Post Vitam

Chapter 184

The moment Izuku, Katsuki and Kota - perched on his shoulders - had entered the dining area almost the whole of Class A and a fair few members of Class B were upon them. Basically everyone and their auntie wanted to know if Izuku was okay now and what had happened.

Izuku nervously rubbed his neck at all of the attention. "I got careless with my training goals and did the one thing I'm not supposed to do with my quirk." he told the crowd while he gave a grateful look to Katsuki, who had chosen to go gather food for the three of them. Izuku wished he could have gone with him instead, but he knows Katsuki has a very low limit for other people and crowds only make that worse. It wouldn't do to have him be recovered while the rest of their schoolmates were barely surviving an explosive blast to their faces.

"What would that be?" Monoma asked, looking horrified that a quirk in the same vein as his had caused this. Not that he needed to worry, Mosaic is vastly different to Copy...

"Don't look so nervous Monoma, you can't copy mutant level quirks so there's no need to worry. I however can replicate them" he said waving his tail at them. "But I really rather shouldn't because it's not like replicating other quirks. I can't choose to not use them once I activate it. I have a tail now for the rest of my life..."

Monoma looked relieved and a number of the others looked horrified at that news. Izuku really hoped it wasn't because they held some of the same quirkist beliefs that Endeavor does.

"So why did you scream like that then?" Sero asked, receiving quite a few head nods like they also wanted to know.

Izuku shrugged at them. He has ideas based on experience with growing his arm back multiple times now, but it's not for certain. "It fucking hurt. Felt like I was being dipped in acid. Best guess is because a tail is essentially an extension of your spine. All your nerves run through it." There were murmurs of agreement at that.

"So how's it feel to have a tail now?" Mineta asked him.

Izuku chuckled. "You guys do know Mashirao had a tail way before me right?"

"Yeah but he was born with it. He doesn't know anything else..." Kaminari informed him like he was being silly.

"Hey!" Mashirao piped up behind the tactless blond.

Izuku just shook his head. "It's certainly an adjustment..." Izuku mused, bringing his tail in front of him and noting the tuft of hair on the end had picked up a leaf and twig somewhere...

Mashirao snorted seeing that. "You have to learn to not drag your tail on the ground. If I had a yen for every time I heard my mom tell me that growing up..."

Izuku looked shocked at that. All his other limbs just knew how to behave... now he has to consciously not let one hang freely?

Something must have shown on his face to make Mashirao giggle. "You get used to it eventually. Speaking of, how are the clothes Yaoyorozu made fit?"

Here Izuku flushed bright red. He didn't blame her, it's not everyday she has to make clothes for people with tails after all. Or maybe it was the fact that he is a guy... The underwear she had made for him had almost zero room for anything that is normally there, let alone the extra space needed for a tail. Consequently he was going commando. Luckily the new trousers she had made didn't have the same problems and apart from the tail hole being a tiny bit snug they were good.

Izuku looked in Yaoyorozu's direction briefly. "They uh..."

She joined him in flushing red mumbling a "sorry."

Izuku smiled at her, not wanting her to feel too bad. "It's not your fault, not everyday you make clothes for people with tails or boys. Plus you didn't even have my measurements."

"That's true" she said a bit more cheerfully.

Mashirao saved her by drawing any remaining attention away from her. "I'll send you the number for the store where I have to buy my stuff. They have a tailor on staff for all the various mutant quirks."

"Thanks Mashirao."

"Call me Ojiro, us tailed folk have to look out for each other." he said, lightly slapping Izuku on the shoulder before leaning in a bit closer. "If you need underwear just say the word I have a whole unopened pack made for people with tails."

Izuku was thankfully saved from acknowledging that out in the open by Katsuki carrying plates of food. So he just nodded at him and rushed over to his boyfriend.

Izuku took his plate, picked up a piece of bacon as they walked and lightly glared at Katsuki. "Never leave me alone again..."

He snorted at that. "I thought you liked the extras."

"Not when I'm in the state I am in now and it is so obvious as to receive offers of spares." Izuku complained at him as softly as he could while still conveying the urgency of the situation to him.

Katsuki's eyes traveled down at that reminder. "I don't know, I kind of like it." teased seductively

Izuku swatted his boyfriend with his tail and was delighted to learn he could do that and scolded him. "Behave yourself!" Secretly though, Izuku was relieved that Katsuki still found him desirable. It was an irrational fear to think he wouldn't, he's not that shallow, but it had been there on his mind nonetheless.

"Where's Kota?" Izuku asked, realizing his reason for admonishing his boyfriend wasn't actually around.

"Conked out in his bed. He refused to sleep while you were out..."

"Oh..." Izuku said as they sat down. "Sorry for making everyone worry."

Katsuki sighed. "I'm just glad you're okay."

"Love you Kacchan." Izuku said, leaning in for a kiss.

"Love you more nerd." he said, completing the kiss while lightly pulling on his hair which earned him a light moan.

"When you said you were hungry I thought you meant food Izuku..."

Izuku turned so red he was sure there was heat coming off of him when he heard and then saw his dad sitting across from them. Katsuki, having no shame in his entire body apparently, just laughed at him.

He firmly placed his gaze on his food while he earnestly started eating. "Hi dad..." he mumbled after a few bites and his mortification wasn't so all consuming.

Luckily he didn't linger on the interaction he had walked in on, focusing on Izuku's wellbeing. "Are you feeling a bit better now, kitten?"

Izuku nodded vigorously, currently having cheeks too stuffed with scrambled eggs to answer verbally. This earned him a hearty chuckle from his dad. A sound he hadn't heard much of since his brother has been away.

His dad leveled him with a look telling him "You are to rest today, you can watch the others if you want but I want no exertion from you at all."

At first Izuku wanted to complain but in truth he was a touch nervous to continue his own training. He might be determined to remember to not activate mutant level quirks even when he operates on instinct – whether or not he's going to be able to do that or not scares him a bit though. Avoiding it for a day ought to cure him of that small fear... Hopefully.