Further out on the lawn, dressed in shorts and t-shirts that almost made me wonder if they'd all developed a resistance to the cold during the night, were a mix of students from Elite Class and 1-A.

They were stretching, doing push-ups, laughing merrily before slapping each other on the back to encourgage each other to get back to work.

Hands in my pockets, I stopped at the bottom of the stairs and looked up, feeling Katsuki getting out of the shared showers.

My attention was caught by the shadow of a body suddenly moving in my periphery.

Kirishima and Dek-Izuku were in full hand-to-hand combat, exchanging blows more for the sake of form than to actually hurt each other.

Kirishima stopped, spoke quickly and mimed a blow, taking care not to overdo it.

Izuku nodded and imitated him, but his poorly supported right leg twitched as if it wanted to follow the movement.

Kirishima nodded and the two boys smiled, then clapped their hands.

Immediately, Izuku turned around and I raised my head towards the door, looking as if I had something else on my mind.

There was an imperceptible creak, as if he'd just stepped on the season's icy beginnings and, seeing me, hesitated to move forward.

He hung there for a moment, hesitating, then trotted over to the faucet that came out of the wall and served as a water fountain.

I turned my head toward him and he suddenly looked away, leaning forward to drink from the hose.

The sound of his wet, disgusting sucking annoyed me almost as much as the lack of diligence of the group of teenagers behind him.

Izuku sat up, wiped his wet lips with the back of his hand, gave me a hesitant look, looked away, pretended to walk away, stopped, and finally stammered nervously:

- Are you waiting for Katchan?

He seemed to shrink into himself.

Even under his baggy T-shirt, I could see the hardened line of his once sluggish shoulders.

I looked away.

- Yeah

Izuku continued to fidget nervously with his hands and I was suddenly very irritated to see so much anxiety in one loose body.

I looked at the time on my cell phone again and my irritation increased.

What the hell is he doing?

I was almost tempted to go up and drag him out by his hair.

I glanced sideways at Izuku, who was watching the other students.

Hesitantly, his lower lip quivering, his right foot twitching nervously, as if he wanted to walk towards them, but something held him back.

He met my gaze and gasped.

- Hey

He stopped, rigid as a pillar set in cement.

He stuttered.

- Yes ?

I felt like grabbing him by the collar of his T-shirt and slap hm.

Urging myself to calm down, I continued in an indifferent tone:

- When you strike, your posture must be more solid.

He blinked like an owl waking up in the middle of the day.

- What ?

I clicked my tongue against the roof of my mouth, looked up to the second floor where I could still feel Katsuki's pampering himself, and then took two steps towards Izuku.

I spread my legs and put both my fists in front of my face.

- Each of your punches must start from the bottom of your body, I said. If your posture isn't solid, you'll lose power.

I mimed a sharp blow to my opponent's jaw.

- People are fragile. If you use the right amount of power in the right place, you can beat just about anyone.

People made fun of martial arts more than ever now that children could be born with the ability to fart fire.

What's a flamethrower against good hand-to-hand combat ? Answer: barbecued meat.

I threw a few more hooks at my imaginary opponent for form's sake before straightening up, feeling Katsuki the princess finally bring her royal butt outside.

Izuku lost his air of frightened childishness, mimicked my stance to perfection and sent three sharp blows straight ahead.

His gaze was resolute, determined, the opposite of the fragile boy who walked around with his head in his shoulders, so much so that it took me another second to connect this assertive version of him with the fragility he usually exuded.

An immortal able of giving back blow for blow...

I suddenly felt a thrill of excitement.

Izuku straightened up and looked at me questioningly.

-... t's not as disastrous as it used to be...

The corners of his mouth turned up, uncertain, but I was already standing next to a grumbling Katsuki (for a change) who had just kicked open the front door, startling everyone within a ten kilometer radius.

- You took so long I really thought I'd have come and pull you out by your ass

He raised an eyebrow, then slipped his cell phone into his pocket.

- Waiting for me? (Then his lips curled over his sharp teeth) Oh yeah, I forgot I was the only one of us with a real Hero job. How's the community service going ?

- Don't make me believe that apart from bringing coffee to my old man's meetings, you're good for anything else

- Says the guy who wears a bricklayer's uniform and spends his days chasing pigeons

- Your dreams of glory must seem far away when you spend your days watching All Might in his tighter-than-a-thong suit.

Katsuki landed a blunt blow on my shoulder.

- Fuck you

I smiled.

- Did I hit a nerve?

And from the look he gave me, I knew I'd hit a nerve.

*

- Are you kidding me?

Hands in my pockets, bag on my back, I looked at the front of the noodle bar, then at my phone, then back at the bar.

- That's what Maps says.

I put my cell phone in my pocket.

Katsuki to my left was foaming at the mouth like a rabid dog.

- You made me miss training fo-

I pushed open the door and a bell rang, drowning out Katchan's barrage of insults.

To my right was a counter overlooking an open kitchen where two sweaty men in gloves and aprons were busy.

One of them poured oil into a deep frying pan and suddenly a geyser of flames erupted.

He barely pulled his head back, looking as if he was used to it, and I watched him appreciatively.

An old woman returning from what appeared to be the storeroom wiped her forehead with her sleeve, smiled at me and handed me a menu.

She had a strange scar from her ear to her chin.

I looked at the menu, fascinated, not used to restaurants without table service.

The bell rang again and I heard Katsuki's angry footsteps.

He stood next to me, shouting, and I didn't have to look up to know that his mouth was twisted like a scowling hen's ass.

- Do you think I should get soba or udon?

I've always been partial to cold soba.

- You made me miss training with All Might to eat at some restaurant?

Katsuki's fingers bent and unfolded frantically as if he was going to strangle me at any moment.

- Tsukemen doesn't look bad either, I said.

Katsuki opened his mouth and I closed the menu.

- Two katsudon, two portions of yakitori, two portions of tempura and teriyaki.

- Don't pretend that you can't hear me!

- Add some takoyaki to go

The hostess made a note in her notebook, typed quickly on the calculator, and asked me for the appropriate amount, which I paid by card.

It's the first time I've ever been asked to pay before eating.

Don't judge, Shoto: you need to be more open-minded.

I quickly scanned the room, then moved to the farthest seat, choosing the one facing the wall with its shabby wallpaper.

Katsuki, lagging behind (for a change), dragged his carcass to the corner of the sofa and eyed me suspiciously.

- What are you waiting for ? Sit down, I'm getting tired just looking at you

And his thick jacket and the scarf he wore around his neck as if he were Santa Claus made me feel hot by procuration.

Katsuki squinted, looking at me the way I'd looked at izuku after he'd suddenly discovered his immortal's Quirk.

- Hawks gave me the afternoon off, I said, knowing exactly what he was getting at.

- And ?

- I was starving.

Katsuki's eyes narrowed.

- That doesn't explain anything

- It does

It explains everything, if you leave out the fact that Hawks gave me the afternoon off on the sole condition that I spend it 'with friends' to 'clear my head' - and that one of his feathers has been stuck to my bottom all morning.

- I thought you had something to tell me, he said. About All Might and Endeavor

The reference to our conversation in my hospital room a few weeks earlier didn't get past me.

- I don't know what could have made you think that.

- I don't know, maybe your 'urgent' message, he said sarcastically.

- Yes, I needed to eat urgently

The hostess came and laid out the silverware and the first plates.

The cooks seemed to be having a blast cooking all the plates.

- Sit down and eat instead of complaining, I said. Besides, you're in the way.

And as if to support my suggestion, the hostess tapped Katsuki lightly on the shoulder as she walked by.

He gave me a sideways glance, his mouth still open.

Then, looking around the almost empty room, he slowly relaxed, crossed his arms and sat down.

- If you hadn't ordered so much food, I'd be long gone by now

The hostess came back with new plates.

- If I'd known you were going to be such a pain, I would have just taken enough for myself

He gave me a dirty look and called the waitress.

- Two large Cokes and a sushi platter, please.

Within minutes, a veritable buffet was laid out on our table.

Katsuki pulled out a bowl of rice and began to eat, dipping in and out of other dishes.

He pointed at me with his chopsticks, head down in his food.

- Stop being a wimp and eat

I felt the corner of my mouth turn up in spite of myself: I lowered my mask and started eating, glancing sideways at Katsuki, who didn't raise his head.

- Just because I'm not looking at you doesn't mean I don't know when you're looking at me, he growled.

- It's very honorable of you to protect my youthful honor.

He snorted and laughed dryly at the same time.

- I swear I'll never look at you again if you pay me lunch like this every day of my life

- Don't count on it

One of the clear soups at a nearby table caught my eye, and I asked the waitress to bring me some, my face hidden under a genjutsu.

I took a few sips, surprised by the spicy taste, then drank it all in one gulp, letting out an "ah" of satisfaction when I'd finished and slammed the bowl dry against the table.

- So, is it true ?

- About what ?, he asked casually

- That All Might's suit is tighter than a thong ?

Katsuki, his fork filled with fried chicken and vegetables a hair's breadth from his parted lips, closed his mouth and put it down.

- Stop it, I'm getting visions of horror

- I see him a lot these days in his red suit. It's a good thing he wears a cape, because it's winter, otherwise...

A shudder of disgust crossed his shoulders.

- Did you invite me here to eat or to make me throw up ?

I smiled.

- Weren't you the number 1 fan of All Might? You should be used to it by now.

- The Heroes' nut is Inaza, not I

A vague memory of the beginning of summer camp came back to me.

- Do you remember the case of his cell phone ?

Katsuki smiled ambiguously and started to eat again.

- How can I ever forget something like that ?

The nonsensical excuses he'd tried to make right after that had only cemented his craziness in everyone's eyes.

- In fact, I see him everywhere these days: he spends all his time training on my grounds.

- 'Your' grounds?

Katsuki shrugged.

- I'm the only one who's used them for training so far

Katsuki picked at the strips of raw salmon and devoured them one by one.

- By the way, have you heard about the new guy who's going to join the class ?

- Who is he?

- A guy from another school. Since there are less of us because of... you know (Katsuki glanced to the side), well, the teachers decided to swell the ranks a bit. At least that's what Aizawa said.

- In the Elite class?

- No, just the normal one. The others weren't too happy about it. They think we're trying to replace those who left.

Which is true.

- Which is true in itself, I said

- Yeah, but I don't know, I think it's still really early. I mean, it's only been a few weeks since Kaminari... left, and we're already trying to fill his shoes. Not to mention Iida and Hagakure who are still in the hospital...

Katsuki began to play with the rice at the bottom of his bowl.

He spoke in a low voice, much calmer than usual.

- Hey, about that traitor thing...

I leaned forward, suddenly very interested.

- Do you have any idea who it might be ?

Should I tell him ?

But Uraraka was the only thing that kept me on the All for One path: if I told Katsuki, it would come back to Nezu sooner or later.

And if they found out that I had known all along but hadn't said anything, what would happen?

No, no, you're thinking too far ahead, Shoto: we don't care about the others or what they think - what matters is that we find All for One and kill him to put an end to all this shit once and for all.

I looked up at Katsuki.

He was frozen, head down, shoulders hunched, fork motionless, ears alert.

I felt torn between putting my own interests first and helping the one who had defended me against the others in class when he had nothing to gain.

- I think it might be Uraraka

*

Author's note :

Only for webnovels readers : someone suggested to me that I should unpublish the story on webnovel and reupload chapters 3 times a day to create more traction on the website. 

I think I want to do it, but I don't want to do it if it delete all of the comments I already have.

Also I heard the story's cover look a bit chuuni, dark sasuke and stuff like that - guess I am not the incredible designer I thought I was lmao.

Anyway, if you have suggestions or anything I would gladly take it.

If you want to read the story ahead of schedule, then go check the story's P@treon, Nar_cisseENG

See you in the next update everyone !