty minutes for her arm to regrow the first night. During those thirty minutes, she had pushed through the pain and asked a multitude of different questions or comments to try to coax a conversation out of Tomura. To no surprise, he was cold and curt. His replies, that was if he did reply, were short and closed making it hard for her to keep a conversation. Katsumi couldn’t get anything easy, could she?

Once the skin of the tips of her fingers had finally closed over the red muscle her time was up. The thought to get him to destroy her arm again crossed her mind but she really didn’t feel like going through that twice in one night. Her pain tolerance was high, even if it was painful she could deal with it, but the process of regeneration was uncomfortable and she wasn’t getting the best conversation to distract her from it.

She wondered if Kurogiri knew what the hell she was doing. Coming in just to get Tomura to destroy her arms, she must look crazy, even if it was to ‘get stronger’ or whatever. Or maybe he knew about their history, this wasn’t a new arrangement after all.

One's quirk is like a muscle. The more you exercise it the stronger it becomes. That’s why since deciding to become a hero she practised with it every day, the more you use it the easier it gets. With her quirk, she exercised it by seeing how far she could stretch her limbs out, how quickly she could change the material of her body, how many different materials she could create in a minute etcetera. That was fine, tiring of course, but the rush of adrenaline and the way she’d lay on the floor catching her breath after the long hard workout was quite satisfying. That to say, she enjoyed it.

Exercising a regeneration quirk, on the other hand, is just fucking horrific.

It wasn’t really a quirk in of itself, more a mutation of her original quirk from that man's meddling. It was nowhere near as strong as that Nomu’s, guess he perfected it after all. Either way, it was still something that if she wanted to improve she’d have to exercise. She had a lot in the past. The memory of what it was like when her training was under that man’s control washed over her and her insides shivered.

The clock on the far left wall ticked loudly in the silent room- quarter to eleven. She’d be home before midnight, great. She hadn’t exercised her regeneration enough for any real improvement, she still had about half an hour to try and crack Tomura’s icy shell.

“Kinda hot in here huh?”

Tick. Tick. Tick.

Katsumi glanced over to Tomura. He didn’t even glance back.

“Would you like me to open a window, Katsumi Yagi?”

“Don’t,” Tomura said almost immediately.

“Ah yeah no, it’s okay.” She smiled.

It wasn’t really that hot, but it was actually warm, finally. The spring air finally decided to be well, spring-like. But Katsumi was sitting in sweatpants with a hoodie. She sighed and unzipped her hoodie open with her untouched hand. If she was gonna be sat here probably doing nothing again for half an hour she might as well be comfortable. She ran through her list of conversation starters in her head before settling on one and turning around to look at Tomura.

“So…” Katsumi began, her left arm resting on the bar as she looked to Tomura, “what do you do other than well, sitting at the bar and not drinking?”

Yeah, she wasn’t being the most polite, but she had been at this for a couple days now with little progress and she was getting a little frustrated at this point.

Tomura turned his head to look at her and suddenly made what could only be described as a choking sound. Katsumi’s brow furrowed as he froze, and stared at her for a long moment. The stupid hand on his face covered any hint of expression she could have used to decipher the meaning of his actions. Katsumi’s mouth fell open as she went to say something only to be closed again when Tomura turned back away from her.

With a long exhale Katsumi too turned back, staring down at the edge of the bar table. This might be useless. If she couldn’t even get a normal conversation out of him how was she supposed to convince him to abandon the one man who had raised him? No doubt he had manipulated him in such ways that he would defend him against any criticism Katsumi had against him. She was hoping to rely on any lasting affection Tomura had for her, he used to care for her, enough to disobey his master. Now? Nothing seemed to remain.

“...Video games mostly. Sometimes cards.”

Katsumi’s head snapped back around. Tomura's head was tilted slightly towards her, the angle and position of the light blue locks that came down his face were in just the right position for her to catch a brief glance at his burning red eyes as they bore into her. A bolt of shock shot through Katsumi’s body, her heart swelled in her chest and began to pound uncomfortably as she processed the words that had broken through the seemingly endless silence.

“Oh-” she forced out, her voice breathless. She felt so unprepared, all this time waiting for some interest and now she had it she was at a loss for words. No, she could do this, she just needed to refocus. When she got talking she’d be able to drown out the thudding in her ears.

Squirming a little in her seat she turned around to face him again. As she did so, Tomura’s shoulders tensed again, but he didn’t freeze, Katsumi’s eyes drawn to the hand he had resting on the table as he rubbed his thumb against the side of his forefinger.

“What sort of-” Katsumi stopped as her mind cleared enough for a moment to remember something. Her eyebrows rose as her stiff and tense expression melted away, her eyes sparkling.

“Aw,” she smirked, “video games?”

“What?” She could almost hear the crease of his eyebrow as he responded, his confusion laced with annoyance. Oh well, he was going to be annoyed with her either way.

“Well,” cocking her head she rested an arm on the bar and looked up at Tomura, “it’s just wouldn’t I the reason you got into video games?”

“Huh?” He pulled back, “Fuck- no.”

Katsumi’s grin grew and she leaned closer, “So is! You were obsessed with my DS! Hey, have you beat that Pokemon game yourself yet?”

“That’s not the reason.” His voice was almost a snarl as he turned away. It didn’t last long as he almost immediately turned his head slightly to peek at her. Katsumi’s brow furrowed again as she smirked, what was his problem?

“Huh, sure.” She shrugged, “I’m guessing you didn’t then?”

“Didn’t want to,” he huffed, a childish tinge to his tone. “It’s a dumb kid’s game.”

“Dumb kids game?” Katsumi shook her head. “It might be for kids but it isn’t dumb, those games are awesome.”

Tomura shook his head with a sharp snort, “You look like you’d say that.”

“Oh really?” Katsumi said raising her eyebrows, a slight smirk still on her lips, “Okay, what games do you play then?”

“...League.”

“League…” Katsumi hummed, “Oh you mean League of Legends? I didn’t know that was big here too.”

“You know it?”

Yes she did, it was the stinky incel gamer bro game. She shouldn’t be really surprised honestly.

“Yeah!” she nodded, “I watched the show based on it- it was so good.”

“Oh.” Tomura’s hand moved to his neck and he began to scratch. “Nah I haven’t watched that.”

Katsumi gasped, “Really? But it’s so good- like I don’t watch much animation but I totally loved it.”

“I don’t trust your judgement.”

“Why,” she giggled, “‘cause I like Pokemon you can’t trust my judgement?”

“I can’t trust you for a lot of reasons.”

Katsumi paused, her mouth opening and closing only to open again as she decided on a response.

“You- …You just need to me a chance. But honestly,” she took a deep breath in before she leaned closer, her face serious, “I’m really not on board with this ‘kill All Might’ shit. At all. He’s my dad and I was told he wouldn’t be killed.”

Katsumi was expecting anger, pushback, something. Instead, Tomura stared at her for a long moment.

“Whatever.”

Katsumi blinked as Tomura turned away, seemingly done with the conversation.

That was probably the best outcome she could have gotten. Realistically he couldn’t expect anything else from her. There was no reason why she would ever be on board with killing her own father. He may seem childish but she was certain Tomura was not stupid. He must have known she would say that or at least was thinking it.

Well, that might just be the end of the conversation. Katsumi stared at the bar table, placing her still regenerating arm onto it. The rapid mitosis as the unnatural amount of stem cells in her body her quirk reproduced worked to repair her arm. Again, she was unable to bear the sight for more than a few moments, her eyes flying away as she drew her arm back to her side. Kurogiri stared at her from his spot as he placed whiskey glasses into some display. She didn’t like his yellow gaze, his robotic nature made it feel like the eyes were recording her, processing the information to send right to him.

She sucked in a deep breath.

“As much as I love sitting here staring at Kurogiri trying to look busy, can we do something else? I kinda wanna see League, it’s gotta be a good game if they made that show of it.”

If she could crack this wall between them by getting him to talk about something he likes… Then she knew she could get him to treat her normally, no more of this stonewalling stuff. But she very well might be being too pushy right now.

As he sat unmoving, Katsumi breathed carefully, attempting to calm her creeping nerves.

“Sure, whatever.”

Katsumi’s mouth parted in awe as he slid off of his stool.

That actually worked?

Tomura clutched at his stomach with his unbandaged hand for a moment before straightening up and walking to the door. She had almost forgotten his injuries. A pang of guilt for making him get up hit her. She should probably say something about it-

“You coming?”

“Oh-” Tomura stood at the other side of the bar next to the corridor. Katsumi jumped in surprise before she quickly jumped off her stool and hurried over, holding her injured arm against her stomach.

“Sorry.”

Tomura stayed still. Katsumi felt his gaze on her for a good few moments before he turned back to Kurogiri. Katsumi followed his gaze. The man stood silently at the bar staring back at the two of them.

“I’m going to my room,” Tomura told him before turning to Katsumi. “Go on, you said you wanted to see a real game,” he said, pointing to the corridor they stood beside.

“Thats-” Katsumi began to retort but hesitated a moment, looking over to Kurogiri. He looked at her for a long moment before he turned around and began to polish a glass.

“Get a move on.” He huffed, and Katsumi quickly nodded.

The corridor was dark, the lights dim and a few burnt out. There were three doors they walked past, Katsumi leading the way. A breath had hitched itself in her throat as she continued walking, assuming his room was none of the doors they had passed. Finally, she stood in front of the last door, one at the end of the corridor. She turned around, looking up at Tomura. The grey hand clutching his face stared back at her as she looked to him for instruction.

“Uh, is this your-”

Katsumi yelped as she was pushed aside by Tomura’s arm. He moved to the door, turning his head towards her, snorting in amusement.

“Careful,” he almost laughed, but it didn’t sound friendly, “I might destroy more than your arms.”

Katsumi stared wordlessly as he opened the door, carefully keeping his pinky away from the handle.

“Is that… a threat?”

Tomura shrugged before he walked through the door and down a set of steps.

Despite her better judgement, Katsumi followed him down.

Tomura’s room was dark, only the light from the door stopping it from being pitch black. It had a distinctive musty smell, the air stale. It surely couldn’t be good for a person to sleep in such a place. Tomura stopped by the door, forcing Katsumi to squeeze past him to enter further in by herself.

A completely reasonable fear began to creep up Katsumi, her stomach twisting uncomfortably as her muscles tensed. Maybe she shouldn’t be alone with Tomura.

“Move.”

Her fist clenched as Tomura brushed past her. He went straight to his desk on the other side of the room and turned on the computer.

“Oh er,” Katsumi choked out, “uh, do you want me to turn a light on?” She didn’t like being in the dark.

“Nah.”

“Where should I sit?”

“I don’t care.” His hands went straight for his keyboard as he logged on, Katsumi watched as he loaded up the game, seemingly deciding to completely ignore her for it. A wave of relief washed over her as Tomura clicked loudly on his mouse.

How crazy the leader of a villain group backed by one of the most powerful villains of all time was led by a League player? She felt almost responsible in a way… if only she left without her DS, the leader of the League of Villians wouldn’t be a League of Legends player.

“League of Villains…” Katsumi mumbled, “Legends…”

The aggressive clicking stopped as Katsumi stifled a laugh.

“What?” Tomura’s voice was cold as he looked up at her from his chair.

“Hm? Oh, nothing.” Katsumi smiled nervously before quickly adverting her gaze.

Looking around there was only really one option for seating, a half-tidy bed positioned parallel to the desk. Katsumi pulled the cover flat before taking a seat on the very edge.

“C’mon,” she grinned, forcing herself to sound assured, “lemme see a game!”

“It’s loading,” Tomura snapped as he turned his head to her side. “When you’re done with your masochistic training shit just leave, don’t interrupt me,” huffing he picked up a pair of headphones from the desk.

“Oh… right.”

Sitting in silence watching someone else play a not-very-interesting game was only marginally better than sitting in silence watching a guy pretend to clean glasses. Not just that but now she couldn’t even attempt to talk to him, though maybe she should be grateful for that. She didn’t really want to in that moment.

She noticed that he did not take off that stupid hand to play, surely it was making it hard to see? He did tell her why he wore it once… she thought. She couldn’t really remember. It wasn’t like he hadn’t taken it off before, she remembered his face, sort of. He had red eyes, she remembered that well.

When did he move here? She was sure this wasn’t the place she had been kept in, but then again, the memories were hazy. She knew she had never met Kurogiri before though, when did he join the league?

Questions she couldn’t ask continued to swirl in her mind as she half-watched Tomura play. She could barely even see the screen and of course, she couldn’t hear anything. Really worth it.

She actually began to feel a little tired, was she really that bored? Now the anxiety had faded she was left in a dark room with a surprisingly comfortable bed she was sitting on. The thought of lying down crossed her mind for a moment… Katsumi wasn’t that dumb.

She was quite glad for the darkness in the end, not being able to see the process of regeneration spared him from quite a bit of discomfort. Ignoring the pain was easy, she had lived enough of her life with it to withstand it. But the sight still made her nauseous. If she just stayed in the dark she would have a much easier time with this ‘training’, but she really wasn’t sure she’d be quick to come back into Tomura’s room.

When she felt the last bits of skin stretch over her fingertips she was more than ready to get out of there and into her own bed. But she still needed to tell him she wouldn’t be coming tomorrow… she couldn’t let Momo down. Should she risk pissing him off and interrupt him?

“...Uh, Tomura?”

No response, of course. She thought about tapping him on the shoulder but decided against it. The threat he had made earlier did make her think twice. But really, Katsumi knew he wouldn’t hurt her. It would make no sense to, and she was sure he didn’t want to. She shouldn’t push it though.

Like he told her to earlier she got up silently and walked over to the door, still partially open. As she stepped through the doorway she suddenly froze at the sound of a name.

“Sumi.”

Katsumi turned her head slightly, glancing behind her. Tomura was sitting at his desk. He let go of his mouse and carefully removed his headphones before he turned his head to look at her.

“Yes?” She responded almost meekly as she turned around to face him, holding her hands together.

Tomura stared at her for a long moment, the sight of the served hand grasping his face in the dark, lit up by the flashing screen of his computor making Katsumi grasp onto the door a little harder than necessary.

“Nothing.”

With that, he put his headset back on and turned away. Katsumi stared at him for only a few seconds before she turned around and quickly climbed the stairs.

“Can I go home?”

Kurogiri stared at her for a long few moments before saying anything. Katsumi stood awkwardly, holding her own hand as she stood before the man.

“Miss Yagi,” he said finally, “are you alright?”

“Huh?” She was taken aback by the question.

One of Kurogiri’s portals opened up beside her and she looked at it and back at him confused.

“Please do not feel obligated to come here every day,” He said in an almost apologetic tone.

“Ah, alright… Thank you.”

Chapter Text

“You wanna change your costume?”

The development studio on the first floor was completely empty, except for a short upper-class man with cropped grey hair. Due to how simple adjustment Katsumi wanted for her costume Aizawa Sensei had told her to just go and find a support student to work on it. Apparently, they got extra credit for any improvements or repairs they made to hero students’ costumes, so any of them would be happy to help.

“Yeah, there’s a cut out in the chest area I don’t want. Would you be able to cover it?” Katsumi gently placed her briefcase on the table. “With white, preferably, and maybe make the backside longer?”

“Oh, sure!” The girl nodded, pulling the case towards her. “Sometimes, the costume makers can be a bit too flippant about making sure the wearer is comfortable and covered. We’ll get it back to you by tomorrow!”

Katsumi thanked the girl and was about to leave when she called out to her.

“Also… uh,” she laughed a little nervously, “I’m sorry for being nosy, but are you in class 1-A?”

Katsumi looked at the upperclassman suspiciously, “Yeah. Why?”

“Well,” she started, adverting her gaze, “I heard that All Might’s daughter is in the class!” She looked back at Katsumi, her eyes glinting. “Is that true?”

Katsumi stared blankly for a long moment, “Yeah.”

“Wow really?” She marvelled, “I’m a big fan of his! My aunty worked with his agency as a designer for a while.”

“That’s cool…” Katsumi wondered where this was going.

“What’s she like?” The student asked, scratching her neck as she looked away sheepishly, “Are you uh, friends with her.”

Something in the way the girl was acting told Katsumi quite clearly she was already aware of who Katsumi was.

“If you wanna know so badly… I’m the girl.”

“I knew it!” The girl gasped, clapping her hands together. 

Katsumi deadpanned, “Was it the blondeness that gave it away?”

“No your eyes actually! They’re really striking blue!”

A smirk crept its way onto Katsumi’s lips. People knowing her as All Might’s daughter would be annoying until it became old news. Then everyone would get bored of it and stop caring. Until then she’d just have to deal with it. At least this girl was nice.

“Coming through!”

The door swung open with a loud bang as a pink-haired girl flew in, the large cardboard box in her arms contents clanking as she rushed to the counter.

“Ah! Hatsume! Watch out will you!”

“Sorry!” The girl shouted, dropping the heavy box onto a workbench with a loud thud, “Too busy!”

Katsumi took that as her time to leave before she had to answer any questions. 

Finally, she was alone with her thoughts. Goodness knows she had a lot to sift through. There had been little to no time all day to debrief herself on the previous night. She’d woken up late, her dad rushing her to get ready in fifteen minutes. Then she had spent the first few lessons learning the most horrendous equations ever- god she hated maths! After that, she spent most of lunch arguing with Iida until she excused herself to the costume department. At least she got to sit next to Izuku. The thing was she just didn’t like talking to him as much with those other randos around and they were around, almost constantly. 

Katsumi was keenly aware of the fact the time when she was hanging out with Izuku had been steadily decreasing since joining UA. Her preoccupation with a certain other dude was certainly not helping. The thing she kept telling herself was that as soon as she sorted her little problem out, when she completed her task, she would have all the time in the world to talk with Izuku… and maybe more. But until then-

“Katsumiii!”

In the half-empty corridors, Katsumi spun around as she heard a loud, excitable voice call out her name. Mina ran up to her, skidding slightly as she slowed down to join Katsumi. 

“I wondered where you left to!” She grinned, slightly out of breath, “Whatcha’ doing here?”

“Mina,” Katsumi forced a smile, not like she didn’t want to see the very pink girl- but she did really need some alone time. “I was just at the development studio getting my costume adjusted a little.”

“Oh really? What, they make it weird? It looked good to me the other day.”

“Nah,” they kept walking, Katsumi was heading to class early, and she assumed Mina was too. “I just wanted some changes to my original design, does mean I’ll have to wear the PE costume fo-”

“You two, why aren’t you in the cafeteria?”

Katsumi yelped at the gruff voice of their homeroom teacher. She hadn’t even seen him approaching

“What was that?” Mina whispered, trying to hold down a laugh.

“Um,” Katsumi ignored Mina, looking up at Aizawa’s bandaged face, “I was just talking to the costume department.”

“And you Ashido?”

“Bathroom trip sir!” Mina saluted. 

“Right, try not to wander round the halls. In the event of another break in you should be in the cafeteria with your classmates.”

“Of course sir!” Mina grinned.

Aizawa nodded, his tired eyes peeking through the bandages, “Make you eat a good lunch too, it’s important to fuel your body if you want to be successful in lessons.”

“Yes sir!”

Aizawa passed the girls without another word, Katsumi twisted her neck to look over her shoulder as she did so. He was just as bandaged as when he first came back. He was much more injured than Tomura, yet he seemed unfazed by it. The injuries were truly horrific if Recovery Girl couldn’t heal him. The concept of taking a long time to heal was such a foreign idea to Katsumi, it seemed awful. 

“Poor Sensei,” Katsumi frowned.

“He acts all strict but he has a big heart,” Mina snickered. “I still can’t believe he’s still teaching. He’s such a pro! Hopefully he heals up soon and they can take those bandages off.”

Katsumi smirked at the thought, “Can’t wait.”

“Yeah- wait what?”

Katsumi glanced at Mina. She was looking at her brow furrowed, her lips curling up slightly.

Oops.

“Huh?” 

Mina cocked her head, “What do you mean?”

“About what?” Katsumi laughed a little awkwardly. She hadn’t meant to say that the way she did.

Mina let out a giggle, “Why can’t you wait for the bandages to come off?”

Katsumi’s face began to warm up, “Cuz, I want him to get better…”

“Oh my god? Do you think he’s hot!?”

“Shhh!” Katsumi grabbed Mina by the shoulders, looking around wildly, “Don’t shout!”

“Reeeally?” Mina’s mouth was wide open, eyes wide in shock and amusement. “Is that your type? He’s so like- unkempt! Or I guess you think that makes him rugged?”

Katsumi groaned, letting the shorter girl go, “Don’t you think he’s hot?”

“Well- yeah I guess he’s not bad looking,” Mina said, though by her tone it seemed she didn’t truly mean it. “I can I understand why someone would like him I guess. I’m just surprised you do.”

Katsumi scoffed at that, “Why?”

Mina tapped a finger on her lips, “Well, I thought you liked the cute nerdy type.”

“The hell would you think that for?” As soon as those words left Katsumi’s mouth she knew she had made a mistake. “Actually no don’t answer-”

“Cuz your fat crush on Midoriya!” Mina whispered, leaning close to Katsumi.

“Right well,” Katsumi cleared her through, ignoring the encroaching heat on her cheeks, “there’s your mistake. I don’t have a crush on Izuku.”

“Surreee,” Mina nodded. They stopped talking for a brief moment as a couple of people passed them. As soon as they had Mina swayed towards the girl walking beside her to whisper in her ear.

“So what is your type then? Older guys?”

“Ugh,” Katsumi moaned, throwing her head forwards dramatically as she came to terms with the conversation. 

“No not really.”

“What is it then? Midoriya and Sensei are so different I can’t see the crossover!”

“Because I don’t- ugh whatever.”

“Just tell mee! What type of guys do you like?”

“Well- I mean like, hm I dunno actually. It’s hard to describe.”

“What hair colour, eye colour, height, physique, personality-”

“Okay yeah, I get it… hmm…” Katsumi clicked her tongue as she thought for a moment. “I like dark hair, bright eyes- like red or green-”

“Like Midoriya-”

“No. Well, I mean yeah I guess he does have nice eyes.”

“Ooooo-”

“Nope! Don’t even start.”

“Aww he’s not ugly Katsumi, he’s kinda cute actually, but I’m guessing you're into more manly dudes. Or is it ‘cuz he’s shorter than you.”

“No. I mean- I dunno.”

“Ugh! Okay what’s the number one thing you’d want in a partner?”

“I guess…” Katsumi hummed, thinking about it for a moment. “Someone who likes me. Someone who likes being around me. Someone who’s number one is me, always.”

“Thats so- ah! You’re annoying!” Mina whined, totally unfulfilled by Katsumi’s vague answers. “Surely Midoriya does right? You should like him! Okay if it’s not that or his looks, is it his personality?”

“No.” There was no real reason she didn’t like him because, simply put, she did like him. Katsumi wasn’t going to tell Mina that though, that was a slippery slope to Izuku finding out. “There’s nothing wrong with him, I like him a lot, just not in that way.”

“Alright…” Mina surrendered, utterly defeated.

Katsumi was curious about why Mina cared so much about it. Maybe she just wanted to use it as an opportunity to get closer to her, they all still had technically only just met. It was prime time to get close to people.

“Is there someone else?” Mina asked suddenly, jumping out in front of Katsumi, her energy seemingly magically rejuvenated in the short few moments 

“Like who?” Katsumi scoffed, as she was forced to stop. She paused for a moment before she gave Mina a sly look, “What about you?”

“Me?” Mina blinked.

“You seem really into this crush stuff. Might it be because someone in our class has caught your eye?” 

“I wish!” she giggled, her expression was slightly strange though, Katsumi would have to remember that. “I mean we don’t really know each other that well,” she said quickly as she moved back to the side, the pair beginning their walk again, “You and Midoriya on the other hand-”

“Ugh!” Katsumi groaned, how were they still talking about that? She glanced around to check if anyone was in earshot before leaning towards Mina and aggressively whispering, “I don’t know our teacher that well and I still have the hots for him! You could totally think one of our classmates is hot!”

Mina laughed, “Seriously? You really think Sensei is that good-looking?”

Katsumi scowed at Mina as she blocked her attempt to switch the conversation to her. 

“Yes. Wait,” Katsumi froze for a second, “lemme be clear- you can’t tell anyone that.”

“Of course,” Mina snickered, making Katsumi sweat a little. “Seriously though, there’s hotter teachers than Aizawa Sensei.”

“Oh,” Katsumi scoffed, “like who?”

Mina hummed, taking a moment to think, “Vlad King’s got cool spiky hair, he’s mega buff too and fangs!”

“Nah,” Katsumi shook her head, “I don’t like buff guy’s all that much.”

“Really? But- wait,” Mina giggled, a mischievous glint in her eye. “Now I’m thinking about it, I totally know who the hottest teacher is.”

“Ms Midnight doesn’t count. We’re talking men.”

“Duh! No, if you really think about it, the teacher with the best personality, looks, aura… smile,” she grinned, and Katsumi felt very worried.

“The hottest teachers gotta be All Might!”

The sound Katsumi made was a kin to the dying breath of an old man, a deep, guttural sound of fear, disgust, horror. She stopped walking completely, standing in the middle of the empty corridor, eyes wide as she stared at the grinning pink girl, black eyes full of glee. She shook her head slowly as the Mina nodded, her toothy grin wide. 

“Yeah,” she doubled down, “I remember seeing a picture of him back when he was in the UA sports festival- a total smash! Or Detroit smash I should say.”

“No. No Mina,” Katsum stared, “you don’t mean that.”

“I mean- objectively-”

Katsumi’s hand rose to her chest, “Mina,” she called her friend's name, begging for mercy, “he’s like fifty now.”

Mina shrugged, “Fine wine. I’d hit.”

Katsumi choked, clutching at her heart. “He’s- he’s- my dad,” she almost pleaded with her, “You don’t mean it.”

Mina’s giggles turned to loud laughter as Katsumi took a step towards her and placed a hand on her shoulder, staring as wide-eyed as a shell-shocked soldier.

“Take it back… please.”

“Katsumi, are you feeling okay?”

“Hm?”

Katsumi looked up from the floor and stepped away from the wall she had been leaning on. 

“Yeah, yeah. I’m fine, you ready?”

Momo nodded, brow furrowed, determined, “Yes I- wait actually-” Momo shook her head, “I have boxing gloves! I made them not too long ago. Do you want me to get them?”

Katsumi blinked before smiling, “Hell yeah!”

“Okay!” She turned around quickly, “I’ll only be a moment.”

“I’ll be waiting!” Katsumi called after her.

Momo hurried out of the gym room, leaving Katsumi alone.

Katsumi knew Momo was rich but wow, her house exceeded all expectations. The gym she had was even bigger than the one she had at her father's house. There was enough room in the middle to lay out a huge mat for Momo’s close combat lesson. 

It was quite a bit of pressure to teach someone else how to fight, especially when the person wasn’t really a beginner and smart enough to tell if you messed up. Katsumi was pretty sure she remembered enough of how her teacher back in America went about explaining. She shouldn’t look like she had no idea what she was doing. Fighting was one thing but teaching someone else? She’d never really tried it, barring the time she’d shown Izuku how to throw a punch.

She hoped she wouldn’t be too distracted. Surely when she got into it, it would be fine but as the seconds ticked on, and it was getting closer and closer to the time she would have to go back to the bar… 

Damnit, she had planned on not going today, but she chickened out of telling him. When he had called out to her, that was the perfect time but- Damn. Hearing that name messed her up. 

She supposed it wouldn’t be all that bad. There would still be time to go see him, but she was about to burn all her energy fighting with Momo. She really didn’t want to do any regeneration after that, but what other excuse was there to go? Besides he expected it. Ugh, this was never going to get easier, was it? At least now she could start building up her rapport with him, one step closer.

“Okay, I’m back!” Momo smiled, a pair of boxing gloves and pads held in her arms. Katsumi immediately snapped out of her thoughts.

“Right,” she smiled and stepped forward, “let’s do this then!”

Chapter Text

She was at the bar. Again. 

“Yeah so then I was training with a girl from my class. We made a deal I’d help her with physical stuff if she helped me learn material composition and all that stupid complicated stuff. We were doing the fighting today and I think I did okay, not like I really know how to teach it. Anyway, I was round her’s till seven something, then I went home and did some gymnastics. During the entrance exam I had to do an obstacle course and I feel like something requiring a lot of agility might come up again so I’ve been running and practising handsprings and stuff just in case.”

It was like she had channelled Izuku through her. Her nerves that had once frozen her tongue were now making her overly chatty. After having such a fun time with Momo she just felt, so… light. When she arrived at the bar she was still feeling that high, and immediately sat down and instead of awkwardly trying to force a conversation she started talking non-stop about her day, even when she felt Tomura wrap his fingers around the arm she had offered him.

“And now, I am here. Still training. God, it’s a lot of work!” Katsumi laughed.

Tomura hadn’t said a word but simply stared at her as she chatted. Now she had finished talking, he continued to stay silent. The bin lid shutting and Kurogiri’s footsteps as he walked back to the bar the single sounds that kept the room from being suffocated in total silence.

Katsumi cleared her throat, it looked like she would have to keep talking.

“Well-”

“You care that much about that hero shit?”

Katsumi blinked, he actually responded? 

“Uh, no, it’s not really ‘cause of that. I just wanna get stronger, I guess.” Liar.

Tomura continued to stare directly at her, it was quite uncomfortable, ‘it’ being that unmoving grey hand.

“You’re buddy buddy with those wannabe hero classmates of yours though, aren’t you?” He said it accusingly, as he rested his arm onto the bar.

“Well-”

“Speaking of the UA students,” Kurogiri spoke up, surprising Katsumi. “Perhaps Miss Yagi could give us information on the quirks of her classmates.”

Katsumi’s heart froze, until now she hadn’t even been asked to do anything that would really count as betraying anyone. She was just… withholding some information from people. But telling them that about her classmates? That could allow them to plan ways to exploit weaknesses in her classmates. Maybe even he might take an interest in one of them and want to take their quirk. God, what if they found out about Izuku’s? 

“Yeah well,” Tomura shrugged, “we’ll see them in action during the sports festival.”

“Tomura Shigiraki,” Kurogiri’s eyes narrowed slightly, “you still are yet to give Ms Yagi an order. Might I remind you that she is here to provide information? She has that quirk Master gave to her, allow her to use it, with it she can easily steal documents from UA.”

“I don’t need her to do shit,” Tomura spat, “I can do it myself.”

“Uh, actually,” Katsumi coughed, “I don’t know how to use that quirk… so…”

Kurogiri turned to her.

“Miss Yagi I suggest you get to practising with it. The Master gifted it to you for a reason.”

Katsumi inhaled sharply at the word ‘Master’. It was not the first time he had used it, but it still made her feel sick- no angry. She really didn’t know how to feel about Kurogiri, but his obvious loyalty to him was shifting her onto the side of disgust.

“Whatever,” Tomura huffed before she had a chance to speak, “I don’t even want her around. Stupid kid’s just using me to get stronger.”

Katsumi raised an eyebrow, talking to him reminded her of the time she babysat a friend's ten-year-old brother. Yet he was the one calling her a kid.

“Kid? You’re not that much older.” Katsumi snickered, “You still act the same age as before.”

“Screw off.”

“Speaking of age,” Katsumi turned and gave Kurogiri a curt smile. “Thanks for waiting till after my birthday to take me to that man, I really appreciate you not ruining my birthday by dragging me into this shit too early.”

Kurogiri didn’t react to the obvious snark in her words. “The master ordered me to only make contact with you after you joined UA. It was an in-the-moment decision to offer you a portal then, as you seemed aware of my presence.”

Katsumi frowned, “Well he probably shouldn’t have had you stalking me if that was the plan. Of course, I’d notice.”

“Following you wasn’t the master's order.”

“Huh?”

“There was no need to. The Master knew if you hadn’t said anything yet, you wouldn’t just because you returned to Japan. It was To-”

“Fuck off,” Tomura’s words came out in a hiss. Katsumi flinched slightly.

Kurogiri paused for a moment, much less bothered by the sharp words than Katsumi, who had lost her train of thought completely from the unexpected outburst. 

“Pardon?” Kurogiri asked.

“Piss off Kurogiri,” Tomura almost seethed, clenching his fist as he stared at Kurogiri.

The man stared at him for a moment, “Are you asking me to leave?”

“Are you dumb?” His voice was laced with venom, “Yes, get out of here.”

Katsumi was left speechless as she watched Kurogiri immediately walk away, disappearing into the corridor. She looked to Tomura, he sat facing forward, knuckles white from clenching his fists too hard.

It took her a few seconds to actually connect what had pissed him off so much. If it wasn’t that man ordering Kurogiri to follow her around then of course it could only be-

“He’s fucking annoying.”

Katsumi blinked, turning her head to the side. Tomura was staring at her, the sound of tapping as he rocked his leg clearly indicated he was still annoyed, yet he was talking to her. She thought it best if she didn’t comment further on the whole stalking thing.

Katsumi laughed lightly, trying to brighten the mood, “He acts like a babysitter.”

“He’s supposed to be a servant,” Tomura spat, “he should just shut up.”

Lips pursed Katsumi stayed quiet. She stared down at her thighs, and one semi-regenerated arm came into her view. The bone protruded and grew as the muscle slowly encased it, which made her quickly turn her gaze and head away.

She really was tired, the burst of energy she had was slowly burning itself out with its lack of fuel. She could get a little delirious when tired. If she started talking again she could stop herself from getting too tired, but she really didn’t want to accidentally say something that would piss Tomura off right now. 

“So, do you still play?”

It seemed she would have to talk anyway. As Katsumi looked up she wished the incredibly sensitive guy she was sitting next to didn’t have his face, the most telling area of the body, covered. Gauging his emotions would be so much easier. But, from how his voice was just that slight touch softer than before, she thought he might not be angry with her, at that moment.

“Play what?”

“Video games,” he shook his head, irritation rising in his voice, “Do you still play them?”

“Oh!” Katsumi felt her heart jump, god it was easy to piss him off. “Yeah, I do.”

Tomura being angry at her was very different to someone like Bakugou. Bakugou getting pissed and shouting at her didn’t even make her flinch, it was funny. Tomura’s tone even getting a slight bit sharper made her heart freeze. She didn’t care about what Bakugou thought of her, Tomura however, she needed him to like her. To trust her. It wasn’t just that though, she would be lying if she said she wasn’t a little scared of him. Or more specifically, what he was capable of. Bakugou may be an asshole but he obviously wasn’t a bad person, he wouldn’t do anything to hurt her, he knew where the limit was. He was raised in society. Tomura… he wasn’t a bad person either, Katsumi knew that. But… Well if worse came to worst, she could probably beat him, restrain him or run away. But then what? 

“So? Which ones?” 

Shit, he sounded pissed. Was she supposed to keep talking? She had so many thoughts going on in her head, she needed to-

“God you wouldn’t shut up a minute ago, now you’re acting all awkward,” he leaned back slightly, and Katsumi could feel the glare through that damned hand.

“Well you- ugh,” Katsumi sighed, trying to let out some of the horrible stress and tension in her chest. “I dunno, I like JRPGs, I’m playing Persona 5- the Royal edition- at the moment.” Her mind cleared enough for a moment for her to fish out that piece of information. God, she hadn’t thought about that game in forever. Did she ever even finish that? No, she’s been too damn busy. 

“Oh, yeah I know that one.”

“Ever played it?” Katsumi asked, trying her best to sound relaxed as she fiddled with the strings of her sweatpants.

“Nah,” Tomura shrugged, “looks boring.”

“What?” Her brow furrowed, “in what way?”

“Dunno,” he responded absentmindedly, picking up a pack of cards that were left at the bar and turning them in his hand. “That type of game is just boring.”

“How?” Katsumi pulled back slightly, how on earth was Persona boring? He was a League player, what did he know! “‘Cause it’s a social sim? Or do you not like role, roll- no that’s not right…” She bounced her leg as she tried to remember the words, “Ugh! When the combat is like, taking turns!”

Tomura snorted, “Turn-based combat?”

“Yeah!” Katsumi exclaimed, “That’s what I meant, haha.”

Her smile began to falter after a couple moments when Tomura made no move to respond. Just staring. 

“So,” Katsumi cleared her throat, “uh, is that the bit you don’t like?”

Again, he just stared at her. Holy shit this was annoying, why couldn’t he have a normal conversation without being so damn creepy! Her heart was beating quickly again, she pursed her lips as she glanced down, away from his burning hidden stare.

“Yeah. Same reason for those Pokemon games.”

“Uh-” Katsumi inhaled sharply as she looked back up. “You- there is more to it than the combat. I swear it’s good, I play on easy mode so-”

“The hell’s the point of that?”

Katsumi scoffed, this was actually kinda annoying her, “Because it’s the social bits I like! The fighting’s fun but the story and hanging out with the characters is the best bit.”

Tomura scratched at his neck, “That sounds… even more boring.”

“The hell-” Katsumi stopped herself, taking in a deep breath in and out.

“I don’t think you quite understand the game,” she laughed through grit teeth, eyebrows raised. “You see it’s not all about gameplay. The story is good too. It’s all about fighting for what you think is right and against corruption-”

“Sounds shit.”

Katsumi blinked slowly at him. He was so annoying! He had no idea about the game, he was forming an opinion with basically no information! That was his problem. He didn’t know anything! The only people who told him stuff were that man and his lap dog Kurogiri! She had to show him that he could be wrong. Starting with a video game seemed good, fitting even. She couldn't start with the concept of taking a life right of the bat, she needed to start small. It helped she very much wanted to convince him of the quality of the game anyway.

“It’s not shit,” she smiled, attempting to seem unbothered, “you can’t say that when you know nothing about it!”

“I know enough.”

“It’s a hundred-hour game!” She exclaimed, “You know like- one percent of it!”

Tomura chuckled then, and not in the way he did last time when he threatened her. It was simply an amused chuckle.

“No story game should be that long.”

Katsumi stared at him for a long moment. Then she smirked and leaned back, resting against the table.

“Okay, let me tell you the premise and you tell me if you think it sounds interesting.”

“Whatever.”

“So basically it starts with the main character getting arrested because this man said he assaulted him but really he was just trying to protect a woman the man was threatening. And then because of that, he gets sent to Tokyo on probation.”

“That’s dumb,” Tomura rested his arm on the bar, “why would they arrest him for that?”

“Exactly! And basically everyone literally treats him like absolute garbage because they think he’s a delinquent but he meets this guy- Ryuji- who also gets profiled as a delinquent and they-”

“Profiled?”

Katsumi frowned, “Yeah?”

“Why you tryna use fancy words?”

“That’s not a- ugh,” Katsumi shook her head, “keep quiet I’m telling you the plot.”

“What?”

Katsumi elected to ignore the slight threat in his tone and continued, “Well they are going to school and end up in this other world where there is this castle and are captured by guards but then the main character awakens his persona and-”

“- then after the asshole teacher confesses what he did the group decide they want to keep stealing hearts and find a new target.” Katsumi paused to take a long sip from her glass of water. “That’s the first arc of the game. The next target is this painter guy who’s actually stealing the paintings from his students and-”

“-so the public are arguing if what they are doing is right which like- yeah it is. The first guy definitely should have just been killed but Ann didn’t want to kill him which is totally fair because to have that weight on you that you actually killed someone would be horrible. Anyway, where was I? Oh yeah but they don’t even kill the people so-"

“-no but oh my god the exploration of the castles is so fun. But the social bit is my fav. Like you basically hang out with people to get different like buffs and abilities and it is literally my favourite part-”

“-oh my god! It’s so annoying though cuz once you get to level ten with the girls you get the option to date them and I feel so bad rejecting them like seriously. Honestly, I was tryna figure out who would be the best for Joker but I ended up picking-”

“-so then you find out the guy from the beginning is this corrupt politician. He’s actually so evil I wanted to them to kill him but there’s obviously no option for that-”

“-people start not believing the phantom thieves are even real which is so dumb and annoying. Like the whole games about the youth being ignored and marginalised but damn the like public in the game really annoys me cause they literally do nothing of use and-”

“-but when I finished it the first time I actually cried. Literally one hundred hours were spent on that game and it was sooo worth it. I really didn’t want it to end it was so good, like yeah I could go replay it- I am with the new version- but it’s not the same as the first time… Y’know what I mean?”

Katsumi’s arm had completely regrown itself during the time Katsumi had spent talking.

She only noticed it after she subconsciously went to stroke her hair away from her face. As she brought her hand down she stared at it for a moment before her mind processed what it was seeing.

“Oh…”

Katsumi looked up from her hand to the guy sitting before her. Of course, she couldn’t see his expression, so she just waited for the inevitable pissed-off comment. God, she had told him to shut up and he had, he was about to go off on her.

“Sorry.” 

He hadn’t said anything yet, and she thought she could at least soften the blow a little by apologising. 

“I haven’t talked to anyone about that game before, I got a little carried away,” Katsumi laughed nervously for a moment before she shut herself up. 

“What you play it on?”

“What?” 

“What do you play it on?” Tomura repeated, his voice rising slightly.

“Oh-” Katsumi blinked, “Uh, PlayStation.”

“...pfft.”

Katsumi shut her mouth, she hadn’t even realised it had been hanging open. 

“...What?”

“Seriously?” He asked, amused. “Console?” He shook his head, “Get a PC.”

He was not mad.

He wasn’t mad.

Katsumi could cry with relief. Good lord she was so tired, she was being way too emotional. She was so relieved he wasn’t screaming at her that it took her a moment to even process the words that he had said.

“Wait,” Katsumi pulled back and her brows furrowed, “what’s wrong with console?”

“PCs are better in literally every way.”

Katsumi scoffed, “Literally how?”

Tomura leaned back, tapping his fingers against some pack of cards left on the bar, “There are more games on a PC. You can’t pirate on a console, there’s no mods either.”

“Yeah well-” she shook her head, feeling strangely protective of her consoles. “You got into games because of a DS! Why go dissing consoles when you owe the fact you’re into games to it.”

He scoffed, “I don’t owe a console anything.”

“Okay sure,” Katsumi conceded. She hesitated a moment before she spoke, “You owe me then.”

“You’re delusional, I didn’t even like it that much.”

“What a lie!” She shook her head, did he even remember anything? “You’d hog it like crazy!” She laughed, “I’m surprised you let me leave with it!”

That was too much. She visibly winced as soon as she said it, Tomura didn’t say anything, but Katsumi thought she saw his fingers twitch.

“Um, right,” Katsumi exhaled, they would have to talk about it at some point. “Actually, Tomura, I’ve been meaning to say that, well. Thank you. For letting me leave.”

She couldn’t say that while looking at that hand clasped over his face, she had to look away. Did that make it seem insincere? She hoped not.

“Yeah, whatever.”

Katsumi swallowed, trying to physically push down the horrible weight inside her. She looked up and Tomura was facing away again, fiddling with the pack of cards, pinky finger up. His face, what expression did it wear? She could barely remember what he looked like. She really wanted to see his face. How was she supposed to come to any real understanding with him without seeing his face?

“Can you take it off?”

“What?”

Katsumi’s voice had come out softer than she had meant it to, much softer than she ever really spoke. Tomura replied with the same blunt, endlessly annoyed tone.

“The hand,” Katsumi straightened herself out, composing herself before she doubled down. “It’s strange to have a conversation with someone whose face you can’t see.”

“That was a conversation?” He scoffed, dropping the cards down and turning towards her. “You were just talking at me.”

“Well! I-” Katsumi cringed, seriously though, he was the one going cold every few words. “C’mon, what is the point of wearing it?” She asked, some of the softness from before returning, this time purposeful. “You didn’t really wear it back then, nothings ch-"

She couldn’t honestly say nothing had changed, that would be a lie, and she owed him more than getting lied to.

"I would like to talk to you without it.”

Tomura stayed silent for a moment. He turned his head away, “I’m not taking it off.”

“Please, Tomura.”

“No.”

“Please.”

“Not for you."

“C’mon!” Katsumi almost whined.

“Fuck off.”

Katsumi pressed her hands together and bowed in her chair, “Pretty please!”

“Huh?" He scoffed, "I don’t speak English.”

“Ugh.” Katsumi scowled, looking up, “please!”

“Fuck off.”

Chapter Text

Izuku had spent the last week training harder than he ever had, and he was tired. He was up way too late last night doing science revision he had forgotten about because he was just so busy working out, not to mention all the strategising for potential events. All that to say he was probably more than a little less enthusiastic as All Might went on and on seemingly forever about the Sports Festival. 

“What do you think Katsumi?”

“Huh?”

Katsumi was sitting on the other side of the sofa in the room All Might sometimes took the pair to at lunch. She looked up from the bento she was eating and blinked blankly at her dad.

“Izuku using All For One during the sport’s festival?”

“Oh Izuku, yeah uh, well obviously he should use it as a last resort. It still breaks his bones and stuff.” Katsumi rubbed at her eyelid as she spoke, half-yawning. Seemed she was just as tired as him.

“Exactly,” All Might nodded, smiling. “Save it for the last round if possible. Anyways, your home training- have you-”

Izuku turned to Katsumi, “What have you been training?” 

“Me?” Katsumi looked slightly taken aback, “Uh, training… what have I been doing for training?” She chuckled, “Well I’ve been running. Did Getting my stamina up y’know? And I’ve got that thing with Momo so it’s all pre-tty good.” 

“Ah,” Izuku nodded, “that sounds good!”

Katsumi seemed a little distant the last day or two, but she was always a little off and on with him. Everyone was busy at the moment with all their training so of course they were talking less. Besides, now she had other friends, Katsumi was a girl, after all. She probably preferred hanging out with other girls rather than him. It was good she was training with Yaoyorozu, she could help her with her quirk more than he ever could. 

“Gosh,” All Might smiled, “you don’t need my help at all, do you Sumi? You’re an independent one, so grown up!”

Katsumi raised her eyebrows but didn’t bother looking up from her lunch, “If you think I’m so grown up don’t call me Sumi.”

All Might chuckled. Katsumi rolled her eyes and gave Izuku an annoyed look. He smiled back at her.

They were always going to be close, he didn’t have to worry about that.

Katsumi knew what her next goal was- get that hand off his face. That would be one step closer to recreating the relationship they had before. But he had been so set on not taking that stupid hand off last night. She wasn’t sure just how difficult it would be to convince him otherwise.

How funny, she had spent all those years barely thinking of him, pushing the memory of him away to the back of her head and locking it away with the rest of that time. Now, she was almost always thinking about him, even at school when she really should be trying to act normal. But how could she stop thinking about it? 

She was grateful that at least he hadn’t gotten involved yet. What Kurogiri said did worry her though, he might pressure Tomura into giving her orders to steal information or something. What on earth was their plan anyways? To kill All Might? That man had specifically told her that was not going to happen though. Yet that’s what they rocked up to the USJ shouting. They failed though, and that poor Nomu thing was locked up for good.

Unless he had more. Shit. Add that to the list of things she needed to find out.

On top of having to worry about that, she was getting quite nervous that she had no clue what Tomura’s next move was. Honestly, she should just ask him. He might just tell her now. Now he actually talked to her, she had a place to stand, to start working to change his worldview. It was her against Kurogiri and that man though, plus any disdain he held towards her. She just had to make him like her more than the men who had seemingly raised him. Easy right? Making a guy like her shouldn’t be that hard. She’d done it before.

…

Not like that. 

That would make everything so much worse, even if it would probably be easier. If anything she should be focusing on Izuku-

“Katsumi? You okay?”

The locker door banged closed as Katsumi yelped. She spun around to see Mina looking at her wide-eyed.

“Woah!”

Katsumi stared at her for a long second before she began to laugh, “Sorry!” she apologised, rubbing her neck. She inwardly kicked herself, she needed to stop spacing out in school.

Hagakure popped out from behind Mina giggling, “You were totally out of it!”

“Katsumi,” Momo spoke up from the bench, “you have seemed quite tired recently.”

Uraraka, sat beside Momo smiled sweetly up at Katsumi, “I bet you’ve been training super hard and that’s why you’re so tired! Isn’t that right?” 

“Yup.” Katsumi barely glanced at her before opening her locker again to get her costume out.

“Anyways, guys,” Mina clapped, getting everyone's attention. “I wanna get your opinion on something.”

Katsumi almost began to space out again but stopped herself. She needed to relax. In school, she should think about school and when she got home she could think about her other situation. If she stayed so high-strung all hours of the day it wouldn’t be long before she snapped. She needed to live in the moment.

“Opinion on what?” Jiro asked as she began taking off her school shoes.

“Well,” Mina grinned, “me and Katsumi were talking the other day and I wanna see if you guys agree with me or her-”

Katsumi choked. She was definitely living in the moment after that comment. She quickly stepped towards Mina, eyes wide, “Woah woah woah don’t you-”

“Don’t worry!” Mina snickered, dodging Katsumi, “I won’t tell them what you said!”

“Ugh- you!”

Tsu shook her head, “Just come out and say it.”

“Okie! Well, out of the teachers-” she smirked, “who do you think is the hottest?”

Katsumi groaned, pressing her head against a locker door.

“Is this really appropriate?” She heard Momo ask.

“Ooo!” Hagakure squealed, “Wait lemme think-”

Katsumi turned around and scowled, “You all better think very carefully about what you say.”

“Why?” Tsu asked, cocking her head.

“Ohh,” Jiro chuckled, “I get it.” 

Uraraka turned to Jiro, “Do you have a pick?”

“Uhh-”

Katsumi groaned again, was this seriously being brought up again? She had to get Mina back for this.

Speaking of Mina, she’d been on her phone tapping quickly, a wide grin on her face. Suddenly she laughed and turned back to the girls.

“Have you guys seen what All Might looked like when he was at UA?”

“Mina!” Katsumi groaned, “Don’t influence them!”

“Omg,” Hakagure gushed, “I have actually! He was so hot!”

“Was?” Mina snickered, glancing at Katsumi who slowly turned to look at her, eyes wide. 

“No! Not this again! Mina why did you do this!”

“I haven’t seen it actually.”

“Here,” Mina grinned, presenting her phone to the girls sitting on the bench, “I got a photo on my phone~”

“Hmm, yeah you know what-”

“Ribbit, I guess he was quite handsome.”

“That’s my father guys,” Katsumi said, burying her head in her hands.

“Wow, Katsumi, you really do look nothing like him,” Momo noted, Katsumi ignored that.

Mina turned her phone off, holding her hands out, “Okay, I want to hold a vote about this because I assure you none of you are gonna say what Katsumi did.”

Katsumi stared at Momo, looking for a bit of support. She pursed her lips, obviously finding her distress slightly amusing. 

“I vote All Might!” Hagakure cheered, waving one invisible arm in the air.

“Ugh!”

“Okay,” Mina clapped her hands together, her eyes twinkling mischievously as she looked at Katsumi. “We will start there! Please put your hand up if you vote for All Might.”

Momo, Jiro and Tsu exchanged glances before they slowly raised their hands. Momo glanced at Katsumi once before she glanced away, the corners of her lips twitching as she took in Katsumi’s shell-shocked face.

“Well,” Mina grinned, triumphant, “it’s decided!”

“I hate you all,” Katsumi said, staring blankly ahead of her. The girls giggled.

“Hold up a minute,” Tsu spoke up, looking over to the side, “Uraraka didn’t vote!”

“Oh!” Uraraka looked surprised to hear her name, “Ah, I dunno, I don’t think any of the teachers are that attractive.” She smiled, laughing slightly before she looked to Katsumi, “Sorry, I hope you’re not offended.”

The hell would that offend her for? Katsumi’s face turned sour for a brief second as she looked at the rosy cheek brunette. It was long enough for Uraraka’s face to fall and eyes to widen slightly in recognition of the disgusted expression. Katsumi quickly turned away and began to untie her tie.

“Haha! No one agreed with yoouuu!” Mina cooed, wrapping an arm around Katsumi's shoulder. She groaned in response.

“You lead them to that answer,” Katsumi glared at her before extending her gaze to the rest of the girls. “You all are evil for going along with this.” At least it wasn’t as bad as what Mina said last time. She turned her head to look at her, “Mina, you’re the worst!”

“Hehe!”

“Why were you two even talking about this?” Tsu questioned as they began to actually get changed into their hero costumes.

“Because Katsumi told me what teacher she has a crush on and-”

“Katsumi has a crush on a teacher?” Tsu interrupted. 

Katsumi breathed out and in, turning her head to stare at Mina who had just promised to not say anything about that.

“Wow,” Jiro laughed, “I thought she just said a teacher was attractive. Can’t believe she’s moved on from Midoriya so quick.”

Katsumi smiled painfully as she tried not to lose her shit.

“I do not have a crush on anyone. I merely mentioned to Mina that in my opinion, one of our teachers is hot”

“And that teacher is..?” Momo asked.

“Oh my god! Who Katsumi tell me pleeassseee!” Hagakure begged, bouncing past Mina to get in Katsumi’s face.

Katsumi gritted her teeth, “Go away.”

Hagakure grabbed Katsumi’s shoulders as she whined and begged her to answer. Mina turned to Momo, an impish grin on her lips, “You don’t know, do you?”

“This is the first time I’ve heard about it.”

“Ribbit, should we guess?”

“Katsumi,” Jiro’s voice pulled Katsumi away from her struggle to keep Hagakure out of her face, “is this worse than when everyone was asking you if you and Midoriya were dating?” 

“Yes!” She cried as she fended off Hagakure.

“Hagakure,” Uraraka interrupted, “maybe you should give Katsumi some space.”

Hagakure whined as she stepped away from Katsumi and towards Uraraka, accepting defeat.

Mina snickered, “If you want this over so badly Katsumi you should just tell them.”

Katsumi looked over the faces in the room, as they looked at her expectantly. She took a deep breath in.

God, remind her to never tell Mina anything ever again.

“Ugh, how do I switch the Pokemon!?”

“You have to go to the doctor's building where Nurse Joy is.”

“What? So I have to go back? That’s so dumb, if I get into another battle I’m dead!”

“Stupid, you can just heal them with the spray thingies.”

“How do I do that?”

“You’re not very good at this Tomura.”

She was on her afternoon run and just so happened to have come across a shop with a Pokemon card display in the window. She hadn’t meant to stop and stare for more than a moment but her mind immediately took it as an opportunity to wander backwards into the deepest corners of her memories. It was only when the door to the shop opened up and a tall man with short, almost buzzed black hair walked out that Katsumi snapped out of her stupor and went to turn around.

“Hey, girly.”

Katsumi stopped as a gruff voice called out to her. There was a slimyness in that voice that would have put her off even without the pet name. She turned around, crossing her arms as she did so.

“You need something?” She asked coldly. 

At a second glance, this guy looked like a criminal. Muscular with a hard, weathered face with a myriad of scars across his arms. His skin was coated with a thin sheen of sweat and he breathed slightly heavily as he smirked at her, dark eyes glistening.

“This shop, you been in before?”

“Huh,” Katsumi’s brows furrowed, if he was gonna creep on her she’d rather he’d just cut to it. Then she could just tell him to fuck off and leave. “No, I was just passing. What’s it to you?”

He chuckled darkly, “No need to be all bratty. I’m just asking a question.”

“Yeah, well, I’ve answered now.” Katsumi’s gaze was hard as she glared up, maintaining eye contact with the man. He looked down at her almost, hungirly. Not in the usual way an older man had approached her. This was darker, more disturbing.

He hummed, “You don’t know the owner then?”

“What? No,” Katsumi uncrossed her arms. The back of her neck tingled as her body prepared to fight or run away. Something in her subconscious really didn’t like him.

“That’s a shame.”

 “Right,” he must be looking for the owner she reasoned, maybe they owed him money or something. Whatever, it wasn’t her problem. She was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. She was more than ready to leave this weird conversation.

“I’ve got to go now,” she said, her feet already twitching to start running again. “My dad’s expecting me back.”

“Of course,” he grinned. “Good girl, listening to your daddy. Run along home now.”

Katsumi’s skin crawled, she had half a mind to fight the creep right there and then. She doubted her dad would be all that pleased with that though, even in this circumstance. Glaring she took a step back, carefully watching the man for a moment as he grinned at her and turned away, walking in the complete opposite direction. 

Gross.

Well, she had wanted to stop thinking about her situation with Tomura and that had knocked her out of it. She felt gross the whole way home, worse than after the USJ attack. Just like then she hopped in the shower and though the sweat from her run was washed off by the warm water, the slimy feeling wasn’t. 

God, she hated being alone. She’d been approached by weird men before working out, and it was always when she was by herself. If she was out with Izuku she never got bothered. Maybe she should start working out with him again, but she didn’t want to bother him like that. Plus, if she told him why she wanted him around he would surely freak out and get her dad involved. No thanks. It didn’t even happen often enough to really be a problem anyway. She was just unlucky, and that was news to no one.

Besides, she wasn’t good company at the moment anyway with how distracted she was literally every waking second. Well, even her dreams continued to be haunted just like almost every night for the last eight years. 

Izuku needed to find his own footing. He didn’t need her clinging onto his side all the time. Especially now he had new friends. That wasn’t to say she was about to let herself be replaced by that sneaky pink cheeks.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a voice from downstairs. Her dad called a ten-minute warning for dinner, and her stomach rumbled. God, she was hungry. But dinner meant it was getting dark, soon enough she’d have to go see Tomura at the bar.

Katsumi wondered what he would say if she told him about the encounter she had with that guy. She wasn’t sure why, she didn’t even know what she would even want him to say. 

Fuck, she had a science test tomorrow. She had no clue why she just remembered that, but she was thankful she did. Science was one of the subjects she actually disliked and had to put effort into being good at. Besides chemistry which she needed to be good at in order to use her quirk to its best potential, she tried her best to avoid Science. Leading her to do little to no revision on her first test of the year. 

No need to panic though, she could use one of the textbooks Izuku gave her back when he was tutoring her. She could read through it while eating dinner. Then she should have enough time to make some notes to take to school tomorrow and go over during lunch- damn it was after lunch the test right? 

“Ugh.”

Katsumi dug through her draws trying to find that damn book. When did she get so much junk? Well, not all of it was junk. There was the purple camera Izuku had got her. Katsumi smiled to herself as she took it out of the drawer and placed it on her desk. She should totally get a photo with the girls with it. Even if they were annoying and she had some reservations about exactly why any of her classmates wanted to be heroes, she was pretty sure they were good people.

Looking back to the draw her eyes were drawn to a pile of books. On top was the other gift she’d received from Izuku, she giggled as she remembered that day he had given her the book. Her smile quickly disappeared as she remembered that awkward trauma dump she had given him. She cringed and moved the book to her desk alongside the camera. It might be useful.

The other books she assumed would be what she was actually looking for, the textbooks. But she found something else. 

“1800s English Poetry,” Katsumi snorted. She stared at the cover, some painting of a forest with a city in the background, black smoke filling up the sky. How basic, an image showing increasing urbanisation for a book focused on the 1800s. The book would obviously be full of Romantics. Wordsworth, Shelly and whatnot. Her mum definitely just picked the first one she saw. She had no delusions of her mother actually taking enough interest in her habits to remember this was the type of poetry she was into in middle school. The woman was just lucky, didn’t think to pass any of that over to her though. 

“Damn, when was the last time I read a poem?”

As much as she didn’t want to even touch the book her mother had sent her for her birthday, she found herself wandering over to her bed as she began to flick through the pages, re-reading some of the poems she recognised. Well, she did until her dad called her down for dinner. It looked like she’d have to find that textbook later.

Chapter Text

“That test,” Katsumi sighed, slow and pained, “that test…”

“Yeah,” Izuku nodded, “yeah…”

It was the end of the day and to Izuku’s surprise, Katsumi had waited around for him and asked to come back around his. It had been a while since the last time she had visited and his mum had asked him many a time when she’d be back. He had the forethought to message her in advance, he was sure she’d want to prepare for Katsumi’s arrival.

“How do they expect us to get good grades in normal school when we’re supposed to be training every moment to do good in the Sports Festival?” Katsumi complained.

“It’s difficult but we need to find a good balance of academics and physical training!” Izuku hummed, “If you’re struggling to juggle it all you should ask your dad for-”

“Ughhh!” Katsumi groaned, “Lemme complain! I don’t want a solution.”

Izuku laughed, “If you’re coming round we should do that English homework Present Mic gave us last period.”

“Wow, you want me to do your work for you?” Kastsumi tutted, “Y’know you won’t learn anything that way!”

“No, I just-“ Izuku stopped himself and stared at Katsumi. Her annoyed expression quickly melted into a smirk.

“You’re purposely difficult, aren’t you?”

She giggled, “Would I be me if I wasn’t?”

“I’m home!” Izuku called out as he unlocked the door to his apartment.

“Welcome back!” Ms Midoriya appeared out of the corner smiling widely, “Katsumi it’s so nice to see you again! Make yourself at home!”

Katsumi smiled back as she took her shoes off, “Thank you Ms Midoriya.”

“Will you be staying for dinner?” She asked hopefully.

Katsumi nodded, “I’ll have to ask my dad but I’d love to!”

“What are we having, Mum?” Izuku asked, taking Katsumi's bag from her before she even noticed.

“Ah, probably nothing that special. Sorry Katsumi, I’m afraid my Izuku didn’t give me much notice about you coming round!”

“Oh, that’s fine. Everything you cook is delicious.”

Ms Midoriya blushed, “You’re too kind!”

Izuku and Katsumi sat down at the Midoriya’s dinner table to get their homework over with. Katsumi really liked the table, it was a traditional chabadai table rather than the western one her dad had back at his house. It felt homely.

“Gosh,” Ms Midoriya came over with two lemonades, “how hardworking you all have to be to survive at that school! Of course, Izuku wants to be a hero more than anything so I’m not surprised he’s happy doing all this.”

Katsumi laughed politely, “Yeah it’s hard work.”

“The sports festival is such an important event though,” Izuku said thoughtfully, “it’ll be worth it.”

“I can’t believe they are holding such an event after what happened to you poor kids not even a week ago!” Ms Midoriya shook her head, her voice strongly filled with a mother's worry. “Oh Katsumi, you were okay, right? Izuku said-”

Katsumi was about to interrupt the woman but decided not to, allowing her to go on about what she had heard from Izuku about the attack. Rambling really did run in the family.

“And wow one of your classmates is All Might’s child!? How shocking! Oh, Izuku I hope you haven’t been harassing them for information about him.”

Izuku hadn’t told her? Katsumi hadn’t even thought about it, she just subconsciously assumed that the dude would have told his mum about it after the attack. Katsumi glanced at Izuku who looked back at her with a look on his face that plainly told her he had no idea what she to say.

“Well actually Ms Midoriya,” she smiled, taking things into her own hands, “I assumed Izuku would have told you this already, but All Might is my father so the news was actually referring to me,” she laughed. “Not sure how they found out about it though.”

Ms Midoriya blinked, an absentminded smile on her face. It took a few moments for the words to dawn on her and her already large eyes widened.

“W-what?”

Katsumi snorted, turning to Izuku, “Why didn’t you tell her?”

“I- I didn’t know if I was allowed to!” He stumbled.

“You knew Izuku?” Ms Midoriya gasped, “How long?”

“I told him when we started UA-” Katsumi wasn’t sure if he had mentioned seeing her dad- damnit, he had come around hers for her birthday! “Ah no, sorry I meant when we got accepted. He came round our house for my birthday and met him-”

“You met All Might and didn’t tell me Izuku! Oh my god, I hope you didn’t fanboy too hard!”

“No- well! I-”

“That was my dad!” Katsumi swooped in at the rescue, “He asked Izuku to keep it secret for the time being since it still wasn’t public information.”

“Ah, I see,” Ms Midoriya relaxed slightly.

“But he totally did fanboy all over him.”

“No,” Izuku’s eyes were wide as he looked from Katsumi to his horrified mother, “I did not!”

“Izuku!” She gasped.

Katsumi continued to tease the daylights out of Izuku for being a fanboy. She told Ms Midoriya a completely fictitious story of Izuku not finding out till he opened the door to see her father, fainting on the doorstep. It was obviously fake, and Ms Midoriya clearly found it very entertaining, her horror at the idea of her son embarrassing himself in front of his idol melting into laughter when Katsumi recounted how Izuku got down on the floor to bow and thank All Might for all he had done for society.

Finally, Izuku managed to divert her attention to the homework they were supposed to be doing and Ms Midoriya excused herself to the kitchen to start dinner, still teary-eyed from her laughter.

“This is so much harder than the stuff we would do in middle school,” Izuku sighed. They had only been at the worksheet for ten minutes and Katsumi was done with the first one, playing something on her phone while Izuku struggled to catch up.

“I’d hate to learn a language like this,” Katsumi agreed, putting her phone down as she yawned. “Good for me I already know two and a half, I’m never gonna bother learning another!”

“Two and a half?”

“Spanish,” Katsumi hummed as she took the last sip of her drink as Ms Midoriya approached them.

“Ohh.”

“Gosh, that looked complicated!” Ms Midoriya noted as she collected their empty glasses, “You kids have only just got into that school and you’re already so busy! I’m surprised they give you so much work when that Festival is so soon.”

“Yeah,” Izuku nodded.

“The sports festival…” Katsumi hummed, rubbing an eyelid, “That’s when people will properly find out who All Might’s kid is.”

Ms Midoriya smiled softly, placing a kind hand on Katsumi's shoulder, “Your father is the number one hero… that must be a lot of pressure to live up to”

Katsumi stared up at the kindly woman, a fuzzy feeling on the shoulder her soft hand rested on. Is this what motherly love is supposed to be like?

“I honestly wouldn’t be all that surprised if you won Katsumi.”

Katsumi turned back to Izuku, “Haha, maybe.” Did she really want to though? Besides wanting to make her dad look good. No, honestly her dad would prefer if Izuku did well.

“It sucks you can't control your quirk quite yet.”

“Yeah-”

“Oh, I’m going to be so nervous watching it!” Ms Midoriya sighed, clutching her heart, “Oh Izuku! I know you can’t control it but please be careful!”

Katsumi smiled, how nice she was so attentive to Izuku. Her mum might not even watch the festival, actually, she probably wouldn’t. Time zones and that. Her dad, on the other hand, would probably be more concerned with Izuku. That was fine though, like Izuku said, she had a good chance of winning with or without either of her parents cheering her on.

She wondered if Tomura would watch it. No, yes. Yes, he probably was going to. That was… she didn’t know how to feel about that.

She tried not to think of him as they finished their homework, Ms Midoriya cooking dinner close by. It was nice, it felt normal. Some of the anxiety was losing its grip around her heart as the pair joked lightly with each other.

With a satisfied huff, Katsumi closed her workbook.

“So,” Katsumi began, asking a question she’d wanted to ask for a while, “what do you think of our classmates?”

Izuku perked up, “They’re all so cool, I can’t wait to see them in action at the sports festival.”

“Oh yeah, Iida and Uraraka,” Katsumi's jaw tightened, “it’s good you found some other friends.”

“Yeah, I’ve not been nearly as successful as you though,” Izuku laughed, oblivious to the sour look that flashed across Katsumi’s face as she spoke the name of that particular brunette girl.

“What do you mean?”

“Well it’s only been a week and you’re friends with half the class, Uraraka says all the girls love you. Apparently you’re the centre of attention.”

Uraraka said that? Well, it wasn’t surprising. Back in America, she was pretty popular, she knew how to act around others to get them to like her.

“Uhh, oh that’s because Mina was-” she frowned, remembering the conversation in the locker room, “ugh they were being horrible to me!”

“Huh?” Izuku’s mouth opened, “Really?”

“Yeah!” she groaned, really remembering the conversation in the locker room.

“What were they doing?”

Katsumi snorted, “I’m not telling you.”

“Huh? Why not?”

“Huuuuh?” Katsumi mocked. “It’s none of your business!”

Izuku stared at her annoyed for a moment before he shrugged, “Well, you can always hang out more with me- us. I know you don’t really like Iida but he’s not really that bad!” He chuckled, “Honestly. He scared me a little when I first met him.”

Katsumi snorted.

“Seriously!”

She should spend more time with Izuku. That was what she was trying to do anyway. Something she had been turning in her mind for a while already come to the forefront of her thoughts.

“So Izuku, for training, should we-”

“Train together again?” He interrupted, “Yeah I’ve been thinking about that…” He smiled uncomfortably, looking away.

Katsumi frowned, “Oh? Don’t you want to?”

“Yeah well I just think- and don’t take this the wrong way- but for this sports festival, you are my rival…” Izuku swallowed, looking at Katsumi, eyes filled with that bright determination he seemed to fuel every action with.

“Not to say I’m not so thankful for all the help you have given me!” He clarified quickly, looking a little nervous, “But I want to grow myself. I have a long hard road ahead of me and honestly, you’re way ahead of me. If I was to face you right now in a fight I’m not sure I’d last long at all-”

Katsumi snorted, “You think I’m ‘bouta attack you?”

He smiled, “What I’m trying to say is, I want to beat you. I want to prove myself, to surpass you. If I rely on you too much, that won’t be possible.”

Katsumi stared at him for a long moment. The sounds of Ms Midoriya cooking and whatever the TV was playing kept the apartment from complete silence. If Ms Midoriya heard their conversation, she didn’t say anything.

Finally, Katsumi smirked, “Yeah okay. Sure. You’re right about if we fought now it would be over way too quick.” She laughed suddenly, “Okay, train hard so you can put up a good fight. I look forward to you beating my ass.”

Not long after, Ms Midoriya served a delicious dinner that Katsumi gobbled up. Afterwards, Ms Midoriya just about avoided Katsumi’s insistence to help her clean up, leaving Katsumi and Izuku sitting at the dining table. They chatted for a while about nothing in particular. It was nice, even if Katsumi felt a little on edge now.

“Katsumi, it’ll be getting dark soon is your um, dad coming to pick you up?” Ms Midoriya asked.

“Oh, no he’s busy,” Katsumi clicked her tongue as she checked the time on her phone. She began to collect her things before she turned to Izuku, “I should be going now.”

“Oh yeah, of course,” Izuku nodded. “Oh, you want me to walk you to the station?”

“Nah that’s fine.”

After saying her goodbyes Katsumi began to walk to the stairs to leave the apartment block. The sun was almost setting and its glare hurt her eyes. Looking down at the floor to avoid the harsh sunlight she thought about what Iuzku had said. She would be lying if she said she wasn’t slightly disappointed that she was right when she had thought Izuku wouldn’t be up to training together again-

“Oh, Katsumi!”

She hadn’t even reached the stairs when she heard a voice call out to her. She turned to see Ms Midoriya rushing over to her.

“Please be safe getting home! There’s that hero killer around not to mention that serial killer targeting young women! Please be careful! Izuku should really walk with you-”

Katsumi blinked, what was she on about?

“It’s fine Ms Midoriya. I’m pretty strong y’know?”

Ms Mioriya’s worried face relaxed slightly.

“I’ll message Izuku to tell you when I get home if that makes you feel better,” Katsumi smiled in an attempt to subdue the worried woman.

“Oh,” Ms Midoriya smiled, “you’re such a nice young lady. I’m so glad my Izuku has a friend like you.”

“You’re too kind, Izuku’s lucky he has a mother like you.”

“In other news, twenty-year-old shop owner Fumiko Sato was found dead in-”

Katsumi turned the TV off. Her dad must have forgotten to do so before leaving to go save someone's day, or evening. She could tell by the way the half-eaten Chinese box was left on the coffee table. That and that she had called for him multiple times and got no reply. That was a bit annoying, she couldn’t go see Tomura until she was sure her dad was asleep. When he came back he would probably check up on her before he went to bed and she didn’t want to deal with her dad interrogating her why she was out in the middle of the night.

Damn, maybe she couldn’t go today. Well, more like she couldn’t. Yeah, she’d been going every day for a week now, one day wouldn’t hurt.

She went to her room not even bothering to turn on the light before she grabbed the flip phone from under her mattress.

19:04

Not today

Well, other than her classmates, Ms Midoriya was the first person to find out about her secret identity. That was her identity as All Might’s kid, not a member of the league. Her reaction was fine, but she was someone who knew Katsumi before knowing her paternity.

Soon, everyone would know. Even her friends from back in America- fuck she hadn’t talked to them for a while, she should, before the festival.

She had to make a good impression at the Sports Festival, for her dad’s sake. Kastsumi was, nervous, honestly. Out of all the possible children All Might could have, she was probably the worst option. She was crass and rude, indecent and violent. She was sure reporters in America would take the opportunity to interview her old classmates about her, and what would they say? The words her Mum hurled at her as she left to hang out with her friends echoed in the back of her head.

‘God would it kill you to act your age?’

‘Is that weed I smell? You fucking druggie!”

‘You look like a whore wearing that’

She was a shitty daughter for the number one hero. She had already deleted all the photos she had on social media, trying to erase her existence as much as possible, trying to get a clean slate. God, if that arrest got out…

Stop, the last thing she needed was to spiral into anxiety any more than she already had. Katsumi groaned and slapped her hands on her cheeks. People wouldn’t care for more than a couple of weeks. Besides she wanted to be a hero right? She was going to be in the spotlight one way or another. Surely all the other students in the Sports Festival would draw attention away from her too. Bakugou might have a fit and try to kill someone, but that would be good, no one would care about her relation to All Might if that happened. Maybe she should bribe him to do that.

If only everyone would react like Ms Midoriya. Izuku was so lucky to have a mum like her, a mum who actually cared about him. No, he was just lucky. Lucky his relation to All Might was still under wraps. Lucky that All Might even chose him. Lucky he believed in him.

Lucky he didn’t have to worry about an all-powerful monster of a man and his moody protege pulling the strings behind the scenes.

Was she jealous? Maybe. While he and the rest of her classmates lived relatively carefree she was constantly suffocating in fear and anxiety. It flourished inside her, grasping and gripping her insides, holding her hostage to her own emotions. If it stayed inside her much longer, it would tear her apart. But she couldn’t open her mouth and let it out, there was no one to bear it with her. No one to cry to. She was alone. No one could know.

Tomura, she could talk to Tomura, in theory. She didn’t have to conceal her situation with him and that man to him but… Well, he wasn’t someone she could go crying to.

All to say, she couldn’t speak a word of how she felt to anyone.

Katsumi collapsed into her chair, buried her face into her desk and groaned. At least her homework was done, as for physical training, it looked like she was having a rest day.

She slowly raised her head, her dark room coming back into view. With a sigh, she flicked her desk lamp on. On her desk she had left the poetry book, she picked it up and looked at the cover again.

When she went to America, she picked up the language quickly. Mum had already taught her some English before the whole eight months of hell and her American teachers gave her special attention to help her catch up.

In order to learn English fully, her mum had bought her what felt like hundreds of books. Katsumi didn’t like talking to people for a long time after what happened, so she found solace in those books. She read things far beyond what a nine, ten-year-old was expected to, it made her mum ecstatic.

Some of those books happened to be poem books. Something about the way they could make her feel emotions even if she didn’t really understand them drew her in. It wasn’t till one of her teachers explained the concept of ‘metaphor’ and ‘symbolism’ that she really understood what a poem was. She’d reread the books with poems over and over again, understanding more each time. The idea she could tell someone something without saying what she actually meant was a rather attractive idea to a young girl who had a very big secret on her back.

She didn’t let her mum see the poems she wrote. She didn’t even tell her that she was writing them. Still, when her school held a poetry competition when she was in the sixth grade, she entered and she won.

But of course, his mum found out and started making a big deal about it and trying to get her to write more and more and more. Tried to get a teacher to cultivate her talent, bragged about it to all her friends. And suddenly, it wasn't fun anymore.

It wasn't something she did when she wanted to, to process her emotions and relax, it was something she did to make other people happy.

Her mum wasn’t happy of course when she stopped writing. She wasn’t either, but it was around the same time she joined a gymnastics class and started to excel in that, started socialising with the other girls, started making friends, started being normal. She didn’t need to write out her feelings because they had been replaced, buried and locked away in the back of her mind as she preoccupied herself with shopping trips, sleepovers, backflips and girly talk.

Now, that door holding her bad memories away was gone, or it had been destroyed and she had just about managed to build it up again. But the door remained open now, and her mind freely moved between her normal life and the endless stream of anxiety flowing out of the door.

She needed to get it out.

The blank pages of the notebook her mum had sent her alongside that poetry book stared at her. She stared back. Then, she began to draw the first line.

“Izuku, dear.”

“What is it?” Izuku answered, a little too curtly. He put down the weight he had been using while revising some maths before he turned to his mother who stood in his doorway.

“Is this a bad time?”

“No no,” he shook his head, he hadn’t meant to sound harsh. “Sorry.”

“Right, I don’t want to disturb you,” his mum laughed softly, holding her hards infront of her, “I know how much becoming a hero means to you and with that miraculous quirk I-”

“Mum it’s fine! Really, I’m sorry I was just distracted.”

“Ah,” she nodded, pausing for a moment before she asked, “with schoolwork?”

“Huh, yeah,” Izuku’s brow tightened for a moment, confused. “What else?”

“Well, Katsumi, I don’t know, maybe it’s just me being sensitive but doesn’t she look quite tired?” His mum asked tentatively.

“Oh, does she?” Izuku blinked, yeah, she did a little when he thought about it. “Well, yeah it’s probably since she’s working hard for the festival-”

“No dear, it’s not just- well, I think I’m just being overly worried! Motherly instincts are in overdrive I suppose!” she laughed, looking away. “Izuku, I don’t want to overstep, but maybe keep a close eye on her. If you like her you should-”

Like???

“Woah! Like? As in friends right?”

“Oh- well yes but,” his mum smiled, a little confused, “do you not, well, like her?”

“I- I- I think she’s great,” Izuku stuttered, “but that’s not really something I think that I should be focusing on at the moment.”

“Ah, see. Well, no need to force anything. Girls and boys can just be friends after all,” she nodded, “I just assumed you two had a thing for each other. I mean, with her dad being All Might it would be quite good for you, right?”

“Mum! That’s not-!”

“Oh, I’m just kidding Izuku. Sorry, for the interruption! I’ll leave you alone now!”

Chapter Text

Katsumi was breathing deep and heavy, dripping with sweat as she caught her breath, and opened the front door. As she shut it behind her, she called out to her dad, kicked her trainers off and walked into the living room. She swallowed as she looked around, wiping sweat off her forehead. 

There was no reply. The living room was empty, she guessed Dad wasn’t home, maybe he was still at UA? Whatever, she went straight upstairs, peeling off the top that had stuck to her skin, saturated with sweat. She jumped right into the shower, blasting herself with cold water.

“You better be back soon,” Katsumi mumbled as she dried her hair. She needed to go to the bar today. 

Her hair had grown out a little, black strands peeking through. Stroking the soft locks she mentally noted that she should bleach it again, before the festival. Getting her hair from black to blonde was a pain though. She could probably go to a salon again, it wasn’t like her dad was short on cash. If only her quirk could change her hair cells, but it only worked for living cells. That was one thing about her mother she was jealous about, how easy it was for her to change her entire appearance, she just conjured up the idea in her mind while Katsumi had to use her whole focus to move grow and change the cells in her body.

Her training had made her quite adept at it though. However, she thought she should practise more before the festival. She had been running a lot and had gotten faster. Before she took roughly nineteen minutes to run five kilometres, she’d shaved that down to just over sixteen. That wasn’t just from the week or so since joining UA, that would be impossible, she’d been working to get it down to that for a while. Now she’d pretty much reached that goal, she decided she should put more time into weights from now on. 

But her running speed wasn’t the only thing that had gotten faster. In fact, the time for her arms to regenerate had almost halved. How that had happened so fast Katsumi had no clue. Maybe because she was older and stronger now? Her quirk had matured? Back then it took months of constant injury to- no, don’t think about then. 

A part of her was almost pleased with the result, she was getting stronger after all, but, it was exactly what he had wanted back then. Did that man know about her arrangement with Tomura? He hadn’t spoken to her since he gave her that quirk… but surely he had been keeping tabs on her. On one particularly anxious night, she looked around the bar as thoroughly as she could from her seat for some sort of camera or wiretap, but she couldn’t see anything obvious. He didn’t need them, she supposed, he had Kurogiri as his eyes and ears.

The bad part of the regeneration training actually working was that it was quickly stealing the time she had with Tomura. It was easier enough to have a conversation with him now but she needed time to tactfully reach the topics she wanted to discuss. Less time to talk meant less time to get to those topics.  

At least he had been sending Kurogiri away. Without that man's little spy lurking around it should be much simpler to talk some sense into Tomura. 

No, like that would ever be simple. 

The other problem playing on her mind was her new quirk, which she still needed to figure out. Another thing to train. Obviously, she couldn’t use it around anyone except Kurogiri and Tomura, and that had actually given her an idea. 

In order to extend her time with Tomura she would simply ask to use the bar to practise with this quirk! The solution was easy, a rare thing for Katsumi. The only problem with that was that she didn’t really want anything to do with this new quirk thrust upon her. She didn’t want to use it at all, and realistically it wouldn’t be nearly as good as her regeneration training for opportunities to talk to Tomura. No, in this situation having her arms turned to dust was the better option. It would be hard to have a conversation while trying to figure out how to use a quirk, but beggars can’t be choosers. 

A part of her just wanted to ask that man how to use it, no, she really should. She needed control over it, if she used it in front of another person, even for a moment, she was done for. But she didn’t want to neither see or talk to that man ever again, unless perhaps, it was his corpse. 

All in all, the problem of this second quirk could wait until after the festival. 

“I’m home!”

Her father's voice rang out from downstairs, accompanied by the sounds of the door clicking shut and the shuffling of shoes. Katsumi turned off the hairdryer and walked out onto the landing, “Welcome back! Guess what? I cut my running time down-”

A loud buzzing interrupted Katsumi as she began to walk down the stairs. Her dad began to rummage in his bag as he shot an apologetic smile up at her.

“Shoot, sorry I gotta take this call.”

Katsumi nodded, “Alright.”

..

“I already told you. I’m not gonna order you to do anything so just don’t use the quirk.”

Katsumi blinked. 

The bar was empty, Kurogiri leaving as soon as Katsumi came through the portal. She supposed he had got the memo that Tomura did not want him around when she was here. That or Tomura had pre-emptively told him to leave. Katsumi had pretty quickly got to the topic of her quirk, and how she needed somewhere to practice with it. After all, Kurogiri had explicitly told her to learn how to use it.

“I still gotta get a hold of the quirk,” Katsumi insisted, genuinely a little confused by his immediate refusal. It wasn’t like her using the bar to train that quirk would be all that disruptive, if he really didn’t want to be around her that much he could go crawl back into his dark cave of a room. “It would be bad if I used it in front of someone.” 

Tomura was unmoved. “Then don’t.” 

Katsumi pursed her lips as she stared at him.

“Right.”  

Doing dirty work was not the reason she was asking to use the bar to train the damned quirk in the slightest! Was that really that hard to understand? Could he seriously only see it for how it could benefit him? Damn him. Why he didn’t want her doing anything for the League's mission, whatever that even was, was beyond her.

Katsumi relaxed.

“Tomura,” she cleared her throat, she’d move on from the topic of that other quirk for now. “I am kinda curious why you aren’t actually making me do anything. Should I be like- stealing… files? Or whatever.”

“‘Cuz I don’t need your help, obviously.” 

He didn’t even hesitate for a moment. Katsumi wasn’t sure what other answer she expected. Despite him waiting every night for her to come to visit him, he staunchly acted as if he completely and utterly wanted nothing to do with her. Even now he talked to her, he still took every opportunity to insult and belittle her. It was quite clear to Katsumi that at the moment, Tomura didn’t like her all that much, their history was meaningless.

“Besides,” he chuckled, his laugh kind of unnerving, “you’d only mess shit up and get caught.”

That did worry her. If she actually got caught… Katsumi shut those thoughts down and put on a smile, “So you don’t want me getting in trouble? That’s so sweet.”

He huffed and turned away, running a finger over the rim of the empty glass in front of him. “More like I can’t be bothered to deal with the trouble.” 

She was supposed to be the spy, the mole, but it seemed the world had cut her a break and relieved her from having to do anything. Still, if she was caught with Tomura like this, or someone found out she knew about the USJ attack, she was screwed. As long as she didn’t have to go out and do anything it was fine, she wasn’t going to get caught. But how did they expect to get information from UA then? Or maybe they didn’t need to anymore? How did they get the information from UA?

Katsumi sucked in a breath, “When those reporters broke in, did you steal the information about the USJ trip?”

Tomura turned his head slightly towards Katsumi, “What does that matter?”

“I guess it doesn’t.” It was probably him then. For a moment she was worried that someone else in UA, or had access to UA was working for the League. 

“Just be careful,” she warned, “you won’t get away with that again.”

“Don’t have to,” he shrugged, “don’t tell Master I told you, but he’s got a connection other than you in UA.”

Katsumi went stiff. 

“What.”

“Yeah,” he smirked, “didn’t you realise?”

She had to stay calm.

“Who?”

He snickered, leaning back, “Yeah, I’m not telling you.”

Okay, okay. Be calm. No. What? What the hell? Someone in UA? A teacher maybe? No, no way a teacher. Unless that man had some dirt on a teacher. Yeah, that might be it, blackmail. Just like her. Maybe a casualty they could have prevented but didn’t? Stealing? Cheating? It could be a whole host of things. Fuck, it might even be a student. Even somebody in her class… No, no way. 

What if it wasn’t blackmail? What if that man actually had someone in UA conspiring to kill her father? Someone working for him out of their own free will?

She stroked her hair as she tried to stay calm. “Who would betray UA?” she muttered under her breath.

“Besides you?” Tomura sneered, Katsumi frowned, “Could be anyone, heroes aren’t all that pure-hearted y’know?”

She scowled openly at him.

What right did he have to pass judgment? It wasn’t even like she disagreed, but fuck, what right did he have to say that? 

“Is it really that better to be a villain?” She abanded any attempt at politeness with the question. Tomura was unfazed.

"Who cares?”

Katsumi's face twitched, “I’d assume you with all your talk about heroes being shitty back at the USJ." Then she smirked, “But then again, I guess my dad did call you out about that. How you’re really just a destructive asshole.”

How would he react to that? Katsumi didn’t know. She was finding it difficult to really pin down his personality. He was irrational, immature and aggressive, her body tensed as she realised how she had provoked him, yet at the same time… He had to think of her with a modicum of care. She was sure that somewhere, there was the boy who led her out of that prison his ‘master’ had locked her in for so long.

Tomura stared at her for a long moment. He hunched down, staring at the bar table he brought one hand to rub his neck and mumbled, “...Gotta scratch the itch.”

It was silent for a few moments. Katsumi’s anger melted away. Itch. An itch. What?

“Gross," she snickered, "you shouldn’t tell girls that.”

Katsumi thought she was funny… but Tomura just glared at her.

“You’re so…” he clenched his fist and sat up, “...fucking aggravating. It pisses me off.”

“You let me hang around though.”

He huffed in annoyance and didn’t respond for a few moments.

“I suppose I don’t mind you being around,” he grumbled. 

He stared at his hand, clenching his fingers before adding, “As long as I get to destroy your arms the way I do.”

Furrowing her brows Katsumi leaned forwards, “What is that like…” A sadism thing? She couldn’t say that. “Is that why you wanna be a villain? To, uh, destroy things?” 

What a childish question, but she really needed to know. The real reason, of course, was that that man had groomed him too, but she wanted to know why he thought he wanted to.

Tomura shrugged, “Sure.”

“...And what’s killing All Might specifically got to do with that?” 

If there was another mole, that meant someone in UA wanted her father dead, or at least was willing to help make that a reality. That wasn’t good. It was bad enough having to deal with Tomura, Kurogiri and their Master. Damnit, to think she had believed him when he said that to kill All Might wasn't their goal, he was clearly lying.

Tomura took a moment before tilting his head towards her, behind the pale blue strands of hair and grey 'skin' of the hand a flash of red peeked out, burning into her.

“Y’know… your old dad is the face of this fragile farce of a world,” Tomura tapped his fingers on the solid wood as he spoke. “He’s the face of heroes,” he huffed, “the most bullshit concept in this world. Selfless individuals? We both know they are just praise-obsessed fame-seekers.”

Hearing Tomura voice something so similar to her own past thoughts was humbling- almost unsettling. Shifting uncomfortably, Katsumi found herself confronted by her own beliefs, the ones that had begun to waver ever since she accepted the path of becoming a hero. Her outright disdain for heroes had softened over time, settling into something closer to neutrality. No- if she was being honest, she had simply pushed her feelings aside for the sake of her father and, to a lesser extent, Izuku. After all, openly criticizing heroes was discouraged. Because obviously, if you didn't like heroes, you had to be some type of villain.

And yet, before her now was someone whose hatred for heroes- and for her father- ran even deeper than hers ever had, even in her darkest moments.

How strange. 

“He’s fucking worshipped, everyone thinks he is so good,” he turned to Katsumi. “But would such a good man abandon his child?”

Katsumi went stiff.

“You should know more than anyone how much of a fake he is, just like the rest of those heroes.”

C’mon, no. No, she had already made peace with that. His role as All Might, the symbol of peace made it impossible for him to be her father. Those two identities were incompatible. Tomura was playing dirty, trying to upset her.

“God,” Katsumi laughed bitterly, rubbing her eyes, “you’re a bastard.”

“Of course,” sneering, Tomura turned away, “you’re one of them now.”

Katsumi scoffed, “What do you know about heroes?” She leaned forward, getting close enough that Tomura actually flinched back as she glared at him, “How often do you leave your room? I bet he told you to think that. I’m sure you just gobble up anything that your ‘Master’ tells you and shit it out your mouth as truth.”

Her glare didn’t falter as Tomura stared at her unmoving. She continued to stare at him until he let his breath out.

“What the fuck.” 

He pulled away as Katsumi did, not letting her expression soften in the slightest. 

“What?”

Tomura stared at her for a long moment.

“Why you gotta say it like that?” 

“Like what?” She retorted. 

His shoulders relaxed and he shook his head, laughing harshly, “You’re fucking weird.”

Like he could talk.

“Oh sorry. I forgot what an upstanding gentleman you are. I will be more careful to conduct myself in a more-”

“Yeah ok,” he grumbled, “shut up.”

Katsumi's face wore a tight frown as he turned away from her once again. He was so weird. After a moment, now her anger had died down a bit, a smirk crept its way onto her lips. Despite the fact he was a total asshole, she was actually pretty entertained. If only she could hang out with him without the weight of whatever that man was scheming behind the scenes.

“But actually,” she pressed, not wanting to forget why she was really there. Glancing down she swept her hair over her shoulder, running her finger through as she readied herself for what she was about to say. “That man, you really-”

“Oh shut up.”

Katsumi’s brows tightened and she went to speak but Tomura beat her to it.

“I mean, just…” he grumbled, clearly annoyed, “don't talk about him.”

“Why?”

Maybe she was going too fast?

“Because I say so. Don’t get in over your head.”

Katsumi frowned. That was one step back. Oh, whatever, she knew that she was pushing it. She should have stayed in the safe zone. 

“I’ll have to level up first before I can fight the big boss I suppose,” she mumbled, half annoyed with herself, half with Tomura, and completely with that man.

Tomura snorted.

At least he found her funny sometimes. If only that could transfer into him finding her trustworthy in any sort of way.

She glanced down, her arm was almost healed. The palm of her hand pulsated as the flesh bubbled up the growing bones. Gross.

“So quick...” she mumbled, she would be going home soon she supposed. It was a no to using the bar for training that new quirk, well until she asked Kurogiri, who would probably at least attempt to talk some sense into Tomura.

“You’re getting stronger,” Tomura nodded to her hand.

“Sure,” Katsumi held her hand in front of her, her regen was better but that’s not what she cared about. 

“I need to level up my conversation points though, not my healing,” she mumbled, half chuckling quietly to herself, “Or I guess in Persona terms my charm?”

“Destroying yourself, all this for a festival,” Tomura’s voice was dripping with disgust. “You that desperate to impress those heroes?”

Katsumi rolled her eyes, putting her hand down, “Obviously not.”

“Then what's the point in going through this? I’m not complaining, but you look like an idiot.”

“You gotta add an insult to everything, it’s annoying. I’m levelling up using my abilities, don’t be jealous.” Her eyes drifted to his bandaged hand, “Bet you wish you had your own passive healing.”

He laughed mockingly, “I do moron, every person does. And stop talking like that. ‘I’m levelling up!’ So dumb.” 

“But you-” Katsumi bit her words down, it wasn’t worth it, “O-kay.” 

Tomura sneered at Katsumi’s sour face, “I’ll enjoy watching you beat up those moronic NPC classmates of yours.”

Well, at least he knew she was strong. That was something he couldn’t insult her for. But his jabs about her classmates were beginning to annoy her. The thing was that before joining UA, she was sure she was going to be surrounded by brain-dead wannabe heroes who just wanted fame and money. Surely some of them did feel that way, but she knew that wasn’t the case. The fact that people like Momo and Izuku were being lumped in as ‘morons’ was pissing her off.

“My classmates, moronic?” Katsumi shook her head, turning to the bar. He deserved some more teasing for being such an asshole. “I dunno about that, didn’t Kurogiri get captured by one of my classmates?” She hummed, keeping a smirk down as she glanced over to Tomura, “And pretty much all of those chumps you brought with you got absolutely destroyed by them.”

That pissed him off.

“They were all useless!” Tomura cursed, the reminder of the failure back at the USJ obviously getting to him. “Nothing more than bots damnit! Even with all those numbers they were useless!”

Katsumi’s lips curled up. What a child.

“I need a smaller group,” Tomura continued, “a tight group of serious fucking villains who aren’t dumb as rocks.”

“And how will you find people like that?” She hoped he wouldn’t. That just sounded like more problems. 

Tomura began to say something but it got caught in his throat. He groaned and brought his fingers to his neck, scratching. Katsumi’s face scrunched up, concerned.

“You could raid Tartarus,” she offered, “let all the big bad’s in there out as long as they promise to work for you.”

“That’s the dumbest fucking idea I’ve ever heard,” he spat, whipping round to glare at her. “How the hell would I do that, no even if I did how would you go about getting them to actually-”

“Oh my god,” she scoffed, a little intimidated, “it was a joke.”

“You’re just so funny,” Tomura’s tone didn’t ease, rough and harsh as he chastised her, “your little green-haired boyfriend must be head over heels.”

Her insides froze. “No.” She was stiff as she spoke, “That’s not-” 

How did he know- Kurogiri. Of course, it wasn’t that man ordering Kurogiri to follow her, it was him. What did that mean for her? That he knew who she was close to? She was pretty certain that she at the very least could not allow him to catch onto the fact she liked him, that was for sure.

“Oh really?” he taunted. “You’ve been hanging out with him for a while now. You even saved him from me, don't think I forgot about that. You two are close, don't tell me he doesn't like you. You do seem like the type to lead guys on.”

“What?" Katsumi laughed nervously, "We’re just friends.” Type to lead guys on? She wanted to punch this bitch. "We hang out a lot because my dad-” shit she couldn't say that. 

“Chose him to inherit his power?” He cackled, the sound grating her ears, “Of course. I guess that makes sense, he might like him but the feeling isn't mutual. You must hate him really. You’re own father chose him over you.”

Yeah, she was done with this.

“I should leave,” she stood up, eyes glued to the floor, “it's getting late.”

“Sit back down.”

His words were cold and final. Katsumi froze, making no move to either sit back down or leave.

“You’re hand,” Tomura cleared his throat. Katsumi glanced at it, it was pretty much healed, the fingers slowly rebuilding their structure. 

She sat back down, not bothering to say anything. Every jab and insult that she had ignored, allowed to pile up re-running in her mind. God, she wanted to leave. Tomura was quiet too, staring ahead, at least she assumed he was, Katsumi didn’t glance at him to check.

“... Do you…” he scratched his neck, “Wanna play cards?”

He was worse than before. 

“Why should I?” She asked, staring him down.

Though she should have know that already.

“Let me rephrase that,” he shoved his hand into his pocket and took out a pack of cards, throwing it out onto the bar table. “Play cards with me.”

He had no idea how to act around people. 

“Whatever,” she frowned. “But on one condition.”

The grey hand that grasped Tomura's face hid his stare as he looked at her, leaning on one arm resting on the bar table. 

“What?”

It was like before, just on steroids. Tomura had no impluse control, he was primed to be an ass. It didn’t mean anything, she shouldn’t let it get to her, but she shouldn’t take it.

She looked at him sternly, “You take that hand off.”

“Fuck off.”

Katsumi raised her eyebrows, her face remaining hard, “I’ll leave if you don’t agree.”

“You can’t leave,” he retorted, seething slightly, “I need to call Kurogiri back.”

She shrugged, “I’ll walk out the door.”

“And then what? You’re in your pyjamas and have no clue where you are. Young ladies shouldn't be walking in the streets at night.”

“Because of people like you,” she muttered.

Katsumi needed to keep her mouth shut.

“If I win whatever we play,” she decided to compromise before he could reply to her last remark, “you take the hand off.”

Tomura clicked his tongue, sucking his breath in through clenched teeth, “...Fine.”

Katsumi nodded, hiding her mild surprise, pushing the cards towards Tomura, “What are we playing?”

They agreed to play nine rounds of the game Tomura explained to her. She hadn’t heard of it before, which put her at a disadvantage. Katsumi decided to just relax, it didn’t really matter if she won or not. She really just wanted to go home, she was only doing this to not piss him off more than she already had. It seemed she had given up on making him like her, she still wanted that but, her own personality made it difficult to be passive and likeable.

They played mostly in silence, and as she kept playing, and despite her poor performance in the first few rounds, Katsumi began to enjoy herself. Especially when she began winning. Her score kept climbing and it was obviously beginning to get to Tomura who tapped his fingers against the table restlessly and scratched his neck. Tutting and hissing as he placed his cards.

“That’s four to three,” Katsumi smirked at the end of the final round, “I win.”

Tomura stared down at the card she had placed down, her last card. 

Her mood had improved vastly and she almost let a snicker out as she leaned against the bar, waiting patiently. 

“So?”

Tomura stayed still for a long moment, staring at the cards on the bar. 

“You’re not gonna find a mistake.”

He stayed still, looking at the cards. He placed his own down and began to chuckle, his hoarse voice rough from under the mask. 

Despite being quite sure he was not actually going to go through with the deal, Katsumi subconsciously held her breath. Her lips parted slightly as she watched Tomura bring one hand up to the base of the hand that grasped his face. In bated breath, she watched as the bottom slowly lifted up and-

“Nah.”

Tomura stood up.

“W-what?” Katsumi sputtered. She actually thought she was about to see his face.

He ignored her, walking towards the corridor.

“Woah, hold up! We had a deal!” Katsumi lept from her seat, following Tomura. 

“I don’t care.”

“Dude have some integrity!” Katsumi grabbed his arm and pulled him back. Immediately he turned to her and yanked his arm away.

“Fuck off.” 

Katsumi’s brow furrowed, “No. Stick to your word.”

Tomura laughed coldly and went to turn away. Katsumi took no notice, grabbing his arm again.

“Stop touching me,” he hissed.

Katsumi glared, pulling his arm closer towards her, “Why you gotta pretend we're strangers? It's not like I'm trying to sit on your lap or some shit like when we were kids.”

Tomura jerked backwards, “Y-you-!” 

Taking the moment of weakness Katsumi reached up to his face. Tomura recovered from his shock in time to quickly grab her wrist just as her fingers grazed the leathery skin of the hand. He yanked her wrist away, making her stumble towards him. 

Katsumi glared up at him, now so close she could clearly see the gaps in where his hair and the fingers of the hand failed to conceal his bloody eyes. He stared down at her, eyes intense. Katsumi met his gaze, too far gone to give up now. 

His fingers gripped her wrist firmly, his pinkie raised, straining away. One movement and he could destroy her like he had countless times before. In her head, she thought she should be scared, and her body seemed to agree, her heart pounding quickly in her chest. Yet, she didn't pull away.

She looked up at him, “Please."

She could almost see his eyes narrow and widen, watching her face as she looked at him. His grip on her wrist loosened slightly and Katsumi slowly moved her hand back, he didn’t resist as her fingertips brushed the skin of the hand.

“...Can I?” she asked with a tenderness he obviously didn't expect as he stiffened slightly. When she received no reply she took it as a yes. Her heart felt all of a sudden much larger and erratic as it beat in her chest. She waited so long for this, finally- 

Slowly, without straying her gaze from his own, she pulled the hand away. 

Intense, being under his gaze was intense. His eyes, it was all she could truly focus on as she took in his face. Still, she took it all in. His scars, she remembered them now. He had two scars on his face, one stretching from the top to the bottom of his left eyelid and another across his top and lower lip. Speaking of his lips, they were cracked and dry, she remembered that too. They were parted slightly, his breath shallow as he stared at her. His skin was chipped and peeling just like how her skin did as his fingers gripped her wrist. Her eyes couldn’t focus on that for long though, perhaps it should have disturbed her, but her gaze fell back on his eyes. Bright, red. 

Tomura let go of her wrist and stepped back, yanking his arm from Katsumi’s hand. She was put off balance by the sudden movement, she hadn’t even realised how closely she had been leaning into him.

“Happy now?” Tomura growled, snatching the hand off her. Katsumi stared at him, putting a face to the voice that felt strange, but the raspy tone fit. 

“What?” His lips snarled as she glared at her, “Not what you expected?”

“I didn’t expect anything,” she watched as he placed the leathery grey fingers back around his face. “No, I was just remembering how you used to look.”

Face hidden once again, he turned to face her, “You looked pretty fucking disgusted.”

Katsumi felt strange, almost giddy, no, more like, she felt unreal. She brought her hand to her chest, rubbing her collarbone soothingly. Disgusted? No, not disgusted.  

“I think you’re making that up,” she mumbled without thinking, looking at the floor. “Have you watched Phantom of the Oprea?” She pursed her lips, slightly biting the inside as her mind struggled to come back to earth, “Now that would be a bad reaction.”

“Huh?” Tomura shook his head, “What, no. I don’t even know what that is. You’re so damn weird, talking about shit I don’t care about all the time.”

Katsumi probably should have been annoyed, but she wasn’t. Her head still felt very light, woozy even. Her chest was tight and she felt almost breathless. Her head hurt.

Tomura scowled, “You got what you wanted, fuck off already.”

Katsumi was still feeling strange when she got home. She went to the bathroom and stared at her reflection for a long time.

What position was she in now? He seemed angry with her, and she had practically forced him to reveal his face to her but, she still thought it was progress. Progress, progress, progress. That was her life now huh? Progress to get stronger, be smarter, more powerful, progress to not be being blackmailed, to save a guy that arguably didn’t need it.

But she knew he did. He needed saving from him. That man. He was selfish. He was clearly just using Tomura just like how he used her. Like he was using her. She understood back then why he took her but now, what was her role now? Was she really there just because he needed insurance that the fact he was still alive wouldn’t get out? Incriminate her with the League's crimes so she couldn’t go and expose him without exposing herself in the process? It was getting worse every second, she was digging herself further and further down. Since the moment she returned from his capture and stayed silent, her parents ignorant of the fact she had ever been gone. She had long dug herself into a hole she wouldn't escape.

She could at least help Tomura. No, she had to. She had to do something. Anything. She’d go crazy if she didn’t try.

Tomura had to be convinced that his ‘master’ was just using him for his own gain. Convincing him that he was evil was futile, Tomura was clearly not guided by any intention of improving the world, but simply a dirty urge to destroy. He knew the disgusting things his master had done and did not care.

No, he must, at least he must of at some point, in some way. He helped her escape goddamnit! But perhaps how that man had allowed it and let her go easy redeemed him from what he did to her in his eyes? And then all those years of separation made his memory of her sour? To the point where he didn’t care how she was tortured and used anymore? So he sided with the man who brought him up, she hated how that seemed honestly reasonable to her.

The fact was that unless she found something truly evil about that man, her chances of changing Tomura at all were slim to none. He was selfish, clearly. His situation with his ‘master’ worked to benefit him so why would he care that he was a bad person? Fuck, Tomura was a bad person! It would have to be something that directly linked to Tomura, something that personally hurt him. That might change his mind. If Katsumi could get proof that he… was planning to sacrifice Tomura to kill All Might? Would that work? Yes, it would. Or maybe something to do with how he even got Tomura to begin with… He wasn’t his child, maybe he stole him from his parents because of his quirk? No, she knew what happened to his family. He had told her. Fuck, what was it? What happened to his family?

Katsumi groaned, gripping the sides of the cool porcelain as she stared at her distorted reflection in the metal drain.

She’d got that hand off, she had seen his face. She wondered if that meant he wouldn’t bother wearing it around her anymore. No, it seemed that he wore it all the time anyway. Maybe it was a dumb goal to have, it didn’t actually serve her in her goal to make him trust her. If he had taken it off on his own accord, that would likely imply a level of trust between them but she had gotten impatient literally pulled it off him. No, she didn't know what came over her, that was completely moronic! Now it meant nothing. Her saving grace was that he had sort of let her, god that whole interaction was so strange. Katsumi really didn’t understand what even happened. 

At least she knew what he looked like without the hand, not bad. He acted like he was horrifically disfigured, and that’s what you’d assume would be the reason for someone to cover their face. But his face was fine. A little, scary, maybe. But if he wasn't glaring all the time...

Why hands though? Why did he decorate his body with hands? Were they real? She knew the answer, she was sure she knew hands... 

Katsumi’s eyes widened.

The hands, the hands were the remains of his family.

That was it, wasn’t it? 

Did… he kill them? Tomura? Was that it…?

She was getting a headache.

She couldn’t keep doing this. Writing had helped but, she couldn’t do this. She couldn’t have this leaking into her life during the day. She couldn’t agonise over this at lunch while the people she was supposed to be befriending chatted happily. She couldn’t lament her situation while she was doing math equations. She had to draw a line.

She raised her head, pressing her forehead against the mirror as she glared into her own blue eyes.

“From now on Katsumi,” she whispered, “you have two lives. They do not mix. You do not think of one in the other. There are two you’s, and they will not meet.”

She was exhausted, and the bed in the room her father had given her was warm enough. When she woke up she wouldn’t think about any of this, she’d wait until night again.

Chapter Text

CW- Some mention of eating/not eating. Not a body image thing or really a big plot point but I thought I’d add a warning just in case anyone needed it.

For once Katsumi had woken up early enough to get to school way before the bell. If she had bothered to eat breakfast she would have just been on time, but she had been struggling to eat recently. Her anxiety made her stomach feel queasy, and she had gotten into the habit of skipping breakfast.

So, it ended up that she got to school before the vast majority of students. The corridors were empty, and she had assumed she’d be the first to get to class. That was a first, she always seemed to be just about late no matter how quickly she ran to school from the station.

Her dreams of being first were crushed, however, when she saw Momo already there sitting at the back of the classroom.

“You’re early. I hope that means you have been sleeping better.”

“Well,” Katsumi hummed, taking her seat “sort of. I’ve been taking my pills if that’s what you mean.”

Her dreams were fine, nothing unusual to her. The pills trapping her in them, keeping her body asleep, was only really a problem when the content of the dreams was particularly cruel. Uncomfortable and strange dreams were the norm, and they were perfectly acceptable. After all, she had had plenty of time to grow accustomed to them.

“I see. You still seem quiet in thought though, is it that you are worried about the festival?”

Momo was the type to notice when something was wrong, Katsumi really should try to be less obvious.

“Haha, the festival?” Katsumi laughed, waving the idea away. She wasn’t worried about that one bit. Firstly, she didn’t care all that much about winning, just not embarrassing herself. Secondly, she had other more pressing issues… that she had decided not to think about during the day.

“I see,” Momo nodded, she tapped her chin and wondered aloud, “It wouldn’t be something with Midoriya then, would it?”

Sigh.

She didn’t think Momo was the type to get fixated on romance. She wished she wouldn’t bring it up. It was getting annoying.

“You don't have to worry, I can keep a secret,” Momo promised, “I’m not like Mina. Ah, is that what is-”

“Oh don’t remind me!” Katsumi clutched her head, face burning up. “She’s actually so annoying for that! Damn you Mina…”

Momo laughed, Katsumi thought you could probably tell she was rich just by that laugh. She snickered with her, she supposed what Mina did was kinda funny in retrospect.

“That reminds me… Katsumi,” Momo’s voice became suddenly much more serious, “this may be too forward of me, but I have been thinking about something. If I’ve noticed it, it might not be long till others notice too, and I don’t want you to get involved in any drama.”

Katsumi's eyes narrowed slightly, she had no idea what she was trying to say. A guilty conscious was biting at her back.

“Just say it.”

“Well, besides a few exceptions, none of us know each other that well at the moment, but we are all friendly, right? Especially you. But you seem to treat Uraraka differently to the rest of us girls. I’ve noticed it a few times now. I know you say you do not like Midoriya, but it does look like you might have something against her because she is friends with him.”

Katsumi bit her cheek, staying quiet as Momo talked. She had to raise her eyebrows slightly to make sure it didn’t look like she was glaring at the girl.

Momo was observant, too observant. Or maybe it was that obvious? Honestly, Katsumi had bigger problems than whatever her classmates thought of her.

No, this is exactly what she should be caring about. After all, it was daytime, what other problems did she have? It was time for petty drama and hero training!

“That’s ridiculous,” Katsumi snorted, “I don’t feel threatened by her. Besides, it’s not like I’m not bullying her. I won’t force myself to be all buddy-buddy with someone if I don’t want to.”

There was no point trying to convince Momo that she actually liked Uraraka. She’d rather just steer clear of her entirely, was that so bad?

Momo listened silently, her face neutral, but Katsumi could clearly see the cogs turning behind her eyes.

“It’s alright to not like someone,” she affirmed, she paused for a moment before adding, “Just make sure to stay civil. All of us girls are friends with her, she is a nice girl.”

So that’s how it was? Katsumi stared at Momo, her jaw tight.

“Yeah. Obviously.” What part she was saying that too? All of it, none of it, she didn’t really care. She didn’t like the way Momo was looking at her, like how her mum looked at her after a reprimanding.

“Anyway, would it be okay to have a final study session on Friday?”

“Yeah…”

‘All of us girls are friends with her.’ Or, what that really meant was, ‘If you don’t get along with her, we’ll drop you.’

Threatened by Uraraka? That was dumb. What about her would threaten her? She was closer to Izuku, and overall Katsumi spent more time with him-

Did she?

When she thought about it, Uraraka spent every lunch with him and Iida, barring the days her dad got the two of them to eat with him so he could give Izuku advice. She also hung around him during hero training, before school, before leaving…

At school, Katsumi barely talked to him. She hung out with Momo, Mina, Hagakure, sometimes Jiro and Tsu, Kirishima, Kaminari, Sero… She understood what Izuku said about her being popular now, it seemed she was prioritising hanging out with everyone except Izuku.

The other day going around his house was something, and she knew that her time with him had gone down since joining UA but…

He could not start liking Uraraka.

She needed to make sure of that.

She couldn’t go right up to him and tell him right yet, no that would be too selfish, she couldn’t be in a relationship with anyone right now. But, she could certainly make sure his attention stayed on her. It shouldn’t be all that hard. Up until recently, she’d almost been actively avoiding him, too wrapped up in her own anxiety, but now? She was letting that go, wasn’t she?

Katsumi wasn’t going to lose him.

The door swinging open drew Katsumi’s attention back to the classroom. Bakugou skulked in, immediately glaring at her as soon as he noticed her.

Bakugou. Katsuki Bakugou, it kinda annoyed her how similar his first name was to hers. It definitely annoyed her how Izuku seemed to not give two shits about how he had treated him in middle school, and how he treated him now.

What didn’t annoy her, however, was pissing him off. He was damn hilarious, his reactions were so over the top that he wouldn’t look out of place in a gag manga. And though she’d never admit it out loud, he was quite attractive when he wasn’t pulling the craziest faces you’d ever imagine. That annoyed her too, both him being hot and him ruining his face with ridiculous faces. At least just got a kick out of riling him up… maybe a little too much of a kick.

Katsumi leaned over to Momo, half covering her mouth as she whispered, loud enough to be heard from the other side of the otherwise silent room, “You wouldn’t think some meathead guy like Bakugou would be early to class, would you?”

There was the bait.

Momo shook her head, looking at her disapprovingly, “Katsumi-”

Bakugou spun round and shouted, “Do you think I’m deaf? I’m always here on time you’re the one rocking up late!”

Bait bitten.

“I wasn’t insulting you Kacchan, I was just-”

“What the hell did you just call me?!!”

Katsumi wasn’t on form that day, and she immediately busted out laughing, That only fuelled Bakugou’s anger. He screamed obscenities at her, Momo cringed away, Katsumi laughing harder.

Katsumi adjusted the backside of her costume as she walked towards the group. She needed to go to the toilet right before the girls left the changing rooms and they had all left without her, to her annoyance.

She spotted Izuku, walking up behind him, poking his shoulder.

“Oh!” He jumped, smiling when he noticed who it was, “Katsumi, hi.”

Well, she wasn’t about to lose him to Uraraka, and she wanted him to like her for when she sorted her life out and could confess properly. She needs to make an effort.

“I was going through the book you made me, and I was thinking my next goal will be to be able to cover my entire body in one substance!” Katsumi declared, clenching a fist.

“Oh yeah?” He marvelled before his smile fell, “Do you think you can do that with so little time left till the festival? I mean it would be an incredibly useful skill, it could protect you from all sorts of things, fire, acid, electricity, bullets, all depending on what material it is that you cover yourself with of course! But you’ll have to learn specific materials besides your metals and plastics, not only that but if you completely cover yourself to protect from certain things you may struggle to see or even breathe which would be a massive problem if you are fighting-”

Katsumi’s smile was faltering as Izuku rambled.

“I thought we were rivals now?” she teased, snapping him out of his thoughts. “Should you really be giving me advice?”

Izuku froze, embarrassment creeping up his face, “Ah! Well-”

“Don’t worry ‘bout it!” Katsumi smiled, a cheek to her tone. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a short brunette girl glance over. Katsumi grabbed Izukus's arm, pulling him towards her.

“If we’re doing a team thing today, let’s work together!”

“Uh- well!” Izuku blushed, “I mean- normally it’s random so-”

“Alright, everyone!” All Might’s booming voice made the chatter of the class die down, “Are we ready for some hero training!?”

Training dummies, destroy as many as you can in a short amount of time. Not a team exercise.

It was mindless, Katsumi just sliced off their heads again and again. It was a test of endurance, Katsumi’s speciality. So why was she doing so fucking terrible?

“Well done young Bakugou! You’ve gone up to seventy in one minute! Oh, and Todoroki-!”

“S-shit,” she panted, her face contorted, brows knit tight together. The long knives she had created from her arms were getting soft, the metal unrealised and incomplete. More and more the transformation melded back into the shape her body was meant to be, no fuel left to feed it.

Katsumi spat onto the ground, wiping sweat off her forehead. After all this training, why was she doing worse? She clenched her teeth as she glanced at the others, all still going. Most were tired like her, but she was supposed to be better than them.

The sight of Bakugou jumping from target to target, decimating them into ashes, a wide grin on his face made her snarl. Damn bastard, why did he have to look good doing it too? The crazy look in his red eyes was annoyingly attractive.

“Bakugou!” All Might called out, “Well done! You destroyed all your dummies… Now how do I get more…”

Fuck, Katsumi glared at her dad standing in the distance. Don’t compliment him!

Katsumi’s gaze drifted back to the half-decapitated dummy in front of her. It grinned mockingly at her, the shoddily drawn face staring at her sideways, bouncing every now and then from the shockwaves from her classmate's attacks. She glared at it, she should be able to destroy it easily.

A stabbing pain in her stomach made her wince, if that wasn’t enough for her to get the message, her body sent out a loud gurgle.

Well, there. That was the problem.

“Lunch Rush, can I get a double serving of rice?”

Food was quite literally the fuel of both her body and her quirk. She needed to eat a lot to keep up, but she was the type to get a weak stomach when stressed. Eating big, heavy meals wasn’t all that appealing when she chronically felt sick with anxiety.

“Double?!” Hagakure, ever excitable, marvelled beside her. “Really Katsumi? Wow, you must work out a lot to keep so slim!”

“It’s my quirk,” she explained, “I burn off a lot using it.”

That plus genetics, of course. One thing to thank her mother for.

“I eat a lot to keep my muscle.” That wasn’t a total lie, she did do that, just not recently.

“Oh, that makes sense! You’re super strong. Gosh, I always feel so weak around you!” She laughed, “I hope I don’t go against you during the sports festival.”

Hagakure, as nice as she was, was very weak. How she had passed the entrance exam, she had no clue. In fact, Katsumi had noticed a pretty large gap between her and the other girls. As much as they had their strengths, Momo especially was blessed with a very good quirk that she had a very good hold of, their combat ability was miles apart. She had noticed that during her training with Momo, compared to Katsumi she was… helpless, without her quirk of course.

Out of the strongest in the class, it seemed like Katsumi was standing alone as the only girl.

“I’ll win it for you Hagakure,” Katsumi giggled, “You and the rest of the girls.”

“What?” she pouted. “You saying you don’t think I’ll win!”

“Ah-”

“Haha! Just kidding!” She held her hand out, assuming giving Katsumi an invisible thumbs up, “I’m rooting for you!”

“Gosh Katsumi,” her dad laughed. “You really like your food, don’t you?”

Katsumi shoved another spoonful of curry into her mouth “Houh? Yeoh.”

They were sat at the dinner table, her dad having time to cook today, which was a treat. Katsumi should value that more, her dad was a busy man after all. She could start by eating it all.

Well, that didn’t mean she should shovel it all down her throat at once. But it was too late for that thought- as her stomach turned and she choked, coughing into her hand as she struggled to get the food down.

Her dad frowned, “Maybe you should slow down.”

“Mmhgh,” her stomach gurgled, her throat felt tight. She really felt like she was about to be sick.

She had eaten a good lunch the last day or so and tried to eat as much dinner as she could, it was harder then though, seeing as it was closer to the night. It was a start, she was doing alright. But she had eaten too much today, two slices of toast, and a banana for breakfast, two servings of lunch and now she had scoffed down a whole plate of curry. Why did she have to go and overdo it?

Katsumi grimaced as she swallowed. She was definitely gonna puke.

“I need to piss,” she declared, getting up delicately.

“It’s ‘I need to use the bathroom!’” Her dad reprimanded her with a light chuckle, “Don’t tell me what you're going to do!”

Katsumi responded with some remark and made her way as quickly as she could without spewing right there onto the floor. Shutting the door behind her she collapsed over the sink, panting heavily, her hair falling into the white porcelain of the basin.

She swallowed, her stomach seemingly relaxing the tiniest amount. There was a light sweat gathering on her forehead that she shakily wiped away.

There was no need to be so anxious. She had it under control. Yeah, so maybe she had no idea what they were planning next, not to mention that they could turn around any moment and expose her, a horrific scenario she tortured herself over. But, so what? Oh yeah, she had also made little progress with the whole ‘bringing Tomura to the good side!’ shit. He still didn’t trust her. Plus the weirdness of the other day when she yanked that hand off him…

Find dirt on that man. Talk to him. …After the sports festival. That was the plan. She could keep to it. No need to worry. Easier said than done, but if she kept keeping her mind off it, it was entirely feasible.

Yes, it was completely feasible.

The Friday before the festival.

“Wood is constructed of cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin, and extractives. Obviously, it varies from species to species but for what we are looking at what are the percentages of elements that make up wood?”

“Uh,” Katsumi massaged her temples. Momo’s room was just as luxurious as the rest of her house, her bed was so big Katsumi was sure they had to custom order bedding for it. God, she was sure they were in the same tax bracket, but she was in a totally different class. Old versus new money she guessed.

They sat cross-legged on the floor, a low table between them covered in revision material.

“Like fifty carbon forty-two oxygen and… hydrogen six percent and one percent random stuff.”

“Yes!” Momo clapped, “Those random elements might be calcium, potassium, magnesium, sodium, iron, manganese, sulfur, chlorine, silicon, phosphorus etcetera!” Her face beamed as she picked up a paper from her neat pile and gestured to the diagram on it.

“Right…” Katsumi nodded, jotting something down on one of the papers strewn across her side of the table. “I’ll use calcium, I can that easily enough from my bones.”

Momo hummed in approval, “Right, please let's try to encase your arms in wood.”

Katsumi took a long drink from her glass of water before attempting. She grew out her skin at the same time as she constructed the wood casing. Staring at the very tip of her fingers she brought it all the way up to her elbows. The opposite of how Tomura destroyed her arms. She sped up the process.

“Perfect!” Momo marvelled, “Though I didn’t doubt you’d be able to do that easily… but it was quicker than I anticipated. That’s good. Keep going, see how much you can cover.”

Katsuki nodded, focusing, her cells multiplying, covalent bonding, stem cells, there was all that scientific jargon for it, but there was a feeling to it. That feeling was what allowed Katsumi to completely encase her arms shoulders and neck in a shell of hardwood.

Momo’s eyes sparkled, compliments and observations tumbling from her mouth.

Katsumi did not like the sensation, she could barely move.

“You should eat some food, keep your energy up!” Momo hummed before she bit into Yakitori's stick.

“Oh yeah,” Katsumi tried to hide a grimace as she looked at the food a maid had brought them. She shook it off and smiled, reaching for two sticks, “Gosh! It looks really good.”

Momo nodded and began to rave about the chef her parents had hired and how he cooked the most nutritious meals that gave her plenty of energy to use her quirk efficiently. Katsumi nodded along politely, chewing the chicken for longer than she needed to before swallowing.

She did like Momo. Despite her comments the other day about Uraraka, she thought she was nice. Besides Izuku, she hadn’t had many real friends. Well Izuku and, well… it was a weird situation, but Tomura too.

Momo was a lot like her, but their personalities were quite opposite, which was probably why Katsumi liked her. Despite her initial assumption that she would dislike all her classmates, all the wannabe heroes, that had not really been the case at all. Okay, she disliked Bakugou. Todoroki and Uraraka but, the vast majority of the class was fine. She at least liked most of the girls.

Katsumi pulled her bag onto her lap. It wasn’t her school bag, she’d left that at home that day, instead taking a bigger one she had bought forever ago back in the States. It wasn’t in uniform which got her chewed out by Aizawa-Sensei which she enjoyed was annoying. But it let her carry a change of clothes she had changed into once getting to Momo’s.

She dug past her school supplies and her burner phone and picked out the purple camera at the bottom. She wanted a photo with Momo, but seeing as she couldn’t bring her phone today, she’d have to use the Polaroid camera Izuku got her.

“Momo,” she showed her the camera, “wanna take a photo?”

“A Polaroid camera? I’d love to!” She smiled, “I love how the photos from those cameras come out.”

Katsumi laughed, “We can take two, so you can keep one.”

She smiled down at the photos they took, she could put it in her phone case with the one from her birthday- oh right she didn’t have her phone.

“It came out so cute!” Momo smiled, touching her face with one hand as she looked at her photo.

“I know right?” Katsumi zipped open her pencil case and put the photo inside, “Izuku got the camera for- Oh.” She paused, turning to Momo, “What’s the time by the way?”

“Um,” Momo looked away from her photo to check her watch, “it’s five twenty.”

“Ah,” Katsumi froze, that was quick, “I should probably get going.”

“Really?” Momo blinked, “Well, that’s okay. Would you like to be dropped home?”

“No that’s okay!” Katsumi waved, smiling apologetically, “Sorry, my dad told me to not tell anyone where we live.”

“Wow, he’s quite careful, isn’t he?” Katsumi nodded. Momo stroked her hair, “I don’t blame him, with those villains-”

“Yeah-” Katsumi interrupted. She appreciated the concern, but it wasn’t quite time to think about that yet.

“Well,” Momo stood up, “I’ll walk you to the door!”

“Ah, yeah, thanks.” She sweated slightly, it certainly was a walk to the door, Momo’s mansion of a house was inconveniently big. But at least she’d easily convinced Momo to let her leave on her own, it was easier that way. If everything went well, she’d be home before eight and could have an early night's sleep.

“Good afternoon.”

Kurogiri looked at her, placing down the glass he was polishing, “You’re early today. Tomura Shigaraki isn’t expecting you till later.”

She had bid her goodbyes to Momo, walking down the road of luxurious houses to the nearest abandoned area where she took out her burner phone and contacted Kurogiri. The tracker in the phone told him exactly where she was, so she could get warped to the bar whenever she wanted.

Trackers were also the reason she had conveniently ‘forgotten’ her phone at home that morning. Her dad had a tracker on her phone, and he didn’t need to know where she was. Yes, she could just turn her phone off, but then if he checked he would wonder why. If he saw the location at home he would assume she had just forgotten it, much less suspicious.

“Where is Tomura?”

“In his room.”

“Oh, of course.”

She nodded to Kurogiri and turned to the dark hallway. The idea was to come early so she could go to sleep before midnight, she had a busy weekend ahead of her, it being the last few days before the festival and all. But in her fixation with eating properly, she hadn’t even thought of telling Kurogiri or Tomura ahead of time. Besides, she had been slightly scared to come back, she had skipped the last day or so since the unmasking.

Her previous realisation that Tomura most likely did really hate her, did something to her. It sucked, and Katsumi wasn’t sure that was solely because it meant it would be borderline impossible to pry him from that man’s clutches.

The thought of going back down there was a little, unsettling. She could ask Kurogiri to get him, but her words caught in her throat before she could ask anything from him. It would be silly, right? She was supposed to be getting closer to Tomura, she shouldn’t be relying on anyone else to do that. Besides, Kurogiri was an extension of that man, and that made her want to steer clear away from him, even if he was probably a good protection for her.

Why not just go down herself? Oh yeah, because it was fucking weird…

She walked down anyway.

There must be something wired wrong in her brain, maybe all the anxiety had fried her mind into seeking out the feeling that made her so sick with worry. As she walked down the dark corridor for the second time her mind buzzed, sending nervous signals to her limbs anticipating… something.

What was she actually anticipating? It had been fine last time. He hadn’t done anything. He wouldn’t do anything. He hated her, he didn’t want to do anything to her. And he probably wasn’t going to torture or kill her seeing as his master wanted her alive. So, the two particularly bad things that her mind warned her might happen in a dark room away from Kurogiri’s gaze were just irrational fears.

Besides, if she found out he really was that sort of person, it would be over. No revelations or redemptions. If he didn’t end up killing her, Katsumi would just kill him and, maybe, if he hadn’t taken her out in the struggle, herself.

“Jesus Christ,” Katsumi mumbled to herself. Maybe she was going too far into the idea that Tomura was evil. Before it was that he was totally innocent and just being manipulated, now she was thinking of him as something horrific. The answer would realistically lay somewhere in the middle, and she needed to stay calm if she ever wanted to know where.

The stairs creaked as she walked down, and the door was closed. He might already have heard her, but she didn’t want to barge him. She’d avoid annoying him for now, though she’d inevitably do so. Besides she didn’t want to accidentally… interrupt something. So she knocked against the hard wood, the sound ringing out dully.

No response.

“Um, Tomura? It’s me.”

Can I come in?

No answer again. She could turn away, cut her losses, come back later, or not at all. No, she was there now, hadn’t she decided to befriend Tomura? Or, more accurately, re-befriend. Whether he liked it or not, she was going to worm her way into his life and steal him from that man’s clutches.

She nodded, yeah, she would, no matter what it took.

She gently opened the door, just a crack. The room was just as dark as last time, the computer was on, and the familiar figure of Tomura was sat hunched over on the chair, headphones on. He was there after all, and he hadn’t ignored her, he just didn’t hear because of the headphones! Katsumi sighed, a relieved smile tugging at her lips.

She wondered what he was looking at. He hadn’t noticed her yet, too enthralled by whatever was on his computer screen. From the angle she was at she could just about see the screen-

Katsumi’s mouth dropped and she screamed.

Tomura whipped around, red eyes wide as he pulled off the headphones, the high-pitched sound having cut through. His eyebrows knit as he saw Katsumi rushing at him.

“What the hell?” He pulled back, Katsumi coming right up to the computer.

“You’re playing Persona!” She exclaimed, beaming, eyes sparkling from the glow of the screen, “Oh em gee! This is so cool! Where are you? Have you got the first countdown yet? Have you been to the palace yet? What do you think of Ryuji? He’s so funny-”

Her excitement was stalled suddenly as her eyes glanced at the person she was talking to and fully processed his face, or more specifically, the fact she could see his face.

“Shit!” She turned away, slapping her hands over her eyes, “Sorry! I won’t look!”

“Huh?” Tomura scoffed, “What the hell you talking about? Turn round.”

Katsumi did, lips pursed and cheeks flushed a little, remembering the other night, “You sure?”

“Yes,” he shook his head, lips curled in annoyance, “Jeez, why you gotta come in here screaming and shit.”

That comment didn’t help her rosy cheeks, the embarrassment creeping up, only serving to darken them even more.

“Sorry,” she laughed nervously, glancing to the side, “I got excited.”

Tomura looked pretty much the same as the other night. His hair was maybe a little greasier, and his face had solidified into a clear expression of ‘Why do I have to deal with this girl?’ Was that the expression that had been hiding under that creepy grey hand all this time? How funny.

“What time is it?” He asked, face relaxing as he rubbed his neck, stretching it to the side to crack it.

“Umm probably,” Katsumi pondered, not sure the exact time herself, and she couldn’t check, seeing as she didn’t have her phone with her, “five thirty?”

Oh, she could just check the burner phone-

“Damn, I thought it was time for you to come already,” Tomura huffed. “Why are you-”

“Oh, I just decided to come early!” Katsumi explained, “I was round a friend's house-”

He frowned, “Midoriya?”

“No.” She chose to not engage with whatever he was trying to start, “The girl I’m close with.”

“Sure.”

Katsumi stopped herself from saying anything more, closing her eyes and smiling, “Haha. Anyway, you’re playing Persona 5 I see.”

Tomura stared at her, he really stared at her. Before, even through the hand, she could feel it. And now, without its leathery, ghostly protection, it really pierced through her. He wasn’t blinking either, and that made the back of Katsumi’s neck tingle. Her hand began to automatically go to stroke her neck.

“And?” He said finally.

Katsumi’s lips grew into a wiry smile, “Are you… enjoying it?”

Tomura looked at the screen, releasing Katsumi from his gaze, much to her relief. He glanced at his headphones that had been thrown onto the desk.

“Yeah,” he shrugged, unplugging the headphones, the sound of the soundtrack suddenly whispering out of the monitor speakers into the quiet room. “Sit down,” he instructed, gesturing to his side. “There’s a stool next to the wardrobe.”

Sit down? Katsumi looked over her shoulder for the stool but the room was too dark, “I can’t see it.”

“Then,” he sighed, Katsumi was sure there were all sorts of insults pertaining to her intelligence on the tip of his tongue, desperate to shoot off. He held them in, however, smiling ominously at her instead, “Go walk over and get a better look.” He said, spelling it out as if he was talking to a small child.

There it was. Biting down any retorts that were itching to shoot out of her mouth, Katsumi just smiled, “You’re the boss.”

A small chuckle left his dry lips as he turned back to the screen.

When she walked back over with the seat Tomura rolled his chair to the side, letting her place the stool down and perch next to him.

It wasn’t lost on her that the last time she’d been down in his room he hadn’t bothered telling her about the stool, leaving her to sit on his bed. She decided to take it as a good sign that he had this time. Progress.

Katsumi watched as Tomura played, he ignored all of the real world in the game to go straight to the castle where all the fighting was. Seemed he didn’t like socialising in games as well as real life.

He was, very clearly, enjoying the game though, and when he saved at a safe room he could see he already put several hours into the game.

“I told you it was a good game,” Katsumi smirked, feeling very pleased with herself.

“Nah, I won’t say that ‘till I’ve finished it.”

A League of Legends player’s opinion on a game she knew was awesome didn’t mean much to Katsumi, but she nodded nevertheless.

“How wise,” she goaded, he just glared at her.

“Can I play?” She asked suddenly, sitting up.

Tomura paused, looking at her.

“You kill me and I’ll be pissed.”

“Hey, you can trust me. I’m a certified pro.”

He grumbled, but let her pull the keyboard and mouse towards her. She hadn’t played any video games in a while, she was grinning as she took control of the main character, running straight into a fight. It was a little different on a pc, but, just like normal, she began to get sucked into the screen and the world of the game. Except, she wasn’t able to fully block out the real word for the game, because, from the corner of her vision, she could clearly see how Tomura was not focusing on the game at all. She could feel his gaze, yet whenever she drew her eyes from the monitor and glanced at him he conveniently was staring right at the screen.

“Alright,” Katsumi was just approaching a fight when Tomura pulled the keyboard toward him, “Give it back now.”

Katsumi clicked her tongue, “Seriously?” She hadn’t been playing for that long.

“This is obviously a boss fight- I’m not trusting you with it.” He turned away from her, looking at the screen, “I need to save first…”

Katsumi’s eye twitched. “Just like before,” she muttered, remembering when he’d hog the DS for hours, only letting her watch.

Embarrassingly, she really wanted to play that fight. She relented though, allowing him to take control back. It was his game after all. How funny, when she came here today she hadn’t expected this would be what she found at all, she just expected another painful-

“Oh shit, my arm-” Katsumi exclaimed, “we haven’t-”

“Huh, you’re right… that’s why you’re here isn’t it?”

No, she thought, I’m actually here for you.

“If you don’t mind,” she took off her hoodie, leaving her arms bare, “it won’t take too long to regrow now.”

Tomura nodded, smirking as Katsumi held out her arm. He took her hand between his fingers and thumb, avoiding touching it with all five fingertips. His dry hands were quite gentle as he pulled her arm out straight.

He paused for a moment, staring down at her arm. Katsumi looked down at him quizzically. Her jaw tightened when he looked up at her, red eyes stabbing.

“You’re gonna get dust all over my floor,” he huffed.

“Oh,” Katsumi chuckled, uncomfortable, “right. We can go upstairs if you want.”

He shook his head, “Nah, that’s effort.”

He kicked a bin from under his desk out under her arm. She couldn’t avoid seeing the tissues scrunched up inside.

Katsumi suppressed a laugh, “You got a cold?”

Tomura huffed again, glaring up at her. At the same moment, he wrapped his other hand firmly around the middle of her forearm.

“Hmh.” Katsumi kept her lips tightly pressed together, the hot pain shooting through her limb forcing a small grunt out of her. She did her best not to pull away, instead squeezing her eyes shut and clenching her toes hard, teeth grinding as the painful decay spread up, and up, and-

And then it was over, and a pile of dust fell down into the bin.

Katsumi’s eyes fluttered open and took in a deep breath. The hard part was over-

Tomura stared hard at her. His lips were parted slightly and his shoulders were tense, his brows furrowed as he looked up at her from his hunched position. He seemed to realise his strange expression and straightened up, kicking the bin back under the desk. He turned his attention to the screen still displaying the pause menu, and he moved the mouse to exit.

“Don’t-” Katsumi winced, her arm, or rather the stub that was regrowing and arm, stinging. “Don’t you wanna keep playing? I can’t leave yet, not like this.”

“Yeah well-” his voice was curt, suddenly he was pissed off it seemed. He paused for a moment, “That TV show. The one based on League,” Tomura scratched his neck. “I found it online, I’m gonna watch the first episode.”

Katsumi blinked. Her old friend stared at the screen, eyes blank, too blank. He glanced at her, his face too hard, stiff, like he was trying to look unbothered. He, he was…

No way.

She’d done it.

He wanted her there.

He liked her.

Well, she was beginning to do it, he was beginning to like her.

To think she was so sure he hated her yesterday, no, he just had a mean personality. Fuck, this was amazing.

Finally. This was it, it was the true beginning. She had finished the tutorial and was released into the open world- the sky’s the limit. Now, she could finally begin her mission, she could finally start to convince him.

That man was going to regret ever keeping her alive.

Her lips parted, the edges twitching up.

Katsumi grinned giddily, “Of course.”

Katsumi yawned, “What time is it?”

“You finally leaving?”

Katsumi was happy, it had been an incredibly successful day. She was glad she ditched Momo for this. She felt as if from now the anxiety that had been eating her from the inside out would be much less fervent.

“You’re the one that kept pressing next episode,” she snickered, digging around in her bag for the burner phone, “I told you it was good, didn’t I…” She picked it up, dropping her bag on her lap. Opening it to the lock screen her eyes widened.

“Holy shit it’s nearly ten!”

Katsumi jumped up, bag dropping to the floor as she stared at the glowing screen.

“I was gonna watch it either way-” Tomura replied as Katsumi scrambled around, “And I’m not waiting for you to watch the rest.”

“Oh shiiitt, this is so annoying,” Katsumi whined, ignoring his comments, “I got too sucked in!”

“Hah,” Tomura cackled as she zipped up her hoodie, “shit, you got a curfew?”

“I got to go now Tomura, seriously,” Katsumi said firmly.

“You’re saying that as if I want you here Sumi,” he smirked as he stood up. “I’ll get Kurogiri.”

Her chest went tight, “...Thanks.”

She was late, she told her dad she would be back around eight, latest nine. It was definitely past nine and pitch black outside. It was the first time she’d been late since moving in with her dad, she ignored her mum’s curfews all the time, not like she noticed half the time, she didn’t come home herself till late in the night most evenings.

Honestly, her dad would only notice if she wasn’t home when he called her for dinner, and she had said she was eating at her friends so it was most likely he had only just noticed. He was probably getting ready to go to bed and realised she wasn’t back yet, but it would be fine because she would walk in and apologise mere moments after he realised. She’d get away with it. That was one good part of him having little time or attention for her, that she could get away with things like this.

Unlocking the door she called out her hello’s and kicked off her shoes. She walked in, her dad standing in the living room. His eyes went wide as she came into view.

“Katsumi!”

“Hi sorry!” She laughed, heading for the kitchen, she could do with a glass of water. “I forgot my phone and my IC card so I couldn’t get the train. I ended up walking home.”

Her dad looked at her, mouth open. Something was wrong. Katsumi stopped, standing on the other side of the sofa from her dad. It was then she noticed the phone he was holding next to his ear.

Her dad came to his senses when a voice came from the phone, he coughed.

“Yeah I’m still here, she just walked through the door. She forgot her train card… yeah. Yeah, I will. Sorry to disturb you Tsukauchi.”

Katsumi frowned, Tsukauchi? Where did she hear that name before?

“Uh,” she began tentatively, noticing the stiffness of his shoulders and the frustrated note in his voice. Who was she talking to, what had him so stressed? “Dad? Is something wrong?”

Toshinori sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose he let out a stressed chuckle, “God, Katsumi. You can’t do that.”

Her brow furrowed slightly, confused, “I’m sorry- but- who were you on call with?”

He shook his head, and laughed, “The police!” He turned to her, “I had no idea where you were!”

Fuck.

“What? The police?” Katsumi laughed back, though she could feel herself begin to sweat, “I was only an hour late, and I told you I was going round a friend's house!”

“You didn’t say who though! It’s not like I could call their house to check on you,” He smiled as he spoke but there was a clear frustration in his voice. “I trusted you to keep your phone on you so I would know where you are, and you left it at home!”

“Yeah, as I said, I’m sorry. And look,” she held out her arms to the side, spinning around. “I’m fine!”

Her dad shook his head disapprovingly, massaging the sides as if he had a bad headache.

Katsumi’s brow tightened further, “Sorry to worry you, but it was just one mistake.”

“Two,” he corrected, “You’re also over two hours late from when we agreed you’d come home.”

“What?” She was baffled, but she forced a smile onto her lips, “I said I’d be back anywhere from eight to nine!”

“That means around eight-thirty,” he objected. He was laughing, but it wasn’t happy, “Either way, you’re an hour late. And don’t forget I had no way to contact you!”

Katsumi exhaled, she really just wanted to go to bed. She didn’t like this.

“Why do you care?” Her voice was bitter and she avoided eye contact. “I’m not a little kid, I can look after myself!”

“Have you completely forgotten what happened the other week?” Her dad’s eyes widened, bewildered by his daughter's flippancy. “That Shigaraki, the League, they’re after me, who knows what they’d do to you to get to me. They already attacked your class, they obviously don’t draw a line at hurting children. You could end up kidnapped!”

So that was it. With how little he paid attention to where she went and when she’d assumed he decided that she’d be fine. Besides, her getting kidnapped? It was too late for him to worry about that. Katsumi pushed down the anger that such a thought brought forth with it.

“It’s only that nerd of a leader and his purple taxi left though,” Katsumi stressed, trying to play down the threat as much as she could. “That skinny freak ain’t gonna do anything, relax.”

“You don’t know that Katsumi!” All Might exploded. Katsumi’s eyes widened. “We don’t know those people! We have no idea what the League is capable of.”

This wasn’t worth it. He was right, he was completely right. At least that’s how he saw it. He couldn’t even begin to understand why his words were making the blood boil in her veins.

“Okay,” she forced herself to submit, nodding, “I’m sorry, I won’t forget my phone.”

It wasn’t worth it.

“Do you even care?” He continued, her blank expression only serving to frustrate him more. Katsumi stiffened.

“You could get really hurt you know? At the end of the day no matter how strong you are you’re a young girl and-”

He kept talking but his words faded away as Katsumi’s mind began to tick loudly.

He was worried that she could get hurt… because she was his daughter? Sorry, but that shit already happened. It was much too late to protect her. Where was this when he didn’t bother to check on her those months? If he had even visited her mother once he would have seen she wasn’t there, he could have saved her. But no, he left her, and the only reason she was still alive today was because of Tomura.

And now, now, he was playing the righteous worried father, a victim to his careless teenage daughter who just didn’t understand what she was putting him through.

“Do you want that to happen to you? You need to-”

Katsumi couldn’t stop herself from raising her voice, “Do you think I’m dumb?! I can take care of myself! God knows I have been for years! Sorry if I’m not shitting my pants every second in case some villain tries to hurt me! What, do you want me scared all the time, too frightened to do anything? I’m not gonna put my life on hold because some wannabe bad guy might come and try to get to you through me!”

She gritted her teeth, eyes wide as she glared at her dad, waiting for the retort.

All Might stared at his daughter, fiery eyes glaring back at him. He sighed.

“Of course not- Oh Katsumi,” his voice softened, but it was too late, “it’s all because of who I am, because I’m All Might. And I just worry that because you’re my daughter-”

His daughter, she was that, wasn’t she? He’d finally decided he’d be her dad, but she was always his daughter, she didn’t have a say.

“You’re worried they’ll target your child…”

All her strife, was because he was her father. Because she was All Might’s daughter. Not because she was Katsumi, but because she was All Might’s child. If she never had been born, if he hadn’t had…

Katsumi clenched her fists, “Maybe you should have thought about that before knocking Mum up.”

She turned around, walking to the stairs.

“Katsumi!” he shouted after her, “Don’t be so crude!”

Just leave it to her. She was carrying the burden of his choice to have a child. His attempt to act worried, to shoulder the weight of the danger of her relation to him was a complete insult. He had no idea of the suffering she had gone through, the stress she held inside herself, out of sight to make his life easier.

Why bother pretending to care? He’d much rather go talk to Izuku about how he can get stronger, how he can succeed him than having to worry over his problem child of a daughter. That was fine, she’d fix everything alone. She was doing good, she’d fix things, but he just needed to stay out of her way. After all those years of doing so, why did he have to change the moment she’d rather he leave her be?

“Hey!” All Might followed after her into the foyer. “Don’t walk away,” he sighed, attempting to keep his voice as calm as possible.

“C’mon Sumi.”

That was it.

“It’s KATSUMI!” She screamed, spinning around.

Toshinori actually stepped back in shock, his eyes wide at the sheer anger in her voice. He suddenly coughed, blood spurting out.

“Hey,” he swallowed, recovering from his cough. He spoke softly and carefully, holding his hand out like he was calming down a wild dog, “kid, I’m sorry.”

Her eyes, for a brief moment, almost looked like they softened. But they sharpened immediately and she glared at him, livid, her lips curled into a sneer.

“Just fuck off!” She snapped, “You don’t get to call me that! Ugh- fuck! I can’t fucking deal with this right now!” Her voice cracked as she turned on her heel and thundered up the stairs. She ran out of view, but her loud stomps continued until he heard the slam of her bedroom door.

Toshinori was left standing in the foyer alone.

Chapter Text

The feeling of metal slicing my skin

Crushing bone

I can say I’m in control

Toshinori woke up pretty early, the sun was just coming up, and the first sound to reach his ears was the sweet song of birds chirping. He decided to take that as a good omen. It was just what he needed, he hadn’t had all that good of a sleep. 

God, he really needed a coffee.

Last night had been, explosive. Katsumi hadn’t argued at all with him really since he told her about Midoriya. He guessed he should have expected another argument sooner or later, teenagers after all. Funnily enough, that last argument exploded when he called her Sumi too…

He had known she was a bit of a free spirit, her mother complaining about her always going out and not being able to keep her grounded. That’s why he had that tracking app installed, he knew he wouldn’t be able to stop her from wandering, not that he wanted to stop her, he just wanted to make sure she was safe. 

Katsumi obviously knew that, but he might have come on a little too strong telling her off. He hadn’t ever done that before, and he tried to be nice about it, maybe he seemed patronising? 

That was the only reason he could think of for how she reacted.

He sighed as he drank his coffee, standing right in front of the coffee maker. He still needed to clean up from last night. After eating he’d realised she was late and got worried, it didn’t help when he tried to call her and heard her phone ringing from upstairs. 

He called Tsukauchi who assured him it would be fine, that she probably just was hanging out with her friend and forgotten the time but… 

Something about the way that man from the USJ attack talked about her… Though he hadn’t said it to her, he was worried that he might target her for other reasons other than to get to him. Maybe it was just to anger him but-

‘Your daughter might agree with me’

What did Shigaraki know about her? Was it just the arrest or also the problems she had with him? How did he find that out? The idea of the League trying to turn Katsumi against him was quite far-fetched, Katsumi might be a little rough, but she was no villain. Still, he’d rather keep her away from real danger for as long as possible.

He sighed again, placing down the coffee. He turned to where he left the plates but they were gone. 

“Huh.” 

He looked in the dishwasher. The contents were clean, someone had turned it on despite only a couple of things being in there. Was it Katsumi? That was strange. She hadn’t come down after storming upstairs.

He went to take another sip of coffee… and missed.

“Agh, damn it…” he muttered, looking down at his shirt. He took a paper towel and made a half-assed attempt to wipe away the coffee from his white shirt. He sighed and went to throw the tissue into the bin.

“Huh,” he blinked. He was sure the bin had been full, he remembered making a mental note last night to empty it in the morning. But there, when he opened the lid, it was empty. He threw the tissue in.

It must have been Katsumi, the girl must have gotten up and done it alongside the dishwasher. He chuckled to himself, the poor kid must have felt bad. Oh well, she was a teenager, she was going to say and do some silly things. She felt her freedom was threatened and got defensive. The comment about knocking her mum up was a little funny now he thought about it, it was exactly her type of humour. The idea behind it was a little worrying though. She was the best thing to come out of his relationship with Asami, he wished she knew that.

And he should really just stop calling her that nickname, it was just silly now. A little part of him was hoping that they could go back to the way things were when she was a little girl, but that wasn’t going to happen. That was okay, the guilt for the past was better used to fix the present. It was never going to be a straight path, there were going to be a few bumps along the road.

He just hoped that the little surprise he’d arranged would go well, if it did, she would see just how much he cared for her.

“Um, morning.”

Toshinori turned around. Katsumi was standing in the doorway between the kitchen and living room, she stared at the floor as she scratched her neck. 

“Morning,” Toshinori greeted.

Katsumi was silent, avoiding eye contact. She was still in her pyjamas, and her hair looked almost as crazy as his.

“You’re up earlier than normal,” he chuckled trying to break some of the tension.

“Mhm,” she mumbled, crossing her arms, “couldn’t sleep.”

“Ah, is that so?”

Some birds chirped outside. 

“Sorry,” Katsumi said, “‘bout yesterday. I’ll make sure I keep my phone on me from now on.”

Toshinori smiled, good omen indeed.

“Oh, don’t worry. It was only one time, and I trust you.” It was best to move on, “Just humour me with keeping your phone on you won’t you?” 

Katsumi’s lips were pressed together tightly as she nodded, “Yeah. I will. And, sorry for the way I acted… I was immature.”

“It’s alright,” Toshinori replied, “It’s part of growing up, arguing with your parents that is. We all learn from our mistakes.

Katsumi snorted, eyebrows jumping up as she continued to stare at the floor. Toshinori cracked a grin.

“Well, you have any plans for the weekend? I’ll have to remind you to take your phone.”

Katsumi paused, “I was, uh, just gonna train I guess. Here.”

“Oh?” It was the last few days before the festival, sure training was important but… “Not gonna see Midoriya?”

“Well, I wasn’t planning on it.”

“You should!” He didn’t want her cooped up worrying. Certainly, one thing she had said last night that was right was that she couldn’t live her life in fear. He hoped he hadn’t put it in her head that she should. She just needed to be a little cautious. 

She needed a detox, the stress about the festival was probably getting to her.

“It will be good for you both to talk about the festival. Maybe get some ice cream, take a walk in the park, just some time to relax. You still have money from your allowance right? I can give you some if you need, yeah I’ll give you money for Midoriya too-”

“Dad,” Katsumi stopped him, “it’s fine you don’t have to do that.”

Toshinori smiled sheepishly, “Well, I must admit, I feel a little guilty.”

Katsumi frowned, “Well, don’t. I was totally in the wrong. I’m just gonna work out in the gym today, you?”

“Ah, I gotta go out to the agency,” Toshinori sighed, paperwork was waiting. “But how about I pick up some pizza on the way home?” 

“That sounds acceptable,” Katsumi hummed, a small smile reaching her face.

“Look forward to it!” Her dad told her as he made his way out of the kitchen. He needed to change his shirt. Katsumi laughed.

Her smile faded as her dad was out of her line of sight, eyes drifting to the kitchen counter. She was glad that was cleared up, but… Pursing her lips she walked to the counter, there was no trace of what she did. She’d covered her tracks just fine. She stoked the shiny countertop with her fingers. 

She should go get changed.

Workout v3

• Dynamic stretches (leg swings, arm circles, hip openers) 5 mins ✔
• Jump rope 5 mins ✔
• Bodyweight movements 10 mins ✔
• Pull-ups 4 sets of 10 reps ✔
• Handstands 4 sets 10 reps ✔
• Planche progressions 4 sets 25 secs ✔
• Rest 10 mins, stretching ✔
• Footwork drills 5 mins ✔
• Punch combinations 20 mins ✔
• Defence combinations 20 mins ✔
• Core work 10 mins ✔
• Burpees, battle ropes 20 mins ✔
• Rest 10 mins 
• Splits training 10 mins 
• Backbend and bridges 10 mins 
• Bag work 15 mins

A good workout cleared the mind and god knows Katsumi needed that. She sat on the mat in her dad’s home gym, sipping a water bottle. She set her bottle down and dabbed her forehead with a towel before wiping the sweat from her underarms. Katsumi wouldn’t recommend doing it the other way around.  

As she rested she pressed the cold water bottle against her forehead. It felt nice. She sat there against the wall just enjoying the sensation. 

She was feeling a lot calmer.

“Oh,” she remembered, “gotta set the timer…”

Opening her phone she set her ten-minute timer, just a short break before she finished her workout. Then she’d have lunch, and maybe play some games before doing some final quirk training. 

Buzz

Notification: Watchvideos: Mirko Daily posted a video- Mirko defeats spike shooting villain + interview!

Katsumi grinned, a new Mirko video? 

The video entailed a fight between some mid-rate villain and the bunny hero. The woman lept around, landing strong, precise kicks while he struggled, shooting out as many random spikes as he could. His attacks might have hit some civilians if not for Mirko’s interference, whacking them off course. The man ended up stumbling and she finished him off with her Luna Arc, a powerful front-facing kick- right into his face!

So. Cool.

Katsumi immediately paused the video and jumped up, phone in hand, and headed straight for the nearest heavy bag. She rewinded the video a couple of seconds, this time really watching Mirko’s movements. 

It was called an axe-kick right? She was sure that’s what the Luna Arc was. Katsumi had taken some Taekwondo lessons back in America but they conflicted with her gymnastics too much, she had boxing anyway. 

“Right, let’s try this,” Katsumi placed down the phone and readied herself. She bounced on the spot for a moment, moving backwards a bit. 

She shot forward, swinging her leg up, hitting against the-

“Fuh-!”

Katsumi yelped, her toes hitting the bag awkwardly. She hopped on one foot, clutching the other, whining.

After a minute she recovered, glad no one was around to see that. She watched the video again, firstly, she was hitting a person’s head, which gave way of course, unlike a heavy bag made to withstand punches. Secondly, which she couldn’t believe she hadn’t seen before, was that she was kicking down. That should have been obvious! It was an axe kick, you kicked up then hit the target on the way down, that’s why the villain was falling down and back not up and back. If she had only paid a little more attention…

The second time around, Katsumi did the same as before, except this time properly. Bounding forward she shot her leg up and landed a hard, solid hit on the bag on the way down. 

“Hmph!” Katsumi nodded, already walking back to attempt it again, and again, and again. She jumped as she landed a kick, she ran close to the ground before leaping up, she armoured her food with metal as she kicked up. The last experiment made it difficult to raise her foot with the speed she had before, but materialising the metal on the way down, right before the impact, now that was good. It made the hit all the harder, the weight aiding her on the slice down as well as hitting the target with a sharp edge.

beep beep beep

Her break was over. Oh well, she wasn’t that tired anyway. What was next? Something gymnastics-related right?

She bent down to turn the alarm off, and as soon as she did so, the phone began to buzz again.

Incoming call: Mum

Katsumi immediately let go of the phone, letting it drop onto the mat. She stared down at it, slightly surprised at herself. She was lucky it didn’t land on the floor, she’d rather not have to get her screen replaced.

If it was important she’d call her back.

Well, it was time to get back to training… but before she wanted to watch the rest of that video. As she assumed, her mum did not call back, and as soon as the call disappeared she went back to the video.

“Mirko!” The cameraman followed a brown-haired reporter who approached the hero, shoving a microphone in her face, “How you feeling about the prediction of you rising to the number ten spot in the Japanese hero rankings in November?”

“Huh?” Mikro pushed the microphone away, “Doesn’t matter- as long as I’m beating lowlifes up I’m satisfied! This one right now was a real weakling! Maybe an increase in rank will get me fighting dudes who aren’t total cannon fodder!”

“So cool…” Katsumi muttered. Mirko was exactly who she wanted to be. Damn. 

The video ended, and Katsumi got back to her workout. As she did she thought about how she could borrow from Mirko’s fighting style, well she had sort of been already. Her focus on kicks was influenced by her, but she hadn’t really analysed it all that much. Maybe she’d do that before the festival-

Oh right, she should see Izuku soon, she wouldn’t bother him with helping her with analysing Mirko’s fighting style, but Dad was right, she should take some time to relax. Mid-split she lent for her phone.

 11:43 Katsumi

can we meet at the park tmw?
1ish maybe?

11:46 Izuku

Is that okay?
Aren’t you busy?

11:47 Katsumi

if you wanna focus on training thats fine

but my dad said that we should ‘de-stress’ or whatever

was really persistent in offering to give me money for ice cream

11:47 Izuku

Well, if All Might said so…

11:47 Katsumi

Lol

Katsumi smiled as she put her phone in her waistband. Her stomach grumbled, she might as well just go get some food already. This time she wouldn’t force herself to eat too much, something light would be fine, she had a pretty good breakfast.

She was in a pretty good mood as she re-entered the kitchen. She got out the bread, some peanut butter and jelly. An American classic~

Biting into the sandwich without bothering to cut it up, she opened the dishwasher to put away the knife she had used. She frowned when she saw it was all clean, she’d have to put the stuff inside away first… or just leave her stuff out.

Oh well, it was her fault for putting it on. That and making a mess last night. She wondered if her dad had noticed the missing towel yet… There would be a lot of questions if anyone looked in the dustbin outside. 

Katsumi’s gaze drifted to the window above the sink. She couldn’t see her reflection, instead greeted with the view of the garden. It was getting warm again, she should start using the pool.

…She had been on something last night. Totally crazed. Everything felt a hundred times worse than normal. At least her mind felt a lot clearer now, as much as what she did might seem insane, it had worked.

She looked down at the finger of her free hand, and flexed them, humming to herself. Despite her better mood, it wasn’t like anything she had thought last night had disappeared. But she could ignore it. It was best left ignored, the festival was soon after all, once she was done eating she should get back to training.

But first, before she forgot it, she wanted to write, even if it wasn’t good. 

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

It’s a knife today

My arm’s strapped down

There’s no getting out

Ten

 I do cry

 and I beg 

Nine

 I scream 

Eight

 I scream again

 it’s all I can do

Seven

 I writhe

 it does nothing

 H  e turns the screen on

Six

 taunting me

 the smile

 why did he leave me alone

Five

 I cry out for him

Four

 you can only scream for so long…

Three

 so much blood

Two 

 at a point, you stop thinking

…

One

 it’s almost over

.

.

.

H e tells me 

I am a very strong girl.

  die. 

if it wasn’t for the blood, 

it would be 

as if it never happened.  

but it did

and soon enough

it begins again

.

.

.

.

.

. 

Ten

It was still dark when Katsumi awoke, lurching forward, clothes drenched in a cold sweat. She gasped and coughed, throat tight and suffocating. She desperately clutched her head as it pulsed, stabbing pain vibrating through her skull. 

Fuck, she needed some water.

She didn’t bother turning the light on, the flashlight of her phone was enough for her at that moment, shining up from where she had placed it on the kitchen countertop. The sound of the tap running relaxed her the tiniest amount. She held her hands under it, the freezing temperature numbing them before she splashed it only her feverish face. Grimacing she took a cup from the cupboard and filled it, turning the tap off and chugging the cool liquid down her slimy throat.

What was wrong with her?

What the fuck was wrong with her?

She buried her face into her still-wet hands, it didn’t help much to cool the hot shame radiated out of her.

Katsumi really was the shittest daughter alive. She had been for a while, but she had really outdone herself this time. What an immature, childish, pathetic outburst. He must be so disappointed, and he didn’t even know the half of it, because while her poor dad was fearing for her life, she playing video games with a villain who had tried to kill him.

She gripped her face harder.

The exact same villain her dad feared could have kidnapped her, who could be torturing her. And she didn’t even have the decency to apologise, instead, she threw a tantrum like a fucking toddler. 

It was only when she pulled her hands away from her face and saw the tiniest bit of blood she realised she had been digging her fingernails into her skin. She looked at her face in the reflection of the window in front of her. The inky black void outside made it so she could see her dishevelled appearance reflecting back at her. Her hair lay both flat and unkempt, roots grown out. The moisture from the sweat and the water made her baby hair stick to her damp skin in unkept, tangled curls. Her mouth was pulled down into a perpetual frown, her skin was blotchy and red. The cuts that had bled from how hard she had been gripping her face were already fading, her tired, red eyes watching as they completely disappeared.

That is how it was. No matter how severe or slight the injury, it would disappear. No one besides her had the knowledge it existed in the first place. If only her actions would do the same.

She hadn’t been all that mad at her father, all those thoughts were nothing new. The idea that her parents should never have had her, that all her suffering stemmed from her paternity… It’s not like she could do anything about it. It’s not like her dad could do anything about it. Unless she told him what that man did to her, what he was doing. No, she was leaving him in the dark, and that was her choice. Because she did love him, and the suffering that knowledge would bring him… she couldn’t do that to him. She would suffer by herself.

Alone.

The stress had got to her, and she’d lashed out at her dad. It wasn’t what he did that made her so irritable, it was just her being frustrated and needing to release all the confused anger at something.

It was those memories of back that had been locked away for so long, it wasn’t that she had grown past them, healed from them, it was that she had managed to separate them from herself. But the wall she had built had crumbled down the moment she heard that man's voice over that speaker. She could keep them separated, she could try to force a gap between those memories and her life now, but the memories seemed to pull and push, desperately trying to reach her. On top of that, she had to worry about that man’s meddling… and Tomura. It was exhausting, frustrating. But what could she do about it?

Well, if she told her father about that man, if she told the police, they might be able to arrange a surprise attack and bring him down, destroying whatever scheme he had. But…

But she wasn’t going to tell anyone. Because first, she needed to save Tomura, because she didn’t want her father to suffer, because she wasn’t even sure if that man could be defeated…

Excuses.

Katsumi choked on a sob.

She didn’t want to face it.

She just didn’t want to think about it.

She wanted it to go away.

She was a coward.

She didn’t want things to change.

If she told anyone, she’d be forced into therapy, she could see it now, forced to relive it all under the pretence of healing. Asked why she would keep it to herself for so long, why she had done nothing about the attack, why she wasn’t doing anything.

She was her dad’s pitying gaze, his apologies, his self-hatred. Nothing she would say would deter it, he just was that sort of person. He’d want to shoulder it all himself.

She could deal with it.

She would shoulder it herself. Even if it crushed her.

She hadn’t even seen that man, not since he put that quirk in her. But his shadow seemed to loom over her day and night.

She just needed to convince Tomura. Convince Tomura? Convince him what? Make progress to what? Him suddenly deciding everything he had been brought up to think was wrong? That man who saved him was wrong? Why, because she said so? The girl who had left him at the first opportunity? You just want to leave me! You hate me, don’t you?

How well did he remember it? What did he think of all this? She was sure he hated her, sure she would never get him to trust him, there would be no chance of luring him away. But then, it seemed like she had been wrong. He seemed like he might actually want her around. It reminded her of back then, playing video games and watching stuff, all the while she grew back limbs. If she could at least get back to how they were, being friends, she could get a hold and begin to try and… convince him.

It sounded so stupid. 

She didn’t know what she was doing, she thought she had failed, that he hated her, but then she got a spark of hope. She was happy, it was actually fun to hang out with him. After all, he was her friend, her first friend, and she cared about him, even if he had changed. 

She supposed that was why she got so angry with her dad. She had experienced a small relief from the stress that had been eating her alive, and as soon as that happened he got upset with her. Of course, he didn’t know the stress he had been under. He didn’t know she wasn’t being careless, she purposely forgot the damn phone so he couldn’t track her. Because she wanted to get her visit over with earlier so she could sleep as soon as she got home because she felt so exhausted from all the damned training all day and talking to an irrational short-tempered manchild in the evenings. He seemed to think all this training was fine with her, he was more worried about Izuku, and he had no idea about her nighttime activities. 

All that frustration from the stress she had been going through had bubbled inside her for too long. Her father just pushed the wrong buttons and ended up being the one to brace the brunt of its explosion, the fire only fuelled by their rocky relationship. 

Fuck.

He had no idea why she was so angry. She must seem insane, stupid hormonal teenager. She was certainly a dramatic asshole, shouting at him like that. He had no idea what she was doing, what she was holding inside, keeping to herself. He didn’t understand the stress that made her shoulders heavy and her stomach sick.

It was because he didn’t know that he didn’t understand, that drove Katsumi crazy because he couldn’t know. She had decided a million times she would never tell him. It just was never going to happen. He didn’t understand because he didn’t know, he couldn’t know because she wouldn’t tell him, he wouldn’t understand that it wasn’t his fault, that he shouldn’t blame himself, even if she blamed him.

No.

She didn’t blame him.

…

Did she? Did she blame him? 

Katsumi was thinking too much lately, and as her mind devolved deeper and deeper into her own thoughts, she felt sicker and sicker. It was cold in the kitchen and the chill seemed to reach to her bones as she clutched the edge of the sink. 

All the rambling thoughts that swirled in her head, she found it hard to keep track of them all. Everything was becoming muddied, her feelings, her memories, her thoughts. 

She didn’t understand what was going on. 

If that was so, if she didn’t even understand herself, how would anyone else? Even if someone cut her head open and peeked inside she wasn’t sure they would. Or maybe that was presumptuous of her. She wasn’t that interesting, not all that complex or tortured. Maybe it all just boiled down to her being a shitty person who lashed out because she was lonely all the while isolating herself. Perfectly understandable, just pathetic. She should stay alone, no one needed to see that.

No, but she wanted someone to understand. But they couldn’t think that. She would rather no one understand than someone understand and still hate her. But surely they would feel bad for her right? Right? 

No, they wouldn’t. Why would they? She had chosen this for herself. Her actions were her own. 

She really was pathetic. She hated all of this. Why was she wallowing in her own self-pity like this? If she had chosen to isolate herself, to deal with it herself, she should be getting on with it, doing anything and everything to help Tomura and then turn on that man. Stop being so pathetic. 

But, what was she supposed to do? How was she supposed to do that? She had no idea what Tomura wanted, how to change his mind, what the League was planning next, how to protect her father…

For a moment she wished he had kept her out of it. Wished that she would be able to live the rest of her life ignorant. But then, she wouldn’t be able to protect her father, she wouldn’t even be able to attempt to help Tomura, even in the pitiful way she was trying now.

She’d rather be living in ignorance than help anyone, was that it? 

She really was no hero.

Her own father.

The boy who saved her life.

She owed them, but…

She was so pathetically selfish.

She didn’t want to think any longer.

She took a moment, before picking the glass up and shoving it into the dishwasher. She was going to leave but looking around she saw that her dad hadn’t cleaned up after eating. There was a cutting board left out with a knife as well as a plate. Without thinking much, she put the plate away before walking to the cutting board.

A knife.

Katsumi picked it up, staring at her reflection in the sharp steel. 

Why had she woken up? Right, a dream. 

That dream was cruel, seemed the argument had triggered her mind to serve her a particularly torturous dream. Maybe that was what set her off to be so incessantly miserable when all she was supposed to do was get a glass of water. She wasn’t sure if she was glad she hadn’t taken any of her pills, that she had been able to wake herself up. After all, all she awoke to were dark thoughts. But she supposed she was grateful, if she hadn’t woken up she would be trapped there, reliving it all again. That was worse.

Maybe.

It used to be that only sleep was what drew her back into that time, little memories slipping through the cracks. She wished she could go back to that. 

Her eyes drifted from the miserable distorted reflection in the knife to her hand, fingers resting on the kitchen counter.

Everything would be easier if she wasn’t such a shitty person. No matter how many times she told herself she didn’t blame her father, it wasn’t really true. No, it wasn’t just that she felt he was to blame, it was something else. Was it that she was jealous that he could live in ignorance? That she was sacrificing and suffering so he would never have to know what happened to his daughter? Because she knew he would blame himself, she would never tell him. She would suffer alone in her self-made solitude. 

That was her choice. She made that choice! What sort of pathetic person gets mad at someone for something they decided themselves? She was pathetic.

She gripped the knife harder.

He didn’t notice. Is that what she wanted? Someone to see? No one noticed, no one could notice the true extent of her injury. She would get bague questions about her mood, but no one could understand the size of her pain, everything she had gone through. It was enough to kill someone one hundred times over, to drive someone insane. Someone as weak as her had only managed to deal with it by cowardly pushing it away, pretending it never happened.

She could hide from how it had poisoned her mind for as long as she wanted, but it didn’t mean it wasn’t there, seeping through into every action. But if people did know, then things would change, they’d force her to face it. For her own good.

That couldn’t happen.

As she stared at her fingers, she understood them, a regrown extremity that replaced what had been taken from her long ago. No one else would know that, of course, they wouldn’t.

Except for those two.

She gripped the knife harder.

What did it matter what happened to her? What did it matter that she was miserable? Why get angry? Thanks to that man, she could take anything. You could break her apart in any manner of ways and she’d come back as if nothing happened. No one would know…

She stared at her fingers. All ten of them were there, but she remembered the feeling of them being served off, one, by, one. That was before Tomura took over that job. Was that dream even a real memory? Or just an amalgamation of different torturous training, melded into one? Did it matter? It was always a bloody, painful event, marked worse by the sight of her father's beaming face being bathed in praise after saving the day once again.

The hate boiled up, she gripped the knife harder, and then the guilt washed over her. He didn’t know. It wasn’t his fault, he wasn’t to blame, she shouldn’t blame him. It was that man. That man. She should be angry at him, and she was. So why was she still so angry with her dad? Because he should have been there, he should have saved her. Because he was supposed to be good, to protect her, he could everyone else, why not her? That’s why she was angry, and because there was no conclusion, no closure because he didn’t know what happened, how he failed, and he never would.

Or maybe, because she was a fucking awful, hateful excuse of a human that just wanted to blame anyone and anything except herself.

She stared at her fingers.

Her dad was an easy target, huh? She could shout at him all she wanted and he would apologise. He wouldn’t fight back, he wouldn’t hurt her, and she could take out all her anger on him without being hurt. 

Coward.

She couldn’t face the real perpetrator so she took it out on the people who cared for her.

She was still holding the knife.

No wonder no one cared to understand her.

She gripped the knife harder.

It was better that way.

She didn’t deserve her father.

She stared at her fingers. 

The knife was cool against her burning palm.

She’d come back as if nothing happened. 

No one would know.

No one.

Chapter Text

Izuku had been in the park a lot recently, but it was always for training purposes. It was his main running spot, the park stretching far enough that he could get in a long enough run without having to do too many laps. He thought he might run into Katsumi at least once, seeing as she used to run there all the time, but it seemed she had changed her route recently. It didn’t matter that much, she was so much faster than him that if they had crossed paths it wouldn’t be for long… unless she purposely slowed down to chat with him. She totally would too, she took every opportunity to slack off, he shouldn’t encourage it.

Well, technically that was exactly what he was doing by agreeing to meet up with her like this. But if All Might said to do it, it couldn’t be that bad. 

‘Don’t get distracted from what you want to do. If you want to be a hero, that’s what you need to be focusing on.’

A couple of hours wouldn’t hurt, right? It wasn’t a good idea to exhaust himself the day before the festival anyway. Some sun would do him good, one last rest before he told the world, ‘I am here!’

“Oh, you here already?”

He had already been surprised by the closeness of the voice from behind him, but when he turned around that shock was only amplified as he came face to face with Katsumi.

Katsumi grinned at him, pulling back, one bracelet-decorated hand on her hip, the other one holding the strap of that fancy red bag that Aizawa-Sensei had berated her for bringing to school the other day. 

Izuku had gotten used to seeing Katsumi in her uniform, and before that, she mainly had on her workout clothes around him. He had almost forgotten what Katsumi wore on her days off. 

Izuku wasn’t all that versed in fashion, he didn’t know the white shirt Katsumi was wearing was a babydoll top with black ‘guipure’ lace accents (Katsumi probably didn’t know that either). He had no idea that the main silver necklace dangling alongside an assortment of shorter ones was a Vivienne Westwood carmela cubic zirconia pendant. He could probably notice and guess the black lace choker was to match the lace on her top, but he wouldn’t notice that her black micro crew socks were frilly to match. 

Despite that though, and despite not seeing her out of her uniform for a while, he did notice that the clothes were slightly different than what she would normally wear. Without the overloading of jewellery and her short denim shorts he would have thought she was wearing clothes from someone elses wardrobe. She looked more, not girly… Izuku didn’t know the word. Maybe it was because she was missing her usual bright colours? Either way, like always she looked way too glamorous to be seen anywhere near him.

“You’re clothes,” Izuku noted after they began to walk, soaking in the sun, “Is this a new style?”

“I decided to try something different! What,” she raised her eyebrows, “is it not good?”

“No no!” Izuku shook his head, “You look good!”

“Oh really?” Katsumi smirked, “How good?” 

Izuku stuttered out a, “Very!” Seemed like he was out of practice for enduring her teasing.

Giggling, Katsumi ran her fingers through her hair, “By the way- sorry I was a little late. I was just at the hairdresser.”

Was she even late? He had only just arrived after all. Was she just saying that as a convenient way to mention going to the hairdressers?

“Did you get your hair cut?” Izuku didn’t notice a difference, it was curled, but she did that herself all the time. That wasn’t something you’d solely got to the hairdressers for right? 

“It looks good,” he smiled, she’d get upset if he didn’t notice. 

Katsumi narrowed her eyes, “No. I didn’t. Do you want a second go?”

“Um,” Izuku sweated. He had been wrong! Quickly, he searched her hair for some difference. If she didn’t get it cut then… 

“Oh! You dyed it!”

Katsumi leaned in, her sharp gaze making Izuku squirm for a moment before she pulled away, giggling.

“Hmph, close enough. I got the roots bleached.” She grinned, “Gotta look camera ready for tomorrow!”

Izuku laughed, rubbing his neck. Why did she have to get so close?

Tomorrow huh. She was talking about the sports festival. It had crept up quickly, the pressure had been on for weeks, but now it was heavier than ever. He supposed thats why All Might wanted them to go out and relax.

“You feel prepared?” Katsumi asked.

“Um, yes I do,” Izuku decided. “At least, I feel as prepared as I can be.”

“Mhm, good. You think you’re gonna place first then?”

Izuku sweatdropped.

“Haha! No? Not even gonna try?”

“Of course, I’ll try!” He would put everything into the festival, it was one of the single most important events in his UA career!” Izuku sighed, it just wasn’t realistic, “There’s so many strong candidates…”

“Mhm, like those annoying bastards Todoroki and Bakugou,” Katsumi grumbled.

Izuku could understand why she thought Kacchan was annoying, but he wasn’t sure what Todoroki did to earn her ire.

Well he couldn’t speak for Todoroki, but, “Kacchan’s not all bad, even if he’s not a nice person-”

“He’s an asshole.”

“Yes, he is,” Izuku sweated, “but he had a lot of really admirable qualities! He’s incredibly strong and confident, he’s basically my goal post/ Beating him, it’s something I have to do.”

“You have already,” Katsumi said, she was talking about the hero training. “For someone who bullied you… you don’t seem to hate him all that much.”

“Yeah, well,” Izuku thought about it. Yeah, the bullying sucked but… “he’s kinda different than he used to be. He used to be way more snarky and cocky… I suppose it's because he’s around other strong people instead of ‘extras’.”

“Honestly,” Katsumi stroked her chin, thinking, “I sorta took him for a delinquent, but he’s more punctual than me, focuses on lessons more than me, works harder than me in training, takes stuff more seriously… Oh my god.” 

Katsumi stopped in her tracks. Izuku turned around, giving her a puzzled look.

“Katsumi?”

She stared at him wide-eyed, “I gotta get my act together. That dude cannot do better than me.”

“He’s serious about being number one,” Izuku thought back to that argument they had about his quirk and winced. “I’m surprised you noticed all that though, I mean I know you talk to him sometimes but-” Could you call it talking? They just shouted insults across whatever room they were in.

“Huh?” Katsumi laughed, waving her hand dismissively, “I don’t! I don’t take any notice of him at all, I barely look at him!” 

Izuku blinked, “Uh, right.” Katsumi reacted weirdly to things sometimes.

“Anyway!” Katsumi grabbed his wrist forcing a squeak out of him, “Let’s go get ice cream! Is there an ice cream truck nearby?”

“Uh! I doubt it!” Izuku managed to get out as Katsumi dragged him along, “There no festival so-” He supposed ice cream trucks were more prominent in America, they didn’t really have them around unless it was with other food stalls. “We can go to the convenience store and get something.”

“Alright!” Katsumi spun around, releasing Izuku’s wrist, “Sound good! Let’s take advantage of my dad’s bottomless wallet!”

Izuku choked, “You shouldn’t say that-!”

//

“Katsumi the ice cream is at the front.”

The convenience store was nice and cool, the old man at the register greeting them politely as they came in. 

“Yeah- I gotta get something else first,” Katsumi said, turning to him as she walked to the back of the store.

“Alright,” Izuku nodded before looking down at the ice cream selection in the ice box. 

Katsumi didn’t take that long, coming back with two packets of pocky and a bottle of…

“Two in one shampoo..?” He was surprised, even Izuku didn’t use that, no way Katsumi did.

Katsumi laughed, “For my dad. I obviously don’t use this stuff! Do you see how healthy my hair is even while bleached?” She grinned, tossing her hair.

“It is shiny,” and neat… Izuku’s hair seemed to be stuck in the same position no matter what. Katsumi was so pretty, of course, her hair would be too.

Izuku winced, he needed to stop thinking like that. It wasn’t important! The festival was quite literally tomorrow.

“Thank you,” Katsumi giggled, lightly punching his arm, “So what ice cream are you getting?”

The sun had gotten pretty hot, the ice cream was definitely a good call. As they stood outside the convenience store to eat them, Katsumi pulled out her camera from her bag and grinned at Izuku.

“Picture time”

“Oh, haha,” Izuku was not used to taking photographs. Besides the times his mum made him stand awkwardly for a photo on the first day of school he never really got photos of himself taken.

He was glad she was enjoying the gift he got her, it was a total last-minute find. More luck than anything.

“Make sure to get your ice cream in!”

Izuku did, trying to look natural holding the icecream close to him as he smiled upwards- Katsumi always seemed to take photographs from high angles. Izuku looked at her as she beamed up at her camera, it was nice, she was in a really good mood today it seemed.

Click!

Izuku quickly looked back to the camera.

They stayed in the shade eating their ice cream as Katsumi waved the photo, trying to get it to develop quickly. He hoped that he was looking the right way in the photo.

“Hm!” Katsumi smiled, looking at the photograph. She held it up, “Look how cute we look!”

Izuku could see how his eyes were on Katsumi, but it was just unnoticeable enough that he didn’t think she would. He let out a little sigh of relief.

Katsumi gave the photo to him.

He couldn’t speak for how he looked, he thought he was pretty plain, but yeah, Katsumi was really cute. The sunlight was making her skin glow and eyes sparkle, her gold hair shining in the light.

“...Pretty.”

It was strange how different Katsumi could be. Today she had been all smiles and grins, teasing and joking. But she was also pretty erratic and ruthless. He supposed the last two traits were what made her a formidable opponent on the battlefield. After missing out on seeing her fight during the battle training, he paid attention to her during other hero training lessons. Her moves tended to be precise, using strength to land heavy blows. But it was the unpredictable nature that made him worry about ever having to face her. It seemed the longer she fought the more volatile she became. 

“You can have it if you want.”

Izuku looked up, he had totally spaced out! The sun was only getting hotter and it seemed the heat was getting to Katsumi a bit, her face dusted pink. 

“The photo I mean.”

“You sure?” He asked, looking at the photo again.

“Yeah,” Katsumi nodded, “I still have the one from my birthday, plus I take a bunch with my phone, you don’t so it would be nice for you to have a photo of us together.”

“I see,” he smiled widely at her, “thank you.”

“Mhm!” Katsumi scratched her neck, suddenly very interested in the trees in the distance.

“Well,” Izuku nodded, putting the photograph into his pocket, he’d have to remember to put it somewhere safe later. “Let’s finish our icecreams and then we should start walking back to the park.”

“Oh yeah, you’re not supposed to eat while walking, I forget sometimes.”

Izuku shook his head.

Maybe what she was doing was stupid, she really shouldn’t be doing something like this so soon after that argument with her father, but… This was the last day before the festival, she needed to see Tomura.

She had learnt her lesson about doing it while her dad was still awake. So, despite the fact it might make her tired the next morning, the day before the festival, she stayed up till she was sure her dad was asleep, and sneaked out of the house. 

Things were clearer to her now. She had a moment of weakness, it wouldn’t happen again. She knew what she had to do.

Her foot was in the door, Tomura had warmed up to her. Now, the real plan began. She’d show him just how pointless and futile what he was doing was, she’d turn him away from that man. 

“You’re regeneration is quicker now.”

Seven minutes. Katsumi flipped her hand over, staring at it.

“Way quicker.”

Tomura exhaled sharply, a huff, a snort, whatever you wanted to call it, the short, sudden exhale out of one’s nose. He did it to prove that he was annoyed by her presence, but it was easy to see through that now. 

“You mind if I don’t leave yet?” Katsumi asked, adjusting herself on her stool as she watched Tomura play.

“Don’t care,” he responded, staring at the screen.

Katsumi’s lip twitched up.

“Good.”

Katsumi couldn’t stay long, but she had gotten a bit too invested in Tomura’s playthrough of Persona 5 to talk to him about anything really important. It wasn’t like she had been there long at all, there was no rush yet.

“You did something to your hair.”

“Oh yeah,” she brushed her fingers though, “I had it curled, but it’s mostly fallen out now…”

“Obviously, I meant colour, it’s all blonde.”

He’d noticed that? Well, when he last saw her, she did have black hair, didn’t she? 

“Yeah, the black was getting too obvious so I got my roots done.”

Tomura’s lip twitched, but he didn’t say anything. Katsumi wasn’t sure what more to say. It was silent for a while.

“So-”

“I was surprised when you came here looking like that.”

He didn’t look away from the game.

“Yeah, I do look different right? You think it’s a bad thing?”

“...You dyed your hair to look more like your Dad.”

Again, he didn’t look at her. Katsumi was glad.

“Uh, no, it’s just popular in America, so…” 

Tomura’s expression soured, it had been pretty neutral up until that point. Katsumi stroked her own hand soothingly.

“Is it worth it?”

“Huh?” Katsumi cocked her head, confused, “Bleaching my hair?”  Tomura glanced at her, before turning to face her. Katsumi yelped embarrassingly as he grabbed her arm.

“Trying to fit in… Trying to be a good hero student…” he scowled, looking down.

“This,” he said, staring up at her as he drummed his fingers on her skin. “Getting me to hurt you so you can get stronger.” 

Katsumi pursed her lips. Tomura stopped moving his fingers, instead gripping her arm tight, all but one finger holding her in place. 

“All to be a hero?” He almost spat the last word, hatred so palpable Katsumi could feel it against her skin, the hot glare only adding to the sensation.

Something nagged at Katsumi, but she turned her back to it.

The regeneration training, hurting herself to get stronger… Katsumi was so used to it now, it didn’t feel like she was even hurting herself. Why he was getting worked up about it escaped her, and she didn’t have a satisfying response for him. It wasn’t even to be a hero, but, it wasn’t time to reveal her real agenda yet.

“I don’t have a choice. I like fighting, I like being strong,” she shrugged, ignoring his grip on her. “And it’s just how the world is set up that the only way I can do that without being looked down upon is hiding behind the idea of a hero.”

There was a moment where nothing was said, Tomura just stared at her. The way he sat, leaning over slightly, meant he was looking up at her slightly, still holding a firm grip on her arm as he did so.

It nagged her again. 

Finally, Tomura grit his teeth, released her arm and pulled back. He ignored her for the game once again. The spot where he had been gripping her arm tingled.

Did he really hate her being a hero that much? She wasn’t even really one. Wasn’t the fact she was betraying UA by hanging around him all the time enough to redeem her of the crime of heroism? She certainly didn’t view herself as a hero, the fact he did was annoying. More because of how it made him act than the fact Katsumi didn’t want to be associated with the concept. 

Or maybe, he understood what was going on. Perhaps he saw her for what she was, a coward going along with what others expected of her. Maybe that’s why he still held hatred for her, he had stuck his neck out for her to get to live her life free, only for her to allow herself to be controlled by anything and everything around her. 

That might be so, but he was in the same boat, he’d see that eventually.

“I mean,” Katsumi sighed, resting her elbows on the desk, half-watching Tomura play, “I didn’t really get a choice. It was this or nothing, basically. It’s my parent’s idea of reforming me. I’m just going along with it for now.”

“They’re making you worse,” he replied curtly. “Tainting you with their hypocritical bullshit.”

“Yeah,” she nodded, “maybe.”

There was silence for a while, a short cutscene was playing. There was nothing really to say. Katsumi just watched the screen, only glancing at Tomura once to see his expression. He seemed preoccupied, which annoyed her, she wanted him to pay attention to the story.

She still had to give him that stuff…

“You better find another way to do it then.”

“Huh?” Katsumi’s attention was drawn from the screen, but Tomura continued to play, not sparing a glance at her.

“I’m not entertaining your pain kink shit anymore,” he huffed, “I got better things to destroy.”

Pain kink. Katsumi’s eye twitched. She chose to ignore it.

Tomura choosing to not destroy something? Especially something that he could explicitly destroy with no repercussions? When had that ever happened? Well, it had, back then. 

Katsumi smiled.

“Now my wounds have finally healed,” he continued, scratching his chin with a finger, “I can finally get back on track, start getting some good party members and head back into the fight.”

Oh great. Of course. She had levelled up her relationship, but now the levels would get harder, more enemies- oh good lord why was she thinking like that?

“Sounds like you’ll be busy.” Katsumi sighed. She spoke without thinking first, “No time for me then?”

Tomura shook his head, “No you can-” he stopped, words caught on his tongue. 

Seemed he didn’t think either.

“What? You don’t want me coming here anymore?” Katsumi couldn’t help a slight twitch of a smile on her lips. Was he gonna say it? “You really gonna let me run loose? Aren’t you worried I’ll squeal?”

Not making her do any dirty work, not wanting her to use the quirk forced on her, refusing to destroy her arms any longer… But he destroyed things he hated right? 

He wanted her there. It was written clearly on his face, scrunched up as stopped playing and picked at his fingers, not looking at her, trying to think of an excuse.

“No,” he decided. “I’m not. You will still be coming here, you gotta learn to use that quirk.”

Excuse. He had been so dismissive about the idea before. Against it. Now suddenly he was encouraging it? Haha! Katsumi was glad he wasn’t looking at her, she was sure the fae she was making was quite creepy.

This was good, everything was falling into place. The problem of that other quirk was something she had put off, but even that was solving itself. She was getting cut some slack by the universe, or maybe this was all her hard work paying off. 

“So,” Katsumi probed, relaxing herself, “you’ll let me use the bar for that?”

“Yeah, whatever,” he said, jaw tight, he’d lost, and he knew it. The only way Katsumi could have beaten him anymore was if he admitted he didn’t want her to stop visiting him. His childish scowl as he went back to the game, aggressively hitting the buttons on the keyboard was all the proof she needed that she’d won. He was so funny, it was almost adorable. 

Katsumi smiled.

“Yeah well, I wanna see you play more Persona anyways so I was gonna come either way,” Katsumi shrugged, taking pleasure in her victory. “Well, after the sports festival, we have internships, so I won’t be able to come round for a while…”

“That’s with a hero?”

“Sadly.” There were no heroes she particularly wanted to intern with, she’d probably just lean into the nepotism and go with her dad’s agency.

Tomura didn’t respond, sulking again it seemed. Katsumi watched as he walked Joker, the protagonist of the game, into a shop and bought some everyday items that magically gave you HP in the castles.

“Oh!” Katsumi clapped, remembering something. She picked up her bag, “I forgot- I got you something.”

Tomura moved his hands away from the keyboard, watching suspiciously as Katsumi rummaged in her bag. After a moment she pulled out two boxes of Pocky.

Tomura’s brow furrowed.

“Remember this?” Katsumi grinned, holding either side of her face, “I saw them at the convenience store and thought of when you brought me some!” She wasn’t sure he even remembered, but when she said that his mouth opened slightly in recognition. “I wasn’t sure if you actually liked them or not but I-”

“I don’t.” He answered immediately.

What else would she expect from him?

Katsumi laughed, “Well, I’ll have them then.”

He furrowed his brows, “Both?”

“Yeah,” Katsumi liked Pocky, she had been addicted to it as a kid. That’s why she bought two instead of just one for him. But seeing as he was being ungrateful, it looked like she was getting two. “Seeing as you don’t-”

“Fatass.”

Katsumi’s mouth fell open as a box was snatched from her, Tomura grinning as he leaned back in his chair, pocky in hand.

“You greasy-” Her insult stopped in its tracks, and not from to glare Tomura gave her, though it was an intimidating glare. 

“I forgot” Katsumi smirked at him, “I got you something else.” 

Tomura’s eyes narrowed, placing the pocky on the desk, as far as he could from her, “What?”

She gave him a mysterious grin before reaching back into her bag. It wasn’t supposed to be something to piss him off, but it could easily be. 

She chucked a bottle of two-in-one shampoo onto his lap.

“The hell?” He picked up the bottle, his mouth dropping open.

Katsumi wasn’t done though, she then put a medical-grade bottle of face moisturiser onto the desk.

“Saw them at the store and thought you might benefit!” Katsumi smiled sweetly, “The moisturiser is expensive so be grateful!”

Tomura stared at the cosmetics and seethed. His glare turned to Katsumi who smiled.

“You’re a fucking bitch.”

“I’m being nice.” She was, sort of. She knew when she bought the stuff it would annoy him, but if she was going to be transforming him into a normal person, she might as well try and get him to take care of himself. It wasn’t an insult, just, blunt. But he had just insulted her, so…

“Well, I would be being nice,” she tapped her chin and giggled, “but seeing as you insulted me first- yeah take it as an insult.”

He tightened his grip on the shampoo, but he didn’t destroy it.

“Use it, don’t. I don’t care.” Katsumi shrugged.

“Something wrong with me?” 

The words were quite pathetic, vulnerable, and gross, to Katsumi at least. She wouldn’t be caught dead asking someone that. But the question with the tone Tomura used? It was more accusation than a plea for comfort. 

There were a lot of things wrong with him, but thats not what he was talking about. It wasn’t that Tomura was ugly, but his hair was a little too greasy to be passable and of course, he had that skin condition. It was more his general aura that made him… uncomfortable to be around. His foul mood was the problem, but Katsumi found that when you took care of yourself your mood improved. That and going outside, but that wasn’t all that easy for the man whose picture had been all over the news as the guy who tried to kill All Might.

It wasn’t so bad that she had thought about it herself, the hair at least, she had gotten the moisturiser herself, but the shampoo was because of a conversation she had when she went to the salon.

“Well, you’re skin’s dry. And your hair is a little too greasy.” She gestured to the products she had brought, “But you’re friend, me, has brought you solutions, you’re welcome.”

Tomura threw the shampoo past Katsumi, the bottle landing on his half-tidied bed. Katsmi didn’t flinch.

“It’s not like I don’t fucking wash, do you actually think I don’t have that shit already?”

Sure he had shampoo, but he didn’t have that shampoo. It was supposed to be super amazing, and it had been pretty pricey, to be honest. Not as much as the moisturiser though. He should just be grateful she spent her allowance on him.

“It’s good stuff! Well, for two-in-one. The guy at the salon recommended it for soap-avoidant guys! It’ll make your hair nice and soft, I swear.”

“A guy at a salon?” Tomura’s expression changed, he had already widened his mouth and eyes at the words ‘soap avoidant’ but had quickly forgotten that at the word ‘guy’. His expression was still overtly annoyed, but his narrowed eyes, of course, had widened and his teeth clenched together. “Why the hell is a random guy talking to you about that?”

Katsumi gave him a look, “Not a random dude- the dude bleaching my hair, I’ve seen him before for other stuff. It came up cause his boyfriend was kinda gross and he was giving me advice on how to teach a guy to groom himself.”

“Boyfriend?” Tomura interrupted her, his face scrunching up, “What, is he gay?”

Katsumi blinked, “Yes..? Probably.”

Tomura paused, obviously thinking about something. 

“That’s fine then.”

“What?” Katsumi blinked again, not really sure what to say.

“What?” Tomura huffed and turned to his screen again, “Why are you always talking? I just wanna play this dumb game."

“What? But you- huh?” Katsumi stumbled over her words. She sighed, giving up, just leaning her elbow on the desk, and watching the screen.

“There’s nothing wrong with you, I just wanted to give you something and I thought it might be nice for you. You’ve been helping me so I wanted to give back. Besides, you don’t seem to like me all that much, so I’m trying to win you over a bit.”

She wasn’t quite sure why she had said it. Was that what she was even thinking? She didn’t know. Sort of, right? She probably shouldn’t have said anything, but it just came out.

“...That’s dumb.”

There was no indication to what part of what she said he was responding to. It could be the idea of winning him over, the idea that he had been helping her, that she should give back to him, that he would even want what she gave him or… the idea he didn’t like her.

“After you’re done with internships, finish watching that show with me.”

Katsumi smiled.

“Sure.”

It got to the time for her to leave. She successfully got Tomura to turn the game off, making him swear to not touch it until she could come back (though she wasn’t sure how long he’d actually keep to it). 

“Enjoy the pocky! And try the shampoo and moisturiser! I’ll tell you where to get it if you like it.”

“Don’t count on that.”

“Hehe!”

There was something else she wanted to do before she left though.

She picked up her bag and began to leave. Tomura hadn’t moved, sat down on his chair, not noticing Katsumi pull something out of her bag and sneak back towards him.

“Tomura!” She grinned, “Say cheese!”

“Huh?”

Snap

Tomura’s eyes widened at the bright white flash.

“You-!” 

Katsumi quickly made her way to the door.

“See you later!”

“Sumi-! You bitch!”

Chapter Text

“It’s so early.”

“I know,” Izuku winced, adjusting his bag strap, “I feel like I got no sleep.” 

Katsumi snorted, “You and me both.”

The sun was still low in the sky as the pair walked to school from the station. It was a little inconvenient to meet up at the station, which was why normally they wouldn’t, but today was special. 

“I probably should have watched more videos of previous festivals,” Katsumi thought aloud as they climbed the hill up to UA.

 Izuku gasped at her, “You haven’t watched any before?”

“No-” Katsumi said quickly, sensing a big recounting of the history of UA Sports Festivals. “I’ve watched my dad’s old ones, and you’ve shown me clips before, remember?”

“Oh yeah! I have, haven’t I?”

Katsumi sighed in relief. 

The weather was kind of chilly, though the sky was almost cloudless, Katsumi guessed it would only get warmer. She was ready for summer, but if warm weather could just hold off this one day so she wouldn’t be sweating like a pig on live TV she’d be forever grateful.

“I feel so unprepared,” Izuku said suddenly. 

Katsumi shook her head, “No way, c’mon you trained hard as hell, you’ll be fine.”

“It’s just,” his lips were pulled down into a frown as he looked at the ground, “All Might told me this was my moment to debut to the world, I can’t mess up, and I still get injured from my quirk so…”

Great, she had been avoiding thinking about that. The embarrassing outburst she had during the battle training was not something she could repeat. Watching Izuku get hurt and not doing anything, she’d be fine with that now, right? From what she had seen from prior Sports Festivals, it was a pretty individualistic event, she had to look out for herself, not worry about Izuku. If he collapsed on the floor, arms broken, she’d have to ignore it. Real heroic.

“It’s a shame you can’t regenerate.”

“Haha!” Izuku rubbed his neck, “Like that Nomu thing?”

Katsumi bit her cheek. She meant to regenerate like she could.

Had she ever actually said to anyone she could do that? It wasn’t like it was a secret, it could be easily attributed to her quirk, Katsumi wasn’t even sure that it wasn’t her quirk. No, it was her quirk, but it was that he had messed with her genes to give her an unconscious regeneration ability. Theoretically, without his meddling she could say, regrow a limb after having it served off, but it would be like when she created new cells to elongate her arms or whatnot, it would be temporary, a conscious thing she had to keep up. 

Her parents just thought of it as part of her quirk. They had only seen her body mend small scrapes of bruises after all. Had she ever gotten around to telling Izuku about that ability? Did it matter? If she made a big deal about telling anyone it would look weird, though of course no one had any suspicion about an ability-thieving monster out there. No one would assume the regeneration was another quirk, or anything similar. Unless they actually saw the other quirk she had. 

No, it was fine. It was just part of her quirk, there was no reason for anyone to assume it wasn’t. Her body would always return to its original form, and that included if something was taken.

“Don’t worry,” Katsumi said to Izuku, but she was half talking to herself too. “About how you do in the festival, that is. I know you care about it but at the end of the day, it’s to get an internship right? You don’t have to impress any heroes, my dad’s in your corner.”

“Is that what you’re telling yourself?”

“Huh?” Katsumi’s brow furrowed and she turned to properly Izuku, who stared at her innocently.

“You gonna slack off because you’ll just intern with your dad?” He asked.

“Huh?” Katsumi sweated, “No! Course not, I don’t want to make him look bad so of course I’ll try!” 

Not too hard though, her quirk could easily be dangerous, she was going to have to hold back. It wasn’t that she was slacking off, she just didn’t fancy slicing someone’s head off. Punches and kicks were enough. 

“You should try hard.” Izuku smiled, “You have no idea who’s watching!”

“Huh?”

Who’s watching? The whole of Japan, a good deal of people outside too. Her old American friends. Heroes, villains. God, it was kinda scary.

Tomura probably would too.

“Ah,” Izuku suddenly gasped, covering his mouth. He quickly looked away, “Anyway, yeah you must be worried! Seeing as the public knows that one of the students in 1-A is All Might kid I mean, do they know you’re a girl? I mean it won’t be too hard to figure out who it is by looks-”

“They’re gonna say it in the commentary,” Katsumi interrupted her expression blank, still half-lost in her thoughts. “Banana hair teacher, President Mic or whatever he’s called.”

“Really?” Izuku blinked, “You okay with that?”

“Yeah, Dad said it was better to reveal it on our own terms rather than some villain doing something…” he was talking about Tomura, though he didn’t say it, “President Mic said he’d do it casually so-”

“Present Mic.”

Katsumi turned to Izuku, “What?”

“His name’s Present Mic,” he grinned a little sheepishly, “sorry I didn’t correct you the first time because I thought you just misspoke.” 

President… did she say that?

Katsumi’s mouth gaped.

“Really!? Oh shit! Have I been calling him President Mic this whole time?!”

“I don’t think so?!” Izuku shook his head, “I hadn’t noticed.”

Good god, Katsumi was tired.

“Haha…” she rubbed her face, “I need breakfast.”

Izuku laughed, patting her on the shoulder, “Do you wanna go get something at the shop?”

Katsumi's face flushed as she felt the hand on her shoulder.

“Uh, mhm.”

“Is everyone good and ready?” Iida shouted out to the students as they chattered amongst themselves. “Everyone been to the toilet?! Our first event is about to begin!” 

“I just wish could have worn my costume,” a tall boy with multiple arms- Shoji lamented.

“Me too.” Katsumi sighed, crossing her legs.

Momo nodded besides her, “We are allowed to remove items if we need to though.”

“Oh yeah, I’ll take my shoes off first chance.”

“Huh,” Kaminari gawked, “why’s that?”

“Oh, well-”

“All Might’s got his eye on you, doesn’t he?”

The mention of her father's name cut through the rest of the chatter in the prep room. Katsumi turned around. On the other side of the room, Todoroki stood in front of Izuku, a serious look etched into his face.

“Now, I’m not trying to pry into why that is, but, I will beat you.”

Katsumi’s brow furrowed.

“Ooh!” Sero smirked, “A declaration of war from the strongest in class!”

“Woah woah woah.” Katsumi looked around at the people sitting at the table, “Strongest? Has that been proven?” Katsumi felt all of a sudden very offended, surely she was stronger than icy-boy over there? Or at least it wasn’t cut and dry, he wasn’t the undeniable king of the class. Her gaze landed on Bakugou for a moment, the look on his face could kill.

Kirishima came up behind Todoroki, trying to place a hand on his shoulder, “Hey man why pick a fight now? We’re just about to-”

“I really don’t care,” he said, brushing Kirishima off, “I’m not trying to be anyone’s friend here.” 

“Hey, scar-boy,” Katsumi stood up from her chair and walked towards him. “You picking a fight with him because of All Might? If it’s All Might you’re trying to beat in some weird way, why go to Izuku and not me?”

Todoroki turned to her, he looked at her with an expression of complete disinterest.

“Why not you? It goes without saying, I’ll beat you too,” his eyes narrowed. “But you clearly have no interest in this, there’s no reason to bother myself with you.”

Katsumi pulled back slightly.

“Alright then,” she responded, though he seemed done with the conversation already. 

No interest? She supposed he wasn’t totally wrong. Why had he noticed that though?

“Woah! Katsumi you gonna take that?” Kirishima looked offended on her behalf.

“It’s fine.”

“Todoroki,” Izuku spoke up, Katsumi almost forgot he was there, “I don't know what you're thinking when you say you'll beat me, but of course, you're better than me. I think you're more capable than most people looking at it objectively.”

Katsumi felt in the way, she wished she hadn’t got out of her chair to begin with.

“Midoriya, you probably shouldn't talk so negatively-” Kirishma frowned.

“But, everyone- The students from the other courses are aiming for the top with everything they've got! Lemme say this, I am not going to fall behind,” Izuku had that determined expression on his face again. “I'll be going for it with everything I have too.”

Todoroki stared at him, “Right.”

Todoroki was right, Katsumi really didn’t care about any of this.

So the sports festival was finally starting. It had been a long build-up, Katsumi pretending to care. She’d been called out on it, there was no point hiding it any longer. She had been more preoccupied with other things, but now, she had to push that away and focus. All the training she’d forced herself to do was for today, she wasn’t frightened, or nervous, she knew she would do good enough, she was ready. 

All Might’s daughter, that’s who she was today. She wouldn’t let him down, she’d show him…

Show him what?

The thought was incomplete.

She wondered if Tomura was watching.

Or… if that man was.

“Hey, Katsumi.”

Katsumi turned to see Momo beside her as they waited to be called to walk out. She smiled and gave her a thumbs up.

“Good luck!” 

“...You too.”

“I’ll show you how much I’ve learned from you.”

Oh yeah, the training they had done together. She had done her best to improve Momo’s fighting, she could certainly hold her own… Katsumi hoped she had been as helpful to her as she had to Katsumi.

“Everyone quiet!” Iida called out over the crowd from the front of the group, straining a whisper as to not be too loud. “Don’t talk as we come out!” 

“Yes sir!” Mina whisper-shouted back.

Momo waved goodbye and joined Iida at the front, they were the class representatives, so it made sense. Katsumi was on the side, quite far from anyone else. But she’d rather be right at the back… She shuffled backwards slightly.

Bump.

Katsumi blinked as she made contact with something solid, she turned around to apologise, but her expression turned sour as soon as she did so.

“Oh. It’s you.”

Bakugou’s red eyes glared right at her.

Red eyes.

Katsumi frowned. He really was pretty up close, sculpted face, sharp eyes, and intimidating glare. She knew that already, he had a nice physique too… But she had never been so close to him… actually… she was really close…

Shit.

Katsumi felt her cheeks go red.

Bakugou’s face scrunched up, “What’s wrong with you?”

She stepped back, crossing her arms.

They hadn’t really been at UA for all that long, but she’d already built up a sort-of-relationship with Bakugou just though bullying each other. Katsumi saw hit as retribution for the time he spent being a dick to Izuku. He could probably guess that was the reason too, it was clear he didn’t like her one bit, not like she could blame him. Katsumi didn’t hate him though, she couldn’t…

“Nothing’s wrong with me,” she giggled. Bakugou looked at her with a mixture of annoyance and disdain.  Katsumi quite liked the expression. “You excited to get destroyed?”

She still disliked him in general though, beating him up would be fun.

Bakugou’s brow furrowed, “You delusional?”

“I’ll beat your ass.”

His brow furrowed further. “I’ll destroy your ass,” he shot back, trying to one-up her.

Katsumi stared at him. 

“That’s forward,” she said blankly.

It took him a moment, but when it did, the split second when his eyes widened and mouth gaped open was a sight to behold. Too bad his face immediately hardened into an angry scowl.

“Bitch-!”

“Bakugou!” Iida called out from the front, “Quiet! And don’t use that language!”

Katsumi tried to hold it in, she did really, but in only two seconds flat she was laughing hysterically in Bakugou’s angry face.

“Katsumi!” 

Momo’s disapproving voice barely reached Katsumi’s ears. Katsumi continued to laugh as she turned away from the seething blonde boy and stumbled over to Mina, collapsing into a fit of giggles on her back.

“What happened?” Mina asked, turning her head.

Katsumi had tears streaming down her face, still laughing.

“Shut it!” Bakugou purposely pushed Katsumi, and as a consequence, Mina, as he passed, making his way to the front.

“Oi!” Mina shouted after him.

“Ribbit?” Tsu cocked her head, turning to Katsumi from her spot beside Mina, “What did you do?”

Katsumi didn’t get a chance to answer, not like she could, she was still laughing. She caught a glimpse of Izuku, his head was turned to look at her. He smiled.

“Everyone quiet!” Momo called out, “They’re about to call us out!”

“Do you best everyone,” Iida called out, pumping a fist in the air, “Go beyond-”

“PLUS ULTRA!”

“What a crowd!”

Katsumi kept to the back of the group as the class walked out into the light of the stage. From the other tunnels came the other classes. Oh yeah, didn’t Bakugou declare war on them or something by being an asshole, didn’t he? That was a while ago, Katsumi hadn’t paid too much notice to it. 

A couple of students glanced over at her, everyone knew who she was huh? 

Fireworks went off in the sky as President- Present Mic introduced the festival, hyping the already cheering crowd up. It turned out a nice day for it, Katsumi thought. The sky was blue, the clouds white and fluffy, not too cold not too hot. All she could have asked for.

She’d do fine.

“-You know them from withstanding a villain attack-!”

Katsumi winced, were they really using that as some cool event to make them look cool? People could have died. 

Once they walked they ways over to the stage Miss Midnight began to introduce the games.

Katsumi always had thought Miss Midnight was weird. She taught them modern hero art history or some shit like that, stuff Katsumi didn’t pay attention to. She was known as the R-Rated hero, and worked in a school. She was nice enough, and Katsumi supposed it was just a persona, but the whip in her hand and her BDSM costume was kinda crazy. 

Kirishima and Kaminari mumbled something about it being inappropriate, faint blushes on their cheeks. Tokoyami at least seemed unaffected, but like the two other boys, most of the male students were obviously blushing. Guess she had a real effect on the guys.

…

Katsumi looked around for Izuku.

“Silence everyone!” Miss Midnight yelled, cracking her whip. “And now for the student pledge we have… Katsuki Bakugou!”

For a split second there, Katsumi thought they were going to call her name out. Katsumi- Katsuki, only one syllable difference. She would have killed her dad for not warning her about it if it had actually been her called up. That relief almost immediately was replaced by shock when the name that was actually called processed in her head. 

Bakugou, hands in his pockets, sauntered up onto the stage. He stared, bored, into the crowd as everyone waited in anticipation for whatever he was about to say. Katsumi didn’t know how it worked, was there a speech he was given beforehand? Did he have to write something himself? Her classmates around her looked nervous, she assumed he got to say whatever he wanted.

“I just wanna say,” his voice echoed out over the speakers across the stadium, “I’m gonna win.”

For the second time in five minutes, Bakugou made Katsumi burst into laughter. Her howls were drowned out by the boos and uproar from the rest of the students. Katsumi continued to laugh, bumping against Kirishima.

“Katsumi! This isn’t funny! He’s gonna make everyone hate us!”

“Why would you be so disrespectful?” Iida yelled, “You’re representing us all!”

Bakugou turned around, looking down at the crowd of students and giving a thumbs down, “Not my fault the rest of you are just stepping stones to my victory.”

Katsumi wheezed, gripping Kirishima’s shoulder.

Miss Midnight immediately went on to introduce the first event of the day. 

“Now, moving on! This is where you start feeling the pain! The first event of the festival-!”

A hologram popped up, different possible games spinning fast too quickly to read. Of course, it was all theatrics, they had to prepare the games beforehand, so they’d already chosen what the first game would be.

“What could it be..?”

The hologram landed on an obstacle race.

“Tada!”

Miss Midnight continued to explain, but Katsumi could only think ‘lazyyy.’ They had already done that for the entrance exams, at least the ones she took. Well, that gave her an advantage, right? Not like she was particularly worried, to begin with. On the other hand, everyone around her looked so serious. Even normally carefree people like Sero or Kirishima. 

Her gaze wandered to Izuku, who she had found earlier when she was checking for signs of attraction to their aggressively sexual teacher. She watched him, only half-listening to get the important information. He was focused, eyes glued in front of him, taking in the teacher's words, no doubt already forming a plan. He was too deep in thought to think about anything other than the game.

“I don’t want to restrain anyone, at least not in this game… as long as you don’t leave the course, you’re free to do whatever your heart desires!”

“Hm…” 

She might not care, but for the sake of her dad, she’d do well. She’d try. She’d do nothing to interfere with Izuku though, obviously, it was more important for him to do well. He’s who her dad was really watching, he was the one who cared about this. Katsumi was just killing time. But, she might as well show off a bit, might as well have some fun. 

“Where is she?”

The first event of the sports festival would be starting soon, and instead of being in the teacher's booth with the rest of the staff, Toshinori was tapping his foot standing outside a back entrance to the arena. 

Talk about last minute. She couldn’t have given him even a couple of hour's notice? He wouldn’t even get a chance to tell Katsumi now. What annoyed him was that she did it on purpose. She absolutely booked the flight weeks in advance, knowing her, and had probably decided on coming way before that. Yet she purposely didn’t say anything just so she could message him ten minutes before and ask to be escorted to the VIP area. The doors were closed now, so he had no choice but to use his staff position to bring her through the staff entrance. 

“Damn it Asami…” he muttered, looking at his watch. The students were set to walk out and minute. 

The black limbo was almost silent as it smoothly pulled up right in front of him. Toshinori almost rolled his eyes at it. Being around his teenage daughter seemed to have rubbed off on him. The driver came out silently and walked over to the passenger door, opening it and bowing as the black-haired woman inside stepped out.

“Asami,” Toshinori nodded, “Nice to see you again.”

The woman raised an eyebrow, removing a pair of dark sunglasses from her face.

“Good lord,” the woman clicked her tongue, “You look like death.”

Chapter Text

And so the first event of the sports festival was just about to begin. The students all made their way to the starting line as Present Mic’s commentary encouraged the crowd’s cheers. They hadn’t even started, yet the audience was already so loud, to think it was only a fraction compared to all the people watching at home…

Katsumi took a spot right at the back. She wasn’t so conceited that she thought she needed to give herself a disadvantage in order not to win- she simply knew she’d be able to catch up. Besides, if she was at the back she’d have time to observe everyone and avoid any immediate fighting. Also, it looked like there would be a crowd crush right off the bat seeing as the exit to outside the stadium wasn’t all that wide, best to not deal with that.

She didn’t really want to think of all the people watching, she kept her eyes away from the crowd. She did allow her gaze to wander off once through into the crowd, she wondered where her dad was. But of course, she couldn’t see him.

She did look for Izuku in the mass of students as well, though she quickly reminded herself to avoid doing that. He didn’t need her help, and she needed to focus on herself. E=She just needed to enjoy it, she liked doing this stuff, let go of all the stress and just have fun.

The first of the three green lights at the very top of the massive door frame turned off.

Then the next.

Then-

“Begin!”

Everyone began to run forward- right into the tiny gap.

“And we’re off to a racing start!” Present Mic’s voice rang out throughout the various speakers. “How about some commentary mummy-man? What should we be paying attention to in the early stages of the race?”

“The doorway.” Aizawa-sensei’s flat voice answered.

Yup. Katsumi watched as everyone tried to get through the tiny gap of a doorway. Katsumi thought that it was going to open up, the thought that that tiny gap was the whole doorway didn’t even cross her mind. She thought even if it did open up it would be too small. She was extremely relieved that she had decided to wait now as she watched the mass of students try to cram themselves in. She was essentially the only one not moving forward, from the hero classes at least. She should probably take this moment to tie her hair up.

A cool breeze hit her first, and the ice came second. It was restricted to the floor as it spread out from the doorway and only just reached Katsumi’s feet, barely encasing the bottom of her shoes. The people inside the doorway were not so lucky as the ice climbed up over their feet and encased their legs.

Todoroki.

Katsumi slipped out of her shoes, her bare feet twitched as they made contact with the cold ice. From the bones in her feet, she extended a blanket of short metal spikes that stabbed through the bottom of her soles. She winced, her soles bleeding for a moment before they healed themselves. Katsumi didn’t wait for that, instead bounding forward, taking advantage of everyone else being momentarily stuck to run through the gaps in the crowd.

No, it wouldn’t work, the crowd was too dense to get through. Katsumi had to change her approach. The explosions coming from the front told her that Bakugou at least was already overcoming this first hurdle, no doubt Momo and Iida and whatnot were doing the same.

Well, she just had to put a little more effort in.

Toshinori watched from his spot in the teacher’s seats as the students tried desperately to squeeze through the tight opening. He had lost sight of Midoriya early on when he went through the doorway, but Katsumi was standing very clearly in the open, far off from the rest of the students.

“Isn’t even moving. You’d think she’d put in even a slight bit of effort in.”

Right, she was here too. It had been awkward introducing her to the other teachers, at least Aizawa wasn’t there to judge him or Yamada to say something stupid.

“I apologise for coming so suddenly like this, I’m afraid I had some work issues lately and did not get around to purchasing a ticket.”

She could be polite when she wanted to. Now she was sitting with him in the teacher's seating, watching down over the students.

“She’s avoiding the crowd,” Toshinori responded, a little curtly, “not a bad idea.”

“Hmph. She shouldn’t have any problem winning this, but she’s being cocky. Just like that blonde representative boy.”

Her dark hair was pushed out of her face by a pair of black, expensive looking sunglasses uptop her head, matching with her black blazer. She had a perpetual frown on her lips and she sat with her arms crossed, green eyes peering down into the arena. He hadn't prepared for this at all, he almost wanted to go to the bathroom to give himself a pep talk.

He was about to respond to her comment but was interrupted when a burst of ice came from the doorway. He watched it shoot out of the other side of the door from the screens they had lowered into the middle of the stadium. His eyes went back down to the arena, Katsumi took off her shoes that had been stuck to the little ice that had reached her and began to run forward.

“See?” Toshinori smiled, “she’s just being smart, taking advantage of the fact she wasn’t frozen.”

“We’ll see about that,” Asami hummed beside him, brushing a strand of hair off her shoulder, Toshinori noticed that there were greys peeking through, it surprised him, Asami being the woman she was he would have thought she’d dye the slightest hint of grey away.

“How does she plan to get through the doorway?” She asked, “It’s not like the crowd has disappeared just because they have been frozen.”

“Ah-” he cleared his throat, “true.”

“If she was smart she would use her quirk to stretch her body to fling herself over the crowd. Either that or somehow think of a way to run across the walls.”

Asami thinking about it that hard surprised him, she was pretty disinterested in his own battle techniques when they were together. But it was Katsumi they were watching, he supposed that was different. Or maybe it was because she knew her daughter's quirk so well, from the moment it manifested she began to encourage Katsumi to use and practise with it. Not because she wanted her to become a hero, though she didn’t seem all that against it.

On the screen Todoroki ran forward out of the doorway, ice following him. It wasn’t long till explosions rang out and Bakugou flew out hot on his heels.

“Hmph,” Asami nodded her head, “that boy wasn’t talking out of his ass it seems.”

Toshinori chuckled.

“What?” Asami snapped at him.

How long since he had actually spoken to Asami? He could hardly count those phone calls when they were arranging Katsumi’s transfer. Katsumi might dislike her mother, but…

“Just remembering where Katsumi gets her language from,” Toshinori grinned. A grin that quickly faltered under the glare she gave him.

“Scary…” he mumbled under his breath. He heard Asami click her tongue as she turned away, looking back to the screen.

“Hmph, she chose the smart option.”

Toshinori looked back to the screen. Just like what Asami had said, Katsumi flung out of the doorway, over the crowd's heads, arms snapping back to her normal form.

It wasn’t just her though, a handful of students also quickly escaped Todoroki’s ice, most of them from 1-A.

“Midoriya…” Toshinori leaned forward. Where was he?

Asami raised an eyebrow.

While the ice might have been the first unofficial hurdle in this race, the official first obstacle was much more… kaiju-like.

Giant fucking robots. Seriously? Weren’t these the things Izuku broke half his body destroying in the entrance exam?

She only got to get annoyed about them for a few seconds though, as Todoroki sent a massive shot of ice forward- freezing them in place. How helpful- Too helpful.

Katsumi’s eyes narrowed and she stopped moving as she watched everyone else try to take advantage of the frozen robots. It was mostly her classmates who had either managed to avoid Todoroki’s ice or escape it, though she did see quite a few faces she didn’t recognise.

Her caution was rewarded as she watched the robot’s wobble and crash down with thunderous weight. A couple of students- including one with familiar red spiky hair- were buried under the robots in the process.

Had anyone ever died during this festival before? She goddamn hoped not. If some would she’d rather it be that weird purple ball kid who was always staring at Momo’s boobs during training.

Right, there was no more room to wait. Bakugou was already propelling himself over the icey robot-kaiju, some of her classmates following suit. Todoroki hadn’t frozen all the robots either- she needed to get past quickly before she ended up having to fight one.

She still had metal spikes sticking out of her feet, so gripping onto the icy floor was easy. Katsumi sped past the other racers and headed straight for the collapsed frozen robot. She began to pull her arms back over her head, remoulding her fingers into sharp steel spikes.

She was using the same move from the entrance exam. She went into a handspring, on the way up throwing her hands forward, stretching them far outwards and digging her fingers into the ice. Her body was snapped forward, and as she got close she ripped her fingers from the ice, flying into the air,shooting over the robots.

It was only when she looked down she realised she hadn’t thought it through at all.

It being caught on live television made it so it would never disappear, but despite that, Katsumi preferred to act like what happened next never occurred. For a brief moment, she flew past Todoroki and Bakugou, and they got a good look as she crashed into the ground, rolling over a few times before she came to a stop.

“....Ow.”

“That’s pathetic!” Bakugou shouted, from her position, she couldn’t really respond.

At least she had protected her neck, and she’d strengthened her bones with steel so she didn’t break anything. She was certainly bruised though, and by the time she got up the two guys were way ahead of her again.

“Damnit! Damnit!” She grit her teeth, forcing herself to ignore how badly her entire body was aching as she began to sprint after them.

So not worth it.

The thought of death during this obstacle course had already crossed Katsumi’s mind, and when she reached the fall, it popped back up again. She hadn’t managed to catch up to Todoroki and Bakugou seeing as they were able to use their quirks to make them go faster, and Iida had actually caught up and passed her by the time she got to the next obstacle.

That was fine, he had to carefully balance along the ropes that connected the islands that stretched out far in front of them. Katsumi flexed her toes, her feet were definitely dirty, she had gotten rid of the spikes as soon as the was enough room to stop running on Todoroki’s ice. She only briefly wondered whether Recovery Girl would let her have a quick wash after this, a plan to proceed forwards the more important thing in her mind.

She wished that the PE uniform’s bottoms were shorts instead of long trousers, but she supposed they’d be fine too.

Katsumi had stopped for only a brief few seconds a good couple of meters from the fall, but as soon as her plan was formed she pounced forward, sprinting as fast as she could.

“Katsumi! Watch out!” Iida shouted at her as she jumped past him.

“Sorry!” She called out.

The gaps weren’t all that big, by changing her legs into rubber she could simply bounce from one island to another. Thinking back on it now, she totally should have encased her body in rubber when she was falling- then she could have bounced like a bouncy ball past Todoroki and Bakugou instead of hitting the ground like a sack of potatoes. Yeah, that image was way less embarrassing.

The bad thing was that she wasn’t really used to being so… bouncy, she was glad that purple pervert wasn’t around. She felt like she was on a pogo ball for the first time in years. No, more like two pogo balls were strapped to the soles of her feet, if she didn’t have such good balance from all that gymnastics she would have definitely fallen by now. She tried not to look down at the seemingly bottomless pit around her that one wrong move could send her tumbling down as she made her way, leaping across. She was catching up to the two ahead, but there were still quite a few people on her heel.

Her heart was beginning to race, hot blood pumping through her veins as she peeked back at the people behind her, there was a pink-haired support course student who was making her way closer to her, Iida was still moving steadily onwards, Tsu was having an easy time getting across.

A grin grew across Katsumi’s face.

There was nothing specifically about the festival she found interesting, but with all her recent preoccupation and stress, she had almost forgotten how much she loved this sort of shit. Yeah, it wasn’t exactly fighting, it wasn't exactly gymnastics, but it was still fun as shit. She had been so focused on being competitive that she forgot she could just have genuine fun with the festival.

Besides, winning may not be her goal, but as she began to close the gap between her and the two ‘top students’ ahead of her, a competitive spark was beginning to ignite in her chest.

She still needed to get Todoroki back for the entrance exam.

Katsumi had almost forgotten about Izuku by the time she actually saw his face again.

“Piss off Yagi!”

Bakugou had been shouting at her since they had gotten to the minefield and she had managed to catch up with them. A combination of balance, being careful and encasing her skin with metal made the explosions of the minefield relatively manageable. Quickly she closed the gap between her, Todoroki and Bakugou, who were having some sort of catfight, swatting at each other as they ran.

They were slowing each other down, which helped Katsumi catch up as well.

“Shaddup!” She grunted. She could totally pass them, it would be so easy if only they would move! Their attacks were keeping her at bay, and although she could definitely outrun them, she couldn’t run so fast that she could push through their fighting.

Okay, yes, she didn’t care about winning. But when it was so close, just out of her reach because two dumb guys were getting in her way, a fire was growing in her stomach, and her limbs began to burn from the intense running.

There were quite a few odd explosions ringing out behind her, all ignored as she drove forward. She had to do something, think. Join their squabble? Hit them with an attack? No Todoroki could just turn around and freeze her. No- she needed to-

BOOM!

It was louder than any of the other explosions, ten times louder. Katsumi refused to turn around, and when some broken-off panel of one of the robots from the beginning flew over their heads she didn’t stop and stare like those two morons ahead of her.

She sprinted right between them.

“You bitch!”

“Fuck you!” She shouted, laughing.

Her victory was short-lived, the only thing slowing the two boys ahead of her was each other, and now all three of them had a common enemy, whoever had flown over their heads. There was no more squabbling, Bakugou shot forward, propelled by explosions and Todoroki shot out an ice path over the mines,

Katsumi quickly regrew her sole spikes, taking advantage of Todoroki’s ice path. He glared back at her, but there was no time for him to do anything. Katsumi grinned.

Todoroki was physically capable, yes, but Katsumi was very fast. She did track for a while at school, and she always ran as a hobby. She could run 5k in nineteen minutes, the average for a woman was about forty. Men, about thirty. Of course, Todoroki was faster than the average guy, but he wasn’t as fast as Katsumi.

Using Todoroki’s ice path she quickly passed both Bakugou and Todoroki again.

“Yagi!”

She even passed whoever had flown over them. Her teeth were ground tightly together as she focused everything on just pumping her limbs forward and breathing, in and out.

The spikes hugging into the ice made running a little strange, but she could deal with it. She just had to keep running, there were no more obstacles, at least that she could see, she had to stay alert though-

BOOM!

“Again?!”

Imagine Katsumi’s surprise when she saw Izuku fly over her, land a good couple of meters in front of her, get up and just keep sprinting.

Katsumi, for a moment, really thought she would win.

“And the winner is… Izuku Midoriya from class 1-A!”

“I-Izuku!” Katsumi bent over, hands on her knees as she caught her breath. She swallowed the spit in her mouth before she half-stumbled forward, her legs were burning.

“I can’t believe it,” Izuku’s smile wobbled as he wiped away tears.

Katsumi grabbed his shoulders, still panting.

“Holy shit that was amazing!” She gaped at him, eyes wide, she had completely forgotten he was even in the race- “I wanna hug you right now but I’m not doing that on TV! Well done!” she grinned.

“Ah!” Izuku’s face went pink, as he leant back slightly “I mean- you were awesome too I-”

“Screw you!”

Izuku jumped back, “Huh!?”

Katsumi laughed, standing up straight as she wiped her sweaty face, “I was totally gonna win if you didn’t overtake me! Ugh! Well done, you’re so cool.”

“Ah! Katsumi!” Izuku blushed.

“First place Izuku Midoriya! Second place, Katsumi Yagi! Third Shoto Todoroki! Fourth Katsuki Bakugou-”

“Midoriya… Did that boy even use his quirk?”

Toshinori blinked, he hadn’t expected Asami to notice Midoriya at all, though obviously she would, he won the first event. Damn, he was so proud, how did both his- the kids he was training do so well?

“His quirk damages his body,” he explained to his ex, “he’s saving it for later.”

“Hm,” Asami watched as Katsumi and Midoriya chatted, “he seems close to Katsumi. Funny, normally she only interacts with guys who have nothing much to look forward to except graduating from addict to dealer, at least moving here got her some more respectable friends.”

“That’ a little harsh,” Toshinori frowned, “ you caught Katsumi smelling like…” he looked around before he leaned in and whispered “weed once.”

Asami pulled away from him, her lips curling in disgust.

“Caught,” she frowned, “that’s the keyword. No, the problem is the guys she seems drawn to. Damn, horny criminal lowlifes. That teary-eyed Midoriya is an incredible improvement from those delinquents.”

He didn’t know what she was talking about. It’s not like she kept him all that updated.

“I only hope she actually likes him and not just teasing him,” Asami sighed, smoothing her blazer down.

Toshinori blinked, there might be a misunderstanding here, “Just to be clear, they’re not dating.”

“And so? Does he not like her?”

“Oh,” Toshinori laughed, “no he definitely does, but neither of them have time for that. It’s best for them to focus on their training.”

Asami paused for a moment, “Hm, there’s no time like the present. You never know what will happen tomorrow.” She crossed her arms, “Say, you seem to know this ‘Midoriya’ well, you were mumbling something about a ‘Midoriya’ earlier.”

“Oh?” Toshinori coughed, “Was I? Oh, he’s a big fan of mine, and he’s close to Katsumi so I was watching out for him yes.”

Asami turned her head to stare at him, eyes narrowing.

“Watching out for him huh? To think you’d play favourites isn’t surprising at all. Say, who did you look out for more during that race, your daughter or this Midoriya?”

He frowned, she always did this.

“Don’t twist it Asami. As a teacher, I look out for my students equally. You know that.”

Asami shook her head, “You don’t understand do you? No matter. I wouldn’t even say there is anything particularly wrong with having a favourite. I recently hired a model for a photoshoot over another because her father is a potential collaborator for NOA. I even personally gifted her a new limited edition handmade leather handbag. That’s favouritism right?”

“I think that’s more of sucking up than favouritism.”

“Excuse me,” Asami scoffed, voice rising with indignation, “I do not suck up. Who do you think I am?”

Toshinori tried not to laugh.

“Noowwww! Onto the next event!” Present Mic’s voice shouted over the speakers, Asami winced.

“Good lord,” she hissed, “I cannot stand that man's voice! He makes me want to rip my own ears off and force it down his throat to shut him up!”

Blood spurted from Toshinori’s mouth as he burst into laughter.

“Toshi-!” Asami’s eyes widened and her hands rose to her mouth.

“So- haha!” he wiped his mouth, still chuckling.

Asami glared at him, tutting as soon as she realised he’d be fine.

“Don’t wipe your mouth with your sleeve, you stupid man. Thats a Blueberry suit don’t you know!?” She picked up her handbag, “Of course you don’t, I bet you just bought it because it looked the simplest out of the ones on the rack! It’s an iconic piece, a complete perfection of the classic two-piece suit, don’t ruin it! Do you not have a handkerchief?” She shook her head, digging in her purse. She threw a tissue onto his lap.

“How long have you had that damn condition?” She continued, “I would have thought you would have prepared for your symptoms more, but you’re just as careless about your health as ever! I’m surprised you haven’t died without me around!”

Toshinori picked up the tissue. He turned to Asami. She looked at his with glaring eyes, lips pressed into a tight frown.

“I’m fine Asami,” he promised.

Asami’s lips twitched, and her furrowed brow loosened for a moment.

“Let’s see what we have in store next?” Ms Midnight’s voice rang out over the speakers, “Will your wildest fantasies come to light?”

“That woman is completely inappropriate for a high school game, Japan’s depravity knows no limits,” Asami muttered, turning away from Toshinori and diverting her attention back to the festival.

“What the fuck even is a Calvery battle?” Katsumi muttered as she stood in her group. With how the points had been allocated, no way could she have chosen to go with anyone other than Izuku, god knows no one else was jumping at the opportunity.

Uraraka clapped her hands, “Oh Katsumi, this must be really weird for you since you haven’t done a normal Japanese sports festival right?”

“Uh, yeah.” Kind, selfless Uraraka had also decided to charitably join with Izuku. How kind of her, to stick by her friend despite it making her a target.

Sometimes Katsumi annoyed herself with her own thoughts. She sighed and smiled at Uraraka.

“What, is this based on a normal one? I thought they were just using the name because it’s physical stuff.”

Uraraka blinked, staring at Katsumi for a moment before a smile grew on her lips and she began to speak-

“It’s only very loosely based on a normal sports festival,” Tokoyami answered before Uraraka had the chance, Katsumi very quickly turned to the bird-boy, “Of course, in a normal one, participants are not allowed to use their quirks, nor is there a crowd of thousands of people watching.”

“Yeah,” Katsumi snorted, glancing up.

“All the more people to show off my babies too!” A pink-haired girl squealed, not Mina, Hatsume. She was a support student, seemingly the best one with all the interesting gadgets she had on her. Katsumi would ask her more about them but her annoying eccentric personality made her steer away from asking her any questions that would get her to start rambling.

“Yeah,” Izuku hummed, recovered from his teary outburst earlier, he stroked his chin in thought, “the UA sports festival, it’s completely different from your regular school sports festival. In both it’s construction and point. We’re here to make an impression on heroes and the public…”

“Shouldn’t we be discussing a plan?” Tokoyami asked, “I suppose you have one, right Midoriya? You picked us all for a reason.”

“Yes-!” he nodded, hitting his fist against his palm, “Right, so-”

The calvary battle was by far the worst team event Katsumi had ever taken part in. She just wasn’t a team player, she was quite glad when she left her old high school because it also let her leave the cheer team with little drama. Working in a group just wasn’t something she was ever good at, but she wasn’t going to drag Izuku down.

“Katsumi!”

“Got it!” She whipped her arm out to the left, sweeping the feet of the approaching group.

It was Todoroki’s group that was the problem. Damn, Momo was a traitor. She would have thought Iida would join up with Izuku- he was a traitor too. Kaminari- eh.

“Uh oh! The packs malfunctioning!”

Well, there went their trump card, not more flying in the air for them.

“My baby! Well, there’s always room for improvement!”

Todoroki’s group was only getting closer.

“I’ll create a diversion,” Tokoyami turned to Katsumi who nodded. Tokoyami was attack, she was defense. She readied herself for an attack.

Dark Shadow shot out, but Momo quickly shielded from it. Katsumi recognised the move and the metal she used to make the shield.

“Her creation quirk is gonna be a pain,” Izuku said as Dark Shadow retreated.

“No,” Tokoyami shook his head, “Kaminari is the real problem, Dark Shadow is weak to light.”

“I’ll deal with him,” Katsumi offered, “But let’s not let them know you’re weakness.”

Izuku shook his head, “Katsumi, stay on defence. If your arms get too close, Todoroki might be able to catch you in his ice, Dark Shadow is intangible so it’s best to use him. As for his weakness, as long as they don’t know, we can fake them out. Katsumi, stay on watch for other teams, we don’t want anyone sneaking up on us.”

Katsumi huffed, slightly annoyed she was being sidelined, but Izuku was right of course, “Got it.”

“We can fake them out, as long as the ten million stays with us, we’re fine.”

Trapped in a small area by Todoroki’s ice, Hatsume’s gadgets broken, all they could do was evade. Izuku was keeping them to Todoroki’s left so he couldn’t use his ice without freezing Iida. It didn’t seem like any other teams would be interrupting them, though Katsumi was watching out for a certain explosive blonde boy in case he flew over the ice into their makeshift arena.

Tokoyami and Katsumi were both blocking Kaminari’s electricity, Katsumi had managed to steal the blanket Momo had made earlier when they tried to hit them with an electric shock without Todoroki freezing her. Kaminari not being able to control the directions of his attack worked in their favour, as long as they didn’t have protection, Todoroki couldn’t order him to attack.

It was going so well, yet-

“Grab it Todoroki!”

No one had time to react.

“Huh?”

Katsumi looked up, all their points were gone.

“It’s like I said Midoriya,” Iida said, “I’m challenging you.”

Katsumi grit her teeth, “Let’s fucking kill these guys!”

“Katsumi!” Uraraka gasped.

“Charge them!” Izuku shouted.

“I can’t attack as long as Kaminari’s there! Going after someone ele-”

“I’ll do it!” Katsumi offered.

“But if Todoroki freezes you-”

“We don’t have time!” Izuku shouted, Katsumi heard a bit of panic in his voice. Todoroki had flipped the headbands around so the numbers were hidden, how were they supposed to know which one was the ten million? The top one surely right? But Todoroki was smart-

Fuck, if they didn’t get any more points they wouldn’t advantage, right? Katsumi was fine with that, but Izuku-

“Let’s go!”

“We’re getting them back Deku!” Uraraka shouted. Katsumi furrowed her brows as they ran forward. This girl-! No, she had no time to get mad, she had to make sure Izuku got those points-

She only just saw it. She was probably the only person who did, Dark Shadow moving off to the side. Why? Shouldn’t Tokoyami be-

Oh.

He was attacking.

Good idea Tokoyami. She was going to copy him, she hoped he didn’t mind.

The feeling of One For All almost broke Katsumi’s concentration, almost. She didn’t even get time to think about Izuku hurting himself it all happened so quickly.

“I got it!” Izuku shouted as they passed Todoroki, “I really got it”

“Seventeen seconds remain!”

“Wait a second-”

Katsumi didn’t get a chance to see what she had grabbed as her arm snapped back into place. She glanced at Tokoyami as Dark Shadow dropped something into his hand.

“It’s not-” Izuku grunted, “We’ve been tricked!”

“Time’s almost up! Let’s count down! Ten! Nine! Eight! Seven!”

Katsumi was too distracted by the explosions that came from behind to say anything. She was right to watch out for him, Bakugou came flying over the ice with only six seconds remaining.

No one managed to do anything in those seconds, and as Present Mic shouted “Time’s up!” Bakugou slammed head-first into the ground.

Izuku was on his knees, clutching the headband he had stolen from Todoroki.

“We lost…” his voice was small, quiet.

Kamsumi’s heart dropped, this really meant a lot to him.

“Deku…” Uraraka began to step towards him but Tokoyami stopped her.

“In first place, Team Midoriya!”

Izuku spun around.

“What?!” Uraraka gasped, unsure if she heard that right.

Tokoyami blinked, just as surprised as the other two, the headband in his hand was not the ten million, as hard as he tried he grabbed the wrong one. They couldn’t be in first place, the maths didn’t add up. He turned to his side. Katsumi looked down at her hand, face blank, slowly, her eyes widened a toothy grin grew on her lips. It was almost kinda creepy, Tokoyoami glanced at what she was looking at.

“How did that happen?!” Hatsume asked cheerily, seemingly unbothered either way.

“We had the same idea…” Tokoyami murmured as he looked at the number on the headband in Katsumi’s hand.

Katsumi laughed, face brightening as she held up the headband. Izuku and Uraraka’s eyes widened in unison.

“Katsumi!”

“I totally copied Tokoyami,” she giggled, looking awfully pleased with herself.

“Tokoyami! You too!” Izuku was bawling now as he turned his attention to him.

Tokoyami looked to Katsumi, “I’m surprised you thought so quickly as to see what I was doing and have the thought to copy me.” He turned to address Izuku, “I thought I should grab one myself just in case, though I wasn’t as lucky as Yagi here.”

Katsumi laughed, looking a little giddy, “Yeah well, watch me fall on my face in the next event. The universe gotta balance things out.”

Katsumi felt eyes on her. She glanced off to the side and sure enough, Todoroki was staring at her, eyes wide.

She grinned.

Chapter Text

After two back-to-back events, Katsumi could sure use a break. Thank god for lunchtime. She had done way better than she thought she would; actually, she was a little dazed by the luck she had been having. Obviously, though, any luck the universe afforded her wouldn't last for long.

"Damnit, where's Izuku?"

After the cavalry battle, all students were instructed to go to the lunch hall for, well, lunch. Katsumi really wanted some food right now. Thanks to all the excitement, she had no time to think about all her anxieties with the league, her appetite was perfectly healthy. She was more than ready to go eat half of Lunch Rush's kitchen... as soon as she found Izuku.

She swore she stopped looking at him for less than a second after they began walking to the cafeteria before he disappeared. He couldn't have gone that far. Now she was just aimlessly wandering around the crowd, searching for any sign of some fluffy green hair.

"...Uraraka?"

The shorter girl jumped slightly at her name being called. She turned around, big eyes wide, "Oh! Hi Katsumi! You going to the lunch hall?" She smiled.

Katsumi pursed her lips, "Uh, you haven't seen Izuku have you? He's disappeared."

Uraraka hummed, "Um, yes I have actually! I think I saw him with Todoroki. I can't say where they went, though."

Todoroki? Katsumi's eyes narrowed. "Alright, thanks."

"Ah!" Uraraka nodded, "No worries."

Just as helpful as she expected. With Todoroki, huh? That weirdo, why was he still harassing Izuku? She had the urge to find them and get involved, but she knew Izuku could fight his own battles. It would probably be best if she stayed out of it and let Izuku do his own thing. He didn't really need her help, he'd certainly tell her to not worry if she tried.

Since he had asked to not train together, she had realised that she didn't really need to 'protect him' or get angry on his behalf like she did during the battle training. The only reason she had felt that before was likely due to her new 'feelings' that had materialised. Now that she had gotten accustomed to her crush, she was consciously taking a step back in regard to his challenges from the hero's side. She wasn't his bodyguard or his Mum; if he was having some weird rivalry with a fellow hero student, it had nothing to do with her unless he asked her for advice.

She owed him to help with the villain threat, though.

Thinking of that, damn she had done such a good job at not thinking about that, but Tomura had said he had a mole. An informant. That was something she probably should deal with; add it on to the list. Teacher or a classmate, Katsumi was trying to not be paranoid about who it might be. The frustrating thing was just that none of her classmates seemed all that suspicious. They were all so blindly idealistic and heroic, in their own ways of course, that she couldn't imagine one of them giving information to the enemy. Though, she wondered if any of them would say the same about her. Still, even if none of them seemed like they would, that man was the one getting information out of someone at UA. He could easily manipulate anyone.

"Move it."

Bakugou glared at her as he pushed past, walking off away from the rest of the students, making their way to lunch.

Walking off while everyone else was going to lunch? How suspicious. No, she didn't think the mole was Bakugou. Leaving the rest of the students so brazenly didn't really raise any alarm bells for a secret mission to steal files or spy on the teachers or whatever the hell a mole would do.

"Where you going?" Despite her assurance that whatever he was doing was not villainous, Katsumi followed after him.

"None of your business," he didn't even bother turning to look at her, marching off back towards the arena.

"Understood!" She smirked, stopping in her tracks for a moment. She quickly jogged back up behind him, "Anyways, your little pledge hasn't come to fruition quite yet, has it?"

Bakugou turned round, teeth clenched and eyes blazing, "Just you wait."

Now he looked at her. Who would have known that all it took was to hurt Bakugou's pride to get him to acknowledge you?

"I believe it," Katsumi shrugged, keeping down her smirk as she moved to walk by Bakugou's side, "I'll say I'm rooting for you, I certainly don't want Todoroki to win."

From what Katsumi could tell, the final game would be some sort of one-on-one fight. Judging by what she had seen in class and the other games, unless something crazy happened, first place would go to either Bakugou, Todoroki or her. Maybe Iida or Momo if they got really lucky. If Izuku magically figured out how to not shatter his bones sometime between now and his first fight, she'd put him in the running too.

"I don't need anyone rooting for me," he spat, turning back around and walking. "Besides, you're just as much of a threat as that icy-hot bastard."

"Really? Why thank you!" Katsumi gasped, touching her heart, "Is that a promise? Oh, thank you! What a compliment coming from the great and powerful Kacchan!"

Katsumi looked at Bakugou to see veins popping out of his forehead.

"Ew," Katsumi crossed her arms.

"Ew?!"

Katsumi giggled, "But seriously, Sero proclaiming Todoroki the strongest really pissed me off- like c'mon, I could totally destroy him!"

"And you're both nothing compared to me," he replied, chuckling darkly.

"Wow," Katsumi blinked. The face Bakugou was making gave her deja vu. "So full of yourself. Why do I always end up around guys like you?"

"No one's forcing you to be here," he exclaimed, shoulders tensing, "in fact, go away."

Katsumi shrugged; she had nothing better to do. Lunch could wait. "Yeah, well, I can't find Izuku and the lunch lines are probably already crowded, so..."

Bakugou furrowed his brows, "What do you mean, ain't finding Deku why you're following me?"

"...Eh?"

He shook his head, "He went this way, Icy-hot pulled him off this side."

"...Oh." Katsumi whispered.

"Yeah, shut up."

"They must have gone-" Katsumi stopped, there they were. She grabbed the back of Bakugou's shirt to stop him from moving. He turned to shout at her but stopped as she pointed to something ahead. It was Izuku and Todoroki inside one of the openings into the arena.

Bakugou looked at Katsumi, and then back at the two. He grit his teeth for a moment before looking at Katsumi seriously.

"Keep your mouth shut."

Katsumi was not about to pretend she was above eavesdropping, she hoped the two of them hadn't already alerted Todoroki and Izuku to their presence. She didn't intend to interrupt whatever Todoroki was trying to say to Izuku, but she wasn't opposed to hearing it.

Katsumi nodded.

They had to go a back route, sneaking inside the arena walls through a door and slowly making their way to a corridor that led to the opening where the two were standing.

Stood to the left of Bakugou against the wall, Katsumi couldn't see the pair. It was probably better that way, less chance of being caught. Bakugou tried to peer around once, but Katsumi pulled his arm, earning her a nasty glare from him. She shook her head, there was no point in risking it. Hiding behind the corner, they could pretty clearly hear the pair's conversation.

"It made me break the promise I made to myself a long time ago."

Oh great, Todoroki was monologuing.

"Iida and Kaminari, Yaoyorozu and Tokoyami, Uraraka and Yagi... none of them felt it. In that moment, I was the only one who could sense your true power, it reminded me of something, experiencing All Might's quirk."

Well fuck. This is what he wanted to talk to him about? Because he used his quirk during the Calvary Battle... Katsumi was glad she followed Bakugou now.

"Oh y-yeah? Okay. Is that all?"

Izuku sounded a bit like a child. Katsumi shook her head.

"I'm saying, the power coming from you felt the same as All Might's."

Astute little asshole. Katsumi suddenly felt eyes on her. She looked to her right to see Bakugou staring at her, searching her face for a reaction. Izuku had told him, hadn't he? That he had borrowed his quirk? Bakugou might be piecing the pieces together right now, and was probably thinking that Katsumi could give him the last piece to complete the puzzle.

She hit him with her best dumbfounded face. He gave her an annoyed look.

"Midoriya, tell me..."

Katsumi felt her heartbeat quicken, and she pursed her lips, staring at the floor as she waited for Todoroki to speak-

"Are you really All Might's secret love child or something?"

Katsumi couldn't stop herself from snorting, but before the sound even half escaped, she felt a hand clamp over her mouth. Bakugou glared at her, face close to hers as he leaned towards her. His hands were rough, no doubt the result of all the explosions he fired off from them. He held her jaw quite tightly, she could feel the strength in it as he shut her up. She almost forgot where she was as she was faced with his glaring red eyes. Her cheeks began to get hot.

"It would make sense, All Might already has claimed Katsumi Yagi as his child, which means he was probably in a relationship with her mother."

Bakugou quickly removed his hand from her face, quite clearly wiping it on his trousers. Katsumi's mouth fell open in offence. She crossed her arms and scooched away from him.

"You two obviously cannot be completely related, you look so different, so you must have separate mothers, but you two are the same age. Therefore, All Might would hide your parental connection, as he must have cheated on Yagi's mother and had you with another woman. It would explain why you are so close as well, you two are siblings."

Any remaining redness on Katsumi's face disappeared as she processed Todoroki's words. This guy... was he... dumb? Had he missed the whole thing about Izuku and her dating, or what?

"Well," Todoroki asked, growing impatient at Izuku's silence, "are you All Might's child?"

"No! What? That's not it at all! Katsumi All Might's only kid- that I know of- and c'mon now way All Might would ever cheat on someone! But I guess I'd deny it either way, so you probably won't believe me no matter what I say. Anyway-"

Poor Izuku just couldn't stop the words from coming out of his mouth once he got started, could he?

"That's not it at all is interesting wording," Todoroki declared. "It suggests there is something between you and All Might that you're not supposed to talk about."

Ughhh, Katsumi winced, he was not dumb, not completely at least.

"My father is the hero Endeavour. You must have heard of him. So you must know he's the number two hero."

Well, great, here came the spiel about how his father trained him from when he was a toddler to become the strongest, so now he has a classmate related to All Might, he's gonna declare him his rival. Not the actual child of All Might, though, Izuku. Why was Izuku being picked over her for this angsty teen's wannabe shounen rivalry? Not like she particularly wanted to be in Izuku's position right now, but should couldn't help but feel offended. All Might was her father, not Izuku's.

"So," Todoroki continued, voice steely and cold, "if you're connected to the number one hero All Might in some way, that would mean that I have even more reason to beat you."

"Hold on Todoroki-" Izuku interrupted, "If thats what this is about, why are you talking to me instead of well... Katsumi? All Might's actual kid?"

"I don't care about her. She acts arrogant and cocky, just like that Bakugou, but I can tell she has no care for this festival or UA as a whole. I'll beat her, make no mistake about that, but I won't spare any thought for her."

Oh, this little shit. Katsumi clenched her teeth as he spoke. Not worth any thought huh? What a nasty little asshole. She felt Bakugou's eyes on her, and she glanced at him, hoping the dark look on her face would tell him enough about her mood to know to look away.

"My old man is ambitious, he aims for the top. He used his power to make a name for himself as a hero, but he was never able to surpass All Might. The symbol of peace is living proof of his failure. He's still at it, though, trying to take down All Might, one way or another."

"I'm not really sure what you're getting at. What are you trying to tell me, Todoroki?"

"Have you ever heard of quirk marriages? They became a problem in the first few generations after quirks became widespread. There were those who sought out potential mates solely with the intention of creating powerful children. Many people were forced into relationships, they were simply viewed as old-fashioned arranged marriages. But clearly it was unethical, my father has not only a rich history of accomplishments but plenty of money to throw at his problems. He bought my mother's relatives to get his hands on her quirk, and now he's raising me to usurp All Might."

Katsumi's stomach sank. Sick. Fucking sick. Powerful men, always seeking more power. Ready to use and abuse anyone to get it...

"It's so annoying. I refuse to be a tool for that scumbag. And every memory of my mother, I only see her crying." Todoroki's voice was laced with a cold, detached hatred as he spoke. Katsumi could only wonder about the expression on his face.

"I remember she called my left side unbearable before she poured boiling water on my face. The reason I picked a fight with you, even over Yagi, was to show my old man what I was capable of doing without having to rely on his damned fire quirk as well as that I refuse to obsess over usurping All Might like he does. You see, I'm going to show him that I reject his power, and I can take first place without using it."

The sound of footsteps was accompanied by Todoroki's fading voice, "You're obviously connected to All Might even if you won't tell me about it. But no matter how fiercely you come at me in the future, I will defeat you only using my right side. I can assure you of that."

There was a moment of silence till Izuku's footsteps chased after him.

"I'm only hear because others have supported me, I've been really lucky. In fact, I've had even more help since I've come to UA."

Oh, Izuku. Katsumi felt her chest tighten.

"All Might is constantly saving people with a fearless smile. He's the greatest hero, and I want to be just like him. In order to do that, I have to be strong enough to become number one. I know my motivation might seem stupid compared to your, but still, I can't lose this either. I owe it to everyone who supported me to try my best. You declared war on me earlier, well, right back at you. I am going to beat you."

Neither Katsumi nor Bakugou moved for a long while; he was peaking over the wall still, but after a second, he moved, walking away. Katsumi followed him.

"...Damn."

"Why the hell are you still following me!?"

"Cuz we're both going to get lunch, you moron!"

The walk back to the school was through a giant expanse of stalls selling street food for the visitors to snack on. The pair of them got a few interested stares as they made their way across to get to the cafeteria.

"...So," Katsumi started, feeling a bit awkward, "about what that Todoroki was saying."

"The number two hero's a royal asshole..." Bakugou muttered.

"Seems so."

There was a moment of silence between them as they continued to walk. Katsumi felt so icky, so uncomfortable, that weight in her chest had returned, no, it had gotten heavier.

"Let's agree not to talk about it to anyone else," Katsumi said.

"Well that's damn obvious."

Katsumi nodded, and they walked for a little while longer without speaking. It was best to just move on from this and focus on the next event. She needed to not think about it, not think about what it reminded her of.

"I can't believe he thinks he can beat me so easily," she laughed.

"At least he mentioned you!" Bakugou retorted. "That bastard thinks he can get away with ignoring me? He's got another thing coming."

"I already didn't like him, to be perfectly honest," Katsumi admitted. "But after what he said? Now I just feel sad. His poor Mum..."

"Whatever! He's an asshole. It's not like he's the only person with some shitty tragic backstory."

Katsumi bit her lip, he had no idea.

No, Bakugou was right. Why should she feel bad for someone she didn't even know? He hated her, clearly, even if he had a reason, why should she have to just take that? He was outright disrespecting her, she had no obligation to shed any tears for him.

"So you find out you and Deku are siblings before or after you started dating?"

"What?!"

"You heard him," Bakugou chuckled meanly, "Deku's your half-brother, right? That why you two don't want anyone to know you're-"

"Alright!" Katsumi punched Bakugou on the arm, looking around, her face flushed. Was that his idea of a joke?!

"You-!"

"You deserved that, you bastard!" She growled.

"Bitch!" He shouted back, punching her arm.

"Haha," Katsumi laughed, eyes wide, "I really don't like you!"

"Well the feelings mutual," Bakugou huffed, "I can't wait to beat the shit out of you."

"Oh not planning on destroying my ass anymore?"

"You wanna die?!"

Katsumi smirked. She couldn't decide whether she genuinely hated this guy or thought he was the funniest thing in the world. Talking to him was like interacting with a small dog, one of those chihuahuas that would yap and bite you but could never do any real harm.

No, she had to admit it. Bakugou was fun, especially when he looked like he could pop a vein any moment. It helped that he was handsome, yeah, she liked him. He didn't need to know that, though.

"Deku's quirk..." Bakugou said after a while, as they climbed the stairs up to the UA front doors.

"What?" Katsumi responded cluelessly.

"Todoroki thinks it's like All Might's, huh?"

God, she really did hate Todoroki. Thanks to him, she had to deal with this.

"Eh, not really," she shrugged.

Bakugou nodded, "All Might doesn't end up in a hospital bed after one punch."

Katsumi snorted.

Sure, Izuku told him someone gave him his power, but it was such a strange idea that it must be hard for anyone to believe. That, with how Bakugou saw Izuku, or Deku as she should say, would (hopefully) create a mental block in Bakugou's head that stops him from working out the truth. People can't give people quirks. Izuku was a loser, so no one, especially All Might, would give him a quirk if it were even possible. Therefore, there was no way All Might gave Izuku his quirk. Logic.

The best and most reasonable thing for him to believe was that All Might took an interest in Izuku because he was close to Katsumi.

"How you and Deku even meet?"

Well, that was convenient. Maybe her streak of good luck wasn't over. Right, she had to keep her stories straight. What had she said before?

"Uh, I was on a run at the beach, and I saw him clearing up trash and decided to help him. By the way, he's not my brother," Katsumi chuckled. "Just so you're clear on that."

"That's fucking obvious, how thick does that damn Todoroki have to be to think that when half the class thinks you two are dating. Even that moron Deku's not that stupid."

Katsumi blinked, "First- they only think we're dating because of you-"

"Oh piss off, they would have totally fucking thought that either way."

"Secondly! I thought Izuku was a nerd, not stupid," Katsumi crossed her arms. "If you're gonna insult my best friend to my face, at least make it accurate."

Bakugou laughed, "Best friend? That's fucking sad."

"Oh fuck off."

"How are you two even best friends? You barely hang out. The pink-cheeked girl and four-eyes hang out with him a hell of a lot more than you ever do. You're always with that rich girl."

Katsumi glared at him, but then laughed, "Do you know a single one of our classmates' names?"

"Why would I bother myself with remembering extras like them?"

"God I can't wait to beat the shit out of you."

"I'd like to see you fucking try!"

"You-!"

Their extremely intelligent and thoughtful conversation continued as they walked through the corridors and entered the cafeteria, heading for the line.

"You're still following me!"

"I'm getting my goddamn food!"

"Katsumi!" Momo smiled, relief washing over her face as she came up to them.

"Oh, hi Momo," Katsumi greeted her as she loaded up her plate. She turned to the guy next to her, "Bakugou, this is Momo Yaoyorozu. There you've learnt a name."

Bakugou ground his teeth together, "Forgotten it already!"

"Uh," Momo blinked, "okay. Anyway, Katsumi, you have to come quickly, as soon as you're done eating."

Katsumi's brow furrowed. "Huh, why?"

"All the girls have to change into cheerleader costumes for the next event," she said, holding out some hideous orange costume. "You used to cheer in America, right? Would you mind just going over some stuff to teach us some first?"

Cheerleader costumes?

"Momo, what are you on about. Are you being serious?"

Bakugou laughed loudly. Katsumi told him to shut it.

"Yes," Momo confirmed, "Aizawa-Sensei said so."

"Fucking sucks to be you."

Katsumi ignored Bakugou, instead questioning Momo very carefully, "Sensei told you that the girls need to dress up as cheerleaders for the next event?" That was strange. "Yeah fuck that I'm not doing that, and that costume is fucking ugly."

"Really?" Momo asked, looking a little hurt. "Well, I didn't have much time to make it so..."

"Huh?" Katsumi's face scrunched up even more. "Why did you make it?"

"Well I was only just told-"

This was so annoying. Katsumi hated cheer. She really really hated cheer. Why the hell would they have to be cheerleaders anyway? They were the contestants. What sort of weird moron thought it would be a good idea to make them into cheerleaders? It felt almost demeaning. Not it was. She supposed the guys didn't have to do anything weird like this.

"Why wouldn't Sensei tell us before? And why would you have to make the costumes- do the 1-B girls know about this- Did their teacher tell them or-?"

"Well," Momo cleared her throat, "Mineta and Kaminari told us that-"

Katsumi's jaw dropped.

"Mineta and Kaminari!? And you believed them!?" she exclaimed.

Momo's eyes went wide, and she stuttered, "Well-"

Unbelievable.

Katsumi's eyes scanned the hall until her eyes landed on a pair of stupid teenage boys peeking at their conversation. Her face darkened. She took her tray and marched over to the nearby table where Mineta and Kaminari sat with Sero and Kirishima. Momo followed her, calling her name.

"Oh, hi Katsumi!" Kirishima beamed, "What were you and Bakugou shouting about when you came in?"

"Were you in on this?" Katsumi snapped.

"Huh?"

"Oh, hi Katsumi," Kirishima smiled up at her, Mineta giggling beside him, "Yayorozu said you used to be a cheerleader, you excited for the next event?"

Katsumi's brows flew up. "Do you think I'm stupid?" She turned to her side, "Momo, you're supposed to be smart, why would you fall for this?"

"Uh- I- Wait, what?"

"Move up!" Katsumi slammed her tray down and sat down next to Kaminari, pushing him. "I'm hungry!"

"Hey," Kaminari yelped as he was elbowed in the side, "Katsumi!"

"Momo-" Katsumi said, turning to look up at the confused girl, "destroy those costumes."

"But I-!"

"No way!" Mineta whined.

"Do it!"

Katsuki Bakugou watched the commotion from the line, holding his tray in his hands. That girl was always making a damn scene. He'd have to find somewhere else to eat. His eyes narrowed.

She knew, however Deku got that damned quirk, she knew. She wouldn't admit it, of course, but she knew.

Damnit, Deku, Todoroki, Yagi... nothing but extras, stepping stones to his victory. He shouldn't have to deal with them, he just needed to crush them.

Kirishima was waving him over as he walked past their table, Katsuki obviously ignored him, walking right past. He could feel that damned girls eyes on him as she ate, following him as he walked past. He was used to it by now, with how often she stared at him. He'd noticed her staring at him during training for weeks now, sizing him up for when they would inevitably fight.

That Todoroki was just plain stupid to underestimate him, even that dumb blonde Yagi knew he was a threat. Picking Deku over him, he had another thing coming.

In the next games, Katsuki wouldn't be pulling any punches. He was going to win.

Chapter Text

The next game was a tournament, one-on-one battles. This is what Katsumi had been waiting for, the event that made getting through the others more than worth it. 

Everyone in the teams that made it through the last round would be up against each other in one-on-one battles, the winner of each proceeding to the next- etcetera, etcetera. There was a lot of standing around and waiting for either Present Mic or Ms Midnight to finish talking. Katsumi was itching to get this over with. 

Ms Midnight explained that those participating in the next round would be able to sit out the recreation games if they wished. That caught Katsumi’s (who was admittedly only half listening to the teacher) attention. She didn’t even know there were recreational games, safe to say she did not want to join in. Stuffing her face would be a better use of her time than running around with an egg on a spoon or whatever other games they had planned.

“Now, come closer and draw lots to see who you’re up against,” Ms Midnight said, holding up a box. “I’ll start with the first-place team-”

“Um,” a voice interrupted, “excuse me?”

Great, time to drag it out this even more.

The voice belonged to Ojiro, the guy Katsumi had ended up with during the… USJ attack.

“Sorry, but I’m withdrawing.”

Katsumi thought the in-unison gasp from all the students was a little much, but she did raise her eyebrow. She was standing just behind him to the left, so she could just see his expression- brow knitted, gaze firm. He obviously wasn’t pulling out because he was nervous. 

“Ojiro,” turning around, Izuku gaped at him, “no way.”

“But this is a rare chance for you to get scouted,” Iida protested.

Ojiro shook his head, “It just wouldn’t be right.” 

Katsumi’s brow furrowed slightly as he went on to say that he couldn’t remember a single thing about the Cavalry battle until the end of it. Apparently, some guy’s quirk did it, though Katsumi had no idea who this ‘guy’ was.

“I know this is a great opportunity, I wish I could take advantage of it. But my conscious won’t let me.”

Izuku shook his head, “Think about this-” 

“There’s always next year.”

Ojiro turned to Katsumi, who shrugged. 

“Thank you, Katsumi,” Ojiro nodded to her. “Everyone gave their all in round two, but I was just someone’s puppet. No way, I don’t want to advance if I don’t even know how I got here, it wouldn’t be fair.”

“You’re making way too much of this!” Hagakure argued. “Just kill it in the finals and prove you’re meant to be here.”

“Yeah, what she said!” Mina agreed.

“It’s my pride,” Ojiro admitted, “I refuse to give that up.”

Katsumi wanted to bang her head against a wall. Sure, personally, she wouldn’t be doing what Ojiro was, but why everyone was getting in his business was beyond her. His dropping out wasn’t going to decrease anyone’s chance of winning, he’d only be replaced with someone on a losing team. Safe to say they would probably be weaker than Ojiro, if anything, it was upping everyone else's chance of getting a weak opponent. 

“Um, I think I should withdraw for the exact same reasons,” a short boy with pale hair from 1-B spoke up. “It would go against the values of the festival to advance without earning my spot.”

“Listen to these guys!” Kirishima choked, “They’re so manly.”

“This sort of talk is incredibly naive, my boys!” Ms Midnight said. “That turns me on! Shota, Ojiro, you’re withdrawn!”

What..? 

Ms Midnight then moved up a member from the sixth place Calvary team, after the fifth also decided that they didn’t do enough to be worthy of it. Katsumi wondered whether they would have done that without Ojiro’s inspiring little speech. At least no one tried to talk them out of it all that much. Ms Midnight only moved up one from the sixth group because they had an odd number of contestants before, which would have complicated the tournament too much.

After much too long a wait, the brackets were finally revealed. Katsumi went to look for her name, but not before subconsciously glancing for Izuku’s. He was against someone called… Shinso. Well, she had no clue who that was. 

Who she was against, however, she did.

Kaminari gave her a wink. Katsumi returned with a grin. He didn’t know what he was getting himself into.

Looking at back at the other matchups, Katsumi was already placing bets on who would be advancing to the second round. Shinso and Izuku, well, she’d hope Izuku, but she didn’t know who this Shinso guy was. Sero and Todoroki- poor Sero was getting stomped. Her and Kaminari, well, Sero and he were friends, so it was fitting they had the same fate. 

Hatsume and Iida? That was hard. She hadn't really seen much of Hatsume’s actual combat abilities. Katsumi hoped it would be the strange, zany support student girl who came on top, it would just be more interesting. Aoyama and Mina- Mina. Momo and Tokoyami? Momo, after all that training she’d done, she had to take it, she would. Then there was Kirishima and another person she didn’t know. Well, it all depended on their quirk, but she had faith in Kirishima, with how high his defence was, she’d assume he’d be able to put up a good fight against just about anyone. Then the last match-

Bakugou verses Uraraka. 

Katsum’s gaze drifted to the blonde guy, who stood looking up at the screen.

“Uraraka? Who the hell’s that?”

The aforementioned girl stared at him, eyes wide, mouth open.

That was… unfortunate.

Katsumi felt bad even thinking it, but yeah, she’d assume Bakugou would take that. She might not like Uraraka, but that didn't mean she wanted to see her get beaten up. In fact, it probably would make it even more uncomfortable to watch. 

Looking at the brackets again, Katsumi came to an interesting realisation: Izuku was going to fight Todoroki. She bet Todoroki was coming up with a victory monologue right now. 

Presumably, the winner would be… Well, Todoroki. Izuku was smart; he was very smart, his tactics were creative, and he thought them up quickly. Yet, as long as he broke his bones whenever he used his quirk…

Honestly, as bad as it was, Katsumi almost wanted to Izuku to lose, in a way. She wouldn’t mind fighting Todoroki, there were some ideas budding in her head she wanted to see his own thoughts on. That and the fact that she really didn’t want to fight Izuku.

“Katsumi? Why are you just standing there?”

“I was just thinking,” Katsumi laughed, rubbing her neck. “I don’t ramble out loud like you,” she teased, “I do it in my head.”

“I don’t-” Izuku stopped, cheeks flushing. “Uh, well, are you going to join in the recreational games?”

“That’s funny,” Katsumi said, patting Izuku on the shoulder as she turned him around and headed for the stalls. “Let’s go.”

“Really? Okay.”

“Where were you during lunch?” She asked as they walked across the field.

“Oh, uh,” Izuku laughed, his gaze darting away from her, “I was just in the toilet.”

So he was lying to her. 

“For that long?” She asked, raising her brow.

“Well- I’m a bit nervous so I, well, y’know.”

“Loose bowles?”

Izuku winced, “Yeah…”

Katsumi burst out into laughter.

“You’re Midoriya, right?”

Katsumi didn’t recognise the voice. The two turned to a boy with crazy purple hair. He smirked at them.

“A pleasure, so are you excited?”

That must be Shinso, she thought as she noticed someone’s shadow approaching them from behind.

“Uh-”

Before Izuku could answer, Ojiro’s tail covered his mouth. 

“Not so fast.”

Shinso chuckled as he walked away. Ojiro released his tail from around Izuku’s mouth.

“What was that?” Katsumi asked, turning to Ojiro.

Ojiro glanced at her for half a second before looking seriously at Izuku, “You can’t say a word to him.”

Katsumi looked at Ojiro, and then at Izuku. She thought for a moment before she made a decision.

“I’ll leave you two to it,” she said, stepping back, “good luck, Izuku.”

“Oh,” he nodded, “okay! See you later, Katsumi.”

Izuku didn’t need her around all the time. She’d go prepare.

Katsumi sat in the stalls alone as everyone else partook in the recreational games, either that or were doing god knows what somewhere else. She had brought extra food with her in her bag and was forcing herself to eat as much as she could before her first fight. Maybe she should probably should actually plan a little with her time too.

She was the third match, so she had more than enough time to think of a strategy, especially since she was skipping the recreational games. Kaminari was only dangerous because of his quirk, in the sense that all she needed to do was avoid his electricity, get close and either knock him out or get him out of the arena. She’d go for getting him out of the arena, she didn’t really feel like beating him up that much.

Right, all she needed to do was stop the electricity from electrocuting her. That was simple. Honestly, she wasn’t all that preoccupied about Kaminari. It was her possible third fight that she was interested in. 

After a while, the games were over, and the rest of her class came to sit in the stalls. Momo and Jiro came over to her. 

“Oh so this is where you were. Did you not feel like joining in the recreational games, Katsumi?” Momo asked.

“Nah, I wanted to prepare for my matches,” Katsumi replied as the two girls sat down.

Jiro peeked over from her seat next to the black-haired girl. “Please beat Kaminari into mush for me.”

Katsumi grinned at her, “Of course.”

“I heard that!” Kaminari shouted from the row above. 

“It would seem that what we studied together with will come in handy,” Momo smiled.

“Mhm.” Momo wasn’t as good as a teacher as those old professionals her Dad got to talk with her last year, but she had seriously been helpful. Katsumi only hoped she had helped her out, too.

“I wanna see you use what I taught you too, throw a mean punch for me Momo.”

She laughed, “I will try my best.”

“The first match will be soon,” Jiro said, a slight smirk on her lips. “You worried about your boyfriend, Katsumi?”

Katsumi frowned, “Oh, shut up.”

Mina appeared, leaning over the chairs from her seat above them, “Shh, don’t say that, you know Katsumi likes them older-”

“Mina,” Katsumi’s face went bright red, “shut up!”

“What we talking about?!” An annoying voice piped up, “Katsumi likes older men?”

Jiro grimaced, “Mineta, no one was talking to you.” 

“It’s an inside joke,” Katsumi said, trying to do damage control as she glared up at a giggling Mina.

“What sort of inside joke is that?” 

Cementoss was building a stage in the middle of the arena, and it didn’t take long for him to be done. Good, Katsumi couldn’t wait for these idiots to shut up and watch the match. 

Izuku didn’t come back to the stalls, Katsumi should have guessed that she supposed. She had wished him luck, but it didn’t really feel like enough. Oh well, there was no time now.

Ojiro, however, did come back, and Katsumi waved him over as he did so.

“What were you talking with Izuku about?” She asked as he took a seat next to her.

Ojiro frowned and looked at the arena, “The guy he is fighting, his quirk, I believe he can brainwash people if they answer one of his questions.”

“Oh?”

Jiro raised her eyebrows. “Scary.”

“But I’ve warned him now,” Ojiro said, “so it should be fine. All Midoriya has to do is keep quiet.”

“Well, that won’t be hard for him at all,” Katsumi chuckled. Despite how much he rambled, if he knew the guy’s quirk, he would keep his mouth shut.

“It’s time for the real battles to begin!” The screaming voice of their English teacher roared over the speakers. “Can you feel the excitement!?”

Present Mic was a real hype man; the crowd's cheers were deafening.

“Our competitors were on their own now! Sometimes heroes only have themselves to rely on. Heart, skill, strength, wisdom, courage, they’ll have to use all these things to rise to the top!”

Some people were severely lacking in some of those things. Judging by Katsumi’s own bets for the winners, the only thing needed was skill and strength. Or maybe she’d be proven wrong. She wouldn’t mind being proven wrong. 

The fire that roared out of the corners of the stage was a bit surprising. UA really liked its theatrics, huh? Katsumi ignored the big screen with Present Mic’s face on as he welcomed the first fighters to watch the entrances to the arena carefully, wondering which on Izuku would come out of. She regretted not going and wished him luck properly now. 

“Woah- he looks kinda scared in that picture, doesn’t he? It’s Izuku Midoriya from the hero course!”

Okay, that made Katsumi look up at the screen. A giggle escaped her lips at the sight of a stiff-shouldered Izuku with his eyes wide. The giggle disappeared when she realised that they had never actually posed for photos. What the hell was her picture like?

“Verses, Hitoshi Shinso from general studies, who really hasn’t done anything to stand out yet!”

Wow, what an intro. 

“The rules are simple: immobile your opponent or force them out of the ring! You can also win by getting the other person to cry uncle!”

Izuku and Shinso stood a couple of meters apart from one another, Ms Midnight situated on one side of the stage on her own platform. 

“Bring on the injuries because we have our very on recovery girl waiting on standby. So, put your morals aside and don’t be afraid to play dirty! But of course no life threatening crap folks, it’s not allowed. Real heroes use their power-”

“Oh my god,” Katsumi groaned, “does he ever stop talking?”

Jiro chuckled, “You not used to it by now?” 

“I’ll stop anyone that tries to get too rough.” Cementoss added.

“Ready? Fight!”

First match of the day. Exciting. 

Really, it should be over quickly. It would be, as long as Izuku doesn’t open his mouth. Yet, despite feeling confident that the contestant she was hoping to win would succeed easily, Katsumi found herself holding her breath as Izuku ran towards Shinso and-

Froze. 

“Ugh!” Ojiro leapt up, grabbing his head in frustration, “I warned him not to say anything!” 

“He-!” Katsumi blurted out, her brow flying up. He hadn’t even realised what had happened, had he said something? Seriously? Seriously Izuku?

“Hey hey? Whats the dealo? This is the first match, it should start out with a bang!”

Katsumi saw Uraraka and Iida stand up as well, trying to get a better look as Izuku stood still in the middle of the stage.

“So what, he said something and now that Shinso can control him?” Katsumi questioned Ojiro, hitting his arm a little too aggressively to get his attention.

“Well- yes. I guess so.” Ojiro grimaced, collapsing into his chair, “Damnit, Midoriya!”

“There’s no way to break it?”

“I think if you come in contact with something- but that won’t happen in that arena, will it?”

“...Fuck.”

Well, it seemed that Todoroki wasn’t getting his epic Shounen battle after all. Katsumi sat back in her chair. What else could she do? In and out, she took slow, deep breaths as Izuku turned around and began to slowly walk out of the arena. 

“No Deku what are you doing!”

“He can’t walk out of the ring! He’ll lose the match-!”

“No shit!” Katsumi snapped.

She wondered what the hell Shinso said had to him to make him open his mouth. This event meant so much to him, she hoped at least he wasn’t conscious of what he was doing right now. The helpless feeling of not being able to move while being completely aware was something she could empathise with. Damnit, this sucked. This really sucked. Izuku was going to beat himself up over this for the rest of forever. Yeah, there was ‘next year’ but… Izuku wanted to win. Or at least, not lose like this!

There was this horrible lump in her chest as she watched him get closer and closer to the edge of the arena. God, Katsumi wouldn’t feel nearly as much sympathy for anyone else, she was sure of that. 

She had to avert her eyes as Izuku’s feet reached the edge of the stage- 

WOOSH.

“Huh?”

“What's this? Midoriya stopped just in time!”

He used One For All, that had to be it, only that could have made such a disturbance in the air. How though? Oh well, did it matter? He was moving again.

There was a loud cheer from the crowd, and Katsumi found herself grinning ear to ear. 

“Hoo, that just about killed me.” Sitting back down, Ojiro smiled, relief washing over his face. 

“All he’s gotta do now is keep his mouth shut.”

When Katsumi saw Izuku cover his mouth with his hand, she snorted loudly. At least he was learning, that idiot.

There was a bit of a squabble before Izuku threw Shinso over the line, but he did throw him out, and so he won.

Katsumi leapt up, cheering.

“Izuku!” 

Katsumi was still grinning as she burst into Recovery Girl’s office, the door slamming open.

“Katsumi!” Her dad scolded, standing up from where he had been leaning against the desk. “Don’t do that!”

“Sorry!” Katsumi said as her gaze locked onto Izuku sat down in front of Recovery Girl. She ran over to his side, tightly wrapping her arms around his shoulders.

She whispered in his ear, “Not really lol.”

Izuku went stiff. 

“Oh dear, you’re going to give the poor boy a heart attack,” Recovery Girl laughed, shaking her head as she put the bandages she had been using on Izuku away.

“Heheh,” Katsumi grinned. Her Dad stared at her and raised an eyebrow. Katsumi’s grin faltered as she removed her arms from around Izuku, her face going pink.

“Anyway-” Katsumi coughed. “Well done! You won your first battle!”

“Really?” Izuku’s face scrunching up as he stared at his bandaged hand.

“Uh, yeah? I mean you did win, not before royally fucking up though.”

Toshinori groaned, “Katsumi!” 

“Wow,” Recovery Girl looked to Toshinori, “this one’s got quite the vocabulary.”

“Thank you Ma’am.”

“No, you’re right,” staring at his hand, Izuku sighed. “It wasn’t the best match I could have had.”

“Well-” Katsumi bit her lip, the expression on Izuku’s face was a bit too downcast for her liking. “It could have been worse. I say breaking free from a mind control quirk was pre-tey impressive.”

Izuku looked up at her, a soft smile on his lips, “Thank you Katsumi.”

“...No problem.”

“Oh yeah- that reminds me!” Izuku turned to Katsumi’s dad. “All Might, I had some kinda vision during the match.”

“A vision?”

“There were… people, maybe eight or nine of them. I’m not sure. When I was under Shinso’s control, it felt like my brain was full of fog or something. But, when the vision appeared, it completely drove the fog away. That’s when I was finally able to move-”

Visions of people? That had to be One For All related. 

“One of the figures had eyes just like yours All Might. Do you think that all the people who have used One For All in the past were there pushing me on, like spirits?”

Katsumi looked from Izuku to her dad, who stared wide-eyed at the boy.

“Spooky! I’m a ghost?”

Katsumi snorted.

“I thought you’d have answers!” Izuku apologised, shocked at Toshinori’s fright.

“Actually-” her dad cleared his throat, “I saw something like that too, in my younger days. It’s a clear sign that your getting closer to making One For All your own.”

“Whoop! Maybe you’ll stop breaking your bones soon!” Katsumi said, scruffing up Izuku’s hair, much to his embarrassment.

“So what is this vision then?” She asked her dad.

“I believe it’s a trace of the previous users' spirits that is left behind in One For All when it is passed down. Don’t worry, Midoriya. It won’t interfere with you or your progress in the future. In other words, that vision wasn’t what got rid of the brainwashing; regardless of what you saw out there, it was your passion that allowed you to overcome Shinso’s quirk.”

“Man, that explanation is so not satisfying.”

“I agree.”

“Forget about it! More importantly, shouldn’t you be worried about who you're fighting next.”

“Ew,” Katsumi muttered under her breath.

“You too Katsumi! Get out of here, both of you.”

“Yeah yeah!”

Toshinori watched them both leave, shutting the door behind them. He couldn’t help but smile. He never got to experience that sort of young love. No, his one relationship was the total opposite of their sweet friendship. Thinking of that-

“Shit!” He slapped his forehead, “I forgot to tell her about her mother!”

Recovery Girl looked up at him, “Do you think that’s wise? Shouldn’t you wait till after the festival? You wouldn’t want to distract her, would you?”

“Oh, yeah, you’re right,” Toshinori sighed, he wondered how long Asami would be staying in Japan. She said she had a place to stay, but he hadn’t actually asked how long she’d be here, and of course, she didn’t bother telling him herself. 

“I should probably get back to her.”

“Good luck.”

“Thanks.”

Coming back to the stalls and seeing the arena full of ice was not exactly what Katsumi had expected. 

“Good luck when it’s your turn to fight him Izuku.”

Izuku stared off at the arena, his eyes glazed.

“Yeah…”

He was thinking about what Todoroki told him, huh? He was too sympathetic. 

“...Don’t worry, you were passionate enough about winning to break though brainwashing, I’m sure it’s enough to defeat that asshole.”

Turning to her Izuku gave Katsumi a quizzical look, “Asshole?”

“I really don’t like him,” Katsumi deadpanned.

“Well- that’s-”

“Oh- also that’s not to say if you lose it’s because you’re not trying hard enough- he is just stronger than you.”

“Yeah,” Izuku stammered, before sighing, “well I know that.”

Wow, well done, Katsumi. She laughed, at herself really. It was a bitter laugh, but it’s self-deprecation would be easy to miss.

“I’m great at hyping people up, aren’t I?”

“You’re not bad.”

“Hehe.”

Katsumi tapped her fingers on her knee. She really should be going.

“Right!” Katsumi jumped up, “Imma go get ready for my fight.”

“Oh, right!” Izuku seemed to snap out of it, giving Katsumi a big smile. “Good luck! I can’t wait to see you fight!”

Even if she wanted to, Katsumi wouldn’t have been able to stop the goofy grin that grew on her face.

“Katsumiii!” Mina shouted after her. Katsumi turned to see her, Hagakure, Momo and Jiro waving at her.

“Good luck!”

“Don’t beat Kaminari up too much!” 

“Yeah, Todoroki’s already gone overboard- we don’t need you to as well.”

“I’ll try!”

The ice took a while to clear, and Katsumi sat alone in the waiting room till then. She had ran into Kaminari on the way, who acted just as cocky as she expected him to. Now, finally, after what felt like so much time waiting, she was gonna get a real fight. She was getting kinda excited as she made her way to the arena entrance. 

“Katsumi!” 

The sight of her dad barreling towards he as she walked down the dark tunnel to the entrance gave her a bit of a shock. Seemed he had been waiting for her. 

“Oh, hi.”

“Oh, hi? Come on! Let’s see some enthusiasm!” He pumped his fists, laughing in his over-the-top manner.

“Woo!” Katsumi cheered half-heartedly. 

Her dad put his hand on his head. 

“How pathetic!”

“Should you really be wasting your All Might time for this Dad?”

“Uh- well-” He hesitated a moment before deflating. “Yeah, you’re right.”

“I know.”

Her dad rolled his eyes.

“Uh- excuse me?”

“Come on- we don’t have much time,” Toshinori interrupted. “Now, I don’t doubt you’ll do well, you’ve done fantastically so far! But-”

“Don’t let my guard down?”

He grinned, “Exactly! You want to finish a battle as quick and clean as possible! Try and show off sure- you don’t know who’s watching- but make sure you win above all!”

“I understand,” Katsumi nodded. “It’s not this fight I’m all that worried about though-”

“Yes but, I believe Yamada- uh, Present Mic will be subtly revealing, well, y’know…”

Katsumi pursed her lips, “Yeah, I know.”

Her dad sheepishly grinned, “So just don’t let that put you off your game! Ignore the crowd, and focus on the fight!”

“That’s great advice Dad,” Katsumi said, raising her eyebrows, “is that how you won all three of your festivals?”

“Exactly!” Her dad gave her a thumbs up, “That and wearing a smile!”

Katsumi laughed.

“Well, then, good luck!”

He may be a bit of an idiot, but thanks to her dad’s over-the-top enthusiasm, Katsumi did walk out with a smile on her face.

“Welcome back to the finals, everyone! Sorry for the long wait! The insane amount of ice from the second match has finally been cleared, so it’s time to welcome new competitors!”

“The boy with the electric personality, a hero in the making, Denki Kaminari! And who is he facing? None other than the relentless brawler with a quirk only limited by imagination! Oh- and who just so happens to be the daughter of none other than our number one hero, Katsumi Yagi!”

The length of descriptions didn’t sound all that equal, at all. God, this was kinda embarrassing.  

The cheer was deafening. Katsumi avoided looking, like she had been doing so far through the festival. Instead she quickly took a glance at the screen to see her own photo. She was grinning, one hand on her hip as she looked to the side. Seriously, when was that taken? At least she didn’t look bad.

“Keep those eyes peeled, I wanna see a super flashy battle this time!”

Was the giant wall of ice not flashy enough? Oh- was he just saying that for a pun about Kaminari’s quirk?

“I would say I feel bad beating up a girl,” Kaminari smirked, “but I know I can’t hold back on you, Ms All Might junior.”

Katsumi's eyebrows raised as she brought her attention to the human electrical outlet in front of her. 

“Ready?” Present Mic’s voice rang over the speakers.

“Who my Dad is has no bearing on the humiliation you’re about to go through.”

“You sure?” Kaminari laughed, “Sorry, but this will be over in two seconds!”

“Fight!”

“Indiscriminate shock-”

Katsumi knelt down and held her arms crossed in front of her face. Before Kaminari managed to charge up and shoot out his electricity, wood spouted from Katsumi’s skin, branches twisting and knotting together to create a shield.

The electricity shot past her. Of course, he would use his strongest attack first. In a minute, he would wear himself out, fry his brain, then all she’d have to do was throw him out of the ring without getting electrocuted.

It was a little disappointing, really, how easy he was. It was like fighting a level 1 Pikachu with a Groudon. The crowd cheered as she kicked him off the stage, literally. She created a wooden shell over her leg and roundhouse kicked him off. He lay on the ground, completely out of it and drooling.

“Kaminari is out! Katsumi Yagi advances to the next round!”

“I can’t believe you kicked me so hard! My back still hurts!” 

Katsumi had waited for Kaminari to come out of Recovery Girl’s office after the match. He was barely recovered from frying his own brain, but was already complaining about the single kick Katsumi hit him with.

That fight was… too quick. Not nearly as exciting as Katsumi wanted it to be. She was left slightly bummed out as they returned to the stalls. 

Jiro rolled her eyes as they approached, “I wish you’d stayed longer in the infirmary.”

“Why are you so mean!?”

“Because you sucked!”

“Katsumi! You were awesome!” Izuku got up from his seat, a wide smile on his face, “You too Kaminari.”

Too cute. He was like a puppy.

“Ohhh you’re so awesome Katsumi,” Kaminari mocked under his breath, “you’re so cool, I’m totally in love with you.” 

Katsumi brought her fist down harshly on his head.

“Ouch!”

“What?!” Izuku gasped. “Why you do that?”

“Don’t sweat it,” Katsumi answered darkly.

“Oh, Katsumi! Midoriya was totally analysing you’re moves like a psycho!” Urakaka giggled. Izuku’s face went pink.

“N-no! I just-”

“Oh yeah, he does that,” Katsumi shrugged. She hadn’t even noticed that Uraraka was there.

Katsumi took a seat next to Momo, which just so happened to end up sitting her beside Uraraka. She moved her attention to the fight that had already started, Hatsume versus Iida, it was the one Katsumi wasn’t sure how it would go- 

“Wait, what the hell is happening?”

Iida was covered head to toe in what Katsumi was able to pretty quickly identify as… Hatsume’s support items? He was darting from one side of the arena to the other, but seemingly not by his own will. Hatsume stood in the middle of the stage, her voice amplified by some speaker somewhere so everyone could hear her.

“And this baby has the ability to ensure the wearer-”

Was she… advertising?

“Bhahahaha!”

Katsumi burst into laughter, seeing the uptight, straight-laced class prez desperately trying to overcome the inventions strapped onto him.

“Yeah,” Momo winced, “yes, this has been going on for a while.”

“Wow,” Katsumi grinned.

“She’s impressive, isn’t she?” Izuku nodded, already writing something in his burnt-up notebook. Katsumi suddenly had a sour taste in her mouth.

“Oh, yeah, totally.”

Uraraka was between them, so Katsumi couldn’t avoid looking at her as she talked to Izuku. That meant she could pretty clearly see the worried look on her face as she stared half-blankly down at the arena.

Poor girl. Her fight with Bakugou was coming up soon. 

Back to the current fight, she wondered if Hatsume was actually planning to win this battle. It seemed she was more worried about showing off her ‘babies’. So, she’d probably let Iida win, right? Wouldn’t be very fair otherwise. 

Iida, that’s who she’d be up against next. Then, most likely…

Katsumi glanced at the top left corner of their stalls. Todoroki stared forward, eyebrows knitted, gaze cold.

Well, he wasn’t in a good mood.

“I think I should go start getting ready,” Uraraka said suddenly, standing up from her seat. Katsumi shuffled back in her seat to give her room to pass.

“Oh, alright,” Izuku said. 

Uraraka nodded to him before she left. 

Katsumi tried to wait there and watch the ‘fight’ between Iida and Hatsume, well, for a minute or so, but…

“Toilet break,” she announced as she stood up.

“Thanks for telling us,” Sero shouted from the back.

“No problemo!”

Katsumi caught up to Uraraka quickly. She was just walking down the corridor to the prep room when Katsumi found her.

“Hey!” 

Uraraka turned round, eyes wide.

“Katsumi? Hi!”

Katsumi hesitated a moment, scratching her neck. Why the hell had she followed her? It was silent in the empty corridors, and suddenly speaking out loud felt unnatural.

“Uh, just wanted to wish you luck.”

Uraraka stared at her a moment before she smiled, “I’m not as much of a match for Bakugou as you are, am I?”

“Well-” Katsumi started, her words catching in her throat. 

A part of her was annoyed by the girl's comment; if she trained as much as her, maybe she’d be a match for him. Fuck, she was an asshole. 

Katsumi sighed. She’d probably not get the chance to actually fight Bakugou, unless it was in the finals. That was sad for her, but for Uraraka, it would have been a blessing. Even one match before facing him would have been better than the luck she had been dealt. 

“Your quirk’s incredibly powerful,” Katsumi told her. “There’s no reason you can’t be as strong as me, it’s just I think what you just lack- and not just you, the other girls too, is the same combat experience. I’ve been fighting for years, so I got an advantage. But that’s what UA is for! Training, learning, whatnot. So take this as a, uh- Like in a video game where they have you fight the big boss on the first level so you know what you’re levelling up to be able to fight.” Katsumi blinked; she was just rambling now. “Ah, shit, do you even play videogames?”

Uraraka stared at her, lips parted. Then, she giggled, her already pink cheeks darkening a little.

“No, but, I get what you mean. I won’t lie, I didn’t think you’d be the type to play them.”

“Oh, yeah,” Katsumi mumbled, “well, when I get time… Well, anyway, I’m not trying to be patronising by wishing you luck, but I just wanted to, well, yeah.”

Smiling, Uraraka nodded, “I appreciate it! Good luck for your next battle, just in case I don’t see you before then.”

“Yeah,” Katsumi nodded back, turning around. “Thanks.”

God, how awkward. Katsumi was internally punching herself as she walked back through the corridors to the stalls. She hoped by the time she got back, Iida and Hatsume’s match would be over, so she could decide how she’d proceed next.

She still didn’t like that girl.

Chapter Text

“Woo! Go Momo!” 

The first round of fights had passed its halfway mark. Katsumi was pleased when Mina won her fight against Aoyama. She had done a mental bet with herself on her, and it was good to be proven right. But honestly, to Katsumi, all the fights so far had been rather boring. They weren’t really fights, she didn’t think a single drop of blood had been spilt. Of course, she wasn’t expecting anything insane, but compared to the fights she used to do, especially that one that landed her in jail for a night…

Well, now it was Momo’s turn against Tokoyami. Maybe this would be a more interesting fight than a one-hit knock-out or two kids squabbling for five minutes. She hoped it would.

The crowd cheered for the contestants as they approached the arena. Katsumi believed in Momo wholeheartedly. Tokoyami was strong, but Momo was super smart. And now she knew how to properly deal out a strong punch. She just needed to deal with Dark Shadow. 

Tokoyami was a long-range fighter primarily, he didn’t seem all that physically strong. All Momo needed to do was get in close and hit him with a pole or something.

Present Mic counted down, and Katsumi sipped on a water bottle as she watched down on the match. 

“Fight!”

Immediately, Momo created a shield, blocking Dark Shadow’s attack. The bird came back quickly, knocking the shield from Momo’s grip.

“C’mon Momo!” shouting, Katsumi leaned forward. It reminded her of shouting at her old boxing mates during their matches. Though that normally included more colourful language than she’d get away with here.

Recovering quickly, Momo created another shield, blocking another attack, the force of which sent her flying back. What was she doing? She needed to adapt. Dark shadow wasn’t gonna let up.

Momo skidded back as once again Dark Shadow barreled into her. She was getting dangerously close to the edge and still hadn’t- 

Dark shadow pushed Momo out.

“Yaoyorozu! You’re out!”

It didn’t seem like Momo even realised until it was called.

“Wow,” Izuku turned to Katsumi, “Tokoyami is really strong.” 

“Yeah…”

Well. That sucked. How anti-climactic. She’d probably have to comfort her about that later, or maybe she’d leave that to Jiro and the others. No, Momo had literally told her that she wanted to show how their training had improved her strength. Wow, this really sucked. At least Momo didn’t seem like the crying type. Katsumi couldn’t deal with criers. That was one of the few things about Izuku that she didn’t like.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Bakugou get up and head for the prep rooms. A part of her wanted to wish him luck, just to piss him off. She was already sort of annoyed, might as well spread the negativity. But he was on the other side of the stalls, she couldn’t really-

“Ay! Bakugou!” 

He spun round immediately and barked out a “What?”

Katsumi grinned, her eyes narrowing. She gave him a thumbs up, “Good luck!” 

“I don’t need you’re lousy good luck!”

“Katsumi!” Izuku turned to her, frowning. “Why do you gotta wind him up like that?”

“What?” Katsumi smirked; she had distracted herself a satisfactory amount. “I’m just being nice.”

Izuku pursed his lips. It was so weird seeing Kacchan of all people be the one teased, but if anyone could do it, it’d be Katsumi.

“It’s Uraraka he’s going up against,” Izuku said, fiddling with the notebook in his hands, “should probably go see her soon.”

“Wait a bit,” Katsumi said, leaning back in her chair. “I wanna see Kirishima’s fight.”

“Oh? You wanna come?” 

“Yeah,” Katsumi said, looking off, “why not?”

Izuku hesitated before he smiled and nodded. He had thought he noticed Katsumi seemed kinda disinterested in Uraraka, but maybe he had been overthinking it. It wouldn’t be the first time he misread Katsumi’s actions. 

“Yeah, okay. Let’s go see Uraraka.”

They did stay for Kirishima’s match, and Katsumi had planned on watching the whole thing. She got on well with Kirishima, other than Izuku and Momo, he was probably the classmate she liked the most. But…

“This has been going on forever.”

Turns out, TetsuTetsu, the 1-B student whom Kirishima had been put up against, had almost the exact same quirk as him. It was literally the Metapod v Metapod battle from Pokémon Indigo League, except the two aforementioned bugs could punch each other this time. 

Katsumi had seen Momo come back, alongside Tokoyami. She probably should go say something to her, she had a dower look in her eyes. It would have to wait, though, and she assumed she’d rather not talk about it in front of the rest of the class. She was sitting with Jiro at least. Momo had her to keep her company, god knows she’d probably do a better job than Katsumi could.

“Yeah, we should go,” Izuku agreed. “I think it’s safe to leave for a couple minutes.” He stood up, looking down and the notebook in his hands, “I want to give her this notebook before her battle.”

Katsumi looked up at him. He was holding the same notebook he used to write about heroes and such- the same type he had given her. 

“A… notebook?” 

“Yeah,” Izuku smiled that smile when he was talking about something he liked, like when he talked about heroes, or All Might merch. “It’s got a plan on how to use her quirk to defeat Kacchan-”

All of a sudden, Katsumi felt very sick.

So she got a notebook too. 

“Actually-” Katsumi cleared her throat, “I’m going to stay and watch this.”

Izuku stopped talking.

“Hm?” He cocked his head. “How come?” 

“I-” Katsumi hide a grimace, “I just wanna see this. I’d feel bad telling Kirishima I quit halfway because it was boring.”

“Oh, alright. Well, see you later then!” Izuku nodded, turning back and waving as he left.

Katsumi could have gone and joined Jiro, Kaminari and whatnot, but… Her chest was far too tight and her mind far too preoccupied to talk to anyone at that moment.

Why was so interesting about that girl?  She tried not to think about the smile Izuku was probably wearing as he gave that notebook to Uraraka. She was probably nodding along, looking up at him with her wide brown eyes, marvelling at how thoughtful and kind he was. She probably felt sooo special, him doing that for her, being so kind. No, it had nothing to do with her; it was because of Bakugou, not Uraraka. Izuku wanted to see his rival get beaten. That’s why he was helping her. Uraraka wasn’t actually important to him. How could she be? They only just met. 

She only got some quickly put-together plan- he made her a whole book.

Katsumi sank into the not-very-comfortable seat.

It was so much easier when it was just her and him. Since coming to UA, there were too many other people. Much less time for just them, too. But what right did she have to complain? She was the one hanging out with the guy who tried to kill him and their other classmates after all. Oh, and her father. Izuku deserved to have friends that weren’t actively being a fucking traitor. Yeah, that only made her feel even more shit.

She wondered if Tomura was watching the festival right now. She might as well think about him; she was already in a foul mood, and thinking of him wasn’t all that bad, it was just the things surrounding him. 

He would probably be bored out of his mind watching the fight going on, god knows she was. But he was watching, almost definitely. Gathering information on the students’ quirks, so he could find out their weaknesses, and how to hurt them.