Work Text:
It happens in an instant.
Midoriya is curled up on one end of the couch in the common room after their classes, a little exhausted by the day. They had paired sparring and then trio combination practice back to back, so his muscles are aching and his eyes are heavy. He'd ice, but he doesn't want to move, too comfortable in his spot. He could probably fall asleep right here, right now, with no regrets.
Across the couch is Todoroki, who he was paired with for sparring. He also looks tired, though it's hard to tell with an untrained eye. Luckily, Midoriya considers himself an expert in most things Todoroki Shoto. It's there in the cadence of his voice, just slightly more reserved than normal. He's talking to Shinsou- casually laying out his points for why he thinks Shinsou is Aizawa-sensei's secret love child.
His face is so serious that Shinsou is probably having a hard time telling if he's joking or not- and in Midoriya's experience, he isn't. He still wholeheartedly believes that Midoriya is All Might's son despite having met Midoriya's mother and knowing that she was not married to the retired hero. It probably doesn't help that All Might just loves to pop up at the wrong times and say just the wrong things with almost zero context, continually solidifying the theory.
But it's fun, Midoriya thinks, that Todoroki is having a good time and is focusing on something that isn't hero training.
"And this theory stems from?" Shinsou is asking, voice trailing off, guestering for Todoroki to pick up the prompt with a lazy roll of his wrist.
"It's the way that Aizawa-sensei looks at you." Todoroki says decidedly. "It's full of pride and affection. As if you are his son. Or, alternatively, a cat that he has found and began nursing back to health."
Shinsou splutters, clearly unsure of whether to be amused or offended, before ultimately deciding on a round of incredulous laughter. Midoriya stifles a couple of giggles too, but they peter out when he sees the soft half smile on Shoto's face.
He looks satisfied with himself; the way that he looks when he gets a good hit in on Bakugou during sparring or when he gets a high grade back on a difficult assignment.
Todoroki did that to make Shinsou laugh.
He must have noticed the subtle downshift of Hitoshi's mood after they beat his team in the drills and took it upon himself to help fix that. And that realization makes Midoriya want to melt into a puddle on the couch because wow, he loves having friends and he loves having friends that are friends with each other even more.
It happens right there- as Shinsou is working to get his laughter under control and Todoroki is working to school his expression back to the seriousness of before- that Midoriya's heart, fit to bursting, pulses once and then suddenly, Midoriya finds himself with a lap full of Shoto- all warm and cold and on top of him.
Midoriya blinks up at Todoroki.
"Uh- woah." Shinsou says.
"Midoriya?" Todoroki asks, and it's in that tone that he has of- I don't know whether I need to be supportive or protective or somewhere in between, but I'm really confused right now and I need you to use your words to let me know.
"Um." Is all that Midoriya can manage. He's halfway to panic and his brain is just- Oh my god Shoto. On top of me. Oh my god, it's really nice, Shoto being on top of me, that is.
"Did you-" Shinsou is standing now, and peering at the two of them. And Todoroki hasn't moved, why hasn't he moved? "Did you just yank him across the couch?"
"Um."
Todoroki is frowning. He's so close that Midoriya can see the details of face the way he can't normally- the rough skin around his scar, the flecks of gold mixed with brown in his right eye, the indent at the corner of his mouth where his lips are downturned-
"You didn't even touch me." Todoroki says slowly, eyes narrowing a little, oblivious to the panic flaring inside Midoriya. "It felt weird. Kind of like I was being tugged at from the inside."
Thankfully, Todoroki's reluctant beginning at an analysis is able to rewire Midoriya's brain from dead to active. "I felt that too. Well, I'm sure it was different because I didn't move an inch, and you did, but- it was all on the inside. I swear I didn't mean to do this."
Todoroki hums, still studying Midoriya's face, expression a little smug like he knew what he was doing and succeeded. Which, if his plan was to get Midoriya to stop having panicking of the gay variety, then mission accomplished. His mind was working now. Honest. He was not thinking about Shoto being on top of him. He wasn't. Really.
Shinsou stifles a laugh.
Okay, maybe he was. Just a little bit.
"Um. Shoto." Midoriya says slowly. Todoroki raises an eyebrow, distracted from his face. "You're still- uh- on top of me."
"Oh." Midoriya expects him to slide off, but he just tilts his head. "Do you want me to move?"
"Uh-" Suddenly Midoriya's mouth is too small for his tongue. "Um. I don't mind?"
"Okay," He says, and then he presses his face in the crook of Midoriya's neck. And- oh, that's nice. That's actually really nice. It's like getting cuddled by a heating pad and an ice pack at the same time.
Shinsou is seriously not doing a good job at hiding his laughter. Midoriya can't find anything even remotely amusing about this situation.
"Your mother's quirk is pulling objects towards her right?" Shoto asks, voice muffled slightly.
Midoriya just about has a conniption at the feeling of Todoroki's lips moving against his inner neck, but fortunately for him, quirks are the one thing he can talk about no matter what state he's in.
"Yeah," he says, hoping he doesn't sound too flustered. He glances over to Shinsou, who is literally tearing up at Midoriya's panic- which is so rude. Forget everything he said about his friends being friends, Midoriya can't stand it. "Only small objects though and, um-"
You aren't exactly a pencil, Todoroki.
"Maybe this is her quirk manifesting in you." Shinsou offers, voice only wavering slightly in left over amusement.
Midoriya fixes his eyes to the ceiling and dares to breathe in, then out. And then he carefully curls his arms around Todoroki's back slowly, like he's hugging someone who might fizzle out of existence at any moment. Todoroki merely huffs a breath- something sounding suspiciously like finally- before pressing closer and curling his arms under Midoriya.
"Oh." Midoriya says, and it has nothing to do with Shinsou's revelation. "Maybe. I mean, I- I was thinking about you Todoroki. Maybe I activated it without knowing?"
"You were thinking of me?"
"Yeah, I- I thought it was funny how you were messing with Shinsou."
"I was being completely serious." Todoroki says and Shinsou makes a noise of alarm. "Now stay still. Pillows don't talk. I'm going to fall asleep now."
"Oh. Okay."
"So we're gonna just not acknowledge the fact that you just yanked Todoroki from the other side of the couch with only a thought?" Shinsou asks, eyebrow raising.
"Well-"
"Shinsou," Todoroki says, cutting Midoriya off, "we're sleeping. Go find your own Midoriya to bother."
"I hate you Todoroki. One of these days I'm going to convince Aizawa to expel you."
"I fucking knew it-"
…
Midoriya is willing to write it off as a fluke- a freak accident that resulted in surprisingly comfortable sleep on the common room couch with Todoroki- (he's been told there are a ton of pictures on someone's phone somewhere) but then it happens again.
It's early morning, and he's blinking sleep out of his eyes, mentally cursing Iida's punctuality. Literally, it is a weekend . They don't even have class. And yet, Iida knocks on his dorm door dutifully, saying something about sleep schedules and circadian rhythms, when there's no real reason for him to be awake at eight in the morning.
He stumbles into the kitchen, blanket wrapped around his shoulders, ready to face plant into a bowl of cereal in hopes that it will wake him up, but what he sees makes him pause.
Ashido is sitting on the counter, hands waving frantically at Kirishima, who has flour in his hair and is trying to crack an egg. Bakugou is at the other end of the kitchen, leaning against a wall, watching them both smugly.
"Listen, we figured out how to make pancakes. This has to be easier than that. I mean, it can't be like, rocket-science hard, because Bakugou can do it!" Mina is saying. She ignores Bakugou's sharp hey- "Just lightly tap it against the counter. Lightly , Kirishima, lightly-"
Midoriya watches as Kirishima slams the egg against the counter with a crunch and a squelch. Ashido squeals and Bakugou dissolves into rarely seen harsh laughter. Kirishima looks at his hand mournfully, still held against the counter, dripping egg seeping through his fingers.
"Guys…" He says slowly. "I think I just killed an egg."
This makes Bakugou and Ashido laugh even louder and Midoriya can't help but join in, because Kirishima is a force of nature, able to tame figurative and literal explosive incidents with a mere grin, and punch through solid concrete, but he can't crack an egg for a breakfast omelet.
And with this thought Midoriya gets tackled to the floor.
A softened Kirishima knocks into him at full force, bowling him over right there in the doorway. He probably would've cracked the back of the skull on the kitchen floor if it wasn't for the blanket still wrapped around his shoulders that cushioned his fall.
Midoriya squeezes his eyes shut, his teeth vibrating in his mouth from the force of the hit. His brain feels like mush in his head, and not even because of his exhaustion.
There's a moment of silence, in which Midoriya is sure that egg is dripping onto his shirt, and Kirishima is trying to pull the air he lost back into his gut.
"What the flying fuck." Bakugou says.
"Uh- literally." Mina says. "Izuku? What in the-"
Kirishima finally gets a whole breath in and pulls himself off of Midoriya, his eyes wide. "Oh my god- oh my god, I killed Midoriya. I killed him!"
Midoriya blinks up at the ceiling, dazed. Literally, ow.
Bakugou stomps over. his expression simultaneously miffed and confused- probably miffed about being confused. "The nerd isn't dead. He's just being soft. You weren't even using your quirk." Then he leans over Midoriya and squints at him. "Hey fucker, do you have a concussion?"
"Bakugou!" Kirishima exclaims, cutting himself off from his endless apologies. "That is not how you check for a concussion!"
"You probably shouldn't call someone who has a concussion fucker." Ashido points out, crowding close, looking worried.
Bakugou rolls his eyes and reaches down a hand. Midoriya stares at it like it's a foriegn object, but when he shakes it pointedly, Midoriya catches on and reaches up. Bakugou pulls him to his feet. Within seconds Kirishima is grabbing at Izuku's face, turning it from side to side, checking to make sure he didn't actually crack his skull. It's a nostalgic action- something that his mother would probably do.
"Oh my god, oh my god, are you alright- I don't even know what happened- I swear I didn't mean to tackle you-"
"I know." Midoriya says, patting at Kirishima's hands gently. "Kirishima, It's okay. I- this was my bad. Really."
Kirishima frowns, letting him go and Mina sighs. "He's doing it again."
Bakugou smacks the back of Midoriya's already pounding head. "What did Hound Dog say about blaming yourself for things you didn't do?"
Midoriya swats him away. It's way too early for this. "No, I just-" He pauses. Takes a deep breath in. "I-might-have-accidentally-used-telekinesis-to pull-you-across-the-kitchen. Okay, bye!"
He spins on his heels and moves to sprint out of the kitchen, hoping he doesn't trip on his blanket and smack his forehead against the wooden floors in his getaway, but he doesn't get that far. Three hands reach out and grab him, pulling him back into the kitchen. He’s pushed across the tiles and led to a chair, which Kirishima happily pulls out for him. Bakugou shoves him into it and smacks a hand down on the table.
“Spill it nerd,” He growls. “What’s going on with you?”
“Isn’t it too early for an interrogation?” He asks instead, but Ashido’s eyes are shining with excitement at the prospect of gossip and Bakugou merely glares harder. He sighs. “Can I at least have some pancakes first?”
Kirishima instantly rushes off and comes back with a plate of lopsided, half burnt pancakes. Clearly he still feels responsible for knocking Midoriya to the ground. Midoriya reaches out for the plate, but Bakugou slides it back.
“Talk.” He snaps.
Midoriya pouts. Bakugou doesn’t budge.
He sighs again, loud and long, but obediently begins telling them what he knows- latent quirk from his mom’s side, pulls people at him with no warning, blindsides him when he least expects it, has only happened one other time-
“Oh!” Ashido exclaims. “When you and Todoroki slept together the other day!”
Kirishima chokes and Bakugou turns green. “You guys did what? ”
“No!” Midoriya frantically waves his arms, blanket slipping from around his shoulders. “We didn’t- no. We just- slept together. Next to each other. Uh- on top of each other, really.”
Bakugou slams a hand on the table again. “Shut the fuck up. I do not want to hear any more. If I hear any more I will murder you right here, right now."
Midoriya shuts up.
“So Todoroki got crazy manly quirk induced cuddles but I didn’t?” Kirishima looks vaguely betrayed.
"I- I mean, it's not like this quirk is cuddles!" Midoriya protests, face flushing.
Ashido and Kirishima exchange doubtful looks and Bakugou makes a face like he'd rather be anywhere other than here.
"There is actual photo evidence that proves you wrong." Mina says. "A lot of it, in fact."
"Please delete those." Izuku says miserably.
"No." She says cheerfully.
Midoriya pulls his blanket over his head. "Can I at least have my pancakes now since I've thoroughly embarrassed myself?"
"Oh honey," Izuku hears Mina say as Bakugou relinquishes his breakfast from his iron grasp, "I haven't even begun to embarrass you."
…
Once is a chance, twice is a coincidence, and three times is a pattern.
He's teamed up with Asui against Uraraka and Sero in a bounds battle. They have to find a way to defeat their opponent without causing property damage and by staying inside their recommended boundary lines. It's supposed to be good practice for fighting in tight cities, or inside of buildings with flimsy walls- something that makes them practice footwork and being delicate.
So his quirk is basically inapplicable.
Meanwhile, Uraraka, who can float herself and go as high as she needs within the boundary, and Sero, who has the tape to rival Asui's tongue, are at a clear advantage.
He's already been stuck to the floor- twice - and Asui is not faring much better, Uraraka being too high for her to capture. And while technically that means she is also too high to capture them, Midoriya doesn't like the leisure it offers her over them.
Time is winding down for both of them, so someone has to come up with a plan, and soon, or else they'll all walk away with a less than stellar grade. Midoriya would do it, but Sero really isn't letting up with this tape- seriously, Midoriya is going to be scrubbing adhesive off of his skin for weeks.
He manages to get his arms free a second time, when Asui hop kicks Sero in the temple and almost knocks him out of bounds- but then Uraraka drifts down, swooping for Asui's head so she has to edge off. But Midoriya can tell by the way that she hops back- purposeful, determined- she's got a plan.
And he's proven right because she turns abruptly, yells boost, and then takes two large hops directly at him like a mad woman.
Midoriya jolts, but quickly hunches over, allowing Asui the surface area to plant her feet onto his back and launch herself even higher into the air. He lets One for All crackle for a moment, giving her even more of a boost, and she's able to snap the capture cuffs onto Uraraka. To top it all off, the additional weight sends them both drifting towards the ground right into Sero.
When Asui pops her head out of the scuffle, she's got a triumphant grin on her face and both Uraraka and Sero are connected by cuffs.
"Oh boo," Uraraka sighs like she's annoyed but she's got a proud smile on her face. "That combo move was just unfair."
"Yeah! How long did you guys have to practice that to get it so smooth?" Sero asks, ripping at his tape. He reaches over to take it off of Uraraka so Aizawa-sensei can make it over to disconnect the cuffs.
Once they're off, Asui reaches down to help Uraraka up. "We actually didn't, kero." She looks over her shoulder to throw a smile at Midoriya. "I just yelled boost and Midoriya knew what I was talking about- it's like he read my mind."
Midoriya smiles back, feeling like the sun. She was right, it was like mind reading- that split second connection during battle that only partners who have been fighting together for a long time share. Where you can read each other's intentions and adapt within a half a millisecond of each other. The fact that he and Tsuyu were able to do it makes him almost vibrate in excitement.
There's that single pulse- like a ripple of affection bubbling out from inside of him, and then suddenly Asui is right in front of him, close enough for him to count her bottom eyelashes. She doesn't seem startled, but Midoriya stumbles back, almost falling to the ground. Tsuyu catches him though, holding him by the wrist.
"Ah," Tsuyu says, steadying him. "Ashido told me about this."
"Ashido told you about this? What is this?" Aizawa demands, taking two long strides over, barely disguised concern flickering over his features.
"It's the cuddle quirk!" Sero crows from the ground, eyes gleaming with excitement.
Aizawa ignores him, putting a hand against Midoriya's forehead to push back his hair and look him in the eyes, as if he could diagnose and cure him with just a look. "Midoriya, how did you do that?"
"Um- I think I've developed a latent quirk." He says sheepishly. "Sorry sensei."
Aizawa sighs heavily, but moves his hand. "You don't have to apologize for this, the only thing you haven't done is tell an adult . You aren't hurt?"
Midoriya flushes, shaking his head. "No, I mean- the first two times I got tackled by Todoroki and Kirishima but I think it's getting easier? Or at least less forceful. Or maybe because Asui has less mass than Kirishima and Todoroki, that the quirk exerted less force? Either way, it's only happened three times with my classmates and the trigger for it-"
He pauses, suddenly embarrassed.
The first time it happened he was thinking fondly of Todoroki- admiring the fact that his drive to win transfers over to loving his friends. Then he was thinking fondly of Kirishima- enjoying his personality, how nuanced he was, how fun he made regular everyday activities feel. And now, with Tsuyu, he was enjoying their connection, their shared knowledge of each other in the height of battle. The connection between the three events is clear. The trigger for his latent quirk is obvious.
"Yes?" Aizawa, who's been attentively listening to Midoriya's rapid fire analysis, asks. "The trigger for it is what?"
Midoriya chokes. "Uh- I- I'm not sure. I'm still trying to figure it out."
Aizawa and Tsuyu give him twin looks of I don't really believe you, but Aizawa nods.
"Well, if you need help parsing it out, you know I'm available at any time. Or any of the teachers at UA. And if you do have theories, you should know that most, if not all, of your classmates will probably be more than willing to help test them for you. Just please, for your own sake, do it with an adult's supervision. I do not want to have to expel you for pulling Aoyama through a brick wall."
Midoriya nods once, cheeks still burning. Aizawa goes to turn away, calling for the next grouping, but Tsuyu reaches out and pulls Midoriya into a tight hug. Izuku stiffens, then relaxes and squeezes back, humming happily.
When she pulls back, she's smiling. "Kero, if you wanted a hug then you just had to ask Midoriya. You didn't have to drag me across the field with your cuddle quirk."
"It's not called a cuddle quirk!"
…
Quirk: C̶u̶d̶d̶l̶e̶ ̶Q̶u̶i̶r̶k O̶b̶j̶e̶c̶t̶ ̶A̶t̶t̶r̶a̶c̶t̶i̶o̶n̶ ̶b̶u̶t̶ ̶a̶ ̶l̶i̶t̶t̶l̶e̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶l̶e̶f̶t̶ Pulse point
Description: A quirk that pulls people that I have a good, mutual relationship with (see trial 1) towards me at a dependent rate. (see trial 3) When activated, there is a pulsating feeling in the chest area- like a heart that skipped a beat and is working to make up for the lost time. Subjects feel a tugging sensation, also in the chest area, near the heart. After usage, the subjects seem to feel lighter. (see trial 2)
Trial one- Monoma.
Even while thinking of Monoma's redeemable qualities (as done with Kirishima) or his powerful abilities (as done with Asui) I was unable to bring him closer in any way. In fact, the moment he saw I was staring intently, he glared like he wanted to punch me. Kirishima flipped him off. Kendo knocked him in the head.
Trial two- Asui (again)
Under Aizawa-sensei's supervision, Asui was pulled towards me when I thought of her friendship and the kindness she's shown towards me since I've been here. The session seemed to lift Asui's spirits as well- possible emotional stimulation? Or perhaps a rush from the amygdala that comes with the thrill of being pulled through the air- more testing needed.
Trial three- Kaminari
Depending on both the urgency of the situation, and the height of feeling for the subject, the speeds at which they come to me differ. (Note to remember- a short circuited Denki cannot look out for possible path hindrances like uprisen roots or sharp rocks and needs assistance when moving through jagged terrain.)
…
Midoriya promised Aizawa-sensei that he'd only test out the quirk with the supervision of an adult, and he tried to stick to that. He really did!
It's just- figuring out the quirk's trigger doesn't mean that Midoriya will be able to control it. Especially since it's an emotionally dependent quirk. Historically, Midoriya is not good with emotions. Other people's? Piece of cake. He'll help his friends any day of the week.
But his own? He'd rather face a Nomu.
So yeah, accidental pulse point activation happens more than Midoriya likes to admit.
It happens when he's studying with Yaoyorozu and Jiro in the library- Jiro gets a practice problem correct and taps her fingers against the wooden table in a beat, the way she does when she's really excited and Midoriya is just so proud of her that he ends up pulling her over, making her stick to his side like glue.
Midoriya instantly breaks into a volley of apologies, because really, he should be able to control this quirk by now- Jiro blinks once, looks at Midoriya, then at Momo, then looks back at Midoriya before clamping a hand over his mouth to shut him up. Midoriya ends up sitting in between Jiro and Yaoyorozu, their chairs scooted closer than usual.
It happens when he's walking in the halls towards modern literature after homeroom- Ashido is asking Shoji how willing he would be to pick her up and throw her through a glass window so she doesn't have to go to class. And it's such a perfect mixture of overdramatic and chaotic for Ashido merely not being able to finish her written assignment, that Midoriya feels affection rush him, warm in his chest and she's zipped to his side, nearly knocking him into a wall.
She beams, knocks her shoulder against his, twines their hands together, and asks him whether he'd throw her out of a window. Midoriya tells her no, but he offers to help her with her next assignment when they get it. She pouts, but doesn't let go of his hand until they get to class.
Shoji looks relieved.
The kicker is when it happens in the middle of lunch with the most unthinkable person. Midoriya is in line to get his food, chatting with Todoroki and Iida about their latest training simulation- getting civilians out of burning buildings safely , ( which is the real heroic stuff if you ask Midoriya)- when he turns his head and sees All Might walk in through the doors.
He catches sight of Midoriya and waves, his face lighting up and shoulders straightening a little. Midoriya barely has the thought of- oh my god, All Might, wow- before All Might is suddenly right there and also holding Izuku in the middle of the lunch room in front of everyone.
Izuku is pretty sure he blacked out. And if he didn't, then he repressed it so hard that he'll never think of it ever again.
(What he thinks happened- of course, he's not sure, but what he thinks- is that All Might smiled his beaming smile and said, "Young Midoriya!" in that proud way he has that makes Izuku dizzy, and then gently put him down and ruffled his hair. Midoriya couldn't manage words at that point, but All Might didn't seem to mind, just going, "Enjoy your lunch," and walking off, like this was a perfectly normal occurrence on a Thursday afternoon.)
This is more than just annoying. Getting tackled to the floor was annoying and Midoriya got over it. This was mortifying. Midoriya does not want to be known at UA as that one kid who yanked All Might across the lunch room with his brain only to be cradled in his arms gingerly for a solid ten seconds.
Literally, where are the Nomus- bring them on. He'll take five of them right now. It has to be better than this.
…
From then on, Midoriya tries his best to clamp down on it- embarrassed at the sheer lack of control and the implications of it all. It's hard, because Midoriya feels for his friends all the time, it's not a switch he can just flick off.
Whenever Iida gently reminds him to stretch after training, or when Uraraka shows him a new movie, or when Koda signs at him from across the room to cheer him up when he feels down. His love for his friends is always running on a gentle hum in the back of his mind, his heart beating with affection for them whenever they simply walk into the room.
The only way he can think to get a hold of himself is to isolate himself from his class. Which is hard, because they live together and have classes together, and are basically all attached at the hip due to almost dying together multiple times- but Midoriya knows how to get through the hard parts. It's been over a decade of hard parts. He's still trudging through them. It's just who he is.
So he studies alone in the back corner of the library instead of at the middle table with Jiro and Yaoyorozu like normal; he wakes up early in the morning to run without Iida and Todoroki; he waves off his friends, saying he needs to talk to Present Mic, or Cementoss, or Aizawa, and then spends his lunch hiding out in the support student workshop with Hatsume.
It works out nicely and there are no more pulse point problems. And it's fine. Really. As long as Midoriya can ignore the loneliness clawing at him, that hollow feeling growing in his chest.
It's just like Junior high, he thinks one day, as he presses his back to the corner of a bookshelf. Except back then Midoriya wasn't exactly avoiding friends .
Somehow, he lets himself think briefly, this hurts worse.
…
Once he gets over the terror of the support group workshop- like the constant explosions (caused by Mei) or the tools that sail through the air (thrown by Mei) or the fires (set by Mei)- it's a pretty nice place to be. For a hide out, he could do way worse.
Mei is fun, and doesn't mind him sitting in the corner on her flame resistant bean bag chair. She doesn't let him eat in the shop and he has to wear goggles even though there are usually three work tables in between them, but safety rules are safety rules and she sticks to them.
Sometimes she'll explain what she's doing, or what her thought process is and it's truly fascinating- when Power Loader said that she was always inventing, he really meant it. He sometimes feels like he's watching the future unfold right there in Mei Hatsume's hands.
Although more often than not it ends with an explosion.
She's just putting the finishing touches on something for Tsunotori, a sort of side holster and launcher that will allow her to store horns and shoot them at her leisure.
"-this way," Mei explains, face scrunched from the force of her grin, "she won't have to crane her neck to get to enemies directly in front of her!"
"Increased mobility," Midoriya gasps, "also there's the added benefit of a clear line of vision."
"Yep! And since she can control them once they're off her head, I don't even have to worry about the weapon's markman's ability, I get to focus on range and power!"
"Oh," Midoriya exclaims excitedly, standing up out of the bean bag chair, "that's genius! The farther that Pony shoots her horns, the less power they have on impact, but your- uh- baby will cancel all of that out!"
Mei smacks her hands on the table and beams at Midoriya, jumping once, like a stomp with two feet." Yes ! You get it! Where have you been all this time one million? You're as quick as me!"
Pride and affection and awe swirl and combine in Midoriya's chest at her expression. His heart pauses, then pulses at twice the speed, yanking Mei from one side of the workshop, to right in front of him.
Thankfully she wasn't holding any sharp tools or handling any open flames, so Midoriya doesn't get stabbed or burned. And Hatsume doesn't seem all that bothered either, her feral grin just grows and she reaches out and pats Izuku's head.
"I-" Midoriya blinks. "I'm sorry, I didn't-"
But Mei is already turning around, hurrying back over to her table like nothing happened. But Midoriya can't just let it go. He's tired and lonely and wants to have one single friend without jerking them around like they're some kind of toy.
"Doesn't it bother you?" He asks, halfway to desperate and emotionally exhausted from exerting so much effort in avoiding his friends for the past week and a half.
Mei turns, not understanding the question.
"Doesn't it bother you that I'm so- I don't know- clingy?" He clarifies. "I can't have a friend without my quirk zipping them to my side like velcro. It's embarrassing."
Mei pauses, frowning. "It bothers you?"
Izuku nods, tugging a rough hand through his curls. Mei's frown deepens. She walks over, nudges at him, prompting him to sit down in the bean bag chair before sitting next to him- right up close so their thighs are touching.
"It doesn't bother me Midoriya. I think this quirk is cool as hell and could be pretty useful when you figure out how to use it. And I- I also think that it's really sweet. It's like a physical representation of your affection. And from what I've heard it's only happened with your class and All Might that one time, so I'm actually honored to be a part of the getting yanked by Midoriya Izuku club." Mei reaches up and tugs at one of his curls. "I'm glad for it, one million. Makes me feel special."
Midoriya tears up, because of course he does, and presses his hands to his red face. "You are special Hatsume," he manages to croak.
He hears Mei laugh, then feels her stand. "I know. And," He uncovers his face just in time to see her skip over to her work table and pick up a tool that could probably kill him. "I know that this baby will be even more special if you take your big brain out of hero training and put it to the support group where you belong. I see your hero costume sketches, they're not half bad."
Midoriya sniffles, chuckling wetly. "Mei, no matter how many times you ask, I'm not switching courses."
Hatsume pulls on her goggles. "Aw well, worth a shot- goggle up one million, I'm about to blow the house down!"
…
Midoriya leaves the workshop feeling lighter than he has for a whole week now. After only a brief pause, he enters the Heights Alliance common room.
As soon as he takes a step inside, Kirishima and Kaminari are all in his space, wrapping him up in twin hugs and pulling him further into the room. They're both reprimanding him, talking over each other and Midoriya can hardly understand them, only able to make out- haven't seen you in days, how is that possible, we literally have classes together-
And Midoriya is flustered, trying to sooth Kaminari, while also getting the life squeezed out of him by Kirishima, but it only gets worse from there, because Ashido and Hakaguru come running at them and tackle them to the ground.
He hears Hagakure yell, "We caught Deku! We caught him-" and Mina is pinching at his cheeks, saying, "Where have you been-"
Midoriya can hardly catch his breath.
Fortunately, Asui is there and she reaches down a hand to help him up off the floor. He takes it gladly, opening his mouth to ask what the heck is going on- because Kaminari is still making grabby hands at him from the tangle of limbs on the floor, and Kirishima is crying, like, real tears- but before he can get anything out Tsuyu tucks herself into Midoriya's side, curling an arm under and around his back and pressing her face into his shoulder.
"Wha- Tsu, what's going on-"
Then Uraraka comes running in, yelling, "I hear we finally caught Deku!"
He has just enough wits about him to catch her before she sends both him and Asui tumbling to the ground again. She cheers, then folds herself pretty comfortably into Midoriya's side, mirroring Asui. He doesn't think it can get any worse, but then Iida is walking up, expression stern, but also cracked wide open, and he sweeps all three of them into a huge hug. Midoriya feels a half warm, half cold weight settle at his back and decides- okay. Maybe this is okay. Maybe he can have this.
He squeezes his eyes shut and presses his face against Iida's chest, trying not to cry.
Slowly but surely he can feel the rest of the class join in around them. He even hears Bakugou go, "You guys are going to suffocate him before I have the chance to beat his ass in training tomorrow," to which Kirishima says, "shut the fuck up and come get in on this hug action, you walking bomb."
They let him go after a while and Midoriya feels both light headed and like he's brimming with electricity. He wants to cry and also float away and also go run a mile on the track.
"So," Shinsou says, grabbing his attention, "do you want to explain why you've been avoiding your whole class now or later?"
Izuku winces, eyes flickering from Momo's worried frown, to Koda's nervous fidgeting, to Shoji's intense stare, before landing down on his shoes.
"I mean, I wasn't really-" And he hears Bakugou's teeth snap together and quickly changes courses. "Okay, well, I was but it was just- I don't know. I was embarrassed I guess." He admits, rubbing at the back of his neck. "I have basically zero control over this quirk because I've never had a group of friends who felt the same way about me before. I've never had a group of friends before, period. And this is good. It's so good. I didn't want to freak any of you guys out and have things change. I- I wanted to be able to keep this."
Asui steps forward and takes Midoriya's hand. "I think I speak for the whole of our class when I say that we aren't freaked out, kero."
"Yeah!" Kaminari exclaims. "You wrote in your analysis that the feelings have to be mutual for it to work right? That means that we love you as much as you love us Midoriya!"
"Yeah, and-" Uraraka pokes a finger at his chest threateningly, "- if you ever avoid us because you love us too much ever again I'll beat you up. With love of course."
Bakugou tsks, eyes rolling, but says, "We missed three whole sparring sessions 'cause of this shit dumbass. If we miss another one I'm breaking your shit."
Shinsou grins. "That's Bakugou for I was worried about you Midoriya."
"Shut the fuck up eyebags-"
Tsuyu squeezes his hand. Izuku blink once, twice, and then he's tearing up, vision blurry, heart too small for his chest. His class is pressing in, trying to get as close as possible without Midoriya using his quirk. And he knows that that means, that they really are reaching out for him the same way that he's always reaching out for them.
Mei was right, it does make him feel special.