The Emperor's Dragon

Just People

It was autumn but the weather had been relatively dry and despite the chill in the air, they were taking the opportunity to eat lunch outside. Izuku knew that Shigeru and Naoki were a bit wary of Hitoshi but they sat with them anyway, so that was something. The problem with it being autumn was that everyone was crowded onto the tarpaulins that had been placed out. That way they didn't get muddy feet but it did mean that no conversation was private.

Izuku was talking with his group of friends but he couldn't help but hear other conversations and he was noticing a theme. He frowned as he ate the bento Kurogiri had made.

Naoki sighed. "What is it, Izuku?" he asked.

"Nothing," he replied.

"It is something," Shinsou drawled. "You've been frowning for the last five minutes." The purple haired boy had already finished his lunch and was sitting with them. He wasn't that tired today.

Izuku worried at his lower lip. "It's about Setsuna," he said.

"Oh yeah, she finished first at the Kanto regional trials on the weekend," Naoki said with a shrug.

He nodded. "No one seems happy about that though," Izuku observed.

Shigeru sighed. "You really don't get it, do you?"

"He doesn't," Hitoshi answered.

"I don't get what?" Izuku demanded.

Naoki looked upwards, as if asking the Gods for strength. "You explain," he told Shigeru.

Shigeru gave him a grumpy look but eventually nodded. The other boy put down his chopsticks and shifted so that he was looking directly at Izuku. He sighed and for a moment Izuku wondered if Shigeru was like Hitoshi. The purple haired boy sighed a lot too. "Setsuna is great at sports," Shigeru said. "And she's already training to be a hero but-" Shigeru sighed again. "She's not very nice," he finished.

Naoki nodded. "Sometimes I wish I had her quirk," he said.

"But Finder is so useful!" Izuku objected.

"Not to become a hero," Naoki grumbled.

"Since when do you want to be a hero?" Hitoshi asked with a surprising amount of acerbicness for an eight year old.

"That's not the point," Naoki snapped back. "Her quirk is great but she's painful."

That was practically the words Izuku had been overhearing from others. He resolved to talk to Shinsou after school.

"So, do you like her or not?" He pressed the question.

Naoki and Shigeru shared a glance. "We like her but-"

"Her quirk is great but-"

"But what?" Izuku demanded.

"She's not that great," Naoki said after a rather loaded pause.

Izuku nodded and let the matter drop. "Has anyone been able to play SuperMario Odyssey XXII?" he asked to change the topic. He still had the Tinnendo Stitchmate, XL Lite that Tomura had given him and this year he had found out that others had them as well! It was nice to be able to talk about games to someone who wasn't Tomura.

Shigeru grinned, the previous conversation forgotten, while Hitoshi groaned. "Just the beginning," the other boy said excitedly, picking up his chopsticks again to finish his lunch.

Izuku smiled. He still had questions but for now, this was more fun.

-ted-

Izuku walked beside Hitoshi as they made their way home. It wasn't that they didn't talk, it's just sometimes they enjoyed each other's company in silence.