She's the Man

Date Danger

Bakugo stood in front of the dorm his brow twitching as Izuku stepped out… but was joined by Izumi who look ready to go out as well. The two of them were dressed nearly identically with the same black t shirts, jeans and red sneakers, but Izumi wore a baseball cap over her head and her t shirt and jeans hugged her curves.  “What’s she doing here?”

“Relax, Bakugo…” Izumi said staring at her phone as she sent text messages to Grandpa Torino. Izuku’s head was low and his cheeks flushed with some embarrassment. “I’m only taking the train with you. I’ll be getting off at a different stop.” 

“Tch, we don’t need a third wheel, why don’t you just go at a different time? Where are you headed anyway?” 

“None of your business…” she slapped her phone shut and narrowed her eyes at him. “Concentrate on your date and not me. I’ll even walk behind you.” 

“You should call All Might,” Izuku insisted. “I don’t feel comfortable you going out on your own.” 

“Don’t be stupid, if I call All Might he might insist all of us grouping together. I’ll be fine, I’m not helpless yah know.” She shoved Izuku forward and into Bakugo. “Now go… come on or we’ll have to wait an hour for the next train.” 

Almost immediately leaving the dorm Izumi wished she’d taken Bakugo’s advice and gone later. Watching her brother and his secret boyfriend interact was awkward. She saw the affection and the subtle changes in their demeanor and attention to one another and wasn’t entirely sure how she felt about it. On one hand she wanted her brother to be happy, on the other seeing him with Bakugo just didn’t sit right. Even though she’d accepted it and was beginning to understand his personality better, she still couldn't approve it fully. 

She felt weird when Izuku interacted with anyone outside of family.  Her brother was awkward, but always seemed to make friends easier than she did. She had friends, like Mavis, but didn’t really feel close to them. Izuku was the closest thing she had to a best friend growing up. She had relied heavily on him, defended and comforted  him against the harsh words of the bullies that pushed him down. In turn he was protective, kind, and generous to her. They’d bond over heroes, and games, and other hobbies they shared. There wasn’t a time in their childhood where either of them wanted to apart from the other. It made sense to her that she’d feel this tug of loneliness knowing her brother was pulling away from her, and leaving her alone. 

Third wheel… Yeah that pretty much summed up how she felt.

Izumi looked to the heavens when the train finally pulled into her stop and she quickly exited. The thoughts she was drifting to staring at the odd couple was depressing. She looked down at her watch and nodded in approval. She had a date of her own.  Grandpa Torino stood outside the station and smiled when he saw her. 

“Ah good, you’re right on time as always.” 

“Hi grandpa.” She hugged the old man, wanting the comfort and familiarity of his embrace. She closed her eyes, and let it calm her. Once she was sure of herself again she pulled back and smiled big at him. “So I take it you want to visit the Taiyaki stand? Why else would you want to meet up in the city?” 

“It’s too long of a train ride for you to travel back and forth between here and home. I’m staying with a friend for now so I can be close by. However, Taiyaki is on the agenda. I do like my sweets.” He gave her a wide grin and turned to walk with her down the street. “So where is your brother?” 

“He’s out with a friend from school. He’s barely gotten a chance to get out of the dorm so I figured he needed a little socializing.”