Now You Work Hard?

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The walk back was uneventful, thankfully. By the time I got home, Mom was already in the kitchen, preparing dinner. She looked up as I walked in, her eyes narrowing. "You're late."

"Yeah, yeah," I said, waving her off. "I ran into… a situation."

"Where is your brother?" Mom asked, frowning as she wiped her hands on a kitchen towel. Her eyes zeroed in on me like I was already guilty of something. "And do not say something ridiculous."

"Last I saw, he was clutching All Might's leg," I replied, grabbing an apple from the counter.

Mom stopped dead in her tracks, staring at me as if I had grown a second head. "What do you mean 'clutching All Might's leg'? Explain properly."

I sighed, taking a bite of the apple. "Okay, so there was this sludge villain near Tatooin Station—"

"Sludge villain?!" Mom shrieked, nearly dropping the towel. "Ryuu, what were you—"

"Chill, Mom," I interrupted, raising a hand. "It was handled. All Might showed up, punched it into next week, and Izuku latched onto him like a clingy koala. They flew off together."

Her scowl deepened as she marched over to me. "Ryuu Midoriya, you left your brother in the middle of a villain attack?! What is wrong with you?"

I held up the apple defensively. "Hey, I didn't leave him. I was there! I tried to help, but, you know, it's hard to fight when you're wrist-deep in sentient snot."

"That is not the reassurance you think it is," she snapped. "And you should not have been trying to fight anything in the first place!"

"Do you think I planned this?" I countered. "Like I woke up this morning thinking, 'Oh, I can't wait to punch a pile of goo.' No! I was just there, and it happened."

Mom pinched the bridge of her nose. "Why can't I have normal children? Just once, I would like a day where you do not come home with some ridiculous story."

"You're forgetting Izuku," I pointed out. "He's plenty normal. I'm just here for flavor."

She glared at me, clearly unimpressed. "You're here to drive me insane, more like."

"Tomato, tomahto," I muttered, finishing the apple.

A few hours later the front door creaked open. We both turned to see Izuku shuffling in, looking half-dazed but otherwise intact.

"Izuku!" Mom rushed over, pulling him into a hug. "Are you alright? What happened? Ryuu said—"

"All Might saved me," Izuku said quietly, his voice shaky but filled with awe. "He… he signed my notebook."

I rolled my eyes. "Cool, maybe he'll sign your tombstone next time."

"Ryuu!" Mom snapped, glaring at me over her shoulder.

Izuku blinked, seemingly unaware of the sarcasm. "It was amazing, Mom. He's so strong, and his smile… it's just like on TV. He told me not to worry because everything was going to be okay."

"And then he flew off with you dangling from his leg," I added. "Super professional."

Izuku flushed, clutching his notebook tighter. "I-I didn't mean to grab him! I just—"

"Relax, Waterworks. I'm kidding." I stood, tossing the apple core into the trash. "So, did he drop you off at hero daycare, or what?"

"He, uh, talked to me," Izuku said, his eyes lighting up. "He said—"

"Let me guess," I interrupted, raising a hand. "'You can be a hero too, young man.' Very inspiring."

Izuku froze, his face turning redder by the second. "How did you—"

"Oh my god, he actually said that?" I laughed, shaking my head. "That's the most cookie-cutter pep talk I've ever heard."

"Ryuu, that is enough," Mom said sharply, her tone brokering no argument. She turned to Izuku, her expression softening. "Sweetheart, you're sure you're okay? No injuries?"

Izuku nodded quickly. "I'm fine, Mom. Really."

She let out a sigh of relief, pulling him into another hug. "You had me worried sick. Both of you."

"I didn't do anything," I said, holding up my hands. "Except save his ass before All Might showed up. You're welcome, by the way."

"Save my—?!" Izuku started, but Mom cut him off with a glare.

"Clean up, both of you. Dinner is about to be ready," Mom called out. I gave her a mock salute, earning a half-glare in return, and made my way to the kitchen. Izuku trailed behind, clutching his notebook like it was his personal Bible. Something about him seemed off—quieter than usual, even for him. Whatever All Might had said clearly had his brain running in circles.

I rummaged through the cabinets, pulling out plates and cutlery. "So, what did you and the big guy talk about? He give you some top-secret hero advice, or are you just starstruck?"

Izuku froze mid-step, his eyes darting everywhere but me. "Uh, nothing much! He just, um… said to stay strong and… believe in myself."

I raised an eyebrow. "Wow, riveting stuff. Did he also tell you to drink your milk and floss every night?"

Izuku flushed, fumbling with the cups. "It's not like that! All Might's words are—"

"—generic motivational garbage?" I finished, setting the table. "Don't get me wrong, the guy's great at punching villains, but his pep talks are straight out of a self-help book. 'Believe in yourself, and you can do anything!' Yeah, unless you're quirkless. Then you're just screwed."

Izuku's grip on the cup tightened, but he didn't say anything. That was my cue to ease off. "Relax, Waterworks. I'm just messing with you. You're clearly still riding the All Might high, and honestly? Good for you. It's about time something went your way."

He mumbled a quiet "thanks," barely audible over the sound of Mom calling us to the table. We sat down to a spread of rice, grilled fish, and miso soup—classic Mom fare. I piled my plate high, as usual. Izuku picked at his food, still lost in whatever thoughts All Might had planted in his head.

"So," Mom began, her voice casual but her eyes sharp. "Anything interesting happen at school today?"

I snorted. "Define 'interesting.' Bakugo did his usual 'king of the jungle' act, Izuku got bullied, and I had to step in before someone's ego got too big for the classroom. You know, the usual."

Izuku shot me a look, clearly not thrilled about me airing his dirty laundry. "It wasn't that bad," he muttered.

"Not bad? The guy was one spark away from torching your notebook," I countered, jabbing a piece of fish with my chopsticks. "You're welcome, by the way, for saving your nerdy ass."

"Language," Mom warned, though she didn't seem particularly mad. She turned to Izuku, her expression softening. "Izuku, are you okay? You know you can tell me if something's wrong."

Izuku nodded quickly, his mouth full of rice. "I'm fine, Mom. Really."

I rolled my eyes. "Fine, he says, while his hands are still shaking like he's just been told Santa isn't real."

Izuku glared at me. "I said I'm fine, Ryuu."

"Alright, alright," I said, holding up my hands in mock surrender. "Don't cry about it."

"Ryuu," Mom said, her tone sharper this time. I gave her my best innocent look and went back to eating. The table fell into a comfortable silence, broken only by the clink of chopsticks against plates.

After dinner, Izuku retreated to his room with his notebook, muttering something about homework. I lingered in the kitchen, helping Mom with the dishes—not because I wanted to, but because it beat sitting alone with my thoughts.

"You really should go easier on Izuku," Mom said as she scrubbed a plate. "He looks up to you, you know."

I snorted. "Yeah, because I'm such a great role model."

"You are," she said, her voice firm. "He just doesn't show it. But he listens to you more than you think."

I didn't have a snarky comeback for that, so I just nodded and finished the dishes in silence.

Entering my room, I grabbed the remote and flicked on the news, because nothing says "relaxation" like a recap of disasters. A headline about a "Villain Escape at Tatooin Station" flashed across the screen. Fantastic. Apparently, while Izuku was hitching a ride on All Might like a desperate koala, the sludge villain slipped out of one of those soda bottles the big guy was carting around. The footage switched to Bakugo in full "screaming rage monster" mode, pinned by the same goop monster. His face was practically purple as he tried—and failed—to blast his way free. Guess even walking grenades have their limits.

The next part of the clip showed Izuku running toward the mess with all the tactical precision of a headless chicken. He threw his backpack at the thing, which, unsurprisingly, did nothing. Tears streaming down his face, he flailed like he thought pure determination could punch through sentient slime. All Might came crashing in at the last second, delivering another one of his patented overkill punches and scattering the sludge villain like a piñata at a five-year-old's birthday party. The crowd cheered. Bakugo looked ready to murder everyone. Typical.

I turned off the TV and flopped onto my bed. "So, the villain escapes because Izuku can't keep his hands to himself, and Bakugo gets slimed. Can't say today's been boring."

The blue screen of doom popped into view, because apparently, the System had thoughts.

[NEW QUEST ALERT: KEEP UP WITH ALL MIGHT'S CARELESSNESS. REWARD: -10 SANITY. FAILURE: MORE CHAOS.]

"Wow, thanks," I muttered. "Truly inspiring." The screen blinked out, probably smug about wasting my time. I closed my eyes, trying to ignore the mental image of Bakugo's furious face plastered in sludge. Hilarious, sure, but I had enough drama for one day.

Morning came, and school was the same blend of hell and comedy as always. The second I walked into class, Bakugo's glare hit me like a slap in the face. "You got something to say, Boom Boom?" I asked, heading to my seat.

His chair screeched as he stood, pointing a finger at me. "You think you're funny, don't you, Green 2.0?"

"I think I'm hilarious," I replied, dropping my bag onto the desk. "But go on, you seem upset. What's wrong? Didn't sleep well after your slime spa treatment?"

The class collectively sucked in a breath. Bakugo's palms started sparking, and for a second, I thought he would actually go for it. Instead, he slammed his hands onto his desk. "You better watch your mouth."

"Why? You gonna sweat on me?" I shot back, leaning on my chair. "Relax, man. You're the hero-to-be, right? Don't let a little banter throw you off your game."

The teacher walked in before Bakugo could explode, saving me from becoming a human firework. As we settled down, I caught Izuku sneaking glances at me. His expression was somewhere between grateful and nervous, which was fair, considering yesterday's chaos. I shot him a thumbs-up, and he quickly buried his face in his notes.

Lunch came, and I found myself sitting with Izuku, because apparently, I like making my life harder. He poked at his food, clearly lost in thought.

"So," I said, breaking the silence. "What's it like being All Might's unofficial sidekick?"

Izuku looked up, startled. "I-I'm not his sidekick! I just—he said—"

"Relax, Waterworks," I interrupted. "I'm messing with you. What did he actually say?"

Izuku hesitated, then mumbled something about "being worthy" and "earning it." Classic All Might wisdom: vague, motivational, and just useful enough to keep you hooked. I nodded. "Sounds about right. So, what's your plan? Gonna start bench-pressing buses or something?"

"I-I need to train," he admitted, his voice barely above a whisper. "If I want to get into U.A., I have to be strong enough."

"Good luck with that," I said, taking a bite of my sandwich. "Meanwhile, I'll be over here, not breaking my spine for a school application."

Izuku frowned. "Don't you want to be a hero too?"

I glared at Izuku, who was staring at his half-eaten lunch like it held the answers to life. "Oh, my foolish brother," I began, dragging out the words. "It was I who told you to work harder when you were still wetting your pants. Wait." I tilted my head, squinting as if in deep thought. "That's not a good reference. You wet the bed not so long ago."

Izuku choked, going redder than Bakugo's temper during finals. "Ryuu!" His hand shot out, clamping over my mouth like he thought that would stop me. "Stop it! What if someone hears?!"

I pried his hand away, rolling my eyes. "Fine, fine. I won't talk about our wet dreams. Although yours consist of All Might shaking your hand and mine mostly feature Midnight and Mt. Lady in a hot tub."

Izuku dropped his fork and buried his face in his hands, muttering something about why he couldn't have been an only child. "Can you be serious for once?" he mumbled through his fingers.

"Serious?" I repeated, leaning forward and smirking. "Alright, here's some serious truth for you. I've been training my ass off while you've been writing love letters to All Might in your notebook. And now, just because your idol told you to try, you think it's a good idea? Where was this energy when I asked you to join me a hundred times?"

Izuku peeked at me between his fingers. "You never said it like that."

I snorted. "Oh, I'm sorry. Did I need to hold your hand and sprinkle pixie dust while saying it? 'Oh, Izuku, come train with me. Together, we can be quirkless losers with muscles!' Happy now?"

"That's not—"

"Let me prove a point," I said, grabbing my fork. I bent it easily in half, holding it up like a trophy. "See? Strength. Not impressive, sure, but I've been working on it for years. And you? You're just now thinking, 'Oh, maybe I should do some push-ups because All Might gave me a pat on the back.'"

Izuku frowned at the mangled fork, clearly unimpressed. "That fork is soft, Ryuu. I could do that."

"Yeah?" I wiggled it in his direction. "Bet you can't bend the table, though. I've tried. It's sturdier than your dreams of becoming the Number One Hero."

Izuku's hands balled into fists, his face determined. "I'm serious, Ryuu. I've decided. I'm going to train and get into U.A. I'll work as hard as it takes!"

I leaned back, crossing my arms. "Good. I hope you do. But don't expect me to hold your hand through it. You want to be a hero? Then act like it."

He blinked, startled by my sudden shift in tone. I could see his brain short-circuiting, trying to figure out if I was being supportive or just messing with him.

"By the way," I added, "if you make it into U.A., you'll owe me. Big time."

Izuku tilted his head. "Owe you? For what?"

I smirked, tapping my temple. "Motivation, obviously. You wouldn't even be thinking about U.A. if I hadn't spent years dragging you out of your pity parties."

"I wasn't—" he started, but I cut him off.

"Save it, Waterworks," I said, standing and grabbing my tray. "Lunch is almost over, and I don't want to be late to homeroom. Again."

Izuku stared at me for a moment, then nodded. "I'll prove you wrong," he said quietly, more to himself than me.

"Good luck," I called over my shoulder as I walked off. "You'll need it."

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