Summary: A celebration at The Blue Nova after Day 3 gives us some more insight into Katsuki, a confused Jirou, and a bit of internal exposition from Asui to both explain and foreshadow the whys and hows of the dorm system...
Chapter 24: Afterparty
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"I still can't believe neither of you actually won the tournament, since they had to force you to stop before the building collapsed."
Momo, normally the composed one between her and her girlfriend, blushed and looked away as she slumped in her seat at The Blue Nova. This time, they were in one of the restaurant's larger private rooms, properly reserved months ago, before any of them had even started at UA. It was set up buffet style, with dozens of food options and various small groups of students milling around. The members of Group A which hadn't been there for the first visit were mostly busy gawking at the sea of stars and stellar phenomena all around them, even as Jirou managed to make Momo blush with her deadpan observation. The grin tugging at the corners of the punk girl's lips was also the absolute last straw.
Izumi reached out and gave her a head pat.
Jirou's expression of complete confusion was replaced with a blush of her own a moment later as Izumi solemnly informed her that, in exchanged for this unauthorized head pat experience, Jirou was allowed to head pat Momo whenever she wanted. So long as it didn't interfere Izumi's own head pat access. The bewildered rocker stared at Izumi in confusion, even as Momo's previous embarrassment broke down into giggles at the exchange. Mina, oblivious to the previous exchange, appeared next to them with Kirishima in tow.
"Come on, you three! It's time to eat! I bet Yaomomo must be about ready to devour an entire butcher's shop!"
Mina cheerfully grabbed hold of the blushing, sputtering Momo as she dragged her toward one of the larger buffet spreads. Blinking, Izumi shrugged and followed along in their wake. She was starving herself, after all!
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Jirou stared, bewildered and cheeks still stained in a blush, as the trio wandered off. A hum had her looking down and to her left a moment later, where she saw the absolutely adorable child-sized form of 2B that Izumi had introduced everyone too at the start of the party. The Quirk didn't look any worse for wear even after Mina and Toru attempted to hug the stuffing out of it moments after that introduction. This time, 2B's relatively flat expression from that experience had been replaced by a small smirk. Before Jirou could wonder why the android girl had approached her, 2B spoke up.
"You should feel blessed. Izumi is extremely jealous of Momo's head pat privileges. She must really like you to give you carte blanche, instead of just allowing you a single retaliatory head pat. Just something to think about."
Jirou stared, more confused than ever, as the Quirk wondered off to talk to someone else without another word...
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Katsuki was surprised how...content...he was, as he listened to Pickachu blather about something to an audience of Elbows and Invisalign. If you'd asked him even a year ago how he'd feel about losing the Heroics Tournament, he'd have said some version of 'pissed off.' Not like 'murder people' level of pissed off. He'd managed to leave that level of incandescent anger behind in a therapist's office years ago. But there was no pretending he wasn't still his mother's son, with the same wildly swinging emotions. He was just more centered and able to actually swing with those emotions, rather than constantly living locked in on anger.
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My Hero Automata
Fanfiction2B was not expecting to wake up after dying. Not this time. She was expecting the opportunity offered to her even less. Meanwhile, Izumi Midoryia was late getting her Quirk, her Doctor about to declare it hopeless, when she telekinetically punched h...
