Chapter 45: Home, Sweet… Team

Izuku paused as he entered the kitchen. The hum of the toaster ended with a metallic click, and a slice of toast shot out. Before gravity could claim it, the slice stopped mid-air, wrapped in a nearly imperceptible distortion, and landed as gently as a leaf on the plate his mother was holding.

"A Vector Shield for the toast, Mom?" Izuku asked with a smile, sitting down at the table. "That's new."

"It's good practice for fine control," Inko replied, turning around. A glimmer of pride was in her eyes, though she quickly hid it as she placed the plate in front of him. "I don't want breakfast ending up stuck to the ceiling."

"You're doing amazing. You get faster every day."

Inko poured coffee, and her smile faltered. She sat across from him, her hands clasped on the table.

"Not fast enough. I feel like I've hit a plateau, Izuku."

He put down his fork. "A plateau? What do you mean?"

"My Quirk is still reactive. I stop what I see, what I can process. But if something were truly fast, unexpected…" her voice trailed off, laden with a frustration he knew all too well. "It wouldn't be enough."

"It's a latency issue," Izuku analyzed aloud, his mind already whirring. "The command has to be conscious. For it to be a reflex, your body needs to memorize the feeling of the Quirk activating, almost before you even think it."

Inko looked at him, understanding instantly. "You're talking about 'advanced calibration.'"

"We could try it this afternoon, at the beach. If we can get in sync, it might give you that push."

She nodded, her determination erasing any trace of doubt. "Alright. But this time, Izuku, warn me before you apply the science."

"Y-Yes! I promise!"

"Science? Sounds like fun."

Toga strolled into the kitchen, stretching like a cat. She walked over to Izuku, ignoring the conversation, and held out a finger with the casual air of someone asking for the salt. Izuku sighed, pricked his thumb with the sterilized lancet, and watched her collect the drop of blood.

"Mmm, determination with a hint of motherly embarrassment," Toga murmured to herself before winking at Inko. "Ready for action today, Ms. Inko?"

"Always, Toga. But breakfast first."

"'Advanced calibration'?" Toga whispered into Izuku's ear, her warm breath tickling his skin. "Want my help with that? I could turn into you. It would be... interesting."

"Just eat your breakfast, Toga!" he complained in a low voice, feeling the heat rise up his neck.

They finished breakfast with light conversation. Once Inko cleared the plates, Izuku headed to his room for his backpack, aware that time was running short. When he walked into his room, he found Toga already there, sitting on his bed and examining an All Might figure.

"So, the big festival," she said, turning the figure over in her hands. "You're going out there for everyone to see you. You and your superpowered girls."

"It's part of what we have to do," he replied, putting some notebooks into his backpack.

Toga set the figure aside gently. She hugged her knees, and her voice became a barely audible whisper.

"I wish I could go. Just to watch. To be a normal girl in the stands, eating cotton candy." Her gaze drifted to the wall, to that future that seemed so far away. "It'd be nice to shout your name without anyone giving me a weird look," she added in a whisper.

Izuku's heart skipped a beat. The longing in that simple phrase was so pure and painful it silenced all the logical responses his brain was formulating. He left the backpack on the floor and walked over to the bed. Toga didn't look up, remaining curled into herself as if she feared her own confession might break her.

He leaned down and, with a gentleness that surprised even himself, kissed the crown of her head. He felt her tense for an instant.

"And you won't have to hide," he said, his voice firm and full of absolute conviction. "One day, you'll be able to shout whatever you want from those stands. That's a promise."

Toga slowly raised her head. Her golden eyes, normally full of a playful madness, glistened with an unfamiliar moisture. She said nothing, but the way she looked at him was a more eloquent answer than any words could be.

A throat-clearing broke the tense silence. It was Toga herself, composing herself with astonishing speed. A flash of her usual mischief returned to her eyes.

"Well, if I'm going to be your number one cheerleader, I have to practice, right? Come on, we've got ten minutes!"

Izuku blinked, snapping back to reality. "R-Right. Practice. Ochako's voice. Just say 'Hello.'"

Toga took a deep breath, and a sweet, warm voice filled the room. "Deku-kun… I think you're the coolest boy in the whole wide world~."

"That's not the line!" Izuku protested, taking a step back, his face burning. "The line is 'Hello'! Focus!"

"But this one is truer!" she retorted, still in Ochako's voice. Suddenly, her posture straightened and her voice shifted again, taking on the formal tone and studied elegance of Momo Yaoyorozu. "Your request lacks specificity, Midoriya. A hero must be precise."

Izuku ran a hand through his hair, overwhelmed. "Toga, please."

"Yes, dear?" she asked, and the warm, concerned voice of his own mother was the final blow. "Did you pick up your dirty socks?"

"Alright, you win," Izuku surrendered, slumping into his desk chair.

Toga let out a small laugh, her own voice returning. She got up from the bed and paused as she walked past him.

"Thanks," she murmured.

Izuku looked up, confused. "For what?"

"For the promise," she said, and before he could answer, she slipped out of the room, leaving him alone with the echo of her words.

He sat in his chair for a moment, processing the emotional rollercoaster that was living with Himiko Toga. A glance at the clock brought him back to reality. He grabbed his backpack and headed for the entryway, where his mother and Toga were already waiting. The farewell ritual was quick. Inko handed him his bento and adjusted the knot on his tie, a gesture full of silent affection.

"Take care. And take care of the girls."

"I will."

Toga was leaning against the doorframe, her arms crossed and a smirk that was pure challenge.

"Hey, hero!"

He turned. "What's up?"

"Kick some ass for me. And if you see an interesting blood Quirk..." she winked. "Bring me back a sample. For science."

Izuku rolled his eyes, but the smile he gave her back was genuine.

"I'll keep it in mind."

He opened the door and walked out. As he headed down the hallway, a strange warmth settled in his chest. His team. The one he was leaving behind and the one he was about to meet. And him, right in the middle of it all.