Zin reached into the dark plastic bag dangling from his wrist, tongue poking from the corner of his mouth as he rummaged around it. The black-haired youth walking leisurely beside him glared at him from the corner of his eye.
"Oi, Azula," Zin called, finally unearthing the pack of Udon he was searching for. "Are we there yet? Do you see anyone interesting yet? There's a funny-looking lady over there, she might have something underneath that huge rack of hers..."
"..."
"You're being boring again," Zin whined, pouting as he pulled out a set of chopsticks. He slurped noisily on the noodles as he ate, causing a few passersby on the street to cast strange glances at the silver-haired youth.
Zin adjusted his dark glasses and held up a peace sign to them.
"Yo," he greeted a group of people nonchalantly. He spotted a small family walking their way and grinned. "Hey, you. Yeah, that's a neat-looking kid you got there. Almost makes me wanna eat it. Don't you think this chubby kid's so delectable? -"
"Shut up," Dabi cut in, undertones of vexation in his voice. "You're attracting unnecessary attention, you dimwit. This is supposed to be an inconspicuous operation."
" 'Spicuous, schmicuous. Who cares?" Zin scoffed, downing another mouthful of noodles again. "You're acting like an old lady on menopause. It's not like we've got a bunch of heroes chasing after us today, so I'm gonna do whatever the hell I want."
Dabi's eye twitched slightly, but he didn't give a response to that. He'd learnt by now doing so only encouraged Zin to keep talking and he didn't really feel the urge right now to roast the crowds around them just because he let him succeed in irritating him.
That would be a dead giveaway for sure.
The two villains walked amongst the densely crowded city centre, their figures hidden by the shadows of the buildings they walked next to. Dabi closely monitored their surroundings, his steely blue glaze flitting from face to face with critical intent.
If only I could ditch this deadweight, he thought irritably, glaring at Zin when he winked at a passing lady with her boyfriend. Or better yet...
He didn't care if he was the strongest or the prettiest or whatever else he decided to call himself. It was time.
Ever since All Might's retirement a little over a month ago, the lurking shadows, no longer suppressed by his light, had gradually started moving more vigorously. It was only a matter of time before the organized crime syndicates began baring their fangs. They had to, too...
Or else be consumed from the palm of some small-fry.
"Hey," Zin called, his tone serious as he paused in front of a dark alley. "Look over there."
Dabi stopped and turned to look at where his comrade was pointing. A group of drab, dusty looking guys stood in the middle of the dark alleyway, gathered together like moths to a flame.
I guess he's good for something every once in a while, Dabi thought detestfully as he and Zin moved further into the darkness of the empty space.
The group of men heard the footfalls approaching them and whipped around to see who was there.
"What the hell, bastard?" A heteromorph growled at Dabi. "Your face looks gross."
"Heh," Zin chuckled lightly. "From one disaster to another, huh?"
"Shut up. Take this seriously," Dabi snapped. "I'm not going to get dragged down because you can't keep a lid on your emotions."
"What're you looking at, glasses?!" Snarled a bulkier man. "I'm gonna kill you!"
"What's the point of that?" Zin scoffed, a small smirk dancing on his lips as he faced the group of thugs. "Unlike you, Daddy Issues, I'm not a coward. I show my true colours indiscriminately."
"How the hell...?" Dabi growled. His eyes narrowed with realisation. "Twice."
"Yeah," Zin confirmed, taking off his glasses as the men got into fighting stances. "Once I choked it out of him, of course, he sang for me like a good little bird."
"Hey, trash! Didn't you hear me?!" Yelled the bulky thug. He charged towards them.
"In any case," Dabi said, his palm glowing a bright blue, "I still have a father."
"Ouch," Zin responded casually, making a finger-gun gesture with the tip of his finger lighting up towards the burly man charging them. "That's a pretty bad burn."
KA-BOOOM!!
The alleyway lit up in an explosion of blue and white flames, engulfed immediately. The thugs screamed helplessly as they were charred to death.
"Get down," Dabi stated, looking down at the charred corpses at their feet. "If you're trash, at least burn and be kindling for me."
"Hmm~" Zin mused, kicking the burnt thug at his feet. His hand dusted away. "Nothing like the scent of burnt bodies to get you in the mood for coffee, right?"
"Stop that," Dabi retorted sharply. "You making light of your trauma doesn't make you cool."
"So what? It's how I've lived my life in order to get this far. Besides," Zin picked out a wrapped package of Onigiri and threw it at Dabi. "Now that I've found my kid sister, I've been offloading on her. You should try it, it really helps."
"Pass," Dabi replied, catching the Onigiri with one hand.
"Coffee and corpses," Zin hummed, smiling to himself as they left the alley. "That sounds like a great title for this chapter. I bet she'd read it... Hey, let's go grab some coffee."
"Unlike you, I'm serious about my purpose," Dabi quipped as he ate the rice ball. "I intend to see it out to the fullest, so quit wasting time with games and detours."
"You're too philosophical about it," the silver-haired youth replied, ignoring the fact that he changed the topic for now. "When you boil it down to who you really are and what they've done to you... Well, I guess our circumstances aren't really the same, but... our hearts are aligned with almost identical goals."
Just then, a soft beeping noise came from Zin's pocket. Dabi raised a suspicious brow as he watched him pull a Burner phone out of his jacket.
"Hello, hello," he greeted. "Oh, Twice. Yeah, I'm still with him. Where are we? I don't know. We're going to get coffee. What?" Zin's brows furrowed together as he stopped walking. Dabi looked over his shoulder at him, decreasing his pace. "Slow down, Crazy Man. Say that again... Huh? What do you mean you found a man with a beak on his face?"
◇
The previous night felt like a whirlwind of emotions for her and Miyuki barely slept a wink before sunlight seeped into her room. That, and of course...
The half-and-half girl felt her face warm up as she brushed her teeth, recalling the last part of the night's events vividly. She felt kind of embarrassed if she was being honest, but more than that -
A small smile formed on her lips as she pressed down the front part of her uniform.
It was the first time she'd seen him cry. For the first time, even though it was because of the emotional state he was in, he opened himself up to her of his own accord. She let him drench her neck and shoulder with his snot and tears as long as he needed to until he calmed down.
'I don't think...'
Miyuki stepped out of her bathroom, prepared for the day. She looked at her bed and the smile she wore became gentler as she saw the ash-blonde boy still sleeping there. His arm was slung over her All Might plushie where her body had been before, the pillow wall they'd built scattered on her floor somehow.
She checked her watch and saw it was just about time for him and Izuku to get started with their chores.
"Katsuki," she called quietly as she approached her bed. She stopped when she noticed a pair of crimson eyes already open. "Sorry to wake you up..."
"You didn't," he muttered. He looked away from her, recalling last night's events. His face gradually warmed.
"Hm?" Miyuki sat down and pressed the back of her hand against his forehead. "Are you okay? You're not feeling ill, are you?"
"I'm fine," he replied, knowing well what made his body and face warm up like this.
'... No, maybe...'
"Are you sure? You can tell me if you're not," she said as she pulled back her hand, but Katsuki caught it. "Hey... What's wrong? If there's something bothering you..."
He pulled her down. Miyuki placed a hand on her bed to stop herself from landing on him fully, the lower part of her abdomen just partially on top of his stomach and her face hovering above his.
"...Thanks," he muttered, still unable to bring himself to look at her. His face turned a deeper shade of red. "For... all those things you said last night."
"Don't mention it," she assured him, pushing back pieces of her hair so they didn't tickle his face. "I thought... it was time I spoke from my heart."
"Your heart, huh?" he replied. He shivered slightly when he felt the soft pads of her fingers brush against the side of his face, her thumb caressing his cheek as she turned him to face her.
"Don't hide," she whispered, smiling down at him. "I want to see you. Don't you want to see me, too?"
A silence descended between Miyuki and Katsuki as they stared at one another. His hold on her wrist slackened, a mellow expression upon his face as he found himself being absorbed into her eyes.
'...I don't want you to be alone right now...'
"Your smile around him," he started, his voice quiet, "It's different from the one you give to me."
"Actually..." she trailed off, averting her gaze as her cheeks tinted a light pink. "I made a promise with myself to make you smile one day. I guess I forgot to share the joy that came with it. It's pretty silly of me since I just wanted you to know that... I'll always be there for you, if you ever need me."
"You've got it wrong, Pe - Miyuki," he responded. "I'll be the number one hero one day, so I'll be the one to -" She chuckled lightly. "Why're you laughing?"
"It's alright for you to call me Pepperhead, Katsuki," she assured him, her eyes drifting towards his injured cheek as her laughter faded. He averted his gaze from her, a light colouring to his face.
Instantly, the previous night's events came racing back to her mind, along with it the torrent of emotions she felt so intensely.
"After everything that happened, even though I may not fully know your history together," she spoke up with a slightly sombre expression. She stroked his knuckles with her her thumb until he looked at her again, "I hope you two can make amends one day."
He grimaced slightly, but it fell soon when he looked back at her. His neck warmed up when he realized she was staring at him. "What?
"Nothing," she replied, a small smile on her face as she stood up from the bed. "It's just... I wanted you to know, I'm not the only one in our class who cares about you."
"Well - I mean, whatever!" He exclaimed, face turning a bright red as she slipped on her indoor shoes. "Where are you going?"
"Since you're already up, I'm going to make sure Izuku is awake, too," she explained, smiling softly. "Don't tell me you've forgotten about your cleaning duties already?"
"...Huh?" He sat up. "So... that's why you came to check if I was awake. It wasn't because of -" he promptly cut himself off, but it was too late now.
"What reason did you think I had, Firecracker?" Miyuki teased. He quickly looked away and she laughed airily, returning to the bedside.
His eyes widened immensely when she leaned forward, her hand cupping his cheek. His face heated up even more when he felt her lips press against the side of his head; firm, yet tender and warm. His breathing became heavy as he drank in her inviting, fruity scent, and his face tilted slightly towards the side of her head.
"You should come downstairs after you've freshened up, okay?" Miyuki told him as she pulled away. She walked to the door and smiled at him over her shoulder. "Oh, also, don't let Ashido-Chan see you when you're leaving. We'll both never hear the end of it otherwise."
After checking and making sure Izuku was awake, Miyuki went back downstairs. Izuku and Katsuki arrived shortly afterwards and she gave them their instructions on what they needed to do. Neither of them complained about their tasks in front of her, which she found to be a good start.
They started off with washing the dishes, pots and putting them away. This was done under her supervision. When they finished with it and she saw nothing broken, chipped, or heard any fighting, Miyuki nodded, satisfied.
When they moved onto vacuuming the common areas, their classmates began making their way downstairs -
"What?!"
"What're you two doing housework so early in the day for?!"
The half-and-half girl went on to explain to them the events that transpired last night, being careful not to mention the crucial parts about One for All, and informing them of the punishment handed down to them by Aizawa. No one said anything until -
"You fought?" Mina questioned the same time Toru exclaimed, "Lockdown?!"
"Idiots!" Ejirou groaned, face-palming.
"Nonsense!" Yuga chimed, shaking his head.
"Are two stupid?" Fumikage scolded.
"The stupidest, for sure," Denki agreed, folding his arms.
Izuku looked down, his cheeks flushing with shame while Katsuki growled lowly in irritation, as was suited to their characters.
"Uh... But did you make up in the end?" Ochaco inquired of them.
"Make up...?" Izuku repeated with a thoughtful but nervous expression on his face. "Not exactly, but, well... it's hard to put into words..."
"A fine job you've made of it, getting punished!" Tenya reprimanded. "I suppose you two will be absent at today's opening ceremony!"
"Bakugo, what about that special course for our licences?" Shoto inquired. The ash-blonde boy fumed.
"Shut up... Mind your own business!" he responded hotly. Miyuki turned her gaze on him and Katsuki, noticing her look, returned to vacuuming. He fumed silently... Until she tapped his shoulder and he slowed down.
"See ya!"
"Have fun cleaning the place!"
Miyuki waved goodbye to them before stepping out the door with the others. As soon as it clicked shut, the room descended into an awkward silence between them. Izuku glanced up at his childhood friend nervously.
It's too quiet..., he thought. He glanced at the ash-blonde boy again. Maybe I should say something... yeah, just to break the ice between us a little bit.
"So, my shoot style..." Izuku spoke up slowly. "What'd you... what'd you think of it?"
He pursed his lips when he didn't get a response and an awkward silence filled the void.
Katsuki didn't want to reply. He wasn't in the mood for it, although he definitely had an opinion on his moves.
He was about to grunt out in annoyance when the side of his head tingled and he remembered what Miyuki said to him earlier.
"Cut down on telegraphing your moves," he responded gruffly. "You got faster, but I still reacted in time - which means you haven't shown it to her yet." Izuku knew he meant Miyuki and nodded slowly.
"Yeah, I haven't..." he admitted reluctantly. Katsuki huffed.
"When you added punches to the mix," he continued, "it really pissed me off."
"I see..." Izuku hummed. He smiled shakily. "Gotcha...!"
◇
Tenya assured Miyuki that he'd take care of everything that morning, gesticulating in his usual manner as he insisted on her 'resting her mind and body after such a tiresome night.' She didn't mind the break and thanked him for his consideration of her wellbeing. Promptly afterwards, Ejirou, Hanta, and Denki pulled her into a conversation to take her mind away from the stressful issue, joking around with her and laughing together.
"Listen up, everyone!" Tenya called out as he attempted to gather his classmates into a single file. Miyuki wondered if she should've helped him after all. "Stay in line and move promptly to the grounds!"
"Iida-Kun, you're the only one who's standing out of line," Miyuki pointed out gently.
"The dilemma of a Class Rep!" He exclaimed. "I apologize for disappointing you, Vice Rep Sasaki!"
"I heard, Class A - Two people! You had two people fail the provisional licensing exam!"
She didn't need to look and identify the smug tone of Monoma Neito, but she did anyway and Miyuki's mouth downturned when she saw the arrogant expression he wore.
"Class B's Monoma!" Hanta acknowledged from behind Miyuki.
"He's crazy, as usual," Denki commented, appearing on her right side. Ejirou appeared on her left.
"So, were you the only one to fail again?" Ejirou countered. "Like with the final?" Neito laughed hysterically in response. "Which is it?!"
"We..." Neito gestured to his classmates, his grin widening. "... all passed! We've finally pulled ahead of you, Class A!"
"Sorry... everyone..." Shoto said, turning into a dark corner.
"You don't have to apologize, Shoto-Kun," Miyuki assured her half-and-half friend. "We're not competing with each other in the first place."
"Yeah, they're turning it into a competition on their own," Ejirou agreed, "so don't worry about it."
"According to Vlad teacher, we'll have classes together this semester!" Pony Tsunotori from Class B spoke up, a few English words scattered in. "I'm looking forward to it!"
"Oh, I can't wait to test out my skills!" Ejirou said. Miyuki smiled at his enthusiasm and nodded along.
"Anyway, you're an exchange student, right?" Denki inquired. Miyuki raised a brow in curiosity when Neito began whispering in Pony's ear.
"I'll beat you up so bad you won't be able to get back up!" Pony exclaimed, no doubt a phrase Neito told her to say.
"Monoma-Kun, don't take advantage of her inability to understand Japanese that way," Miyuki reprimanded firmly.
"Sasaki-san is right," Itsuka stated, appearing behind the blonde boy. She hit the back of his neck, knocking him out instantly. "Don't teach her weird phrases!"
"Hey, we're trying to get through back here."
Miyuki turned around and met a familiar face she felt like she hadn't seen in a while.
No, hold on a sec, she told herself, eyes narrowing slightly as she and Hitoshi locked eyes. He looked a bit different from how she remembered him to be.
Actually...
Wait, she realized. Haven't I been seeing him hang around after school a lot more lately...?
"I'm sorry!" Tenya exclaimed, breaking her from her train of thought. She looked away. "Come now, everyone, save your chitchat for later. You're causing problems for other people."
"Don't show me how uncool you are," Hitoshi remarked dully as his class passed theirs.
"Shinso," Fumikage acknowledged.
"He's the person who fought Midoriya at the sport's festival," Kyoka recalled.
"That guy looks... like he's bulked up a bit..." Hanta muttered thoughtfully.
Miyuki glanced at Hitoshi one more time over her shoulder as she followed her classmates out of the building. He seemed to have the same idea, she noticed, as he peeked in her direction from the corner of his eye.
Outside, the half-and-half girl stood amongst her classmates in her lane according to her roll number. Izuku's spot behind her was empty and so was Katsuki's in front of her. She wondered how they were getting on right now...
"Hey, it's the small mammal you all love, the principal!" Principal Nezu spoke from the stage. "Recently, the fur I'm so proud of has deteriorated in quality... it's hard for me to take care of it. This is something you can say about humans, too. Even if you have a balanced diet with zinc and vitamins, the most important thing has to be sleep.
Disturbing your lifestyle is the worst for your fur. So if you're trying to improve your hair quality, you should make sure to get enough sleep. The cause of the disturbance in lifestyle is incidents from this summer vacation I'm sure you all already know about - the loss of a pillar. The effects of that incident have appeared faster than I could have imagined.
There will probably be great chaos in society in the near future. In particular, this will be most apparent to those of you in the hero course. You must approach activities outside of school, like the hero work studies that mainly second and third years participate in, with a greater sense of caution and crisis than before."
"Hero work studies?" Mina echoed, curious.
"Is it like the next level of the internships we did?" Tsuyu asked.
"The air always feels heavy when we talk about things like this, huh?" Principal Nezu said. "The adults are working hard to do something about that heaviness. We'd like you all to learn that hard work from them and develop into capable people.
All of you in the business course, general studies, support course, and hero course - I don't want you to forget that you're all successors of this society."
"Thank you, principal Nezu," Vlad King said as he took the podium. "And now, we have a few warnings from the non-curricular guidance teacher, Hound Dog sensei."
"Grrr... Yesterday... grrrrrr..." Hound Dog growled as he stepped up. "At the dorms! Grrrrr... Unused to grrr... life! -"
He howled at them. Miyuki paled.
Perhaps they should remove the muzzle...
"Let's see," Vlad King started, taking the podium once again. "There were students fighting last night. You might be unused to life at the dorms, but let's live a life of moderation, is what he means."
"Does he forget human speech when he gets angry?" Minoru asked, terrified. "There's still so much I don't know about U.A...."
"Midoriya-San and Bakugo-San are being treated as problem children, aren't they?" Momo sighed.
"And now, return to your classrooms, starting with the third years," Vlad King announced.
"Hey, Miyuki-Chan," Mina called, running to catch up with Miyuki as they returned to class. "What was going on in your room last night?"
"Huh? Wh-What do you mean? Nothing went on, I promise," Miyuki quickly responded, her heart racing. Mina tapped her chin thoughtfully.
"Seriously? I coulda sworn there were some weird sounds coming from your balcony..." she informed her. Mina narrowed her eyes at the half-and-half girl. "Even weirder is, why are you blushing so much?"
"Oh, I'm just feeling really warm right now," Miyuki explained with a shy smile. She fanned herself lightly. "This summer heat is starting to get to me, you know?"
The pink-skinned girl leaned away, casting one last suspicious glance at her before nodding slowly. When she looked away, Miyuki exhaled in quiet relief. She couldn't imagine how that would've ended if Mina found out Katsuki slept in her room last night.
The whole class would be talking about it before lunch and jumping to all sorts of conclusions...
On the other hand...
Weird sounds coming from my balcony? Miyuki questioned, slightly disturbed.
Ever since Zin ambushed her, she always locked the balcony doors before she went to sleep, so she definitely wasn't out there last night. Every one of her classmates was asleep, too.
So that could only mean...
Miyuki bit her lip, her breathing becoming more shallow as she realized it was her brother after all. What could he have been doing on her balcony again last night? Was he waiting for her to come outside so that they could have more 'bonding time' together?
Like I'd let that happen, she thought, her expression hardening with resolve. I'll never let that man get close to me or those I care about.
Even so, there was a reason he was there. But was she sure she wanted to know what that reason could be?
◇
Katsuki placed the last pillow on her bed before picking up her All Might plushie he'd set aside on the desk. He looked down at it, a plain yet eased expression on his face. He looked up and saw the poster of the former number one hero in his former glory plastered above her bed.
"...it's because of me...!"
Katsuki's chest tightened and he quickly looked away, a contemptuous expression crossing his features briefly. A feeling of embarrassment washed over him as he set the toy on her bed. Even though he felt that way - despite that feeling lingering in his heart after everything that happened last night -
He rubbed the back of his head, dispelling the thought. The secret was his to keep now, too, wasn't it? Thinking about it too much would just overwhelm his mind.
Suddenly, just when he turned around to leave, Miyuki's bedroom door creaked open. Katsuki's shoulders tensed up, wondering if she'd come back from Class early or something -
Izuku poked his head inside, his face flushed slightly.
"Somehow, that side of the room's still dark during the day...?" He murmured, eyes taking in the details of his best friend's room. His gaze met Katsuki's.
"What are you doing here?!" Katsuki questioned, annoyed.
"I-I was just going to ask you the same thing!" Izuku replied, eyes wide with surprise. "I saw you taking the girls' elevator, so I got curious and followed you here, although I wasn't sure... why you would come here..." he looked at Katsuki curiously, and with slight worry. "Ka-Chan, why are you in Yuki-Chan's room...?"
"That's none of your business, damn nerd," he answered sharply. "Let's just leave already -"
While they were talking, Poncho had snuck behind Izuku towards the door. His tail wagged frantically as he caught the two boys' scents, causing the door to close as he suddenly jumped onto Izuku.
"Poncho-Chan!" The green-haired boy exclaimed, looking down at the dog in surprise. "You scared me for a second there.."
Katsuki rolled his eyes, walking past Izuku and the German shepherd puppy to leave.
But just as he placed his hand on the handle, he felt something tug at his trousers. He looked down and saw Poncho pulling at them before he ran back to Izuku and did the same.
"Did she forget to feed him or something?" The ash-blonde boy thought out loud, slowly getting irritated when Poncho came back and repeated his actions. "What? I don't have food on me!"
"No, wait, Ka-Chan," Izuku said, observing the puppy. Poncho looked towards the balcony doors before turning back to the two of them. He did this a few times before tugging at Izuku's shoe laces. "I think he's trying to tell us something, or... "
"The mutt probably just needs to go outside," Katsuki theorised. He opened the door. Poncho whined at the balcony doors before going over to scratch at them. "...Or he wants us to follow him there."
"But why?" Izuku muttered, a thoughtful expression on his face. Katsuki walked to where the puppy was, as did Izuku. He pulled back the drapes and tried opening the door. "It's locked, too. I don't get it. Poncho-Chan, what're you trying to tell us -"
"Shut up and look," Katsuki interjected, staring out at Miyuki's balcony with a slightly disturbed expression on his face. "What the hell..."
Izuku turned his gaze to where Katsuki was looking. His eyes widened slightly.
What is that... doing there? He asked himself, staring at the pack of Daifuku neatly set on the ground, acting as a weight for the paper beneath it. Just how did it even get there to begin with?
Poncho whined at the door again, catching Izuku and Katsuki's attention once more. This time, he trotted to Miyuki's desk before jumping onto the chair. The teenage boys followed him without question this time.
"There's nothing here except for books and parts," Izuku pointed out, eyeing the cogs, chips, and computer parts on Miyuki's desk. He turned to her books. "Over there, maybe?"
Katsuki carefully went through the manga collection, keeping an eye out for anything that might look out of place or even just a little bit suspicious - although it was quite hard since he wasn't sure what he was looking out for in the first place.
When he came to the last volume, something fell from the manga's inner cover. His brows furrowed in confusion as he picked it up -
"A similar package?" He grumbled, holding the pack of Daifuku in his hand. So this wasn't the first time, huh?
"Except this one must be way older," Izuku pointed out, motioning to the wrapped Daifuku. He looked at it closely. "Look - there's mould on almost all of it..."
"Someone's been trying to get to her," Katsuki stated conclusively, his eyes narrowing at the sweet treat. "From the look of things, it's not working, so -"
"So she must have an idea, or know exactly who it is!" Izuku finished.
"Don't talk over me, Deku!" Katsuki gruffly told him, causing Izuku to flinch slightly.
"I... I wasn't," he replied meekly. Katsuki clicked his tongue and put the Daifuku back where he found it.
Something's definitely wrong, he thought as he marched towards the door. That's her favourite food -
So there's no way she'd forget about it and let it go to waste, Izuku pondered, a hand on his chin as he and Kstsuki left. Which means -
Whoever sent it to her isn't someone she trusts -
And if it's not, and the fact that it was planted outside meant they couldn't make direct contact with her freely, therefore, it has to be -
Therefore, it's -
Izuku's eyes widened just as Katsuki's narrowed.
"Villains."