[46] Consequences
"Five more minutes," she grumbled, burrowing deeper under the covers.
"You're the one who wanted to train before class." I poked her side. She swatted my hand away.
"That was before you fucked me stupid." She rolled over, wincing. "Everything hurts."
"Maybe we should skip-"
"No." She sat up, grimacing. "We're training. Just... give me a minute."
I watched her stretch, cataloging each wince and sharp intake of breath. "You know, pushing yourself when you're sore-"
"Shut up." She grabbed my pillow and threw it at my face. "I'm not weak."
"Never said you were." I caught the pillow. "But we need to make a stop first."
"Where?"
"Corner store." I met her eyes. "Unless you want mini-Bakugos running around."
Her face went through several expressions before settling on horror. "Fuck. We didn't-"
"Nope."
"Four times."
"Yep."
She flopped back onto the bed. "Shit."
"My thoughts exactly." I stood, fishing around for clean clothes. "The store opens at 6:00. We can grab what we need before training."
Katsumi groaned, dragging herself upright. "Fine. But you're buying."
"Obviously."
She limped to her discarded clothes, muttering curses under her breath. I pretended not to notice how gingerly she moved.
"This is your fault," she said, pulling on her shorts. "You and your stupid perfect dick."
"I- what?"
"You heard me." She glared. "Stupid perfect dick and stupid perfect stamina and stupid perfect-"
I kissed her, partly to shut her up and partly because she was adorable when flustered. She bit my lip in retaliation.
"Asshole," she mumbled against my mouth.
I pulled back from the kiss before we could get carried away again. "You should head back to your dorm. Get changed before anyone notices."
"Yeah." Katsumi smoothed down her hair, which did nothing to tame the wild spikes. "Meet you in the common room at six?"
"Alright."
I watched her slip out my door, checking both ways before darting toward the girls' wing. The click of her door echoed down the hall moments later.
Alone in my room, I let out a long breath. Last night felt surreal, like a dream I'd wake up from any second. But the scratches on my back and the lingering scent of nitroglycerin on my sheets proved otherwise.
I changed into workout clothes, trying to focus on the day ahead instead of replaying memories of Katsumi's skin against mine. We had training to do. And a very important errand.
The common room was empty when I got there - almost empty. Midoriya sat in his usual corner of the couch, muttering over his hero analysis notebook. He looked up when I entered.
"Nakamura-kun! Good morning!" His smile was genuine but nervous, like he wasn't sure if I'd acknowledge him.
"Hey, Midoriya." I dropped onto the couch across from him. "Back to our morning routine?"
"If... if that's okay?" He fidgeted with his pen. "I know we had that break after USJ, but I was hoping..."
"Course it's okay." I stretched my arms over my head, wincing at the pull of scratch marks. "Could use a training partner who actually follows proper form instead of just exploding everything in sight."
"Kacchan's joining us?"
"Yeah, she'll be down in a few." I checked my phone. 6:02. "We need to make a quick stop first though."
"Oh! The corner store?" He started gathering his things. "I need to restock on protein bars anyway. The ones with extra calcium really help with bone density when training One For-" He cut himself off, face flushing. "I mean, when training in general!"
Heavy footsteps announced Katsumi's arrival. She stomped into the common room wearing her usual workout gear, hair pulled back in a messy ponytail.
"Deku." She acknowledged him with a grunt, which was practically a warm greeting by her standards.
"G-good morning, Kacchan!"
I studied her as she dropped into the seat next to me, careful to maintain a respectable distance. There was something different about her - not obvious enough for most people to notice, but I knew her tells. The usual tension in her shoulders had eased. Her scowl lacked its typical edge. She looked... settled. At peace with herself in a way I'd never seen before.
Midoriya noticed too. His eyes darted between us, that analytical brain of his clearly working overtime. I could practically see the gears turning as he tried to puzzle out what had changed.
"We going or what?" Katsumi stood abruptly, cheeks pink. "Some of us actually want to train today."
"Right behind you." I got up, gesturing for Midoriya to follow. "Better hurry before she leaves us behind."
The walk to the store was quiet, broken only by Midoriya's occasional muttering as he jotted observations in his notebook. I caught fragments about "changed dynamics" and "unusual behavior patterns" before Katsumi snapped at him to shut up.
The store's fluorescent lights hummed as we entered. Midoriya made a beeline for the protein bars while Katsumi and I exchanged glances.
"I'll get the... other thing," I murmured. "You distract him?"
She nodded, already moving to where Midoriya was comparing nutrition labels. "Oi, Deku! Those calcium ones are shit. You want the ones with branch chain amino acids..."
I slipped down the pharmacy aisle, scanning the shelves until I found what we needed. The morning-after pill felt impossibly small in my palm. Hard to believe something so tiny could prevent such massive consequences.
I grabbed some basic first aid supplies as cover and headed to checkout. The elderly cashier raised an eyebrow at my purchases but said nothing.
Katsumi was still lecturing Midoriya about proper supplements when I rejoined them. "-and that's why you're still a weak nerd. Your protein choice is all wrong."
"S-sorry, Kacchan! I'll try your recommendations!"
"Damn right you will." She grabbed a handful of her preferred bars and jerked her head toward the register. "Let's go. We're burning daylight."
Outside, I quietly passed her the small paper bag. She shoved it in her pocket without looking at it.
"Race you losers to the gym," she called, already taking off.
Midoriya scrambled to follow. "Wait, Kacchan!"
I watched them go, smiling despite myself. Some things never changed. But others... I touched my chest where her head had rested last night, feeling the phantom warmth.
"Oi! You coming or what, pretty boy?" Katsumi yelled back at me.
"Yeah," I said softly. "I'm coming."
The morning sun painted the world in soft gold as I jogged after them. A new day, a new dynamic, but the same us at our core. Sometimes that's all you need.
Back at the gym, Midoriya was already setting up the weights while Katsumi disappeared into the bathroom. I spotted him through his warm-up sets, falling easily into our old routine.
"Nakamura-kun?" he asked between reps. "Can I ask you something?"
"You just did."
He flushed. "I mean... about Kacchan?"
"What about her?"
"She seems different today. Calmer. Almost... happy?" He set the bar down, looking thoughtful. "I've known her since we were kids, and I've never seen her like this. Did something happen?"
I helped him rack the weights. "Maybe she just had a good night's sleep."
"Maybe..." He didn't sound convinced. "It's just... she keeps looking at you when she thinks no one's watching. And you keep looking back. And there's this energy between you that-"
"You analyze too much, Midoriya." I ruffled his hair as I passed. "Sometimes things just are what they are."
The bathroom door opened and Katsumi emerged, looking more settled. Our eyes met briefly before she turned away, but not before I caught her small smile.
"Alright nerds," she called, cracking her knuckles. "Who's ready to get their ass kicked?"
I watched Katsumi and Midoriya square off on the training mats. Her stance was looser than usual - probably still sore, though she'd die before admitting it. Midoriya bounced on his toes, nervous energy radiating off him.
"Rules?" I asked, leaning against the wall.
"No quirks," Katsumi said. "Pure technique. Unless you're scared, Deku?"
Midoriya shook his head. "N-no! I mean, yes! I mean... let's do it!"
They circled each other. Katsumi struck first - a quick jab that Midoriya barely dodged. He backpedaled, guard up but shaky.
"Stop running and hit back," she growled.
"But-"
"You think villains will wait for you to be ready?"
She pressed forward with a combination. Midoriya blocked the first two strikes but caught the third on his shoulder. He stumbled.
"Your footwork's shit," I called out. "Plant your back foot when you block."
"R-right!"
The next exchange went better. Midoriya held his ground, even attempted a counter that Katsumi easily slipped.
"Not completely useless," she said, resetting her stance. "Now try actually hitting me."
Twenty minutes later, Midoriya lay flat on his back, wheezing. Katsumi stood over him, barely winded.
"Again," she demanded.
"Give him a break," I said. "Let's work on quirk control instead."
Midoriya sat up, eyes bright despite the bruises forming. "Could we? I've been trying to figure out One- I mean, my quirk, but it's like an on-off switch. Either nothing or... everything."
I glanced at Katsumi. She shrugged, dropping onto a bench. "Whatever. Just don't blow up the gym."
"Show me what you mean," I said.
Midoriya faced a training dummy. Green lightning crackled over his skin as he activated his quirk. His punch shattered the dummy, sending pieces flying. The force knocked him back, his arm already swelling.
"Shit." I steadied him. "That's your minimum output?"
He nodded miserably. "I can't seem to find anything in between."
"Think of it like a faucet instead of a switch," I said. "You're cranking it open all the way. Try finding quarter-turns."
"But how?"
"Focus on one point." I tapped his fist. "Just your knuckles. Picture the power flowing there, but slowly. Like filling a cup without spilling."
He frowned in concentration. The lightning flickered, more contained this time. His next punch still cracked the replacement dummy's chest, but his arm stayed intact.
"Better," I said. "Again."
We spent an hour working on control. By the end, Midoriya managed three clean hits at what he estimated was 3% power. His face lit up like a kid at Christmas.
"I did it! Did you see that, Kacchan?"
"Yeah, yeah." She stood, stretching. "Still weak as hell, but less pathetic than usual."
Coming from her, that was practically a love sonnet. Midoriya beamed.
"Thanks, Nakamura-kun! The faucet thing really helped. I was thinking maybe if I-"
His phone alarm cut him off.
"Crap! I promised All Might I'd meet him before class!" He gathered his things in a rush. "Same time tomorrow?"
"If you're not too sore," I said.
He waved as he ran out. The door hadn't fully closed before Katsumi's arms wrapped around me from behind.
"Finally," she muttered into my shoulder. "Thought he'd never leave."
I turned to face her. "Someone's clingy today."
"Shut up." She punched my arm, but kept hold of my shirt with her other hand. "You're just... warm."
"Mhmm." I pulled her closer. "Nothing to do with last night?"
Her face flushed. "You're such an ass."
The door finally swung shut behind Midoriya, my brain catching up to his parting words. "Wait, why's he meeting All Might?"
"Who cares?" Katsumi's fingers dug into my shirt. "Probably just fanboying over his favorite hero again."
"Yeah, but before class?" I traced the edge of her jaw with my thumb. "Seems weird."
"Everything about Deku is weird." She tilted her head into my touch. "Though... he does kind of look like All Might. You know, when he smiles?"
I snorted. "What, you think he's All Might's secret love child or something?"
"Please." She rolled her eyes. "All Might's too much of a boy scout for that. Besides, Deku's mom is like, the sweetest person ever. She'd never..."
"Never what?" I grinned. "Have a torrid affair with the number one hero?"
"Ugh, stop." She shoved my chest. "Now I'm picturing it."
"Young Midoriya," I boomed in my best All Might impression. "I am here... to tell you that your mother is a wonderful woman-"
Katsumi slapped her hand over my mouth. "I will literally murder you."
I licked her palm. She yanked it back with a yelp.
"Gross!" She wiped her hand on my shirt. "What are you, five?"
"Says the girl who just tried to shut me up like a toddler."
Katsumi and I walked back to the dorms, our footsteps echoing in the early morning quiet. The sun had barely crept over the horizon, painting everything in that weird pre-dawn gray that made the world feel empty.
"Hey." Katsumi's voice broke through the silence. "That blue thing you did at USJ..."
I shoved my hands in my pockets. "Azure."
"Whatever." She kicked a pebble, sending it skittering across the path. "Have you used it since?"
"No."
"Why not?"
I stopped walking, trying to find the right words. "It's... different. Not like my normal stuff."
"Different how?" She turned to face me, arms crossed.
"You know how my quirk usually works right?"
"Yeah, you're a walking physics headache. So?"
"Azure is..." I ran a hand through my hair. "It's like trying to do math backwards. Instead of pushing things apart, it pulls them together. But not just physically - it's like gravity, but for everything. Space, energy, matter..."
Katsumi's brow furrowed. "That makes no fucking sense."
"Tell me about it." I started walking again. "Every time I try to wrap my head around it, it's like trying to catch smoke."
"So practice more, dumbass." She fell into step beside me. "That's how quirks work."
"It's not that simple. When I used it before, it was instinct. Pure reaction. But trying to do it on purpose..." I shook my head. "It's like my brain refuses to process it."
"Sounds like you're overthinking it." She bumped my shoulder. "You always do that shit."
"Maybe." I glanced at her. "Want to help me figure it out?"
"What, be your training dummy?" She snorted. "Hard pass. I like my molecules where they are, thanks."
We reached the dorms. Through the windows, I could see a few early risers moving around the common area.
"After class then?" I asked. "We could use one of the training grounds."
"Fine." She headed for the entrance. "But if you turn me into a black hole or some shit, I'm kicking your ass in the afterlife."
"Noted."
She nodded once and disappeared inside. I stayed out a moment longer, staring at my hand. Somewhere in my head, there was an equation that made Azure make sense. I just had to figure out how to solve for X when X kept trying to divide by zero.
Math was easier when it didn't try to break physics. Or maybe physics was easier when it didn't try to break reality. Either way, I had a feeling this was going to give me one hell of a headache.