Plus Ultra! [BNHA One-Shots]

Mesmerised [5/5]

fun fact, i actually nearly didn't write this chapter because it's mostly just plotless bonding and tying up some loose ends, which is sO boring to me, but i knew it'd add to the story so i urged myself to write it - and it turned out pretty cute, so i'm glad i did (:

this is the last chapter of this mini-fic, so i hope you enjoy <33

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CW: Blood & Injury, Canon-Typical Violence

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Chapter Summary:

Secrets are shared, fondness blooms, and Izuku cries a lot - but things are finally okay.

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Izuku silently wriggled out of his sleeping bag, glancing around the room to check that all his friends were still asleep as he tugged the nautilus shell necklace over his head. It was strange to be back on still land after getting used to bobbing waves lulling him to sleep.

After the fight the previous night, Neptune had driven the boat back towards the nearest coast with a jetty. They met up with the coastal police, who took the villains off their hands, and a few medics handled the group's wounds. All Might exchanged a couple of calls with UA to explain the situation, somehow managing to persuade them into letting the kids stay for the final day instead of going straight back to school. The smile he offered Izuku when he clambered back on board made the boy wonder if All Might had done it for his sake.

A couple of hours passed as Neptune drove them back to her private cove. Most of the students were wobbly on their feet when they stepped back onto land, but were quick to hurry after Neptune as she led them up the beach and into her cottage, where they were to stay for the remainder of their trip. Since it was so late, they immediately set up their sleeping bags in the guest bedroom and went straight to sleep.

Izuku picked his way between the sleeping bodies that had nearly migrated into a cuddle puddle during the night. Asui was nuzzled next to Yaoyorozu, who had flung an arm over Todoroki, who had somehow kicked both his legs over Izuku's sleeping bag. Iida was the only one who had stayed perfectly in place, lying on his back on Izuku's other side, and at the end, Kacchan had managed to squirm around so his feet were up by the pillow. All Might was dozing in his own sleeping bag closest to the door, and Izuku carefully padded over to him, freezing whenever one of his friends snuffled and shifted in their sleep, but none of them awoke.

He crouched down and gently shook his mentor's shoulder until he stirred, blinking blearily up at the boy in the dark room. Izuku put a finger to his own lips and stood back up, gesturing for the man to come with him, then offered a hand. All Might drowsily took it and heaved himself to his feet with several cracks of his joints, and let the boy guide him from the room, their fingers still loosely joined. They paused in the kitchen as Izuku wrote a note explaining their absence, then he unlocked the front door, and the two padded down towards the beach. Dew-drops glittered in the sparse grass.

"What are we doing here, my boy?" All Might asked, tone deep and rough with sleep.

"W-Well, you shared your secrets about One for All and your injury, so... It's only fair that I trust you with mine, right?" Izuku explained, cringing at the way his voice shook with the nerves he tried to hide. "B-Besides, you deserve an explanation for, um... for what happened, yesterday."

A dark sky stretched overhead, faint stars scattered across the heavens. Soft clouds hazed over the moon, but there was still just enough light to see as they trudged over sand. Dawn was just barely glowing at the base of the sky, and the air was chilly. Both of them were still in their pyjamas and not wearing shoes, but their feet and legs were covered in bandages anyway, soaking up the puddles of saltwater on the beach.