Chapter Text
“Time’s up. Pencils down.”
Uraraka threw her hands up above her head, stretching out her sore muscles. “Finally!” Two hours hunched over exam papers was too much.
“Pass your papers up to the front. Iida will collect them. Kaminari, I said pencils down.”
“Awe, come on, Aizawa-sensei, I’m almost done!”
“You’re done when I say you’re done.”
Uraraka began to gather her things into her bag as her classmates irrupted into chatter.
“Ashido, wanna go check out that new ice cream shop that opened up last week?”
“Everyone, please pass your papers up in an organized fashion. Thank you very much.”
“Todoroki, how do you think you did? I’m not sure I got that last one right at all.”
“Hey! We should all go!”
“I’m honestly not sure. I didn’t remember that question being part of our study material.”
“Everyone, please, pass up your exams so that I can give them to Aizawa-sensei. Thank you, Ojiro.”
“Gawwww! I’m so glad that’s over. Hey, Kirishima, any plans for your break?”
“Yeah, we should make it a girl’s date. What do you think, Uraraka? Wanna join?”
“My family’s gonna be going on vacation. I haven’t decided if I want to join them or not.”
“It’s supposed to test how well you adapt in battle, dumbass. It’s not supposed to be something you can study for.”
“Yeah, I’d love to go.”
“EVERYONE QUIET DOWN, NOW!”
Aizawa’s booming voice was like a shock wave that went through the entire room at once. Students that were half way out of their seats sat down immediately. Conversations stopped mid sentence. Iida nearly dropped all their exam papers on the ground. And Uraraka felt a chill shoot up her spine. Silence filled the room as if a quirk had sucked all the sound right out of it.
“I understand you’re all tired and excited, but we aren’t done yet.”
“Oh don’t tell me there’s another test,” whined Kaminari.
“No, nothing like that. However tempting that may be.” Aizawa moved to sit at the front of his desk, crossing his arms in a way that could be perceived as casual, but their class knew better. Their teacher was about to give them on of his serious talks.
“I’m sure I don’t have to worry about any of you failing your exams,” he said, poignantly starring at Kaminari, Ashido, and Aoyama who all had the decency to bow their heads, “so I won’t repeat myself about remedial classes. I will, however, remind you that even though you’ll all be on a short break, you’re still students of UA. What you do reflects not only on the school, but on your future careers as heroes. Keep that in mind.” He took his time looking over their class, making eye contact with every single one of them before letting out a very heavy sigh. “Class dismissed.”
Several of students stood and cheered for their new found freedom. The chatter started back up again ten fold, but Uraraka wasn’t interested in keeping up with it. The way Aizawa looked at them all just now put a bad feeling in her mouth. Without thinking she blurted out, “Mr. Aizawa, you’re still going to be our home room teacher, right?” Her words seemed to suck the life right out of the room. But instead of the stunned silence that Aizawa had commanded before, now there was a subtle feeling of dread.
Kirishima fussed at her. “Of course he is, right sensei? He couldn’t leave us alone if he tried.” But when Aizawa refused to confirm the confidence started to fade from Kirishima’s face. “You are going to be our home room teacher again, right?”
Aizawa bowed his head respectfully. “It’s been my honor to be your teacher this past year. I wish you all the best in your remaining years at UA and your upcoming careers. I can’t wait to see the heroes you all become.”
Uraraka wanted to cry. Truthfully, they all should have known, but it seemed that she hadn’t been the only one of her class that had been in denial. In a month they would have a new teacher. Of course they would.
It was obvious that several students wanted to fight about it, but just as many of them stood to voice their complaints All Might walked in. He paused at the door, noting the sea of stunned and saddened faces. “I take it you told them.”
“Honestly, I shouldn’t have had to. It’s normal.”
“Yeah, but you know how easily they get attached.” All Might smiled. “They aren’t the only ones.”
“Did you need something?”
“Yes, actually.” He turned towards the class. “I’m sorry to disturb you all, but I need young Midoriya, young Bakugo, and young Uraraka to stay after class. Just for a bit. There’s something I need to discuss with you three. You as well, Aizawa.”
“Alright, you heard him. You three stay put, the rest of you get out of here. I’m tired of seeing your faces.”
All Might laughed. “Sure you are.”
Uraraka and Deku moved to sit in the first two desks in front of Aizawa’s desk while Bakugo stayed seated at his own. Aizawa and All Might seemed to be in a starring contest, each boring their eyes into the other. It was actually quite fascinating.
“Are you two going to stare lovingly into each other’s eyes all day or can we get on with it?”
“Yes, of course, young Bakugo.” All Might cleared his throat. “As you just heard from Aizawa you’re going to have a new teacher next term.”
“Is it going to be you, All Might?” Deku nearly jumped out of his seat. Uraraka was sure that if he put any more of his weight on the desk he’d fall flat on his face. It was kinda cute.
“Uh, no, young Midoriya. I will be teaching, but I won’t be your home room teacher. We, uh, actually don’t have one for you all yet.”
“What do you mean they don’t have one yet?” Asked Aizawa, clearly caught off guard. “I thought they were going to – “
“That hasn’t been confirmed yet.” All Might turned towards the three of them. “Actually, that’s why I asked you all here. I want you to come meet a friend of mine.”
“A – friend?”
“This ‘friend’ is who you want teaching us next, right?”
“Perceptive as ever, young Bakugo. Yes, I think this person would make an excellent teacher for your class, but they are, uh – well, let’s just say that I use the term ‘friend’ a bit one-sidedly.” Aizawa stood silent, barely moving. Uraraka could feel the intensity radiating off of him. “That’s why I want the three of you to meet them. I know after having spoken to you three that they will change their mind.”
“‘Change their mind?’” Aizawa looked skeptical. “So you’ve already spoken to this person and they refused?”
“Well, yes and no.” All Might scratched the back of his head. “They didn’t really give me a chance to explain.”
“So you’re using us?” Bakugo growled.
“Saying that I’m using you makes it sound nefarious. I’d just like her to meet you three and if she still says no then I’ll leave it at that.”
“‘Her,’ huh?” Aizawa looked pissed. All Might must have caught on, or anticipated it, because he didn’t flinch, but Uraraka noticed he was sweating considerably.
“What do you say? Will you join me tomorrow? You, as well, Aizawa.”
Deku was the first to speak up. “Of course! I’d love to meet a friend of All Might’s. Is she a pro hero, too.”
All Might became instantly uncomfortable. “Uh, well, you’ll just have to see if you recognize her when you meet her.”
Deku started mumbling to himself about all the female pro heroes All Might could introduce them to, going through a list longer than Uraraka would have guessed. She didn’t know there were so many.
“What do you say, young Uraraka? Young Bakugo? Will you join us as well?”
Bakugo let out a sound that usually meant he didn’t care. Uraraka didn’t know how Bakugo felt about All Might, if he had the same reverence for him that Deku did, so she couldn’t say if that was his reasoning but he wasn’t flat out rejecting the offer, so that was something.
“I’ll go, All Might. I’d love to meet another female hero.”
“Excellent. Then I’ll see the four of you at the front gate at eleven tomorrow morning. It’s a bit of a ride by train, so make sure to pack some snacks in case you get hungry.”
With that All Might waved goodbye and left. Midoriya immediately bounced out of his seat and mumbled a hurried goodbye as well, continuing his conversation with himself about who it was they could be meeting tomorrow.
“So we’re bait then,” Bakugo said once the door had shut.
“Looks that way.”
“Now we don’t know that,” Uraraka said, trying to give All Might the benefit of the doubt. “It could be just as he said. He just wants her to meet us.”
“Don’t be naïve, Pink Cheeks. It doesn’t suit you.”
“I’m not, I just don’t think its right that we immediately doubt All Might. He’s always tried to do what’s best for us.”
“I understand where you’re coming from, Uraraka, but All Might is still human. And humans make mistakes. Even him.” Aizawa glanced towards the door. “Especially him.”
~*~
The next morning Uraraka, Deku, and Bakugo walked together to the front gates of UA. Waiting there for them were Aizawa and All Might dressed in street clothes. It was always weird to Uraraka when she’d see her teachers out of their hero costumes. With All Might it was a bit easier when he wasn’t in his muscle form, but it always tripped her up when she’d see Aizawa in regular clothes. Almost like he had a life out side of UA.
“Good morning young Midoriya, young Uraraka, young Bakugo. Glad you all could make it on time. Do you have your snacks packed for the train ride? Did you grab enough to drink? Have you had a good breakfast? You know breakfast is the most important meal of the day.”
“Christ, lets get going already. We haven’t even left campus yet and you’re already acting like our mom.”
Bakugo stomped on ahead with Aizawa following shortly behind. Deku came to stand beside All Might.
“Are you nervous to see your friend again, All Might?”
He laughed. “You hit the nail on the head, young Midoriya. I am nervous. If only because our last meeting didn’t go as well as I had hoped.” He cleared his throat and smiled down at the two of them. “But, with a little luck on our side things should go smoothly. I know she’s going to like the three of you very much. You’re each just the thing to get her excited about teaching again.”
Again? Uraraka found that tidbit interesting. So they were meeting a former teacher who used to be friends with All Might. And some how she, Deku, and Bakugo were the three best options to convince her to come back to teaching. That part struck her as odd. Deku and Bakugo she could understand. Deku was basically All Might’s protégé and Bakugo was one of the top students in class, both in his studies and use of his quirk. But why was she there? She wasn’t a top student, not by a long shot. She sat towards the bottom in her studies compared to the rest of her class. And her quirk was fine, but not nearly as impressive or flashy as some of her fellow class mates. Honestly, Todoroki should have been invited, not her.
“We better get going before the two of them leave us behind.” They caught up to Bakugo and Aizawa as quickly as they could, then boarded a train headed north. “We‘ll be traveling to Niigata, so make yourselves comfortable.”
“Niigata! I’ve never been. Is there anything fun to do there?”
“We aren’t going there to sight see.” Aizawa crossed his arms over his chest and made himself comfortable. Uraraka could almost count the seconds till he fell asleep. “We talk to who we need to talk to then we leave. That’s it.” Then Aizawa-sensei was fast asleep.
“Unfortunately, he’s right, young Uraraka. We won’t have time to take in any of the local delights. But perhaps another time.”
Uraraka gave a silent acknowledgment and tried not to show exactly how disappointed she was. She hardly ever got to travel outside of UA, much less out of Tokyo unless it was to go back home briefly. Yeah, this was supposed to be work for them, more or less, but she was hoping she’d be able to have a little bit of fun. She tried to shrug it off. Them’s the breaks of hero work, even if this didn’t technically qualify as hero work.
But, still, though.
The train ride was pleasant. Uraraka sat in the middle seat between Deku and Bakugo, she suspected so that Bakugo wouldn’t be tempted to beat up on Deku. She had a feeling Aizawa was the person to thank for that. It was fine, though. Deku muttered on about who he suspected they were going to meet. Learning that this hero lived in Niigata changed his list considerably. He went on for the first thirty minutes going over all the female pros who operated out of Niigata. Uraraka tried really hard to pay attention, but she felt herself falling asleep around the forty-five minute mark.
She woke up with a start when she felt her head whip up suddenly. The train had stopped and people were grabbing their bags. Had they reached Niigata already? How long had she been asleep?
“Mornin’, Pink Cheeks. Get a good nap in?” She turned to Bakugo who had a shit-eating grin across his face. Suddenly, she was mortified.
“Oh my god, I didn’t drool on myself, did I?” She checked her face for any dried crust that would have been left behind but found none. Bakugo laughed.
“Oh, I wish. That would have made this whole trip worth it. My arm did fall asleep, though, thanks to your big-ass cheeks.”
“Your arm?” Uraraka gave it two seconds of thought, then realized what had happened. “Wow, Bakugo,” she said teasingly “how chivalric of you to let a lady fall asleep on you and not wake her up. I didn’t know you had it in you.”
“Don’t get use to it. I only allowed it because it shut Deku up real fast. I couldn’t take any more of his incessant rambling.”
Uraraka looked around. “Where is Deku anyway? And All Might and Aizawa?”
“They got off already. Said they’d wait for us at the entrance.” He stood and grabbed her bag from the overhead compartment and threw it at her. He flung his messenger bag over his shoulder.
“Why’d you wait?” She said with a smile. “Being a gentleman again?”
“Not on purpose. I just hate crowds.” He looked around at the lack of passengers still on board. “You comin’, Pink Cheeks? Or are you ditching?”
“Give me a second.” They made their way off the train and headed towards the entrance of the station. Sure enough, waiting for them were Deku, All Might, and Aizawa.
“About time. Let’s get moving.” Aizawa headed off by himself.
“Does he know where he’s going?”
“I have a feeling he’s figured out who we are going to see.” All might sighed heavily. “I was hoping it would take him a little longer. Come along you three.”
The five of them walked for a while. Uraraka and Deku talked aimlessly about what they expected from their second year at U.A. with Bakugo interjecting randomly to either call them dumb or make suggestions of his own. All Might chimed in every so often to either confirm or deny their suspicions. Aizawa was uncharacteristically quiet. After thirty more minutes he stopped in front of an apartment complex. “This is the place, right All Might?”
“… yeah,” he said with a sigh. “This is it.”
On the second level they stood in front of apartment 206. All Might had the three of them stand closest to the door with him and Aizawa directly behind. “Don’t say anything to her unless she asks you directly,” he warned. “And, whatever you do, don’t give her your names.”
Before Uraraka could ask why, All Might knocked on the door. Inside she could hear a dull crashing sound, like someone had dropped a frying pan, then a very loud and explicit curse. The person inside stomped their way to the door and flung it open with gusto. The woman in front of them was a mess. Uraraka mentally slapped herself for thinking such a thought, but it was really hard not to. Her hair looked like it hadn’t been brushed in months. Her clothes were stained, faded, and falling off of her. And she looked like she hadn’t slept in years. Calling her a mess was probably a kindness.
“Hello, Aris – “ She slammed the door in their faces.
“Well, that went well.”
All Might sighed. He’d been doing that a lot this trip. “Just give her a minute.”
“I can’t fucking believe you.” Uraraka whipped her head to look at Aizawa. She had never heard him cuss before, even when he’d had plenty of reason to. He’d managed to keep his cool in even the worst of circumstances, so she wondered exactly how pissed he’d have to be to say such a word in front of his students.
“I know you disagree, Shota, but please trust me on this.” All Might straightened his posture. “It’ll work out for everyone in the end.”
“Trust you?” She could see Aizawa stiffen. “Isn’t that what got us here in the first place? You saw her. So forgive me if I’m not quick to trust your judgement again.”
All Might was about to respond when the door flew open again. The woman had changed her clothes to something that was at least semi-clean and had thrown her hair up into a bun. It wasn’t the most put together look, but still more presentable than before. She glared daggers at All Might, then looked squarely at Uraraka, Deku, and Bakugo before glaring again at All Might. She didn’t even glance in Aizawa’s general direction.
With a huff she opened the door fully and stood aside. “Come in.” Her voice was hoarse, like how Uraraka sounded when she had just woken up after sleeping in too long. Uraraka turned to All Might who gave her an encouraging smile. The three of them walked into the apartment and were instantly hit with the smell of mold and mildew. The apartment was hot, humid, and suffocating. Trash was piled up into rolling hills across the floor. Clothes were strewn about in random places. Dishes were precariously stacked in the sink so they wouldn’t collapse, but only just barely. Uraraka had never seen anything like it in her life. Not to this extent, at least.
Their host stood in the middle of it all, arms crossed, like she was ready for a fight. Her eyes never left All Might, but Uraraka could see the slight pinking of her ears. She looked around the apartment again. It had been a long time since she’d seen anything this bad, but she knew the signs just the same. A familiar itch gnawed at her.
“Well,” said their host. “Out with it, Yagi.”
“Arisu, I want you to come back to U.A. I want you to teach these children for their second year.”
Uraraka was amazed that All Might had gotten right to the point. She had thought there would have been more preamble leading up to it, but, no. All Might just dived into the water without checking the temperature.
Arisu – it was weird only knowing her first name – continued to glare at All Might, taking several deep breaths, before finally acknowledging the rest of them. Her eyes were intense, seemingly starring directly into their soul, picking them apart piece by piece. Uraraka found it incredibly unnerving.
“You,” she said, pointing at Bakugo, “what’s your quirk?”
“Why should I fucking tell you?”
His attitude seemed to pique her interest. She approached Bakugo abruptly, scanning him again up and down, getting in his space. To his credit he didn’t budge, but Uraraka had known him long enough to know he didn’t like it. Arisu focused in on his clenched fists and grabbed one arm by the wrist, forcing his fingers open and examining his hand closely. “Scar tissue,” she mumbled to herself, reminding her of Deku. She smelled his hand. “Smells like charred sugar. You produce a flammable agent through your skin – no,” she smelled his hand again, “salty – through your sweat. And you can ignite it with your body heat producing an explosion similar to dynamite.”
Bakugo pulled back his hand. “How did you fucking know that.” But she had already moved on to Uraraka.
“And you?”
She didn’t want this lady smelling anything on her so Uraraka answered quickly. “I can make anything float by getting rid of it’s gravity.” Arisu narrowed her eyes on her.
“How?”
“I just have to touch it with my fingers.” Her eyes narrowed more, but she moved on to Deku. Uraraka breathed a sigh of relief. She’d been sparred.
“What about you?”
Deku was instantly uncomfortable. He fidgeted in place while trying desperately to look behind him. Was he looking for Aizawa or All Might? She couldn’t be sure. Arisu approached him, grabbing one arm and examining his hand, much like she did with Bakugo. She pulled on each of his fingers and pinched them. Then she violently pulled back the sleeve of his shirt, exposing his upper arm. “How many bones have you broken?”
Deku was caught off guard. “What do you mean?”
“It’s a simple question.”
“But how did you – “
She released his arm then walked away from them further into her apartment. She was pulling at her hair, raising her head to the ceiling, as if in prayer. “How many, Yagi?”
“There are twenty students,” he answered automatically. “Each of them has as much promise as these three, and I know with your guidance – “
“No!” She turned and yelled, fury in her eyes. “How many have you almost gotten killed?”
No one answered. Their first year at U.A. had been far too eventful for any of them to lie effectively. They had been put in danger so many times Uraraka had lost count.
Arisu must have read it on their faces. They quickly were learning just how perceptive she was. “I can’t fucking believe you, Yagi.” She looked exhausted. “Get out, all of you.” She turned towards the sliding glass door at the back of the apartment and plopped herself down, crawling into the fetal position, her knees curled up to her chest.
Uraraka looked up at All Might who just looked defeated. Deku as well. Aizawa was quiet, he hadn’t made a sound since they entered the room, but she could see the sadness in his eyes. She turned to look at Bakugo who just seemed confused by the whole ordeal. She agreed. This whole thing had been a mess, and she had no idea what to do; if there was anything she could do. Then she saw the dishes piled up in the sink. She could practically taste the putrid smell from where she stood, though she’d gotten a little use to it by then. She wondered how long it had been since they last saw soap. Definitely too long.
In that moment she made up her mind.
Uraraka took off her coat and handed it to All Might. Without a word she went over to the sink and started sorting out dirty dishes on the counter to clear out some space. She rinsed the ones on top and set them aside. She worked as quietly as she could, trying not to be too much of a nuisance in the process.
Bakugo came to stand beside her and bumped her to the side with his hips. “I’ve got this,” he said, taking over where she left off. “Deku! Get over here and start gathering this trash.”
“Hey, I can do it,” she argued, but Bakugo just started at her.
“Go do something else. I told you I’ve got this.”
“Ura – ravity,” said Deku under his breath, “there are things Kacchan and I can’t do for her, so you take care of those things and we’ll clean up here.”
Ah, so that was it. She smiled up at Deku and Bakugo who smiled back and grunted, respectfully. She began gathering the clothes that were piled up all over the place.
“Miss Arisu, do you have a basket for laundry?”
“Hey,” said All Might, slightly under his breath, “you kids don’t have to do this.” Uraraka looked him dead in the eye and answered “we know” with Deku and Bakugo singing backup. All Might just smiled. “Alright. What can I do to help?”
“You can start gathering the trash in areas I’ve already picked up clothes. Mr. Aizawa, can you check the fridge? Toss anything that needs to go and clean it out. Bakugo, can you think of some easy meals we can make in bulk? Deku, when you’re done make a list of ingredients we’ll need. Get with Bakugo and Mr. Aizawa. Then Mr. Aizawa, I need you to go shopping.”
Everyone took to their jobs like a champ and, to her delight, without protest. The apartment wasn’t very big, only a little bigger than the dorms at U.A. With the five of them working together they could probably knock all the cleaning out within the hour.
“Ms. Arisu,” Uraraka asked again, a bit kinder this time, “do you have a basket for your laundry?” The woman didn’t move from the floor except to point at a closet on one side of the room. “Thank you.” In the closet Uraraka found the laundry basket as well as detergent. She was great full for small miracles.
She pulled out the basket from its hiding place. It looked like it hadn’t been touched for a while. She didn’t find that surprising. She went to grab the detergent from the shelf above when out of the corner of her eye she caught sight of something big pushed off to the back. A punching bag? She poked her head out and looked around the apartment, checking the ceiling. Sure enough, there was a hook set up in the far corner, across from the kitchen. Part of her wondered if that would constitute a break in the lease, installing a punching bag like that.
Over an hour later the dishes had been cleaned, dried, and put away in freshly cleaned cabinets; all the trash had been gathered and taken out to the bin in the back; the fridge had been cleaned and any nasty residents had been removed; the floors had been vacuumed; and the laundry cleaned and put away. Uraraka felt immensely proud of the work they had done. The place didn’t even feel like itself anymore. It certainly smelled a whole lot better.
“We’re back,” said Aizawa as he entered, arms loaded with grocery bags. Deku was just behind him, arms fully loaded as well.
“We got everything on the list, Uravity.”
“Great!” She gathered a small basket and sifted through the bags looking for the bath products she’d added to the list. “I’ll leave dinner up to you guys. We might be a while.” She walked over to Arisu, gently laying a hand on her shoulder. “Ms. Arisu, lets go to the bath together. Come on, up you go.” She pulled Arisu up to her feet. She had expected a fight, but other than being like a wet noodle, she didn’t put one up.
“Head west then hang a left at the first convenience store. It’ll be on your right.”
“Thank you, Mr. Aizawa.” Another item she had scribbled on Deku’s list was for them to find the closest public bath house. She was glad that Mr. Aizawa followed through for her.
Now that everything in the apartment was cleaned up, there was only one thing left to do.
~*~
It took Uraraka no less than forty-five minutes to detangle Arisu’s hair. She used nearly half a bottle of conditioner on it to try and make it easier, but it still took forever. At one point she was afraid they’d have to cut most of it off, but Uraraka was determined not to fail. And thank the hair gods she didn’t give up, because under all that matted up mess was some of the most beautiful hair she had ever seen. Naturally black and surprisingly soft, but that could have been because of all the conditioner. Also, incredibly long. Once all the hair had been set right again it reached all the way down her back, gracing the top of her buttocks. It was quite gorgeous.
Uraraka wanted to say the same about Arisu herself, but stripping her down revealed Uraraka’s worst suspicions; the woman was all skin and bone. She could count nearly every rib bone and every vertebrae clearly. Her joints bulged due to the lack of muscle mass in her arms and legs. It was… incredibly disturbing for Uraraka to see. She didn’t know anything about this woman, not even her last name, but her heart broke for her. She couldn’t even imagine what kind of trauma, if any, could lead to this kind of depression. She wasn’t sure she wanted to know.
“Why are you doing this for me?” They had been sitting in the bath together for some time now and those were the first words Arisu had spoken since they left the apartment. Uraraka was silent for several seconds. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to share her actual reason with this woman. According to All Might, she wasn’t even supposed to share her name. But something in Uraraka had broken at the sight of Arisu’s apartment. It was a scene that hit far to close to home.
“My parents own a construction company back home. When I was young, business was great. My parents were happy, I always got lots of presents, and there was always plenty of food on the table.” Uraraka splashed her hand on the surface of the water lightly. She watched the ripples disappear as they moved away. “Shortly after that business slowed down. My parents started to argue more. I received fewer presents. And we had less and less food available. A little later it got worse. They stopped arguing and started ignoring each other. I considered it lucky if I got a birthday present. And I learned to survive off of instant ramen. That was as bad as it got, thank goodness. And things are a lot better now, but still not as good as they use to be.
“But I remember when my dad would leave for work; my mother would just crawl into a ball on the floor, kinda like you did today. Dishes would sit in the sink and if they were still there when dad got home he’d just look at them then go into the bedroom. So I started cleaning. Eventually my mother started to help when she saw me working. Then dad slowly joined in. Eventually, it became kinda like our family time. It was how we bonded. Even now, when my parents argue over money they’ll clean the house and eventually apologize. It’s become almost like therapy for them.”
She took a deep breath, looking up at the ceiling. “Seeing you there, living in that apartment, in that environment… it reminded me of my parents.” She exhaled. “Depression is a beast that hits everyone differently. Sometimes there’s a way out, sometimes there isn’t. But… I wanted to help you. Even just a little bit.”
They sat silently for a while. Uraraka watched her fingers get prunier and prunier. She wondered if there was a stage past pruny.
“Uravity, was it?”
“Uh, yeah. That’s my hero name.”
“… it’s cute.” Uraraka blushed. “The other two? Deku and … ?”
She sighed. “His hero name is Ground Zero, but I’ve literally never heard anyone use it. Deku calls him Kacchan, but I’m pretty sure he’s the only one who can get away with it. In fact, I’m not even sure he does most days.”
“Get away with it?”
“Yeah. They’re, uh, sort of childhood friends. At least Deku thinks so, anyway.”
Arisu considered that for a second. “You should call him Kacchan.”
“Ha! No way. I like living, thank you very much.”
“I’m serious. Try it sometime. You might be surprised.” Arisu stood up. “We should head back. They probably have dinner ready.”
~*~
Dinner was indeed ready when they returned. “Of course it’s ready,” shouted Bakugo. “It’s damn near cold because you both took so long. What happened at the bath house? Wait, don’t tell me. Your damn head was in the clouds again, wasn’t it Pink Cheeks? Did you even find the bath house or did you just wander around the city for over two hours? I swear to Christ if you ditched us to go shopping I’m gonna loose my fucking shit.”
Uraraka ignored him. He was yelling but it was obvious to even her that his heart wasn’t in it. But she could understand why he was mad. He’d prepared a pretty heft spread for them.
There wasn’t a table for them to eat at, but they had placed everything on a blanket on the floor. Bakugo had prepared Gyudon, baked fish, rice, and vegetables. If any of it tasted as delicious as it smelled then she was going to have to find ways for him to cook more often.
They all sat around the blanket of food, talking and joking as they ate. Everything really was delicious and it had been mostly Bakugo’s doing, with assistance from Deku and Aizawa. Apparently, All Might was a terrible cook and regulated to cleaning duties by Bakugo after he got fed up with the hero’s “piss poor attempt at cutting onions. I’ve never seen a grown man cry so much in my life. It was pathetic.” Aizawa had nodded his head in silence while Deku did what he could to help All Might’s ego survive. Uraraka did her best to hold back her laughter, but it was really difficult.
Arisu sat between her and Aizawa silently. But she was paying attention. Even smiling once or twice at All Might’s expense. Uraraka considered that a win. She didn’t eat much, but that was probably for the best. She didn’t need to be scarfing down tons of food at once. She just needed to eat something.
Per Uraraka’s instructions Bakugo had prepared enough for one person to eat for at least a week. And with the leftovers from their dinner that left plenty of food for Arisu, for a while at least. What would happen to her when all that food was gone? Would she end up right back where she started? Uraraka didn’t know, but for the moment, at least, she was in a better spot then when they’d first met.
By the time they had decided to leave it was just past sunset. Bakugo left very specific instructions for Arisu on how to reheat what was in the fridge while Deku tried to make a case for just using the microwave. “I didn’t slave over a hot stove for over an hour just so she could microwave the flavor out of this shit.”
Aizawa grabbed the two of them by their ears and dragged them out the door. “Enough you two. Another word and I’ll make you walk home.”
“Aizawa-sensei! It’s two hours by train. That would take us all weekend!”
“You’re a fucking psychopath, Aizawa!”
“I’m really sorry about them, Arisu.” All Might bowed low. “I hope we weren’t too much of a disturbance. But, I have to ask, please consider our offer. I believe it would be a good fit. For everyone. Come along, young Ura – ah, Uravity.”
Uraraka bowed, then made her way out just as she felt a tug on her arm. Looking back, Arisu had a hold of her jacket sleeve. “Thank you,” she said. “For everything.” Without thinking Uraraka pulled her into a hug.
“Don’t listen to All Might,” she whispered in Arisu’s ear. “It’s okay if you don’t want to teach. Our class is a huge pain, anyway. Just promise me you’ll find something that brings you happiness. I know it’s not that easy, but please just try.”
With one final smile they left. Aizawa, Deku, and Bakugo were waiting at the bottom of the stairs, the latter two cupping their ears. They started back towards the train station when the door to Arisu’s apartment swung open and she ran out onto the balcony.
“Hey Yagi!” She yelled down to them, her hair flying wildly around her as she clenched onto the railing. Uraraka could see the slightest bit of life in her eyes. “Tell the plushie I’ll take the job. I’ll call him tomorrow.”
She ran back inside immediately, slamming the door once again.
“… ‘Plushie?’”
“Ha! I knew I liked her!”
~*~
Uraraka slept like a log the whole ride back. She’d never been so tired in her life. Being a student at U.A. was physically demanding, but the last eight hours had been emotionally draining. She was going to hit her bed as soon as she got back and not leave for at least two days.
She woke up as soon as the train started to slow down. She tried to move but an enormous weight had her pinned to a wall. Had her body given completely out on her? Was she really that tired?
She looked over to see a tuft of green hair next to her face. Deku had fallen asleep on her shoulder and she had fallen asleep on Bakugo’s. Again. He had his head propped up on his fist against the window. Uraraka determined he looked almost peaceful when he was asleep.
Almost.
Deku, on the other hand, had his mouth hanging open with a little bit of drool hanging off the side. She determined that not only was it kind of adorable, but also that they were good enough friends that she wouldn’t mention it to him later.
“Get some rest?” Aizawa sat across from them next to All Might. Uraraka hummed. She was still so tired.
“That was a very good thing you did today, young Uraraka.” She could feel her cheeks and ears get warm.
“I didn’t do anything, sensei. We all helped.”
“But you started it. We all just followed your lead. I’m not sure any of us would have thought to even try.”
“It’s not a big deal.”
“But it was to her. So, thank you, young Uraraka.”
She said nothing. She didn’t feel like she could really take that much credit for the work they had all put in today. It was a team effort, after all.
Getting back to U.A. took forever. They were all so exhausted that just moving felt like it should have been an Olympic sport. But, eventually, they made it back. The teachers left almost as soon as they walked back through the gate, giving some sort of excuse about finals to grade. Uraraka suspected that Aizawa, in particular, was just tired of looking at them. All Might congratulated them once more then departed.
“Ah, I’m so beat! Who would have thought cleaning could be so exhausting.”
“Quit whining, Deku. You didn’t have to cook and clean. I’m gonna sleep for a week.”
“Hey,” Uraraka stopped just inside the grounds. Deku and Bakugo looked at her questioningly. “Thank you both for helping today. I mean it. You didn’t have to, but you did. It really meant a lot.”
Deku smiled. “Of course! That’s what hero work is all about. But it was really you that put all that into motion, Uraraka. I’m sure Ms. Arisu really appreciated it.”
Uraraka starred at the ground. “It really wasn’t that much.”
“Sure it was. Don’t underestimate yourself, Uraraka. Well, I’m going off ahead. I’ll see you all later. Don’t forget we move out of the dorms tomorrow. See ya!”
Deku ran off – how the hell did he have enough energy to run – leaving her alone with Bakugo.
“Oh, goddammit, Deku! I completely forgot to pack. Ugh!” Uraraka let out a breath she hadn’t realized she had been holding. Why did everyone want to praise her? It wasn’t like she really did anything. “ – ey. Hey, Pink Cheeks, you there?”
She looked up only to have Bakugo inches away from her face, starring straight at her. Her heart nearly stopped from the shock. “Sorry, what?”
“Pay attention when I talk to you,” he said, straightening his back. “I’m only going to say this once, got it?” She nodded. “You need to learn how to take a compliment. Just accept it and move on, alright? … Why are you making that face?”
She tried to hold it in as long as she could, she really did, but she was just too tired. Without warning she busted out laughing. And not a polite laugh, either. It was the kind of laugh she hardly ever used because it was just so unrefined. But she couldn’t help it. Because Katsuki Bakugo had just tried to school her on how to take a compliment.
It was the most hilarious thing she had ever seen.
“Oi, don’t laugh at me! Hey! Get up off the ground. Now you’re just making a fool of yourself.”
She couldn’t help it. She laughed so hard her sides hurt, so she just sat on the balls of her feet, clutching at her ribs. She tried several times to calm down, but every time she’d look back up at Bakugo with his stupid scowl plastered across his face and she’d feel another fit of laughter hit her.
Katsuki Bakugo was schooling her on self acceptance. Where was Ms. Joke when you needed her?
“Ya done yet?”
“Yes, yes, I’m sorry. I’m sorry, it’s just – hmm – I’m good. I’m good, I swear, I’m done.”
“You better be,” he scowled, turning to leave. “Because that’s the last time I give you any kind of advice.”
“Oh come on,” she said, catching back up to him, tears still in her eyes, “don’t be like that.”
“I’m serious. I was trying to tell you that ya did good today, but then you laugh in my face. See if I ever do that shit again.”
“I promise not to laugh in your face anymore.”
“Not good enough.”
Uraraka hummed in thought, an idea hitting her. “How about this then?” She jumped ahead of him, smiling. “Thank you for the meal… Kacchan.”
She watched as Bakugo stood dumbfounded; his face, neck, and ears turning from pink to bright red.
“Oh hell no! You are not starting that shit, too. Absolutely not! Dammit Pink Cheeks, don’t you run away from me. Get back here!”
Uraraka ran back to the dorm feeling more alive than she had felt in a long time.