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Izuku grinned, hiding it behind his hand, at Himiko as she slurped her noodles. It was weird to think that the two women had only been at his house for less than 3 hours, but he’d already forgotten that they were villains. Watching the blood sauce that Inko had prepared for Himiko flick off her wildly swinging soba made her seem his age. Like on Monday morning, he’d walk back onto U.A. campus, and she’d be there, waiting to start class with him.
Inko had decided to brush up on her cold soba making skills when she had heard that his boyfriend’s favourite food was cold soba. And it seemed to be a fantastic choice. Himiko had gotten her own sauce due to the nature of her quirk’s needs. Magne was delighted and was working on third helping. Izuku loved whatever his mom put in front of him because Inko took time out of her busy day to sit and eat with him.
“Himiko, you have a little sauce on your face,” Magne gently patted the girl’s arm. Himiko raised her wrist, wrapped in her sleeve, to wipe it away, and Izuku snorted.
“Here. I know for a fact that Magne just bought that for you.” Izuku offered out a napkin to Himiko, who blinked back at him. Himiko’s golden eyes stared at the white cloth. She blinked, confused, before slowly reaching for the napkin and wiping her face clean.
“You still have some on your cheek.” Izuku pointed to a spot on his cheek, which Toga mirrored him scrubbing at the place. “Other side.” He smiled.
“Oh.” Himiko made a slight noise as she brushed the napkin over the blood spot. As soon as it was gone, Izuku looked back down at his plate. When he’d seen the two women on the doorstep, he didn’t know what to think, especially after getting reprimanded by his mom. But whatever this dinner was, it was not what he was expecting.
Magne, he finally learned her name, was interesting. She was sweet and definitely fit the name of ‘Big Sis’ that Himiko dubbed her with. She had helped calm Himiko down when she started crying in his mom’s arms. And had helped get Himiko to stop trying to hold onto him.
Magne was a gentle giant, in Izuku’s personal opinion.
Himiko, on the other hand, was everything and nothing like he thought she was. She was clever and witty and absolutely crazy. Izuku couldn’t tell if it was from what he gathered of her home life. Or if it was because of her quirk. Being able to change into people must have been hard on her mental health. Regardless of everything, she was entertaining.
After the four had finished, Toga had literally tried to lick her bowl clean. (Inko promised her that she had some leftovers for the pair to take home) Inko declared that because she cooked, the other three needed to clean. Magne offered to do dishes and enlisted Himiko to help dry and put them away if Izuku helped by cleaning up the table and pack-up the leftovers.
The lively chatter that filled the small apartment warmed Inko’s heart. Those two girls need a good warm meal. And helping hand. Himiko needed a woman who wasn’t a part of the League to help her. And Magne needed the hand to help her finalise her transition. And Inko was more than willing to be there for them.
She had been slightly worried about Izuku, but he seemed more than content. She watched him from her spot on the couch, laughing as Magne blew soap bubbles at Himiko. Himiko flapped a towel around, trying to stop the bubbles from hitting her hair, making Izuku laugh even harder.
Yes, Izuku was going to be alright with these girls around.
“Himiko, that goes in that drawer,” Izuku called, still laughing, pointing to the drawer, trying to distract the blonde from the attack of Magne.
Himiko grinned, flashing her pointed canines, “This one?”
“No, the one to the left.”
“Okay. Oh!” Himiko slid the drawer open; the soft ‘oh’ made Inko glance up. It all seemed to happen in the blink of an eye. Inko couldn’t even get up from the couch before the knife that Himiko had found flew towards her son.
Inko’s gasp made Magne turn away from the sink, dropping the dish she held, which shattered. And none of these things made Izuku flinch. He simply plucked the knife from the air, spun it around his fingers and placed it on the counter.
Then the yelling started.
Magne shouted at Himiko. Izuku started to ask no one to move so he could clean up the broken ceramics on the floor. And Himiko pouted. All the while, Inko watched on, wide-eyed and shocked.
Now everyone apart of the odd dinner would have thought that Inko would have refused the two villains back into her house after the knife-throwing incident. But Inko believed in second, third and even fourth chances. If the same mistake had been made, she would have put up a fight, but Himiko quickly learned that all knife play was not allowed in the Midoriya household.
Which was odd for Himiko; she was used to having knives to play with when bored. But she was rarely bored when at the Midoriya apartment. She visited more often than Magne that Inko had even given her a key. So it wasn’t unusual for Izuku to come home on weekends to find the teen on the couch or curled up in a pile of blankets in his mom’s room. She’d even started leaving changes of clothes in the guest bathroom.
Izuku unlocked the door and toeing off his shoes, and pushing them towards the rack before wandering towards the kitchen. “Mom?”
“Mom’s not home.” Himiko’s voice called through the closed bathroom door. “She went with Big Sis to some doctor's appointment or something.”
That, too, was something new. Himiko had started calling Inko mom. Inko seemed to love it and hadn’t corrected the girl. It was just proof of the level of trust Himiko had in Inko. Izuku didn’t mind in the slightest because he knew his mom was the best. (And yes, anyone who thought otherwise could fight him on it)
Izuku hummed and nodded, even though the girl wasn’t in the same room to see him. He slowly puttered about, gathering things he’d need for a snack before he heard the bathroom door unlock. He glanced up from the rice he was reheating to watch Himiko walk down the hall.
Her regular ‘space buns’, as he’d heard some of the girls at school call the style, were down, leaving her hair to frame her face more than usual. The blonde caught the light and swayed with every movement.
“You okay?” Izuku asked her with a frown, noting her sluggish movements and tired face.
“Yeah, I haven’t had blood in a couple of days, and my stomach hurts. Mom said the stuff she bought a couple of weeks ago is gone, so she’ll have to get more tomorrow.”
Izuku glanced back at the rice and shook his head. “Let me eat something real quick, and we can run out to that place. Mom’s busy tomorrow, and I doubt she’ll be able to stop by there before she’s done with her work.”
“But it’s Saturday tomorrow!” Himiko whined.
“Yeah, but Mom is busy working on your case. Y’know since your parents are shit.” Himiko snorted something about not letting Mom hear him swear under her breath, which Izuku ignored. “We can just run over and grab some. It’s what, a twenty-minute walk there?”
Himiko thought for a moment before nodding.
“See? We’ll be right back, and it will be just fine.”
Izuku realised later that those were very famous last words.
The two teens panted, crouching behind the dumpster the alleyway they’d dipped into as soon as the four men were lying face-down in the mud. Himiko sniffed and wiped at her nose, leaving a smear of blood behind.
“Are you alright?” Izuku huffed out. He slipped his backpack off his shoulder. “Are you hurt?”
“I-I don’t kn-know,” Toga shook her head. Her blonde hair sticking to the blood that dripping down her forehead and cheek.
Izuku glanced over at her. “You have a cut on your face.”
“My thigh is bleeding too.” She pointed at a gash that started near her knee and disappeared up her skirt—lifting her skirt slightly to show him the cut that looked about eight centimetres long.
Izuku nodded and grabbed out a bottle of water along with a red bag that he unzipped and started pulling items out. Himiko watched in awe as Izuku pulled out a jar of petroleum jelly, some thin white strips, cleaning wipes and a clean towel.
“Why did you tell me not to use my quirk?” Himiko asked quietly as Izuku got to work gently wiping away the blood that oozed from her thigh.
Izuku winced when Toga hissed, “Quirk use is illegal. But fighting to protect yourself without your quirk isn’t. I may have my provisional license, but we’d have to explain what happened if I used my quirk. Besides, you think that those idiots wanna tell the police that two teenagers beat the shit out of them without using their quirks?” Himiko gave a wet little giggle and shook her head.
Izuku patted the cut dry, putting a small glob of petroleum jelly along the line. He rubbed the excess onto an alcohol wipe and peeled the backing off the steri-strips. He placed them strategically along the cut. “My thoughts exactly. Can you hold your hair back? I need to check the one on your face.”
Himiko lifted her hair and pulled a hairband off her wrist, typing it up, trapping her bangs back with a clip from her pocket. “You have a cut on your arm.”
Izuku ignored her. “Thanks. This is gonna sting a lot worse than your leg.” Izuku warned, using a cotton ball he’d grabbed from the first-aid kit to dab at her face. Himiko’s eyes watered from the burning near her eye. “I know… I’m sorry it hurts.” Izuku murmured.
He dropped the cotton ball and picking up a new one, and wetting it down with water. “Just a little longer, I promise.” He repeated the process he’d used on her leg, finished up by using some of the rag wet with water to wipe dirt off her face.
Izuku sat back on his haunches, looking her over once more. He nodded to himself, deciding that Himiko was okay and he could look at his arm. The knife hadn’t gone too deep, but it was enough that Izuku knew he would need to give it some special care.
The asshole who’d grabbed Toga first had had a knife. Toga had quickly latched onto the man’s wrist, using his strength to jab the knife into his gut. The second guy had gone after Izuku. He seemed a little smarter with his knife. He’d slashed Izuku down the arm when Izuku had blocked the blow meant for his face.
Izuku groaned as he gently wiped away the blood that dripped from the cut on his arm. At least his arm wasn’t broken this time, that he wouldn’t be able to fix alone. He dropped the cloth he’d used to clean up the cut onto the small pile of bloody trash on the ground.
Himiko studied him as he cared for his injuries. “Thank you,” she whispered as she watched him take out a needle and suture thread. Himiko blinked at him as he poured rubbing alcohol over the curved needle he’d pulled out the first aid kit.
“Of course!” Izuku glanced over at her, “Why wouldn’t I help you? You’re practically family.” He gritted his teeth as he got ready to start the stitches.
“Wait!” Himiko reached out, waving her hands around. “What are you doing? Why can’t you just, I don’t know, glue it closed?”
“I could. I don’t know where my glue is, though.”
Her big yellow eyes glinted at him before she snatched the bag and started digging through it. She made a soft noise of victory and held up the small bottle of glue. “Here, you helped me. I can put it on for you.” Izuku nodded as she twisted the top carefully, making sure not to spill any. Himiko held her breath as Izuku held the two sides of the cut together. She painted on the glue, wrinkling her nose at the smell. She pulled back, closing up the glue and put it back in the bag.
Izuku fanned the wet stripe for a moment before turning back to her. He grabbed a few alcohol wipes and reached for Himiko’s blood-stained fingers. He softly and carefully wiped away the grime.
Himiko sighed, playing with her shirt with her free hand. “It wouldn’t be the first time something like that happened to me.” She took a deep breath. Izuku carried on wiping her skin clean. She offered him her other hand when he’d finished. “It mostly stopped when I found Dabi. He scared off a lot of the creeps. But when I go out on my own or with Twice, it still happens. Jin tries his best, but...” Himiko let the words die off.
Izuku glanced up from her hand and pointed the gash on her lip, “Want me clean that one?”
“Sure,” Himiko shrugged. “Why do you even have a first aid kit with you?”
“I got bullied a lot when I was younger.” Himiko blinked at him. He leaned closer as he put a little bit of paste on his finger. “Hold still for a second.” He gently dapped the paste onto her lip. Himiko’s eyes widened, and her breath caught. Izuku’s face was so close to hers. Never before had a guy her age been near her face or cared for her when she was hurt. Himiko’s belly filled with butterflies. She swallowed and blinked, looking away from Izuku’s bright jade coloured eyes.
Izuku hummed, continuing his story, “My main bully has an explosion based quirk. As a result, I got lots of burns. One of his friends has a quirk that makes his fingers grow long, and I got cuts from him clawing me.”
Himiko’s eyes smarted from the thought of that little Izu she’d seen in the pictures decorating the apartment getting picked on. She frowned, sniffing to stop her tears. “Why did they pick on you?”
“My quirk came late. Like really, really late. When I first used it, I broke both my arms. The doctor thinks that I would have exploded from the force of my quirk if I had gotten it any earlier.” Himiko gasped. “Yeah, I know.”
“That’s crazy!”
“I started carrying a first aid kit with me because the school nurse didn’t want to help a quirkless kid. And the teachers wouldn’t let me go home or call my mom. So I needed a way to clean up before going home. Mom tried her best to change things for me, but the principal never listened or brushed away all her concerns.”
Izuku offered her hand, “We’d better go home. Sitting here in this alley isn’t the best place. I’ve still got the blood packs. Not that you need them now.” Izuku chuckled as he wiped his hands off on his dirty pants. “Come on,” He tugged on her hand, wrapping a bandaid over a cut on his arm as he walked.
“Can we stop for some strawberry milk on the way home?” Toga asked, voice incredibly soft.
Izuku eyed her carefully; she was only seventeen and dealing with the issues of men chasing after her. The fear she lived with. Not being able to walk the streets alone, or even older men to protect her.
“Dabi always takes me for strawberry milk after… after I get-” Izuku grabbed her hand and squeezed. “He says it’s okay to be upset, but strawberry milk makes it better.”
“Dabi sounds like a good big brother.”
“He is.” Toga whimpered.
Izuku sat with Himiko curled up beside him on the couch. They’d stopped for treats and strawberry milks along with a few other things so Izuku could make them smoothies. Himiko leaned into his side, her head resting on his shoulder. They hadn’t said much after the fight. Himiko didn’t really seem like talking. She was almost malleable, which disturbed Izuku more than seeing her manic expression as she bit the man who put her in a headlock.
Himiko glanced up at Izuku’s face. She’d understood Ochako’s feelings for Izuku. He was so helpful. So tender. The butterflies returned as she counted the freckles that dotted his cheeks.
“Hey, Izu,” Himiko said quietly, lifting her head and shuffling around, so she sat facing him. Izuku turned, mimicking her, his back leaning against the armrest. “I know I already said thank you, but I just want you to know that it means a lot to me that you did that for me.” Himiko leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on his cheek. She pulled away slowly.
Izuku’s cheeks burned red, and he stammered, “Y-yeah. It was n-nothing.”
“But it was something to me.”
Izuku shook his head, “Himiko, I-I-” She cut him off by wrapping her arms around his waist and hugging him.
“No one’s ever saved me before. Jin and Dabi don’t usually get super involved. They mostly chase off guys.”
Izuku nodded, awkwardly patted her on the back.
“Can I kiss you?” Himiko suddenly asked, bolting upright, pushing off of his chest.
“What?” Izuku jerked back. “Himiko, I think you have the wrong idea….” Himiko pouted, shrinking away from him. As if he could hear her thoughts about him not wanting because of who she was, Izuku waved his hands around. “No… it’s not you. I promise. I don’t really like girls….” Himiko’s amber eyes flicked up to his. “I’m gay, Himiko… I have a boyfriend.”
“Ooh.” Himiko nodded, mildly shocked. “I thought you didn’t like me cause I’m a villain.”
“No, Himi, it has nothing to do with you being a villain. You’re a pretty girl… But I don’t like girls.” Izuku scratched at the back of his neck, his blush darker than before. “I feel like you’re a little sister who’s oddly older than me.”
Himiko’s grinned, which appeared at his new nickname for her widened when he said she was like his sister. “So we can be family?”
“Yeah.”
“Do I get to meet your boyfriend?”
“Maybe?”
“Can I stab him if he’s pretty?”
“Himi!”
“What? I might wanna stab him if he’s pretty!”
“I think his brother would be would set up on fire if you stabbed him.
“Wait, why would his brother set me on fire?”
The teens dissolved into giggles. The earlier afternoon events slipped into nothingness as they bickered back and forth.