It was 5:30 AM and there was still two and a half hours left until Tora and Izuku had to be at school. They had already changed into their school uniforms and just needed to finish getting ready for the day, but that wouldn't take the full two and a half hours.
"Hey so uh, what do you want to do now? It's only 5:30 in the morning right now. We don't have to leave for school until 7:30 to be there by 8:00." Tora asked Izuku who thought about how to pass the time until they had to start walking to their middle school: Aldera Junior High.
"Hmm, how about going further down memory lane?" Izuku said as he held out his hand to Tora. She seemed a little puzzled but then smiled and intertwined her fingers with his. As he walked through the small apartment he lived in with his mom, Tora figured out where he was taking her.
"We're going to the storage closet aren't we?" Tora asked Izuku who smiled and nodded.
"Yeah. I expected that you would figure that out. You're as smart as always, I see. Your observation and analytical skills know no bounds." Izuku complimented Tora as she briefly blushed.
"Aww thanks Izuku. But it's because of you that those skills are as polished as they are. I developed them with you while helping you gathering hero data over the years. So it goes without saying, your observation and analytical skills are off the charts as well." Tora said, complimenting Izuku back as he blushed. Both Tora and Izuku loved heroes before they even met. But they've been growing their love for all things heroic together since they were toddlers. They approached the closet and Izuku let go of Tora's hand then opened it. He stepped inside and rummaged about until he came out with a box with "Izuku's Keepsakes" in his mother's handwriting written in big letters on the side. He brought it to his room with Tora following right behind. The two of them sat on Izuku's bed as they went through the box together.
"Wow we've known each other for so long, I remember nearly everything in this box." Tora said as she and Izuku took turns pulling things out of the box. They talked and laughed over the memories attached to the various items they found. Most of the items were old toys that Tora and Izuku used to play with together. Tora got to Izuku's All Might onesie that he used to wear when they played their role play game Hero Missions together. She smiled when she pulled it out.
"Remember this Izuku? You used to wear this when we played Hero Missions together. You'd pretend to be All Might and I'd be the hero Tigress. We'd capture villains and rescue civilians." Tora said as she held up the All Might onesie for Izuku to see, triggering nostalgic childhood memories.
"Haha yeah. Those were the good old days." Izuku said, smiling as he chuckled. He pulled out a stuffed animal tiger that Tora gave him when they were little. She had a lot of stuffed tigers and decided to give Izuku one of her favorites to remember her by just in case one of them were to move away one day. Fortunately, that day hadn't come yet.
"Hey Tora? Do you still have that All Might figurine I gave you when we were little?" Izuku asked Tora as she stopped rummaging through the box and looked at him.
"Of course I do! Why would I give away my best friend's favorite All Might toy? Not to mention, All Might is my favorite pro hero too." Tora answered Izuku. Back when she gave her stuffed tiger to Izuku, he also decided to give her something: a limited edition All Might figurine. It was one of his favorite toys as well. Since Tora was giving him a toy she loved, he found it only fair that he give her a toy of his that he loved. It was an even trade. The two of them passed the time going through Izuku's keepsake box until Izuku's mother called them into the kitchen for breakfast. They ate then brushed their teeth and headed off to school. The first half of the school day went by without any drama from Bakugo and his buddies which both Tora and Izuku found a little odd, but shrugged it off. It was a nice change of pace to be left alone and not be bullied. Lunch time rolled around and Tora left the classroom with Izuku to go eat together. As they left, she noticed Bakugo shoot a jealous glare at Izuku. Then he switched his glance over to Tora. When his eyes met hers, his expression changed. He still wore a frown, but there seemed to be a hint of sullenness in his stare. She found that a bit peculiar, but ignored it and went on her way with Izuku to the cafeteria. The two of them enjoyed their lunch together, chatting away about the past and random things that popped up in their minds. The rest of the school day flew by like normal. Tora and Izuku met up after their last class to walk home together like they've always done for years. But right as they were about to leave, Bakugo approached them. He didn't have his lackeys with him this time, but it still made the two of them feel uneasy. Izuku got a little tense as his former childhood friend approached him and his girlfriend. Tora tensed up too out of habit... then she remembered that she had a quirk now and relaxed a bit, but kept her guard up.
"Hey wait a second." Bakugo said to the two of them. He stopped, keeping his distance. He didn't want Tora to think he was about to pick on them. He had experienced first hand just how strong she was and that was before she knew just how OP her quirk actually was. And he wasn't about to get his ass beat again.
"Look Katsu, if you're gonna pick on me and Izuku I swear I will-"
"It's not like that Tora. I just want to talk." Bakugo said, interrupting Tora as she looked at him with a puzzled expression then turned to Izuku who shrugged his shoulders, clearly just as confused as she was.
"Okaaay... what do you want with me and Izuku?" Tora asked as she raised an eyebrow. She found it weird that he didn't call her Tor-aho, his derogatory nickname for her.
"Tch! No, I want to talk to you Tora. This is between you and me. Deku has to stay out of it." Bakugo said as he gestured for Izuku to go away and give him and Tora space. Izuku seemed worried about Tora, but she nodded at him signaling that it was gonna be fine. He backed off and walked away. Once he rounded the corner, Bakugo turned to Tora.
"Look, the reason I didn't want Deku around is because... because..." Bakugo started to say, but trailed off and paused. Tora just gave him a puzzled look.
"Are you two dating?" Bakugo suddenly asked.
"Yes we are. What's it to you? For the longest time I was just a quirkless loser to you. Does getting my quirk suddenly make me not a loser? You know, just because I have a quirk now doesn't mean I'm going to abandon my best friend who's still quirkless. I'm not like you... You know Katsu, the three of us used to be really good friends. Then you got your quirk. What happened? You just left me and Izuku behind and even started bullying us." Tora answered bluntly to Katsuki who was at a complete loss for words.
"What's going on with you today? At lunch when I left the classroom with Izuku, you gave him a jealous glare then looked at me with this weird sullen frown. Do you like me or something?" Tora asked as Bakugo suddenly blushed.
'She noticed that? Damn it! I should've known she would. Tora is highly observant and very good at analyzing situations and details. And she's only gotten better since the three of us stopped playing together and she started hanging out with that damn nerd Deku.' Bakugo thought to himself.
"Answer me Katsu." Tora said in a firm tone, crossing her arms as she tapped her foot. Bakugo tensed at her voice, his face also becoming red in the process. Looks like she wasn't gonna let it go until he gave her an answer. He looked down at the ground and answered her.
"Yeah, I do." Bakugo said so quietly, no normal human would've been able to hear him. But Tora had a feeling he wouldn't respond with his normal volume. So she used her quirk to transform into her greater wax moth demi-human form. When he looked up at her, she had stringy antennae sticking up from her head and large dull brown moth wings poking out below from underneath her uniform shirt.
"I had a hunch that you wouldn't give me an audible answer, so I transformed into a demi-human form of a greater wax moth: the animal with the best hearing in the entire animal kingdom. Don't worry Katsu, I heard your confession loud and clear." Tora said with a smile as Bakugo cursed under his breath, not thinking that she was using her quirk to partially transform into an animal with incredible hearing. He wasn't used to Tora having a quirk yet.
"I heard that too." Tora told Bakugo who froze. An awkward silence filled the air until Tora spoke, returning to her human base form.
"I'm sorry Katsu, but I can't accept your confession for several reasons. One, I belong to Izuku. I've liked him ever since the day we met when we were toddlers. When he asked me to be his girlfriend at the school dance, I couldn't resist. Two, you've hurt both me and Izuku for years. You looked down on us and made it very obvious to us and everyone else. And three, you're just not my type. I like guys that are more timid, reserved and polite. Guys that are kind and caring with a genuinely good heart that will stop at nothing to rescue someone in danger, putting their own safety aside." Tora told Bakugo the cold hard truth.
'So I never had a chance with Tora to begin with. Deku fits her type to a T. Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!' Bakugo thought to himself as he was forced to accept Tora's rejection. This was extremely hard for Bakugo to hear. Tears were threatening to leave his eyes, but he forced them back. He refused to cry in front of Tora.
"One more thing Katsu. If you really liked me, then why did you bully me?" Tora asked Bakugo.
"Because... I wanted to seem cool to the other kids who also had quirks. I... I wanted to fit in. I didn't mean to push you away." Bakugo said as the tears wouldn't stop flowing. Tora crossed her arms again.
"You shouldn't give into peer pressure just to appeal to others... It's a shame. I really would've liked to remain friends with you. I honestly do miss the old days when we all got along so well." Tora said genuinely while looking into Bakugo's dark crimson orbs with her deep crystal blue and golden ones. She wore a sad expression on her face. That did it, the tears that Bakugo was fighting so hard began to flow slowly.
"Goodbye Katsu." Tora sighed as she turned around and walked away. Bakugo wiped away the tears that just keep streaming down his cheeks as the image of Tora walking away after rejecting him was burned into his memory. He clutched his chest, the emotional pain too much for him. Meanwhile as she walked home, Tora wondered if Izuku was still on his way to his apartment or if he decided to wait for her further up. They agreed to have a study session together at her place after school. But after what happened with Bakugo, she wondered if they were still going to study together. When she walked around the corner at the end of the block, she found Izuku. She smiled as she saw her best friend/boyfriend.
"So what did Kacchan want?" Izuku asked Tora who sighed heavily.
"He wanted to confess his feelings for me." Tora answered bluntly. Izuku was completely taken aback by this news.
"Really? That's unexpected. I never would have guessed that Kacchan had feelings for you." Izuku said with a surprised look on his face. After all, Bakugo bullied both him and Tora for years for being quirkless.
"Yeah, it caught me off guard too." Tora said with a small laugh.
"So... what did you say?" Izuku asked Tora. It's not like he didn't trust Tora. He knew she would remain faithful to him. He was just asking out of curiosity.
"I told Katsu I belong to you and that he's not my type. Then I asked him why he bullied me even though he actually had a crush on me." Tora told Izuku what she said to Bakugo. Now she really had his attention. He was quite curious to find out why Bakugo picked on Tora when he liked her.
"What did he say?" Izuku asked Tora who sighed.
"He said he wanted to look cool in front of the other kids who had their quirks already. Basically, he just gave into peer pressure. So lame." Tora said in a dull tone as she told Izuku Bakugo's stupid excuse for ridiculing her. Izuku couldn't help but chuckle a little at Tora's thoughts on Bakugo's reasoning.
"Hey we're still having a study session at my place, right? Katsu kinda messed with our plan. I know it wasn't intentional, but he kinda threw it off course a little." Tora asked Izuku.
"Yeah of course! That's why I didn't go home and waited for you so we could walk home together and study at your place." Izuku said as Tora just smiled. The two of them continued walking home, making small talk along the way. Izuku let his mother know that he was going to have a study session at Tora's apartment. When they got to her place, they studied together until it was time for dinner. Tora's parents invited Izuku to join them which he did. Afterwards, they finished up their homework and just hung out together in her room. Before they knew it, it was already 8:30 PM. Tora walked Izuku to the door and was about to see him off when her parents approached them.
"Leaving so soon Izuku-kun?" Tora's father asked Izuku who was just about to head out the door.
"Yes Kitora-san. Tora and I both have to get up bright and early tomorrow morning to meet All Might at Dagoba Municipal Beach Park at dawn. So we need to go to bed early." Izuku answered Tora's dad.
"Well in that case, how about you stay overnight here. That way you can both leave together tomorrow morning." Tora's mother suggested to Izuku.
"Is that really okay with you guys?" Izuku asked Tora's parents who both nodded their heads.
"Of course Izu-chan! Tora spent the night at your place last night. So why wouldn't it be okay for you to stay overnight here? Besides, you're like a son to us." Tora's mother answered Izuku.
"We trust you and Tora alone together. But I expect you to be responsible." Tora's father said to Izuku as he gave him a wink. Both Izuku and Tora blushed.
"Thank you very much Akira-san, Kitora-san! I'll be right back. I need to pack up some overnight essentials first." Izuku said as he left to go home to pack for an overnight stay. When he entered his apartment, he told his mother that he was spending the night at Tora's place. Then he packed up a small duffel bag with toiletries, his pajama shirt and shorts, a pair of boxers, a white t-shirt and pastel turquoise sweatpants. After he was all packed up, he headed back to Tora's apartment. Before he even knocked, she opened the door and let him inside. They went to her room where Izuku changed into his pajamas. Obviously Tora looked away to give him some privacy. She didn't have to change since she already did while he was at his place gathering his stuff. After he was dressed, they both crawled into Tora's bed where they cuddled, facing each other.
"I love you Tora." Izuku said as he gently brushed a strand of hair away from Tora's face.
"I love you too Izuku. I belong to you and no one else." Tora said as Izuku chuckled.
"And you know I'm yours too." Izuku said to Tora as he lovingly pressed his forehead to hers. Both of them let out a soft laugh. Suddenly a wave a sleepiness washed over Tora and made her yawn. Which in turn, made Izuku yawn and before they knew it, they both fell asleep.