][ Previously: Almost there, Reigen and Dimple teamed up with Ochako and Izuku to reach Mob. Then, with a combination of Dimple possession and OFA, Reigen wss able to reach Mob and tell him the truth! Inside, Mob and Shigeo made amends, deciding to become one, whole person again. ][

Narrator Midoriya, because why not?:

      ' Other than the Endeavor drama, released villains causing a little mayhem, reconstruction of several cities taking a little longer than hoped, and general unease regarding the heroes among the public, the following few months were surprisingly peaceful. No wars. No major villain attacks. It was probably the calmest it had ever been since the school year began. Here on campus at least. I really feel bad for whoever's homes were destroyed in Shigeo's path...

     No doubt much of said peace was in great part thanks to Mob. The entire country was still in shock about what just happened. Pretty easy to see how scared of him the government was now, since they pulled back all involvement in his personal life. Mob decided to continue going to UA, so to UA he went.

     And now, after a few months of intense training, studying, and preparing for the finals, graduation season was right around the corner. Really close, actually! Haha! I was worried there for a second that I'd never even be able to graduate from my first year!

     Guess those days are behind us... For the most part, at least. No doubt All For One is plotting something as we speak.

     Shouldn't be too hard to fend him off with Mob around, though! '

     School had officially ended and the kids were excited. The highschool graduation ceremony, which would see the seniors such as Mirio off to enter into the real hero world, would be taking place in just a couple of days. But, right now both class 1A and 1B decided to merge parties, celebrating not only their graduation, but the fact that they actually survived as well!

     Each class was hosting their own party. Class 1A's was to take place in their dorms. Since there were going to be a lot of guests as well, on TOP of the almost twenty children, everyone was urged to bring some food to share with everybody, highly encouraging that everyone not just bring chips and or sweets. .. Actual food was needed, guys.

     Together, Reigen and Teru made a petty simple yet delectable fish dish for everyone. (Like kebobs, since idk what they would be called in Japan. I am clinically American.) And though they still lived in Elyse's house, thanks to the several guest bedrooms, many of which never even used before, Elyse made sure to bring a dish of her own just to be fair.

     Jin didn't attend for obvious reasons. Instead, he chose to hang back as the official dog watcher! Oh yeah, since Elyse's place had no rules against dogs or anything, and there were now many people to help take care of it, she got Reigen a puppy... because she wanted to.

     The puppy came at the perfect time, too.

     He liked the gift very much. Reigen named him "Chonker." Fitting name, too. Fat pooch's so spoiled. Doesn't even need dog food! He thrives on all the treats and leftovers everyone gives him!

     Speaking of pets, Mob's tadpoles were now an army of happy frogs, who'd soon need to be released into the wild. He had about ten of them in total, which he named after different types of beans.

    Together, they arrived, Teru, Reigen and Serizawa as Mob's guest, and Elyse as Zeya's guest. As they approached the entrance, they were amazed momentarily by just how many people were there, entering the building ahead of them.

     'Crap...' Reigen thought. 'Poor Mob's going to have a heart attack if he's trapped in there for too long..' Maybe he was just projecting, but Mob didn't seem like the kind who could handle himself very well in large crowds for too long.

     As the recognizable guests slid inside with their offerings of food, they awed at the simple but stunning decorations strung about. Banners with each of the graduates' names spelled out hung over each and every window and doorway. The color scheme was simple: black and white; but it looked good regardless. No balloons hung around or were strung up. Mob had made sure of that. Pretty little decorative paper streamers, each one elaborate as a snow flake, hung from the ceiling instead. Looked really nice, actually.

     Elyse waved to the men, splitting from their group to drop off her offerings at the class 1B dorms. The students were allowed to jump between parties as they pleased, so it was highly likely Zeya was in the class 1A dorm though.

     The recognizable guests weaved between conversing parents and siblings of the students living here. All around, the atmosphere was very jolly.

     "Hey, Reigen." Ritsu waved, spontaneously materializing in the crowd.

     "Oh heyy!" The man was already a little overwhelmed. As was Serizawa. Teru appeared to be at home here, however. "Mind pointing us to where the food should go?"

     "There's a buffet table over there." Pointing to the furthest wall by all the windows. "And Shige's still getting ready."

     "Ahhh..." 'Brilliant strategy. Waiting for the crowd to calm down before entering it. Why didn't I think of stuff like that before when I was a kid??' "Thanks!" Reigen twisted, leading Teru toward the buffet with their trays of food. Serizawa got cut off from them, lost in the crowd. Poor guy.

     Serizawa walked backwards, eyes fixed on the high ceilings, beginning to fidget with his hands and breathe through his teeth nervously. His back bumped into someone, nearly knocking them over! "AAA!" He spun around. As did the person he bumped into. "M-MIRKO?" The white haired hero flashed the man a wide grin. "Why are you here?!"

     "You arrived here with Elyse, right? I'm looking for her."

     Calming down a little at the sight of a familiar face, the man hunched forward a tad, relaxing his shoulders, and exhaled a short breath. "Is something the matter?"

     "Nehh. Just that she invited me over for the party without telling me where she'd be!. We're supposed to go shooting after this."

     "Oh?" Serizawa glanced down at the woman hero's prosthetic arm, holding in a grimace at the sight of it. He drew her attention to the thing as well.

     She chuckled. "It's really not that bad! A little annoying sometimes, but it functions just like my old one!"

     Serizawa nodded idly. "Sorry-sorry.. it's just that I almost lost my leg...so I know losing something like that can really hurt sometimes, emotionally as much as physically.." His eyes held empathy the hero was genuinely surprised by. ...That actually meant a lot, since she was so used to putting on such a tough face all the time that no one even thought to ask if she was alright emotionally...

...

     Mirko punched the man's shoulder. "Get outta here, man! I can tell you're uncomfortable!"

     "But I..."

     "Better yet. Here." Mirko drew a couple earplugs from her pocket and handed them to the brunette. "I usually keep a spare with me!. My ears are real sensitive, so I wear these a lot. Heh. Probably why I shout so much!" Serizawa wasn't sure if this would change anything, but he tried anyways. Sliding them into his ears, the man marveled as the chaotic chatter around him slowly dissipated.

.    .    .  p e a c e  .    .    .

     He couldn't describe the overwhelming relief within his heart. Didn't even think to consider it was the noise that triggered him so much!

     This changes everything. "You alright?" The hero nudged Serizawa with her metallic elbow. His eyes were beginning to water and she was starting to worry a little bit.

     "No-no, I'm fine! Sorry!" He quickly wiped the tears away. The rabbit hero smirked again, hands on her hips. "Thank you. I- I'll return these after the party!"

     "Eh, don't bother.. Now get out of my sight!" Playfully shoving the brunette away. "Before the kids start shipping us!" Serizawa didn't really know what she meant, but he bowed politely and apologized for taking up her time, then turned around to look for Reigen and Teruki again. Mirko watched only a little while longer before leaving to search for Elyse as well.

(I gave Serizawa my noise sensitivity, hehe. We shall share in this suffering. No joke though when I was a little girl learning how to use electric tools I was told to put on one of those large noise canceling headphone things and instantly was just like, "...so this is what peace feels like" and I didn't take it off for the rest of the day lol)

-----

     All the 1A girls sat on a couch in a braid train together, giggling, and all around having fun girl time. Hagakure was with them, since she and Shouji had been invited back for this celebratory event. The male ex-classmate in question was currently hanging out with Tokoyami, Dark Shadow, and Kaminari. Apparently the two ex-classmate's really were on their way to becoming police officers! Their previously acquired heroing licenses made it a heck of a lot easier for them to attend extra police force training on top of their normal schooling.

-----

     "Hey, Uncle Reigen." Zeya tapped the dirty blond's shoulder. "Uncie, Unkol, Unniquelé, Unqualla Reigeeano!" He was facing the buffet, refusing to acknowledge. "I have another present for you!"

     The blond shrieked, dropping his plate of snacks he'd been collecting and spinning around, behind pressed against the table, arms bracing its clothed top as he shook. "Don't tell me you brought another cockroach in here!!"

     "AAA!"
     "Did someone say cockroach?!"
     "Eek!"
     "I'm going to hurl.."

     "No, dumb###! I never repeat the same prank twice!"

     "I..have a hard time believing that.." Still leaning back, away from the crazed child just to be sure. Just like Teru, the girl had grown out her hair a little since joining UA, her and Teruki even deciding to play a game of chicken -- essentially -- by seeing who could grow it out the longest!

(Zeya decided to switch her style up a little for this event. Going as far as using makeup to cover her prized tattoos. 9/10 from her new friend Teru.)

     "Okay so the poppers under the toilet seat was an exception." Chuckling awkwardly. "This one's actually a gift, though!"

     Reigen rose a brow. "Shouldn't all the gifts be for the students??"

     "Oh, yeah, right! In that case, where's my present~?!"

     "Uh-h, just show me what you got already." The moment Zeya equipped her signature, devilish sneer, Reigen already knew what was coming.

Pop!

     The girl snapped a popper between her fingers right in front of his face, sparks flying in all directions! The blond still flinched a little despite knowing what was coming. She fell into an uncontrollable laughing fit. Reigen rolled his eyes and shoved the keeled over child away from him. She was more of a nuisance on the daily than Mob ever was! No wonder she was such a great match for Mineta! The two practically shared one braincell of pure chaos! They plus Kaminari quickly became UA's most unhinged trio!

     Oh yeah, that was no joke by the way. Though everyone thought it was just a prank for the longest time, turns out Zeya and Mineta being a thing was real.

     Apparently, Zeya, using her stacks of cash from the Mugen Train job for leverage, asked literally everybody to tutor her so she could catch up and keep up with school. The only one willing and able to take on that job was Mineta, who didn't even know Zeya was a girl at first!! However since he'd lost so much money to Mob from that exorcism job, he was excited to take any extra cash offered to him. But I guess all of that studying together helped the two form a bond of some kind. Things got really dramatic, though, when Zeya suddenly acted like she was going to die, begging Mineta to help her write a will. Keep in mind this all happened over winter break. Apparently, Zeya was never taught about periods, so she went the past few years thinking she was dying!  It was more than awkward for Mineta of all people, who only then through piecing the symptoms together found out she was a she, had to explain to the girl what a period was and how to handle it. Since he'd been raised by his mother, he knew these all too well. He even helped her go shopping for the essentials! From then on, they just kinda decided they may as well be dating.

     But hey, Zeya was doing alright. Mineta wasn't being creepy anymore -- he actually took Mob's advice and went to therapy. All was good. It was very common to find Mineta riding around on Zeya's shoulders. Something no one really commented on like when Kaminari petted Ojiro's tail.

     As for Zeya herself, she wasn't actually doing too bad. Inspired by a couple movie nights with Reigen, where he put on some of the corniest, low budget movies he had collected to laugh at, Zeya was inspired to dub and edit some movies like these herself for the fun of it! This quickly became a hobby she loved doing, at first just dubbing scenes with Mineta and Kaminari to give them entirely different meanings! But as her skills improved, she started to bribe her fellow classmates, and even some other kids from class 1A, to dub a character or two for her. This, eventually, turned into a pretty good amount of horribly dubbed movies and clips featuring many "celebrity voice actors." In the process of pursuing this hobby of hers and including others in her fun, she actually gained quite a few people's trust, especially those in her class. Well, at the very least they could say they had nothing against her anymore.

     She was actually doing alright.

     The snorting Zeya left to go bother the stationary girls. .. Ended up getting stuck in their braid train somehow. Didn't like it but also did; help! ... And Reigen finally got some peace and quiet. Until he was tapped on the shoulder again. "Hhh, what is it now, Zeya?"

     "Hey! Cheap calone guy!!" Oh! It was Bakugo! Reigen turned to the kid with a grimace.

     "Hello-?"

     "-Serizawa's dumb pigeon brain can't find you. He wants you to know that Mirko is looking for Elyse or something. Isn't she supposed to be in the other building?"

     "I dunno.." Turning back to the table. "Maybe she-"

     ' 's right behind you.' '

(Today is picture day my dudes.)

     Reigen yipped. Golly! The feeling of someone talking directly into your head was still something he was getting used to! He spun around, looking down a little more than usual to make eye contact with Mei, who looked tired as heck!! "Oh!.. Hi! What are you doing here?" Seeing as he was being ignored, Bakugo left to grab some snacks instead of bothering himself with this bunch.

     ' 'I was promised a trip to the gun range after this. Elyse is right behind me. And no you cannot pat my head.' ' Reigen sweat a little...but she was so tiny. Mei moved, allowing Elyse past her.

     The hero, without a hint of fakeness in her little shuffle, approached the man until she was almost completely in his face, the wackiest smile beaming from her own. "This woman has the cutest hiccups; you have to hear it!" Elyse whispered, genuine amazement in her eyes. Reigen's brows furrowed slightly. Why was Elyse...huh?

    "Ughh," ' 'why is that everybody's first thought? Don't you all do the same thing?? How could they sound any different??' ' 

     Head swishing from Mei to Reigen again. "It sounds like a newborn kitten."

     Mei rubbed her tired forehead. ' 'You guys... As a species.. are so f###ing predictable...' '

     Reigen wheezed a little at that. Okay this situation was actually pretty funny now that he thought about it.

     Done with socializing for now, Mei telepathically spoke to the both of them. ' 'I'm too tired to keep adjusting my quirk's settings or whatever every five seconds. So I'll just enjoy being deaf for a while... Slap me if you need anything.' ' The two nodded to her, not needing to respond verbally. Then Mei just wandered off into the crowd, searching for a dark corner to sit in.

     Reigen teasingly elbowed Elyse's side. "So what's this gun shooting thing all about~?"

     "Well, nothing much.." Elyse fidgeted with her hair for half a second before realizing that wasn't cool, changing it up by crossing her arms and leaning her hip against the buffet table instead. "I just realized, that.. I kept pressing you to go out there and make some friends...but I wasn't even taking my own advice." The man smiled warmly, glad to hear Elyse was now pushing herself too.

     "You dimwits lost Serizawa again!" Sho laughed, tugging on the brunette's hand behind him. Reigen's eyes widened a little. He recognized this kid, but, he wasn't supposed to be here!

     "Huh! How did you get here?!" He was never going to make it to the end of this buffet, was he?

     "Came in with Ritsu and his parents! Convinced them to move in right next to my mom's place; took down the privacy fence too, so Ritsu and I are backyard buddies!" Sho exclaimed, somehow making it seem as though he was plotting something with the way his face smirked so.

     "Oh, I heard Ritsu talking about that with me on the phone the other day." Mob's voice entered the chat. Reigen jumped. The boy was standing right next to him!... How long was he there!?! The bowl cut boy's outfit was nothing flashy, but it was a little dressier than...nothing.

     Do bright pink hoodies count? He couldn't find anything else that didn't scream "try hard." Then came down stairs and realized everyone else was dressing fancier than him.

     Twas dressier than Izuku's at least. The greenette in contrast just wore his white t-shirt that said "dress shirt." (Teru was admittedly impressed by Izuku's fashion choices.)

     "How's your dad doing by the way, Sho? Is he still on the run?"

     "Yeahh..." Sho dug his hands into his pockets. "He can't turn himself in with the new law in effect, but he can't get a normal job either. So I've been bringing the old man food while he masquerades around as a nameless vigilante, keeping our hometown safe from the influx of villains." Oh wow. Those who had never heard about this before stared at the ginger wide eyed, impressed. "Don't tell anyone, alright?"

     "Yes, of course!" Reigen.
     "Don't worry about me." Mob.
     Hands slipping up, "I legally didn't hear a thing you just said." Elyse.

     Sho relaxed his shoulders a little. Good thing he was at least able to live with his mom again, because his home life was still pretty hectic thanks to that new -- momentary -- law put into place, which legally allowed, and even encouraged, any and all villains B-rank and up to be executed if captured, since there were no longer enough prisons for them all to be held in.

     Hearing about this bittersweet news reminded Elyse of Mei. She slipped away from the rest, allowing them to converse about brighter subjects while she herself pursued something a little darker.

     After a while of searching, she found Mei standing alone in a dark corner, a glass of not alcohol held loosely in her fingers. Elyse stood in front of Mei and the two made eye contact, however, the darker haired woman wasn't responding to any of her thoughts. Since she did instruct them to do this, technically, Elyse slapped Mei's shoulder. The younger woman smiled faintly, activating her quirk. ' 'I was wondering if anyone was actually going to do that.' '

     'You not going to have a bite first? That is why I invited you here, after all..'

     Mei stared down at her non alcoholic drink. ... ' 'I dunno. I haven't been hungry enough to eat today..' ' Elyse scowled. ' 'Shut up, Mom, I'm fine.' ' The older woman blushed a little, officially called out.

     'Is something wrong..?'

     ' 'Heh. When isn't there?' ' Mei audibly chuckled, tipping her head back and opening her mouth wide to dump whatever was left of the not alcohol.

     'Is it about your-?'

     ' '-Brother?..' ' "Hhhh," ' 'of course it is. They had to put a helmet on him yesterday because he kept smashing his head against any hard surface he could find... Wound up with three small fractures in his skull.' ' Elyse lifted a hand over her mouth, her thoughts of worry clear as the night sky. ' 'Yep!.. Hoped he would be improving about now, but he's refusing to talk to anybody. Won't allow me to visit. And also stopped journaling, which is mandatory in his facility...' ' "Guhh..." ' 'He's also lost a concerning amount of weight... Essentially just given up on life entirely.' ' Knowing what Elyse was thinking all too well, ' 'Go ahead. You're allowed to show a gesture of affection.' ' Elyse stretched her hand out and gently rubbed the other's shoulder.

     'Are you okay?'

     ' 'Teh.. As good as I can be I guess.. I don't exactly regret what I did. After all, he is an S-rank villain, who has killed and would have continued to kill people had I done nothing. I just...' ' "Hhhh..."  ' 'If I had a time machine, and I could go back to prevent Ryo from ever leaving Mom and I... Even if my soul was the price to pay...I'd do it in a heartbeat.' ' Elyse squeezed Mei's shoulder a little tighter. Boy...did she understand that feeling all too well... Mei handed her empty cup to her other hand to place her unoccupied hand on top of Elyse's to pat it a couple times.

     ' 'The place he's in has had an influx of more promising ex-villains lately, so my brother doesn't have much time. If Ryo doesn't get any better, they'll... He's got one more week... After that... They'll give him what he wants to make room.' ' Elyse gasped. Mei grabbed the older one's hand and kept it on her shoulder, holding it tighty. ' 'There's nothing you can do about it. ... As his only living relative..I gave them the okay... Yes, it hurts, but...what else are we supposed to do? The only girl who could return quirks just had her own stolen. .. And, to be honest... I don't think my brother's even in there anymore. ...He's just a husk of selfmade deceptions at this point. ... I'll be alright. At least...at least I know he.. well... Guess this is worse than whatever theories I used to have. Nevermind..' ' ... ' 'But I'll be alright. I'm always alright. I've just gotten used to being disappointed by everything at this point.' '

     Elyse didn't even know what to say. She leaned in, side hugging Mei tightly. Something the younger woman was certainly not used to. ...But, she was alright with this. At least for now she was.

     It was better than constant bad news about her brother at least.

     She'd get better with time.

     At least now she knew someone who understood what she was going through on a deeper emotional level than anyone else she knew. A potential true friend.

-----

     Something in Mob's pocket started to buzz. His eyes widened a seconds knowing what that must be. "Oh! Sorry everyone. Someone's calling me. I-I'll be back!" He departed from his friend group. From the party as a whole. Mob slipped out the front door and wandered off to the side of the front porch, standing beside one of the beams. "Tsubomi?" The two hadn't spoken a lot since Mob's explosion. He was really worried it was because he scared her, but then again, he couldn't really blame her either. Still... she was the one person he always knew wouldn't treat him any differently.

     Maybe..he was wrong?

     Mob hit accept finally and slid the phone to his ear. "Tsubomi! He-hello!"

     ""Heyyy, Mob! Sorry I couldn't go to your graduation..""

     "Wha- what?.. That's okay. You live halfway across the country now!" The boy laughed.

     The girl sighed, ""Yeah, well, not anymore.. I was going to surprise you today by attending the party, but something came up. So, guess the cat's out of the bag, huh?""

     "Wait so you live here now? Close to UA?!"

     ""Yepp! Really close, actually!""

     Mob's smile grew even more. "..That's so great! We can hang out in person now!"

     ""It gets even better. .. Mob I.. I decided I'm going to UA too!""

     "As a HERO?!"

     ""NO! Silly!!"" Tsubomi laughed again. "UA has other courses too! The business course is the one that caught my eye.""

     "Oh-h-"

     ""Don't worry. I wouldn't try to become a hero without a quirk."" Giggling. Mob blushed as he held the phone to his ear, eyes darting up to stare out at all the pretty flower petals and budding trees. ""You know what, Mob?.. You've inspired me, you know that?""

     "I-?"

     ""I didn't really know what I wanted to do with my life before. But now, I think I do!.. It's nothing specific like becoming a hero or anything, but I think running a business of some kind sounds fun. You know? Think I'd make a decent manager?""

     "Oh, Tsubomi.. I think you'd be a great manager!"

     ""Psshhh, stop making me laugh!""

     "I-I'm being serious, though!" He was blushing so much. Tsubomi...going to the same school again?.. He might actually have a chance with her after all!

     "Who are you talking to, Mob?" Izuku slid out the front door. Crap! Mob's cheeks were too red to be seen like this! The younger teen slapped his own cheeks on top of somehow holding the phone to his face and spun around with the most mixed array of emotions.

     "O-oh, hello! This is Tsubomi! A childhood friend of mine."

     "Ooh, a friend~?? Put them on speaker!"

     Mob did just that, "Okay, Tsubomi, say hello to one of my classmates: Izuku Midoriya."

     ""Hello!""

     Izuku's entire body locked up at the joints. 'A girl?!' He shrieked. She sounded like the cute kind too. His eyes dragged to the right, staring at Mob with a terrifying amount of astonishment. 'He's so brave!!'

     "Um, uh, he-hello!--" Oh wait. This was the girl who visited them one time..wasn't it? *death noises* How dare he not recognize her.. 'I am...a horrible friend.'

     ""Aww, that was cute. Well, Mob, I have to go now. I hope you have fun at the party!~""

     "Thank-thank you, Tsubomi! You have fun too!" She hung up. Izuku chuckled awkwardly over Mob's shoulder.

     "Sorry if I made it awkward.."

     "No-no, it's okay." Mob slid the phone back into his pocket. "-What did you call them again? Vintages?"

     "Vestiges, yes!"

     "Ah, and.. I'm somehow one of them too...you said..?"

     "Yeah.." Izuku's eyes darted around, making sure no one else was listening into their conversation. "Reigen's too."

     ":0 ... Can you...use my quirk? You said that was how it worked, right?"

     "No.. A few of them have refused to let me unlock their quirks, yours being one of them..."

     Mob's chin dropped. "...Yeah. It's probably better that way." Izuku sweat-dropped.

     "Maybe, yeah. ... But! Yours and Reigen's vestiges still managed to give my overall quirk a big boost! So, when All For One shows up, I should be ready to face him!"

     "We should be ready to face him." Patting Izuku's shoulder. The two boys made eye contact. "I was the one who let him out of prison, so it is my responsibility to take him down too."

     Izuku smiled. ..Was it, though?

     "So...are you excited? You know.. about going into the second year of UA?"

     The greenette laughed, rubbing the back of his curly haired head. "Yep! It...feels weird actually... Are you...? .. You are going to UA, right?"

     Mob's eyes wandered off a little. He'd been asking himself the same question a lot lately.

     The younger teen spun back around, a confident smile on. "Yes. I actually..think I might want to become a hero too..." It was still just an idea, but Shigeo at his core really did want to do something nobody else could do. Something only his powers could accomplish.

     And becoming a hero seemed to be his safest bet toward reaching that goal.

     Izuku's smile grew ten times bigger. "Really??"

     "That's the idea, at least."

     The greenette tackled Mob in a tight, loving hug. .. He was so muscular for his age.. 100% muscle envy.

     "You two knuckle heads going to keep standing around? They're serving cake in there!!" Dimple emerged through the wall.

     "Eek!" Izuku shrieked, then relaxed again after half a second. "Sorry, Dimple! I'm still getting used to seeing spirits.."

     "Nah, you can only see me, kid, thanks to that one time I possessed you! Otherwise, you'd have a field day if you could see the one behind you!"

     "The Vestiges??" The teen spun around, spotting none of them. Nothing but air.

     Mob casually pointed, looking up as if it really were a big, looming one. "Wow, it really is big.." He marveled softly. Izuku panicked a little. "Don't worry. I just exorcised it. .. Think it was trying to eat some of your spiritual energy."

     "Wait-you-what?!.. Ca-ca-can you exorcise the past users, by any chance?"

     "Nah. I can see them though sometimes. But they're fused to your quirk, so all's good." Not long after he'd arrived, Mob saw one of the vestiges calmly walking behind Izuku. But he didn't want to worry the greenette, so he tried to exorcise it quietly. However, the thing wouldn't budge. Eventually, he came to the conclusion that they were fused, and since the spirit didn't really seem harmful upon further inspection, he just left it at that. Figured maybe it was a quirk that had to do with keeping your descendants close or something. Of course, now that he knew the truth, it made even more sense than before.

     "Oooh?" Immediately, Izuku started to take notes on his hand using a pen he carried around, mumbling nonsense too fast to comprehend.

     "....Wanna get that cake?" Dimple asked Mob, the two side by side, just staring at the older teen.

     "..Yeah. Good idea."

(Dimple is a living meme and I love him. That is all. Glad he's back.)

----------

     Izuku later slipped into the building to grab an actual journal to write all these notes down on. He was in a hurry though, so he only had time to write key words, which he would flesh out later in his free time.

     When he finally had that off his chest and could return his thoughts to the present time, everyone was sitting around eating cake.

     Izuku grabbed his mom and All Might and dragged them to the couch to sit with him. Bakugo had been hogging it all to himself, but had to go to the bathroom at the perfect time, so the spot was open for the taking!

     Each of the students sat around their respective parents. Except Shoto. Didn't tell his family about the event. His sister found out somehow, but she only dropped by to offer some food and her brother a quick hug. Half-n-half joined Midoriya on the couch next to All Might. This circle of couches and chairs allowed for a neat vantage point of everyone else. Shigeo sat on the opposite couch with his own parents and brother, talking happily about training, games, and other light hearted things that had happened in the past few months. Izuku couldn't even focus on his cake. ... He loved this so much. So many smiles from so many people.

     "Hey!! That's my spot, nerd!" Bakugo barked, though he realized rather quickly he didn't have the authority to push him around -- both All Might AND Mrs. Midoriya here.

     Still, Izuku startled a little from the shouting, snapping him out of the blissful moment.

     "I- I- I'm sorry, I didn't know you were sitting here!!"

     "What do you mean?! This is always my spot!!"

     "Katsuki, you better behave yourself!!"

     Bakugo spun around. Everyone's unfortunate attention had turned to the firey blonds. "Oh yeah, old hag?! Don't pretend like I didn't see you scam Tsu out of a better cookie than the cheap crap you brought!!"

     "YOUNG MAN I WILL T--"

Yeeeep!

     .  .  .

     The frick was that?

Yeeep!

     Everyone's heads turned to the standing Mei, who had grabbed a little something to eat via Elyse's demands. The brunette stood beside the younger woman, gawking again at Mei's adorable hiccup. The poor woman's face faded red as all eyes landed on her. She always hiccuped when she ate. And when she was hungry. And sometimes even just at random for no real reason.

Yip!

     One last hiccup for good measure in this moment in silence.

. . .

     ' 'Shut up, it was just a hiccup.' '

     "Pff!" Mob leaned over his slice of cake, a cackle breaking through his throat. Though he tried to hold it in, he started to laugh. Izuku joined him. As did the other kids. Pretty soon, hardly a soul could hold it in. Even Shoto wheezed pathetically.

     The laughter wasn't even directed at Mei's hiccups anymore, but rather a contagious, overwhelming joy that swirled around in that moment, touching everyone.

     No matter what they were going through, right now, in this moment...was a time of joy. Even Mei found herself smiling. She smiled across the room at the boy who started it all. Mob was still laughing, growing ever wholesome with every breath. Izuku noticed it too.

     What a smile.