Chapter 16: Friends
Izuku hummed to himself as he made his way out of the infirmary, into the hallways that would lead him back outside. He moved at a decent clip through the halls, eager to get back to the training site before he missed too much of Uraraka and Bakugou's trial.
Tsuyu and Todoroki had remained in the infirmary on the orders of Recovery Girl, the damage they'd received being enough to warrant the old woman to order them to stay put. Luckily, all of the visible damage that Izuku had taken had been handled by the time they arrived by his healing quirk. He could still feel the cold – it hadn't quite faded from his extremities, despite the effects of Todoroki's heat – but after a quick check-over, Recovery Girl had let him go with a warning to remain uninjured and some hand warmers that he gladly stuffed into his gauntlets.
Once he was outside, he launched himself into the air in a flash, flying back in the direction of the site. As he flew, he was quite pleased to feel how comfortable his costume was around his wings. Despite how comfortable it had been when he initially put it on, he'd still been worried that it wouldn't last once he actually started flying. But once again he found himself impressed with whoever made it, because right now he didn't feel even the slightest bit of discomfort. Actually, if anything, it actually felt more comfortable than his regular clothing.
Soon enough, he was descending on the building where everyone was observing the fights. He didn't hear any explosions from any nearby buildings – they probably chose a different one after the mess that he made – so hopefully that meant that he wasn't too late. Deciding to forgo taking the front entrance, he came to a rest on the wall outside one of the windows on the top floor, maneuvering himself inside a moment later, his wings folded tight against his back once more.
When he made it back into the observation room, he could see that the trial was already underway. Everyone else was focused on the wall of screens, watching the students. It didn't look like there was any fighting taking place.
Once Izuku entered the room, Kirishima seemed to notice him, and was instantly approaching with a bright smile on his face.
"Etsumi! You're back!" He called, only slightly quieter than normal, and drawing everyone else's attention. "That was quick! Did Recovery Girl fix you up? And where's Asui and Todoroki?"
"My injuries were superficial." Izuku responded. "And the others are being looked at for the beginning stages of frostbite. Nothing serious."
He turned his attention to the screens before any more questions could be asked. "Have I missed anything?"
"Not really. They just started a few minutes ago. It was delayed a little because they're in a different building. Uraraka and Sero are the heroes and Bakugou and Ashido are the villains. They haven't found each other yet."
"Though it looks as though they are about to." All Might cut in. "So let's focus on the fight."
Looking at the cameras, Izuku could see where Mina was in a room with the mock bomb, on the floor just below the top. She seemed to be skating across the floor all around the bomb. Everywhere she went, the floor was covered in a slimy substance.
She could control the potency of the acids she produced. If he had to guess, he'd say that she was covering the floor in a low-acidity substance to increase her own mobility and inhibit her opponents. If the way she was skating around was any indication, she would have no issue moving in that sort of environment. Additionally, it probably had the added affect of intimidation. If the heroes knew that her quirk was to produce acid, then they would be wary of the floors. Though, if they were smart, they wouldn't be but so wary, as he couldn't see where the acid was having any reaction with the floors. If it were strong enough to pose an immediate threat, it would be visible.
Bakugou on the other hand, was patrolling the halls on the same floor. Looking for the heroes. Izuku noted that Bakugou wasn't moving to any other floors, despite having passed more than one staircase. It was possible that he knew that Uraraka could use her quirk to scale the building, and didn't want to stray too far from the bomb.
Izuku nodded along with his own inner thoughts. That was a smart move, Bakugou's team was on the defensive, he didn't need to search anyone out, just wait for his opponents to come to him. The longer the other team went without knowing where the bomb was, the better.
He took in as much detail as he could about Bakugou as he continued to patrol the halls. The boy seemed to practically radiate power, starting with the costume he wore, which Izuku would admit did well enough in the intimidation department.
Most hero costumes served as a sort of symbol for the hero that wore them, not really doing much else beyond their functions to augment a quirk, but a few served to intimidate to strike fear into any criminal that saw it, intentionally or otherwise. Endeavor was a prime example of that; the flames that wreathed him at all times bespoke the power that coursed below, and more often than not ended a fight before it even began.
Bakugou's costume followed this method as well. Loose cargo-style pants tucked into combat boots that extended up to just below his knees, with wicked looking knee pads attached to their tops. A tight-fitting tank top showed off the muscular build beneath, and a metal neck brace sat on his shoulders. A mask covered the top of his face, making it look as though his eyes were cast in shadows. Then, there were the oversized grenades strapped to his hands. Most of it was colored black, or a green so dark it may as well have been black, and had bloodred accents.
And it was clear that all of it was designed with fighting in mind. From the loose pants and tight tank top to optimize range of movement, to the knee pads, to the neck brace. Bakugou had obviously put time and effort into it. It was a costume that would at the very least make someone think twice when they saw it. Anything that hinted at explosions was something to be wary of.
Something about it tugged at a memory that he couldn't quite recall, something really early in his life. He shrugged it off, if it was important, he would remember eventually.
Beyond that, Bakugou moved in a way that at first might not seem unusual, but to someone who knew what they were looking at, was easy to spot. His strides were light, even, and measured, speaking of a sense of balance and movement that was likely ingrained by now. His shoulders were tense, but not overly so; ready to react but not nervous in any way. His fingers twitched down at his sides, ready to move and unleash the explosions that hid just beneath the surface. His eyes searched around him, but not frantically. Izuku could see the way his head tilted ever so slightly in one direction or another; he was relying on his hearing just as much as his eyesight.
To anyone that knew what they were looking at, and Izuku did, it would be clear as day that Bakugou was a warrior. Ready and able to fight at the drop of a hat, and with the raw power to do so.
Bakugou had always seemed strong – from the very limited time the two had spent together – whether that be in his willpower or in his unnaturally strong quirk, but this was on a whole other level. This was something that could've only been achieved by endless hard work and determination.
Izuku wasn't sure where that determination and drive would've come from – The two of them had said that they wanted to be the top heroes from the moment they could speak and comprehend that, but what child didn't spout off the exact same thing? – but it excited him. He could see that Bakugou was strong, and would be a challenging opponent for most people, and he'd yet to even witness the boy fight. And what's more, is that he'd had no clue until this moment. In the classroom, and even during the quirk apprehension test, Bakugou had given no indication of this strength. It wasn't until he was in a real fight that it showed itself.
A smile worked its way onto Izuku's face, somewhere between proud for his old friend and excited to see the extent of Bakugou's strength. He couldn't wait for the fight to start.
Speaking of, Sero was making his way up the staircase on the opposite side of the building from Bakugou. Creeping up onto the floor with his arms up, ready to unleash his quirk.
At the same time, Izuku watched as Uraraka came up a much closer set of stairs, albeit much differently. She floated through the air, weightless.
Her head peeked into view, and he saw the exact moment that she noticed Bakugou.
Pushing herself off from the railing, she drifted up to the ceiling. Izuku noticed the small movements she was making to control the direction she was facing. Her arm pieces touched the ceiling first and she seemed to stick in place. Some form of adhesive maybe? It would make sense to increase her mobility.
Once her feet touched down, she took a moment to gather herself before pushing off again, straight towards Bakugou.
She was completely silent as she moved, eyes focused on her opponent. As she drew closer, one hand stretched out towards him, while the other pulled a roll of capture tape from somewhere. Bakugou hadn't noticed her.
Just as she was within a few feet from him, nearly within arm's reach, and Izuku thought that she might be able to successfully sneak up on the blond, Bakugou reacted.
Izuku saw the split second where Bakugou's entire body tensed up, before an arm swung behind him, unleashing an explosion. It sent him forwards, increasing the distance between him and his opponent, and sent Uraraka flying backwards, untethered by gravity as she was.
He dimly recognized that someone in the observation room was praising the boy's reaction time.
Bakugou immediately dropped into a fighting stance as Uraraka pressed her hands together, yielding to gravity once more and dropping herself to the floor. She dropped into a stance of her own. It didn't look like she'd taken much damage from the explosion, though her hair did look a bit ruffled.
"Ashido." Bakugou said, addressing his partner, his voice broadcasted into the observation room. "Gravity Girl is here with me. Still no sign of the other one, so keep an eye out."
"Alright Bakugou!" She responded, still skating around the room. "Good luck!"
He didn't say anything more, instead focusing all of his attention on Uraraka, who was doing the exact same thing.
Izuku could practically feel the tension in the air, despite being several buildings away. He was practically vibrating in place in anticipation for the imminent fight.
On the one hand, there was Bakugou. Someone who was such a powerful, through-and-through fighter that it was basically advertised in every movement he made, and who had a powerful quirk to match. On the other, was Uraraka. Someone who had a quirk that could end just about any fight with a single touch, and had the martial arts skills to use it.
As the moments stretched on with the two staring each other down, Uraraka seemed to notice that she was on a time limit. Bakugou could afford to wait and run out the clock, but she couldn't.
She darted forwards, low to the ground and with one hand drawn back. Bakugou responded with another sweeping explosion, sending her back down the hallway. This time though, he didn't give her a chance to regain her bearings. More explosions propelled him through the air after her.
He was on her in an instant, slamming an explosive palm onto the ground, barely avoided by Uraraka as she rolled away. Bakugou followed through, throwing a punch as soon as she managed to get her feet under her, barely missing. She thrust a palm at him, which he batted out of the way with one of his gauntlets, only to falter an instant later when he saw the pink glow around it. Another blast sent him back to his starting position, and the two paused their fight as he observed his gauntlet.
He lifted his arm, testing the weight of it, or the lack thereof, before his gaze trained back on his opponent. Izuku could see the thoughts passing through Bakugou's head, shifting strategies upon learning the specific activation requirements for Uraraka's quirk.
Then, a moment later, a small smirk appeared on Bakugou's face, barely noticeable. He dropped back into his stance, small explosions popping at his palms in anticipation.
---
The fight began in earnest after that, and the extent of both students' skills were put on display. Uraraka, now having experienced Bakugou's explosions, grew more confident in her movements around him. She put just enough space between the two of them when she dodged in order to avoid the worst of the blasts. She pressed forwards as hard as she could, using every opportunity to reach for him to use her quirk, recognizing that in a battle of attrition, she was at a disadvantage.
Meanwhile, Bakugou actually became less aggressive. Not so much in his movements, for as hard as Uraraka pushed, he pushed back just as fiercely, but in his attacks themselves. He knew that he couldn't go in for a direct strike without putting himself in range of her quirk, so he resorted to larger indiscriminate attacks to keep her at a distance. He had the advantage of ranged attacks and greater mobility, and he was making use of that.
The fight took them across the building as the time ticked on. Along the way, chunks of the walls around them started coming loose and clouds of dust started forming as the exertion increased the amount of sweat Bakugou was producing, augmenting the strength of his explosions.
As it stretched on, and All Might had long since called the halfway point, the two students started to show signs of wear.
Uraraka's costume was burnt and torn in places, her arm pieces were almost scorched black with how many times they'd taken the brunt of an explosion, and her helmet had partially shattered, leaving pieces of the transparent material missing from its bottom edge.
Bakugou was faring better, but was not unaffected. His other gauntlet had gone weightless where he'd blocked another strike after Uraraka had managed to get through his explosions. And he had a cut just above his right eye that was actively bleeding, impairing his vision. Uraraka had gotten her hands on a piece of rubble and threw it at him when he went to unleash an explosion. The combination of the enhanced speed of the zero-gravity rubble and his momentarily obscured vision allowing her to score the hit.
Now they were back to staring each other down, both panting in their exertion. Their fight had paused right in a crossroads for the hallways.
Their focus was drawn away for a moment when All Might announced the capture of Sero, which surprised Izuku as well. He'd been so focused on the fight that he hadn't even noticed Ashido and Sero.
Uraraka didn't hesitate, charging in low to the ground in a mirror of the move she'd opened with. Only, when Bakugou went to send an explosion to ward her off, she rolled to the side at the last moment, earning a new burn to her side but maintaining her closed distance. She swung her feet around, seeking to sweep his legs out from under him. But before she could even make contact, the largest explosion yet went off right between them.
A huge cloud of dust filled the space, leaving Bakugou barely visible and Uraraka completely hidden. He quickly realized his mistake, cursing to himself as he shifted his stance, searching through the dust for her.
Uraraka appeared a moment later on a different camera entirely. She was floating through the air once more, kicking off the walls as she moved. With clear proficiency, she maneuvered her way out of the hallway they'd been in, and within moments was at the entrance to another that made up the crossroads. She paused for a moment, resting a hand on her stomach, and shaking her head.
Izuku watched as Bakugou, still searching for her, raised a hand to one of his gauntlets. With a quick motion, the entire structure shifted, partially spinning around his arm. When it clicked into place, a faint white glow emanated from a hole at the top of the lever. Izuku's eyes widened as the function of the gauntlets was revealed to him.
Uraraka pushed off the wall, shooting down the hallway, directly at Bakugou.
He paused, turning his head in her direction, either hearing some faint noise or being alerted by some sixth sense that was on full alert in the middle of a fight. He raised his gauntlet slightly in the same direction.
As she approached, an instant from reaching Bakugou, the dust shifted slightly, revealing her to him.
Bakugou didn't hesitate. He couldn't afford to. He dropped to the floor, just out Uraraka's reach as she passed directly over him. In that split second, Izuku watched as the gauntlet was thrust towards her and a pin on the side was yanked.
The screen erupted in pure white, blocking out everything else. Shifting his focus over to another screen, this one set at the end of a hallway, Izuku saw Uraraka – unharmed beyond the injuries she'd already sustained, but with her eyes shut tight – flailing in an attempt to right herself or to stop as she continued to fly down the hallway. Bakugou was already back on his feet and following closely behind, propelled into the air. A particularly large explosion launched her even faster down the hallway.
At the last second, she pressed her hands together, returning her gravity just as she impacted the wall. With how hard she hit it, it was a wonder they didn't all hear something break through the earpiece.
When she came to a rest on the floor, she was still for a few very long seconds that almost had All Might leaving the room to rush over, before they saw her shift. She tried to get her arms beneath her, finally succeeding after a couple failed attempts. Eventually, Uraraka managed to get to her feet, leaning against the wall as she stood on shaky legs.
"Two minutes remaining!" All Might announced, breaking the silence that had taken over after that last attack.
Uraraka hadn't moved any further, and was scrubbing at her eyes with her free hand. When she removed it, he could see her blinking as she tried to look around her, but it was clear she couldn't actually see.
'A flashbang?' He thought. 'That's very interesting. I had no idea he could alter his explosions to that degree.'
Bakugou had not moved since his attack, instead keeping his distance while Uraraka attempted to regain her bearings. Just as it looked like he was about to step forwards though, Izuku's attention was drawn to another screen as Ashido skated down the hallways. She rounded a corner and noticed Uraraka. Picking up the pace, Ashido sped over to the other girl, capture tape in hand.
Ashido came to a stop right next to Uraraka, before reaching out to grab an arm. However, the moment she did, Uraraka reacted. She couldn't see, and she likely couldn't hear, but once Ashido touched her, she found out where exactly her opponent was, and that they were within arm's reach.
A palm was thrust out, impacting Ashido in the center of her chest. The pink girl flew backwards, rising into the air and flailing as she suddenly found herself no longer tethered to the ground.
Pushing herself up off the wall, though still a bit wobbly, Uraraka shook her head once more, before squinting down the hallway in Bakugou's direction. Her vision must've returned to some degree. She took a few shaky steps in his direction, and he dropped into another stance, albeit much less wary than he had been previously.
She made it halfway down the hallway when All Might called the end of the match and the villains' victory. The instant he did, Uraraka fell to her knees, collapsing to the ground unconscious. At the same time, Ashido fell from where she was floating through the air.
Bakugou relaxed, standing up out of his stance. Walking over to Uraraka, and kneeling next to where she'd fallen, he flipped her over on her back. He stared down on her with some unreadable expression on his face.
It wasn't long before she was being carried away on a stretcher piloted by two tiny robots and the other three made their way back to the observation room.
As they analyzed the fight, watching replays of certain moments, Izuku found himself immensely impressed with Uraraka and Bakugou. The two of them were incredibly skilled, matching up to each other in hand-to-hand combat, and it was only the second day of their time at Yueii.
Izuku smiled. He couldn't wait to see how much they would grow between now and when they graduated in three years.
---
"Etsumi!" A voice yelled out. "Where are you going? The entrance is this way."
Turning around, Izuku saw Iida heading in his direction. They'd just exited the locker rooms after changing back into their uniforms. With the last class of the day over with, they were free to head home. But Izuku had a stop to make before that.
"I thought I'd visit Uraraka in the infirmary before I left." He responded, continuing on his way. "I wanted to make sure she was okay. That's something that friends are supposed to do, right?"
Okay, maybe he didn't need to ask that. Logically, he knew that it was acceptable, if not expected, for people to inquire after someone that had been injured. But it wasn't as if he's had many opportunities to do so in the past, so while he's perfectly aware that there were no official rules stopping him from checking on her, he had no idea if there was some social convention that dictated otherwise.
And he did hope that she was okay. She'd been nice to him so far. It would be a shame to see her get too injured.
He missed the look Iida gave him, eyebrows drawn tight in thought, before regaining his friendly exterior. "Alright! Then I shall join you. I too wish to make sure she's okay after her fight."
Izuku hummed to himself as they worked their way to the infirmary. When they pushed open the door, they found Uraraka lying in one of the beds with Recovery Girl fussing over her. She was staring up at the woman with the smallest amount of fear in her half-lidded eyes. He didn't see any sign of Tsuyu or Todoroki. They must've already left.
"I swear! That boy has no sense! Four students in the infirmary on their second day here! Two of them with frostbite and another covered in burns!" She shouted, all while wrapping bandages around one of Uraraka's arms.
Her gaze snapped over to the two of them as soon as they entered the room. "You two had better not be injured!"
Izuku found himself impressed by the fire the tiny, old woman possessed behind her glare.
He smiled. "Nope. We're fine. We just came to check on her." He said, gesturing at Uraraka.
"Well, if you ignore the first- and second-degree burns, temporary blindness, nausea from quirk overuse, and hairline fractures to two of her ribs, she's just peachy!" Recovery Girl exclaimed, going back to wrapping another injury, her hands gentle despite the anger in her voice. "Honestly! Second day!" She continued, more to herself this time.
"So she's alright then?" Izuku asked.
"M' fine." Uraraka murmured from the bed. She seemed to only be half aware of what was going on, if that.
He got a sigh in response, partly from his question and partly because of Uraraka. "Yes. For the most part. I've healed the fractures and the blindness, and given her medicine for the nausea, but I can't do anything about the burns without her passing out. And she'll probably end up spending the night here with how exhausted she already is."
"Oh! What if we were to walk her home, ma'am?" Iida asked.
She raised an eyebrow at him. "If you really want to then I see no reason not to. Her injuries have been dressed and she's not at any risk for anything."
"Of course!" He responded enthusiastically. "I live not to far from her, so it's no trouble."
Both of them looked over at Izuku, who shrugged.
���Why not? I don't think I live that close, but I can fly, so it's not an issue."
She turned away at that, moving to gather up the supplies she'd been using to help Uraraka. "If that's what you want to do, then she's good to leave whenever. And I already told her, but since I doubt she'll remember much of what I'm saying, I want you two to remind her to come back here tomorrow so I can take another look at her bandages."
"Understood!" Iida responded, standing so straight, Izuku half expected him to salute.
Izuku moved over to Uraraka's bed and she looked up at him, her eyes seeming to take a moment to focus on him. He held at a hand. Blinking down at it for a few moments, and then letting out a yawn, she grabbed it, somehow subconsciously keeping a finger up to avoid using her quirk. Helping her to her feet, he secured an arm around her shoulder, making sure she wouldn't collapse under her own weight.
With that, the three of them made their way out of the infirmary, Izuku guiding Uraraka as she shuffled along, and Iida taking up the position on her other side.
---
Izuku was beginning to grow concerned.
He was still walking Uraraka home, though now without Iida as he had split off to head to his own house, apparently called back by his family. They were apparently getting close, and she was walking mostly under her own power now, the journey helping to wake her up.
The problem was that almost immediately after Iida left, and Uraraka started to lead Izuku closer to her home, the quality of the city around them seemed to drop with every step they took.
He wasn't really worried at first, as he thought the maybe she lived on the edge between the shitty parts of the city and the normal, slightly less shitty parts, but the further they went, the more their surroundings started to look like the areas he normally frequented as Oni. The areas that were barely patrolled by daytime heroes, and that saw a surge of crime when the sun set.
Granted, with how active he was at night, and with how many instances of crime he ended by sending the perpetrator to the hospital, the worst parts of his city didn't even compare to those of the surrounding cities. But all the same, it was concerning to see that Uraraka lived anywhere near here.
Then they came to a stop at an apartment building and his concern only grew. It was very clearly low quality, and he could even see where there were multiple windows broken out. This looked more like a criminal hideout that he would raid than somewhere people actually lived.
She led him inside without a word, and Izuku felt at least some relief when the interior was marginally better than what it looked like outside. But he still had a bad feeling.
After walking up a few flights of stairs – both of the elevators had 'out of order' signs hanging on them – she came to a stop in front of what he presumed was her door. She rummaged through her bag, searching for her keys. As she did, another door opened a short distance away, and out walked someone who's entire appearance 'piece of shit druggie.' They spared a glance at him and Uraraka, eyeing the bag that she was looking through. Izuku could almost see the thoughts racing behind their heavily dilated eyes as they spotted a potential source of money handled by a less-than-aware person.
Izuku sent a glare at them, baring teeth that were momentarily sharpened and allowing his bloodlust to surge until it filled the hallway. They recoiled with a strangled "Eep!" and took off in the opposite direction, tripping over their own feet. Thankfully, Uraraka was still too out of it to notice anything. The bad feeling in his chest grew stronger.
After a few moments, she finally had her keys out and inserted into the door, unlocking it for them to enter.
'Please have a decent apartment. Please have a decent apartment.' Izuku found himself repeating internally as she led him inside.
Closing the door behind him once his tail had made it through, he held his breath as he went from the entry way into the house proper. He released it as he moved into what was meant to be the living room.
He'd expected it to be bad – as much as he'd hoped for her sake that he was wrong – but holy shit. The pit in his chest grew as his eyes trailed over everything, or rather, as they trailed over the room itself, because there was nothing in it.
The living room was devoid of any furniture whatsoever, and a glance into the small, connected kitchen revealed the same thing, nothing beyond a refrigerator and microwave. There weren't even any decorations on the walls, or anything that would make him think that someone lived here. Looking down the small hallway, he moved towards the doorway Uraraka had disappeared through.
'At least let her have a bed.' He pleaded, though to whom, he wasn't sure. Stopping in the doorway, he did indeed see a bed, only it consisted of just a simple mattress lying on the floor and a blanket draped over it. There was a small alarm clock sitting next to it, but no other furniture. No desk, dresser, nightstand, anything.
As he took in the fact that she lived in an apartment with no furniture, he recalled the analysis request he'd received almost a year ago, from Uraraka. It hadn't come with any payment, and she'd explained that she didn't have the money to do so. He hadn't spared it much thought then, but now? Now that he was standing here learning that it went so far beyond simply not being able to pay for a quirk analysis? Now his mind was racing.
His friend(?), his first one in over a decade, was living in an empty apartment. It was barely a step above some of the living situations he'd experienced growing up. Hardly even that because there was a definite chill in the air, and he couldn't hear the telltale humming of a heating system. Was she homeless? Squatting in this building because it was doubtful that anyone would care enough to check?
He shook his head. No, that was unlikely, the electricity was functional, so she at least had some way to pay rent and live here officially.
If not that though, then what? And along that same line of thought, where were her parents? Morbid though it may be, Izuku almost hoped she didn't have parents, because he couldn't imagine why parents would let their child live in this sort of situation.
"Uraraka." He started, drawing her attention from where she'd been kneeling on the floor, unpacking her bag. "You- I-. You live here?"
In that moment, with that question, all of her exhaustion seemed to vanish as she noticed that he was there with her, in the apartment that she'd likely intended to remain a secret.
"Ah! Etsumi! I- uh, I can explain!" She responded, her eyes going wide and a prominent red glow appearing on her face, waving her hands in front of her as she stood back up.
Immediately, she dissolved into a storm of muttered explanations, reassurances, and something about her parents. Izuku barely got a word out of it, enhanced intelligence be damned.
"Stop." He said, cutting of the flow of words. She looked up at him, red in the face and with the beginnings of embarrassed tears in her eyes. Izuku could understand the feeling. He'd never had anyone he interacted with regularly enough to be worried about their judgement, but he could definitely understand being embarrassed about one's living situation.
"Take a deep breath." He ordered. She complied, albeit shakily. "Relax, and start again. Where are your parents?"
"They live in the Mie Prefecture." Came her response, much calmer. "It's too far away to commute to Yueii and back every day, so they rented out an apartment for me to stay in while I attend."
"Alright. Next question." He gestured vaguely around himself. "There's no furniture in here."
Not really a question, but she understood nonetheless.
"My parents own a construction company that hasn't exactly been doing too well. Not for a long time. They couldn't afford to get a better apartment, one that was already furnished, and furniture is expensive. Even this apartment is a pretty big expenditure."
Izuku pushed past all of the obvious flaws in that line of thinking. Second-hand furniture, if you knew where to find it, was incredibly cheap, and even something cheap was better than nothing at all. He was about to say something, when she spoke up again, voice barely above a whisper.
"That's why I want to be a hero."
"What do you mean?"
Her head dropped. "I want to be a hero for the money."
This time, he saw tears actually begin to fall as she continued, the embarrassment of her living situation being discovered mixed with whatever new shame she was feeling driving her over the edge. "I know that's a terrible reason to do it, but they've been struggling for so long to support me, I just want to become a hero so I can give back and support them for once."
Izuku panicked for a split second upon seeing her tears. This was not something he was equipped to handle in any way. He was much more suited to hurting criminals than comforting anyone, thank you very much. Nonetheless, he pushed through it, and took a deep breath.
"That's not a terrible reason." He said, causing her to lift head to look at him, the question obvious in her eyes. "Selfishness is irrelevant when it comes to heroics."
"What do you mean?" She asked, wiping at her eyes.
"Let me ask you something. Do you intend to do the best you can as a hero? To save as many people as possible?"
"Y-yes." She responded. Then, shaking her head and with more resolve in her voice. "Yes, of course."
"Then the reason why you want to be a hero isn't important. So long as you do the best you can, no one can ever tell you that you're doing it for the wrong reason."
"Besides," He continued. "Even if you want to be a hero for the money, you are in no way selfish, because you want to be able to support your parents. That is, quite literally, the exact opposite of selfishness."
He could see the conflict behind her eyes as he spoke, and found himself wondering just how long she'd been holding in both her reasons for becoming a hero and her belief that she was selfish because of it.
"I guess that makes sense." She relented after a moment.
"Anyone with braincells to spare could tell you the exact same thing."
"Now." He said, looking around at the mostly empty room. "We need to figure something out with your living situation, because this isn't going to work for three years."
Her eyes widened again as she realized what he was saying, and her hands were waving in front of her again. "That's really not necessary, Etsumi. I'm just fine like this!"
He gave her a deadpan stare, cutting off anything else she was about to say.
"You have no furniture, no heating, and your bed is a mattress on the floor. That's not a healthy living situation. No matter how minimalist someone might be, there are certain bare minimums that must be met. Especially for a student."
He stared at her, not breaking eye contact. "Please believe me when I say that I know from experience just how shitty it is to live like this for any extended period of time."
"Yeah, but…" She trailed off, trying to come up with something else to say.
"Uraraka, do you have enough food to eat?" He asked. "Enough to eat three healthy meals a day?"
The way her shoulders drooped further was enough of an answer.
"I can help you." He said. "I won't force you to do anything, but one way or another, something needs to change."
She looked back up at him, and he took it as his cue to continue.
Taking a quick moment to plan out his words, he spoke. "Moving forwards, I see three options." He held up a finger, "First, we bring this up to Nezu, the principal of Yueii. There are programs in place with most schools in Japan to assist students with financial struggles, and with hero schools, the Hero Commission has a few similar programs of its own. It would be enough to get you everything you need for a suitable living environment."
He held up another finger, "Second, I give you the money you need directly, and you use it to buy everything yourself."
"Before you say anything," He continued when he saw her open her mouth to object. "I have money to spare. I could give you enough to get what you need, or even find somewhere better to stay than here."
Izuku held up a third finger, taking a deep breath as he considered one more time what he was about to say. "And third, you come live with me."
Immediately, her face was red for an entirely different reason.
"Wh- what do you mean 'live with you'!?"
"Exactly that." Izuku responded. "We have room to spare, and of the three options, it's both the easiest, and the quickest. If that's what you wanted, you could move there today."
Izuku wasn't completely sure why he was offering his home to her, especially when they hadn't known each other very long. As best he could figure, it was a combination of her being his first friend in so long, combined with him sympathizing with her. Either way, he didn't regret it, the offer was completely serious.
"You- why are you offering to do so much?" She asked, incredulous.
He sighed in response. Then, "We're friends, right?"
She nodded, "Of course! You helped me more than once at the entrance exams, and you've been super nice to me. We're friends."
He felt something warm in his chest – aside from his quirks – upon hearing her confirm that they were in fact friends.
"Yes well, I'm not exaggerating when I say that you're the first friend I've had in well over a decade." He said, ignoring the way her mouth dropped open at the statement. "And like I said a minute ago, I know from experience how terrible it is to live like this."
"And your parents? Are they okay with you offering a stranger a place to stay?"
"I don't live with my parents." He responded, a small smile on his face. "It's just myself and my older sister. And before you ask, yes, she's okay with it."
Well, she had no idea what he was offering, and they hadn't discussed anything like this before, but he knew that she would sympathize with Uraraka's situation.
He watched her think for several long seconds, considering her options. After a minute, her shoulders slumped forwards ever so slightly.
"It does suck to not have any furniture here." She said quietly, "Even at home we have a tv, and I have a desk to use."
"It wears you down after a while." Izuku said knowingly. "To have no comforts at all. Nothing to make a house into a home. If you go long enough like that, you start to feel like you're less than human."
She thought for another few seconds, before nodding. "Okay."
"Okay?"
She took a breath. "If you're serious, then I'll take your offer to live w-with you."
A bright smile appeared on his face, probably the brightest genuine smile he'd had in quite a while. "Excellent. Then, as I said, we can get you moved there today. You just need to gather up your belongings."
"Alright." She responded with a small smile of her own. "I'll get everything together."
Izuku nodded. "While you do that, I'm going to let my sister know."
With that, he left the room, working his way back into the barren living room.
He pulled out his phone to type out a message to Rei. She should be waking up pretty soon, if she hadn't already.
4:43 [Izuku]-
-'Just as a heads up, we have a new sister. I'll be bringing her home shortly.'
He waited several long seconds as the little notification popped up say that she'd read it, and for her to type out her response.
4:44 [Rei]-
-'Ok.'
-'It's only the second day of school. What happened?'
4:44 [Izuku]-
-'I found out that one of my classmates is living on her own, in a literally empty apartment, in one of the shittiest parts of the city.'
-'She doesn't even have enough to eat. I wasn't about to let that continue. Not with as nice as she's been to me.'
4:45 [Rei]-
-'Alrighty then. I can't argue with that. And if you're vouching for her, it's fine with me.'
-'Do you need me to do anything?'
4:45 [Izuku]-
-'Just make sure that my room and office are locked up, if you don't mind. I'd rather her not find out about either identity. I'll take care of hiding any evidence later.'
He just got a thumbs-up emoji as a response.
Just then, Uraraka came into the living room with her school bag on her back and a garbage bag in her hand that seemed to be filled with clothes. Izuku ignored the pain in his chest upon seeing that the entirety of her belongings that she'd brought to Musutafu could fit into two bags. He vowed to fix that as soon as he could.
"I'm ready." She said, stopping next to him. "What should I do about the mattress?"
"Leave it. Our spare room already has a bed in it, and it'd more hassle than it's worth to dispose of yours."
"Now, if you're sure you have everything, let's get out of here." He said, holding out a hand for the garbage bag, which she handed over.
The two left the apartment, leaving her key on the kitchen counter. Soon enough, they were back on the street. Once they were, he lowered himself closer to the ground.
"Hop on." He said.
"Eh?"
"We can either fly back, and be there in less than ten minutes, or we can walk and be there in over an hour. I'm fine with whatever you decide, but I know that I would much rather take the shorter option."
"A-alright." She responded. And a moment later, he had someone on his back for the second time in one day. The itching sensation was back as she wrapped her arms around his neck. It was like someone was holding a knife to his throat. His body was telling him to throw her off and break something to defend himself, but he pushed that urge to the back of his mind.
"Hold on tight." He said as his wings stretched out.
Once he felt her grip tighten, he launched himself into the air, a bit gentler than he normally would. He ignored the way her grip turned into something closer to a chokehold with that motion. Within moments, they were soaring through the air, high above the buildings. Eventually, he heard the gasp that must've meant that she opened her eyes after the initial shock to look at their surroundings. He just barely heard her murmur "Woah" over the rushing wind.
Soon enough, he could see his apartment building in the distance. Once he drew close enough, he circled around it until he was on the living room side. Gliding down, he landed on the balcony, lowering himself again so that Uraraka could get off. He was glad to no longer have his instincts on edge.
Looking over, he saw that Uraraka was staring wide-eyed at the floor-to-ceiling windows that made up one whole wall of the apartment.
He smiled, "It took us a while to get to this point, but this is our home. Let's go inside, there's someone you should meet."
Moving over to the door, he held it open for her, moving in right after. Once he was in, he saw that Rei was waiting for them in the kitchen. She had a bright, welcoming smile on her face as she moved over to Uraraka.
"Hi there!" She greeted. My name is Reiko Etsumi, but you can call me Rei. I'm Izuku's sister."
"Um, hi." Came Uraraka's response. "I'm Ochako Uraraka."
"It's nice to meet you Uraraka! Why don't I give you the grand tour and show you your room?"
"O-okay."
If it were possible, Rei's smile brightened even more, guiding Uraraka away to show her around, she took the garbage bag when Izuku offered it.
With that done, Izuku moved towards his own room. Dropping his stuff, he quickly changed out of his uniform and into a casual t-shirt. Now properly dressed, he made his way back into the kitchen, picking out the recipe he wanted to use for dinner, and mentally changing the amounts around to account for a third person.
He could hear Rei talking from the direction of the spare room, and hoped that Uraraka liked it. It was pretty bare, as there had been no reason to do much of anything with it beyond put a bed in it for guests that they never expected to have, but he would try to fix that soon enough.
Humming to himself, he got to work preparing a meal that would be a suitable celebration for the unofficial addition of another member to their family.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone