You don't want that handsome face of yours getting wrinkles too early, do ya?
*
"I'm so hungry!" Uraraka exclaimed as she sat down with her tray of food. She had grilled chicken, steamed rice, mixed spring vegetables and a cup of tea.
Ren placed her tray next to hers; chicken cutlet curry - one of her favourites, and a few bottles of water. Ren sat down and breathed in the smell of the meal deeply. "It's been so long since I've had a good curry."
They sat with Midoriya and Iida at a long table while few other class 2A students sat at the tables around them.
"What was it like? Living in the states, I mean." Midoriya asked taking a spoonful of rice from his bowl.
"Hmm..." Ren held her fork to her lips in thought. "There's a lot of food, and shopping, which is pretty cool. And it's really hot where I was. And everybody LOVES All Might cause it's where he's from."
"What about school?" Iida asked.
"The holidays are different and the school system is kinda clapped but while I was at AC the people there worked pretty hard and the program was alright." Ren explained and took a bite of the warm curry. She smirked slightly at its deliciousness.
Bakugo watched from his table, seated with his squad. He chewed on a little piece of fish as he watched Ren and the others laughing and conversing. Mineta sat down next to Kaminari and lent on the table. "The new girl isth stho hot."
"Man, you're telling me." Kaminari leant on his hand and eyed Ren with a half-lidded dumbstruck gaze. "If I wasn't so hung up on a particular rockin' babe, I'd totally go for it."
Bakugo clenched his fist under the table, unsure as to why he was reacting that way. His friends had talked about girls before and he never paid any attention to it because well, he just didn't care about any of the girls they talked about. He could appreciate when a girl was attractive, he just wouldn't be attracted to them in the same way his horny friends were. But this time- this time thoughts of Ren's plush lips and her sun-kissed skin were already dancing through his mind over and over again.
"Gotta agree with that too, bro." Kirishima broke Bakugo's thoughts before they grew more lewd. "What do you think, man?" He asked his red-eyed friend, noticing that he hadn't given any kind of reaction to their discussion.
"I don't care." Bakugo grumbled and pushed the food on his plate around. Kaminari and Kirishima eyed him as he took a sip of water. "You shouldn't be focusing on that kinda thing anyway. You should worry about your studies, and the sports festival."
"He's right!" Kirishima clenched his fist. "We've gotta knock Bakugo off of his perch." He smacked his shoulder.
Bakugo growled at him between clenched teeth. "Like hell you will, shitty hair!" He yelled at him. Kirishima chuckled and continued to eat his food.
After lunch they had Maths, English, and Hero Quoting - a class helping them come up with catch phrases and things to say to citizens.
Then it was time for them to set up in the second year dorms. The layout was essentially the same as the first year, including their room allocations. They had a common area, eating area, bathrooms, a common laundry room and this year the dorms had a gym added for 24 hour use.
Ren was placed in the room between Uraraka and Ashido on the third floor and began unpacking her things. She replaced the generic dorm room curtains with her own soft beige ones and some sheers behind those; she loved light. She unfurled her white cotton bedding and replaced the chair with a comfier and ergonomic one.
Her decor was minimal but created a relaxing environment. She hung some warm fairy lights across her curtain rod, and placed plants and seashells here and there. Ren pasted photos of the beach and ocean next to her bed, along with photos of some of her friends back in the States, she missed them.
Her last addition was her surf board, it had been so long since the last time she'd been able to ride a wave. Ren sighed and placed a hand on the board until there came a knock at the door. "Come in."
Uraraka slowly opened the door. "Dinner is ready... Wow... It's like a beach paradise in here!" Ochako admired the white and beige accents and seashells dotted around Ren's room. "My room is so boring again this year." She chuckled.
Ren followed Uraraka's gaze around the room. This was all she had. Everyone else had their stuff at their real homes but this was it for Ren, it had to be as homely as she could make it. "Anyway!" Uraraka broke her thought. "Let's go eat!"
She followed her to the dining area where they had fish, spring vegetables and rice. "The food is so good here." Ren said as their meals were drawing to a close. She poked a few flakey pieces of fish and watched them fall apart.
"They hire really good nutritionists." Tsu said. She wrapped her tongue around her chopsticks and cleaned them of all sauce with a single slurp. "And then have them trained by world class chefs."
"What was the food like in America?!" Ashido exclaimed. "I bet it was delicious!"
Ren thought for a moment. "It was good but it was different. More red meat, more bread, more potato. More dairy. We only ate lunch at AC though, there weren't dorms like there are here."
"It's a pretty new addition." Uraraka mumbled. The events of last year flashed through her mind. "So! How come you haven't thought of a Hero name?" She clapped her hands together excitedly. "We chose ours last year already."
Ren wiggled her nose as she thought about her response. "At AC they don't have you choose it until senior year. Basically they don't want the kids to pick something that they'll regret when they're older, like, King Murder or something lame like that."
Kirishima almost choked on his carrot as he snorted back a laugh. Kaminari slapped the surface of the table as he broke down into a fit of laughter. Those at Ren's table began to chuckle uncontrollably too.
"W-what? What did I say?" Ren stammered as she looked between the laughing faces of the entire class. Well, entire class except one. Bakugo's eyebrows twitched, his top lip curled up into a nasty snarl and he gripped his fork so hard the metal bent to the shape of his fist.
"That was- Bakugo's- First hero name!" Sero explained between fits of laughter and tears.
"NO IT WASN'T TAPE FACE!" Bakugo screamed at the black haired teen who was now doubled over on the table.
Ren covered her mouth as she felt a laugh coming on. "My bad..." She mumbled into her palm. "So, what are your names?" She asked when the class had settled down.
"Deku." Midoriya said cheerfully.
"Like, what everyone calls you anyway?" Ren asked with a raised brow as she tried to remember her Japanese. "Doesn't it mean someone who is helpless?"
"Mhm." He nodded joyfully. "It used to really upset me when Kacchan called me that but then I heard someone else say it and I realised it meant something else to me." He rubbed the back of his neck and a slight flush spread across his cheeks. "And it's kinda easy to remember, ya know?" He chuckled uneasily.
The class went around and announced their hero names to Ren. Occasionally, she'd ask why they'd chosen that name.
"Uravity!"
"Rainy Season Hero: Froppy, ribbit."
"Hearing Hero: Earphone Jack."
"Can't Stop Twinkling, mwah!"
"Ingenium."
"Isn't that...?" Ren began.
"He was my brother." Iida cut her off, knowing what she was about to ask. "An attack from a villain forced him into an early retirement, he asked me to carry out the Ingenium name with honour." He hit his fist over his heart.
"Pinky!"
"Makes sense..."
"I'm the Martial Arts Hero: Tailman!"
"That also makes sense."
"Stun Gun Hero: Chargebolt!" Kaminari clicked his fingers and winked at Ren. Bakugo rolled his eyes.
"The Sturdy Hero: Red Riot!" Kirishima made a fist and the skin on his arm hardened. Ren smiled with a nod.
"P-Petting Hero: Anima." Koda was barely audible to Ren, Uraraka had to whisper it into her ear for her to really get what he said.
Shoji extended a long mouth-tipped arm over to Ren. "Tentacle Hero: Tentacole." Her eyes wiggled at the peculiar sight that had just unfolded before her.
"Taping Hero: Cellophane!" Sero flexed his strangely shaped elbows and flashed his triangular shaped smile to Ren.
"Fresh-Picked Hero: Grape Juith." Mineta lisped as he poked the purple balls on his head.
"Cool..."
Ren felt a pair of hands on her shoulders, and to the owner of said hands surprise, she didn't even jump. "I'm the Stealth Hero: Invisible Girl."
"Again, makes sense." Ren mumbled plainly. Hagakure was still surprised that she hadn't even made her flinch.
"I am the Jet-Black Hero: Tsukuyomi." Tokoyami announced proudly.
"Now that's a cool name." Ren nodded.
"I'm the Everything Hero: Creati." Yaoyorozu placed a hand on her chest. "It sounds kinda egotistical, I know."
"I don't think so." Ren smiled softly before turning to Todoroki expectantly.
"Shoto." He said simply.
"Shoto?" Ren repeated, he nodded. "As in... Your name?" He nodded again. "Not even like; Ice Boy, Freeze-flame?" Todoroki shook his head. "Not even Vulpix?"
"What's Vulpix?" Todoroki tilted his head to the side.
"This kids joking, right?" Ren turned to Uraraka and gestured her thumb to the half red half white.
"Vulpix is a fire type Pokémon from gen one that evolves into Ninetales, one of the best fire types probably still to this day." Deku explained to Todoroki.
"But then in gen seven they introduced an ice type form of Vulpix and Ninetales." Ren continued. "So it could be fire or ice."
"Hm." Todoroki responded simply.
"Pfft, fucking nerds." Bakugo muttered under his breath.
"Plus it's really cute." Ren added with a smirk to Todoroki. He flushed slightly and stared at the table before him. Bakugo bent his fork in half and threw it onto his plate; there was no way that Icyhot was anywhere near as cute as Vulpix in his mind. Besides, Charizard was more his type anyway.
Ashido broke the discussion with a squeal. "Guuuuuys!" She leapt up. "We have to do our second annual best room contest!"
"No way!" Bakugo slammed his palms on the table. "You nerds are never gonna see my room!" He pointed at Ashido and stormed off with his platter.
"Well you know, it is a contest." Kirishima said slyly. He placed a finger on his chin and shut his eyes. "How are you gonna win if you don't let us see it?" He opened an eye and waited. "Scared you're gonna lose?"
Bakugo stopped and snapped his head around toward Kirishima. "What was that, Shitty Hair?" Bakugo held his hand up and mini explosions popped around his palm.
"Hey! If you don't wanna take part just forget about it... Haha..." Kirishima waved his hands awkwardly in front of him.
"Does anyone ever call you Baka?" Ren asked casually.
The class went dead silent.
After a moment they began darting their eyes between Bakugo and Ren.
"What... Did you... Just call me?" He muttered to her between gritted teeth.
"BAkugo KAtsuki, right? Baka." Ren said plainly. "Maybe something to consider for your hero name?" She blinked at him slowly a few times, a completely blank expression still on her face.
They darted their eyes between Ren and Bakugo a few more times. "I think the new girl might die tonight." Mineta whispered to Kaminari.
Bakugo's eyebrows twitched. If looks could kill, he would've murdered her then revived her and murdered her again. Ren snorted slightly and rolled her lips in a chuckle. She giggled behind her hand until she could no longer control the chuckles. "I'm just teasing you! Lighten up Explodey Boy!"
His expression dropped as he watched her laugh. Her cheeks flushed slightly, her head tilted back and her hair flowed and bounced behind her. Her wide smile made dimples in her cheeks, round tears appeared on her plush lashes. Ren wiped the small tears from her lashes and stood up from the table. "You should try doing something other than frowning every now and then..." She said as she gathered her dishes together. "You don't want that handsome face of yours getting wrinkles too early, do ya?" She winked at him before she cat walked back to the kitchen.
He felt himself blush, deeply. He was completely lost for words or thoughts as he watched her hips sway from side to side. Bakugo turned away and held his hand over his mouth. "Shut up ya damn nerd!" He mumbled under his hand and hurried away.
The class watched the two interact with wide eyes before Ashido thankfully broke the tension in the room. "Let's begin!" The Pink exclaimed and so they tidied up and all headed towards the first floor of rooms. "We'll start with the boys again this year." She instructed.
The first room was Tokoyami's. It was dark and gloomy inside with purple and pink dim lighting. "It's not that different to last year." Sero commented.
"What do you mean?" Tokoyami gestured to his room. "I got rid of all the dinky gothic stuff I used to be into. I'm too mature for that now." He folded his arms and shut his eyes. "But I still have to keep it dark for Dark Shadow to recover."
"I think it looks awesome." Jiro said and walked around the room. "Way better than last year." Tokoyami smirked triumphantly.
Aoyama's room was covered in mirrors, sparkly fabrics and faux furs. Fabulous. Next was Midoriya.
"Good ol' Deku." Uraraka chuckled. "All Might everywhere!"
"Well this is new." He pointed to the pictures he'd pasted up. Pictures of himself and different members of the class, different heroes, and other people Ren didn't recognise. Her gaze paused on a picture of him with a little girl with cascading white hair and another round and friendly face she recognised all too well.
The last room on that floor was Mineta's, which they avoided, again. "Thith ith tho unfair you guyth will never sthee the talent I have for interior dethsign." He grumbled at the girls.
"You stay outside our rooms this year and maybe we'll consider it." Jiro threatened.
Jiro's room was punk rock and had her instruments in every nook of her room, Hagakure's was pink and girly. "Um, what's the point of the mirror?" Ren asked pointing at the mirror on her table.
"I can see my clothes, can't I?!" She crossed her arms, maybe?
Koda's room was very serene and calming to be in. "It's so nice in here!" Ashiso took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "I feel like I could meditate in here."
"It's for the animals..." Koda mumbled softly.
"Aww!" Ren approached the bunny in his room cautiously. It cuddled up to her and rubbed its head against her legs.
Kaminari's room was a lot to look at. Iida's was extremely clean and lined with books. "You have more glasses this year!" Uraraka laughed at his shelves of classes lining his walls.
"Last year I broke 18 pairs of glasses!" He exclaimed at her and thrust his arms about robotically.
The last room on the floor was Ojiro's, which was very plain and normal looking.
The next floor began with Shoji's room, which contained a folded sleeping mat and a desk. "Still a minimalist?" Todoroki asked him.
"I added something this year." He pointed at a small potted plant on his desk. "It needed a little brightening up." He explained.
Next was Kirishima's "den of manliness" as he referred to it, and then Bakugo's room. Kirishima knocked on his door. "Hey Bakugo, are you doin' this or not?" They were greeted by Bakugo's angered face and then a loud door slam. "I guess not."
Uraraka's was next. "I personalised it a bit more this year." She said as she opened the door. It was simple but she'd changed out the bedding and added some pictures and books about astrology here and there.
"You said it was boring, I think it's so lovely." Ren said looking at the astrology charts on her wall.
Ren's room was next. They all ooh-ed and ah-ed over her soft, beachy room while Ashido's bright room heavily contrasted hers, and that was it for that floor.
Next was Sato's room, the boys insisted he not offer cake to anyone as bribery for the contest. Then it was Todoroki's Japanese inspired room. "How did you do this-" Ren asked him as she looked around his room. "In one afternoon?"
A few of the class rolled their eyes. "Here we go..." Sero mumbled.
"Hard work." Todoroki said plainly.
Lastly for the boys came Sero's room. Another beachy room but more tropical and Hawaiian than Ren's. "This is awesome." Ren said to him.
"Thanks." He said with a smirk. "I had a feeling after we saw your room that you'd like it."
Yaoyorozu's room was grand as always but she explained that this year she brought her smaller bed from home, even though it still filled half the room. Finally, they went to Su's room. It was very green and had lily pads in large tanks.
"Okay everyone!" Ashido yelled out excitedly. "Let's head downstairs to cast our vo-otes!" She sang the words and skipped to the elevators.
They sat around the coffee table in the common room while Pinky Pink counted their votes. "Alright, by a whopping three votes; the winner of the second annual best room contest iiiiis.... Ochako Uraraka!" Ashido exclaimed and held the piece of paper with the count for all of them to see.
"Wait- are you serious?!" Uraraka held her hands to her cheeks. "Why?!"
"Most improved." Yaoyorozu held up a peace sign and poked her tongue out.
"Yeh it was way more personalised this year." Midoriya nodded.
"I thought it was cute, and you downplayed it so much when we were talking about it." Ren tapped her cheek a few times.
"Aww, thanks you guys." Uraraka blushed.
*
Everyone turned in after Iida demanded they go to bed. He explained that he was being kind letting them stay up late because it was the first night in their new home but now it was time for bed. Ren lay on her bed and stared at the ceiling for a long time.
So much had happened in the last few weeks of her life and there was no one she could talk to. They could go home on the weekends and over the holidays while she'd have to stay in this very room. Ren looked at the pictures of her friends on the walls. It wasn't that long ago that these were taken, and now they were gone. Tears swelled in her eyes. She couldn't look anymore, she couldn't look anywhere in her room without feeling sick to her stomach.
Ren got up and slid the sliding door out to her little balcony open. Fresh and chilled spring air stung her teary eyes and immediately turned her nose pink. She sniffed and looked at the wilting cherry blossoms around the school campus.
"You're up late." Ren heard a voice from the dark. Any normal person would have jumped at it but Ren wasn't exactly a normal person.
"So are you, Mr Aizawa." She mumbled back and turned her head to his shadowed figure.
"Why do you think I'm always tired?" He chuckled slightly and joined her at the balcony rail. "Did you tell anyone?" His tone turned serious.
"Of course not." Ren tightened her grip on the rail.
"Did the principal explain why you were put in my class specifically?" Aizawa asked.
"He didn't have to, its pretty obvious. It's so you can erase my quirk if I lose control." Ren glanced up at him. Aizawa nodded with a 'hm'. "Do you think it's a good idea for me to participate in the sports festival?"
"Hmph. No." Aizawa rubbed his head. "But, if the principal thinks it's okay, I guess there's not much I can say to change his mind." He sighed. Ren furrowed her brow and looked out the gardens once more. "Get some sleep if you can, Ren." His tone changed again, softer this time. He placed a hand on her shoulder softly. "I know you've been through a lot these past few weeks, try and savour the sleep before things get too hectic."
"Okay." She turned to return to her bed and he was already gone.
*
A/N: I don't think I clarified that obv I made up Super AC and it just means Super ACademy. Creative.