Be Careful What You Wish For

The Calm

It was almost 5:30 PM when the rest of class 1-A arrived, pouring into the mess hall looking like zombies on their feet and ready to collapse any minute. Some gave up the fight against dignity and let themselves fall, Ashido making a particularly dramatic show as she kissed the hardwood floor.

"I can't feel my legs!" she cried, refusing to move even as Kirishima did his best to cheer her on.

"Come on, just a little bit further!" he pumped his fist. "You can't just end it here!"

The bubblegum pink girl groaned, muffled as her forehead rested against the cool ground. "I'd rather die than move another inch."

Izuku, Uraraka, Iida and Todoroki had spent the majority of their time waiting for the rest of the class by helping the Pussycats prepare dinner. They went from washing and chopping vegetables to boiling rice and seasoning the meat, the young Kota working in his own little corner and bouncing off any attempt to start conversation like a brick wall. Mandalay and Pixie-Bob answered many of Izuku's hero related questions; the blonde heroine especially enjoyed recounting her tales of dramatic defeats of dastardly villains.

"—of course, he didn't realize I could use the dirt in the potted plants by the window," she finished with a grin, retelling the story of a would-be robber during a casual shopping tour turned precarious.

There was a tap tap tap as quick steps stalked up close, a gruff voice snarling in displeasure. "Deku. You little shit."

"Nice to see you too," Izuku greeted his old friend, Uraraka and Iida eyeballing the scene testily from the sidelines, unsubtly creeping closer. For his part, Bakugou kept his distance and settled for verbal abuse over physical.

"How the fuck did you get here before me?!"

"If it makes you feel any better, I didn't do it alone," he gestured to his teammates, signing extra wide to include Todoroki who was observing the exchange with a passive mask from his own spot, separated from the rest. "I had some help."

"Figures," Bakugou puffed, shoving his hands into his pockets with a grunt. "I swear, if you're about to give me a lecture about the magic of friendship I'll seriously puke."

"Noted," Izuku bobbed his head in assent. Somehow, I feel it would go over your head anyways.

A loud voice cried out a short distance away. "FOOD!"

Ah—looks like Kirishima finally got Ashido back on her feet.

The heroine-in-training sped across the floor so fast Izuku suspected she might have used her quirk, plopping down by one of the long tables with tears of joy streaming down her face. Stars glistened in her eyes as she took in the wide selection of delectable cuisine, looking as if she had discovered the road to El Dorado.

"We should probably sit down before Ashido eats all the food," Uraraka quipped, lightly patting her freckled friend on the back as she passed him to find herself an open seat.

"Good idea," Iida concurred. His delivery was so deadpan Izuku questioned whether he realized Uraraka was only joking, before ultimately deciding it didn't matter, and he joined his friends in the buffet they helped prepare.

After dinner was over, everyone looking more than satisfied with their fill, it was time for a well deserved and well delayed bath. Izuku closed his eyes, exhaling a lengthy sigh of satisfaction as he finally felt his muscles begin to relax. An odd squishing sound to his left interrupted his peace and without missing a beat he called out:

"Mineta."

He opened his eyes a crack and gave the shortest student in their class a Look. The boy stood frozen by the wall that separated the men's and women's bath, one sticky and purple ball-shaped object in one hand and another already affixed to the wooden divide. Droplets of sweat trickled down his back, and Izuku suspected it had nothing to do with the hot steam surrounding them.