62

Chapter 62: Under WrapsNotes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

Momo walked behind Mina and Kyoka as they headed towards their rooms. The latter looked at the former and shook her head in disbelief.

"How the hell did you manage to forget your books the day before our exams?"

"It just happened!" Mina exclaimed, increasing her stepping speed as she approached 1-A's side corridor. "Come on!"

For some reason, the horned girl seemed to have no intention of stopping by the first two rooms. Not entering her own room made sense, but her friend had tasked her to retrieve her books.

- Maybe she forgot? -

"Mina, shouldn't you get Tsu's things?" Momo questioned.

Mina turned and shot them a worried look, her hands pointing the way they'd just come from. "Shush! Lower your voice!" she whispered through her teeth, a finger before her lips. "You'll blow my cover!"

"... What?" Kyoka replied, sounding unamused.

"Just- Shush! I gotta check something!" she hissed with quick gestures.

They saw Mina quickly continue to the other end of the floor, prowling carefully with a hand over her ear and only stepping over the carpeted area.

Momo and Kyoka shared a look at the girl's antics.

"Let's see what's gotten her acting weird now," Kyoka snorted, following the other's steps.

They found the girl all but flattened against the wall, keeping an eye just over the corner to peek at something. Hearing them approach, Mina turned to repeat her plea to stay silent with a quieting hiss.

Kyoka rolled her eyes and sighed, but conceded, leaning against the wall while Momo thought about what was happening.

If Mina was trying to be stealthy, she was failing, as her attempt was rather amateurish and certainly not something that Mr. Aizawa would have approved of. Even if one were to not pay much attention in her direction, her horns and pink hair were a dead giveaway at her positioning.

- But why is she doing this? The only people here would be our classmates, and from there she can only see Itsuka's room… Why would she be spying on her now? We literally just let them. -

Even if it wasn't the nicest thing to do, Momo couldn't help but feel curious—exceedingly so.

The sound of two voices coming from the other side of the floor made her realize that the other Class Representative must have been getting closer, and she really didn't want Mina to be caught spying.

Before she could move though, Kyoka had already grabbed the horned girl and pulled her back behind the corner, nipping in the bud any complaint by showing her the same sign she had used to request their silence.

Seeing her chance, but having no desire to commit the same mistake as her friend, Momo produced a small square mirror from her arm and quickly found the right inclination to let her—them, once Mina squeezed herself on her side—gaze at the redhead's door, only to see it close behind Ochaco's back.

"Aw, come on, you made me miss it," Mina pouted.

"You were going to be noticed, you moron," Kyoka pointed out with a huff. "And miss what?"

"Oh, just the results of my work," the pinkette replied with a smirk, already forgetting about her bad mood.

"Which would be?" Momo asked, pocketing the mirror.

"Those two!" Mina cheered. "The ship's sailing!"

Momo raised an eyebrow, confused by the wording.

Kyoka, noticing her troubled expression, huffed and explained. "She thinks that they're going to be a couple, for some reason."

She let out a sound of surprise. "Oh. Is that right?"

"Hell yeah I am!" the horned girl piped up, grinning from ear to ear. "The plan's working perfectly!"

Kyoka frowned. "So you didn't forget your books and you've just pushed them together for shits and giggles?"

"Hey! Why'd you think so little of me?!" Mina pouted again, now sounding somewhat offended. "I've been there supporting Itsuka as her wingwoman every step of the way! And I just got her the alone time she needs to confess!"

Momo blinked. "Confess? Now?"

"Yes!" Mina replied with a little jump.

"Wait, really?" Kyoka asked, now getting that the other wasn't just spouting nonsense. "Itsuka's confessing to Ochaco?"

"Yes!" Mina repeated.

"And you think Ochaco's gonna say yes?"

"Yes!" Mina hissed, almost fed up. "Do I have to repeat myself again?"

"They have been growing much closer since our internships," Momo commented, considering how her own bond with Tsuyu had improved considerably over that week. "Though I hadn't expected such a development already…"

It certainly wasn't the first bond she thought would have been formed and "officialized" inside of their unit. It wasn't like there was a sequence to follow, nor did they all have to get so close with everybody else—Midnight had stressed ad nauseam the point of respecting their personal limits, since it was just that important. Still, she would have expected that she and Toru would have been the first to try, given the time they'd spent together, sharing a secret, after their discovery.

Kyoka seemed just as surprised by the news, her gaze staring pensively at the door.

"Uh…" she seemed to think about it for a few moments before shrugging. "Okay… Yeah, I guess I can see it."

Momo nodded in agreement. Despite the unexpected reveal, the thought of her friends taking the first step filled her with joy. She wished Itsuka the best of luck. Hopefully this relationship would be the first of many.

"I'm happy for them," she stated with a small smile.

"Yeah," the punkette agreed, letting out a breath. "Let's hope things work out."

Mina giggled. "Don'tchu worry, they will!"

"And you're sure because…?" Kyoka asked, one eyebrow raised.

"What can I say, captain Mina runs a tight ship," the pinkette said with a wink. "No love can escape my sight."

"Uh-uh, if you're sure," the rocker replied, sarcastical and unimpressed.

Mina narrowed her eyes at Kyoka. "Oh, I'm sure. It's not all 'shits and giggles' for me, you know?" the pinkette scoffed, still upset from the previous comment.

"Uh- Right, sorry about that," the punk girl rubbed the back of her head, looking mortified. Her jacks started getting tangled up, the tips touching uncomfortably. "I thought you were just teasing and… Sorry."

"Mm, excuse accepted…" Mina started before moving her golden irises to Momo and back. Her mouth slowly turned into a sly grin. "...if you'll let me help you too."

- Excuse me? -

The pinkette approached Kyoka and whispered something in her ear that Momo didn't get. Whatever her words might have been, they were already making the musician blush up a storm. It was no wonder that she would hurriedly put a hand over Mina's mouth.

"Not. Another. Word," Kyoka almost growled, keeping her jacks raised menacingly like the snake of Medusa's hair.

"As you wish~" Mina giggled as she backed away with a short, peppy jump. "A~anyway, I'm gonna go pick up the girls' stuff now. Laters!"

Seeing one friend enter Toru's room in a hurry, and another groaning deeply with her face under her hands, Momo wasn't sure if she was to sigh or to giggle. She truly wished she wasn't as unaccustomed to interacting with her peers as she was turning out to be.

"Sometimes I think she's truly the most complex person I've ever met," she commented with a smile and a light shake of her head. "It's impressive how good she is at taunting."

- Perhaps Midnight's training was more effective than I thought it to be, - she mused.

"She's just a damn tease," Kyoka murmured before letting out a long sigh. "Whatever. Let's just get our stuff out and go."

Momo nodded in agreement as they both went to enter their own rooms, but she didn't miss how Kyoka seemed to purposely avoid meeting her gaze, nor the hints of the blush still intact on her cheeks or the slight torsion of her jacks.

The sight left her slightly perplexed. She had seen her friend blush a few times, but that had usually been after receiving praise which she would quickly brush off or after uncouth jokes from some of their male schoolmates. The intensity of this instance wasn't quite like those cases, but she could recall one such event that had surprised her exactly in the same way, not too long ago. In fact, the ravenette was sure that she had already seen Kyoka act that way that same morning, in front of Izuku.

Momo found herself wondering as she parsed through her neatly organized notes.

From an outsider's perspective, Kyoka could probably seem like an apathetic, easily-annoyed, condescending, and maybe even cold girl, given how her responses were often snippy, sarcastic, or blunt. It would have been easy to classify her as the type that wouldn't spare more than a glance, a scoff, or a sneer, but that really wasn't the Kyoka they knew and loved.

Momo knew better, because her friend—best friend, at that—was the exact opposite of that once you got to know her. Under that rough exterior, there was a beautiful person. In fact, Kyoka was an incredibly good listener, being both very supportive and ready to provide constructive criticism when necessary. She cared about them in her own way, showing it with actions rather than words, as her little stunt with Izuku and several more small gestures had proven. She wasn't even haughty, as Momo had never heard her say a single word to celebrate herself that wasn't lacquered with sarcasm.

Kyoka was outspoken, but only when discussing things that weren't personal. In truth, she rarely talked about herself at all, usually deflecting to music or to what her interlocutor might be interested in. Even their sleepover hadn't been enough to make her talk about her feelings, something that had only happened once cornered with facts a few hours before. She even thought of herself as unworthy of forgiveness for her transgression, and the boy's words had taken a while to convince her, if they had at all.

Things quickly added up.

Kyoka didn't think much of herself, while seeing others as her betters.

Kyoka kept her emotions close to her chest, never acting on her feelings.

Kyoka was reserved, only letting herself speak when she felt secure with people she trusted.

Kyoka had only looked as shy as she just had in front of Izuku and her… and now Izuku wasn't here.

- How could I have been so blind? - Momo asked herself.

No, she knew why. She had been too busy with everything else to stop and look at the signs. She had only considered them this morning, when they had been so very apparent that even she couldn't have missed them—and even that had required quite a fortunate coincidence. The question about Kyoka's interest had already been answered that way, but Momo had missed a vital piece of the puzzle.

Now, as she put things into perspective, she found that a new answer fit like a glove.

- Kyoka likes me. -

She left a nice warmth creeping upwards at the thought. Her heart started to speed up until she could feel it lightly drumming in her chest. Her thoughtful expression turned into a smile that she could barely cover with her hand.

Three words alone had made her this happy.

For sure, meeting Kyoka was one of the best things that had happened to her at U.A.. Kyoka had been the first to approach and befriend her when she felt like there was a wall between her and her classmates. She had learned so many things from the musician, and had taught so much in return, making Kyoka the first to see her as an equal rather than an acquaintance to exploit. Her friend kept looking out for her whenever she found herself at an impasse, and was always the first to come to her aid. The time they spent together was always incredibly enjoyable, and she wouldn't give it up for all her riches combined.

With those thoughts neatly in place, it was rather simple to accept what she was feeling.

But, if Kyoka didn't believe herself ready to ask, perhaps she should do it herself. After all, If their feelings were mutual, what was stopping her from making them known?

It seemed like she was once again destined to take the red threads of fate in her own hands. 

Momo understood what she wanted to do… but she stopped herself from acting on impulse again. While she was glad of the agreement they had reached as a unit, she knew that her attempt with Izuku had been a success in name only—Toru's tears were still a sour memory, and the weeks spent not knowing if their plan would succeed had been stressful to say the least.

If anything, Momo Yaoyorozu wasn't the type not to learn from her mistakes.

- I just need some time… and perhaps a few friendly pointers, - she mused, wondering if the offer Mina had just made applied both ways.

Izuku welcomed back the girls as they came into the room while carrying bundles of books and notes.

Tsuyu hummed a "Thank you, ribbit," while getting up to get her very recognizable frog-themed notebooks from Mina's hands.

"You're welcome!"

When Kyoka passed Toru her things and Momo placed Ochaco's plain brown notes on one of the foldable chairs, it became obvious that something and someone was missing.

Having noticed that there were no more notebooks to be handed out, Setsuna raised an eyebrow. "So, did Prez and Ochaco get lost or what?"

"They are figuring something out," Momo said without going into detail. "They should be back soon enough."

"With good news!" Mina added.

Toru let out a confused "Uh?" and Tsuyu emitted a curious ribbit, but didn't comment further. Izuku also let it go, as they must have had their reasons for the lack of explaining, and their answer would come soon enough.

"Uh. All right then, keep your secrets," Setsuna quoted with a smug grin. "Anyway, since I'm left noteless…"

"I'd give you mine, but I know you don't see them as notes," Mina poked fun at one of the girl's previous comments.

Setsuna snorted. "And I stand by it."

"Nerdy mosshead."

"Pinky featherbrain."

The two grinned at each other, interrupting the exchange with a giggle as the frog girl pushed her own between the two of them. "We can share, ribbit."

"That would be for the best," Momo concurred. "Let's begin with English, shall we?"

The minutes went by fast as they skimmed through the parts of Present Mic's teachings that were most likely to end up on their tests, stopping every so often to clarify a word or a meaning some still weren't that certain about. It was only when they were almost about to put away the foreign language's textbooks that they heard knocking at the door once again.

Ochaco and Itsuka slipped inside, letting Izuku's eyes start to take in details that he was sure weren't there half an hour before.

Their knuckles were ever so slightly bruised, but there were no other signs of conflict.

- Itsuka's punching bag. -

Their eyes were just a touch redder than when they'd left, but their smiles were full and sincere, if a bit shy.

- A few tears with a happy ending. -

Their clothes still bore some signs of being held tightly, despite having been hastily straightened up—especially Itsuka's blouse.

- One of Ochaco's hugs. Hands on her shoulders. -

Their hair was disheveled—although not as much as his was—, but this hadn't been caused by sleeping or fighting.

- Itsuka's ponytail holder is lower than usual. Ochaco's had her fingers through her hair. -

The last confirmation he needed was Mina's delighted squeak at the same sight, since the two were straight up holding hands. Things couldn't get much clearer than that.

"Are congratulations in order?" he asked with a smile.

Toru, moving her head away from the pages, repeated a sound of confusion before noticing what gave them away and gasping. Setsuna, too focused, took even longer and only turned towards the gasp. Tsu let out an amused hum; she had probably known all along.

"So? So?" pressed Mina, practically bouncing with excitement and on the edge of her seat.

The two exchanged a look and reassuring smiles before raising their held hands and getting closer to each other.

"Yeah, we're together," Ochaco proclaimed with glee that overshadowed a tinge of nervousness.

"YES!" Mina cheered, raising both arms in victory and almost falling backwards, only to be stopped by Tsu's foot.

Toru joined Mina with another joyous exclamation. "You are!? Oh my god!"

Setsuna looked surprised for all of a moment before grinning. "Damn, Prez, two for two today," Setsuna remarked, offering Itsuka a playful wink that earned her a chuckle.

The remaining three showed their appreciation more calmly, but with just as much care.

"Congratulations, ribbit. It's nice to see you both so happy," Tsuyu said simply, her words carrying a sense of heartfelt sincerity.

Kyoka smiled cooly, looking proud of the girls' achievement. "Hell yeah."

Momo's expression reflected her support as she spoke. "I am really happy for you both."

Izuku couldn't agree more.

- This time is just full of surprises, isn't it? - he thought.

Just another check to add to the list of events that he'd have never thought would happen this early on, or at all.

He had only seen this couple form once before, but after mostly different developments. The only event the two cases had in common was that the two had been chosen to work under Ryukyu, although it had happened during their work studies, not their internships. Albeit, to be fair, Izuku didn't know what else might have happened between them at the time. They had gotten together… around Christmas? Early January? Certainly before the War. He hadn't seen much more of that one, but he knew that they had been happy while it lasted. The only thing he was extremely sure of was that Mina had called them "a hell of a power couple," and that was a judgment he could trust.

His smile grew ever wider and warmer.

"I've never been the best at this part," he chuckled a bit, "but congratulations. I'm glad you've found each other."

"Thanks, Izuku," Ochaco giggled.

"I've been lucky," Itsuka stated with a light grin. "And hey, it's not like we're setting off on our own."

He straightened up. "Oh no, I didn't mean-"

"I'm joking," the redhead laughed, because of course she was. He mentally chided himself for not paying enough attention, stuck in his own head. 

Itsuka gave a nod towards the others. "They've explained how we think it could work?"

"We have," Set cut in with a hum.

They had. In synthesis, any member of their unit could date more than one person as long as they had the others' blessing. Technically, anybody could date anybody else in their group as they pleased; they didn't have to, but they could.

It wasn't a bad idea, and he could see how it could help him going forward, as Nana was sure it would.

Still, Izuku wasn't extremely pleased about being the current pivotal member of the whole unit, since that felt somewhat too similar to being the one that had to keep it all together. He couldn't do it for their Hero society, and he probably shouldn't for his love life. He knew how much time he could and would dedicate to one partner, but he was just getting how exponentially complex his current situation was. But there was one saving grace, because this wasn't an eight-way relationship. His girlfriends were hoping they would fall for each other along the way, turning their unit into a web that could stand on its own—and one he'd certainly have to put on paper to fully grasp.

It wasn't going to be a sure thing, but knowing what he knew about their tastes… The possibility was there, and it was a good one.

It wasn't going to be easy, but after all, when had he ever taken the easy path?

It probably wasn't going to be perfect, but he had long since learned that perfection was an unreachable ideal to strive towards, not something truly attainable.

As long as he could make them happy and enjoy the time he had left with them, Izuku would be satisfied.

If this was going to be his last attempt at holding them close before giving it up forever, he wouldn't settle for something half assed. They deserved everything he had, and that was what he would give them.

Izuku sheepishly rubbed the back of his hand.

"Y-Yeah. They have," he confirmed with a nod. "I've just got to get used to it, I think."

"We all do," Momo commented calmly before eyeing the standing pair. "But it's good to see that Itsuka and Ochaco are already leading us by example."

"Please, it was just a coincidence," Itsuka huffed, shaking her head lightly.

"Eh, as long as it works," Mina shrugged. "No need to rush."

"Yes, ribbit. Let's take things slow," Tsuyu said serenely. "But we weren't finished yet, ribbit. There is something else Izuku wanted to ask once we all came back."

The boy nodded again and took a measured breath as their eyes moved to him, the girls showing gazes of curiosity and open, attentive expressions.

"I wanted to ask you if we could keep our relationship under wraps, for the time being," Izuku started, his usually warm tone now more earnest. He didn't want to come off too strong, but he needed them to be serious about the topic. "Before you say anything, just know that it's not because I'm feeling unsure, nor because I fear judgment. I know it's unusual, but we aren't doing anything wrong. I believe that the others will accept it, and I honestly don't care if they don't."

"I mean, the guys might resent you for a bit…" Toru mumbled.

"Because of this?" Ochaco asked with a doubtful look.

"For being this lucky," Mina giggled as she opened her arms to point at all of them.

"Explaining that it was us coming onto him isn't that hard," Itsuka pointed out.

"Not like they have a say in it anyway," Kyoka deadpanned.

"They'll get over it," Setsuna huffed. "They might be dumb sometimes, but they aren't cavemen."

"Ah, yeah. I don't think we'll have too many problems with that…" Izuku chuckled awkwardly.

While he had never tried anything like this and he was sure that it would take them by surprise, he thought that his friends weren't as shallow as to hold a grudge because of it. There was a chance he could be wrong, yes, but he felt like he wasn't. If anything, they were more likely to start wondering how the hell he had done it, ask for pointers, laugh about it, or do all of the above. He could already start to imagine the kind of jokes and nicknames they would start. Izuku mentally prepared himself to be tempestated by questions and requests to help with similar romantic "conquests"... which would be kinda weird, since he had been the one on the receiving end this time. Thankfully he had some experience to fall back onto if he had to give some simpler suggestions.

"I trust our classmates to understand our situation as well," Momo agreed with a small smile before turning more pensive. "But if those aren't your reasons, then why do so?"

He waited a second too long to reply while looking at them, and Kyoka clicked her tongue in realization. "You're trying to keep us safe again, aren't you?"

"Yes," he responded with a sigh, raising his hands to stop the questions that would surely result from their frowns. "Wait. I know that I can't stop you from helping me..."

"Damn right," Ochaco scowled.

"...and I swear that it's not that. I just don't want to make you into even bigger targets," he stated, his tone once again somber.

"Bigger?" Toru asked.

"I told you, All For One always goes for those I care about first. If our relationship becomes public then that monster will try to hurt me through you," he repeated.

"But aren't we in danger simply by knowing you then?" Kyoka asked, her brow furrowed at him. "Hell, everyone in the dorms could be in the same danger simply because we're your classmates."

He couldn't deny her words, but there was more to it than that. "You're right. Just being in the same school as All Might and me put you in the League's radar, and being a Hero hopeful turned you into menaces in their eyes," he confirmed with a sigh. He then met her gaze and held it, unwavering. "Still, you have to consider that nobody's ever truly safe. We're learning to be Heroes, which isn't a safe profession to be in. And even then, there is a difference between being one among many that vow to fight against villainy, and being one of the few that can be specifically targeted because of our bond. Attacking forty students at once is hard. But one, or two, or even eighth? It's much easier."

- Too easy, - he cursed inwardly.

Kyoka finally looked away, letting out a dejected "Fuck" that earned her a few eye rolls and sighs of agreement. 

Izuku swallowed and tightened his fists. He hated it, but he had to get the point across.

"I'm sorry, but… that's what I've seen. The enemy is strong, resourceful, and has nothing to lose. While I would love to say that watching each other's backs will be enough… I can't," he admitted ruefully. "But that's just what I think. I don't know how things may go now, and I don't want to just decide what we need to do on my own. So, please, tell me what you think. We can decide together."

The group remained silent for a moment, ruminating on his words as they exchanged glances. Their expressions told him that they understood the danger, but they weren't covering away nonetheless.

Kyoka huffed, laying back on her chair. "I mean, what's there to discuss? Going public will put us in danger, keeping it to ourselves won't. Not like we've got much choice." And it wasn't like she had ever been ready to shout about her private life on a whim.

"No, I think it's important," Ochaco replied. "We should make sure to be on the same page about it."

"I agree, ribbit. And I'll start by saying that I don't like it," Tsuyu stated, deadly serious and perfectly honest. "I want to be able to say that I have people I love and be with them however I like, without having to worry about a Villain trying to kill us for it."

She made a pause, croaking her disappointment. Izuku nodded, understanding the feeling perfectly. It wasn't fair.

"However, I know that this is the hand we've been dealt, ribbit," she continued, showing a small smile. "I want us to be safe, and if this is the price we will have to pay, then I don't mind too much."

"I'm with Tsu," Toru announced. "It's a shitty situation, but I'm okay with keeping it to ourselves for a while. I mean, we've already kept that stuff for a month, so what's some more?"

"I agree. We know how great the risk is, so we shouldn't be careless," Momo thought aloud, sounding pensive and slightly saddened. "Secrecy would at least allow us to have some peace of mind."

"I dunno," Mina murmured while biting her thumb's nail. "Wouldn't it be stressful as hell either way?"

"Keeping the secret, ribbit? We haven't told anybody about our recent plans, and it went just fine," Tsuyu pointed out.

"Of course not, we had to speak with Midori first," the pinkette replied.

"And now we can keep it under wraps a bit more," the other said plainly.

Mina crossed her arms and grumbled. "Urgh… Yeah, I get that, it's just… we're gonna have to keep everything hush hush, right?" she asked before continuing without waiting for their obvious confirmation. "How long can we last without messing up?"

"That's a good question." Itsuka hummed as she thought, turning to Izuku. "You said 'for the time being'. How long do you think it's gonna take to take down the League?"

Another difficult question.

"I can't say for sure. Sometimes it changes," he sighed, "but it's usually about a year at most."

She grimaced. "That's… a while." 

Setsuna groaned and shook her head in frustration. "Parsley, there's no way we're gonna be able to keep it all a secret for that long."

"Um, I did see that I managed to keep my relationship hidden a few times…" Izuku offered.

"But you have a feeling that it's not going to be that easy now," Momo completed with an understanding sigh.

"Yeah…"

"And we're already off to a bad start, ribbit," Tsuyu thought aloud. "The girls all know that we like him, ribbit, even if they don't know the whole story. They may ask about it again."

Mina grimaced. "Damn, you're right… We'll probably have to lie to them."

"The more people know, the less likely it is to stay a secret," Itsuka groaned, looking equally frustrated. "I trust our classmates, but how could they keep the secret if we—those directly involved—can't?"

"Even if we tell them to be careful, the beans are gonna spill sooner or later," the lizard girl added.

"But wouldn't it just be between us students then?" Ochaco muttered, sounding slightly hopeful.

Izuku shook his head. "I wish it would, but you know how fast rumors can spread," he said, hoping that the girl would catch his hint. She did, and her lip quivered ever so slightly. "All it takes is one mistake. If a single image ends up on the net, or if word of this gets out, nothing is going to stop the League from knowing. U.A. can't exactly censor all information going in and out through phones and home visits."

- And the one who would tell everything to the League is much closer anyway, - Izuku mentally grimaced, wanting to grind his teeth at the thought of Yuga's grim obligation.

The deal with the devil struck by the French teen's parents had been the cause of some terrible things throughout the years, some of which he'd rather not think about at all. But the traitor had played his role with great reluctance, giving up only enough not to get his family on the chopping block. While his actions couldn't be entirely excused, Izuku had forgiven him a long time ago. The others wouldn't—not now—, which meant that he couldn't let them know yet. There was good inside Yuga Aoyama, and Izuku wouldn't just give him up to the wolves—or, in this case, to the school's chimera and everybody else. Yuga was and would always be one of them.

Looking at their faces, it was easy to discern their thoughts. It was obvious that they disliked the idea of lying to their friends, and the thought of always having to be careful around others wasn't exactly a stress reliever.

Izuku would give them one last depressing thing to mull over—the proverbial nail in the coffin. Then he would accept their decision, whatever it would be.

"I know full well that it won't be easy," he admitted sourly. "It would be even further removed from a normal relationship. A lot of things would have to wait until we can go public. We would be giving up all the dates where others could see us, from simple walks to get ice cream to going out for dinner. We would only be able to be this close in the comfort of our rooms, and even then we would need to be careful not to let others get wind of it." He swallowed what felt like a stone and got out his conclusion. "It's not impossible, or at least I don't think it would be, but it's also a sacrifice I can't ask you to make if you aren't willing. So, if you think that it would be too much, we can risk it… Or we could delay everything until things are safe."

He had to give them the chance to back out. He could wait forever if he needed to, and his primary goal hadn't changed.

"Oh no you fucking don't!" He heard Nana scream before he could tune her out.

The girls practically froze at his words.

Tsu was the first to get over the shock. "Ribbit. By 'everything' you mean this relationship?"

He simply nodded.

"Then no," she replied instantly. "I don't believe in delaying happyness and hoping that things will change for the better, ribbit. Sometimes they don't, and you have just lost a chance at something good."

"Yeah! We said that we would be with you through hell and high water, so to hell with that!" Ochaco exclaimed, almost letting her accent slip in the heat of the moment.

"Agreed," Kyoka huffed before smirking lightly. "Green, going by what you said it's clear that we're all gonna have to face the League at some point, and that it's gonna turn ugly. I don't want to be negative or anything—" For once, it really sounded like she really wasn't. "—but none of us know how it's gonna turn out. What's the point of stalling then?"

"Enjoy today, because you never know about tomorrow," Momo sang.

Setsuna chuckled. "Literature quotes aside, that's not a bad way of thinking. Maybe a few dates here and there would have been nice, but it's not the end of the world."

"Maybe we could ask Miss Midnight how she's handling that part too…" Mina proposed.

"Um, actually," Toru interjected, "I was thinking… What if we found a way to have those dates in a way that they don't look like dates?"

They all turned to the invisible girl with various degrees of surprise on their faces, but a whole lot of curiosity.

"Like how?" Mina asked, tilting her head to the side.

Toru hummed a bit, sounding in deep thought. "Like… People would expect couples, right? If you see two people sharing an ice cream the first thing my mind goes to is a couple. But when you see a group eating all together…"

"That's just a group of friends!" Ochaco piped up, eyes wide.

Izuku blinked, quickly considering various scenarios that were similar to what Toru had described. A few memories came to mind.

- I never guessed what was going on between the four of them… Maybe I was just too dense, but they only looked like friends, or a double date at most. And I just ended up learning about Aizawa's thing by mistake, since they're actually good at keeping things secret… -

As realization set in, the surprise on his face slowly gave way to some confidence.

"That… That may just work," he muttered. "It's simple, but that's just it. People will settle for the answer that makes sense, because everything else would be too absurd."

"Toru, you're a genius!" the pinkette exclaimed, jumping to hug her friend.

The invisible girl giggled, barely struggling against the embrace. "It was nothing much…"

"No no, that was fucking smart," Setsuna cut in.

"Group dates disguised as friendly outings… It's exactly what we need," Itsuka confirmed.

"We should be able to have those pass as nothing romantic," Momo mused. "Although I don't know if it would still work with the League. Wouldn't they just see it as Izuku getting close to us specifically, and thus still keeping us as prime targets?"

"Only if Green doesn't also go out with others," Kyoka pointed out. "Which—let's be real—is going to happen whether we like it or not. When has he ever said no to anything?"

He looked down, feeling a pinch of shame at the fact that she was completely right. "Sorry, it's just that everybody here is very important to me… It's my way of giving back what they gave to me through my memories."

"You old sap," the other grinned and rolled her eyes.

"We won't cut into your time too much," Ochaco chuckled.

"Juuust a bit~" Mina sang with a sly grin and a wink.

"You're sooo convincing, you know?" Setsuna remarked.

Mina pouted. "Like you're any better," she retorted, poking her tongue out.

"To begin, we shall set some ground rules," Momo stated with a glint in her eyes, to the horror and mortification of some of the less "orderly" of the group.

"Yeah, we'll make it work," Itsuka added, sounding sure.

"Somehow," Tsu ribbited, the note of sarcasm in her usually deadpan voice causing them to giggle.

Izuku laughed with them, feeling like he could let himself forget about some of his troubles for a little while. He knew that they would come back to haunt him, but he would deal with them in due time.

If only he couldn't feel that little mote in his chest, coalescing his doubts and fears into a putrid poison, and hear that fiendish voice that crooned into his head

" You're not getting out of this so easily. "