The Emerald Prince

Chapter 15: Gaining allies

Izuku awoke at midnight to Bakugou's surprisingly gentle snores and their new quirk.

Name: Explosion (upgraded)
Ability: User can secrete nitroglycerin in their sweat from any part of their hands or feet and ignite it at will, allowing them to create explosions. User can control concentration of nitroglycerin in sweat enabling him to control the force of explosion, as well as being able to produce sweat at will regardless of external temperature.
Side effects: Your hair will poof more with conscious effort. This can be trained.
Drawbacks: None

It was going to be a good night.
He changed swiftly, and headed down stairs to make coffee before his dad got up.

———

Bakugou blearily searched the bedroom for a green haired nerd, but found the room as empty as he felt without his quirk; though if he was honest, it was kinda nice not wanting to punch something all the time.

Stomping downstairs he found the ground floor also empty - excepting cats.
Confused, he looked around until he discovered a further staircase going down presumably to a basement. Walking down it, he discovered Izuku doing gymnastics on parallel bars in a large underground gym.

He intended to watch for a little, but Izuku looked up the moment he came in, and did a flip to land on the ground with ease.

"Mornin' Kaachan."
"Deku."
"You're gonna be so happy with your quirk!"
Izuku was trembling in anticipation and Bakugou had to squint because of the bright aura around the guy.

"Yeah yeah, now give it the fuck back."
Izuku pouted. "Say please."
"You fucker..." growled the blond. "...please."
"As you wish!"
Izuku's eyes glowed green and he leant forward, kissing the blond's cheek before Bakugou even had a chance to insult him for his taste in movies, and he was suddenly overwhelmed as a familiar power flooded his body.

Izuku pulled away and began to ramble, listing off characteristics on his slender fingers.
"Now, you can control nitroglycerin concentrations, so don't try anything here in case you blow up the house. You can also deliberately sweat from any part of your hands or feet and can sweat at will regardless of temperature. How do you feel?"

Bakugou's eyes shone as he gazed with open admiration at Izuku.
"Amazing!"
Izuku swallowed, glad he was flushed already from exercise.
"Okay. Now you have to try not to use your quirk at all today. We don't have hero training so it should be fine. We can both train at using it after school. Yeah?"

"Yeah!" Then Bakugou furrowed his brows. "Wait, why don't I feel as pissed as usual?"

Izuku tucked an escaping curl behind his ear, glancing down bashfully.
"Upgrading removed that side effect so though I think your feistiness is a part of you and I'd miss it, you should have a little more control over your anger, is that okay?"
Bakugou suddenly found the walls of the gym very fascinating. "D-definitely."

The greenette sighed and sat on the floor to do cool down stretches.
"I'm glad. But please try and act as 'normal' as you can in class. Live up to your first impression. You've a lot of gradual changes to make if you don't want questions raised by the extras."
"Worth it."

"I wish I could use this on Hagakure..." Izuku muttered softly. Bakugou saw pain cross Izuku's face. He was astonished to be honest, that after everything he'd been through, Izuku's kindness had prevailed, he knew better than anyone how much pain this quirk must be causing him.
"Don't think about that now, perhaps someday you will." He said softly, though the words felt empty and far from enough.
"Yeah."
Izuku gave a heavy sigh before seeming to mentally shake himself.
"Wanna work out, or would you like me to cook breakfast?"
"You... cook?"
"Yup."
"Then what the fuck are we standing here for?"

———

Bakugou did more or less keep up the act, though he did make some small changes. He started occasionally using Kirishima's actual name for one.
He liked and respected the guy, and felt it only fair that he do that much for someone prepared to get to know him inspite of all the shit he usually had to take.

Plus compared to Pikachu or flutter shy, 'shitty hair' was far from his best work in the nickname department.

Bakugou of course continued to call Izuku 'Deku', and was relieved thanks to their known history and yesterday's confrontation, he could treat him as he did outside of school without the class assuming too much.
Though, naturally Ashido smelt more than friendship in the air.

———

Todoroki and Shinsou weren't in such good moods as the blond.
From the first day they had imagined themselves and Izuku as an exclusive trio, for lunch times at least. Bonded by mutual understanding and unmentioned dark pasts.

But with every day, one more person seemed to join their table.

Bakugou first, eventually bringing Kirishima, Kaminari, Sero and Ashido.
Then Iida and Uraraka pulled up their own chairs, followed swiftly by Asui and Ojiro, Yaoyorozu and Tokoyami.
Koda, Aoyama, Satou...
Soon it seemed the entirety of class 1A shared a table, with Izuku's laughter and warmth in the centre binding them all together.

The pairs' only consolation was that no matter how the group increased, Izuku always sat between them.

———

Aizawa watched on in pride and All Might with almost awe as this occurred. Though they would have been surprised at each other's reason for such feelings.

Aizawa watched as Izuku laughed genuinely at their childish jokes, and treated their naive dreams with a respect he could never muster even now.
They were teenagers, they joked about killing themselves to avoid tests, complained about pushy or irritating parents...every word must have been a cruel stab wound for Izuku, yet none of it showed on his face, he'd laugh, eye roll and console.
He never seemed to blame or despise them for it in the slightest and it seemed almost superhuman how he endured their ignorance and smiled.

There was only one other aware of what he was facing and overcoming, his new blond bodyguard.
Though Aizawa couldn't imagine how he had such patience, Bakugou could, and he hated it. It was only Izuku's gentle touches or looks that stopped the blond from punching them each in the face, or ranting for Izuku's sake.

All Might on the other hand wondered at how the bubbly cinnamon roll seemed to earn the friendship of both the quiet and the noisy in class alike, creating a kind of unity and trust between teens who would never have spoken otherwise. He had never been able to do that. With Izuku, Toshinoris and Aizawas laughed together.

Bizarrely, wise as he was, Izuku was oblivious to all of this.
He was just making friends with people.
Of course they made jokes like that, and whinged about their parents, he saw nothing offensive in it, though some of it hurt him a little.
He found each and every one of his classmates interesting and admirable in their own ways, and it was his honest enjoyment of their company that drew them to him.

However, that wasn't to say Izuku didn't look ahead after Aizawa's words.
So far only his relationship with Bakugou and Shinsou were truly strong. He felt he was not far from feeling able to confide fully in his violet haired friend. It would only take a little more time.

As for the rest though, there were many experiences and conversations that they would have to face together first. He sincerely hoped one day he would be able to sit together with all of them not having to keep a secret back from any of them.

He knew it was idealistic, and he made sure to remind himself just how naive it was everyday.

But he still let himself hope.
Just a little.