23: Favor

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The gang made plans to head into the shopping district as a group on the weekend. For Izuku, the weekend was mostly spent at the apartment alone with the back of his mind drifting to the empty room down the hall and the sticky note in the junk drawer. But now he had something to distract him, his friends. He took some of his extra money and the debit card that kept getting funds put in even after Inko's departure. He put on a light jacket and headed out to meet up with the others.

On the way, his mind drifted back to Inko. He had very mixed feelings about her. He had lost all love for her but why would she pay for the next three years on the apartment? Some part of his mind hoped now that he had a quirk she would try to reconnect with him but nothing of the sort happened. He felt anger flare up with sadness accompanying next to it. But what else could he do right now other than keep moving forward with his plans?

His thoughts were thrown off kilter when an arm wrapped around his elbow. He looked over to see Tooru giving him a worried look. His heart stuttered at her proximity.

"Is everything okay?" She asked.

He smiled warmly toward her and any thoughts from before were washed away completely. "It is now." He said without thinking and his face burned at what he had said to her.

Tooru ducked her head and smiled, giddiness washing over her. "Well, I'm happy to hear that." She held tighter onto his arm and looked up at his receding blush.

Izuku cleared his throat and changed the subject with no tact. "So, have you found what you are going to use your favor for?" The train lurched and began to move again.

Tooru gave him a smile he couldn't interpret. "I have a very good favor to ask, but I just have to find the right time." Her face flushed with heat that Izuku could see easily.

"Of course, you need the right time for me to cause a distraction for you to rob the bank." He nodded sagely.

Tooru laughed at him and bumped her shoulder with his. "I'd figure you would be alright in case of heroes coming to stop you since you know, you kicked All Might's ass not a week ago. I'd imagine you can take anyone at that point."

Izuku smiled and laughed with her at their imagination of robbing a bank together. They stayed in companionable silence with her head on his shoulder and his hand on her arm. They basked in each other's presence until the stop came for them to get off. The rest of their friends joined the two since they were early. Kyouka came first and greeted the two. She internally rolled her eyes at them not getting together already but she let them be without pushing. Denki and Hanta joined soon after with Mina running up to them almost being late.

"Everyone ready?" When everyone nodded, Mina pointed forward and led them into the shopping district. "Then let's go!"

In a group, they walked into the mall while joking around. Tooru never let go of Izuku's arm as they walked store to store to either buy something or just to look around for fun. They got some looks from the crowd, some recognizing them from the Sports Festival. Izuku got the most attention since he won in the more brutal way possible. He caught some whispered conversations but he did his best to ignore them. Kyouka heard many too and shot glares at a few. Izuku felt grateful for her friendship.

"Right then! Who needs what? I just need some small things here and there. Bug spray, travel necessities, sunscreen, and the like." Mina walked backward and spoke to them as a group.

Denki furrowed his brow. "Can you get sunburns?"

Mina scoffed. "Of course, I can. Just because I'm pink you think I can't get sunburns?"

Denki raised his hands in surrender. "That's why I was asking!"

"You two done bickering? We are being left behind." Hanta pointed at the other three walking into a storefront. "Disgraceful, what would the boss say to this." He said in his gruff voice.

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