Chương 2077: 7
7: Study SessionsNotes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Final exams were two weeks away, and Toru was freaking out. Her grades weren't the worst, but they weren't the best either. These were also the last tests of Junior High. she would need good grades to make sure she got into a good enough Highschool to boost her chances of getting into UA. Naturally, this meant she was panicking, but there was a ray of hope in her best friend, Izuku Midoriya. He had quickly proven to be what she called a 'smart cookie,' so on their walk home, Toru groaned loudly. "Midoriya... I need your help."
Izuku smiled. "Finals?"
Toru nodded "yep. I need a study buddy, and you're a smart cookie and my only friend, so teach me to be smart like you."
Izuku blushed and scratched his cheek. "I wouldn't say I'm that smart-"
"You'd be top of the class if you hadn't transferred over so late in the year. Now come on, let's study before I lose motivation." Toru pumped a fist, desperately trying to keep her spirits up so she wouldn't bail and slack off like she usually did when it came to studying.
Izuku pulled his phone out and tapped a few times before frowning. "I was gonna suggest the library, but there's a villain attack nearby, so no way we'll be able to go there."
A brilliant and slightly nerve-wracking idea struck Toru, and her fat mouth blurted it out before her brain could dismiss it. "Why don't we study at your place?"
She bit her tongue and cursed internally. 'Why would I say that? I mean, I want to hang out with him and all but come on, we haven't been friends that long. I can't just ask to come over... right?'
Izuku blushed a bit "u-uh y-yeah I don't t-think Kayama w-would mind."
Toru nodded and pulled her phone out as they walked. "I'll uh text my mom and let her know."
Toru's mom was fine with it, and the two headed towards Izuku's place. Internally Izuku panicked about the state of the apartment. Nemuri wasn't a messy person, at least not outside of her own room, but sometimes after a particularly long night on patrol, He would wake up the next morning and find her hero costume and other bits on the couch or kitchen table. Which would raise several questions and be incredibly embarrassing.
Izuku sighed a bit louder than he meant to as they approached his apartment complex, and Toru turned her attention to him "you good?"
"Ah, haha..." Izuku laughed nervously "y-yeah, just hoping Kayama didn't leave anything embarrassing out. S-sometimes, she gets home late and leaves a bit of a mess. I don't remember if I saw anything this morning, so I'm hoping it's clean."
Toru giggled. "I understand. I promise I won't judge you like some old lady if your place isn't spotless."
Izuku chuckled as they started up the stairs "thanks."
He took a deep breath and unlocked the door before stepping inside. Quickly followed by Toru, who muttered, "pardon for the intrusion."
They took their shoes off and made their way into the living room, and Izuku sighed, seeing it was clean "u-uh, make yourself at home. Y-you want some tea?"
"Sounds good, Midoriya," Toru said as she made her way to the couch, and Izuku went to get the tea started.
Toru sat down and started pulling some of her school work out when she noticed a notebook on the table already. She pulled it over to see what was written on the top 'Hero Analysis for the Future No.15' by Izuku Midoriya.
Toru squinted as she inspected the notebook without opening it. It was obviously used, and this was number fifteen. The one he had shown her was fourteen. 'Maybe this one isn't finished, so he didn't bring it... or there's someone in here he didn't want me to see.'
She grinned before quickly checking to see Izuku still in the kitchen. She could take a quick peek. It's not like he ever said she couldn't look at the other notebooks he wrote. Toru quickly flipped it open, seeing some notes on new heroes in the area that she had heard Izuku talking about before. She was surprised and a little disappointed that Mt. Lady didn't have any comments about her looks or costume other than a note about how cool the advancements in clothing were. She had hoped there'd be something to tease him with, and she got her wish as she flipped past another hero and landed on a page dedicated to her and her quirk.
Toru totally didn't blush reading the praise Izuku had written when it came to her various skills aside from her quirk. He praised her stealth and physical skills while also theorizing about her quirk and possible ways it worked and things she could do depending on how it made her invisible and the level of control she could have.
She stopped reading and looked at the drawing on the side depicting the clothes she had worn the first time they hung out outside of school. Unlike the other entries, she noticed hers wasn't a bust shot; it was a full-body shot, but there were clear eraser marks around where the head would be. 'I wonder how he drew my face.'
"Oh no." she looked over to see Izuku's blushing face as he brought in two cups of tea. "I left that out, didn't I?"
Toru grinned. "Yeah, you did. I gotta say I'm impressed with all the stuff you thought of when it came to my quirk, and you're a really good artist, you know that, right?"
Toru was satisfied as Izuku's face did an impression of a tomato while setting the tea on the table. "Kayama and Yasuda both said the same thing. I just draw what I see. I mean, yeah, it's gotten better, but I wouldn't consider it that great."
"Well, I think it's great," Toru said as she took her cup of tea.
"I mean. I wouldn't-"
Izuku flinched as an invisible hand flicked his cheek. "Take the compliment, Midoriya."
Izuku nodded meekly "a-alright. Thanks."
"Good now onto math where I am... completely lost," Toru said, deflating on the spot.
Izuku chuckled a bit and got started by going over the little bit she did know before helping her understand what she didn't know.
________________________________________________________________
Nemuri sighed and stretched as she walked up the stairs to her apartment. It had been a long day at UA. The support course and hero course had joined up to test out some inventions which had gone horribly. She got caught staring at Thirteen while they were walking by as Nemuri was supervising some outdoor training, and then to top it off, someone finished off the ice cream she kept in the teacher's lounge. Nemuri clenched her fist. She knew it was Hizashi; she would just need to get proof so she could out him as the food thief he is.
As she entered, Nemuri started to say she was home till she saw the extra pair of shoes and heard someone in the living room. "Ugh! No, that's a stupid word, and it shouldn't count."
Izuku chuckled "t-the game recognized it, so you have to deal with it."
The voice huffed, "well, English is a stupid language, and scrabble sucks."
Nemuri slipped her shoes off and crept up the hallway. Izuku was in the living room with what sounded like a girl. If she could get a picture and send it to Yasuda- "uh, Midoriya... why is the hero Midnight creeping in your apartment?"
Nemuri enjoyed the panicked look on Izuku's face as his head whipped around to look at her. Nemuri leaned on the wall, trying to act like she hadn't just been caught sneaking up on them. "Midoriya. I didn't know you'd be having a friend over."
Izuku stuttered and rubbed his neck "I-i uh... I'm sorry. I forgot to tell you, K-Kayama."
Toru choked "wait, Kayama? She's Kayama? Your guardian?"
Izuku nodded, and Nemuri laughed "yes, I'm Nemuri Kayama, also known as Midnight. I guess Midoriya didn't say I was a hero."
Toru shook her head "no, he said you were a professor of art history."
Nemuri tapped her chin "you know that's not a lie. I do teach that at UA."
"This is so weird... oh, sorry. I'm Toru Hagakure, a friend of Midoriya's."
"Oh, you're Hagakure. Midoriya has mentioned you a bit. It's nice to meet you." Nemuri studied her appearance as best she could. 'She really is totally invisible. that's so cool.'
"Likewise, ma'am," Toru said, giving a small bow.
Nemuri smiled and was about to head to her room to change when she stopped. "Oh, Midoriya. Nezu is having us change up the final exam for the fourth years, so I won't be able to go with you this weekend. Say hello to Azuki for me."
Izuku smiled, but Nemuri saw the bit of disappointment in it, and it clawed at her chest. "Alright. I'll tell her but just know she'll be super annoying about you not coming, so be ready for that."
Nemuri laughed as she went to her room. "I'll be prepared, I promise."
Once Nemuri was gone, Toru punched Izuku's arm, making the boy nearly fall off the couch. "O-ow, what was that for?"
"You didn't tell me Kayama was Midnight," Toru whispered loudly.
Izuku rubbed his arm. "I- well, we never hang out somewhere private a-and I didn't want someone overhearing. W-we got lucky, and the media hasn't realized I live with her. They just know she moved for some reason."
"Hm, I guess that makes sense. Still, it's pretty cool, but um..."
Izuku looked at her curiously "what?"
Toru bit her lip "um, she calls you Midoriya..."
"Yeah... I call her by her last name too."
Toru waved her hands. "I just mean... well, I guess I didn't expect you to be so formal. I mean, you two are family now, right? Sorry if that's rude."
Izuku rubbed his arm "y-yeah, we are... I guess I'm still nervous about all this. It feels too good to be true, you know?"
Toru patted his arm and watched his phone slowly start to slide away. "Hagakure, why are you stealing my phone?"
The phone shot up as she jumped from her seat "this game is terrible and full of lies. I won't let it hurt my friend! I'm deleting this evil from your phone."
Izuku sighed and rubbed his eyes as a chuckle escaped him "you said you wanted English studying to be more fun."
Toru tapped away before tossing the phone to him, satisfied "that was before I remembered English is stupid."
Nemuri chuckled as she came back in. "I agree, but it's important to know. Now Hagakure, would you like to stay for dinner?"
Toru grabbed her phone. "I'd like to, but I gotta ask my folks first."
"Of course. I'll get started on it. You two can relax or keep studying." Nemuri said before making her way to the kitchen.
Toru reported her parents were ok with her staying for dinner, and the two teenagers decided to take a break from studying and just talked like they usually did when they left school. Nemuri smiled and managed to stealthily steal a couple pics of them when neither was paying attention. She quickly shot off a text to Yasuda before getting back to cooking.
Once dinner was ready, the three sat down, and Nemuri listened to them talk and threw in the occasional comment, usually to Izuku's embarrassment. She enjoyed Toru's energy and her attitude. Nemuri encouraged her to be a hero and gave her a few tips on things to look into when Toru admitted she didn't know what she would do about a hero costume.
Eventually, it was time for Toru to go, and Izuku walked her to the gate; when he came back in, Nemuri smiled. "I like her. She's even nicer than you said she was. She's a good friend for you."
Izuku smiled "y-yeah, she is... I-I'm uh surprised you aren't teasing me about this more."
Nemuri smiled and held her phone up, showing the photos she sent to Yasuda. "I'm leaving that up to Yasuda. You should invite Hagakure to go with you, by the way. Azuki wants to meet her."
Izuku blushed and groaned, "alright... I'll ask her tomorrow at school."
Nemuri nodded "good. Now I'm gonna get some rest. I'll have to head in early tomorrow."
______________________________________________________________________
Due to years as a pro, Nemuri was a light sleeper, so the sudden noise in her apartment woke her up immediately, but she was slow to move. On instinct, she subtly made sure her room was empty before sitting up as her mind cleared more. The noise happened again, and she realized it was coming from Izuku's room. Panic gripped her as she flew out of bed and down the hall to Izuku's room, her quirk stirring to life as the haze lifted off her exposed arms.
She heard him scream as she opened the door in time to see Izuku wake up with panic in his eyes. Nemuri ran over to him and knelt after seeing no one was in the room with him. "Midoriya," he didn't respond; instead, his eyes flicked around as he tried to make himself smaller. Nemuri bit her lip and thought about what Thirteen had said before she whispered, "Izuku... calm down. It's ok. It was a nightmare. There's nothing to be afraid of... I'm here, and you're safe now."
Izuku stopped shaking, and his eyes slowly focused as he looked at her in the dim light. "K-Kayama?"
Nemuri smiled and slowly reached out and ran her fingers through his hair "yeah. I'm here. It's ok now; you don't need to worry."
Tears welled up in his eyes, and Izuku shuddered as a sob racked his body. Nemuri sat on the bed and continued to gently pet Izuku's head as he ran through his emotions. Slowly like he was scared she would stop him, he grabbed the edge of her shirt. Nemuri sat in silence and let him calm down at his own pace. Once his tears had dried, and the last few shuddering breaths had been taken, she spoke. "Do you want to talk about it?"
The silence was tense as she waited for him to answer. She desperately wanted him to, but she knew she couldn't push it if he said no. Izuku took a deep breath before saying, "I-I haven't dreamt about it in so long... I almost hoped I had forgotten."
She watched him take several deep breaths before continuing, "I-I told you how m-my parents died when I was six... I-I never told you I was t-there. W-when it happened."
Nemuri's breath stopped before she gently pulled Izuku into a hug and rubbed small circles on his back as fresh tears spilled out. "I-I had run a bit ahead. I wa-was so excited cause a hero was nearby a-and when I turned. I saw the villain c-coming."
Nemuri shushed him gently as he sobbed, and her free hand started running through his hair again. She wasn't even sure what to say now, so she let him cry and hoped her quiet comfort was what he needed until she could find the right words. Izuku's tears dried, and Nemuri patted his back gently but tensed as he asked, "I-I'm not gonna lose m-my family again r-right?"
Nemuri's eyes went wide as she realized he was afraid she would abandon him. It wasn't uncommon for kids to get sent back if the foster parents decided they couldn't handle an older kid. "No, of course not. I'm your family now, and I'm not letting you go ever, ok? I'm never giving you up. You're Izuku Kayama Midoriya now and forever... unless you change it to Hagakure. Which I would understand she does seem to have you figured out fairly well for how long you two have known each other." she could practically feel his blush as she kept talking. "I can only imagine what it'll be like when she ropes you into confessing-"
"Gah!" Izuku pulled back his face bright red. "I-it's not like that. We're just friends."
Nemuri chuckled and wiped away some tears from his cheek. "I know, but I gotta tease you remember. It's my job now."
Izuku pouted, "you teased me before you adopted me."
Nemuri found his pout adorable and pinched his cheek, making him squirm "that's cause I like you. I tease the people I care about."
Izuku rubbed his eyes as he chuckled before falling silent. Nemuri looked at him as he spoke quietly, "y-you um called me Izuku. W-when you started calming me down."
Nemuri's cheek flushed a bit "ah, I'm sorry-"
"No. uh, it's fine... I just. I don't know; maybe I was worried you didn't want to be informal. I thought if neither of us relaxed, then it would hurt less... if you gave me up. I-I don't know if I'm making sense."
Izuku was pulled into another hug which he returned as Nemuri said, "I'm sorry. I was... unsure of how to talk with you. I wasn't sure how I should speak to you now that we weren't just a teacher and student, so I stuck to formalities despite being your guardian."
"F-foster mom." Izuku muttered.
Nemuri smiled "you can call me Nemuri if you want."
Izuku nodded against her shoulder. "I-I'll try."
She tightened her hug, which got a groan out of him before saying, "I'm fine with that."
Izuku held her as she tried to move "c-can you stay just a minute longer?"
Nemuri smiled "of course."
The two sat hugging for several minutes before sleep started to crawl back into Izuku's brain, and Nemuri left to let him it.
_____________________________________________________________________
Toru felt almost giddy as she got to her usual meeting spot so she and Izuku could walk to school. Yesterday had been great. She had gone to a friend's house to study and had dinner with them. Toru couldn't even remember the last time she had done that, though her mother did insist that next time she bring Izuku over so her family could finally meet Toru's friend.
She bounced in place a bit as she psyched herself up. 'Midoriya was ok with me going to his place, so he should be fine with coming to mine, right? Yeah, it'll be fine, I'm sure... hopefully.'
Toru was pulled from her thoughts as the familiar green mop of hair made its way over to her. Izuku smiled, but she saw the bags under his eyes "h-hey Hagakure."
Toru smiled despite her quirk "Heya. You ok, Midoriya? You look like you didn't sleep well."
Izuku's smile faltered as he thought of whatever it was that had kept him from sleeping before suddenly becoming brighter "y-yeah, I am... I just had a rough night, but Nemuri helped me out."
Toru grinned at the development as they started walking. "Oh, you're using her first name. I guess you two talked."
Izuku nodded a bit. "Y-yeah... we talked a bit. It was good a-and I think some of my fears h-have been dissuaded."
Toru squealed and jumped, giving him a quick hug "yay! I'm glad to hear it."
Izuku blushed a bit before saying, "oh um s-since Nemuri can't come d-do you wanna go with me to the orphanage. I-I know Yasuda would like to meet you. S-she's pretty much my big sister."
Toru felt her face heat up a bit "uh y-yeah, but you gotta do something for me."
"W-what?" Izuku asked cautiously.
"My mom was bothering me when I got home last night and said since I studied and had dinner at your place, it was only right that I introduce my friend to them, so we gotta go study at my place today," Toru explained as they got to the school.
Izuku's face looked like a tomato which Toru still found endless enjoyment in. he nodded, "o-ok, that's f-fair, but y-you didn't have to make it a deal I-I would have been fine with it anyways."
Toru shrugged "well, I just had to make sure. You're a shy boy and a bit squirrely sometimes. I figured you might explode at the idea of going to a girl's house."
She turned to see Izuku doing his best to keep a neutral face "w-why would I? Y-you're a friend, and we're j-just studying."
Toru giggled "that's the spirit now come on, let's hope today goes quickly. I'm already tired of being here."
__________________________________________________________________
Izuku was nervous, not that he'd let Toru know that. The two were standing outside the Hagakure household as Toru chatted about some game her brother had started playing. As they entered, Toru announced she was home and had brought a friend.
A woman a few years older than Nemuri poked her head into the hallway and smiled. Her green eyes lit up, and she stepped around fully. She was wearing a sleeveless green sundress with a gray apron over it, and her brown hair pulled up into a bun "ah, you must be Midoriya, right? Toru has said so much about you."
Izuku smiled "i-it's nice to meet you, ma'am."
Toru's mother led them inside to the living room "would you like some tea? I'll bring some snacks as well."
Toru sighed but smiled "thanks, mom."
The two set up, and by the time they started going over the first subject, Toru's mother brought out some tea and snacks to help them along. Izuku relaxed as they studied and went over the work they covered today. Izuku saw Toru tense as a door closed in the house, and she grumbled, "Oh great, he's coming out."
Izuku quirked an eyebrow before hearing Toru's mom chuckled 'well, looking who decided to leave his room. What do you need more water or a snack? You know dinner will be soon."
Izuku looked over as an older boy in gym shorts, and a black shirt walked in. He rubbed his hand through his short pink hair. It was a soft color that reminded him of coral that he saw in a documentary. The older boy's eyes were the same color, and they locked onto him as he said in a tired voice, "I was getting water."
Izuku felt a chill go down his spine as the boy grinned "but it seems my baby sister brought a friend over, and a boy no less. When did she go and grow up."
Toru groaned, and her head thumped against the table. "Don't you dare start, Achi. I will sell all your collectibles!"
Achi laughed as he walked towards the kitchen, "but it's my brotherly duty. I need to embarrass you and scare him."
Toru huffed but smiled as she heard her mom chided Achi for teasing them while they're trying to study. "Sorry about Achi."
Izuku smiled "i-it's fine. T-that reminds me you should be ready when we visit the orphanage I-I know Yasuda is gonna tease me while I'm there, and s-she might drag you into it too."
Toru laughed "don't worry, I can tease you even without someone pushing me to."
Izuku covered his face as he groaned. "I know, and that worries me."
Toru chuckled as she nudged him as they got back to studying. Eventually, Toru's father came home, and Izuku noticed his hair was the same as Achi's but with a few graying streaks. He introduced himself and was a pleasant man who managed to ruffle his daughter's hair without even looking at her. Izuku stayed and ate dinner with the Hagakure family before saying his goodbyes and heading home. All in all, it was a perfectly ordinary visit that left him feeling relieved. He had been so nervous about going to a friend's house and messing something up, but he didn't.
Izuku's mood dipped as he saw reporters outside his apartment building. The vultures descended on him as he approached the gate, keeping them out. "Boy, do you know that the hero Midnight has moved into this building recently? Is there anything you can tell us?"
Izuku raised an eyebrow 'yeah, I could tell you a whole lot.' "who? Look, I just wanna go home and sleep. I've had a long day. Excuse me."
Izuku slipped in as they all kept asking questions and headed for the elevator, his chest pounding as his nerves caught up with him. Yet another incident of him not stuttering while saying something with way more confidence than he had any right to. Maybe having a friend like Hagakure and a foster mom like Nemuri were doing more for Izuku than he thought.
Notes:
alrighty, so a couple of things. first of all, should our sweet bean Izuku get One for All. I'm leaning towards no but I wanna see what ya'll think. before you ask no he wouldn't get the uh... extra bits of One for All. it would just boost his existing quirk.
Secondly, I don't think I'm gonna be showing Bakugo until UA. I don't feel like I should show his progress. I kinda want to just show how Izuku grows and stuff and makes friends and all that then have him meet this new Bakugo so he and the reader can try to see how much he's changed.
also, you may have noticed me asking questions and talking about a fic I'm working on. it's like super different from canon so I'm seeking advice on things through readers. today's random bit was gonna be which ship I should go with Fem Izu/Momo or Fem Izu/Setsuna but then I came to a wonderful conclusion of fuck that. Jiro/Momo for life and Fem Izu/Ochako/Setsuna with Fem Izu and Setsuna being tall like Momo. I call this ship the green tea moonpie.
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