Chapter 6: Dear

There was a balance to be kept with lucid dreams: being unconscious enough to dream and being conscious enough to know you're in a dream. From there, you're free to control the dream for your own purposes, whether it be for creative brainstorming, just exploring, relaxing, or facing your own fears within the dream.

For Nagisa… It was a halfway point. He was only barely aware he was in a dream while his environment around him changed by itself. He couldn't move. Gloomy gray clouds hung over a dark magenta sky as the water washed the trash back and forth in the sand. Nagisa stood on knives sticking up from the ground, but it didn't hurt. His teeth clenched hard together, and that did hurt, but only in mind. He felt his jaw cracking tighter and tighter as the sand around him began to rise in different areas, black tentacles piercing straight up as the sand fell apart. There was no sound even as the water receded back into the ocean, turning blood red and staining the ground.

He vaguely noted Ko and Roka gone from his head and a familiar weight of uncut hair draped around his shoulders.

His teeth cracked and he felt little pebbles and rocks matched with metallic liquid fill his mouth. Raising a hand that he couldn't control, the assassin opened his mouth and a torrent of blood and broken teeth gushed out. Nagisa choked but didn't move. Chains crawled from the tentacles wriggling around him, slithering up his legs and soon tying his arms to his body. His hair fell apart around him like his broken teeth.

Nagisa didn't believe in dreams meaning anything. He didn't believe in hidden messages sent by the divines or dreams that predicted something. He did , however, believe in the subconscious thoughts held within a person, the truths you don't ever want to admit but know what they are: truths. He knew when he woke up, knowing only the disturbing feeling of holding fractured bones and blood in his mouth, what his subconscious was saying to him.

His life was falling apart, and it started with him.

---

Nagisa sat in his bed with disheveled hair pointed every which way and his snakes resting their heads on his shoulders with tired expressions to match their host. He felt fuzzy and drained, not to mention his stomach felt so empty and sore. He had no strength in his body to do much but sit up and stare blankly at his bedroom wall.

Static ran through his mind. A 'ding!' from his phone resting on his nightstand drew his attention and he saw a bowl of peaches that looked like they came from a can, and a glass of tea beside it. It looked cold. A post-it note sat beside it, seemingly written in a rush with a lazy heart at the end; probably written by Dad…

Nagisa blinked slowly when his phone 'dinged' again, finally deciding to open the phone to see who it was. Messages from Izuku, Kayade, Rio, and Ritsu filled his message feed. The boy's eyes softened sadly when a pit of loneliness swirled in his stomach and he brought the phone to his lap, opening Ritsu's app when she texted a third time.

Moe Box:

Rise and shine, Nagichan!! (*´∀`)♪

Moe Box:

I know you're awake!!

Moe Box:

I'm literally watching you through your phone camera.

Nagisa finally grinned, leaning back in his bed and giving a hum of amusement.

Gender Snek:

That's creepy stop that

Moe Box:

There you are!! Sorry heehee (^◇^;)

Moe Box:

Izukun was wondering where you've been all day!!

Nagisa hissed in embarrassment, side-eyeing no one and he dipped his head. Oops. He didn't mean to sleep until… he glance at his digital clock on his drawer— yikes , like, One? PM? Holy frick—And he knew Izuku got anxious when he wasn't in contact with people he usually talks to every day. Nagisa scratched at his eyebrow before typing his reply.

Gender Snek:

Oops, my b! I've been asleep all day, I had a rough night

Gender Snek:

Is it lunch at school rn?

Moe Box:

No, lunch just ended. Izukun and the others are in class right now! Would you like me to pass on a message for you?

Gender Snek:

Nah, I need to check my messages anyway. Thanks thoigh!

Moe Box:

Of course!! Izukun told me to keep you company, so I'll still be online after you text the others!

Moe Box:

:3c

Nagisa rolled his eyes at the half-joke. Of course she'll still be online, she's always online… Still, he couldn't help but snicker. His stomach gave a whine and the boy gave a whine of his own in response. He was hungry but… he didn't want to eat. He didn't know what set him off last night, and he couldn't really remember much after changing his clothes other than screaming and he went to the hospital? He got an IV and came home at around midnight but he still couldn't sleep—he fell asleep around 2 in the morning. His stomach was driving him back to tears despite the pain being gone, instead being replaced with a strong ache in his muscles inside.

The doctor set him on a bland diet for a few days until his stomach could settle back down to how it was before, but despite how hungry his stomach thought it was, Nagisa… was a bit fearful to eat. What if he threw up again? It's not like he hasn't puked before, but it was still less than pleasant. How delicate was his stomach, exactly anyway? What if something as simple as milk set it off?

Nagisa gave the air a pensive expression at how frustrating this situation was. His stomach crunched in desperate hunger again and he turned back to the peaches.

Well… peaches were fruit, and they were soft and healthy too…

Fine , the assassin relented and took a peach slice. Baby steps—he still had to get better, too… Heroes needed strength after all.

---

Izuku sat in his seat, bouncing his leg and pursing his lips, excited and antsy for the next class: Foundational Hero Studies.

Izuku felt conflicted. He felt—okay, yeah, he sort of felt superior knowing that he!! Knows!! All Might personally!! But on the other hand, he'd never brag about that to someone, or even let anyone know about that. If he did, they'd ask how he knows him, and then he'd have to tell them, and feel the same disgusting, raw guilt that crawls just under his skin that makes him physically writhe with discomfort—

His thoughts were knocked away when Katsuki turned around and flicked his forehead. "Shut up, Izuku," he growled. "God, do you always —"

The door opened, drawing everyone's attention.

"K-KA—" Izuku slapped his hands over his mouth and sat deep in his seat when the black haired hero shot him a sharp look.

"My name is Tadaomi Karasuma, or as some of you know, the Precision Hero: Shotlock," he explained, giving the class a hard stare. "I'm your substitute teacher for the day. Your actual teacher couldn't make it due to personal matters, but will be back in class tomorrow. I've taught many heroics classes among other subjects." His eyes met Izuku, who must've had the most bewildered face because Karasuma-sensei looked about ready to roll his eyes into next century while holding a look of amusement back, but instead he merely blinked slowly three times.

What- oh- oh. Okay. Izuku made a soft 'oh' sound and settled down while his classmates nearly exploded.

"What? First day with actual classes and our teacher bails out?!"

"Who does that?!"

"That's messed up, man. What gives?!"

"Class!" Karasuma-sensei's eyes could kill a man, Izuku noted seeing as the class hushed. The hero crossed his arms with a sigh. "If you have issues, bring it up to your actual teacher tomorrow. He had plans for you all today, but seeing as your teacher is who he is, I've decided to save that for when he returns tomorrow. As for what you'll be doing today, put your hero costumes on and meet me in Grounds Beta."

He lifted a remote, clicked a button and the wall to his right stretched out, carrying cases with numbers on them. That seemed to brighten up the mood in the class, for they all glowed with enthusiasm.

"Our costumes!"

"Awww yeah!"

"Now this is what I'm talkin' about!"

Izuku's heart soared, filling up with glee that made him feel weightless and he almost let his eyes tear up. It was warm inside— this felt almost like —

The class moved into action.

"Oh, and one more thing," Karasuma's voice stopped the first student from rushing out with his case. Black eyes scanned the students. "From this day forth, you are all officially heroes. Remember this."

There was an air of pride filling the room, lifting the grins of the to-be heroes, and with it a sense of duty settled on their shoulders. He was surrounded by heroes. He was a hero. This is it , Izuku beamed, insides vibrating with overwhelming excitement, his own head buzzing.

Izuku is more than an assassin.

He stepped into the opening with his classmates, feeling light on his feet and in his head. He had to bite his tongue so as not to scream.

This is our Hero's Beginning!

He is a hero, and he'll make Korosensei proud.

---

Izuku remembered coming home early from grocery shopping one day (his mom sent him out with a big list, and now he knows why), to find Rio at home with his mom. Fabric, string, leather, and all other types of crafting supplies littered the living room floor. The couch and coffee table were moved back and against the wall to make room for the two women sitting on the floor. Their heads shot up when he opened the door, all three looking at each other with bewildered stares.

"I-Izuku! Honey, you're home! Uh…. early," Mom stammered, standing up and charging toward her son way too fast for a woman of her stature (Izuku was impressed, actually).

"Uhhhhh…. yeah?" Izuku raised a brow, leaning to the side to try and look at the mess in the living room. Mom leaned with him, blocking his view. The boy gave her a deadpan stare. "Mom, I-I already s-saw Rio."

Her stiff (nervous) smile deflated into an expression that said 'yeah we got busted' and she shuffled to the side. "Ah, well… I wanted to surprise you with something, but I thought Nakamura-chan would be great to help since your design was a bit out of my arts and crafts criteria…"

"My- My design?"

Mom put her hand on her cheek. "Oh! Your hero costume. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to peek, I was cleaning and you had your notebook out, and I just…"

Oh- oh! Izuku's eyes lit up and he set the groceries on the floor before hugging his teary-eyed mother. "N-No, it's alright! Mom, I…"

Soft, strong arms coiled around his frame and he was pressed into her shoulder. Behind her, he saw Rio stand and smile, silent and allowing the Midoriyas' their moment.

"Izuku," Mom whispered shakily and his heart sped up. "I… I'm sorry. I'm so sorry… I was never supportive of your dream, of what you wanted. After your accident, I… I-I was so scared , baby. I thought… I thought…"

( I'd lose you forever )

( You'd never make it )

( You'd break in my arms )

Izuku's breath caught and he tightened his hold on his mother's pink cardigan. "Mom…" his voice cracked when a few tears fled his eyes.

They stood there for a moment, his dear mother trying to control her emotions but failing and Izuku trying to keep his under wraps as well and also failing. Then she pulled away, sniffling and wiping at her soaked eyes. "So," she started, taking a trembling breath. "From now on, I'm- I'm gonna support you. Whatever you do, no matter what. I love you, sweet pea."

His heart throbbed, but he managed an appreciative smile anyway, reddening his cheeks with an intense heat. "I-I love you too, Mmm-Muh-Mom."

Rio took the break in emotional dam-breaking to take a few steps forward and she lifted what Izuku recognized as his old Combat Uniform from the End Class. "I made few adjustments," she sweetly explained.

The jacket's sleeves were made longer and the color was changed from the default grey to a dark camo green. He couldn't see the back yet, but the sides displayed white stripes from the armpits to the bottom. Then Rio turned it around to show the hoodie, of which the hood itself was lengthened (it reminded him of Link from that ancient Legend of Zelda series—yeah, yeah, Izuku liked relic games), but the curious part were the… well, they looked like rabbit ears. Was that… supposed to be the hair-antennas he designed as an homage to All Might? Well, they weren't ugly, but know he could see how the idea would fall flat if done his way. All in all, it was amazing anyway. Izuku took a step forward and touched the sleeve. The same fabric.

"You have no idea how hard it was finding the same fabric online. And yes, it still camouflages automatically! I made your smiley-masks too, but the rest is gonna have to be taken up with the Support Company. Oh! And I also weaved in some anti-flammable thread throughout it, so wabam! Super protect!" Rio gave a dorky pose after Izuku took the costume into both hands. "'He protecc but he also attacc!'…Or something like that."

"I… I don't know what… wh-what to say, I…" Honest, the freckled boy was at a loss for words. He felt his eyes well up again. He didn't deserve this.

"Say nothing, dear," Mom's gentle hand fell on his shoulder, turning him slightly. "This is our gift of love to you." The sweet smile on her round face and the glitter in her eyes called to him, love , and somewhere in him the dam broke and he held the costume to his face as a happy sob ripped out of him, shuddering his body. "Izuku?!"

"Don't worry, Midoriya-san," Rio giggled, putting her own hand on Izuku's other shoulder and closing in. "He's just… happy, right, Izukun?" All he could muster up was a nod and a muffled hum of confirmation, followed by another sob. "Aaahhh, gross, Izukun! You better not get your snot on your new costume! That's hand washed, you know!"

Finally he lifted his head, face red but smile wide and despite the endless tears rolling down his face (and the drip-drop from his nose), he laughed.

---

Stepping out in his new costume with his hood over his head and and a black mask pulled up over his nose and mouth, a wide, white smile designed over it, Izuku joined his fellow heroes-in-training in what he assumed to be Grounds Beta. He fell in between two students while he fidgeted with a hairclip pulling his bangs to the left, when one of them turned around and almost jumped out of their skin at his sudden appearance.

"Oh, fresh apples, you scared the crud outta me!" she cried—Uraraka, he realized. The other student turned around, and he sort of reminded Izuku of a white knight.

"S-Sorry! Oh, Uraraka, y-you look great!"

"Izukun? Holy moles, you look— awesome! What a cute design choice, what with the ears! Mine came out a little tighter than I thought. Shoulda been a bit more specific, hehe…" Uraraka with her cooing, Izuku was suddenly extremely grateful his mask covered his face which increased in temperature by the second. He never was the best interacting with girls who weren't Kaede.

"Interesting choice, Midoriya-kun. I never would have pegged you for a Mirko fan." Ah—the other boy was Iida. Of course, an idiot could have guessed that.

"Wh-What? No , I mean, ss… she's amazing and I'd, uh, I really wouldn't, yeah, mmm-m-mind? Like, being her s-sidekick or- or something, b-but it's, it's not what you, um…" Ah frick, and he was going to use 'I like rabbits' as an excuse for these should it come up. Crap, that took a one-eighty. McFrick.

"Attention, class," Karasuma's voice rang out. Attention was drawn to the front where the pensive man stood with his arms crossed. "In this test, you'll be training to fight without your quirks. Take it like a challenge rather than a hindrance to practice your skills should you ever become disabled, say, if a quirk like Eraserhead's hit you. Obviously, mutation quirks are at an advantage regardless since you can't exactly 'disable' a mutation quirk," Izuku felt his insides writhe when Karasuma's eyes passed over him for a split second. It was quick, but he still noticed. Nonetheless, the hero continued, "which is why even mutation quirks such as your tail—" he nodded to the tailed student (Ojiro was his name?), "and your extra arms," nodding to the 'octopus armed' student, "will be banned for this practice."

"Aw, what?"

"How will that work?"

"Hey, that's not fair! You can't exactly 'turn off' invisibility, you know!"

"As for special cases such as you," he was addressing the invisible girl now (Izuku really needed to learn their names, dangit), "You'll be wearing a your gym uniform so that you can be at least somewhat visible."

"But that defeats the purpose of my costume! Aw, phooey." It looked like her arms were crossed.

"If you were covered in something like slime or powder, your costume's purpose would still be defeated. You need training in combat as well as self-defense regardless of what your 'hero specialty' might be."

"He's got a point," a red-haired boy mumbled in beside Uraraka.

"I guess you're right," the invisible girl hummed, disappointed.

"Alright. For the first half of the exercise, you'll be paired up in twos. You and your partner will spar for a few minutes and then you both will be put against another team with a hands-on scenario in the abandoned building." Karasuma paused and he scanned the body of students before his eyes narrowed in annoyance. "We're short one student."

"Ah! That's because a student, Shiota Nagisa, is not well," Iida raised his hand. "He couldn't make it to school today."

Karasuma's eyebrows raised and he glanced at Izuku who nodded shortly and the substitute gave a sigh before pinching the bridge of his nose. "Very well. One of you will either need to sit out and trade with another student between exercises or there will have to be a team of three."

Izuku simultaneously wanted to leap in joy and throw up in a school waste bin at the idea of Karasuma teaching another gym-esque class. Something told him it was not going to be a walk in the park, even for someone who's had experience in his class…

The red haired boy from earlier raised his hand. "I don't mind bein' the odd man out, Teach!"

Karasuma nodded. "Then you'll be paired with the last team. Any questions?"

"What, so we're just...supposed to fight? Hand-to-hand?" a black haired boy asked.

"Yes. The only restriction is no hits to the face. Your goal is to learn how to disarm your opponent and defend yourself, not to beat up your opponent senselessly. I won't be happy if I end up having to send one of you to Recovery Girl, and honestly, neither will she. Is that understood?" His tone alone sent spikes of nervousness into everyone's stomachs as they all nodded stiffly and replied with a unanimous "sir, yessir!"

"Good, now for teams…"

Karasuma began calling out the names of the students (when the invisible girl—Hagakure was her name—was called out, she was handed a set of gym clothes, to which she mumbled a tiny, 'man, this really bites…' ) and pairing them up in teams of two, sans the red-haired boy, Kirishima. In hindsight, Izuku wasn't all too surprised to be teamed up with Bakugou and Kirishima.

They were spread out along the field and were given fifteen minutes to spar with each other before the field-practice exercise began.

Before Izuku's team began, he set his two weapons aside: a gun-shaped taser and a shocknife, still in their holster. Karasuma didn't say anything about using weapons, but the whole point of this exercise was to practice without any outside help other than your own physical attributes, quirks ignored, so he thought it better to play it safe anyway. The weapons drew his teammates' attention, but it was stolen away when they heard a comment from a blond in another team—Kaminari and… Yaoyorozu, if he remembered correctly.

"Wait, whaaat, he expects me to fight a girl?" the blond complained. The students were already given the green light to begin whenever they were ready. "Look, sorry, but I just can't—"

Before he was even finished, the raven haired girl had nailed two surprise hits on Kaminari before grabbing his arm and freaking judo flipping him over her shoulder, slamming him to the ground with a loud THUMP . The surrounding teams paused in their sparring to gawk as a pitiful groan left the KO'd boy.

"Yeah, well, I can," Yaoyorozu grinned, straightening herself and wiping her hands, as if to say ' job well-done. ' The teams that were watching began to clap, and Izuku couldn't help but chuckle at the scene.

Kaminari, still stunned and laying on his back, raised a hand to point at the girl, wheezing out, "... Respect, sister. "

"Tch, idiot," Izuku turned to see Katsuki sneering at the two, his arms crossed and his gauntlets set aside for the practice. "She topped first of the girls in our class during that quirk assessment yesterday, not to mention almost all the dudes, what'd he think would happen?"

Izuku shrugged with another chuckle.

"So! How do we wanna do this, dudes?" Kirishima began, punching his hand while his wide grin just screamed 'pumped.'"I don't mind taking the back seat for the first round while you two spar or somethin'."

"I-I was gonna s… s-suggest, um, J-Janken," Izuku suggested but shrank back as soon as he saw Katsuki's face grow a menacing grin. "O-or, um… Or not. That's f-fine too."

Kirishima ignored the blond's sinister expression (seriously, that smile could rival Karma's) and shook his head. "Nah, as terrif- IIIIII mean fun as that sounds, I honestly don't mind it. Unless you'd like to—"

In an instant, Katsuki's (steaming) hand was in Izuku's face, digits squishing his dappled skin and shoving his head into the ground. He didn't even have time to screech before the hand was removed and his hoodie was yanked into the air and Izuku with it, gravity pulling him down and slamming his chest to the dirt. He groaned as he pushed himself up, completely stunned by the surprise of it all.

"Quick freakin' yapping and get with the fighting already!"

Katsuki turned to face Izuku, cracking his knuckles. The overwhelming amount of glee that encompassed his large grin sent shivers down Izuku's spine but at the same time, it was like a jolt of energy that sent him to his feet. Bloodlust, that's what Katsuki held in his venomous eyes. Izuku could drown in it.

Standing tall, the ex-assassin gathered himself into a familiar pose he took for fighting. Hand out, body turned to the side, other hand ready to be reeled back and used for offense if the opportunity arose. Izuku shifted his foot behind him.

Katsuki seemed impressed, judging by the way he cocked his chin up and his grin grew wilder before he shot like a rocket toward his opponent. Izuku was ready though, and he shifted his body to the side before Katsuki could aim a punch. In that split second dodge, Izuku reared around and grabbed the blond's collar by the back and threw him across their portion of the sparring field.

Katsuki wasted no time in jumping right back onto his feet and charging the shorter boy once again with a raised fist. The freckled teen knew if this was a quirks active fight, Katsuki would be taking full advantage of his quirk and Izuku could probably be struggling to even keep up with dodging.

Instead of trying to dodge this time, however, the ex-assassin raised his arms to block the punch, freezing when he heard the blond's war cry: "DIE!!!"

His blood started to vibrate through his body, pounding in his head and speeding his heartbeat. Behind his grinning face mask, Izuku felt his lips part slightly, corners curling up and his vision focusing sharply. Focused. Focused. Focused on Katsuki.

That word was just like a switch , waking the boy from his foggy reality to a sharp, crisp ultra-realm where he could see and think and act . It was all he needed to even stand on this other boy's level.

Their eyes met and he swore the air shifted momentarily before snapping aggressively back into reality, and the green haired boy's movements were precise in tightly gripping Katsuki's face before jerking him down while his knee came up and rammed the boy in the chest, knocking the air out of him.

Bakugou gasped for a moment before snapping back up and grabbing both of Izuku's hands by the wrist with one of his own and tugging him toward himself, his fist finally connecting with Izuku's freckled face.

He heard the click between bones before the hot pain shot in his cheekbone and upper teeth. Falling back, Izuku sat up quickly, shooting the blond a searing glare. The taste of metal met his tongue and he gave a grunt of annoyance before pulling his mask down to spit some blood out.

" Augh , Katsuki, whatthecrap?! He s-said n- frick , K-Karasuma-sss-sensei said no face hits!" Taking his glove off, the freckled teen touched his throbbing gums, pulling back to see—surprise, surprise, more blood.

"Oh don't be a wuss! S'not my fault you couldn't freaking block."

"Yes, it- b- you- frickin'- ugh! Y-you're lucky I'm n-not a ss-snitch." Standing himself up, Izuku pulled his mask back over his face before stalking off to Karasuma with Katsuki hissing out a demanding "Where the hell are you going?!" Izuku ignored him before hesitating for a moment when he noticed All Might's shriveled up frame beside Karasuma, watching over the hero course. Curious.

"All- uh, T-Toshinori-san?"

"Ah, Young Izuku!" greeted the blond when the boy came closer. "I felt bad for missing my own class on the first day, no less. I hadn't thought- oh, is- is there something the matter?" He must have saw the look of annoyance in the younger teen's eyes.

Quickly, Izuku shook his head and replied quickly, "N-No, nothing, I-I just, um. I, uh, w-was gonna ask t-t'get a drink of-of water real quick. I-Is, um. Is all."

Karasuma nodded at that. "Make it quick. And also, Midoriya, try not to make yourself open to any hits like you did. Now go on."

Frick, he saw. Why did he look so smug too, what the frick—

A nervous laugh left the green haired boy at that, face growing dark red before muttering a small 'thanks' and taking his leave to the water fountain. He didn't want to swallow anymore blood, and it was accumulating in his mouth like a well. He was already high on nerves because of Nagisa's absence today, not to mention Asano and now Katsuki just blatantly rips off one of the easiest rules from this exercise—at the expense of Izuku's face, no less. He lightly rubbed the throbbing cheekbone.

That's gonna bruise. Good thing he was a fast healer…

---

The final bell had rung, letting everyone out of school. Izuku, Uraraka and Iida both sat beside him while they chatted, waiting for Rio and Karma to join them so they could take off to Nagisa's house. Ritsu had sent Izuku his address after asking if it was okay to visit. It wasn't long after that Nagisa himself finally texted him, and that was during that stupid 'No Quirks' exercise—and he regards it not because he actually thought that, no. In reality, Izuku was still on a sort of 'high' at being in the Heroics class and even more so at seeing Karasuma again. It was a surprise—a pleasant surprise at that, and the boy was more than delighted. It was a shame he couldn't outwardly express it in front of everyone though. Well, he just didn't want to deal with the questions.

So, no, he wasn't upset about the exercise at all. He was just—well, cranky. He honest-to-God needed a nap after seeing Nagisa. Plus, his cheekbone wouldn't stop throbbing (and yes, he refused to see Recovery Girl about it, obviously).

"Oh, there you all are," Rio's voice brought Izuku out of his thoughts, lifting his head to see the blonde approach them with a confused stare. "Whoa, what happened to Izukun's face?"

Izuku gave her a flat stare. "Karasuma-ss-sensei wass'ere."

"Ah, I see. Oh, hey, where's Karma?"

"He's not with you?" Uraraka tilted her head.

"No. Bah, he's probably held up in class or something. I'll text him in a sec. What're the plans?"

"We were going to check up on Nagisa just now. Wanna come?"

Rio opened her mouth to respond before her phone 'dinged' in her hand. "Oh, shoot, I can't today. Crap, and I really wanted to, too… I've gotta head home right after school today, but I'll catch you guys later, yeah? Tell Nagi to feel better!" And with that, she waved at the trio who bid her good-bye before heading off in the direction of home.

"Should we wait for Karma?" Uraraka wondered.

Izuku hummed. "Mm-maybe."

"Perhaps we should text him soon. It's been quite a while since school ended, anyhow," Iida suggested, prompting Izuku to pull his phone out—before a hand plopped on his shoulder, startling the wits out of him (and a high-pitched screech too).

"Hey, now, don't count me out so soon," Karma smirked.

Izuku punched his arm. "J-Jerk! You- don't- y-you know how I- ugh! Jerk."

"Worth it."

Uraraka giggled. "Alright, let's head over to Nagisa's then. Do you have the address, Izukun?"

"Huh? O-Oh! Yeah, I, um, here."

"Wonderful! Shall we, then? We mustn't keep Nagisa-kun waiting!"

---

Thunk-thunk-thunk —

"I'll get it!"

Click, shwp, chk —

The door opened and Nagisa jumped at the sight of four familiar faces smiling and waving hello. There was worry marking Izuku's eyes while he studied his friend. He looked a bit worse for wear, but he didn't appear to have a cold or anything. The dark circles under his eyes were more profound with his white skin, however.

"Ah, what- um, guys, what're you doing here?" Confusion crossed the blue haired boy's face, but he didn't stop the delighted yet somewhat amused smile from twitching his lip corners. "What happened to your face?"

"Long story. W-we were just ss-seeing how you're d-doing, isss'all," Izuku beamed brightly. The confusion didn't go away but the snake haired boy did chuckle at them all before opening the door wider and stepping to the side.

"Come on in, then," he chuckled and the four entered the small apartment. "Um, It's not much, but make yourself at home, I guess. I can get you guys some tea if you want? And Izuku, do you want some ice for that?" Izuku opened his mouth to respond before he was interrupted.

"Oh no, you don't!" came the cry from a room in the hall before Nagisa's dad came tumbling in from the bathroom. He instantly pointed at his son, who looked at him with bewilderment. "You. Are sitting down and chatting with your friends. I will make you all some tea! (And get you, boy, some ice!) "

"I- Dad, I can—"

"No, the doctor said to rest, and so you will do it. You just barely convinced me to let you go to school tomorrow, don't make me revoke that!"

Nagisa groaned and put his head in his hands before slumping into the couch. "Uggghhh, fine! Just- please don't burn the tea this time?"

The four slowly began to sit down; Karma and Izuku next to Nagisa and Iida and Uraraka on the two-seater couch across from them. Karma leaned over to Izuku, whispering, "How do you burn tea?"

"Oh, it's possible," Nagisa simply responded.

"Green tea is actually quite sensitive to heat in the water," Iida raised a hand while Nagisa nodded.

"I usually make the tea, but my dad's been a worrywart ever since last night and won't let me do anything. He's been like this all day, too." Nagisa slumped his cheek on his hand, making a pout. "I never knew tea could catch on fire until today."

Uraraka suddenly laughed at that. "No way! He can't be that bad!"

"He tried to put out a kitchen fire with water the other day; we've had takeout every day this week."

"Yikes, " Karma leaned back on the couch with his arms crossed.

Nagisa nodded, chewing his cheek. "Yeah, we'll just see how long I survive with this bland diet I'm on."

Iida raised a brow. "Bland diet?"

"Ah, yeah, the doctors said I have to eat certain foods for awhile, so they don't upset my stomach anymore than it is."

"Oh, yeah! How are you, anyway?" Uraraka sat straight. "Izukun was so worried for you today when you didn't show up for school! He even got a bit grumpy during Heroics today…"

Karma smirked at the reddening Izuku curiously. "Really now? What got you so riled up, huh? It's not often our little cinnamon bun gets his panties in a twist."

"I- Ura- Urara- hnnnnnnnn, mmm-mean!" whined the green haired boy as he wrapped his head around his arms. Uraraka simply giggled in response, obviously not sorry for copping the boy out on his little tantrum today. Izuku wondered when he'd get some ice for his purpling cheek.

Nagisa gave a laugh of his own, but it sounded weak. No one seemed to pick up on it though. His attention drew back to the question prior. It was unfortunate his friends were so nosy, so he doubted he could keep his business to himself about last night. Because, really, it wasn't a matter of if they found it, it was when they found out, and honestly, he didn't doubt they would. Plus, it would kind of defeat the purpose of one of Ritsu's programming she installed herself, where if any of class 3-E were, when tracked from their phones, found to be in the hospital, the others would be notified. Nagisa left his phone at home last night, though.

Sighing, the blue haired boy leaned forward, ignoring the incessant clanging of tea not being made properly in the kitchen. "Ah, well, I guess you'll find out about this one way or another. I was in the hospital last night getting an IV for severe dehydration. I basically puked out my entire stomach last night, which is why I'm stuck with canned veggies, fish and eggs." He paused for a moment. "Among other things."

"You- You went- The- Hospital?" Izuku stammered, sitting forward to gawk at his friend. He knew his worrying wasn't for nothing!! His intuition's almost always right. The others seemed to be at a loss, also sputtering for words. "But- Uh, Ritsu , doesn't she-?"

Nagisa shook his head. "I left my phone in the bathroom when we went."

"Did the doctors say what it was?" Iida inquired, brows knotted with concern. "What caused it, that is?"

Ice eyes shifted away for a moment, considering what truth he should say before sighing again and shrugging. "They guessed it could be a few things. Grie- um, they thought I maybe had a panic attack or something. They also said it could have been food poisoning too. I hadn't eaten anything yesterday other than the ice cream, though, so I don't know." He shrugged again.

"You didn't- Nagisa-kun, I strongly advise you to eat more often," Iida waved his hands around. "It keeps your body functioning, and what's more, it gives your snakes nourishment!"

Nagisa's head snapped up, surprised. That's right—he wasn't the only one suffering with his lack of eating. He glanced at Ko and then Roka before feeling a jab of guilt in his chest, quivering his lips down. He'd been neglecting his two important friends, who depended on him to take care of them. They stared at him with big, round eyes, licking the air curiously. Swallowing thickly, Nagisa nodded with a slim smile. "...You're- you're right. Thanks, Iida."

Iida smiled back.

Nagisa took a moment to pause before calling his dad in the kitchen, who was being waayy too quiet for comfort. "Daaad? You need help over there?"

"No, nah, nopers! I'm just about- oh, you've gotta...oookay, that makes more sense."

"...Daaad, what're you doing?"

"Huh? Oh! Oh, uh, um, nothing! Tea! Just- just makin' tea, almost ready! Sorry for the wait, Nagisa's friends!"

Nagisa stared at the kitchen hallway, squinting incredulously and trying to dissect what the fresh fries his father was doing in there— how long does it take to make tea? "One second," he told his friends and stood up to check on how his dad really was doing. Leaning into the room, he almost burst into laughter at the sight of his father watching tutorial videos on how to make tea. "Dad!"

"HUH, WHAT-" Dad spun around suddenly, nearly knocking over the steaming teapot beside him on the stove. He then calmed down only slightly, upon realizing who it was, but his relief shot back up to protective dad mode. "Nagisa, go sit back down, I told you to rest!"

The boy ignored him, insteading weakly pointing at the phone propped up on the counter with a still playing video on the screen, perking an eyebrow up while a smug grin pulled at his lips. "Dad, are you searching up a tutorial?"

"Whaaaat? Pfft, no ."

Nagisa crossed his arms.

"...Okay, maybe."

Okay, that was kind of really sweet. Extremely, excruciatingly dorky and honestly, how are they still living in a home, but yes. Super sweet that he was so invested in just- making freakin' tea for his guests. Nagisa gave an amused hum and waltzed toward the freezer. "Are you sure you don't need help?"

"Absotively posolutely!"

"Rrrright," Nagisa pursed his smiling lips knowingly, instead opening the door to the freezer and grabbing an ice pack from the back of the box. Closing it, he leaned against the fridge with his arms crossed. "You could ask me for help, you know. Or at least instructions?"

"That's not your job, though, Nagi. I can do it, don't you worry. I'll- I'll get the hang of it, Scout's honor!"

"You were never a scout, Dad."

"Okay, well, Snake's honor!" A few of his father's head snakes seemed to giggle at that.

Nagisa laughed and nodded. "Alright, I see now. You can leave that there for a bit, though. Maybe meet my friends? If the pot gets too hot, you'll hear it anyways."

Dad seemed to ponder that for a moment, meeting eyes with his son, and then the smaller teen seemed to realize a truth: his father, all his life, never had to take care of anyone but himself when it came to the smaller things in life like the comforts of dinner, spending time with people, enjoying things, cleaning… His father's never had to make anyone anything before, and that's why they always went out for sushi when he came to visit instead of taking him to his house, but now—now was different, and he was trying .

Dad was trying. For Nagisa.

Finally, Dad nodded with a smile. "Alright, I should probably go make myself a good host, then, huh? You sure I can leave this alone for a bit?"

"Absotively posolutely."

Dad laughed and joined his son to meet his friends in the living room.